Squad Analysis 2019/20

[DanDare]

Make a big move for Sancho in the summer. Zaha hype train has moved on.

He's out of our reach even with CL. Will go for more than Dembele did.

 

[Trilly]

He's out of our reach even with CL. Will go for more than Dembele did.

Has he even had a better season for them than Dembele did?

 

[A_G]

Adrian Kajumba, who has close ties to Sancho, says if he comes back to England he wants it to be United. He's completely out of reach imo.

 

[drippin]

Adrian Kajumba, who has close ties to Sancho, says if he comes back to England he wants it to be United. He's completely out of reach imo.

Sancho isn't very bright if he wants to go to United now.. if that is the case better stay clear of him. United has to give Alexis or more kind of deal to him at that age.

But yeah, he won't come here, there is big demand for him surely. He costs A LOT.

 

[DanDare]

Has he even had a better season for them than Dembele did?

I don't know but I anticipate a Manchester and Chelsea bidding war for him with the homegrown tax on top of PL tax.

 

[razörist]

Sancho will cost something like 150M to bring back to the PL. Will United do that?

 

[Batman]

Sancho will cost something like 150M to bring back to the PL. Will United do that?

I think they have no problem spending money. They just paid double what McGuire is worth for him. Their problem is that the players actually worth that kind of money can see what an idiot Woodward is and don't want to go there. They could buy Neymar if they wanted to. Neymar doesn't want to play there.

 

[Penn_]

Bravo to whoever at the club did this.

 

[Trilly]

Sancho will cost something like 150M to bring back to the PL. Will United do that?

Or he’ll run down his contract and make himself more affordable, this is happening more and more in football as transfer fees spiral out of control.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Or he’ll run down his contract and make himself more affordable, this is happening more and more in football as transfer fees spiral out of control.

Didn't he pen a new 5 year contract this summer?

 

[Hleb's Sirush]

Didn't he pen a new 5 year contract this summer?

It was widely reported he signed a new deal which only increased his salary without extending the length of the contract, still only contracted till 2022.

 

[samshere]

Let me say it now, I'm very happy with the squad we have and if we had Bellerin,Tierney fit from the start and Ceballos, Pepe, settled in we could've mounted a title challenge.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

For me it's very easy to point where our weaknesses are.

• Centre back position, at this moment we don't have 1 single outstanding CB. We have Luiz who is good with experience but still quite error prone. Sokratis makes ridiculous decisions. Holding had a few good games but it's a small sample size to say he'd make a massive difference is a bit optimistic I feel. Chambers has his flaws. Saliba arriving next season will still be young regardless of talent.
• Left wing. We sold Iwobi and didn't attempt to get a replacement. Say what you want but it's a weak spot especially considering how Emery uses his wide players. Auba isn't a winger and shouldn't be used as one. Nelson is young and has shown he's not ready. ESR and Martinelli both young too and probably not ready either. It's a weak spot no matter how you want to point it.
• Back up full-backs. Kolasinac is mediocre, AMN is a midfielder playing out of position. They'll cost us points if we're reliant on them.
• Holding midfielder. I think this is something that is often overlooked. We don't have a player who can start attacks through progressive passing like Xhaka but is also good defensively and not prone to stupid decisions or giving the ball away under pressure. Maybe Guendouzi can develop into this player but he's not there yet so again this is an area where it could cost us. Torreira isn't a great progressive passer. Ceballos doesn't seem like that type of player and is far better suited to the attacking third.
• I could go further and say we've got no Pepe replacement, but I suspect if he got injured we change formation.

It's funny most people were in agreement that it was an excellent window but we've left ourselves short in a few positions yet again, or are taking huge risks and relying on players who aren't ready or have yet to prove that they're good enough.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

It's funny most people were in agreement that it was an excellent window but we've left ourselves short in a few positions yet again, or are taking huge risks and relying on players who aren't ready or have yet to prove that they're good enough.

 

[PoleInGoal]

For me it's very easy to point where our weaknesses are.

• Centre back position, at this moment we don't have 1 single outstanding CB. We have Luiz who is good with experience but still quite error prone. Sokratis makes ridiculous decisions. Holding had a few good games but it's a small sample size to say he'd make a massive difference is a bit optimistic I feel. Chambers has his flaws. Saliba arriving next season will still be young regardless of talent.
• Left wing. We sold Iwobi and didn't attempt to get a replacement. Say what you want but it's a weak spot especially considering how Emery uses his wide players. Auba isn't a winger and shouldn't be used as one. Nelson is young and has shown he's not ready. ESR and Martinelli both young too and probably not ready either. It's a weak spot no matter how you want to point it.
• Back up full-backs. Kolasinac is mediocre, AMN is a midfielder playing out of position. They'll cost us points if we're reliant on them.
• Holding midfielder. I think this is something that is often overlooked. We don't have a player who can start attacks through progressive passing like Xhaka but is also good defensively and not prone to stupid decisions or giving the ball away under pressure. Maybe Guendouzi can develop into this player but he's not there yet so again this is an area where it could cost us. Torreira isn't a great progressive passer. Ceballos doesn't seem like that type of player and is far better suited to the attacking third.
• I could go further and say we've got no Pepe replacement, but I suspect if he got injured we change formation.

It's funny most people were in agreement that it was an excellent window but we've left ourselves short in a few positions yet again, or are taking huge risks and relying on players who aren't ready or have yet to prove that they're good enough.

When you consider the absolute shambles of the squad in May, it was an excellent window all things considered. Fixing all of the glaring issues we had was never possible in one summer. Especially when you think of Ramsey leaving and Kos forcing his way out.

Consider that we've been able to strengthen at least LB CB and the winger situation, and replaced Ramsey for at least a season. Not to mention finally getting rid of several underperforming leeches which were also limiting our business just by being here.

It may not have solved every issue we have but it was still an excellent window imo.

 

[zilfy]

When you consider the absolute shambles of the squad in May, it was an excellent window all things considered. Fixing all of the glaring issues we had was never possible in one summer. Especially when you think of Ramsey leaving and Kos forcing his way out.

Consider that we've been able to strengthen at least LB CB and the winger situation, and replaced Ramsey for at least a season. Not to mention finally getting rid of several underperforming leeches which were also limiting our business just by being here.

It may not have solved every issue we have but it was still an excellent window imo.

Exactly right. Its ridiculous to expect to have the perfect squad possible from the shambles of a squad that we had end of last season.
I remember some posters saying were were destined to fall out of the top 6 permanently, some saying we were so embarrasing that they were going to stop watching for a couple of years etc.

I think we've made a great leap forward in just one window. But everyone knows (or should know) that its going to take 2 or 3 windows to get this squad in tip top condition and ready for title contention

 

[<<reed>>]

For me it's very easy to point where our weaknesses are.

• Centre back position, at this moment we don't have 1 single outstanding CB. We have Luiz who is good with experience but still quite error prone. Sokratis makes ridiculous decisions. Holding had a few good games but it's a small sample size to say he'd make a massive difference is a bit optimistic I feel. Chambers has his flaws. Saliba arriving next season will still be young regardless of talent.
• Left wing. We sold Iwobi and didn't attempt to get a replacement. Say what you want but it's a weak spot especially considering how Emery uses his wide players. Auba isn't a winger and shouldn't be used as one. Nelson is young and has shown he's not ready. ESR and Martinelli both young too and probably not ready either. It's a weak spot no matter how you want to point it.
• Back up full-backs. Kolasinac is mediocre, AMN is a midfielder playing out of position. They'll cost us points if we're reliant on them.
• Holding midfielder. I think this is something that is often overlooked. We don't have a player who can start attacks through progressive passing like Xhaka but is also good defensively and not prone to stupid decisions or giving the ball away under pressure. Maybe Guendouzi can develop into this player but he's not there yet so again this is an area where it could cost us. Torreira isn't a great progressive passer. Ceballos doesn't seem like that type of player and is far better suited to the attacking third.
• I could go further and say we've got no Pepe replacement, but I suspect if he got injured we change formation.

It's funny most people were in agreement that it was an excellent window but we've left ourselves short in a few positions yet again, or are taking huge risks and relying on players who aren't ready or have yet to prove that they're good enough.

Did you really expect to replace a half of the squad in one summer? And the back up full-backs part Bar Man City no PL team has a decent back up full-backs, I'd say we have one of the best options compared to others, it just feels more annoying because we haven't had our first choices FBs for a long time.

 

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

Did you really expect to replace a half of the squad in one summer? And the back up full-backs part Bar Man City no PL team has a decent back up full-backs, I'd say we have one of the best options compared to others.

Exactly this. I don’t see how people can be upset with our summer, especially considering some of the shockers we’ve had in the last decade.

The back up full backs point was a surreal reach. Hell, even Citeh have Zinchenko as backup LB who’s not even a natural LB- much like AMN at RB for us.

Some people won’t be happy unless we have two world class players in every position.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Did you really expect to replace a half of the squad in one summer? And the back up full-backs part Bar Man City no PL team has a decent back up full-backs, I'd say we have one of the best options compared to others.

Not signing a good CB for two windows running was automatic 3/10 for me. Specially when we sacrificed strengthening the CB position just to sign the black Mikitaryan for 80 M instead.

Glad about Tierney! Think he will be good signing. Luiz was then just a spit into the face of the fans.

 

[pikey2000]

In the past, whenever an argument for a top quality option who can also dribble as in the case of Pepe and potentially Zaha, guys here would say that it wouldn't be proper due to balance etc. I also recall Wenger using the excuse to play a CM on the wing which might have rubbed on to fans and AM.
Anyways, what is it that hs changed for guys to jump the balance ship? Pep? Kloop?

I'm not really bothered whether its an AM on LW or a winger type ala Zaha, its just clear the position needs an upgrade so that we don't have to push our best CF out wide.