A hard one to disagree with considering it's an improvement on the team that pissed the league last season.
Thiago Alcantara | Signed for Bayern Munich
- Thread starter Stobzilla
- Start date
- Status
A hard one to disagree with considering it's an improvement on the team that pissed the league last season.
We won the league by 11 points, easily. Could of been more if we hadn't of wrapped it up so early.
Our week spot was in the middle of the pitch. So adding in two great midfielders with the right attributes would make us even better, no?
And Collin, show some originality. You're pretty much trying to slag me for reading...
Our week spot was in the middle of the pitch. So adding in two great midfielders with the right attributes would make us even better, no?
And Collin, show some originality. You're pretty much trying to slag me for reading...
Surely we have to concede City have a stronger first XI than us though?
Assuming our rivals do nothing in this window.
Chelsea has already made the biggest move they could possibly make in bringing Jose back, and are bound to spend big again to give him what he wants. They'll be major contenders.
City will go mental as well.
Neither of them won the title last season though. Our team did. By 11 points. And that team Jake posted addresses the only real weakness in our title winning team.
I said this once, and it was mostly disagreed with.
I do believe that both City and Chelsea can field a more talented and dynamic XI than us, but what they don't possess is the squad we have, and players who understand their roles as squad players. Our rotation system, based on both match fitness and personal development is unmatched, in my opinion, and that won us the league. In terms of talented and exciting individuals, I think Chelsea and City are ahead of us, but that doesn't guarantee success of course.
Spot on.
Last season United were excellent and the team was more than the sum of its parts. Sir Alex got the best out of a squad which isnt one of his best. No guarantee Moyes will be able to do the same.
City and Chelsea will stregthen and United need to aswell - its best to do it from a position on stregth.
The issue is that a lot of those factors are hugely dependant on the Manager and his backroom team, and what goes on behind the scenes. Hopefully Moyes can keep players not playing regularly happy - but its clearly a very difficult job.
I think it's fair to say Chelsea and City were quite shambolic in the league last season. Don't expect the same again.
Yeah, and the team Jake posted is strenthened. If we sign those two players we'll have a better team than we did last year.
We didnt exactly set the league on fire either
Lets be honest. We could have finished the season a lot better than what we did.I think whats happening here is that some of us are feeling confident and some arent. And hence the difference in opinion.
Why though? How many of their players would get into our starting 11? We have a better goalkeeper, our defence is better then both when fit and available, only Kompany out of the two teams would get in. Van Persie is better then anything Chelsea or City have to offer, and Chelsea have the best wingers. Only Yaya Toure and Kompany basically from City would get in our starting 11, and Mata and Hazard from Chelsea.
So basically, a combined team would look like:
De Gea
Rafael Kompany Vidic Evra
Carrick Toure
Hazard Rooney/Aguero Mata
Van Persie
Rafael Kompany Vidic Evra
Carrick Toure
Hazard Rooney/Aguero Mata
Van Persie
There's nothing to suggest that either Chelsea or City have a stronger first 11 then us, or a stronger squad.
Also, the team Jake posted would easily be the best in the league. Our team is the best as it is, and fixing the only weakness we have would only serve to make it better. If our wingers remember how to play properly, then we will only be further in front of the rest.
Konoplyanka, Alejandro Gomez, Maxi Moralez, Jesus Corona, Lazar Markovic, Eduardo Salvio and Alessio Cerci. There is a plethora of quality wingers that are attainable.
Zabaleta or Rafael is arguable, I obviously prefer Rafael. Evra had a much better season then Cole last year, otherwise I would have agreed with you. Still, I don't see why people have to concede that City and Chelsea have stronger first 11's then us, when they clearly don't.
Rooney? 
Rooney?
Amongst the best players in the league. Even with a shite season, his goal and assist contribution was only a few behind Mata's, who the Caf' have wanked over this season. It's far from laughable.
If Mata played for United last season then he'd have likely smashed his figures for Chelsea.
Why do you say that? Chelsea's team are set out to accommodate Mata, we've yet to fit Kagawa in.
Can't see this one happening - just don't feel like it's a possibility at all.
More likely. Rafael will be there instead of Zabaleta by Xmas though.
You guys do know this is a transfer thread right?
Talk about the one thing!
RVP ahead of him. Think he'd get a bag full of assists. I think we could quite easily fit Kagawa in, it was just a case of Rooney being around and Kagawa finding his feet a bit.
I disagree.
Our weak spot this year is what is usually our strength. The wings.
Thought we had plenty of good performances in our central midfield this year. We could do with a midfielder or 2 but I wouldn't say it was our weakest position
Mundo Deportivo are saying that Thiago will look at the offers he's received, with us and City having shown the most interest.
You cant just look at it in this way. Say you are comparing LB's, Evra and Cole are not much different, and you have picked Evra, so that put one player in for United ahead of Chelsea. Said player is only slightly better though, which will not be the case when you compare right wingers, as Mata is miles ahead of Valencia. You have now also selected Mata. So now it's 1 each. But realistically, the two Chelsea players combined are far superior than the United players combined (Mata and Cole vs. Evra and Valencia).
What I am trying to say is that you can't just say the United XI are better than Chelsea's because more players make up the starting XI when you combine them.
Chelsea are a bad much up for us they have had the beating of us in pretty much every match we have played them this season. Defensively we are stronger while they have a stronger midfield and we have a better strikeforce, City are odd they also seem to have the beating of us over the last two years. Both teams are bad matchups for us and have some players we just can't contain. I would say we have the best squad of the three teams but their starting 11's are better.
I agree, partly because we don't even know what our best starting XI is.
Going to jump into this late, but where is Thiago meant to play?
Midfield two? I doubt it. Midfield three with Carrick and Kagawa? A stiff wind would blow them over.
Signing him doesn't really make any sense unless he's one of two midfielders we sign and Kagawa is going to be eternally wasted wide left.
Midfield two? I doubt it. Midfield three with Carrick and Kagawa? A stiff wind would blow them over.
Signing him doesn't really make any sense unless he's one of two midfielders we sign and Kagawa is going to be eternally wasted wide left.
What makes you think he can't play in a midfield two?
Exactly. Nani needs to be playing for me and I would like to see Rooney and Kagawa in there at the same time, but I doubt they can both play at the same time and you get the best out of them.
I doubt Moyes is going to ever play a traditional midfield two anyway. It's likely to be 4-2-3-1 (in which Thiago can definitely play as part of the two) or 4-3-3. I can't forsee any issues with fitting him into the side. He's a bonafide center midfielder. People are just way too obsessed with CM's being physical.
I wonder how much Moyes actually knows about Thiago. Moyes would hardly have been following his progress too keenly whilst at Everton.
The manager doesnt have to pay full attention to every single young player with potential out there. Thats why he has his staff to help him out. But its Moyes and he is managing in the premier league, so of course he bloody knows about Thiago.
There was an interesting article recently about Moyes and his footballing philosophy. I posted it in his main thread. Basically it shed light on how much he follows other teams and their tactical innovations; being a keen student of Munich and Basle among others. Although there is no direct mention of Thiago, he did mention Barcelona a lot and how they play. My guess is that he has a pretty good opinion on Thiago. After all, look at how strongly opined most caftards are on the subject, and then think that football is Moyes's life/obsession. I reckon he knows exactly the players he wants at United and I reckon his ambitions are an awful lot greater than most people give him credit for.
Well I suppose his Everton team did adopt a high pressing game, so I can see why he watched Barcelona.
Well, he hardly extensively scouted players he would have had no chance of signing at Everton, did he?
I think if the Caf knows all about Thiago its safe to assume Moyes does too. Even if he has never specifically scouted Thiago he is a well known, high profile young talent.
- Status