What do we still need? Post Summer 2017 edition

Shame you weren't in for James.

He's one of the best 10's in the world and he was only 45m.
 
Whenever we play shit this thread pops, and it's obivous there is a lack of quality in attack but at some point you have to wonder what is going on, on the training ground, there's no pattern or flow to how we attack, it all feels quite random.
 
poacher said:
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Honestly I don't think the board wants to compete with the best in Europe. They want to invest just enough to get CL football and that's it. We are still two fullbacks, a #10, a winger, CM away from being a top notch team. I doubt the board will give Jose the money to fill all the holes in the squad. I also think Jose was on the right track when he wanted a ball playing CB but Lindelof is a complete joke defensively. If Jose had brought in Laporte or Jonathan Tah instead of Lindelof we would be so much better. Imagine a CB that is comfortable on the ball and can bring the forward and effectively pass the ball.
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Bailly 30 mil.
Pogba 90 mil.
Mkhitaryan 20 mil.
Lukaku 75 mil.
Lindelof 30 mil.
Matic 40 mil.
...........285 mil. in little more than 12 months. I'm not sure the board isn't prepared to spend or that we lack ambition.
For me the real issue is prioritizing. I don't think we needed extra CBs when Rojo, Smalling, Blind & Jones were already in place. We needed an attacking midfielder to give Pogba a chop out and link midfield to attack, and Herrera can easily fill the DM role. Now we have 2 good DMs and no one to attack from deep. Jose is building a team but it's happening slowly and there has been mistakes. If you take the team that Jose inherited: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Young.....Herrera, Fellaini.....Martial, Rashford. I think Pogba & Lukaku were excellent choices, but an attacking fullback and a skilful young RF moving towards his prime would also have been ideal.
We don't need a zillion CBs. Mkhitaryan was cheap but at 27 and new to the league with a history of problems settling in, there was really no upside.
It's not a disastrous situation though. A couple of young stars and suddenly we start challenging for everything. I'm more confident now that Jose can get us there than I was at the start, actually. But I don't understand the notion that we lack investment or ambition.
 
1. Sensible attacking approach to matches.
- One could say that the we play "Tony Pulis ball", only with better players.
2. Training/coaching that improves the basics, as a bare minimum, needed to pass and receive the ball.
3. Fullbacks that are not injured, are more than a tank and a captains band, have less in common with Tony Hibbert than Paul McShane, does not dive 5x a game.
 
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Could we not build a team like Arsenal's "Invincibles" in terms of the formation and strategy with the players on the market? Using a 4-4-2 that looks like a 4-2-3-1 when Bergkamp/Griezmann drop deeper?

Lehman
Lauren - Toure - Campbell - Cole
Ljungberg - Silva - Viera - Pires
Bergkamp - Henry

Lukaku - Griezmann
Martial - Matić - Pogba - RW
LB - Rojo - Bailly - Valencia
De Gea
​
Lukaku stays high up (Henry) while Griezmann drops between the lines (Bergkamp), attacking fullbacks overlap the wide players who can cut in, Matić shielding the back four (Silva) while Pogba is basically a box-to-box (Viera). Obviously needs some fine tuning because Lukaku is a different kind of striker to Henry and I doubt using decade old tactics would work right now but I'm partial to a 4-4-2 when there are players on the market who make this work.

4-4-2 is a reliable shape to retreat into to remain compact defensively, and might help us hit people on the break with pace. You have fast players to hit on the break, it just depends maybe on if you have creativity. That's why I would advocate the wide-right player being a wide playmaker.

Atletico Madrid the last 4 years or so, Leicester City 15/16, Monaco 16/17 etc have all seen success with this formation in different ways. I personally think if we built this with Griezmann we would basically be a better version of Atletico Madrid from the last few years man for man.

If this Malcom fellow is as good as people say then maybe get him for wide right and maybe Tierney, Ghoulam or Grimaldo for LB.
 
I think what United miss is confidence. The squad is good enough, but perhaps at times the approach is too timid and that’s on Mourinho. Looking at City, there are not 11 WC players fielded, it’s a mix of different types and it works, because the manager instilled confidence and good attacking football.
 
De Gea
Valencia Bailly Rojo Rose
Pogba Matic
Martins Griezmann Martial
Zlatan
​
£180m
 
don't sign old players said:
Bailly 30 mil.
Pogba 90 mil.
Mkhitaryan 20 mil.
Lukaku 75 mil.
Lindelof 30 mil.
Matic 40 mil.
...........285 mil. in little more than 12 months. I'm not sure the board isn't prepared to spend or that we lack ambition.
For me the real issue is prioritizing. I don't think we needed extra CBs when Rojo, Smalling, Blind & Jones were already in place. We needed an attacking midfielder to give Pogba a chop out and link midfield to attack, and Herrera can easily fill the DM role. Now we have 2 good DMs and no one to attack from deep. Jose is building a team but it's happening slowly and there has been mistakes. If you take the team that Jose inherited: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Young.....Herrera, Fellaini.....Martial, Rashford. I think Pogba & Lukaku were excellent choices, but an attacking fullback and a skilful young RF moving towards his prime would also have been ideal.
We don't need a zillion CBs. Mkhitaryan was cheap but at 27 and new to the league with a history of problems settling in, there was really no upside.
It's not a disastrous situation though. A couple of young stars and suddenly we start challenging for everything. I'm more confident now that Jose can get us there than I was at the start, actually. But I don't understand the notion that we lack investment or ambition.
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2nd in PL. Through to ECL and LC next rounds. Current Europa and League Cup winners.

If that isn't already challenging, what is?
 
Devil may care said:
Whenever we play shit this thread pops, and it's obivous there is a lack of quality in attack.
Click to expand...

I'm not convinced that you can lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of our attackers.
Martial, Rashford & Lukaku are a talented bunch and they will get goals, no doubt about that.
But Lukaku is the type of striker that needs to be facing the opponents goal with the ball played infront of him, this will play to his strengths, but he just isn't getting that type of service.

For me, the problem is in midfield.
We don't boss games, we don't control the tempo, and therefore we don't create the opportunities that our attack will thrive on.
For my money, this is where we are lacking.
 
Ikon said:
I'm not convinced that you can lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of our attackers.
Martial, Rashford & Lukaku are a talented bunch and they will get goals, no doubt about that.
But Lukaku is the type of striker that needs to be facing the opponents goal with the ball played infront of him, this will play to his strengths, but he just isn't getting that type of service.

For me, the problem is in midfield.
We don't boss games, we don't control the tempo, and therefore we don't create the opportunities that our attack will thrive on.
For my money, this is where we are lacking.
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Yes, but we are missing a really top class no.10 type player - Mkhitaryan was an attempt to do it on the cheap (let's not make that same mistake with Ozil) but he's the most inconsistent player I know. The other obvious problem is that fullbacks are critical to attacking success in the modern game - Valencia and Young / whoever try their best but they're not quite up to it.

I think those are the key things we need to address plus maybe a right sided attacker.
 
Ikon said:
I'm not convinced that you can lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of our attackers.
Martial, Rashford & Lukaku are a talented bunch and they will get goals, no doubt about that.
But Lukaku is the type of striker that needs to be facing the opponents goal with the ball played infront of him, this will play to his strengths, but he just isn't getting that type of service.

For me, the problem is in midfield.
We don't boss games, we don't control the tempo, and therefore we don't create the opportunities that our attack will thrive on.
For my money, this is where we are lacking.
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Lukaku needs to do much better at holding the ball up and bringing the attack to him, he can't expect every game to just be about trying to run in behind. As for the rest, I think our attack lacks guile and invention, we don't have the vision and passing to split defenses, it's all speed and brute force, we do need another CM option I agree but we need to upgrade our #10 and our RW with more creative and incisive players.
 
Nick. said:
Is Meunier good enough? If PSG are selling him I can only assume he isn't good enough for them so why should he be for us?
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No, he's much better than Dani Alves but Neymar is the only reason why PSG start Dani Alves over Thomas Meunier and Davi Alves is a luxury player. Neymar doesn't like him because he's the reason that Neymar was in his pocket before :rolleyes:. If you watch him, you must know that he is possibly one of best available RB in the market right now. He could help our attacking out and have a decent cross accuracy










Thomas Meunier rejected Manchester City and Chelsea cos he wants Manchester United to make an offer on him. He has a good linkup play with Lukaku at Belgium and he is United fans

I hope he is coming next summer
 
We need some new wing backs who can actually attack effectively and another creative midfielder. Whether he plays wide or centrally, he needs to ooze confidence on the ball and be comfortable playing in tight spaces and always looking to pass forward.
 
United need a proper first choice LB, a creative presence in CM for when Pogba is unavailable, greater width on both wings, and a world-class, 'bluechip' forward in the mould of Hazard, Griezmann, Sanchez, Neymar etc etc.

It's a lot to do in one summer (presuming you won't do anything in January), but why not for a club of United's size and finance? Signing only 3 players in the summer, one of which is a 5th choice CB, and one of which is merely replacing Ibra who was signed the previous summer, probably isn't going to cut it in terms of competing for the title.
 
As much as I hate Hazard for turning us down in the way he did and generally being a bit of a tit, he is exactly what we need and have needed since we chased him. We still lack the players who can singlehandedly both draw 2-3 defenders and escape from such attention. Griezmann is good, but I don't see him picking the ball up in our own half, escaping the onrushing defenders, and starting a fast break the way Hazard did yesterday on multiple occasions.
 
don't sign old players said:
We need an explosive, skilful RF. It's what we needed before Jose arrived and it hasn't been addressed. Even if we play sometimes with a formation of 3 back and 2 in front, no designated wide attackers, the option of having someone to stretch the defence or cut in to do some real damage is a necessity. I like the look of Malcom I think he'd suit us.
Whether we get a new #10 or another attacking mid will definitely depend on the formation Jose has in mind. At this stage I reckon he favors a new #10 because Pogba and Fellaini can fill the AM roles, but Mata and Mkhitaryan don't exactly inspire much faith the way they're going. I think Griezmann is the favorite here, not exactly a role model #10, but it's hard not to see him being a lethal second striker in this team.
The fullbacks? Well I have Valencia/Darmian on the right; and Young on the left. It's not going to happen, but I prefer Blind to join the contingent of CBs. Get another LB, one that can attack with intelligence and skill. I like Tierney, so that will do.
In, Tierney....Griezmann.....Malcom
Out, Carrick....Mata.....Shaw.
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Two unproven young players for our two of our main problem positions? Seriously, I hope not. Griezmann has been poor lately and we have to wait and see if he could turn it around. He's a class player but not really what we need anyway. Even if we sign him - I hope not, then the RW must be a playmaker not the explosive type.
 
Kearnkoff69 said:
As much as I hate Hazard for turning us down in the way he did and generally being a bit of a tit, he is exactly what we need and have needed since we chased him. We still lack the players who can singlehandedly both draw 2-3 defenders and escape from such attention. Griezmann is good, but I don't see him picking the ball up in our own half, escaping the onrushing defenders, and starting a fast break the way Hazard did yesterday on multiple occasions.
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Pulisic can. A pity there's not been even an iota of link of us to him.
 
don't sign old players said:
Bailly 30 mil.
Pogba 90 mil.
Mkhitaryan 20 mil.
Lukaku 75 mil.
Lindelof 30 mil.
Matic 40 mil.
...........285 mil. in little more than 12 months. I'm not sure the board isn't prepared to spend or that we lack ambition.
For me the real issue is prioritizing. I don't think we needed extra CBs when Rojo, Smalling, Blind & Jones were already in place. We needed an attacking midfielder to give Pogba a chop out and link midfield to attack, and Herrera can easily fill the DM role. Now we have 2 good DMs and no one to attack from deep. Jose is building a team but it's happening slowly and there has been mistakes. If you take the team that Jose inherited: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Young.....Herrera, Fellaini.....Martial, Rashford. I think Pogba & Lukaku were excellent choices, but an attacking fullback and a skilful young RF moving towards his prime would also have been ideal.
We don't need a zillion CBs. Mkhitaryan was cheap but at 27 and new to the league with a history of problems settling in, there was really no upside.
It's not a disastrous situation though. A couple of young stars and suddenly we start challenging for everything. I'm more confident now that Jose can get us there than I was at the start, actually. But I don't understand the notion that we lack investment or ambition.
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He might be a WUM - I don't care, but just like the poster above said, we had the chance to sign James but didn't and more than 60% of the Caf didn't want him, including you. Why? Because we didn't need a #10. What do you think of that decision now?
 
Full backs are a priority at any top club and they are trying to strenght those positions all the time.
Chelsea having a very good lwb in Alonso, expent the entire window trying to sign Alex Sandro from Juventus.

Remember Marcelo against Bayern in the CL, Dani Alves for Juventus, etc.. that kind of player is fundamental. You cant rely only in two, three attacking players to decide games.

Lacking top attacking full backs have a cumulative effect in the overall level of the team and chanced created.
You can see the result even in clubs like Barca and Real Madrid sometimes(Madrid now without Carvajal).
 
A left back a right winger and an attacking player better than Mata/Miki/Lingard. Would snap take Rose/Griezmann now if offered. Not sure on the best right wingers available.
 
RB: hope Thomas Meunier available
LB: would love to see Kieran Tierney
CM: Sergej M. Savic would be a good one, L. Goretzka as well, and he's free
RW: no idea to get who, but want an explosive type, high pace, great cross
SS: Griezmann
 
Shakhtar have a great left back called Ismaily. Van Djik is still desperate for a move. Meunier would be a nice option too. We need to make a lot of sales too, lots of our players don't seem up for it. The biggest change of course would be the manager, but that's a conversation for a different thread.
 
We need a couple more great players, at almost any position but goalkeeper, 9 and probably LW with Martial having a fine age 21 season. Assuming that Shaw and Zlatan leave in the summer and one of Tuanzebe or Fosu-Mensah gets another loan, this looks about right:

-------Lukaku------ (Rashford)
Martial----------RW (Mkhitaryan, Mata, Lingard)
---Pogba--CM------ (Herrera, Fellaini, Pereira, McTominay)
------Matic--------- (Herrera)
LB---------Valencia (Young, Blind, Darmian)
----Rojo-Bailly------ (Jones, Lindelof, Smalling, Tuanzebe/Fosu-Mensah)
------DeGea-------- (Romero)

And we would also be able to play 4-2-3-1 by bringing in one of Mkhi, Mata, Rashford, Pereira, or go to 3 at the back with Young seriously challenging Valencia at RWB.

Perfectly doable summer. A star at RW, a proper playmaker at CM and the best LB around. I think the playmaker will be the toughest. At RW, Griezmann seems real possible, Bale might be looking for a move, Sanchez around on a free and City don't need him, Malcolm looks promising, Pulisic looks ready, hell even Mahrez would be an upgrade I think. LB there's Rose and if not, it's not like we shouldn't be able to find a promising one.

But a passer to provide creativity and link play in a midfield 3 or play as a 10 in a 3-5-2 or a 4-2-3-1 is a tougher ask. The people who prioritize pace out wide might suggest Griezmann can be that guy, but I'd rather have him in the front 3 with Martial and Lukaku and a more traditional playmaker looking to pull strings. Someone like Koke or Eriksen would be perfect.
 
NoPace said:
We need a couple more great players, at almost any position but goalkeeper, 9 and probably LW with Martial having a fine age 21 season. Assuming that Shaw and Zlatan leave in the summer and one of Tuanzebe or Fosu-Mensah gets another loan, this looks about right:

-------Lukaku------ (Rashford)
Martial----------RW (Mkhitaryan, Mata, Lingard)
---Pogba--CM------ (Herrera, Fellaini, Pereira, McTominay)
------Matic--------- (Herrera)
LB---------Valencia (Young, Blind, Darmian)
----Rojo-Bailly------ (Jones, Lindelof, Smalling, Tuanzebe/Fosu-Mensah)
------DeGea-------- (Romero)

And we would also be able to play 4-2-3-1 by bringing in one of Mkhi, Mata, Rashford, Pereira, or go to 3 at the back with Young seriously challenging Valencia at RWB.

Perfectly doable summer. A star at RW, a proper playmaker at CM and the best LB around. I think the playmaker will be the toughest. At RW, Griezmann seems real possible, Bale might be looking for a move, Sanchez around on a free and City don't need him, Malcolm looks promising, Pulisic looks ready, hell even Mahrez would be an upgrade I think. LB there's Rose and if not, it's not like we shouldn't be able to find a promising one.

But a passer to provide creativity and link play in a midfield 3 or play as a 10 in a 3-5-2 or a 4-2-3-1 is a tougher ask. The people who prioritize pace out wide might suggest Griezmann can be that guy, but I'd rather have him in the front 3 with Martial and Lukaku and a more traditional playmaker looking to pull strings. Someone like Koke or Eriksen would be perfect.
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Oh NoPace, you beauty. I almost forgot Koke but I thought he plays mostly on the wing for atletico? Man can cross the damned ball; he'd be perfect in the #10 position, drifting towards the flanks. He's a CM by thread too, meaning we can easily alternate between a 433 and a 4231, so we won't have to change the team in the big games.
Anyway, it's probably impossible to get a Griezmann-Koke double deal from Atletico, I'd go for Pulisic - he'd fit in better too.
EDIT - Just saw he signed a new contract this year.
 
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buckooo1978 said:
why would PSG or Madrid sell players who are important to them - regardless of age in Modric's case
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Madrid are imploding by their standards, they may decide a shakeup is in order
PSG have Alves they won’t keep meunier if he asks to leave
You don’t know unless you try
 
I genuinely cannot think of any players that would improve us that are actually available. All top players are either already at a top 10 European team or have a Neymar tax thanks to PSG.

We need:
CB - Toby - I'm not sure his contract situaton but surely be must be nearing its end. 50m?
Right Back - ???
Left Back - ???
CM - Vidal, Modric, Veratti.. all don't want anything to do with us / Not available.
RW - ???
ST/CF - Griezmann 90m?

That's 140 million spent and only 2 of 6 places sorted.
 
Rose or Tierney
Griezmann and Sanchez
Barkley
Özil
 
I'd happily gut the squad a bit and rebuild this summer. We have far too many players who should be squad players at best. The players below are just suggestions for positions I think we are weak in.

Meunier - he's too good to be back-up at PSG, and Neymar will ensure Alves is kept in the side. Rumoured to be a United fan too.

Alderweireld - Probably not realistic, but isn't there rumoured to be something in his contract with a cheap release this summer?

Tierney - for me the more I see of him the more I think it's a no brainer. Top player with a very good attitude.

Vidal - I've seen rumours Bayern want rid. Attitude and they are very well stocked in that position.

Sanchez - One of the best players in the league, and he's available on a free. Bit of a no brainer if we can get him.


De Gea
Meunier - Bailly - Alderweireld - Tierney
Vidal - Matic
Pogba
Sanchez - Lukaku - Martial

​
 
Trizy said:
I genuinely cannot think of any players that would improve us that are actually available. All top players are either already at a top 10 European team or have a Neymar tax thanks to PSG.

We need:
CB - Toby - I'm not sure his contract situaton but surely be must be nearing its end. 50m?
Right Back - ???
Left Back - ???
CM - Vidal, Modric, Veratti.. all don't want anything to do with us / Not available.
RW - ???
ST/CF - Griezmann 90m?

That's 140 million spent and only 2 of 6 places sorted.
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There's plenty of talent that is attainable.

CB - Aymeric Laporte 60m release clause, Manolas is in his final year of contract so cheap. Jonathan Tah 22m release clause.
Right Back - Fabinho (can play CM so versatile), Meunier
Left Back - Ghoulam, Aaron Martin, Alex Sandro (Expensive but world class)
CM- Jorginho, Jean Seri, Savic
RW - Leon Bailey
ST/CF - Fekir (Goal scoring 10). Dybala great player but 120m. There are good options for every position bar striker. Given the excessive cost of strikers, I wouldn't bother signing one. Just get Fekir and make use of Martial and Rashford. I believe that Martial could be developed into a world class striker so no need to waste money on that position.
 
First of all, We need to bring in an attacking coach who'll assist Mourinho in training. Then we'll need two full backs, a RW who can dribble past players, a creative number 10. We need a CM when Pogba is injured or rested.
 
suhaylah said:
First of all, We need to bring in an attacking coach who'll assist Mourinho in training. Then we'll need two full backs, a RW who can dribble past players, a creative number 10. We need a CM when Pogba is injured or rested.
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Any good attacking coach recommendation? :drool:
 
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