Good enough for top 4 next season?

Zlatattack

New Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2017
Messages
7,374
I know it's not over until it's over, but it seems were very strongly linked with some players and have signed other players. If rumours are to be believed we might start next season like this;

DDG
AWB Lindelof Maguire Shaw
Fernandes Longstaff Pogba
Lingard Rashford Martial​

Good enough for top 4? I'm not sure, would want a RW to replace Lingard and then would be confident we'd make it.
 
Zlatattack said:
I know it's not over until it's over, but it seems were very strongly linked with some players and have signed other players. If rumours are to be believed we might start next season like this;

DDG
AWB Lindelof Maguire Shaw
Fernandes Longstaff Pogba
Lingard Rashford Martial​

Good enough for top 4? I'm not sure, would want a RW to replace Lingard and then would be confident we'd make it.
Click to expand...
The defence is a good upgrade on last season, but I don't think Lindelof is as good as was being said last season, I think he only looked good in comparison to the crap around him. I'm not convinced we'll get Maguire though. Don't think we will. Of course he's better than what we have, but is that saying much? No. The fees ridiculous for a decent PL CB.

I'd be delighted to get Fernandes though, he looks awesome but will he click and adapt to a new league right away? I can't see it. Longstaff is another signing (like James) who is for the future. I can see Ole starting Matic :( or McTominay getting more time than Longstaff.

Pogba I would like to go, but don't think he will, so he will stay and have a completely inconsistent season.

That front 3 wouldn't strike any fear into me. Is Lingard or Martial really a winger? Not even a top winger just a proper winger? I don't think so. I think Martials probably as good or better as a 9 than Rashford. I can't see Rashford getting a good goal haul of say 16-20 goals in the league can you?

So to answer the question....would that team be good enough for top 4? It really depends how bad the teams around us are. It very well could be, but it's not good enough for Manchester United that's for sure.

(that front 3 really bothers me, just nowhere near good enough, any of them but i know we can't replace a full starting 11 and have more pressing concerns...please sign a RW at least though!!!!!).
 
Chelsea lost Hazard and got transfer ban.
Arsenal will do nothing like always.
I dont really see a problem for us getting top 4.
 
I think we'll end up finishing above Arsenal and Chelsea since those two haven't really strengthened their squads. We'll still be far behind Spurs, Liverpool and City though. N'Dombele is a fantastic signing for Spurs so I can't see us catching up to them.
 
With that front 3? I don't think we are.
 
Based on the current squad I don't see it but who knows? Football can be weird.
 
Zlatattack said:
I know it's not over until it's over, but it seems were very strongly linked with some players and have signed other players. If rumours are to be believed we might start next season like this;

DDG
AWB Lindelof Maguire Shaw
Fernandes Longstaff Pogba
Lingard Rashford Martial​

Good enough for top 4? I'm not sure, would want a RW to replace Lingard and then would be confident we'd make it.
Click to expand...

I'd put that starting 11 at Everton/Arsenal level. And that's given over 150m of investment in our team! Shocking what a state this club is in now. We need to invest in a top quality RW and a world-class CF on top of that at a minimum to get close to the title next year.
 
if we can't beat Chelsea or Arse to top four this year then we really are f*cked.

Honestly I could see a team like Wolves or Leicester slip in this year if we don't improve.
 
Too early to tell. The team was in a free fall in the last months though and it is not clear that wouldn't be a problem. Do the players still believe in Ole?
 
I think it's probably good enough for top 4, considering Arsenal & Chelsea's respective binds. I'm actually beginning to worry more about Leicester / Wolves making a real go of it, Leicester seem to be (as usual these days) recruiting sensibly.

Agree with those who say Lingard is the real sore point of that team. Call me a fool but I'd prefer Greenwood be given an extended run of games there if we don't end up signing a replacement. Not just for his potential, I genuinely think he'd outperform Jesse's numbers two fold. Going on last season it really wouldn't take much, didn't he get something like 4G / 2A in the league?

Midifeld looks okay, defence a big improvement. Maguire wouldn't be my first choice by hey-ho, Longstaff I know nothing of but seems highly rated, looked tidy from the little there is to see online.

Yeah, I think we'd get 4th with that team.
 
I think we will get top 4 solely on the basis of Arsenal and Chelsea being so poor. But, man, our front 3 looks weak. My feelings on Lingard are well known - horrible player. Martial looks world class when he's arsed but unfortunately he's not arsed very often. I think Rashford will get 15-18 league goals with the number 9 slot to himself but he's still got a lot to prove.
 
...................De gea
AWB ...Lindelof... Maguire... Shaw
..Fernandes...Longstaff...Pogba
Greenwood..Ben Yedder..Rashford

Id rather this myself but we’l see
 
Might just scrape top 4 with that team in the OP but it would be touch and go. None of Maguire, Longstaff or Bruno Fernandes entirely convince me and going another year without signing a proper right winger would stack the odds against us.
 
Rocknrolla69er said:
...................De gea
AWB ...Lindelof... Maguire... Shaw
..Fernandes...Longstaff...Pogba
Greenwood..Ben Yedder..Rashford

Id rather this myself but we’l see
Click to expand...

So another £200m or so and still hardly going to scare city or liverpool is it?
 
Starting 11 is nowhere near good enough. The midfield has no balance, between Rashford and Martial there's not enough goals. Lingard is absolutely garbage.
 
Gah, I really dislike our fans sometimes.

Lingard is not 'absolute garbage'. He is at very least useful squad player who had a poor season last year but a good one before that.

It is true that we have fallen a good bit behind the top teams and it will take a while for us to get back up there. It happens in football.
 
With the OP team, I think we get top 4. I know goals will be a worry but I think a real energetic (sans Pogba) midfield will help a ton for te back 4 and front 3.
 
With Chelsea's transfer ban and Arsenal's troubles in the transfer market, I fully expect us to make the top 4 next season.

The addition of AWB will already save us 5+ points and I feel that could rise even more if we purchase the right centre back.

In terms of goalscoring, Rashford and Martial really need to step up for us to be nailed on for the top 4 spot. It seems that Ole is looking to inject some creativity into the midfield (Fernandes/Olmo) so that should take some pressure off of Pogba's shoulders, should he stay.

I still expect City, Liverpool and Spurs to occupy the top 3 spots, but the final place is ours for the taking, and failure to do so would be require a disastrous season from ourselves.
 
sincher said:
So another £200m or so and still hardly going to scare city or liverpool is it?
Click to expand...
Yeah pretty much.

We could splunk 500m and that wouldn't make a dent in the gulf in class between the managers. They have a proven style of play that has 100% commitment from the squad; we have.... a legend at the wheel.

We will be lucky to get 4th, and I wouldn't bet on it.
 
I'm not to sure, what kind of frame of mind would pogba be in playing for us when it's obvious he doesn't want to be here and that attack is still very worrying, it could horribly misfire if it's anything like we saw at the back end of last season.

Throw in also Leicester potentially having a strong team under a good and slightly underrated manager in Rodgers and that's another thing we have a manager that could maybe get us top 4 but could also be so out of his depth that he drags us down to mid-table status, if we had a manager with a even decent recent track record with big clubs I wouldn't be so concerned.
 
Personally I think the decision not to sign a right winger will cost us top 4.
 
God isnt it dour on here, whine and moan at everything

The sour pusses post your fecking starting elevens and better whats been posted
 
I completely stopped reading when some of them mentioned they're worrying about Lecister City, Wolve or even Everton may take over us next season even if we spent money on Bruno, Longstaff, AWB, Maguire, and maybe Ben Yedders.

We had a really bad season last season by our standard yet they couldn't finish ahead of us, we're a mile above them what makes you they could do next season?

People keep mentioning teams every season when they try to improve and look how it turns out, didn't everyone thought Everton's 2017 summer transfer could help them break top 6 barriers? Lecister City? Wolve or Fulham?
 
deafepl said:
I completely stopped reading when some of them mentioned they're worrying about Lecister City, Wolve or even Everton may take over us next season even if we spent money on Bruno, Longstaff, AWB, Maguire, and maybe Ben Yedders.

We had a really bad season last season by our standard yet they couldn't finish ahead of us, we're a mile above them what makes you they could do next season?

People keep mentioning teams every season when they try to improve and look how it turns out, didn't everyone thought Everton's 2017 summer transfer could help them break top 6 barriers? Lecister City? Wolve or Fulham?
Click to expand...

Well said

Doom merchants out in force

Do people really expect us to concede as many with awb and maguire added not to mention a mobile defensive mid in front of them.

Put Rashford back where he plays best, unburden Pogba with Fernandes and Longstaffs long passing, throw in the wiley Ben Yedder and the unknown quantity and youthful exuberance that is Greenwood and we l have end product and defensive solidity

Cheer the feck up
 
  • Like
Reactions: golden_blunder
Realistically players are only as good as a manager can maximize their capabilities, especially when the modern game is less about individualism and more catered to tactical implementation. Madrid are the best example of this with a superior starting 11, decent managers who couldn't motivate the calibre of players.

The question should be tailored around Solskjaer if despite investment, is he good enough to propel us to perform consistently. The answer for me personally is no, the best thing Ole can do is soften the workload for the next coach who steps in. How anyone can expect miracles from a Molde coach and previous relegation candidate with Cardiff is beyond comprehension. Being a player legend has no correlation to success managerially.
 
deafepl said:
I completely stopped reading when some of them mentioned they're worrying about Lecister City, Wolve or even Everton may take over us next season even if we spent money on Bruno, Longstaff, AWB, Maguire, and maybe Ben Yedders.

We had a really bad season last season by our standard yet they couldn't finish ahead of us, we're a mile above them what makes you they could do next season?

People keep mentioning teams every season when they try to improve and look how it turns out, didn't everyone thought Everton's 2017 summer transfer could help them break top 6 barriers? Lecister City? Wolve or Fulham?
Click to expand...

Our end of season form was relegation form and made you think is this Solskjear's true ability at competing in the premier league, all we have to go on is him failing terribly with Cardiff in both the premier league and championship, in terms of Leicester they were looking good under Rodgers and he had only joined them in the last few months of last season, plus we had a stronger squad under Moyes and he managed to have us finish below Everton that season.
 
Lee565 said:
Our end of season form was relegation form and made you think is this Solskjear's true ability at competing in the premier league, all we have to go on is him failing terribly with Cardiff in both the premier league and championship, in terms of Leicester they were looking good under Rodgers and he had only joined them in the last few months of last season, plus we had a stronger squad under Moyes and he managed to have us finish below Everton that season.
Click to expand...

And Oles well on the way to moving on those who downed tools.
 
Happy with the defence, midfield I'm not sure if we'll actually sign anyone, and then if we go into the season with Lingard as a starter then I'm not expecting top 4...
Chelsea I think will drop out, Arsenal and us will fight for 4th, Ndombele solidifies Spurs in 3rd (but would have thrown us up into favourites for 3rd if we got him IMO).
 
VanGaalyTime said:
I'd put that starting 11 at Everton/Arsenal level. And that's given over 150m of investment in our team! Shocking what a state this club is in now. We need to invest in a top quality RW and a world-class CF on top of that at a minimum to get close to the title next year.
Click to expand...
Give over, our team is miles better than Everton. The OP asked if we're good enough for top 4 not the title.
 
MiceOnMeth said:
Give over, our team is miles better than Everton. The OP asked if we're good enough for top 4 not the title.
Click to expand...

I think if we sell Pogba and Lukaku, we'd be close to Everton's current level. We're not close to being miles better. I'd say we're probably just about better now but if we sell Lukaku without replacing him, that would make it very tight.
 
Last season was probably the single most dispiriting one I can remember as a United fan and we were still just five points off the top four. Given how many areas there are to improve in our side, it really shouldn't be that hard to make up the gap, especially with a team like Chelsea having seemingly gone backwards even since the season ended.

Actually challenging properly for the title is years away but top four is very manageable. The signings mentioned in the OP would do it, I think. Or at least they would as long as the manager knows what he's doing.
 
Hawks2008 said:
Personally I think the decision not to sign a right winger will cost us top 4.
Click to expand...
Agree. No right winger means more of the same frustration as last year attacking from one side only. The decision to renew Mata will seal our fate.
 
Fitness was a major issue at the end of last season and cost us top four IMO - that will be addressed. I think we'll be comfortably above Arsenal and Chelsea next season. We're a better team than people think.
 
No, we are very very poor in attack.
 
What's the club's obsession with Lingard he's obviously the weakest link now. Can't believe we'll start next season with the Lingard/Mata options as starters on right wing but it's looking that way. If AWB is as defensive minded as he was at Palace a decent fast attacking right winger was an absolute must. Can Dan James convert to right wing ? its a big risk .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.