Lash
Full Member
Yermey Pino would be a good one to look at for the RW. 4 goals today against Espanyol, only 19. Was handy against us too when we played.
Do you honestly think we will shift 23 players out and manage the amount of incoming? 15 of whom are from the first team squad?Radical overhaul needed so cheapish, hidden gem signings preferable. Promote youth to fill the squad. The below is probably way too radical but I think we have way too many players with bad attitudes and unsuited for a modern play style.
Out permanently - Henderson, Grant, Maguire, Bailly, Jones, Tuanzebe, Wan-Bissaka, Shaw, Williams, Levitt, Galbraith, Pereira, Pogba, Mata, Lingard, Matic, Cavani, Ronaldo, Greenwood, Martial, Mellor, Stanley, Devine
Loaned out - Kovar, Bishop, Pellistri, Chong, Diallo, Mengi
In - Sosa (Stuttgart, 20m), Schlotterbeck (Freiburg, 20m) or Bremer (Torino, 20m), Kamara (Marseille, Free), Tete (Shakhtar, 40m), Nunez (Benfica, 50m), De Ketelaere (Brugge, 30m)
GK: De Gea, Heaton, Vitek, Mastny
RB: Dalot, Laird, Wellens
LB: Sosa, Telles/Fernandez, Pye
CD: Varane, Schlotterbeck or Bremer, Lindelof, Bernard, Fish, Hardley
DM: Kamara, Garner, Savage, Šviderský
CM: McTominay, Fred, Iqbal, Hansen-Aaröen, Mainoo
AM: Bruno Fernandes, Van de Beek, Mejbri
RW: Tete, Elanga, Shoretire
LW: Sancho, Rashford, Garnacho
ST: Nunez, De Ketelaere, McNeill, Hugill
160m spend approx but lots of that made up through sales. We’d be weaker next season and probably miss out on CL but far more coherent in terms of style. We’d develop the season after to being stronger than now IMHO. I’d take an inconsistent but promising year finishing 6th with a view to being top drawer a year or so later as opposed to something like this season with declining, unmotivated players, a hodgepodge of styles with no clear squad vision.
3 rightbacks is overkill imho.The need for a new striker is looking more and more important. I think that is now equal priority with CM/DM.
1 = Striker
1= CM/DM
3 RB
They way we are playing is not too bad so I think if we sort the above we’ll be radically improved.
However, the level of quality we need will cost a load of money and, of course, more than we can afford.
Do you honestly think we will shift 23 players out and manage the amount of incoming? 15 of whom are from the first team squad?
It's not just about passes. As I said, he relies too much on needing passing options which he gets plenty of at Napoli due to the style they play compared to what he'd have here. It's also about how you keep the ball when there's no options. Whether that be beating your man, using your agility to pull a la Pelopina, thus changing directions giving you more space and time, using your strength to shield the ball and win fouls due to the opponent niggling away at you. These are all things Ruiz lacks.
Lobotka is the type of midfielder Napoli have that we need. A press resistant sitting midfielder.
As for Bennacer, he's not top quality in that regard, so he won't always keep the ball, but he's more adapt at keeping the ball under pressure with little options compared to Ruiz. His ball carrying, shielding of the ball and agile turns are just better, imo. Napoli just create better options in regards to passing than most which Ruiz benefits from. In a team that isn't as organised, I think he would struggle.
Not to say Ruiz is bad. He's decent, but not the type of cm i care for.
Ha, yes.3 rightbacks is overkill imho.
Ha, yes.
On the other hand, have you seen our right backs?
Our own Pep, taking it one further & wanting 3 world class players in every position.Ha, yes.
On the other hand, have you seen our right backs?
Of course every player relies on passing options to some extent. However, press resistant players aren't solely reliant on them being available to keep the ball - of which Ruiz isn't one.Every player relies on passing options, that point is nonsensical. If we don't hire a manager, who coaches our players some off the ball movement, while we are in possession, then it doesn't matter what type of midfielder we bring in. Almost every time Pogba plays deeper, there is difference to our passing compared to McTominay's and Fred's. The point is, that we need someone with better passing range and in general a more progressive passer, while also being a more reliable one. However, we don't nessarily need someone, who can dribble his way out of trouble, nor someone, who draws fouls while being pressed. That could be a bonus, but it's not a necessity.
Their standing in the pecking order means diddly-squat to me. Amrabat is Fiorentina's best press resistant 6 and he isn't first choice. Arthur is Juventus' and he isn't first choice. Matic is ours and he hasn't been first choice for years. It's the same with Lobotka and Napoli.Lobotka is second choice to Ruiz and Anguissa, there is a reason for that. I am not sure, why you decided to ignore the dispossessed metric, when it comes to press resistance, so here is another visualization (from last season, when Napoli were worse and less organised under Gattuso):
If we were a serious club this is what we'd do but we are just a Glazer kitty bank. Radically transform all the problem positions and start the season with a refreshed squad and a new top manager.There are so many people on these forums who bemoan our lack of technical and creative players, yet continue to suggest players not of that mold.
Honestly, if it was my window, it goes something like this:
RB: Mazraoui - Free(Modern full back that can play as a midfielder too)
DM: Tchouameni - 70m(He looks too good to not go for. If we can't get him, Phillips or Kamara might be good alternatives. Feck Declan Rice and his 100m fee, he can shove it.
CM: Caqueret, Fabian Ruiz or Neves. All available for decent amounts this summer.
RW: Raphinha. What an absolute waste of talent in a relegation side.
ST: A little more complex. I'm not really sure. We'd probably have to look at a cheaper option like Schick, until a more prominent youngster ready to make the step up is available.
Someone like Darwin Nunez would be high risk and pricey.
However, knowing our board, we'll probably get 2 out of 5, blowing our budget on some massively hyped big name because we're stupid.
Of course every player relies on passing options to some extent. However, press resistant players aren't solely reliant on them being available to keep the ball - of which Ruiz isn't one.
The problem isn't, and never has been, passing range. It's why we still struggle to build-up with Pogba as our 6. The problem has always been not having a cm who can resist pressing opposition, shield the ball under pressure, and carry the ball forwards. It's why Matic - who doesn't have Pogba's passing range despite playing some nice line-breaking passes - improves our game so much in possession. That type of midfielder is important to any team regardless of how cohesive as a unit they are. Especially to a team wanting to be the best.
The most glaring example at a big club right now is Arthur at Juventus. Arthur's passing range is CRAP, but, with him as their 6, their performances are night and day compared to when he's not in the team. Why? Because his ability to keep the ball under pressure alone and carry the ball is invaluable. It's the same with Verratti and De Jong who both have a limited passing range, too.
Their standing in the pecking order means diddly-squat to me. Amrabat is Fiorentina's best press resistant 6 and he isn't first choice. Arthur is Juventus' and he isn't first choice. Matic is ours and he hasn't been first choice for years. It's the same with Lobotka and Napoli.
Of course every player relies on passing options to some extent. However, press resistant players aren't solely reliant on them being available to keep the ball - of which Ruiz isn't one.
The problem isn't, and never has been, passing range. It's why we still struggle to build-up with Pogba as our 6. The problem has always been not having a cm who can resist pressing opposition, shield the ball under pressure, and carry the ball forwards. It's why Matic - who doesn't have Pogba's passing range despite playing some nice line-breaking passes - improves our game so much in possession. That type of midfielder is important to any team regardless of how cohesive as a unit they are. Especially to a team wanting to be the best.
The most glaring example at a big club right now is Arthur at Juventus. Arthur's passing range is CRAP, but, with him as their 6, their performances are night and day compared to when he's not in the team. Why? Because his ability to keep the ball under pressure alone and carry the ball is invaluable. It's the same with Verratti and De Jong who both have a limited passing range, too.
Their standing in the pecking order means diddly-squat to me. Amrabat is Fiorentina's best press resistant 6 and he isn't first choice. Arthur is Juventus' and he isn't first choice. Matic is ours and he hasn't been first choice for years. It's the same with Lobotka and Napoli.
Yes definitely fix midfield. Everything will be massively better and it will be easier to see what else we really need. Probably a forward unless our guys suddenly get their shooting boots on.Fix the midfield then see how everything looks.
Then get striker plus a right winger or inside forward who cuts in from the fight.
Your first point about having to rely on passing options regarding Fabian Ruiz would make sense, if multiple possession metrics would show that he does rely on them. However they don't. You keep saying that he isn't press resistant, when the stats clearly show that he is. That's also been my impression when I've watched him. If Lobotka was as press resistant as you say and Fabian wasn't, then he would clearly start over the Spaniard. It's too valuable of a trait to have for a midfielder. Lobotka is 29, should be in his prime, unlike Matic who has been past it for several years. Their reasons for being second choice matter.
I've clearly said passing range coupled with progressiveness and reliability in terms of passing. For example Pogba is a progressive passer, who also has the range, but he doesn't necessarily always have the reliability. On top of that he gets dispossessed quite a bit, which doesn't make him the most press resistant player. Fred is a fairly decent progressive passer, but his range is limited, as is his reliability to recycle possession and he gets dispossessed too often. McTominay excels at none of these things, since he's mostly just a support player, who shouldn't start as many games as he does. What I am saying is that we need a midfielder, who combines those traits. The players you've mentioned like Verratti, de Jong and Arthur do that. I wouldn't say their passing range is limited.
it's false.Don’t know if it’s true. But I heard on a fan channel that some newspapers are saying that Ralf Rangnick has told United that Halaand & Mbappe are exactly the type of players that United need to avoid.
The focus will be on players in the £20-£40m range, young, hungry, athletic, skilful and technical. I think that’s great if we’ve our usual £150-160m max summer outlay we can get 4-5 players, 2-3 seasons before we would have signed them individually for £100m.
Shame.it's false.
I don't believe we'll sign Haaland or Mbappe mate, but I absolutely don't believe it's because of what's being said on fan cams. A lot of claims are made on these fan channels, which are easily refutable.Shame.
I think this would be a healthy squad.
De Gea
Dalot - Araujo - Lindelöf - Shaw
Bruno - Rice - Fred
Antony - Nkunku - Sancho
Heaton
Wan-Bissaka - Varane - Maguire - Telles
McTominay/Garner - Kessié - Hannibal
Elanga - Ronaldo - Rashford
We need a plan.
At the moment, we are spending almost half (48%) of our annual wage bill on players who are either:
a) leaving for nothing in the summer
b) entering the final year of their contract
c) actively asking to leave (12% of the wage bill playing for other clubs already)
There needs to be a total squad reset. Focus on getting rid of everyone who either doesn't want to be here, or isn't good enough to be here long term. Then start again from scratch with what's left and the £2.5m a week extra you have in the wage budget.
Genuinely, this would be a superb window for us IMO.What do we still need?.......
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If we're looking at a massively reduced budget.
CB - Akanji (£20M)
DM - Kamara (Free)
CM - Caqueret (£20M)
FW - Nkunku (£50M)
That would be far too sensible for us. It's more likely to be Declan Rice for £100m and Zlatan on a free to replace CavaniWhat do we still need?.......
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If we're looking at a massively reduced budget.
CB - Akanji (£20M)
DM - Kamara (Free)
CM - Caqueret (£20M)
FW - Nkunku (£50M)