Unpopular (AKA fickle) opinion time on AWB.....

Castia said:
He’s a brilliant player who just looks absolutely nakered, needs a rest it’s getting to the 60th minute of games and he’s done.

Would be better with a decent right sided attacker down his wing as well.
Click to expand...

A few of our players look like they need a breather at the moment. Hopefully Dalot can give him a break, either that or use Shaw and Willaims for a game or two.
 
sammyhol said:
Really?? Great player, but I would say he is far better remembered for being a stand out defender that an attacking force.

Case in point... Ashley Cole got 31 assists in his entire Premier League career. TAA already has 23. TAA has just turned 21 and is playing in his 2nd full season.
Click to expand...
TAA should not be the standard for todays fullback. Kid is almost a generational talent, don't see any other young full back hitting his heights.
 
Think he's been really good. Can still improve alot. Wish he'd lift his head up when he runs with the ball, misses some great passing opportunities
 
TrustInOle said:
TAA should not be the standard for todays fullback. Kid is almost a generational talent, don't see any other young full back hitting his heights.
Click to expand...
He is also not even a full back, that's just the position they've found for him because he's too good to not play & they've found a niche in their system where they can afford that have him at right back despite really being a midfielder.
 
Yes, let's write off a young player in his second full season of professional football who has actually been very good or better in the majority of the games he's played for us.

In tomorrow's utterly awful thread, let's slag off Maguire, James and McTominay... no wait, there's already 'are they all that?' type threads on those players.

Maybe Fred? Rashford? Matic? Lindelof? DDG? Martial? Nope, all of those have 'are they shite?' threads already.

Well dammit, it appears that our entire first-team squad have been deemed shitter than shity McShit eating a huge shit sandwich. However, Ole should be winning the league with these players.

Boy does it feel better getting that off my chest.
 
BR7 said:
OP, have to agree, when going forwards he is unsure with a mediocre touch. Passing is average can’t even be sure he knows what he’s going to do next. Great tackler, I see improvment in this aspect of his game though but can’t see him ever being a player with a touch
Click to expand...
He’s never going to be an overlapping full back, but doesn’t need to be.
Skills said:
I genuinely can't believe that people can watch football over the last 10 years, and think that playing this way is an actual option. You're literally setting up any RW up for failure in that kind of system because the games all about space and positioning.

The likes of Robertson, TAA, Marcelo, Alba & Alves didn't free up their wingers/forwards to 'attack'. They created space for them in more dangerous areas of the pitch by being a legitimate threat on the wing.
Click to expand...
I genuinely can't believe that people can watch football over the last 10 years, and think that playing this way isn’t an actual option. Guardiola regularly plays, more so at Bayern than he does at City, with full backs that tuck inside and join the central midfield positions. Rather than having AWB becoming one of the front five, we are better using him to join the midfield and screen the defence from counterattacks. Something like this when in possession in the final third:

Williams Rashford Martial Pogba James
................. Bruno Matic AWB
................. Maguire Lindelöf

which stems from a base defensive formation of:

... Rashford Martial James
......... Bruno Matic Pogba
Williams Maguire Lindelöf AWB

You can do variations on this will all manner of personnel and base formations. Michael Cox wrote an absolute A* article on this on The Athletic only last week.

One thing I would say is that having a far better Sancho on the right instead of James would make us feel much better about AWB’s role. While that wing is offering little threat it is only natural to question the full back too, whilst truth be told the burden should be on the winger to deliver. I don’t really want AWB on the forward line all too often as is strength is his tackling, which might just be the very best in the world.
 
He'll look loads better once the team are performing, I have zero doubts that his attacking game will develop
 
I don't get this nonsense that AWB is shit with the ball going forward, he's technically light years ahead of our actual winger and can actually beat a player 1 v 1.
 
Schmeichel's Cartwheel said:
He needs to dramatically improve offensively if he is going to be our RB for years to come. I think there could be potential for him to be converted into a CB or DM
Click to expand...

Seriously, he spends 8 days a week in a professional football environment.
All he needs to do is dedicate some of that time to improving his delivery from wide positions, an hour or two per day on the training ground, and he improves massively as a player.
How much dedication did Ronaldo have to become the best?
 
I don't think the 352 would be bad option going forwards for us when everyone is fit. Our defence has conceded a lot of goals this year playing in a 4. Maguire also always looks far better in a 3 man CB as he did for England too.

---------------------------------Dave

--------------AWB----Maguire---Lindelof/Axel

Dalot-----------------------------------------------------------Williams

-------------------Mctom/Fred------Pogba

-------------------------------Bruno

---------------------Martial----Rashford
 
b82REZ said:
You are misremembering and comparing an older player to modern standards.

Ashley Cole was considered an attacking full back throughout his career. Would you consider Evra an attacking fullback? He most certainly was but his numbers will pale in comparison to TAA, who frankly is the best attacking fullback I've seen in the PL.
Click to expand...

I agree the TAA is a fantastically creative player, but do not buy into the narrative that we should just completely drop our standard of what we expect creatively from our fullbacks, especially considering the system Ole wants to play.

Andrew Robertson has 22 assists in the last 2.5 seasons... is he a generational talent too?

Or is it the fact that amongst other things, Liverpool play narrow outside forwards, and therefore their width and creativity from out wide is reliant on their full backs?..

and is it not also true to say that Ole wants to play a similar system to Liverpool whereby our ‘wide’ attackers (rashford, Greenwood, James) are relatively narrow and play in the channels? The main difference I can see in the two shapes is Ole wants to play with 2 midfield pivots rather than 1, which should give our FBs even more cover and therefore license to get forward!

Ultimately, at the highest level the FB roll has changed... All of the current best FBs in the world contribute at least as much going forward as they do defensively. All things considered based on our planned style of play, attacking contribution should have been an absolutely key consideration in the scouting of a new fullback.
 
Lynty said:
Whoscored comparison says there's not much in it. Per game:

Key passes - AWB 0.7 - DJ 1
Dribbles - 1.5 - 0.9
Bad control - 0.8 - 1.5
Key passes - 0.7 - 1
Crosses - 0.3 - 0.5
Click to expand...

When the ball gets to the final third I'd rather it fall to James over AWB any day of the week. I'd love it to fall to Sancho actually but let's be realistic.

AWB is a good defender. He looks out of his comfort zone as wing back.
 
22 years old, accomplished defender with years ahead of him to master his attacking play.

We don’t even need him to be a Dani Alves style attacking wing back, we just need a competent attacking right winger for him to build an understanding with so he can support and protect.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
I'm glad many more people are now seeing what I did. I got laughed at when I created this article before Xmas. Doesn't look as silly now does it guys?
Click to expand...

I posted this a year before you made this thread

Classical Mechanic said:
Wan Bissaka is untested in a progressive side. He’d be great if we wanted to set up to stop the opposition but we don’t really want to do that.

He was a winger but an unremarkable one so if he’s good enough going forward and positionally in an attacking side we don’t know.
Click to expand...

It's something that is pretty obvious.
 
Pexbo said:
22 years old, accomplished defender with years ahead of him to master his attacking play.

We don’t even need him to be a Dani Alves style attacking wing back, we just need a competent attacking right winger for him to build an understanding with so he can support and protect.
Click to expand...
This is absolutely key, AWB is being shown up because we're lacking options on the right wing so invariably when the onus is on him to attack he is coming up short. We need a Beckham / Ronaldo to his Gary Neville and we'd be fine.
 
GaryLifo said:
Yes, let's write off a young player in his second full season of professional football who has actually been very good or better in the majority of the games he's played for us.

In tomorrow's utterly awful thread, let's slag off Maguire, James and McTominay... no wait, there's already 'are they all that?' type threads on those players.

Maybe Fred? Rashford? Matic? Lindelof? DDG? Martial? Nope, all of those have 'are they shite?' threads already.

Well dammit, it appears that our entire first-team squad have been deemed shitter than shity McShit eating a huge shit sandwich. However, Ole should be winning the league with these players.

Boy does it feel better getting that off my chest.
Click to expand...

echoes my sentiments. Seems to be a sense of schizophrenia from some fans - one minute a) Ole is a pile of s*** for not getting a squad containing the likes of Lingard and Jones to top spot, the next b)every single player is s***, contradicting a) and then c) the board is s*** because the squad is s*** and we need to sign an 80m pound player in every position and thats a contradiction of a) also.

all a bit of a mess.
 
Would he work as a RCB?

------------------------De Gea-------------------------
-------AWB--------Maguire-----Lindelof------
Dalot----------------Fred------------------Williams
----------------Pogba----Bruno----------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
----------------Martial--Rahsford------------------

I think we have looked decent in 532/352 in many games this season. Maguire also seems to do better with 3 at the back.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
Youtube clips are out now. I take it all back.......
Click to expand...

That's from his first season of football. So not a huge amount of footage to use. But it disproves that he "can't" attack.

The issue is why he can't he do it more consistently or why he can't do it for us.

Based on our teams form so far this season and the persistent injuries to key players, I think it's more fair to let him off the hook until we have a stable starting 11 before he gets unfairly labelled as a poor attacker playing in (surprise, surprise) a poor attacking team.
 
Last edited:
Nou_Camp99 said:
AWB is light years ahead of Daniel James technically was the claim and I'm clueless? Hahahahaha. AWB is a terrific defender but he's below average on the ball.
Click to expand...

Are you actually claiming that Daniel James is technically better than AWB? A traffic cone has more technical ability than Daniel James.
 
TMDaines said:
He’s never going to be an overlapping full back, but doesn’t need to be.

I genuinely can't believe that people can watch football over the last 10 years, and think that playing this way isn’t an actual option. Guardiola regularly plays, more so at Bayern than he does at City, with full backs that tuck inside and join the central midfield positions. Rather than having AWB becoming one of the front five, we are better using him to join the midfield and screen the defence from counterattacks. Something like this when in possession in the final third:

Williams Rashford Martial Pogba James
................. Bruno Matic AWB
................. Maguire Lindelöf

which stems from a base defensive formation of:

... Rashford Martial James
......... Bruno Matic Pogba
Williams Maguire Lindelöf AWB

You can do variations on this will all manner of personnel and base formations. Michael Cox wrote an absolute A* article on this on The Athletic only last week.

One thing I would say is that having a far better Sancho on the right instead of James would make us feel much better about AWB’s role. While that wing is offering little threat it is only natural to question the full back too, whilst truth be told the burden should be on the winger to deliver. I don’t really want AWB on the forward line all too often as is strength is his tackling, which might just be the very best in the world.
Click to expand...

This. Its strange people seem to be suggesting there is only one correct way for a full back to play.

Edit re Sancho - Would definitely be the kind of player we need, but I actually think it would be Martial's best position as well. He just doesn't want to do it as Van Gaal hinted at a while ago:

https://www.givemesport.com/655122-...want-to-play-right-wing-for-manchester-united

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ley-anthony-martial-manchester-united-everton
 
Beaucoup said:
Are you actually claiming that Daniel James is technically better than AWB? A traffic cone has more technical ability than Daniel James.
Click to expand...

Depends on what aspects of the game you're talking about. I was referring to the attack only. Daniel James has smashed a few into the top corner this season and ripped through City's and Liverpool's defence to make goals for us.

AWB is a technically better tackler. If you're actually suggesting he's better in attack than James then you're delusional. James has definitely gone off the boil a bit as injuries have forced us to play him more than we should have done. However to say AWB is better than him attacking is actually hilarious.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
Very curious to hear what 'Harry Harries' has to say on the matter......
Click to expand...
That's nice 'Nou_Camp99'. Wasn't it obvious? I was laughing at you, and your proclamations so strong as being some sort of trailblazing, all-knowing, 'caf dwelling deity.
 
Harry Harries said:
That's nice 'Nou_Camp99'. Wasn't it obvious? I was laughing at you, and your proclamations so strong as being some sort of trailblazing, all-knowing, 'caf dwelling deity.
Click to expand...

I can almost taste them tears pal.....
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
Depends on what aspects of the game you're talking about. I was referring to the attack only. Daniel James has smashed a few into the top corner this season and ripped through City's and Liverpool's defence to make goals for us.

AWB is a technically better tackler. If you're actually suggesting he's better in attack than James then you're delusional. James has definitely gone off the boil a bit as injuries have forced us to play him more than we should have done. However to say AWB is better than him attacking is actually hilarious.
Click to expand...

I would say James is a better ball striker. In terms of close control and short passing I think AWB's technique is tighter and more efficient.
 
w1thout said:
Ok, so he's very solid defensivley, but he is absolutley a burden going up the pitch.
His passing is not very good, although his touch has improved. He can't beat his player and deliver a good cross, he doesn't even know what to do with the ball when he passes the halfway line. Most likely will try a weird feint and pass it sideways or backwards.

You can't be this clueless offensivley in today's game when the fullbacks are expected to do most of the attacking on the flanks.

I predict that if Dalot stays fit, he will displace AWB solely because of his attacking capacity. Look, Dalot still got a long way to go, he has been exposed defensivley multiple times, but I think developing defensive awarness is easier than improving defensivley.
A club like Man Utd needs an attacking fullback.
Click to expand...

This is never going to happen.
 
Fosu-Mens said:
Taking 6 months to be able to perceive that AWB is incompetent when on the ball and in attack is not something to make some claim about. Obvious long before we signed him.
Click to expand...

It can't be because we've got loads on here arguing othersiwe mate.
 
sammyhol said:
I agree the TAA is a fantastically creative player, but do not buy into the narrative that we should just completely drop our standard of what we expect creatively from our fullbacks, especially considering the system Ole wants to play.

Andrew Robertson has 22 assists in the last 2.5 seasons... is he a generational talent too?

Or is it the fact that amongst other things, Liverpool play narrow outside forwards, and therefore their width and creativity from out wide is reliant on their full backs?..

and is it not also true to say that Ole wants to play a similar system to Liverpool whereby our ‘wide’ attackers (rashford, Greenwood, James) are relatively narrow and play in the channels? The main difference I can see in the two shapes is Ole wants to play with 2 midfield pivots rather than 1, which should give our FBs even more cover and therefore license to get forward!

Ultimately, at the highest level the FB roll has changed... All of the current best FBs in the world contribute at least as much going forward as they do defensively. All things considered based on our planned style of play, attacking contribution should have been an absolutely key consideration in the scouting of a new fullback.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make because I haven't said anything to contrary to this. I was just correcting your revisionism about Ashley Cole.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
Depends on what aspects of the game you're talking about. I was referring to the attack only. Daniel James has smashed a few into the top corner this season and ripped through City's and Liverpool's defence to make goals for us.

AWB is a technically better tackler. If you're actually suggesting he's better in attack than James then you're delusional. James has definitely gone off the boil a bit as injuries have forced us to play him more than we should have done. However to say AWB is better than him attacking is actually hilarious.
Click to expand...

When did I mention the word attack? i'm talking about technical ability on the ball. AWB has far better technical ability than Daniel James, if you can't see that, then you're delusional.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
Absolute bollocks. Brandon Williams already shown far more. The lad can defend and go forwards and is playing on the left despite being right footed.


AWB can't pass mate. Can't cross. Can't do anything in possession. He's a poor footballer.

Excellent defensively but is that enough for a team aspiring to be back at the top? Suited to a team like Palace who defend for 75 mins every week.

Watching him try to attack today was comical. He's appalling on the ball.
Click to expand...

This is weird timing as Williams was by far the poorest player on the pitch on the ball last night.

I like Williams but making shit up to use him to slag off another one of our players is just fecking weird.

Honestly this forum had become a joke. Players do well and visibly run themselves into the ground, then get slagged off for it anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.