3 new players who have probably been the best 3 players so far this season, the injuries have crippled the ability to maintain any sense of form or progression though.
3 new players being the best is damning. OgS has had nearly a year with the likes of Rashford & has shown no ability to improve them. The players hitting the ground running is commendable but he hasn’t turned AWB/ Maguire into top defenders, they’re £130mil worth of defensive investments.
Injuries. He stuck by Shaw when history shows he will get injured & has left the squad with Ashley Young as full back cover. Martial will pick up muscle injuries so let’s talk up Greenwood & not actually start him up front when he’s unavailable.
Players knowing where they should be on the pitch & playing in a certain manner shouldn't depend on the fitness of 11 players. OgS claimed to be happy with the squad, Andreas Periera is our 2nd choice RW. A clueless statement amongst many.
He’s had 2 transfer windows, the 1st you can’t judge him on but when the squad went into freefall last season he was waxing lyrical about fitness & knowing where we need to improve; if anything he had a huge head start on most teams in Europe yet people find it acceptable we only purchased 3 players when the squad is in need of much more.
The best teams in Europe will make 2/3 signings as a matter of course; we are not one of those teams - OgS & the club had a woeful summer. 3 decent signings when you were apparently appraising the squad with months to go last season isn’t something to be proud of.
A rebuild isn’t selling players fans don’t like & half heartedly reinforcing 1 department of the team whilst others suffer.
Filling every gap in one transfer window is highly unlikely but a club of our size with a scouting network of its size & a few months head start should hardly be talking up signing an £80mil CB & £50mil RB as astute business.
Ben Yedder & Tielemans we’re available for the Lukaku money, an example of value in the market.
To clarify, we’re in a dire position, a quick fix is impossible. I expect better of all club departments.
Ole stated before the season had begun that his plan would come to fruition 2-3 years down the line. He has been very open about that to his credit.
He also stated he was happy with this squad to then said a few weeks into a dismal run that he wanted a striker all along.
No realistic fan expected this team to pull up trees; what I do expect is a manager to demand a replacement when 2 senior attackers are sold instead of promoting youngsters who aren’t ready only to bring them on with 20/30mins to go when the team are losing/drawing.
I have no issue losing games on quality, this squad isn’t good enough but we’re not losing because of player quality alone; it’s the lack of any coherent tactics being applied to the team. Apparently a Summer with the players would have us pressing with the best of them, no. He bangs on about ‘the United way’, he seems to have lost his way. We have seen multiple weeks [this season & last] where the team look clueless - this won’t change.
2-3 years? So he knows the issues, he’s had a free run at the squad tactics & personnel for half a season but it’s going to take 3 years to implement his changes?
Most fans are willing to be patient, I would generally be but I for one am not willing to listen to empty platitudes & rhetoric when the product on the pitch shows no signs of what we hear.
