Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[Rickey]

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

I suspect City wasn't even going at top gear.

First minute already bonus goal from Gundogan. Then they found out their red opponents were practically toothless.
They were shocked when VAR gifted a penalty for a finger tip brush on the ball by Grealish. Grealish was vexing on this issue even after the match.

But can see why Haaland was such a phenom. Every lose ball in the final third he will go at it like shark sensing blood. At insane speed.

Last time OGS recommend him to Man U with a price tag of only 4m. But they don't want. He was later snapped up by Dortmund for 20m.
City bought him at 50m. Now at 50m, this amount looks a bargain considering his goal exploits.

I think they just wanted to frighten the red pussies into early submission at the beginning of the match, so they accelerated n went from 1st gear to 5th gear like a Ferrari or Maserati racing down a sports circuit in less than 15 seconds to score their 1st goal...to make their job easier for the next 90 minutes....then they let go their gas n shifted down to 3rd gear n cruise along to the finish knowing how toothless the red attackers r n how easily exposed their goal area is for them to score as many goals as they like with a nervous GK in between the sticks ...only think they never expect was their red neighbour launching a late onslaught against them towards the end of the match when Garnacho was introduced

Yes their recruitment department n the one in charge shd be fired for declining such a good offer for Haaland years ago...that's why they hv been missing out on so many good players last season as well...and that's the reason why they end up getting sub standard players from other teams to join them as they r never able to recognise a good n quality player right at the beginning when they r selling on the cheap n only wanting to buy them later when they suddenly realise they missed a gem n desperate to get him later they r willing to pay thru their noses e.g the case of Darwin Nunez n Cody Gakpo...but they don't realise that once missed they will never be able to get them again however much they r willing to pay...then going for the leftovers on the shelf nobody wants but yet still having to pay thru their noses as the sellers take advantage of their last-minute desperate situation to get someone in

[Rickey]

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

You are right on, buddy!

Actually many English players are way overpriced. Maguire, Sancho....
This Mount guy so so only lah...maybe he looks handsome like gay boy...so they priced him higher?

During match, UK commentators like to mention their names whenever they exhibit a small bits of brilliance....maybe favoritism?

Yes, u r right also buddy...english players with the exception of Harry Kane r mostly overpriced n overrated not that they r not good...but they r not worth the high exorbitant price they r paid for to get that kind of performance...most r just average players neither that good nor that bad but definitely not worth the high price they r being paid for their services

[asiancigar]

Originally Posted by Rickey

Yes, it was an enjoyable "feast" for spectators of the match both online n on-site last night but as expected the red pussies were toothless in attack unable to score from the few chances they had n a very weak n nervous GK n defence which got exposed easily n many times by Citeh attackers n succumb easily to set pieces attack by the opposition esp the 2nd goal ...No, they didn't bring it home instead let Citeh the blue side take it home

Blue Huuuuu

[ilovepantyhose]

SEASON REVIEW 22/23 PART ONE
compared to season 21/22, 22/23 was an improvement overall: finished 3rd in BPL, won EFL cup and qualified for UCL, a good season but there are improvements that can be made

below are the reviews for coaching staff and playing squad

ETH
credit must go to ETH for turning things around in his 1st season, from an underachieving squad without form and confidence to one which won a cup and qualified for UCL

man-management - 1) imposed rules and discipline and ensured that players who misbehaved would face consequences (his way or the highway); 2) would defend (or put a positive spin) players who were criticised for their performances, and praise those who played well. i don't think he singled out a player for criticism in the media and would rather say that it was a poor team performance, his style would be more of positive reinforcement, any harsh words or criticism would be within the dressing room, not to the outside world

PR - from the media conferences and interviews, seems like ETH is a down to earth and pragmatic person with EQ who doesn't sugarcoat things. ambiguous (or bait) questions would be handled tactfully or matter of factly. see also how he handled questions about CR7, maguire, fernandes, DDG. rather than criticising the owner (a surefire way to get fired), he stressed that the squad needs investment in order to compete. we shall see if he will voice his frustrations in the future if the owner puts in minimal effort to improving the squad when in UCL (signing players that fit his system or working with what he has)

Coaching
this season, my gripe is defending corners and crosses, i find it strange that 1) small players are tasked to mark tall players; 2) a player who is weak at defending tasked to mark a strong attacking opponent; 3) players' concentration when defending, they would be ball watching or lose their man completely; 4) positioning of players are poor at times when balls are crossed in, and opponents have a chance at goal. the set piece or defence coach must improve the defending aspect as such goals could have been avoided

Reviews of playing squad with ratings
N/B this is the first season ETH is working with the squad, the players need time to adapt to ETH system

GK
DDG - 6, great shot stopper, bailed man u out many times this season, won the golden glove but has also committed howlers and made horror passes, a jekyll & hyde reminiscent of OGS era. seems like he doesn't fit with ETH system who needs a GK who is comfy with the ball and play out from the back. i think DDG struggles to adapt to ETH system and got nervy during matches. even though ETH stated that he wants DDG to extend his stay, i don't think DDG showed that he is consistent enough this season to be No.1 next season and will be backup instead. but is henderson good enough to be No.1? or will ETH sign a GK who fits his system?

heaton & dubravka - N/A, didn't watch them in action so can't give a rating. ETH wants 2 experienced GKs as backups in case of injuries/suspension, it makes sense

Defenders
AWB - 7, ETH prefers dalot to AWB at DR, but AWB got his chance when dalot got injured. AWB is better at defending than dalot, but not as good as dalot when going forward. can see that AWB is trying to improve his attacking aspect of the game, still some way to go though. excellent tackler, but needs to improve his concentration

dalot - 6, contributes more to attack than AWB, but is not as good a defender as AWB and can get caught out of position. lacks "bite" in terms of defending (see martinez, malacia)

varane - 7, serial winner at R.Madrid, WC winner for France, solid defender but is injury prone and can be out for weeks at a time, ETH preferred DC pairing with martinez

martinez - 8, best defender for man u this season, a combative defender who never shy away from a challenge and quick to close down on opponents. good anticipation, positioning, tackling and reading of the game. his season was unfortunately cut short with a broken foot injury and man u's form went downhill from there. hope he can quickly recover in time for next season, man u will need him for UCL

lindelof - 6, seems to perform better when not paired with maguire, ok season for him, dependable when called upon

maguire - 5, doesn't fit into ETH system, i think ETH gave him some playing time (and face 面子) due to him already being captain before ETH appointment. whenever maguire plays, his lack of pace and mobility are cruelly exposed. even though ETH praised him in the media, the fact is that he is not first choice. the warning signs were there when ETH selected varane, martinez and shaw(!!!) ahead of him, his agent must be looking for new clubs ever since the WC

shaw - 6, first choice at DL, improved his attacking aspect of the game with his crossing and set piece delivery. however i find it strange that he often drifts infield and then recovers his position when the ball goes wide, sometimes too late. also lacks "bite" in terms of defending, he stands off and doesn't commit when up against players like saka or salah on the wing, giving them time and space on the ball led to chances/goals, i feel he needs to be more aggressive like martinez or malacia

malacia - 6, backup to shaw, still young and its his 1st season in BPL so needs time to adapt and develop. but can see that his defending style is aggressive and has "bite". sticks close to his man and doesn't allow his opponent time and space (his performance in the home win vs man city was good when marking mahrez), however constant fouling will result in many cards. think will see more of him in action next season onwards and he can certainly displace shaw as first choice DL

williams - N/A, only one appearance as a sub, seems like ETH doesn't rate him well enough to see action, may benefit from loan moves

phil jones - his career at man u unfortunately derailed by injuries, released by the club, wish him all the best

Midfielders
fernandes - 7, consistent performer with goals and assists since joining man u, although prone to the odd turnover in his own half, and showing his frustrations when things go wrong. cannot fault him for his effort and passion

casemiro - 8, man u finally replaced Keane after so many years, serial winner at R.Madrid, can pick out a killer pass when in transition, his ability to ghost into the box during free kicks and scoring goals, although he seems to pull his tackles since the 2 red cards. however he is already 31 and entering the twilight phase, hope ETH can get 3 more years out of him

eriksen - 6, neither spectacular nor poor, ok season for him i suppose, although cannot be tasked to mark an opponent when defending set pieces

mctom - 6, lost his starting place to casemiro, ok season for him too, decent backup, i think his game can improve if he understudies casemiro

sabitzer (loan) - 6, an intelligent player, impressed by his attacking runs and finding space in the box, but seems like man u won't sign him permanently, we thank him for his contributions this season

fred - 6, high energy and dynamic, but prone to fouling unnecessarily and getting caught out of position, has popped up to score more goals, but really needs to improve his shooting as he wasted alot of chances teammates created when he ran in from deep

VDB - 5, thought it would be a clean slate fresh start when ETH got appointed, but 3 seasons on the bench regressed him much, as he didn't impress much when ETH picked him, then kena serious knee injury, haiz jin suay

mainoo - 5? 6? N/A?, his appearances are as subs, but being able to play in the 1st team at age 18 means that he is developing well as a young footballer

Attackers
rashford - 8, devastating and lethal when running with the ball down the left, improved his heading as shown with some header goals this season. but strangely, just cannot get into his rhythm in some matches. perhaps need more mental coaching to be more consistent as he is entering his prime

antony - 6, man u obviously overpaid for him, i think its "compensation" to Ajax as they also lost ETH and martinez at the same time (ETH + martinez = trophies), imo antony is definitely not worth 95m euros. for his 1st season in BPL, 1) he has shown that he is a one trick pony: cutting in from the right wing and shooting with his left, yes he has scored some beauties but he has missed more; 2) he needs to work on his right foot, temperament and decision making. due to his price tag, he is overly scrutinised by the media but i must stress that he is young and still developing, he is not the finished product, he is in a new country & league and needs time to adapt. hope that his performances can improve next season

sancho - 5, has underperformed this season, its a worry that he cannot get into his rhythm in majority of the matches he played in, seems too tentative when taking on an opponent, or loses the ball in the final third. needs to work on the aspect of running into space/goal scoring positions and alot of mental coaching

elanga - 6, neither spectacular nor poor, just average performances from a backup player

garnacho - 5 (as a starter), 8 (as a super sub), totally ineffective when ETH starts him, but very effective when coming on as a sub, his pace and direct running against a tired defence has resulted in important goals, he also gave city a scare in the fa cup final. he is very young but he certainly has a bright future ahead of him

martial - 6, seems like he fits the ETH system as he can hold the ball up and has good ball control, ETH will start him whenever fit. however he is too injury prone to be able to start regularly

WW (loan) - 3 (if based on goals scored), 7 (if based on his effort whenever he is playing), if we judge him on the basis of a striker, the rating would be low as 2 goals from 31 appearances is really low (he had good chances this season but his finishing was poor, his ability may not be good enough for BPL realistically speaking). but whenever he is playing, we can see that he carries out ETH instructions and tries his best on the pitch. if man u cannot sign a striker, will be good to extend his loan for another season

pellistri - 5, already an international with Uruguay but a bench warmer at man u, its likely ETH thinks that pellistri is not good enough yet. he does possess a burst of speed to go past a defender, will continue to be a sub while he is developing

CR7 - 1, was widely discussed in the media that CR7 is not a presser and his teammates will have to share the defensive workload, in the matches he played in, it became apparent that he doesn't fit into ETH system. its likely he resorted to pull all those stunts because he couldn't get his transfer. thinking back, man u signed him because they could sell more No.7 jerseys imo

[ilovepantyhose]

SEASON REVIEW 22/23 PART TWO
part 2 discusses about team playing style, performance, mentality, and squad depth and improvements

Team playing style
ETH wants his team to play out from the back and conduct high pressing to quickly win the ball back. but the team still lacks the quality to pass their way out whenever they play an opponent who high press them. often they lose the ball in their own third and get quickly countered, good opponents will make them pay. we can see that the team got nervy when pressed and made mistakes, DDG also got nervy and made horror passes, some of which resulted in goals

when man u do high pressing, it works against some teams but wasn't effective against top teams like city, arsenal or pool. using a high press means that all the outfield players and defensive line are higher up the pitch. but DDG is not a "sweeper keeper" and there is a big gap between the high defensive line and GK waiting to be exploited by the opponent, couple that with a slow DC like maguire, sure to concede goals. we don't see maguire much in action as he doesn't fit into the system, ETH picks DDG because he is the best of the three GKs in the 1st team

how to counter the opponent high press? i still think the best way is to go direct, punting the ball to the striker is the best way to bypass the high press and doesn't invite unnecessary pressure in own third

the team also has to be more aggressive (or dirty) overall, disrupt the opponent's rhythm and game plan, don't let them have time and space on the ball. there will be more fouls but at least opponents won't walk all over them at will

Team performance, mentality and form
on some days, man u played well and the football is flowing and exciting. on some days man u started slowly or couldn't get into rhythm, and would struggle to break down opponents. and on an abysmal day, everything that could go wrong would go wrong and the result is 7-0

i believe consistency is key here and the manager must motivate the players and maintain the standards. notice that the squad seemed to have taken the foot off the gas after they won the EFL cup and it was reflected in the results. ETH had to say in the media that the players need to have the focus and hunger for more trophies. the players need to cut out social media all that nonsense and fully focus on football

some players don't have the mentality to dig deep when man u conceded first, seems like they have achieved their life goal of playing for a big club and coast all the way until they retire. as a supporter, it pisses me off when i see footballers on fat salaries play mediocre football. teams under SAF were known for their determination and fightback mentality, the current squad is still on and off and some way to go from "never give up"

home form - OT stopped being a fortress ever since SAF retired, and man u became a laughing stock. ETH has done a great job in making OT into a fortress again, the home loss to brighton was a blip but i'm optimistic opponents won't get a result when they come to OT next season onwards

away form - can be improved as ETH continue to work on squad mentality and consistency, its impt that man u cannot start slowly or concede silly goals

Squad depth and improvements
suggestions of areas to improve

i feel the current squad depth is average, as results will suffer in the event of injury crisis or players lose form. man u went thru a rough patch in march and april when several players got injured at the same time and results suffered

GK
can man u sign a GK that fits ETH system? if unable, ETH will have to make do with DDG and next season will be similar to this season: great saves sprinkled with howlers and horror passes. its rumoured that henderson wants to leave, so ETH will need to sign a third GK with experience

Defence
firstly, maguire needs to go. next up, bailly, can he get a clean slate under ETH? or will he leave as well? if so, then man u need to sign at least 2 defenders: a pacy DC, and a defender who can play anywhere across the backline. if cannot sign a DRLC, then may have to look within and retrain williams to be DRL. will be good to have an utility man in the squad ala P.Nev or o'shea

Midfield
note that eriksen is 31, fred is 30 and casemiro is 31, i think ETH can get them to perform at high level for one more season, but at the same time need to think and plan long term to replace them eventually: must sign a DMC at least, there is a box to box MC in VDB but ETH doesn't rate him well

i think mctom can also be retrained, both as a targetman and as a DC, he can become a versatile D/M/SC given his height (1.93m), which can benefit both club and country

Attack
man u need to sign a striker who can consistently score 20 goals every season, the priority is to sign a "drogba", who is strong, fast, good in the air, can hold the ball up and link up play. man u is lucky that rashford hit a rich vein of form and didn't suffer any serious injury this season, but what if he loses form or suffers a long term injury? even though ETH has martial, antony, sancho, garnacho at his disposal, i don't think they are consistent enough to score 20 goals every season. man u need another striker to share the scoring workload in the event of injury or form loss (remb SAF had yorke, cole, sheringham and OGS). city really kio tio durian when they signed haaland for only 51m

[lacoruna69]

OMG! Bro ILPH is back!!!

What a wonderful season end review!!!

[ilovepantyhose]

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

OMG! Bro ILPH is back!!!

What a wonderful season end review!!!

haha was busy, would try to watch man u matches if the kickoff is before midnite... matches that start late sorry bo huat doh

i figured can do a summary at one go after the fa cup final... do stay tuned for final part tmrw

[ilovepantyhose]

SEASON REVIEW 22/23 PART THREE
part three discusses about the transfer dept and manger veto over new signings, and aspirations for the new season

Transfer dept and manager veto over new signings
i suspect that the transfer dept reported directly to ed woodward back then, and he had more say in signing new players that had bigger reputations, or can sell more jerseys, but not necessarily fit into the manager's plans. why? i think he (or the higher-ups) want to make marquee signings fitting for a big club, regardless of their suitability. ever since SAF retired, man u have overspent and the signings underperformed, they have been trying to get their act together for a long time and now ETH seems to be the right manager to bring the club forward. man u needs to sign players that suit the manager's system and not for commercial reasons, success on the field first and then everything else will auto fall into place

under moyes: last minute scrambles to sign fellaini and mata after failing to attract supposed big names. moyes was highly scrutinised by the media and his management style and tactics didn't work for the squad either, gone after man u couldn't qualify for UCL

under LVG: LVG was backed to sign players to get back into UCL, but his system was so sideways that fans chanted "attack, attack, attack". gone despite winning the fa cup

under mourinho: JM was backed to sign quality players to get back into UCL, once that was achieved, token effort was put in to reinforce the squad, JM whined to the media and then he was gone. signing mkhitaryan and then trading him for sanchez who operated on the left wing was really wtf

under OGS: OGS also was generally backed to sign quality players to get back into UCL, but i think he had little say in the signings of maguire, VDB and CR7

maguire - rojo's rant revealed some juicy info: OGS had to play maguire due to his price tag, it didn't matter whether he fit into OGS system or not

VDB - OGS refusal to play him says alot. why sign him and then don't play him? VDB is the prime example that the manager and the transfer dept are out of sync

CR7 - CR7 means goals and jerseys. his massive reputation means that OGS had to play him, the higher-ups must be telling OGS "fans come to OT to watch CR7 play so u must play him"

under ETH: ETH has been backed so far but antony is a question mark, why sign another winger when there are already many wingers in the squad? ETH has also come out to say that the squad needs investment in order to compete, putting the ball in the owner's court (well played). note that ETH signings of martinez, malacia, and casemiro have "bite", antony has some bite but he is too easily baited into retaliation. ETH wants to sign players who doesn't roll over easily, he must have observed that the squad under OGS were doormats. overall, ETH signings have been astute so far (eriksen was signed for his creativity and to improve ball retention and possession, good on some days, ineffective on others, average overall)

there are alot of rumours about players linked to man u, we shall see who is signed in the off season and if they fit into ETH system, ETH must have the final say/judgement call in potential signings

Aspirations for season 23/24
BPL
man u record for 22/23 is W23 D6 L9 GF58(1.53goals/game) GA43(1.13goals/game). man u only scored 58 goals, which is low for a club who plays attacking football. conceding more than a goal per game on average goes to show that the defence is still leaky. next season's objectives are a top 4 finish, to score more (2goals/game), concede less(<1goal/game), and reduce the number of losses by 50%

city has been setting the benchmark for a long time now, it will take years to catch up to city and man u can only overtake city after Pep is gone man u lagged by 14pts this season but given the fa cup performance and the manner in which man u lost games, i don't think man u can challenge for the title yet. come next season, the squad will be adapting better to ETH system and we should see man u getting into rhythm faster, improved mentality, more goals scored and less goals conceded

UCL
getting out of the UCL group stage is a minimum, and a deep run in the tournament is a bonus given how competitive UCL is

FA & EFL cups
ETH will be placing more importance on PL and UCL, we saw how the squad was stretched with injuries, burnout and loss of form when chasing 3 cups this season, so FA & EFL cups might take a backseat next season. but it depends on man u's performance in UCL: if man u can progress far, 2nd stringers and youngsters will be fielded in the domestic cups, if man u exit UCL early, ETH must retain the EFL cup and try to win the FA cup

[Tai_zi21]

Our worst rival I believe got the bargain of the season…

Mac allister for 45 million…. And our beloved club?

Our first signing last season was Malacia on 5th July… keeping my fingers crossed this time

[imom]

Originally Posted by Tai_zi21

...Our first signing last season was Malacia on 5th July… keeping my fingers crossed this time

Fucking Glazers trying to squeeze every last drop they can. No doubt delaying the transfer deals.

[asiancigar]

Well done City on their Treble !!!!!

[lacoruna69]

I think getting back to UCL and winning the Carabao Cup should be consider a good achievement I guess

Consider ETH done all this in just his first season.

If you ask me about ETH signings, I personally think L Martinez was the outstanding one.
That aggressiveness, tenacity, fearless tackling and interceptions.
All this amidst criticism he is too short to play as CB in the EPL.

Way to go, Butcher of Amsterdam!!

[imom]

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

I think getting back to UCL and winning the Carabao Cup should be consider a good achievement I guess

Consider ETH done all this in just his first season.

If you ask me about ETH signings, I personally think L Martinez was the outstanding one.
That aggressiveness, tenacity, fearless tackling and interceptions.
All this amidst criticism he is too short to play as CB in the EPL.

Way to go, Butcher of Amsterdam!!

Given the injuries/suspensions we have had, I think ten Hag has done a great job finishing 3rd and winning a cup. If we have had better luck with injuries, we might just have finished within single digits of 1st place - which was my hope at the beginning of the season.

We all love Martinez, but signing of the season for me was Casemiro. I just wished he was mid-20s. He has added steel to the midfield, but at the same time also finesse and intelligence. He has chipped in with his fair share of goals/assists too - something not expected when we signed him.

In other news, apparently we should have a decision on the sale of the club within the week. Just hope it's Jassim.

[Tai_zi21]

If the bloody glazers wan to suck the most money out of the club… the Qatar group will be their only choice…

Has been dragging on this drama for too long already…

[imom]

Originally Posted by Tai_zi21

If the bloody glazers wan to suck the most money out of the club… the Qatar group will be their only choice…

Has been dragging on this drama for too long already…

Actually, Ratcliffe's valuation of the club is higher - just that he's offering less upfront cash. The Glazers would be able to continue milking the club with the equity they retain if they sell to Ratcliffe.

Just hope that they are greedy for upfront cash.