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

Everyone moans about how bad he is on the ball and while that is true, I also think he showed signs of improvement on that last year and I'm sure he can get better on that with time. What really irks me is his positioning. It is beyond horrible. It looks like we dont have a defense on that right. I really do hope Laird keeps fit and displaces him on that side. Just now, even with 3 CBs you can see that he gets pulled into the center so much. Would much rather upgrade him than Shaw even if that seems bonkers after buying him for 50 mil last year.
 
fecking send him back to Dubai.
 
And as I finish posting that comment, you see the evidence again. Gets sucked into the center with Bruno being the defender on the right side
 
Shit defensively now to add to his impotent attacking play. Only United would pay £50m for him. Barely worth £20m.
 
Feels a bit unfair to single out AWB when almost everyone has been shit today.
 
For some reason he’s playing right back and centre back. Solly March has been getting acres all day long and our right sided player hasn’t been tracking.
 
Again another performance that proves that we overpaid for this guy. Shaw is better defensively and offensively and in general play. Yet according to red cafe a LB is more urgent
 
I don't know where his head is. A cone would have probably been more attentive today. Needs to be taken a serious look at. He's been a bit dodgy since the day he signed when it comes to positioning and marking, but today was something else.
 
So was it Bailly now that AWB left his man? If he can't defend then what's the point?
 
People analyzing the game poorly. See March with the ball and assume AWB is doing poorly. Look at why Bailly came on will you. Brighton were comfortably moving the ball around on the right and then frequently switched the play to the left when AWB had cut in to mark a player that made a run, leaving the flank open because that's what he supposed to do. March had 1v1 verson Matic, Greenwood and Bruno in the match, all of whom he beat. He never beat AWB 1v1.

Our midfield was terrible this game and we saw very little defensive work from Rashford, Greenwood and Martial was slow on the pressure.

Given when the thread was bumped and comments coming in I'm assuming people think AWB was nowhere for the 2-2. AWB moved in to mark a player, Bruno had March and stopped tracking back leaving March unmarked.
 
He has one good quality, defends solidly. If he doesn't even do that, there's literally nothing else in his game to redeem his performance. That is what happens when you buy such a 1-dimensional player who has no business playing for a top team.
 
His side was exposed all day. His positioning was terrible.

His defensive play has been pretty shit for a few months now.
 
Doesn't seem to understand the concept of defending, which is rich for someone whose great strenght is supposed to be defending.
 
Shouldn't be blamed today, this is on ole's poor coaching, that being said I have to say if tuanzebe was fit what argument could you have against him being our right back considering he's just as good defensively and dare I say it, is actually better on the ball than bissaka, the only things bissaka has over tuanzebe is better pace and fitness/injury record.
 
1st of December I made this article. He's actually got worse since then and I wasn't satisfied even then. Hahahaha

What an absolute shocking signing. He's just nowhere near the standard we need.
 
Great at sliding tackles, but his positional play is that bad he’s always having to make those kinds of tackle. Awful with the ball and I just don’t see him improving that part of his game to the point where he’s ever going to be satisfactory.

I agree with some other posters insofar as I don’t understand the clamour to replace Shaw when RB is a much more glaring issue. On the plus side we should probably be able to recoup a decent proportion of his fee as some teams will see his highlights reel and think he’s a great defender.

Could have had Hakimi from Dortmund/Madrid before he left for Italy in the summer.
 
Redcafe:

V Crystal Palace : Why the feck is Mensah playing and wtf is AWB doing on the bench?!

V Brighton: He’s shit, get rid. Right back is now a priority signing.
 
Redcafe:

V Crystal Palace : Why the feck is Mensah playing and wtf is AWB doing on the bench?!

V Brighton: He’s shit, get rid. Right back is now a priority signing.

We will never get anywhere near the top 2 with either. But one cost us nothing and one cost us 50 fecking million.
 
Was at fault for the majority of their chances. That three of Lindelof, Pogba & AWB will be targeted by everyone.

I don't think Laird would be worse in any way.
 
I'm tired of people making excuses for him, the latest of which seems to be "Ole did him no favors tactically" - as if we're playing prime Barcelona not fecking Brighton. Even after OGS added Bailly to help out defensively, Brighton still scored from an area that AWB should have covered.

He has zero defensive awareness, is poor positionally, and never takes responsability. Quiet little lamb. And what mentality - if you break quarantine to have a vacation and feck the club off in the process, the least you could do is show some effort on the pitch to make up for it. Couldn't be arsed to sprint! fecking hell.

People like @SirAnderson acted all uppity when I called him a braindead footballer after Sevilla, but performing like that against Brighton after breaking quarantine, you have to question his smarts.
 
I'm tired of people making excuses for him, the latest of which seems to be "Ole did him no favors tactically" - as if we're playing prime Barcelona not fecking Brighton. Even after OGS added Bailly to help out defensively, Brighton still scored from an area that AWB should have covered.

He has zero defensive awareness, is poor positionally, and never takes responsability. Quiet little lamb. And what mentality - if you break quarantine to have a vacation and feck the club off in the process, the least you could do is show some effort on the pitch to make up for it. Couldn't be arsed to sprint! fecking hell.

People like @Mr Anderson acted all uppity when I called him a braindead footballer after Sevilla, but performing like that against Brighton after breaking quarantine, you have to question his smarts.

please correct the tag as it wasn’t me
 
Redcafe:

V Crystal Palace : Why the feck is Mensah playing and wtf is AWB doing on the bench?!

V Brighton: He’s shit, get rid. Right back is now a priority signing.

Well, generally speaking he's currently our best option in RB position, even if we don't like him.
 
Feels a bit unfair to single out AWB when almost everyone has been shit today.

He's not being singled out, other players are getting shit too in their respective threads. This thread is for AWB, so of course all the comments here are about him. And criticism of his horrible positioning and appalling composure on the ball, isn't anything new either. It's been fairly consistent since the honeymoon ended with him, 6 months or so into his United career.

In other words, there's nothing knee-jerk or unfair about the criticism he's getting. He's one of the most expensive fullbacks in the history of football and yet in many (if not most) aspects of his game he's barely Premier League level. Of course people will be angry and pile on the criticism.
 
The issue for me is something has changed tactically.

earlier in the season he was more defensive and stayed in our half unless an overlap was needed, then he went forward.

for some reason now he’s pressuring people way higher up the pitch and follows them almost back to their defensive line. They then escape and play the ball into his space and he can’t recover fast enough.

why the hell are we sending him so high up the pitch? Stay back and keep the defence tight!
 
Awful player. Left back is not the priority. We need to ship this guy out first. Shaw is better at most things.
 
He literally refuses to mark people or stay tight to them.............he lethal at the late tackles and one on one be he been a bit of a liability lately at the main bit of his game he meant to excel at..........defending.


Think he low on confidence as well
 
He looks absolutely cooked. Did post lockdown as well, he literally looks absolutely shattered and for a young lad I can’t understand why. Total liability today. Doesn’t get any help from those who play in front of him mind you
 
In terms of going forward, I swear wes brown played better as a right back than him.

If we wanted a defensive rightback last season then we could have saved ourselves 45-50 million and just put tuanzebe there, who is actually better technically on the ball.
 
Have to say not convinced by him at all. Positionally all over the place and offers little going forward.

Still young, so hopefully can turn it around. At the moment he looks like another Shaw though.
 
Forgot about march for the entire second half. Although mason doesn't provide any assistance defensively. Thats something Mason needs to improve in. Not always can change the match with goals, but he can with defensive workrate.

Tactical awareness was poor. Fitness was poor.

But we all know that he is capable of so much more. He will be fine with more matches under the belt.
 
50m down the drain..

That 130m spent last summer is looking bad business now