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

Mantis Toboggan · 02-03-2025 10:01PM

The football is so negative under Amorim, so boring, if we're going to lose let's at least have a go.

2 defensive wingers never works. Get Garnacho out on the right wing, Dorgu on the left wing. Bruno and Eriksen in the 10's, Mainoo and Ugarte as the 6's.

The old "attack, attack, attack" needs to come back, if they score 2 we'll score 3, everyone bombing forward from all angles. If Amorim can't figure it out bring in Biesla.

soap1978 · 02-03-2025 10:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226142#Comment_123226142

Definitely in the league nothing to lose

JRant · 02-03-2025 11:11PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226142#Comment_123226142

But he doesn't want to play two fullbacks as the WBs though. Dorgu has played 2 games and then gets suspended. Amad is out for the season since we bought Dorgu. Where are these mythical WBs to play instead of Maz and Dalot?

The problem with the "they score 2, we score 3" is that it might work if we had Tevez, Ronaldo, and Rooney up top. Unfortunately we've the three amigos of Hojlund, Zirkzee, and Garnacho who between them can't buy a goal.

DrPhilG · 02-03-2025 11:12PM

Feck me, the meltdown in here…

We played a team 5 places and 9 points above us in the league. We're absolutely crippled with injuries. We just lost Dorgu to suspension. Our squad is threadbare.

So absolutely unsurprising that we lost. And yet we have the usual nonsense talk about relegation and sacking the manager.

And the best thing is, if we'd won today the thread would be quiet. So many here are like Mrs Doyle and "love the misery". United win, not interested. Lose and it's pity party time.

Ninthlife · 02-03-2025 11:34PM

Watched the game on Premier Sports..recorded (auto record MOTD) so rewatching the BBC broadcast

First 10 mins and the pressing from Rasmus ans Zirkzee is abominable..both glancing at each other..doubting always 10 or 15 yards from the ball. A partnership that will never work

Look below..Bassy has the ball, walking pace, pointing and both Rasmus and Zirkzee are walking away frim the ball..look at their body shape...Keane was right...bluffers

Whatsisname · 02-03-2025 11:35PM

I see a lack of quality more so than us ‘not going for it’ or choosing to be negative. We’ve had 68 attempts in our last 5 matches, that’s not a team not trying to score. We were 2-0 at Everton and fought back to get a draw. Garnacho came on for Casemiro after 60 mins, clearly an attacking sub. We had a man sent off after 43 mins against Ipswich and went onto score the winner right after half time and hold out for the win.

Amorim clearly doesn’t want to play two full backs at wing back, hence the Dorgu signing but we’re hampered by his suspension, along with injuries to Amad, Mainoo and Martinez. (Won’t include Shaw or Mount at this point) Our squad is so small it’s 14 senior players to choose from right now. That’s an insane lack of options and one of the reasons I was so unhappy we didn’t do more in January. Hopefully this means we can get in the players we need in the summer.

I can’t fault the players for effort either. Bruno, De Ligt and Zirkzee in particular broke a lung today, Mazaroui playing 120 mins during Ramadan with a knock he had during the week. Played with 10 men for 45 mins on Wednesday. We looked dead on our feet from 70th min onwards today but almost snatched it in the end. Disappointing to go out in the cup especially with the remaining sides but it is what it is.

Amorims not performing as well as expected but I’m surprised by how quickly a lot of people have turned on him. ETH was bulletproof in comparison.

Robson99 · 02-03-2025 11:39PM

We can all see the problem with our wing backs...but I also think you need a better ball player than Ugarte in the middle of the park.... I know Casemiro is finished, but he is a much better ball player than Ugarte. With 3 cbs you need both your middle of the park players to be ball players in today's game

Seattle · 02-03-2025 11:54PM

One thing is for certain now - we will either have no European football next season or we'll be in the Champions League (if we win Europa).

Very unlikely we win Europa given how poor we've been (but the averageness of the remaining teams does give us a chance). The overwhelming likelihood is we won't have European football next season which may not be a bad thing from a squad building point of view. Less players will be needed and constructing the squad for next season will be much less complex.

AidoEirE · 03-03-2025 12:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226363#Comment_123226363

Ugarte id argue is a better presence in midfield with his running and trying to win the ball back, which is something Case doesn't do. Complete opposites imo

AidoEirE · 03-03-2025 12:25AM

How Casemiro is on 350k a week is insane. That's over 18mil a year for a player that can't get in the team and has a young Toby ahead of him.

His first year was only ok in a poor team.

We absolutely got shafted that transfer window when we were embarrassingly chasing FDJ that summer.

Ed Woodward master class that.

AidoEirE · 03-03-2025 12:37AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226306#Comment_123226306

Haven't went through the full thread myself but not once have I seen anyone here saying the manager should be sacked or we are going to get relegated etc.

There's nonsense talk but also nonsense comments like yourself to be fair. None of what you said has been posted and pushed for this evening and if it has, it hasn't been met with much talk back because it is...nonsense.

billyhead · 03-03-2025 07:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226385#Comment_123226385

If we miss out on Europe it means we will be shopping in poundworld for players.

talla10 · 03-03-2025 08:17AM

With our current squad we shouldn't be in any European competition. We are a bottom half premier league team and slipping. Huge clearout needed and on this seasons form it could be a few years before we are back in any European competition and fully deserved

NITRO95 · 03-03-2025 08:31AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226445#Comment_123226445

You say yourself you havnt read the whole thread, which is fine I normally skip a lot of match chat too. But there absolutely has been posters on here calling for Amorim to be sacked and even more saying we are going to be relegated. It's being said every single day, and just because you havnt seen it doesn't mean it's not happening

pjohnson · 03-03-2025 08:35AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226629#Comment_123226629

No harm in that instead of more comically overpriced high potential kids that MIGHT prove themselves in a few years. Signing potential is obviously good but when they end up forced to be first choice before they are ready.

I saw someone snub the idea of Kyle Walker-Peters on a free which I found odd.

NITRO95 · 03-03-2025 08:50AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226698#Comment_123226698

KWP is the perfect cheap squad building signing we should be looking at. Is he going to win a league with us? No probably not but he raises the standard so that if Amad is missing from RWB the whole right side of the attack isn't a wasteland.

PARlance · 03-03-2025 08:54AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226685#Comment_123226685

The irony is that you're overreacting to a tiny percentage of posters who are overreacting imo. One poster, who I've never seen posting here before, did come on and say that relegation was a possibility and Amorim could go. But there's no significant feeling that we are getting relegated and no real push for Amorim to be sacked on this thread.

Robson99 · 03-03-2025 09:03AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226404#Comment_123226404

Nowadays yes but at Real Madrid Casemiro was excellent in at both in the middle of the park. You need a player better on the ball than Ugarte in the modern game… he's far too limited. PSG let Ugarte go and brought in Neves… a massive upgrade

Mitch Connor · 03-03-2025 09:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226739#Comment_123226739

Ugarte wouldn't be a problem if the defenderds were quicker on the ball or further forward or pressed better or were more proactive, or the wingbacks offered support and options further up the pitch, or the 10s could take the ball on the turn. All things we need to be successful and what I assume we are trying to do.

Ugarte is fine on the ball imo. He's not a creative progressor, but its a problem of the team that you need him to be, not a problem of his that he isn't.

Ugarte might be alimiting factor in the future if the other elements become somewhat fixed - but replacing hiim at the cost of upgrading elsewhere would be a poor use of funds.

Robson99 · 03-03-2025 09:14AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226753#Comment_123226753

I don't disagree with any of that Mitch. I'm just saying that he is a very limited player on the ball

NITRO95 · 03-03-2025 09:17AM

Just on one your points above Mitch, it's been noticeable that MDL has started to press high in the last couple of games. I think twice yesterday I noted him winning the ball 20 yards inside the Fulham half. This is an example of a player taking on what Amorim wants from his players. Should add Yoro has been doing it also in recent games. More of this please

Robson99 · 03-03-2025 09:23AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226770#Comment_123226770

Yoro and MDL have been very good at it the last couple ogf games. Problem is Maguire is often 20 yds behind them. Good to see Heaven getting game time yesterday

Mitch Connor · 03-03-2025 09:28AM

We'd look a much better team if we could pick and play Shaw, Martinez, Amad, Mainoo or Mount. But apart from Mainoo, all but Mount are certainly out for the season and Mount might play 5 minutes over the rest of the season if we are kinda lucky.

I said in January that it would be dumb as all hell if we allowed Rashford and Antony to go without being replaced - that it didn't matter if they were of little use to us, they were still options.

United handed Amorim a horrible job, and between them they conspired to make it harder.

Like I look at the team we played with yesterday, and I didn't expect anything more than we got.

If we had played 433 with Onana, Mazraoui, MDL, Yoro, Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Eriksen, Garnacho, Bruno, Zirkzee would it have had more of a chance? Maybe. I don't know. Did the players learn anything new yesterday about playing 343? I doubt it.

FourFourRED · 03-03-2025 09:31AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226770#Comment_123226770

There was a point in the Ipswich game he (MdL) pressed in the final third and made it back to make a tackle when they countered. He has the energy and intelligence for it anyway, at times.

Seattle · 03-03-2025 09:44AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226629#Comment_123226629

Not accurate. Chelsea signed Palmer, Caicedo and Lavia when they had no European football. The Premier League itself is a big attraction. The only question is what kind of funds we'll have. But with no European football, we can afford to use the funds to focus on building a quality first 11 and worry less about constructing a squad that can cope with European football for the season.

Mitch Connor · 03-03-2025 09:59AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226845#Comment_123226845

The pound land comment is more on the budget afforded without european football - 30m less in revenue I think vs EL participation this season. I do think we will see a couple of sponsorship deals that will plug that gap a bit though.

And, tbh, we (as in us posters) don't really have a clue what the PSR situation looks like it will be at the end of the 25/26 season. I think we sail through the calcs at the end of this season, but what does the calc look at the end of the 25/26 season when it is 25/26, 24/25 and 23/24 we are using for the calculations - and that is what will determine the spending in the summer. 23/24 was a big loss making year. We don't know what this year looks like yet and then how we will look to balance next season's accounts.

And beyond the PSR base level calcs, there is cash flow with big transfer repayments due over the next couple of years. Thos transfers have alrady been accounted for in our 'squad cost' side of PSR but the cash itself would be an issue.

I do think we will have created room for a good budget this summer. But I also accept saying that is as speculative as saying we won't have a penny.

PARlance · 03-03-2025 10:16AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226805#Comment_123226805

There's obvious logic in what you were/are saying about not letting Rashford or Antony go without replacing them. But I also think there's logic in what has happened, even though it has left us incredibly thin. If Rashford and Antony's loan moves mean that we are more likely to get a sale for them this summer, which it seems we might, then the situation we're in now should be worthwhile.

I do think the intention was to get one replacement in but that feel through for whatever reasons.

No manager wants to be left as short as Amorim is now but I get the impression that he would prefer to sort out out the mess sooner rather than later. All that said in the acknowledgement that nothing is guaranteed.

I would love a journalist to ask Amorim if he would still have preferred to have waited until the summer to join. I would suspect that he might appreciate the extra time he has had to figure out the league and his squad etc. The joining in the summer was a little niave imo as it was framed around having a summer to implement a new system... There's a lot of work to be done before we can get to that "starting point".

On changing the system last night, maybe it would have worked better…but I wouldn't be too hopeful and I would like Amorim to stick to his belief. What system works with no goals and lots of individual errors.

Nalz · 03-03-2025 10:20AM

Does sending Rashford, Sancho (disregard his obligation to buy) and Antony out on loan help the fair play rules in a positive way in any sense?

Mitch Connor · 03-03-2025 10:23AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226933#Comment_123226933

Yes.

The money saved on their wages would reduce our costs.
If we have got any loan fees (i think we did for Sancho, not for Antony and no idea on Rashford) would have acted as a revenue increase.
The lower our losses (or higher our profit) is from a PSR perspective this season will have an impact on our ability to spend next season.

Mitch Connor · 03-03-2025 10:27AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123226924#Comment_123226924

Yeah, I think there is a large element of ripping the bandage off quick with what we have seen since Amorim came in.

But I also fear the damage this season will have done - if we hit a bump in the road next season, does the PTSD from how this season have gone impact our recovery next season? How much buy in are we losing as results, and performances, continue to be rubbish? We can see reasons for the perforamcnes and results, we can have hope that if we have 4/5 new faces in the starting line up next season it will come together much better. But when that bump hits and/or we have to go back to selecting guys from this season (for injury, suspension, form) - how much confidence will the players have to push through?

I want Amorim to stick to his guns long term, but I cant help but wonder if immediate short term pragmatism to build some belief in the players might have been a better route at some point.

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

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