How the feck is this thread still going? A manager who is in job should remain in job as long as he is bringing continuous improvement to the side and not falling short of pre season targets. This Poch talk that you guys are bringing in is rubbish because no club (except Watford) would sack a manager who's met the pre season expectations. Otherwise, think about it, any sacking would result in a chain of mangers getting sacked till a state of equilibrium is reached.
Now coming to the job that he's done. Let's break this out by 1. Performance on the field 2. Transfers 3. Improving the side 4. Team morale and squad support 5. Whether you see the potential of the project ending up in team winning trophies?
1.
Perfromance on the Field- @RedSky has already posted a comparison between Ole's results vs big 6 vs Poch's record as well as compared their performances in the first 59 games.
I'll just add to that and compare our performances in the league this season vs our performances last season - as I believe this is the best way to measure this season with the previous one.
| Metric | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
|---|
| Position | 2nd | 6th | 3rd |
| Goals Scored | 68 | 65 | 66 |
| Goals Conceded | 28 | 54 | 36 |
| Pts | 81 | 66 | 66 |
| xG | 59.04 | 68.62 | 66.19 |
| xGA | 43.54 | 52.3 | 38.06 |
| Possession | 53.9% (6th) | 53.3% (6th) | 54.6% (5th) |
| Pass% | 83.6% (6th) | 82.3% (6th) | 83.6% (4th) |
| Shots | 13.5 (6th) | 13.8 (5th) | 14.3 (4th) |
| Shots OT | 4.7 (6th) | 5.9 (3rd) | 5.7 (4th) |
| Dribbles | 12.3 (4th) | 8.4 (11th) | 11.7 (5th) |
| Fouled | 11.1 (2nd) | 10.4 (5th) | 11.2 (6th) |
| Shots conceded* | 11.5 (7th) | 13.1 (10th) | 10.3 (5th) |
| Interceptions | 12.7 (5th) | 9.3 (17th) | 9.9 (17th) |
| Fouls conceded | 10.7 (9th) | 11.4 (3rd) | 11.1 (7th) |
| Through balls | 2 (6th) | 2 (7th) | 2 (4th) |
| Action in opposition third | 30% (3rd) | 27% (12th) | 30% (4th) |
| Unsuccessful touches* | 13.4 (6th) | 13.9 (16th) | 14.7 (9th) |
| Dispossessed | 10.5 (7th) | 11.2 (16th) | 10.4 (6th) |
Pretty evident from the table above, that we've improved from last season on nearly every count. I'd go a step further and say this season was better than 2017/18 season as well in terms of how we actually played.
2. Transfers -
People may throw shit at Maguire but we've arguably been among the best defences not just in the league but even Europe. Wan Bissaka has done really well and Bruno has been among the signings of the season. As far as outgoing traansfers are concerned, I'd say every single one of them was the right decision, except for the Herrera one (which is understandable due to his wage demands)
3. Improving current players-
I don't think I even need to expand on this. Rashford, Martial are looking and playing like WC players. Williams and Greenwood have slotted in seamlessly. Shaw has been magnificent. McT and especially Fred look like great players as well.
4. Team morale and squad support
I think we can all agree that Ole has proven to be a great man manager. You just dont hear any negative stories from the players, and all the news we do hear is on positive note. Add to that, Pogba, who looked set to leave, is on verge of extending his contract
5. Whether you see the potential of the project ending up in team winning trophies
We literally have the youngest PL side and they've performed really well. We still have weaknesses and our squad lacks quality backup in certain positions, but as and when our players mature, I think we'll start seeing us winning trophies. Add to that, for the first time in years, our starting XI looks like a Man Utd side (ofcourse we can make a few upgrades here and there, but one can see us having quality players)
