Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2017

Billy86

TheDoctor wrote: »

Its going to be the best 90 minutes, the best, believe me.

We'll be going out with no tactics or chosen formation, so!

Billy86

Leroy42 wrote: »

I really don't think any Utd fan should be getting into a discussion with other clubs about who has done better in transfers.

Utd, especially but not limited to recently, have a terrible record. A combination of scatter gun approach with high values. We have let players so for next to nothing that turn out to be better than what we had or have. SFA didn't really have a great knack in the TF market. He turned up the odd gem of course but had quite a few expensive duds

IMO, Jose could avoid spending any money in the summer, save if someone leaves, and I would expect a PL title challenge and CL Semis next year. The team is not the best, clearly, but it has more than enough to deal with all but the very best teams out there if they each play to their abilities.

DDG/Romero
Shaw, Bailly, Rojo, Darmian
Herrera, Pogba, Blind/Fellaini
Micky, Rashford, Martial

That, or variations on it, should be more than enough to compete.

Fellaini as a potential starting XI player = nope.

We are close, but a player to tie the midfield better together and better FBs would be right up at the top of my priorities list. Darmian is decent and Shaw has potential, but having just them with only Valencia/Young behind could go very, very wrong.

Jayop

It would be brilliant if we could get to the EL final with champions league football already secured. Such a release of pressure for that game.

jayo26

Yep while we have good squad strength we definitely need an elite finisher of some sort be it wide or threw the middle.

We need a defensive midfielder without doubt

We need a central defender and not because of the quality but because of the injuries. We have four specialist centre backs and rojo has played the most games out of them.



That is crazy for a top club and as we said last night it's unbelievable that we have been so good in defence.

TheDoctor

Celta Vigo lost last night to Betis.

Play Thurs night against Sevilla and play Bilbao Sunday night.

Similar schedule to us this week.

Nalz

TheDoctor wrote: »

Celta Vigo lost last night to Betis.

Play Thurs night against Sevilla and play Bilbao Sunday night.

Similar schedule to us this week.

With way less to play for in the league though!

RobertKK

Everyone expects Griezmann to join us for next season - replaces Rooney.
We need a central defensive midfielder.
Likely to buy another central defender and maybe a full back.
A new goalkeeper if De Gea leaves.
With Zlatan out, a striker might be looked at.

I seriously doubt 6 players though.
If De Gea is sold, his replacement would be a net profit on the books.

Cantona's Collars

Rashers to get a hat trick on Thursday....... My fantasy football team needs it.Call me selfish, I don't care.:)

RobertKK

zerks wrote: »

Rashers to get a hat trick on Thursday....... My fantasy football team needs it.Call me selfish, I don't care.:)

I would be more than happy with that.

Lord TSC

bangkok wrote: »

with that in mind i would go for

---

de gea

---

valencia

---

bailly

---

blind

---

shaw

---

fellaini

---

carrick

---

herrera

---

mkhitarayan

---

---

rashford

---

martial

---

Lingard will 100% start; his work rate seems highly valued by Jose.

beakerjoe

Lord TSC wrote: »

Lingard will 100% start; his work rate seems highly valued by Jose.

See Id agree he will most likely start, however with him starting the last 2 games will he be rested?

Mitch Connor

beakerjoe wrote: »

See Id agree he will most likely start, however with him starting the last 2 games will he be rested?

I reckon him coming off early(ish) in the game on Sunday was with an eye to starting on Thursday.

TheDoctor

First leg of Ajax V Lyon is being played on the Wednesday night next week.

bangkok

Leroy42 wrote: »

I really don't think any Utd fan should be getting into a discussion with other clubs about who has done better in transfers.

Utd, especially but not limited to recently, have a terrible record. A combination of scatter gun approach with high values. We have let players so for next to nothing that turn out to be better than what we had or have. SAF didn't really have a great knack in the TF market. He turned up the odd gem of course but had quite a few expensive duds

IMO, Jose could avoid spending any money in the summer, save if someone leaves, and I would expect a PL title challenge and CL Semis next year. The team is not the best, clearly, but it has more than enough to deal with all but the very best teams out there if they each play to their abilities.

DDG/Romero
Shaw, Bailly, Rojo, Darmian
Herrera, Pogba, Blind/Fellaini
Micky, Rashford, Martial

That, or variations on it, should be more than enough to compete.

lol

Cantona's Collars

https://twitter.com/Jack_Gaughan/status/856507375871815684

Silva and Aguero could be fit for Thursday.We could do without that news.

jayo26

zerks wrote: »

https://twitter.com/Jack_Gaughan/status/856507375871815684

Silva and Aguero could be fit for Thursday.We could do without that news.

It's grand we have blind

Trigger

zerks wrote: »

https://twitter.com/Jack_Gaughan/status/856507375871815684

Silva and Aguero could be fit for Thursday.We could do without that news.

Pep will have the needles out, they'll be grand

sReq | uTeK

astradave wrote: »

Pep will have the needles out, they'll be grand

Any YOkes

Jayop

I reckon if we can beat City then we can still afford to drop 4 points and get 4th. Both City and Liverpool will drop at least 2 points each in their remaining games.

If we lose to City then we can possibly afford one more draw and that would probably leave us equal on points with Liverpool bringing it down to GD for 4th with City being OK in 3rd.

Cookie_Dough

jayo26 wrote: »

It's grand we have blind i'll create the match thread

FYP

spiralism

TheDoctor wrote: »

First leg of Ajax V Lyon is being played on the Wednesday night next week.

Yeah, Thursday week is Remembrance Day over here, they can't have the football on that night as the cops will be too stretched and it's considered a serious, solemn event. (ie they don't want to be dealing with drunk fans). The final day of the Eredivisie fell on the same day a few years back, so they moved the entire final week of fixtures.

/offtopic

Liam McPoyle

We'll beat City then shyte the bed against Swansea.

Jayop

Rod Munch wrote: »

We'll beat City then shyte the bed against Swansea.

If we beat City we'll beat Swansea.

Cookie_Dough

Rod Munch wrote: »

We'll beat City then shyte the bed against Swansea.

Well...at least we will have taken points off City if that happens . I think we can beat City. Although we have played a lot of games some players are still fresh (like Shaw and Rooney) so maybe a bit of rotation and extra game time for some will help us. I thought Rooney played well and looked fresh.

Jayop

The Pog and Herrera are doubt for this. Bailly looked a bit shook the last day too. According to MEN our Sr squad has just 16 fit outfield players. Should Pogba or one of the others be unfit then we'll have to call up a young lad.

Degea & Romero
Bailly & Blind
Valencia, Shaw, Young, Darmain

Pogba, Fellaini, Herrera, Carrick
Mkhitaryan & Lingard

Martial, Rooney and Rashford

Who's the other one? Fosu-Mensah? That's a squad down to it's bare bones.

For the City game we need to go with the strongest possible starting team imo.

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Degea
Valencia Bailly Blind Darmian

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Herrera

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Fellaini Pogba
--Lingard Martial Rashford

Bench - Romero, Young, Shaw, Carrick, Mkhitaryan, Rooney, Fosu

spiralism

Jayop wrote: »

The Pog and Herrera are doubt for this. Bailly looked a bit shook the last day too. According to MEN our Sr squad has just 16 fit outfield players. Should Pogba or one of the others be unfit then we'll have to call up a young lad.

Degea & Romero
Bailly & Blind
Valencia, Shaw, Young, Darmain

Pogba, Fellaini, Herrera, Carrick
Mkhitaryan & Lingard

Martial, Rooney and Rashford

Who's the other one? Fosu-Mensah? That's a squad down to it's bare bones.

For the City game we need to go with the strongest possible starting team imo.

---

Degea
Valencia Bailly Blind Darmian

---

Herrera

---

Fellaini Pogba
--Lingard Martial Rashford

Bench - Romero, Young, Shaw, Carrick, Mkhitaryan, Rooney, Fosu

The regular starters are utterly knackered at this stage. Another Mourinho masterclass with the second team while he's on the touchline dressed like a drug dealer from 1993 would do nicely.

Jayop

spiralism wrote: »

The regular starters are utterly knackered at this stage. Another Mourinho masterclass with the second team while he's on the touchline dressed like a drug dealer from 1993 would do nicely.

We don't even have a second team anymore. It's mental.

Like the only two that are on that bench that you would maybe argue for a starting spot are Mkhitaryan and Shaw. The rest aren't up to it imo. Now if Pogba or Herrera are out then Carrick starts. We'll have no Sr midfielder on the bench at all. A certain Pep fan was crying about their squad the last day having only Delph to bring on. We're in a worse position now.

jayo26

Jayop wrote: »

We don't even have a second team anymore. It's mental.

Like the only two that are on that bench that you would maybe argue for a starting spot are Mkhitaryan and Shaw. The rest aren't up to it imo. Now if Pogba or Herrera are out then Carrick starts. We'll have no Sr midfielder on the bench at all. A certain Pep fan was crying about their squad the last day having only Delph to bring on. We're in a worse position now.

That's where the likes of tfm and axle should've been used more. 2_0 up against Burnley is perfect for blooding in kids.

TheDoc

The more and more I read comments and interviews from Hererra, the more he is a shoe in to be handed the armband soon enough.

Did he play as the holding CM against Burnley? Formattion I saw on twitter while I was out seemed to suggest so. I've long assumed a new DM coming in the summer to replace Carrick but wondered for a while if Jose might see Hererra as an answer there, more permanently.

Be interesting to see if its him or Carrick in that role on Thursday. After Herreras performance against Chelsea, I'd be picking Ander.

Jayop

jayo26 wrote: »

That's where the likes of tfm and axle should've been used more. 2_0 up against Burnley is perfect for blooding in kids.

Yeah there was deffo no need to bring Rashford on. I didn't get that one myself. Tim should have gotten some minutes because it's a very real possibility that he's going to have to play a part in the run in and he's only played 98 minutes this season. 3 of his 9 appearances have been for less than a minute at the end of the game.

jayo26

Jayop wrote: »

Yeah there was deffo no need to bring Rashford on. I didn't get that one myself. Tim should have gotten some minutes because it's a very real possibility that he's going to have to play a part in the run in and he's only played 98 minutes this season. 3 of his 9 appearances have been for less than a minute at the end of the game.

It's hard you have to respect jose for wanting his best players on pitch all the time but you also want to give them a chance to recover.

The problem with tfm is that he ain't even getting games in the reserves now because he is always with the senior squad that has to be so hard.

adox

TheDoc wrote: »

The more and more I read comments and interviews from Hererra, the more he is a shoe in to be handed the armband soon enough.

Did he play as the holding CM against Burnley? Formattion I saw on twitter while I was out seemed to suggest so. I've long assumed a new DM coming in the summer to replace Carrick but wondered for a while if Jose might see Hererra as an answer there, more permanently.

Be interesting to see if its him or Carrick in that role on Thursday. After Herreras performance against Chelsea, I'd be picking Ander.

It looked like he played more advanced with Fellaini as the holding player.

I don't think he's good enough to play as DM long term, especially fitting Pogba in the team, and anyway he offers as much going forward as he does defensively(perhaps even more going forward) so I think it would be a bit of a waste of his talents.

I'd expect a new dedicated DM next season with Pogba furthest forward of a three and Herrera in between - the engine between defence and attack.

Jayop

adox wrote: »

It looked like he played more advanced with Fellaini as the holding player.

I don't think he's good enough to play as DM long term, especially fitting Pogba in the team, and anyway he offers as much going forward as he does defensively(perhaps even more going forward) so I think it would be a bit of a waste of his talents.

I'd expect a new dedicated DM next season with Pogba furthest forward of a three and Herrera in between - the engine between defence and attack.

If you had Kante in that midfield we'd be unreal. He'd basically single handedly allow Pogba and Herrera free reign to go make things happen.

@ManUtd’

https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/856535687553851392

OptaJoe on Twitter: 75 – @ManUtd’;s Ander Herrera has made more interceptions than any other @premierleague midfielder this season (75). Engine.

jayo26

Jayop wrote: »

If you had Kante in that midfield we'd be unreal. He'd basically single handedly allow Pogba and Herrera free reign to go make things happen.

You will probably disagree with me here but I actually think kante needs matic the same as Ander needs a player behind him too they both play very similar roles kante might be just a bit stronger.

Jayop

I think the two of them would just compliment each other so well and Pogba would be free to just play a free role to influence the game.

yabadabado

Getting the right midfielder will be key this summer.The right signing should push us up a level and help get the best out of the players infront of him.
No pressure !

Jayop

yabadabado wrote: »

Getting the right midfielder will be key this summer.The right signing should push us up a level and help get the best out of the players infront of him.
No pressure !

How many years have we been saying that now for?? :pac:

jayo26

Jayop wrote: »

How many years have we been saying that now for?? :pac:

We have the strongest midfield now I'd say then we have had for what 10 years? That's not saying much tho just need one player to finish it off If Carrick was 10 year younger we would be perfect.

bucketybuck

jayo26 wrote: »

That's not saying much tho just need one player to finish it off

Pogba - Herrera - Cleverley

Jayop

bucketybuck wrote: »

Pogba - Herrera - Cleverley

*drool*

Anderson to come off the bench obvs

The_Kew_Tour

v3ttel wrote: »

De Laet, Carrick, Fletcher, Evra. We fielded that back four vs Fulham away under Fergie a few years ago.

I remember Carrick playing at CB for quite a few spells. It's not just a recent thing.

True, but that was just at back. Ours is throughout the field this time.

Kerrydude1981

Jayop wrote: »

*drool*

Anderson to come off the bench obvs

Hargreaves will be like a new signing

Trigger

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

True, but that was just at back. Ours is throughout the field this time.

Rafael and O'Shea in midfield? We have had problems with injuries for years and years, Fergie used a huge squad that we just don't have anymore. Fergie also had the incredible knack of getting players to perform above themselves in any position they played to pull out a win

jayo26

astradave wrote: »

Rafael and O'Shea in midfield? We have had problems with injuries for years and years, Fergie used a huge squad that we just don't have anymore. Fergie also had the incredible knack of getting players to perform above themselves in any position they played to pull out a win

Do not mention that game to pogba.

The_Kew_Tour

astradave wrote: »

Rafael and O'Shea in midfield? We have had problems with injuries for years and years, Fergie used a huge squad that we just don't have anymore. Fergie also had the incredible knack of getting players to perform above themselves in any position they played to pull out a win

Ya but it was for at most 2 or 3 games. I'm open for correction though.

I can't recall us in situation where we had 3 or 4 key players missing for good run in.

I was being bit too specific when I said Fergie had magic sponge, but in his 26 years I can never recall us having so many key players out for so long and for remainder of seasons.

For 1 or 2 games yes we were short here and there and I be wrong to say otherwise

The_Kew_Tour

stankratz wrote: »

OptaJoe on Twitter: 75 – @ManUtd’;s Ander Herrera has made more interceptions than any other @premierleague midfielder this season (75). Engine.

Ji Sung Park part 2

The_Kew_Tour

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Ji Sung Park part 2

I never fail to get a laugh out of the 'Three Lung Park' moniker :pac:

Agree with what others have been saying in here today - A DM in Summer should be sought to play behind Pogba and Herrera. I think Herrera has an aptitude for the DM role and has put in a few good performances there this season, but as adox said earlier that would waste his talents further up the field.

bucketybuck

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

I was being bit too specific when I said Fergie had magic sponge, but in his 26 years I can never recall us having so many key players out for so long and for remainder of seasons.

What Fergie was good at was always having one eye on the end of the season and acting accordingly. He was thinking about April when it was still November/December, resting players at Christmas, giving squad players games and doing everything to make sure the team was ready for a sprint finish.

For all Mourinho has done a lot of good things he has really disappointed in that regard. He ran Zlatan into the ground, and even before the injury and even with a 3 week break recently you could see that Zlatan was looking way off the pace recently. Pogba should have been rested months ago, some of the kids should have gotten a game or two months ago, some of the squad players he jettisoned should have been kept purely for times like these.

I understand some of his decisions regarding the likes of TFM, but he has made mistakes in this area in ways that Fergie would have never have done.

The_Kew_Tour

bucketybuck wrote: »

What Fergie was good at was always having one eye on the end of the season and acting accordingly. He was thinking about April when it was still November/December, resting players at Christmas, giving squad players games and doing everything to make sure the team was ready for a sprint finish.

For all Mourinho has done a lot of good things he has really disappointed in that regard. He ran Zlatan into the ground, and even before the injury and even with a 3 week break recently you could see that Zlatan was looking way off the pace recently. Pogba should have been rested months ago, some of the kids should have gotten a game or two months ago, some of the squad players he jettisoned should have been kept purely for times like these.

I understand some of his decisions regarding the likes of TFM, but he has made mistakes in this area in ways that Fergie would have never have done.

Agree with you there. Pretty spot on