We've got a Top 4 squad...

M Bison

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Lots of comments across the forum referencing the state the squad is in, and us needing (another) overhaul. This just isnt the case in my view, we've got a strong squad and one that SHOULD be more than capable of achieving top 4.

We've got room for improvement and the squad would benefit from further investment, there's no denying that, but then again so does every squad/team in the league. The squad is talented, its a case of getting more out of it and elevating out current levels.

Hopefully Ruben can achieve that and start to get more out of the current crop as there's ability there, nothing more certain!
 
There's definitely some quality players in there, but a lack of a top class centre forward, strong wing backs and trying to shoehorn players into a number 10 role are hige challenges.
 
No, we haven’t.

We have a terrible attack that can’t score. Ugarte aside, we have nobody who can run in midfield, so we have to play Bruno there. Apart from Amad, we lack players who can beat a man. All our central defenders apart from Yoro as we haven’t seen enough of him have some sort of limitation. They are either slow or small.
 
Take the red tinted glasses off.

It's at best a top 6 'squad' due to depth.

Its a barely top 8 first XI with this dreadful set of attackers.
 
Disagree wholeheartedly. This squad is a shambles overall. Some decent players sure but too many obviously not good enough players
 
Okay, I'm curious though. What makes you say that our squad is top four? How do you personally assess that?

Not saying you're wrong necessarily, but when I compare our players to their counterparts in Liverpool, Arsenal, Villa, Chelsea, City and perhaps Spurs too...I just don't see it? And that's just at an individual level. If you start looking at tactical fit, team composition, intangibles like spirit, culture etc. it's quite a way off.

Talent and potential? Sure, but that's mostly it at the moment in my opinion.
 
We have a good defense and some good midfielders but our attack is maybe top 10 material at best. I don’t think a single top six team would swap any of their attackers for one of ours. Liverpools bench options are stronger than our main options.
 
M Bison said:
Lots of comments across the forum referencing the state the squad is in, and us needing (another) overhaul. This just isnt the case in my view, we've got a strong squad and one that SHOULD be more than capable of achieving top 4.

We've got room for improvement and the squad would benefit from further investment, there's no denying that, but then again so does every squad/team in the league. The squad is talented, its a case of getting more out of it and elevating out current levels.

Hopefully Ruben can achieve that and start to get more out of the current crop as there's ability there, nothing more certain!
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No we don't. Just go through the positions, we don't have a single unit that is better than any of those top 4 sides. But most of all our attacking options are genuinely bottom third quality apart from Amad.
 
Sandikan said:
There's definitely some quality players in there, but a lack of a top class centre forward, strong wing backs and trying to shoehorn players into a number 10 role are hige challenges.
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Don’t know why you need to bring a specific formation into this. We’ve seen how crap they all are in numerous different formations.
 
We absolutely do not have a top 4 squad. We absolutely have the correct manager, and a few really good players, but the vast majority of this squad are nowhere near the level required.
 
Absolutely no chance.

So many of our players are assumed to be better than they are, simply because they play for Man Utd and have maybe had a good performance or two in the past. A lot of them wouldn’t stand out in a positive way, if you placed them in any other mid table / bottom half PL side, and they’d never be transfer targets for us if that was the case. I’d consider Dalot, Malacia, Mainoo, Lindelof, Maguire, Garnacho, Zirkzee, Højlund, and Antony to be in this category. Maybe there are more. Others like Eriksen, Casemiro and Evans are just way too old.

Players that could reasonably be considered to have the quality to start for a top four side would be Onana, Ugarte, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Bruno and Amad. That’s only half a starting XI.

The squad is poor. Really, really poor.
 
If you could name even 3 of our players who’d get into Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and City’s strongest 11 I’d be impressed.

And because of that we clearly don’t have a top 4 squad
 
Maybe, but it has glaring weaknesses. People go on about LWB but I don’t think I’d give any of our attackers more than 50% odds to score in a one-on-one with the keeper.

As long as our finishing is the way it is, we’ll be top 4 in xG, possession, and chance creation, but not actually top 4.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Absolutely no chance.

So many of our players are assumed to be better than they are, simply because they play for Man Utd and have maybe had a good performance or two in the past. A lot of them wouldn’t stand out in a positive way, if you placed them in any other mid table / bottom half PL side, and they’d never be transfer targets for us if that was the case. I’d consider Dalot, Malacia, Mainoo, Lindelof, Maguire, Garnacho, Zirkzee, Højlund, and Antony to be in this category. Maybe there are more. Others like Eriksen, Casemiro and Evans are just way too old.

Players that could reasonably be considered to have the quality to start for a top four side would be Onana, Ugarte, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Bruno and Amad. That’s only half a starting XI.

The squad is poor. Really, really poor.
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Even those players are a level below the very best. They would be a good support act in a team with one or two really world class talents. And the biggest problem is the position they play. Defence and midfield. Not a striker amongst them. No wonder we’re so shit.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Even those players are a level below the very best. They would be a good support act in a team with one or two really world class talents. And the biggest problem is the position they play. Defence and midfield. Not a striker amongst them. No wonder we’re so shit.
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I mean I'd say the bolded are comfortably top 4 level players though. But in particular the rest of the attack is bottom half of the table quality, and ultimately scoring goals masks a shiteload of other deficiencies and the subsequent lack of doing so can exacerbate issues.
 
M Bison said:
Lots of comments across the forum referencing the state the squad is in, and us needing (another) overhaul. This just isnt the case in my view, we've got a strong squad and one that SHOULD be more than capable of achieving top 4.

We've got room for improvement and the squad would benefit from further investment, there's no denying that, but then again so does every squad/team in the league. The squad is talented, its a case of getting more out of it and elevating out current levels.

Hopefully Ruben can achieve that and start to get more out of the current crop as there's ability there, nothing more certain!
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Not upfront you haven't.

On paper the backline should be better than it is but Yoro still settling in and just potential currently. Maguire worked his way back in but everyone knows his limits and Martinez from what I've seen is struggling this year.

Ugarte-Mainoo should work in the long run but Mainoo is having that second season drop off many young players do. Problem there is the backups like Casemiro and Eriksen are both going to be leaving very soon.

I'd take our squad all day over yours currently and no-one from Chelsea is trading many of theirs for yours currently.

Yesterday was the first time this season we've been able to put out Kamara-Onana-Tielemans as a midifeld trio and it played Man. City off the pitch so that's example of balanced midfield that will probably secure 5th.
 
I think a lot of the players could play a part in a top 4 squad, but there are numerous weaknesses that need fixing. Exacerbated by a mid season formation change.
 
Our defence - can be potential top 4

Our midfield - 6-10th position

Our attack - 10- 15th position

Our GK - I don't know, constantly changes....

Take the red tinted glass off
 
Mike Smalling said:
Absolutely no chance.

So many of our players are assumed to be better than they are, simply because they play for Man Utd and have maybe had a good performance or two in the past. A lot of them wouldn’t stand out in a positive way, if you placed them in any other mid table / bottom half PL side, and they’d never be transfer targets for us if that was the case. I’d consider Dalot, Malacia, Mainoo, Lindelof, Maguire, Garnacho, Zirkzee, Højlund, and Antony to be in this category. Maybe there are more. Others like Eriksen, Casemiro and Evans are just way too old.

Players that could reasonably be considered to have the quality to start for a top four side would be Onana, Ugarte, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Bruno and Amad. That’s only half a starting XI.

The squad is poor. Really, really poor.
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I agree with that list. Astonishing really.
 
M Bison said:
Lots of comments across the forum referencing the state the squad is in, and us needing (another) overhaul. This just isnt the case in my view, we've got a strong squad and one that SHOULD be more than capable of achieving top 4.

We've got room for improvement and the squad would benefit from further investment, there's no denying that, but then again so does every squad/team in the league. The squad is talented, its a case of getting more out of it and elevating out current levels.

Hopefully Ruben can achieve that and start to get more out of the current crop as there's ability there, nothing more certain!
Click to expand...
Strongly disagree. The attacking options are mid table/bottom half in quality.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Even those players are a level below the very best. They would be a good support act in a team with one or two really world class talents. And the biggest problem is the position they play. Defence and midfield. Not a striker amongst them. No wonder we’re so shit.
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A level below title challenging quality maybe, but comfortably top four quality I’d say.

And you are right about the distribution, of course. We don’t even need a world class forward to improve the team - a single forward with equivalent quality of Ugarte/De Ligt/Mazraoui would be a massive upgrade on what we have.
 
sillwuka said:
Look at the best teams in the league and compare our attackers to theirs, that will answer your question.
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Semenyo would improve your attack, Mbeumo aswell. These are solid attackers for mid table teams. I don't think you should be turning your noses up at those players. Both wouldn't cost that much more than Zirzkee which was a very strange move for what you needed to challenge Hojlund.
 
Godfather said:
Quite concerning that our squad has got so much worse after spending that much money on it.
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Not any longer. We already know since Mourinho's time our recruitment office have paid no mind to systematic squad building. Hence we have a squad with a whole host of mismatched profile in every department bar probably defence alone. Staying afloat due to sheer individual quality and form. Not being a strong collective.
 
There are regular posters here saying we are in the right position for our squad at 13th.

It is just an overreaction to try to defend a new manager. The reality is we need to perform better and that the manager is responsible for that and needs to solve they problem, and quite quickly. People like the manager and don't want to face that reality.

We have seen the same thing over and over with other managers. People said ole had to win the league with his squad in his final season, then they were suddenly all deadwood.

Hopefully Amorim improves the team by his coaching, which is his only job, and then this all becomes a moot point.
 
We really don't. Our squad is shit. The only players we have who would get starts at Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal are de Ligt, Maz, Ugarte, Amad and possibly Mainoo and Martinez when they're on form. The rest are not up to standard.

That's not to say that some won't develop into standard, eg. Yoro, Hojlund, Garnacho, but right now that's it.

Add to that the ridiculous wages we pay to average players and it's no wonder we're fecked.

Edited to tone it down a little.
 
The Urban Goose said:
We really don't. Our squad is shit. The only players we have who would get into a match day squad at Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal, never mind start, are de Ligt, Maz, Ugarte, Amad and possibly Mainoo. The rest are not up to standard.

That's not to say that some won't develop into standard, eg. Yoro, Hojlund, Garnacho, but right now that's it.

Add to that the ridiculous wages we pay to average players and it's no wonder we're fecked.
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Mainoo wouldn't make the bench for them. He is a lad with big potential but he's far from there yet
 
Nah, no way. The quality of this squad has been in decline ever since Ten Hag took over. Aside from a handful of decent players our players are anywhere from shit to mediocre. We have two forwards who'd struggle to consistently start at most clubs in the top half
 
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