Manchester United Banter Archive October 03 2012

03 Oct 2012 22:30:28
I know a lot of people will complain due to the obsession with the Dortmund side right now but they are playing the same 4-3-3 that we are trying to conquer.

I will try to see which players we have similar to theirs.

Lewandowski < RVP (For Now)

Blaszczykowski < Valencia

Gotze - Kagawa, Young Shinji was the reason Gotze wasn't starting for a good 3 months though, but I am 50/50 I think they are both equally great.

Pitzchek - Rafael

Subotic < Vidic (Only if Vidic turns back to his old self)

Hummels > Ferdinand/Smalling

Reus < Rooney

Now these players in my opinion are Dortmund's best players, As you can see I have compared their best players to the similar players on our side and we overall have a much better lot of players, but this Dortmund squad is managing to keep Bayern Munich quiet and make Manchester City look like a low league side. So how come our players aren't doing the same in our games?

All it comes down to is A) Tactics B) Players not bothering (Evra being my main culprit) C) We just aren't getting what he hoped for from the players.

We need to stick with the 4-3-3 formation if we aren't determined to conquer this formation what is the point in trying it out in some games? And changing to 4-4-2 in other games, let the players know that there is going to be change in the side from now on!

If I chose the Line-up for the 4-3-3 (Including injured players here):

____________De Gea

__Rafael__Smalling__Vidic__Buttner

_______Jones/Carrick/Fletch (1 from this pile.)

____Anderson/Cleverley/Kagawa ( 2 from this pile.)

__Valencia_____RVP_____Rooney


I Believe this side would be extremely good, would be a lot of quick passing and link ups in attack and the best part is Kagawa/Cleverley/Anderson can express their selves because they have a CDM protecting the CB's. I put Jones as my first choice for CDM because he is naturally a CB and when Rafael and Buttner push forward Smalling and Vidic would be able to make space for Jones to fit in the middle so the side would look like this.


_____________De Gea

_____Smalling___Jones___Vidic

_Rafael__Cleverley__Kagawa__Buttner

___Valencia_____RVP_______Rooney

Now guys come on you can't say a side like that is overall better than the Dortmund team that played today, also could you imagine if we managed to pick up Hummels or someone else from their side? It would make us amazing. And of course the likes of Young, Welbeck, Hernandez, Scholes, Ferdinand, Nani (If not sold) would all get their fair share of game time.

Any opinions don't be afraid to share as I would like to see what everyone else thinks of this formation.

-JakeW

What makes that Dortmund side so good is defensively they are a unit which is greater than the some of it's parts, and they have some fantastic parts. It's the hard work and energy they put in that makes the differance. Pizcek Hummels Subotic Schmelzer as a back four work so hard and they communicate constantly with each other, then you have Gundogan or Bender sitting infornt offering more protection and suddenly you see why the attacking players just get on with their game rather than worring about the defence.

Then the front players work hard with pressing the opposition to win the ball back high up the pitch, thus allowing them to counter quicker and closer to the opposition goal.

If we are to do this then we need a settled defence and someone who will sit and shield the defence properly. Our attack is world class, Rooney, RVP Kagawa, Valencia, Nani, Young, Hernandez, Welbeck. It has goals written all over them.

Now i have a contraversial view with our defence, We need a settled back four and three of them when fit pick themselves Rafael Smalling and Buttner should be first choice, but who do we have partner Smalling, Jones isn't ready yet, Evans blows hot and cold, Rio is past it, and sadly as it may be to admit it but will Vidic ever be back to full fitness and form and if so for how long? I think he has a couple of years left at the top IF he can get over his injuries. But is that a player we should be building our future around? I think we need a top class player to come in and be first choice with Smalling, ideally it would have been Vertonghen but that ship has sailed. But we need someone imo.

Shappy

03 Oct 2012 23:46:57
someone please send this to sir alex. great knowledgable post jake

Shappy

Hummels?

G.A.G.U.S

Hummels would cost a fortune, at least 25m. And I don't think we should spend that sort of money on one position as we have other areas we need to spend money on. The reality of our situation is we have to be careful with our money, and we can get other very good CBs for a lot less than what Hummels would cost.

Shappy

Shappy - Interesting that you say Smalling and Buttner are automatic first choices. Is this the same Smalling that was criticised for his performances last season in the CL / EL and against City away when he left Kompany to score and hasn't played a game for 6 months. Then we have Buttner who we have seen once at LB in the EPL and in all honesty was fantastic going forward but gave away a number of free kicks when defending, resulting in a booking, even Fergie commented on how rash he was with his tackling.
You may well be right and they will be first choice, but for me it shows how we are clutching at straws when we are saying that an untried LB and a CB who was criticised for his performances last season and hasn't played since should be an automatic part of our first choice back four.

Yougottalaugh

Smalling is the long term first choice CB, yes he made a couple of mistakes but thats the same for all young players, he needs games to improve. As for Buttner he is the better option for LB, Evra doesn't even try to defend anymore. So i'd rather have someone who is trying to defend than someone who is past it.

Shappy

04 Oct 2012 15:45:01
Fergie comes out with these statements so he can somehow justify picking Evra every single h@cking game. He does the same with the goalkeepers and the other young players that get the odd chance.

Devil Dust.

03 Oct 2012 22:12:21
kagawa must be wonderin why he came to us, i feel sorry for the guy...hope we can get it together

I'm sure when he Checks his banks balance on pay day he'll get over it!

03 Oct 2012 21:54:17
Hopefully Fergie learned something from that Dortmund team. Formation, tactics, players all brilliant. Take note Fergie, please.

G.A.G.U.S

03 Oct 2012 21:53:45
"just want make 1'point.....the problem at the moment is some of the players attitudes simple as.

if you have players that arent up for it or unwilling to give 100% for the cause then the whole team suffers."

Best post I've seen on here for a while.
Forget formations.
Forget players.
Forget who's number 1 keeper.
We're putting out players who have absolutely no energy, hunger, passion. Why does it take a Fergy half time to get any spirit in the team?!

DodgyBanter

03 Oct 2012 21:44:14
How refreshing to watch Dortmnd tonight. Youth, pace and they worked together almost Barcelona like keeping possession together and moving into space bursting forward.

SAF was in the crowd and he should note that tonight's Dortmund performance was the total antithesis of our relatively turgid performances recently, even to an extent last night. Rarely have I seen City pulled to pieces like that. Goetze is a fantastic young player but I could have said that about a few of the German team. Compare our team and sadly we don't have that pace or skill across more than one or two players. Our tactics dont allow for a game like that.

That was never a penalty and they totally deserved to win. How many would they have scored if anyone other than Hart had been in goal.

Kagawa was there and you have to wonder how he feels watching that display of youth and pace when he compares to our pensioners 11. The message could not be clearer to SAF but I doubt he will see it given the availability of the old players on Sunday. We can dream of playing like Dortmund

Red Man

03 Oct 2012 21:29:26
My oh my are this Dortmund team just sensational! So many young players and such a great team, lets hope Fergie could pick up at least one or two of them next summer! Makes me feel sorry for Kagawa, he came from a fast fluid attack side, to a side which passes in defense for 40 minutes of the game and get overrun in midfield.

Which takes me to my next point, we won last night yeah good. But am I the only one that noticed that 1) We were sloppy at times. 2) We need to stop inviting teams towards our defense, we go from a promising attack and then a minute later we have Ferdinand passing it back to De Gea to smash forward and finally losing possession. Fergie needs to change this tactic. We should be forcing their side back and grabbing an extra goal or two to but the game to bed. Yes I do know that Fergie say counter-attacking was the oppositions biggest threat and he would make sure they couldn't do that.
3) Finally we need to keep De Gea as our Number 1, he will never improve in the air if he doesn't play. He kept us in the game last night as everyone could see and Fergie need to realize that he is crushing the lads confidence to back when we first got him.

Rant over.

-JakeW

03 Oct 2012 21:23:05
There has been so much talk over the last 12 months about us taking some of Dortmund's players, and in the end we did get one. However, the thing i would most like to take off them is their formation and system, based on tonight's showing.

They have been fluid, solid in midfield, maintained high pressure and have created chances, and i would be delighted if we were to take up this 4-3-3 style, which has been mentioned numerous times on this site over the last few days, but my point is that if we are to play the 4-3-3, lets do it like Dortmund.

MelonRed

03 Oct 2012 20:28:39
Not United related but Dortmund's game play is a beaut. Not superstar names but a very good and young squad. I hope SAF is learning something from them.

Nick86

Gotze hummels subotic lewandowski
all superstar names

Im sitting here admiring their play. Marco Reus and Mario Gotze are going to be top top players

JKM

How city got anything is unbelievable, Dortmund completely outplayed them and could of had 5 or 6 easily. About 20 shots on target!

Supasub

Yup, they have hunger, pace, and energy - things we have been lacking for a while.

AJH

Nick there are probably 7 players on the dortmund team that will cost over 20 million and some probably in the 30s, so it is a star studded side. Count how many 20 mil players we have if wanted to sell. Shahram

03 Oct 2012 20:08:46
Hello Everyone,

Here to talk about the formation. 4-3-3 or 4-4-2

Firstly if we talk about 4-4-2 since that seems to be Saf preferred formation.
That formation gives us width with which we have produce some of best wingers, Giggs, Beckham, Ronaldo. We all know the plus side of it and the negative side of it.
That formation works wonder if we have Keane and Scholes, which leads to one of the strongest midfield.
Unfortunately, that can never be another player, right now closes we have got is old Scholes and Carrick. No offence, but they are not Young Keano and scholsey.

So that formation possibly will never work against european elites.
4-3-3
That formation has got attention of lot us here. Everyone here fell in love with this exciting team, with magical moments, the team that is united and that never gives up, the team they saw when they were young.
Well right now it isn't even close. Obviously defensively it is very unfortunate but still the way we have been playing for last couple of years. It cringe worthy.
4-3-3 gives us the total control of game with more stronger midfield.
If we do decide to play 4-3-3
I think Phil Jones, Wanayama(10m) or M'vila(14m) is worth a go. Even with Phil Jones, it would be worth to give one of these player a go. If Saf is looking for Value in market, then both of them are worth every penny and not some inflated rate like Witsel who cost ridiculous 32 m.
Cleverly need to try and create and find space when he has the ball instead of going for easier option of passing it side ways or behind. When he tries to take on player it create space for forwards and thats what sets him apart well great midfielders. So I am not very sure of him. Well, its Anderson do or die year.
Player to bring in would be C.Eriksen, for a 20 year old he is so mature, good with balls and sprays long and short like beauty. I am 100% sure that they is no risk involve in buying him, he will be straight hit for us.
By next year hopefully Kagawa would bulk up a wee bit and prolly like mata and silva(very strong legs and creative).
On the younger note, We have young Daehli, Periera and Januzaj.
With Daehli, has anybody notice his passing rate, last game for whole game he prolly miss pass twice. The way he glide with ball and take on players, is magnificent. Hopefully next year they can in u21 and in 2 years time Saf replacement will give them chance.

With adding of 2 years, my choice Wanayama, and Eriksen. We could have solid player for very long time.
Defence Rafael, Jones, Smalling, Buttner,Keane, Wooton, Vemijl
Midfield, Eriksen, Wanayama, Powell, Tunnicliffe, Daehli, Januzaj, Periera
Attack Welbeck, Keane, Henriquez

Obviously they would be older players with experience.

Opinions are welcome.

Red Samurai

03 Oct 2012 19:13:30
i'm going to go all out and say this is the team i'd like to see play if everyone was fit:

____________DDG______________
Rafael_Smalling_Vidic_Büttner
__________Carrick____________
_____Cleverley_Anderson______
___________Kagawa____________
_______Rooney__RVP___________

Personally I think that is a very strong team, obviously there's room for rotation with Scholes,Fletcher, Jones, Evans etc but I think on paper this would be our strongest team. Thoughts?

DB-Red

If we played that formation what would happen to Valencia, Young and Nani? I am certain once fit the formation would turn back to the horrid 4-4-2! But overall good side, would prefer Jones in for Carrick to give the defensive edge.

-JakeW

Or fletcher in for Carrick

Well Valencia could rotate with Cleverely, he plays centrally for Ecuador and very well there too might I add, he could drive forward and can run all day.

DB-Red

03 Oct 2012 19:05:35
I may be reading too much into this but with fabio on loan rvp has his number could fabio return and evra be sold giving him number 3? Just a thought considering Evras form too

Caolán.

IMO Numbers mean nothing in football, maybe certain ones like No.7 just because of the special players who previously wore it. But players wouldn't be sold for numbered shirts.

-JakeW

03 Oct 2012 18:13:33
I'm all for a bit of banter but do we really have to put up with the clown that is Blair? He spends more time on here than the Scouser's site and his posts usually personic and/or boring. I've yet to see him make a sensible point.

AJH

Oops! Personic? Is personic really offensive?

03 Oct 2012 18:46:04
A very strange thing happened in work this week, all the liverpool fans started putting there liverpool tops back on and i thought wow have they won a league game and surprise surprise they did against norwich. I work with loads of united,liverpool,everton and a couple of city fans to yet when united,everton and city get beat there fans still wear there shirts and support there team BUT when liverpool get beat you never see them in there tops and they moan about refs and everyboby and they have a cheek to take the mickey out of other fans. Mo Jo

I've been making sensible points for ages AJH mate. Your defence is terrible (would you disagree?) your midfield is terrible (would you disagree?) If RVP gets injured you are in deep sh*t (would you disagree?) You have not got the quality players you used to have, to step up if you get injurys (would you disagree?)

In short: You are not the team/squad/attraction you still claim to be. But you still insist on calling us a 'small club'

The mind boggles???

Blair Mayne YNWA JFT96

Let's try again...is pe - r - son really a word that needs vetting?

Blair, sigh.... Of course yours is a huge club. We are the 2 most successful clubs in the history of the English game by quite some distance. My point was you seem fixated with our site, which is a little disturbing. And given the reputation Liverpool has for comedians, as a scouser, you're simply not funny, more tragic to be honest. You carry on with your nonsense and we'll keep laughing at you. It's 23 years this year mate, and it won't be ending any time soon.

AJH

Blair Mainge - we will challenge for the title... Again.

We will hardly notice Liverpool's late surge to break into the top half if the table, Liverpool's decline is boring now.

DodgyBanter

You said I've never made a sensible point AJH mate. Would you disagree with any of the things I have said in my last post?

Blair Mayne YNWA JFT96

03 Oct 2012 18:11:19
Right well there was a post on here yesterday that said Cleverley was no more than a Wigan player. I found this to be a stupid comment as i have been very impressed with Cleverley every time i've seen him play.

So i thought i'd look at his stats and see how he measures up against other players. I decided to pit him against probably the best midfielder in the world atm Xavi. What i found was very interesting.

Both have played eight times for their club so far which is good as it keeps the averages equal.

So whos the best defensively?

Well Cleverley makes on average 2.7 tackles a game compared to Xavi's 0.7, although Xavi makes twice as many interceptions at 1.4 to Cleverley's 0.7 a game. Cleverley manages 0.7 clearences a game to Xavi's 0.4, Cleverley gets dribbled once a game compared to Xavi's 0.4 but Cleverley makes 0.3 blocks a game to Xavi's none.

So from a defensive point of view there isn't really anything between them, Cleverley is the better tackler but Xavi makes more interceptions. But in fairness to both of them defense isn't their game.

So lets look at their offensive and passing abilities.
In terms of goals and assist Xavi comes out on top with 2 goals to Cleverley's 1 and 2 assists to Cleverley's none. With it being a dead heat with regards to how many shots per game they have at 1.3. Xavi also wins with Key passes but not by much with 2.5 to Cleverley's 2. Again there isn't alot between them with Dribbles with Xavi on 1.2 and Cleverley on 0.7, but suprisingly Xavi is disspossessed more often than Cleverley at 1.1 to Cleverley's 0.7 per game.

So Xavi comes out on top here but not by as much as you'd think. Also bear in mind Xavi is playing in the Barca side which is probably the best team in the world atm and Cleverley is playing in a disjointed poorly playing United team at presant. Which makes a big differance to your stats.

The passing stats are worth a look to.

Cleverley manages on average 90 passes a game with a 92.4% success rate, Xavi manages 115.4 a game with a 95.6% success rate. Interestingly Xavi hits more accurate long balls per game than Cleverley at 8.3 to 5.4 which is interesting considering Barca are known for their short passing not long balls. But Cleverley beats Xavi when it comes to through balls a 1 to 0.6 per game.

So in summery Xavi unsuprisingly comes out the better player but his stats aren't as superior as you'd have thought, when you bear in mind Cleverley is 8/9 years younger and is playing in a poorer side then his stats look very good and very incouraging. The thing that appears to be letting Cleverley down the most is the lack of quality around him on the pitch rather than a lacking in his ability. It's also interesting to note Xavi didn't really become world class until he was 25/26, which means Cleverley's still got a few years to improve yet.

So if we can bring in players of sufficient quality co complement Cleverley i see no reason why he can't be the key player in our midfield for years to come.


Shappy

Lies, damned lies, and statistics. Cleverley has potential but he's nowhere near Xavi or a host of others. Let's let the kid develop and see if he can nail down a 1st team place. I'd love him to do it...but I think the jury is still out. Perhaps a decent run will show us how good he can be. (I'm sure Syd will also tell us). ;-)

Great post Shappy!

Red Joe

03 Oct 2012 18:58:12
Shappy i was having this conversation about 7 hours at work, the lad next to me is a Villa fan and he's undecided on Cleverley. As i said, he looks better when he has players around him who are on the same wavelength like Rooney and Anderson last night. When he's with Carrick and Giggs is doesn't work as they don't move.

If we can get a proper player behind either out and out dm or a box to box (although i'd go with carrick, Fletcher and Jones for now in that role) and if Anderson either makes it or gets replaced then it will work.

Once Fergie makes up his mind who is number 1 is, we can get Smalling fit, Vidic fit and Buttner playing regular the backline is sorted. Get Fletcher up to speed and Jones fit, and keep Anderson fit and midifeld will be sorted for now. We do need to maybe buy 1 player possibly 2 but we wont till summer. The forward line probably needs the least work its just making sure they all get game time and how to use Kagawa properly.

Mort

Shappy
Try doing the same with leon britton
Jred

I am actually not convince by Cleverly's performance. His passes are 90% side ways or back to defender. He needs to take on player try and find and create space, instead of taking the easier option and passing it to side ways or to the back. If he doesn't improve that aspect of game, I highly doubt he is the midfielder we need.


Red Samurai

Red Samurai, that is a flawed argument. Cleverley can only pass to his team mates if they aren't in a decent position infront of him then the best option is to pass to the player along side him.or even behind him. As a passer of the ball your passes will only be as good as your options.

Jred, that would be interesting. I'll have a look when I have a chance.

Shappy

You have no right to compare Cleverly with Xavi. Statistics only. He's a good player but not great or to be a WorldClass if you thonk so, because he's Utd player, I think its crazy.

No name why do i have no right? It was just a comparision based on stats, i'm not saying Cleverley should be put in the same bracket as Xavi or that he'll definately be as good as him. I'm just saying from a statistical point of view Cleverley isn't as bad as some seem to think. And you say is it because he's a United player? well of course i'm discussing a United player this is a United page after all.

Jred i've looked up Leon Britton stats for this season and he is some way off of Cleverley.

Britton's stats look like this:
All stats are per game and on average.
Takles made- 1.3, Interceptions made- 2.2, Clearances made- 1.2, He has no goals or assists, He has 0.5 shots a game, makes 0.2 key passes a game, 0.2 dribbles a game, 2.2 long balls a game and no through balls. He makes on average 57.3 passes a game with a 91.9% success rate.

Which if you compare to Cleverley's stats in my OP then you can see he is some way off. Which i think is quite interesting.

Shappy

Shappy,the 1st reply to your post was mine, I forgot to tag it. I think we all want Cleverley to get a good run and be given a chance to stake his claim. I'd like to see him grab hold of a game and try and pick up the pace and dominate a little more.

AJH

It's impossible for Cleverley to dominate a game when he always has to keep looking over his shoulder making sure the defence isn't out of place. Atm the whole team is disjointed due to our defence, no one can relax and play their game as they are to worried about conceding a goal. We need some organisation of the back four and someone who can be relied upon to shield the back four so the other players can play their game. As i said Cleverley's stats aren't a million miles away from Xavi's, but Xavi has a world class cast along side him. If Cleverley had that then we'd dominate games and you'd see the best of him.

Shappy

Shappy
Cleverley takles made 2.7 per game,leon Takles made- 1.3,

Cleverley's interceptions 0.7 ,leon Interceptions made- 2.2

Cleverley manages 0.7 clearences,leon Clearances made- 1.2,

cleverly 1 goal no assists, leon none

cleverly key passes 2, leon 0.2

cleverly dribbles 0.7, leon dribbles 0.2

cleverly long ball 5.4, leon long balls 2.2

cleverly through balls 1, leon 0

cleverly passes 90 , leon 57.3

pass completion clevs 92.4, leon 91.9.

i actually dont think they are that far apart and you have got to remember the players leon has around him.
I hate using stats to try and judge a player by the way as i think it means nothig far to many other things to take in to account
jred

03 Oct 2012 15:54:22
Who do ppl want as our No.1, De Gea or Lindegaard ?...

De Gea. He has had a few critics again this season on occasion but what I would ask those people is; Do you think it is a coincidence that De Gea's form drops (if only a little) when he is being rotated with Lindegaard? It is no coincidence that DDG's best form came last season when Lindegaard was injured and he was given a long run in the team. Enough of this "2 top keepers" rubbish, SAF needs to decide on an established number 1 and number 2 and stick with it and that number one should be the yound spaniard IMO. Otherwise his progress risks being held back.

TK-Red

03 Oct 2012 17:18:11
Maybe it is just a coincidence mate? DDG will be a world class keeper, but either are as good as each other at the moment IMO.

Whistler.

I feel that De Gea is the better of the two. He's better at Shot stopping and distrabuting the ball, the only thing Lindegaard is slightly better at is coming for the ball in the air. I think both of them have alot to learn when it comes to commanding their area as neither are vocal enough. But i do feel that is something that will happen in time as they feel more comfortable with being at the club.

Shappy

03 Oct 2012 15:41:16
Every man and his dog is saying that SAF and MP are going to the council flat tonight to watch lewandowski (Sorry spelling) however I have been told by a mate who lives and works in Manchester (junior at MEN), that SAF is actually looking at M Hummels not lewandowski, as he wants a ball winning centre back. Dont know how true this is but wouldnt mind if we did sign him.

Tucker

03 Oct 2012 16:34:06
Its highly possible.

Fresh!

He's awesome!! and good-looking, something the team lacks.
oh, mats!!

Tucker I really hope that's true
Jred

Maybe if they are really clever they can watch both !

I'd worry about his pace, he isn't the quickest. I'd rather go for Subotic personally.

Shappy

I'd rather have Smalling back in our defense. He is strong and quick. Smalling will be the best in a few years.

kdevil10

Kdevil10, Smalling will be first choice for us, it's just a matter of who will be along side him. Jones in the long run looks likely. But Rio is finished at the highest level, Vidic may not be the same player and could be injury prone from now on, Evans form is sporadic, sometimes he's top class others he's a liability. So who is to play along side Smalling for the next few years? I think we missed a trick with Vertonghen.

Shappy

03 Oct 2012 14:30:48
what does everyone think of Kagawa? I personally think that he's been a waste of time.... We aren't even near the top of the league so I think he's costing us. We should bring back Bebe or deffo start Carrick or Giggs over Kagawa as they give us more pace in attack. Furthermore, I think we should bring in either Jamie Carragher for some experience at the back as personally, I'd have Anton over Rio at the mo! Macheda should start over RVP as I feel he gives us a better quality of finishing.

This has got to be a wind-up or joke. Carrick or Giggs to add more pace? Carragher? Anton? Macheda? If you're kidding, well-played. If you're serious, then you should listen to your doctor and take your meds! -KG

03 Oct 2012 14:00:31
i think its a problem when we dont know our best starting eleven and dont have a clue what formation we should be playing, united need a bit ov consistency in the team i believe because it changes too often, partly due to injuries...ino people post teams they would like to see start on here often but would like fans to have a hard think about what our best starting 11 is and the formation that would suit it best whether it includes wingers and the valencia/nani debate or a tight diamond shape, look forward to replies (p.s ino its a squad game but just a bit of fun)

03 Oct 2012 13:32:24
no midfield pique left because he was home sick. He was just starting to break into the team, remember his goal against roma? But he wanted to go back to spain and asked to go so we sold him. It was the right decision he never would have pulled shakira in manchester. As for pogba it depends who you believe. If he'd have told his money grabbing agent to jump and signed he'd have played more last season and would probably have been a regular this season. Pogba lacked patience. How many games so far for la signora? Hmmm.

03 Oct 2012 13:08:26
From Lucas Moura and Eden Hazard to Tom Ince (another LFC reject). Oh how the mighty have fallen...

Expect Harry Kewell to be signed on a free, in the summer.

Blair Mayne YNWA JFT96

Downing anyone?......no?! Ok, how about borini?

WA

Compare players from both sides, would any Liverpool player get in uniteds team?

Big Mac

Tom Ince left because you wouldn't pay him a decent enough salary. I heard he was offered a half eaten biscuit and a piece of string. Liverpool's finances don't go much further than that.

Sydney!

Blair,you need to hang your head in shame.
Really lame attempt to banter.
Jude.

Its funny you bring up Harry Kewell, Blair...is that the same Harry Kewell that Liverpool paid money for? And not necessarily to Leeds? And you call SAF a "shyster"...

TK-Red

03 Oct 2012 20:51:30
So which liverpool players would get into United's team? Well, Suarez would, the entire midfield of Gerrard, Lucas, Sahin and Allen and Shelvey probably could too. Agger and Skrtel and Johnson are far better than Evans, Rio and Rafeal.

So, in short a fair few.

Jolly Red (the correct Reds that is)

BigMac: Allen plays like a young Scholes, Sterling would dominate the wings compared to Nani (and he's just 17), Fergie wanted Gerrard, Reina was also looked into last summer, Agger or even Skrtel would fit in perfectly (hence city's interest), Henderson was a target 2 seasons ago, Suarez is unplayable and u know u'd like him in ur team. Sahin? mehh too easy.. how's that? - RedKei JFT96

03 Oct 2012 10:15:06
A better performance and something to build on. I am hopeful the gaffer can see our midfield needs a bit of pace, clevs and ando played well, and we need defensive cover, fletch played that role well. Rooney and RVP can and will play together as they did last night and we will score goals. IMO needed a bit of width from time to time and can see Kagawa offering something different. Defence still concerns me, cannot wait to have Smalling back cause I believe he will be a regular in cd. Evra must be rested, he had a poor defensive game. Why he had the captains armband is a mystery to me when other players deserve it and are natural leaders (fletch, rooney, ferdinand). De Gea needs game time to help his confidence, he did play well and made some great saves. Tactically I thought offensively we were ok however defensively sloppy and some times naive. Overall 6.5 out of 10 and pleased with the response after Saturdays dreadful first half performance.

A man united!

03 Oct 2012 08:01:24
Anyone See Puyol's Injury? Respect to the guy and hope he isnt out for to long, he is Barca's rock and i dont see them winning the title this year without him.

See them beating us no probs anyway!

03 Oct 2012 06:50:37
can't believe a minority still doubting 'de gea' his handling of the crosses much improved,he's also getting more vocal with his defence & finally 2 quality saves in the 2nd half assuring 3 points.finally buttner for evra & kagawa for hernandez against newcastle.
any views
.JB.

Im not sure whether anyone else has noticed but when a cross comes in from open play or directly into the box,de gea comes and catches everything yet when a corner comes into his area,he tries to punch and doesnt look as confident,i can only presume this is down to all the hustle thats going on around him putting him off,still he needs to deal with it which he is improving on dramatically,hes still be my number 1 before lindgaard any day of the week,de gea makes a mistake and gets dropped,shame the same doesnt apply for evra.

phil

Oh give it a rest.
I'm sick of a lot of fans pretending not to see any weaknesses in De Gea. When opposing teams face us, who do you really think they would rather see in goal? another great dane weighing in at 80Kg+, or a keeper who seems to flap so hard at crosses he looks like he's trying to fly, and so skinny a light breeze would tip him over. And he NEVER talks to his defence. Watch him, he'll fling his arms up in the air in exasperation but not have the balls to confront any of his defenders. Schmeichel would absolutely not stand for any bullsh in front of him.
Sometimes you can just call it as it is, David De Gea is a great shot stopper who lacks confidence and dominance. Granted, leaving him out of games won't fix that, but stop acting like he'd be the best in the world if only he was given a regular spot.

if you cant see the massive improvement hes made since he joined then id get down to specsavers quickly,yes he still needs to improve on commanding his area but the good thing is he is improving,fgs hes ony 21,goalkeepers dont reach their peak until around 30 and for you to describe lindegaard as 'another great dane' is an insult to the real one,hes a good keeper but will never be anywhere near schmeichel.

phil

03 Oct 2012 04:50:41
Before the start of last season, a united 11 played in charity match in France. One Patrice Evra played that night... he was awful, I put it down to the nature of the match; boy, was I wrong

BornInToIt

03 Oct 2012 02:18:00
Another match. Another pathetic defensive performance from Evra. It hurts me to call him out as often as I do, as we're not that far removed from him being the best LB in the world. But he has lost all pace, was never good with positioning, and if you watch every conceded goal over the last few seasons, a scary number of them are directly due to Evra being out of position or being completely outpaced by unimpressive attackers. Evans was horrible on the goal today, but it started with Evra getting beat and putting pressure on the CBs to hedge over to help. I don't mean to belittle his years of service, but the time is now for a change, and I think Buttner, with some coaching and development has the potential to be a short-term replacement, and potentially the long-term answer for the LB spot depending on Fabio's progress, or lack thereof. Glad we got a win. Thrilled to see how well RVP and Rooney play together and how much they seem to enjoy playing together. I also like the narrow lineup, although we need Rafael and Buttner to constantly push forward to provide width. If we can get width from the fullbacks then I have no problem with the narrow lineup as it puts our best XI on the pitch at once, and the winger-heavy tactics are no longer as effective as they have been for SAF in recent years and decades. Also, for those saying Rooney was playing CM, i thought he was really more of the Ronaldo role where he had the freedom to roam all over the pitch, and with Chicharito's recent improvement in his all-around game, this lineup will scare the hell out of many defenses. -KG

As someone who has always felt a lot of the criticism of Evra has jumped deep into the disrespectful territory, nice to see an accurate assessment of his current ability, that didn't resort to crass insults.

Careful, you will be accused of using Evra as a scapegoat ;)

Sydney!

The problem is the manager shows no sign of dropping him , he was captain last night which would suggest its not even in fergys mind to sub him.
He was badly at fault for the goal but how much space did we give them in midfield how much space did we give them on the left all through the game.
Evras a problem but only one of them
Jred