Rival watch

But Spurs aren’t in the Q-F.....
Getting ahead of himself

 

Shows a lack of clarity in thinking.
He could potentially be a great signing, but signing Ronaldo who wants to play in the middle, means Greenwood plays in a wider role on the right. Then there’s Cavani, Rashford & Martial, who might play o a front three. So Sancho hasn’t had a run in the team, has played fleetingly on the right and the left and with no defined role in a team which doesn’t know its style of play.
Waste of a talent who could create and score goals, as he did at Dortmund, if used properly.

 

He massively stat-padded in Dortmund, as a lot of players do.

I think he's a pretty decent player who may get better in time but I think you lot were mad paying £70m+ for him.

 

He can do the one thing no Utd player has been able to do in recent memory - deliver a decent ball in the final third from a wide position. Occasionally Shaw has done it, but usually there is no end product. He was signed for that reason I believe- but hasn’t had a chance to show his skills. And the lack of a playmaker doesn’t help. Sancho needs a Scholes spraying passes from midfield; Utd’s one creative midfielder - Fernandes- plays too far up the pitch. He isn’t receiving the ball deep and launching quick attacks, which would suit Sancho.
The whole team is so disjointed it’s hard to judge the worth of individuals.

 

Where have all of the midfield playmakers gone?
The Pirlo, Modric, Xavi, Carrick and the like, dictating play and running the tempo?
Not all playing identically, of course, but the role seems to be disappearing.

 

The pressing game means teams look to win the ball back higher up the pitch. And the best teams dominate possession anyway so they need players who are adept at breaking down teams who sit deep and are compact. Short passes, finding pockets of space etc - David Silva has been the best at this recently.
I suppose the quarterback who dictates the play from in front of his own back four is old school - although it is a style which would suit the current Utd team.

 

A large part of the answer boils down to how players who do play in that role seem to have forgotten that defending is part of their game. Houssem Aouar is a good example of this: he pings the ball around from deep beautifully when Lyon have the ball, but when they don't have the ball he becomes a passenger which was never an issue with Pirlo, Modric, Carrick, Xavi, Rakitic et al

That's why box-to-box players such as Barella and Neuhaus seem to be on the rise at the moment, as they are much better at balancing the two - except for the one we bought at great expense a couple of years ago, obviously...

 

Full strength Bayern 0-5 down

 

What did you say about Nagelsmann's availability?

 

Barca lost 1-0 at Vallecano. Falcao scoring again at home.
Depay missed a penalty, too.

 

Citeh go out to the spam

 

City out of the cup on pens to the Hammers. Blows it wide open after they’ve been dominant in the League Cup for so long.

 

Guardiola brings on a young, English sub and he takes a key penalty. Hmm...

 

West Ham beat Utd and City.
Name on the trophy.

 

Nah, it's totally Sunderland's

The collective nervous breakdown at Sheikh James Park will be glorious

 

When’s the draw?

 

Saturday.

 

The last time Bayern conceded 5 goals was against Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019, losing 5-1.
Frankfurt's manager was current Monchengladbach coach Adolf Hitl... er, I mean Adi Hutter.

 

Koeman set to be sacked after Barca lost to Vallecano.

*pretends to be shocked*