Strange how all our current players get shit when the transfer window opens.
Luka Modric / Signs for Real Madrid
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We'll take that "risk" instead of just buying players for the sake of buying.
If a player like Modric was available for decent money, or Sir Alex managed to lure Nasri from Arsenal, we would do business.
I doubt neither will happen though, hence I reckon we're done with our business when De Gea, Young and Jones are formally our players.
Amazing claim.
For creativity? I disagree. Others like Anderson may chip in now and again but they're not reliable. It's easy to forget how bad we were away from home last season, how few chances we created in certain games and how easily our midfield was overran. We won't get away with it next season if our away record doesn't improve because our home record leaves no margin for error. I'd be astonished if we have another P19, W 18 home record again, in a league like the premiership.
No, we're not relying on Giggs alone for creativity. We've got the wingers, the forwards and the fullbacks, in addition to midfielders, creating chances.
Our away record will be better next season, I'd be amazed if it doesn't.
We had wingers, forwards and fullbacks last season, and we won 5 away league games all season, and played well in 2 of them.
Exactly.
We will win more and play better in more away games next season.
Our team, squad and players are too good to repeat that.
How on earth would it be buying players for the sake of buying? I'm perhaps one of the biggest defenders of our squad strength, and plenty of people exaggerate the dearth of CM talent at United, but it's pretty much universally agreed that we need more quality in there.
Surely you would agree that Modric, the best central midfielder in the league last season, would improve our team? A fee of c.£35m could even be considered a steal, considering both the prices some players are going for and the massive amounts of money to be gained from prize money and brand awareness that comes with winning competitions nowadays, particularly the Champions League.
agreed.
however they will get bummed by barca again. if we get drawn by them next season, fergie will have to distribute lube out prior to the match as part of his pre-game talk.
It comes down to if fergie wants to take this barca on or can wait until their cycle is over.
however with the ages of mess, iniesta, pique, pedro, busquets....it could be a long cycle.
Would Modric improve our team? Yes, without much doubt.
Would we get him for a reasonable price? No.
Would I pay £40-50m for him? No.
I don't know how you can be convinced of that though. Granted, we lost a few points through individual errors but nearly every game followed the same pattern and when that happens it suggests there are problems that need addressing in the playing staff. Motivationally, I refuse to believe SAF didn't give the players the hairdyer after some of the away displays. We got to the business end of the season and we were still playing as poorly away from home as we were at the start of the season. I don't believe for one moment that Fergie wasn't aware of why it was happening, so I'd be amazed if he doesn't add to the midfield this season.
As long as Xavi, Messi and Iniesta is on top of their game, they will beat us in most games, unless we manage to kill the game - whoever we buy.
We'll see.
I don't reckon we'll add to the central midfield.
And I reckon we'll gain more points away from home next season than this.
Not particularly, those central midfielders simply aren't top quality if last season is anything to go by (Fletcher has an excuse, Carrick less so, Anderson there is still hope) and we need at the very least one quality addition.
Those central midfielders helped us win the league and take us to the CL final!
£35M is the going rate when you look at the likes of Henderson going for £20M and he's exactly what you need.
I think we will add to it, but I don't think we should be paying £40million for Modric. There's nothing wrong with signing good young players with potential but I think something is desperately needed to give us a boost in midfield.
Spurs will not sell him for £35m if there are a number of clubs after him.
Obviously not DESPERATELY needed.
If we aspire to play at the same level as Barca then I'd say our midfield situation is pretty desperate.
Desperately may be too big a word. But I do believe we can't afford to continue another season with that midfield, a weakened one, in fact, with Scholes's retirement and Giggs being one year older.
I hope we've got something up our sleeve, a quality player who will make the difference but not cost 40m. It could make or break next season.
I hope we've got something up our sleeve, a quality player who will make the difference but not cost 40m. It could make or break next season.
Yeah, we won how many games away from home? Our midfield was outclassed against Liverpool, Arsenal and Barcelona last season and is a massive weak link that has gotten even weaker, we shouldn't let a few impressive performances against an ageing Chelsea side shadow the fact that the midfield just isn't good enough to compete with the top teams.
We got to the Champions League final and won the league mostly in spite of our central midfield rather than because of it. I'm not saying we have to match Barcelona toe to toe, but we have to be able to play through midfield against them rather than hoofing it because Carrick wont show for the ball. You don't have to be as good as Barcelona's midfield, but the current gap is too big. Song/Wilshere/Fabregas and Motta/Cambiasso/Sneijder have gotten joy against Barcelona's midfield by being compact, tidy and protecting the defence while being composed enough to exploit Barcelona's poor defence when they do finally get it. None of those are as good as Barcelona's midfield but they dont need to be to do the job.
If we are to play at the same level as Barca, we need to buy Messi, Xavi and Iniesta.
If we aspire to play like Barcelona, than signing a midfielder won't be enough. We'll need two-three players, or the very highest level. Not happening.
I don't expect United to be at the same level of Barcelona. They are a very special and rare team and matching them is unlikely because their players are quite unique and they are also so well connected for playing together for many years.
I'd settle for a midfield than won't be overran against West Bromwich and Wolves again.
Midfielder should be our main priority.... That's if we want to improve the first team. And we'll probably improve away from home...however, using that logic we're just as likely not to be as imperious at home, next season.
I'd put it differently.
I don't think we will win the league, unless our midfield perrforms better. Wether that improvement come through recruitment of new players, our better performances from the players already there is irrelevant. Neither is a guarantee for success though.
But seriously if Manchester United aren't aspiring to play at the same level as Barcelona then who the hell is?
But seriously if Manchester United aren't aspiring to play at the same level as Barcelona then who the hell is?
Aspiring is nice. I'm realistic. I'd like us to be as good. We won't. I'll simply make the changes we need in order to keep us at the top in England and close to that in Europe. End of the day, it also comes down to one-two matches with Barcelona a year, if at all.
I agree. Maybe the big shock will come from Fergie throwing Ravel in at the deep end in some games? Probably a year or 2 too soon, and he hasn't benefited from the loan experience of the likes of Wilshere/Cleverley/Welbeck, but is he ever going to go out on loan with his, erm, reputation? At a pure guess I'd imagine Fergie will want to keep him close, if he continues to impress at youth and reserve level maybe just maybe he'll get the nod? It's not the sort of decision that should decide our transfer strategy though imo.
But seriously if Manchester United aren't aspiring to play at the same level as Barcelona then who the hell is?
I'd settle for us not looking like a pub side next time around.
Our midfield (Carrick the main culprit) doesn't respond well to pressure. It's alright when teams sit back and defend at OT but away from home they know we're not technically good enough or mobile enough in the middle of the park to punish them.
You dont have to play better than Barcelona's midfield to beat them, the midfield has to protect the back 4 and not give the ball away cheaply, ours does neither and thats why we got spooned repeatedly.
You dont have to play better than Barcelona's midfield to beat them, the midfield has to protect the back 4 and not give the ball away cheaply, ours does neither and thats why we got spooned repeatedly.
I would say signing Modric would come as close to guaranteeing an improvement in our midfield play as you're likely to get. He's an extremely consistent performer, and has been playing better than any of our midfielders for quite some time now.
I think without a new signing, we'd be left hoping for Fletcher to regain form and/or Anderson to find some consistently to even offset the retirement of Scholes, never mind improve on it. It's forgotten how good Scholes was in the first couple of months of last year's campaign.
Problem is, when we're talking about a midfield that performs better it mostly comes down to one player - Anderson. Yes, Carrick could continue his good form and hopefully Fletcher will return to his, but both won't really give us what we've been lacking. Anderson can, but we'd be putting too many eggs in that basket of a player who has so far been injured a lot and lacked consistency.
Don't get me wrong, I really like Anderson and what he gives us when he plays well. He had his chance to stake his claim and though I still expect him to be a really good player for us, time has forced our hands. This one has to be done through the transfer market.
Well, goalie should be, but I know what you mean - and I don't necessarily disagree.
But, I don't think Sir Alex will buy a midfielder for the sake of it. If he can't get any of his targets, he'll go with what he has. And rightly so.
I think the tactics fergie put out there helped us look worse than we could've.
we could've tried to graft and park the bus for 90 mins and have lost 2-0 but not let barca walk through us at will. For all of the 'preparation' and stuff fergie and the staff went through, I think they took the easy path of sticking with 442, whatever beath schalke and chelsea when it was painfully obvious barca are a different animal. Watching madrid trying to out play them and getting smashed 5-0 should've been all the evidence fergie needed.
IMO the players didn't let us down that night as much as the suidicidal tactics/formation played....and that falls of fergie's shoulders.
Scholes was excellent at the beginning of the season. More or less disappeared after that though.
Sir Alex would buy Modric if he could get him for a reasonable price.
Paying the equavalent of today's £40-50m is something I hope we'll never do though. Let others play that game.
He definitely won't buy for the sake of it. I just hope we have set our sights on at least a couple of realistic (ie, not Modric or Sneijder) targets who we actually can get. Obviously there's no way of knowing with the scouting team and the manager have found/think of players/what sort of attributes we need but this is one case I hope we haven't ended up with one player and it's either him or no one.
Sneijder is not for me.
The "problem" is, the players already at the club, despite all the whoo-ha and moaning, are of such high quality that we are talking players of Modric's quality to improve on it.
What, for you, is a reasonable price?