The team that beat Arse in FA Cup 2011, how well does today's equivalent do?

horsechoker

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LINE-UP-United-XI-v-Arsenal-2011.jpg

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

2024 XI

Onana

Malacia
De ligt
Yoro
Mazroui

Shaw
Martínez
Ugarte
Dalot

Fernandes
Hojlund

Manager: Eric ten shots conceded already Hag

You could change it around a bit to better suit the players but I think it's more or less optimal. I think CM you could also put Mainoo but it might be too lightweight.

Could the 2024 team beat one of the better teams in the league at Old Trafford?

Just how much did Fergie get that mishmash team to win?
 
Fergie’s genius (and I’d argue Klopp also), was instilling a belief in his players that they could beat anyone and make winning such a habit it became natural to his entire squad.
It’s underestimated just how important this is in football and I’ve no doubt it’s the biggest problem with United currently, I don’t believe our players go out expecting to win, almost the opposite. Rashford’s a perfect example of a player full of confidence vs one with zero confidence 2022-23 vs 2023-24. Fergie seemed to also manage to get everyone feeling like Rashford in 2022-23, believing they can better anyone.

We have a real problem with confidence at United and I absolutely could envisage us stringing together some performances at some point soon and then never looking back.
 
horsechoker said:
LINE-UP-United-XI-v-Arsenal-2011.jpg

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

2024 XI

Onana

Malacia
De ligt
Yoro
Mazroui

Shaw
Martínez
Ugarte
Dalot

Fernandes
Hojlund

Manager: Eric ten shots conceded already Hag

You could change it around a bit to better suit the players but I think it's more or less optimal. I think CM you could also put Mainoo but it might be too lightweight.

Could the 2024 team beat one of the better teams in the league at Old Trafford?

Just how much did Fergie get that mishmash team to win?
Click to expand...
Rooney himself was more talented in every way than all those players combined.
 
We laughed but in that line up there were 4 world class players, 2 very experienced defenders, 1 very good striker (hed start for us today), 3 very young potential defenders, and a better version of McT.
 
The days when we thought that was a weak line up. It would batter us these days.

As for the question, even our 'best XI' struggles to win games so no.
 
Remember the geese said:
That back 5 and front 2 is better than what we have now.
Click to expand...
Definitely. The midfield is obviously crap but we (2024) always have horrible times against most midfields in the league with our setup so it wouldn’t be too much of an issue.
 
horsechoker said:
LINE-UP-United-XI-v-Arsenal-2011.jpg

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

2024 XI

Onana

Malacia
De ligt
Yoro
Mazroui

Shaw
Martínez
Ugarte
Dalot

Fernandes
Hojlund

Manager: Eric ten shots conceded already Hag

You could change it around a bit to better suit the players but I think it's more or less optimal. I think CM you could also put Mainoo but it might be too lightweight.

Could the 2024 team beat one of the better teams in the league at Old Trafford?

Just how much did Fergie get that mishmash team to win?
Click to expand...

In VDS, Vidic, Evra and Rooney that team had 4 genuine World class players.

It's like adding Allison, Van Dijk, Alphonso Davies, Haaland into our 2024 team. That's the gap in quality and TBF I'd argue there isn't a left back of the quality of Evra in the world right now.

Add to that the immense talent of SAF.
 
The only world class in our squad is probably Bruno. That team had 4 world class players. Even Bruno still nowhere near Rooney’s level.
 
Rafael and Fabio were also pretty dangerous if unpredictable going forward, but would bet on them being more productive than Antony or Sancho if they had played on the wings for us much as those two!

It was massive shame that Fabio had such bad injury problems throughout his career, he had a ridiculously good goalscoring record for a defender as a youth player both at international player and for us, and this particular time was when he finally got a run of games and started to show promise for the first team. Alas that he then just got injured again and again and ended up being a shadow of the player he was supposed to be.
 
horsechoker said:
2024 XI

Onana

Malacia
De ligt
Yoro
Mazroui

Shaw
Martínez
Ugarte
Dalot

Fernandes
Hojlund

Manager: Eric ten shots conceded already Hag

You could change it around a bit to better suit the players but I think it's more or less optimal. I think CM you could also put Mainoo but it might be too lightweight.

Could the 2024 team beat one of the better teams in the league at Old Trafford?

Just how much did Fergie get that mishmash team to win?
Click to expand...
Your 2024's team isn't the strongest one.

Everyone would put Garnacho due to his speed and enthusiasm. Why would you put so many defenders like Martinez or Dalot in midfield? Makes no sense.
 
Not sure if Ugarte - Martinez would be the current equivalent of Gibson - O’shea.
More like Collyer - Evans and Amass as left winger, and no, this lineup wouldn’t beat anyone.

jimmyb2000 said:
Isn't this the game that made Pogba decide to leave United?
Click to expand...
No, it was the 3-2 defeat to Blackburn in 11/12 when SAF played a midfield of Rafael and Ji Sung Park, which is even more out there than playing Gibson and O’shea.
 
Last edited:
Captmfla said:
Your 2024's team isn't the strongest one.

Everyone would put Garnacho due to his speed and enthusiasm. Why would you put so many defenders like Martinez or Dalot in midfield? Makes no sense.
Click to expand...

You’re not getting the OP at all…
 
The 2011 team would slaughter our current team
 
A midfield of Rafael, Gibson, O’Shea and Fabio had no right winning that game, but they did, and deservedly so. Yes the back five is very solid, VdS, Brown, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, and Rooney and Hernandez up front was no joke. But it was still a team with 4 fullbacks and 3 central defenders in it, one - reserve(ish) - midfielder, and two strikers.

So how did we win? One word…..

Mentality.

It didn’t matter who was available, and who was injured, suspended or exhausted. Ferguson only ever put a team out to win. No matter the personnel, and they knew it when they stepped onto the pitch. The line up was never an excuse. You put on that shirt, you go out there, and you give 100% and you win the match at any cost. No matter if you okay like shit, you find a way to win. It was inherently grilled into the players and as a result they not only went out there knowing they were expected to win, they went out there believing they would win.

Ferguson had an aura about him that transcended nearly everything else. He’s the greatest man manager of footballers of any era; and despite some ridiculous narratives over the years about his tactical acumen, he knew how to set a team up to win, better than almost anyone else. He knew how to instruct and teach players how to be in the right place, at the right time, to affect the outcome of the game in the most impactful way possible. He was, no other way to say it, a genius.

He’s the polar opposite of Ten Hag. I genuinely believe Fergie could put out that same bonkers eleven and beat Ten Hag’s best XI United side, 99 times out of 100. Because only one knows how to make players believe, only one knows how to make a team orders of magnitude greater than the sum of its parts, and only one of them knows how to set a team up properly. The idea of Ten Hag having to put out a similar type of XI, would result in something like a 7 or 8 goal thrashing.

People talking about the quality of players are missing the point completely. It’s 100% down to the mentality of the two squads, and the ability to set the teams up properly. There is no greater microcosm than this thread to highlight why Ten Hag is a million miles away from being the right coach for Manchester United.
 
Rooney alone was better in 2011 than all of our current forwards combined.
 
Chris Brown's role was underrated. He often came from the right hand side to send a decent cross in. He's my favorite CB/RB hybrid and nobody has ever replaced him in that regards. He's solid defensively, not slow (unlike most CBs at the time), and not allergic to the ball. I wonder what happened to the footballing schools that some players can't control the ball at all. It used to be a basic back in the days. So based on that alone, the 2011 will beat the current one most of the time. And Rooney-Chicarito will be a headache against our backline. It's such an underrated pairing that complimented each other very well. Rooney likes to drop deep, Chica always makes unexpected runs.
 
Last edited:
tenpoless said:
Chris Brown's role was underrated. He often came from the right hand side to send a decent cross in. He's my favorite CB/RB hybrid and nobody has ever replaced him in that regards. He's solid defensively, not slow (unlike most CBs at the time), and not allergic to the ball. I wonder what happened to the footballing schools that some players can't control the ball at all. It used to be a basic back in the days. So based on that alone, the 2011 will beat the current one most of the time. And Rooney-Chicarito will be a headache against our backline. It's such an underrated pairing that complimented each other very well. Rooney likes to drop deep, Chica always makes unexpected runs.
Click to expand...
You mean Wes Brown?
 
It's funny but that 442 you posted for us right now with a manager who knew how to coach it would probably do better than what we've done the past year. One of our biggest issues has been that absolute lack of balance in our team off the ball. At least with those 4 full backs we'd have actual natural width, and hard working width as wide midfielders (and TBF probably would do pretty well). Modern wingers that are basically wide forwards and positioned so much higher than the wide players that Sir Alex used really need to be top class to make them worth it, and ours just aren't and actively hamper us.
 
simonhch said:
A midfield of Rafael, Gibson, O’Shea and Fabio had no right winning that game, but they did, and deservedly so. Yes the back five is very solid, VdS, Brown, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, and Rooney and Hernandez up front was no joke. But it was still a team with 4 fullbacks and 3 central defenders in it, one - reserve(ish) - midfielder, and two strikers.

So how did we win? One word…..

Mentality.

It didn’t matter who was available, and who was injured, suspended or exhausted. Ferguson only ever put a team out to win. No matter the personnel, and they knew it when they stepped onto the pitch. The line up was never an excuse. You put on that shirt, you go out there, and you give 100% and you win the match at any cost. No matter if you okay like shit, you find a way to win. It was inherently grilled into the players and as a result they not only went out there knowing they were expected to win, they went out there believing they would win.

Ferguson had an aura about him that transcended nearly everything else. He’s the greatest man manager of footballers of any era; and despite some ridiculous narratives over the years about his tactical acumen, he knew how to set a team up to win, better than almost anyone else. He knew how to instruct and teach players how to be in the right place, at the right time, to affect the outcome of the game in the most impactful way possible. He was, no other way to say it, a genius.

He’s the polar opposite of Ten Hag. I genuinely believe Fergie could put out that same bonkers eleven and beat Ten Hag’s best XI United side, 99 times out of 100. Because only one knows how to make players believe, only one knows how to make a team orders of magnitude greater than the sum of its parts, and only one of them knows how to set a team up properly. The idea of Ten Hag having to put out a similar type of XI, would result in something like a 7 or 8 goal thrashing.

People talking about the quality of players are missing the point completely. It’s 100% down to the mentality of the two squads, and the ability to set the teams up properly. There is no greater microcosm than this thread to highlight why Ten Hag is a million miles away from being the right coach for Manchester United.
Click to expand...
He would get them lose 0 - 10 and people would give him excuse
 
Leave alone SAF's genius. Rooney and Chicharito did not need ten chances to put one in.
 
That Arsenal team was shite. They bottled a League Cup final against a soon to be relegated Birmingham a few weeks earlier.

With a few additions, we also put 8 past them in the August of the same year.
 
MancunianAngels said:
That Arsenal team was shite. They bottled a League Cup final against a soon to be relegated Birmingham a few weeks earlier.

With a few additions, we also put 8 past them in the August of the same year.
Click to expand...
Yes that arsenal team was really bad. They were always waiting to lose. You can put some really bad players in and still win them.
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
Fergie’s genius (and I’d argue Klopp also), was instilling a belief in his players that they could beat anyone and make winning such a habit it became natural to his entire squad.
It’s underestimated just how important this is in football and I’ve no doubt it’s the biggest problem with United currently, I don’t believe our players go out expecting to win, almost the opposite. Rashford’s a perfect example of a player full of confidence vs one with zero confidence 2022-23 vs 2023-24. Fergie seemed to also manage to get everyone feeling like Rashford in 2022-23, believing they can better anyone.

We have a real problem with confidence at United and I absolutely could envisage us stringing together some performances at some point soon and then never looking back.
Click to expand...
Great post and spot on.

It feels like our players have some form of PTSD at times, the way they fall to pieces. Fully expected it in the FA cup final, after Onana gifted them that goal, too.
 
horsechoker said:
LINE-UP-United-XI-v-Arsenal-2011.jpg

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

2024 XI

Onana

Malacia
De ligt
Yoro
Mazroui

Shaw
Martínez
Ugarte
Dalot

Fernandes
Hojlund

Manager: Eric ten shots conceded already Hag

You could change it around a bit to better suit the players but I think it's more or less optimal. I think CM you could also put Mainoo but it might be too lightweight.

Could the 2024 team beat one of the better teams in the league at Old Trafford?

Just how much did Fergie get that mishmash team to win?
Click to expand...
We’d get fecking obliterated by that Fergie team.

That back 4 is excellent with a world class left side, Rooney at that point was possibly the best striker in the world, the Da Silva brothers are bringing a feckload of energy to the wings, and Chicha in the middle was basically the equivalent of a Jota or someone today who just scores goals consistently.
 
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