₦airaland Forum

odizeey:
one of my arsenal padi told me Sanchez will displace martial , I was arguing, now its happening.
make the board still help the guy na. na better money we take buy am o.

Mourinho displaced Martial...

SIRcumalot:
You want games where only him played well and we lost?
In our collective hatred for Sanchez and our collective love for Marshall,especially the hope of what Ayinde could be,we forgot that Sanchez is really good. Pep wanted this dude at City! make we no forget.
He couldn't possibly play any worse yesterday,and almost recorded two assist.
We go still need chill for Sanchez small.

That Pep wanted him is a pointer to nothing, Pep also signed Nolito, Bravo, Chygrynski at Barca and so on. Does Sanchez has it in him to go ahead and dominate games? Yes but he was crap on Friday irrespective of whether or not Mata and Lukaku didn't convert the chances that he created (see how stats can be deceiving).
Last season before the arrival of Sanchez, Mou made Martial and Rashford fight for that LWF position and it was to the advantage of the team as they kept on putting up noteworthy performances, that's all we want now, left Sanchez be made to earn his right to start like Martial and Rashford lest he becomes complacent and starts serving us crappy performances like Friday.
Still think we should have gone all out for Mahrez instead of Sanchez, he'd have improved our team a lot more by solving our challenge on the RWF...

afrodoc2:
If Martial dropped this kind of shyte Sanchez performance, JM will bench him for a month and keep lambasting him in public.
Maltreating the kids and treating the elders with kid gloves, all the while setting up the team to play the worst type of football.

Assin erh the least Jose should do is make everyone fight for their place in the team, this favouritism doesn't make any sense...

I agree with those who think Mourinho is only thinking short term because we desperately needed a right winger but he went for Sanchez who is a left winger just because he feels Sanchez is ready and needs no polishing and this came at a time when Martial and Rashford were playing great football cutting in from the left.

Yesterday, Sanchez was the worst player for us but Mou persisted with him, something he wouldn't have done if Martial was involved.
We need to decide what to do with Rashford, he has seriously stagnated and completely forgotten how to play the CF role, it's a shame.

On the positive side, The midfield looked fluid but should have dominated the play more, I loved how they sprayed the ball effortlessly, before now, only Pogba had the sort of passing range we saw from Perreira and Fred yesterday, it was beautiful to watch...

Bailly remains a beast at the back, I kind of like his partnership with Lindelof, one is calm headed, the other is bullish...

Shaw was also good but he left a lot of spaces behind and at other times, turked in too much allowing the winger acres of space, if Ghezzal had started, he may have been punished.

Darmian is shit tho! TFM would've offered more and definitely gotten more game time...

Ballistic Pogba...

Come on you reds...

neezar:
I don't see Pogba starting tho

I won't be comfortable seeing Fella start today.

neezar:
Manchester United squad vs Leicester: De Gea, Grant, Kovar Bailly, Smalling, Lindleof, Jones, Young, Shaw McTominay, Pogba, Mata, Fred, Pereira, Fellaini Rashford, Lukaku, Sanchez, Martial

Young at RB...
I hope we see a midfield of Pogba Fred and Herrera, don't want to see afroman starting, not on the first game of the season.

JayKayMaybachz:
The big teams won't

That's what the world thought until PSG activated Neymar's release clause...What if Madrid decides to activates Hazard's release clause, will Chelsea Chelsea stand in the way?

I'd also have preferred we kept TFM with Valencia out injured and loaned out Darmian instead.

Our attack is not a problem, bar the RW which can be managed, we are not scoring more not because of shortage of talents upfront but because our overall play is bad (Mourinho should take the blame) and we lack quality in terms of supporting cast for our forwards and that's where our problem with fullbacks come in.

The one area we lack real quality is our defense (fullbacks and CBs) and because of Mourinho obsession with defending, most folks tend not to get his point when he seeks to improve the defense.
In our defense, only Bailly and Lindelof (back up) are good enough to be in the squad as CBs, in the fullback position, only Shaw and Valencia should be in the squad as back ups and not starters.
As a midfielder, you'd find it difficult joining the attack when you turn back and see Smalling and Jones, you naturally tend to sit back more often to protect them compared to when you have a Ramos and Varane.

In all, Mourinho should work hard to improve our overall game play going forward and Woodward should brace up for January, we need to improve that back 4.

JayKayMaybachz:
And you think they'll allow that when the TW is shut for the English side..!!? Na brov, it won't happen.

Don't underestimate the power of money...

Ed Woodward should have gone all out for a CB before the close of the window, I am not confident with Smalling, Jones and Rojo going into the new season. We should've payed the required price for Alderweireld at least.

I just read that other European teams can buy from England from now till the transfer window shuts even when the English transfer window is shut. Na wa oh!!!
However, English clubs are allowed to sign players on loan from now till Aug 31, so don't be surprise if you see English clubs taking advantage of this loophole just like PSG did with the Mbappe deal...

See how we are scrambling all over for a defender, embarrassing...I kind of agree with Slimghost, why can't Mou work hard to improve Lindelof after all, he convinced the board to splash the cash for Lindelof, now he wants to bin him...That Pep binned Bravo and got Ederson doesn't mean we must follow that model.

Leyqute:
God forbid bad thing. Waka.

Mourinho will leave before Martial does- if worse comes to worst.

I said the same thing in my mind...

afrodoc2:
If i were Anthony Martial i would force a move. JM essentially cost him a World Cup winners medal.

At this point? He had enough time to force a move if he really wanted out...Only Darmian and Rojo (If we get a CB) should be allowed to leave at this point.

I have this gut feeling that we might end up signing 2-3 players before the window shuts today...Make it happen Ed.

Army10:
12 months to go on his contract, if he doesn't leave today, he can sign for free to any club January

I am not sure, can someone confirm or refute this claim?

Army10:
Martial will leave today

No way is he gonna leave today...

spartacus11:
Oga update ur report, there is option to buy included in the loan deal

Okay, better for you guys...

slimghost:
Kovacic on his way to Chelsea in a loan move.

Good deal for Madrid, it'd have been great if Chelsea had the option of purchase after the loan cos I don't see how Chelsea will play him consistently over RLC, Barkley and Fabregas even though he is better than them bar maybe Fabregas.

nateevs:
I see how. If he doesn't want to get sacked.

Madrid will most likely want him to play every game and improve so they can get him back, now, the question is will Chelsea rather have him take minutes off Barkley, RLC and Fabregas knowing too well that he'll be back to Madrid next year?

If Kovacic is not joining you guys on loan with an option to buy, then the loan move doesn't really make sense because I don't see how Sarri will rather give a loanee more minutes than say; a Barkley or Fabregas...

Coutinho14:
Sir this is no arrogance, United has gone down the pecking order.




United used to be one of the most attractive clubs to play for but they haven't been for a couple years now, it's no surprise that Pogba is trying to engineer a move to nou camp

How attractive is Barca that they have to resort to hijacking deals off Roma of all clubs?
With what we have come to associate with Barca, I wouldn't be surprise to hear that Pogba is seriously under pressure from Barca to leave United, a case in point is the Fabregas saga and many more...The least you can do now is remain silent and stop boring us with your arrogance.
Barca play exciting football which is lovable (I am a fan) but some of you on Nairaland display so much arrogance, I can only imagine what would've been if Barca were in Madrid's position...Be humble bro.

Coutinho14:
as if he will bench rakitic or coutinho....... Las Las we will still buy him for 55m with gomes, yerri and paco

Arrogance of your everyday Barca fan.

jonsnow92:
For a 4-3-3 to work effectively, the midfielders have to be players who can offer cover for the defence and help defensively too. (we all know this) but Modric and Kross are first Very technically gifted players that can hold their own against any team. they are first technical and creative before helping out the defence not defensive minded with little or no technique nor control like what Vidal and Rakitic starting together would mean for us. Pep milked life out of Xavi, Iniesta and all other players aside Messi by observing the 5 seconds rule and crowding out the opponent before they could think. One of vidal or Rakitic would offer cover for busquets, Not both. We aren't a defensive side. Casimero, Coutinho, Paulihno played very well together for brazil and phil thrived.

Rakitic/Vidal would offer cover for busquets, Vidal can come in if we need to see a game out and all that but not as a starter alongside Rakitic. too similar and would eventually be easy to figure out for opposing teams.

As for the Roma game, if you read my reply to sommyroy, i talked about the tiredness and the clueless Valverde too.

Before Xavi and Iniesta and Busquet template, others were working before...
Liverpool overran City with a midfield of Hendo, Wijnaldum and Chamberlain and I am sure you'd tagged that midfield as gidigbo midfield but they did great in stifling City and creating chances for their attackers. Here, you are severely underrating a Rakitic with license to attack (at Barca, he has had to adapt his game to cover for your overlapping 2 thus limiting his attacking contribution), Vidal on the other hand is no pushover, he attacks just as well as he defends as long as he is fit. If your complaints was about his recent injury record then I'd have nothing to say but to question his quality is laughable and it's a pointer to the arrogance most folks associate with Barca fans...

jonsnow92:
First off the midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets in 2008 to 2013 would work perfectly now since Casimero, Kross and Modric has worked perfectly for Madrid, if Debryne, Silva, Fernandiho worked perfectly for City last season. so this automatically strikes out you narrative of adapting from smooth to Grit or gidigbo.

Then when playing 4-3-3,(like a very effective one, the kind we played in those glorious years 2008-2016) the 3 midfielders have clear roles. A carrier(Iniesta), A controller (Xavi) and the Defensive midfielder (Busquets). Under Enrique where Xavi aged and diminished, Rakitic couldn't do the Xavi role hence Enrique had to build around the devastating front 3, with Iniesta still playing as the carrier and Messi been messi double checking as the controller and a forward.

A midfield trio of Vidal, Rakitic and busquets has nothing on technique, has nothing on fluidity, has nothing on attack intact. Who is the controller?, Who is the carrier?, who dictates play?..Its not just about running and running. Messi can't do all that again if we hope to get messi in the final third a lot more. Opposition teams would build a wall round Messi, Phil and Suarez like Juve did in 2017 and thus leave the clueless midfield struggling because they have grit over sense.

I understand if you say Vidal won't be a starter, maybe just for squad depth but if he must start then Rakitic has to go. One of them has to be on the bench, both can't and shouldn't start in a 4-3-3.

Busquet is a shadow of himself same with Pique...Why you want to trust your whole DM role to an ageing and slow Busi is what I don't get. Coutinho can't really function in a midfield 3 unless the other two are DM's or defensively minded. Klopp tried it at Liverpool when he played Mane on the left, Firmino as ST and Salah from the right with Coutinho just behind them but he quickly changed tactics as his midfield was easily overran...That Madrid midfield looks aesthetic on the eyes but in truth, they define what grit and creativity in midfield is, for all his flair, Modric is defensively very sound just as Kross who can comfortably hold his own defensively.
And to correct you, Roma didn't beat Barca because of gidigbo or whatever you call it midfielders, Valverde's inexperience cost Barca, he fielded his strongest lineup in an inconsequential game instead of resting players, the lads were fatigued thus were easily outrunned

jonsnow92:
This is the exact reason we were whitewashed in Rome last season. This is 2018, one defensive midfielder is enough. Not 3 FFS!


Trickery and technique over gidigbo.

Rakitic can play as an AM or CM while Vidal is a box-to-box CM with inclination to attack first so whatever you mean by gidigbo, I don't know...Football adapts over time, your smooth midfield trio of Xavi, Busi and Iniesta that worked so well some years back might struggle now thus it's always good to adapt.
Grit in midfield doesn't necessarily entails lack of creativity or limited creativity, it only accounts for a lot more protection of the back four...Pique is not as good as he used to be just as Busi has dropped his performance level, if you leave them exposed, you'll pay for it thus I see nothing wrong with a midfield trio of Busi, Vidal and Rakitic...

jonsnow92:
First off i don't think he's the player he was 2 years ago.Knee Injuries can be career damaging for anyone. Also i see this as Valverde sticking to his foolish 4-4-2 and that would hurt the growth of some other players(youngsters as you call them). Imagine him playing a midfield quartet of Busquets, Rakitic, Phil and Vidal, thats recipe for disaster and leaves all the creative work on phil, Phil isn't capable of creating chances all alone, even Don Andreas couldn't do it last season. it'll mean messi coming back to create and create, leaving the goal scoring duties to that fat Suarez. Don't forget that the aim of the whole thing is supposed to get Messi closer to goal not further far away from goal. we need creative players not digbolugi.

Still a 4- 3- 3 with Phil on the left, Suarez through the middle and Messi on the right...If Suarez is misfiring, Messi might take his place and Dembele or Malcolm man the RWF...
In the midfield, it'll be less of flair but more grit with Busi, Rakitic and Vidal...

Barcelona must be mad, 45m + Rakitic and Dembele then we can talk...

You are not a Man Utd fan yet you want others who are fans to shut up in Man Utd's thread? Funny how some folks here think...

Melvyn11:
Tell that to slimghost. General overseer of the crying and ranting association.

Why are you so interested in what happens around here, you hardly comment on your club's thread, what exactly is your agenda here?