Manchester United Thread 25/26 - Teamtalk/Transfers/Gossip Mod Note in OP 26.09.24

Mitch Connor · 21-02-2025 08:19AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193431#Comment_123193431

Could be ahead of quenda at rwb yeah, or Bruno at am.

But really just trying to get across a general point that a few signings could present a very different team in terms of profile, even while a number of current players are still in there.

Charlie69 · 21-02-2025 08:38AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193127#Comment_123193127

Crying???…. Laughing would be more like it.

Nalz · 21-02-2025 08:42AM

temerity is a great word btw

bucketybuck · 21-02-2025 09:18AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193539#Comment_123193539

Feel free to add your predictions any time you want.

Rocket_GD · 21-02-2025 09:21AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193648#Comment_123193648

I predict whenever Manchester United lose next that you’ll be ranting that it’s not good enough and this squad is better than its position which factually it isn’t.

You say that it finished 8th last year under ETH (drastically over performed expected goals and results) so why not now under Amorim conveniently leaving out the point that we were 13th under ETH when he was sacked with the same squad.

y0ssar1an22 · 21-02-2025 09:22AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193648#Comment_123193648

i saw some encouraging signs against spurs. we beat them 4-0 last time out, i think i'll go with a 3-1 win.

bucketybuck · 21-02-2025 09:27AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193659#Comment_123193659

I predict you will continue to follow me around boards.ie.

Mod edit: warning issued.

bucketybuck · 21-02-2025 09:30AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193663#Comment_123193663

I do think we'll beat Everton. Moyes has done well but they are no world beaters themselves, they are due a dip in their own performances, especially after the derby high. My gut says 0-1 or 0-2.

Rocket_GD · 21-02-2025 09:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193677#Comment_123193677

I’m a Manchester United fan posting on a Manchester United thread.

DM_7 · 21-02-2025 09:42AM

Mod: Reminder - this thread is for discussion of Manchester United. If any poster wants to argue against another posters views they are free to do so but please stick to discussing the club, not the thread or posters.

Iseedeadpixels · 21-02-2025 10:43AM

Just to lighten the mood a little....

I'd say he drove Fergie nuts! Funnily enough when we signed him I wasn't happy but thank God it worked out in 99!

Backstreet Moyes · 21-02-2025 10:49AM

I will probably look foolish in a few months time but I think he will get it right.

I have gone over to games and the past few years watched Rashford stroll around the pitch and often getting booed by fans.

That is the person your young players are looking up to as a role model, no wonder standards have dropped so much.

I don't think their is many managers who would have the balls to come in and get rid of a hometown boy.

He has shown with Sporting that he can bring through young players and his system works when he has his players.

It doesn't always work out but we have a number of young players who really look like they could be very good.

I think this season is about getting players used to his system and identifying who can't play the system and try move them on.

I don't think the performances have been that bad considering the players are playing a new system.

We basically have no striker and give away so many goals from individual mistakes.

We are not playing too badly and the likes of the spurs game we should have got more than we did.

I remember watching last season as teams walked though the middle and were taking 18 to 20 shots a game.

We are much better organized.

I am happy to write off this season and look to push for top 6 next season.

Now if we get relegated which we won't then he won't be here next season.

randd1 · 21-02-2025 11:27AM

We almost certainly wont get relegated, but what would would be considered acceptable finish for the rest of the season?

Would around 45 points in the Premier League, and a deep run in the Cup/Europa League be acceptable? I'd have to say on current form, yes.

The ideal would be a Europa League win, and the Champions League money that will come with it. To be honest, if I had the choice, I'd be happy to lose 10 and win 3 (to almost certainly avoid relegation) for the rest of the PL season if it meant winning the Europa League and getting the benefits from that. Or win the Cup again and guarantee some for of European football next season, if only to appeal to foreign players.

Should the Europa League be prioritized, and use the Premier League to really blood some younger players for next season? I'd take whatever losses if we could.

Toranaga · 21-02-2025 11:32AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193659#Comment_123193659

This is an interesting discussion point I think. United should have finished lower last season based on how they played but higher based on the amount of talent available. Right now they are where they should be based on their play under 2 managers this season but talent wise have no reason to be anywhere near where they are.

They signed players from PSG, Bayern Munich, Bologna and Lille in the Summer. All teams who were top 4 or better across 4 different leagues. The players there had a bad season and finished 8th last season. To not be able to improve any of these guys is going to be a big Amorim problem sooner than later and many opinions are already going that way.

loyatemu · 21-02-2025 11:41AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123194113#Comment_123194113

the way we're currently playing, he can prioritise all he likes, there are good teams left in the Europa and I can't see us winning it. The FA cup field has been thinned out a bit but it looks a long shot as well.

Mitch Connor · 21-02-2025 11:50AM

Arguably teh better the quality of team we face, the better our chances are.

Our best performances have come against the better teams.
Our worst performances have come against the teams we 'should' beat.

y0ssar1an22 · 21-02-2025 12:20PM

sociedad it is, harder side of the draw

PARlance · 21-02-2025 12:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123194144#Comment_123194144

My take on it is that our talented players may not be as talented as they are. They are underperforming based on talent, but not massively.

On the summer signings, you've painted it rosier than I would. The two signings from Bayern were solid imo. Ugarte another solid signing but PSG sold him because they had a better option I believe. Bologna aren't a top team and Zirkzee isn't a top player - I've no issue with him being a squad player for us. Yoro is the one signing with real top quality potential - but it's only potential at the moment.

United players get catapulted onto the world stage due to the attention the club gets. I think they get over hyped tbh.

FrankN1 · 21-02-2025 12:39PM

No way we beat Sociedad. That's Europa league done.

FA cup..

Mitch Connor · 21-02-2025 12:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123194399#Comment_123194399

Well you obviously never thought we'd win it anyway so no difference to you I guess.

And if there is no way we can beat sociedad there is also no way we can win the fa Cup. So don't know why you bothered mentioning it.

The 11th best team in Spain is just impossible.

The team that got schooled by motm Antony, impossible

Toranaga · 21-02-2025 01:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123194351#Comment_123194351

Ugarte literally played in the system for this manager and looks not much more comfortable than others though.

You can say Bologna not a top team but they played some very nice stuff with Zirkzee as their central striker and he won Serie A young player of the year. Now he's obviously not someone who runs in behind but if Amorim's system is so rigid that he can't adapt his front 3 to either Zirkzee or Hojlund who can run behind seemingly and it couldn't be worked with Rashford or Antony (other issues there obviously but not according to Amorim himself) it's sounding like a problem.

PARlance · 21-02-2025 02:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123194534#Comment_123194534

Your point was that "talent wise we have no reason to be anywhere near where we are".

I take that to be that we should be at least in the top 8 or so. Top half at minimum.

While I agree that you can point to positives with both players, I don't think they would get into or really improve many of the top 8 teams. Back to my point that I don't think we've got as talented a bunch that is made out at times.

Mitch Connor · 21-02-2025 03:29PM

I think there is technical talent and abiluty, but we massively lack in pace, strength, intensity.

Of the first choice 11, i'd only trust the physicality of maybe Yoro (young, still to improve), Dorgu, Ugarte, Garnacho + Amad (tenacity and work rate brings them up), Bruno, Hojlund.

And thats not to say you need everyone to be a physical monster, but the fewer you have the bigger the issue is as players get exposed and not protected.

To be good in the PL now you need elite physical (strength, pace, conditioning). And we lack that all over the squad.

SteM · 21-02-2025 03:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193936#Comment_123193936

He was a very regular visitor to Dublin in those days too. Might be a future Irish international floating about.

Toranaga · 21-02-2025 03:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123194976#Comment_123194976

No, my point is that if there are 4 players there of different styles and you couldn't fashion even 1 of them to fit a role in your system with 3 forwards where does it end?

Amad wasn't started there under him initially, he had a problem with Garnacho too and has since moved Bruno from the behind the striker position too. Amad the only one who's shown anything and even then it's late in games where the shackles are off.

If you can't get anything out of that group of players you are running out of profiles that will improve the system and some of them at least will still be there next season. Is the solution trying to just sign a load of Sporting or ex-Sporting players? Been down that road before and it didn't end well.

He's not going to be sacked but the jury is out more because of his own actions than anything. You can talk about pain but your job as manager is to make players better. 1 or 2 you can point at individuals. 15 not so much.