Manchester United Thread 25/26 - Teamtalk/Transfers/Gossip Mod Note in OP 12.02.26

I thought we edged it tbh, but of course I am bias.

For me, there are plenty areas, largely at the back. I must say first I'm willing to give most a clean slate under a new manager and I might get pelters for this but here we go.

The whole backline that started Sunday could be changed, you could argue. Excluding Lammens.

The back 4 have been in great form since Carrick came in but I don't feel it's sustainable. Dalot is a disaster and will cost more goals before the season is out, to be replaced. Luke Shaw is 31 in the Summer, injury prone and not the future. Harry Maguire is a cult icon at this stage and have to admire this comeback. But he's 33 next month and still has a mistake in him. Martinez I love, very injury prone.

That said, we still have Yoro (young, plenty development to go but I'd be optimistic), de Ligt (big fan, injured though..) and Heaven to come in at the back.

Middle of the park, we're all aware needs replacing. Casemiro is gone in the Summer and while I am a big fan of Mainoo, we need healthy midfield competition. We are on course to compete in Europe next year meaning we need substantial squad depth, not just fill ins. Look at the difference when Ugarte replaces Cas, we become a much worse team.

So for me, wing backs, centre mid and squad depth are the priorities. No pressure lads.

When he came first I was excited. New manager, new system, new thinking.

Felt like it was a manager on his way up. One that could grow alongside our team as we rebuilt.

I was even excited to see how the 3-4-2-1 could help some of our players.

However, as the weeks and months went by there were decisions and patterns that were undeniably worrying.

He took our best player, our only legitimate claim to a world class player. A creative machine. And pulled him further back on the pitch.

Fast forward to this season again I was willing to give forgetting last season and seeing what they could do with the reduced schedule a good go.

I was expecting big things to be honest, I always thought if 5th gets CL then we should be able to challenge for that. They had a week in between games to work on his "ideas". But it just never fully clicked.

What really sealed it for me was the Everton game. A man up and a goal behind at OT and we refused to take 1 of the 3 CBs off to add an attacker and an additional midfielder to pile more pressure on them.

An idea so Anti Manchester United it's hard to understand.

Sometimes you see a moment with a player or manager where you think "Yeah, they have it".

That was the opposite for Ruben. That was the moment where it confirmed he doesn't (at least yet) have it.

Also going out in BOTH cups at the first hurdle. Not a good look.

I've gone over these points before but playing Bruno deeper in a 2 man midfield.

Not giving Mainoo a good shot in the team when the midfield wasn't working.

Subbing his CBs around each week no matter if we were ahead or behind. Watching a CB replace a CB when we need a goal was driving me nuts.

His lack of tactical flexibility.

I do think the players in the squad are better served to being Man Utd players than when he took over. So praise there for whatever part he played.

But week to week the decisions were just not working out. Often very clearly wrong as well.

I think if he had even tweaked his setup to a 3-4-1-2 and got Casemiro, Mainoo in midfield with Bruno at 10. Mbeumo and Cunha either side of Bruno then he'd have saved himself a little.

In the end it was stubbornness that cost him most

Bruno is was having his best season in a long time for united, on his way to his 2nd best g/a numbers when playing deeper, we have seen the best version of him this season I think we have ever seen, he has cut out his stupidity for the most part, his passing completion has never been higher and his consistency from set pieces also has improved massively.

The team does functions better so far anyways with mainoo in midfield and Bruno forward Bruno deeper really was an non issue.

And Amorim wasn't manager when we went out of the fa cup

There is plenty of genuine critisism for Amorim without trying to embellish things

Scoring that goal is easier said than done.

We've let in a few "worldies" from that angle and general area in the last couple of months

Something to look at there I think

Kevin
Rodgers
Dewsbury Hall

Am I missing another? Very similar areas.

I'm the exact same as you!

That Everton game sealed it for me too!

He wanted to be 'right' more than winning the game.

Unforgivable.

I don't mind losing games but go out on your shield and at least try to win!

So 'Anti-Manchester United' as you say.

Well he has had many seasons playing as a 10 and wasn't putting them numbers up, playing deeper affords him more freedom and time on the ball, he isnt great at receiving the ball in tight areas also.

Playing deeper has its disadvantages too no doubt, but you can't just wave away his great season he is having playing deeper and say it would have been better had he played at 10.

And you can discount the great all round improvement on his game either compared to other seasons

Not do a Case basically and announce hes gone way too early.

The dropped points when he was in charge weren't his fault.

The wins since he left are down to him.

We really do live in a strange world these days.

Statistically on a personal level for Bruno he is doing well this season, sure.

But that midfield was not performing well.

For me anyway Bruno's best was his first full season, he played 10. He had pace either side of him and forwards making runs that he can pick out. He arrived late at the edge of the box, was allowed to drop off and probe, find space, pick a pass etc..

You want that in the final 3rd of the pitch as often as you can make happen. He is elite at that side of things.

He might be picking up more assists from playing a ball from deeper and on the stats sheet that does look good. He will always have a good pass on him no matter where you play him.

When I see his involvement in the team these last 3 games it is so clearly a better fit for him.

This is the age old argument about stats vs the eye test. You need to look at both IMO.

Do you think the midfield has looked better in the last 3 games?
Or do you feel it looked better when it was Casemiro and Bruno with 2 10s ahead of them?

I wonder if Sekou Kone will figure as part of the squad next season, he's 20 today. Maybe he's earmarked as a squad filler to continue his development. He's at an age now ams needs to be pushing on

Bruno has 5 assists in the last 4 PL games since the change, is it even correct to say that he was more productive while playing deeper?

My point is that people are saying Bruno and cas are having there best season for the club in a long time and they did that playing in Amorims midfield two for most of it.

If they had both being playing awful and suddenly looked great the point would have some weight but it's not the case.

I did say the midfield looks to have better balance in it now with Mainoo and of course That's on Amorim. But also 2 of those games we were sitting in which won't be the norm in most games we play for the rest of the season so it's kinda hard to judge it overall.

We saw in the first half's against arsenal and Fulham Bruno struggling in tight areas and not able to effect games, we saw in the 2nd half of those games why having him further forward can win us games especially when the game is more open.

Which half of a season do you think Bruno was better under Amorim the 2nd half of last season as a 10 or the first half of this season as an 8

I thought the midfield, in the second half, looked to suffer from the same issues we have previously had.
Looking better vs Arsenal and City was down (imo) to playing a bit deeper and more compact so when we lost the ball there was little central space for the opponent to attack.

Vs Fulham we were caught out with the team and ball higher more, and got ran thought a bit more as a result, because neither Casemiro nor Mainoo have the recovery pace needed on the defensive transition. I would expect some level of solution in the summer, but part of it will need to be tactical changes that cede less central space, or try to concentrate dispossesions wider.

I think the trade off is correct for the players we have right now, but it needs to improve a lot if we are to challange at the top level.

But the solution isn't just CM - fullbacks and Centre backs need to close the gaps and have the athletitism to get up and back a lot - the PL is a monster of a league for speed and power, and arguably Dalot is the only defender we have that has both elements. It partly why I would like to us develop Dorgu as a fullback. He has the pace, the power, the work ethic, is good going forward, understands pressing triggers and positional discipline.

Spending money on a brand new forward line will have helped Bruno’s numbers too? Bruno has been creating a crazy number of chances for years. The players ahead of him haven’t always been good enough.

Did you find where I said the Fulham draw was a bad, very bad result?