...::[The Footy Desk]::... (Part 2)

[Jason]

United's problem is really, really simple. We need a completely new midfield, they're all no where near good enough. What's also frustrating is that Ole and now Rangnick won't try someone else there, be it a youth player or who he-who-can't-be-named, they can't be worse but we persist with Fred/McT/Matic.

 

If the board have any ambition for this season they fund a new midfielder or two, and if they don't do that they can say cheerio to the Champions League next season.

[Brown Sugar]

I think I might have to take back what I said about Gerrard before, without him we'd never be able to sign players like Coutinho, him and Digne both had good debuts today. Jacob Ramsey has been one of our best players this season too and looks like a better replacement for Grealish than any of the players we signed in the summer.

[Lonely-Martin]

T'was so kind of United you leave the door open mind you.

[smokeless6]

Lots to comment on here.

 

Glad I'm not the only one who finds Maguire, I don't know, overrated? He's not a bad footballer, but way overpriced and not the level you need if winning titles is your aim. I've been wrong plenty before, but he doesn't impress me as a top centerback. I also commented earlier in this thread about United's midfield. Just not good enough for their ambition, and at this point what they've done to and with Van de Beek is borderline criminal. That they can be so pedestrian and still not give him a run of games is baffling. I wouldn't be surprised if he was their best center mid, Fernandes aside. But yet they keep running McTominay, Matic and Fred out there. Donny made a turn on the ball in the box in the last game that was sublime and those other guys aren't going to give you any of this. And in the end, why sign the player if you don't use him? What am I missing here? Is there some glaring hole in his game or attitude I have failed to catch? He must be fuming over how his United career is going.

 

About Gerrard... I was skeptical I admit. I have faith in Stevie G, but jumping to the EPL is a big step up, but you have to say he has been effective. Villa suddenly seem a much more difficult prospect, there seems to be real belief there now and that's worth a few wins. The two players they just signed are quality. At the moment, the Gerrard signing is looking inspired.

 

Newcastle are linked with every out-of-favor good player in world football, but who wants to be the first? They've gobs of cash to splash, but it's still Tyneside. Trippier's a good fullback/wingback but surely their sights are set higher. But money's not everything and they are still a relegation-threatened club from the northeast. This project is on the slow boil I think. At least they've got Shelvey

 

Liverpool getting results, but City are nearly out of sight. Need a City meltdown and that's not going to happen. Mane and Salah at the ACON, and I hope their national sides flop to an early exit! But surely the gap's too big at this point.

 

About the Arsenal postponement. What a joke! Whoever is in charge of approving these things for the league should be sacked today.  Spurs have every right to be outraged over this. Hey, Liverpool have a couple players away on international duty. Can we just wait until they get back to resume playing? Thanks.

Edited January 17, 2022 by smokeless6

[Jason]

Maguire is one of those where United fan who watch him every week will tell you he's our best centrehalf (before signed Varane, ofc), but he'll have a poor game in one of those games everyone watches or he'll have a bad moment that goes around social media and then people come sprinting out the woodwork with the "Maguire's sh*te, no where near good enough, £80m? rip off lmao".

 

He has absolutely been poor this season since the Euros but up until this season he's been an ever present and reliable centrehalf. Worth £80m? No, and I doubt you'll find a United fan who will say otherwise, but we needed a reliable centreback we could depend on who was ready made with PL experience and could slot right in, which means buying from another PL club which also includes the possibility of buying English, both of which add tens of millions onto the price. We could have spent £80m in much, much worse ways.

 

I also feel the need to mention that any CB will look rough in United's team, we have no genuine holding midfielder and the result of that is our centrehalves are often massively exposed especially on the counter, this has been a problem since Carrick retired and the only reason we've gotten away with it for long spells is cause of De Gea doing miracles. He's literally top of the saves made chart in the leagues, that's how exposed our CB's are and why fans are crying out for a DM.

[smokeless6]

Fair points and I don't think Maguire is a bad footballer, just not an 80m one, nor I think, the level you want out of your starting center half when you have league titles as your aim. Then again, if anyone would play 25m for Chris Wood, maybe 80m for Maguire doesn't seem so silly!

 

I said Van de Beek might be the second best center mid on United, but I was forgetting Pogba. Well, I doubt he'll be playing in Manchester beyond May anyway.

 

Woodward's gone about now (man has this dragged out) and maybe with someone competent in charge of transfers you guys can finally get that destroyer you've needed for years.

[Eutyphro]

I know I recently posted United should be playing hyper aggressive football, but honestly, this stint with Rangnick is not going to end well. Players like Rashford and Sancho that should be carrying them, are not fit/awful. So now week in week out we see long shot merchant Greenwood firing rockets from the wing. Then there's the abysmal Mcfred. They are in a downward spiral and Rangnick is not going to last long I think.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Eutyphro

[TheSantader25]

It's Rangnick's job to get the best out of Rashford and Sancho and he's failing. I was skeptical of his appointment at first. He is a well respected fellow in football but I don't think he really has had that much of an impressive career as a manager. Unfortunately there are not that many good coaches out there for United. They really messed up with the Conte appointment.

 

As for Barca, I really like the improvements under Xavi so far. The team is still plagued with bullsh*t injuries/COVID/contract extension controversies but at least we play good football at the moment and I can see improvements. I really liked how we played in El Clasico despite the loss. That top 4 objective is crucial however to keep us on the right path. 

[Lonely-Martin]

Nice one Bergwijn, oof!

[Eutyphro]

I'm not having a good run of comments to be honest. I say Varane with Lindelof is much better than when Maguire plays, within ten minutes of this post United with Lindelof and Varane in defence get two goals against them. I make a negative post about Fred and Greenwood, half an hour later Fred has an assist and Greenwood a goal. Regardless, I stand by the content of these posts lol

When Ajax plays I'm gonna post right before the game about how they will lose badly. Might bring good luck.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Eutyphro

[Lonely-Martin]

94th min and I'm in a huff thinking how we spurned so many chances and got done tonight. 2 minutes later we'd won the game, lol. The difference a couple of minutes makes.

 

So very entertaining, but could be a very important result come May. 

[Jason]

Leicester have Spurs'd it. Been turned off by Rodgers in the past few months, his team doesn't seem to have a spine when the going gets tough.

 

As for us, the first half was everything wrong with us but much better in the second, showing that the team is indeed capable of creating and scoring chances, they just need to get their standards up and keep them there. Defensively suspect still, and we've just conceded from a long throw as I'm typing this, but a lot of our defensive weakness stems from a lack of protection and control of the game coming from the midfield. Frustrating that we look to be signing no one this month, a signing like Neves could be fantastic for us.

[Eutyphro]

1 hour ago, TheSantader25 said:

As for Barca, I really like the improvements under Xavi so far. The team is still plagued with bullsh*t injuries/COVID/contract extension controversies but at least we play good football at the moment and I can see improvements. I really liked how we played in El Clasico despite the loss. That top 4 objective is crucial however to keep us on the right path. 

Xavi is definitely much better than I expected. And Luuk de Jong is on course for Ballon d'Or.

[smokeless6]

I expected Neves to be snapped up by a big club in Wolves first season up. That he's still there is a surprise. Maybe some of the shine's come off him, not so highly rated as he was at 20. But still a classy midfielder. I wanted Liverpool to move for him when Gini's deal was expiring.

 

Barcelona... I've lost respect for the club, the way they're run. This is no reflection on the fans or the players. I was shocked when they made the Ferran Torres transfer. To be in that much debt in a member-owned club and to take out more loans, not to pay down some of the debt, but to spend it on new players, seems incomprehensible to me. I was in awe of what Barca became after Messi's emergence, but now I just shake my head at what they have become. And it's all down to the way the club is run.  And they may not be done spending! Madness. Add on top of that the shameful treatment of Dembele and it's difficult to be sympathetic to their plight.

Edited January 20, 2022 by smokeless6

[TheSantader25]

6 hours ago, smokeless6 said:

Dembele

Fair enough on the rest of what you said (though we have changed the financial structure of the club massively since the start of Laporta and have saved a lot of money by reducing wages/selling players. Restructuring the club is a long term process)

 

As for Dembele, He has stirred up unnecessary drama in every club he has been. You can read the stories about how he behaved at Rennes and Dortmund and now he's doing it at Barca. He wants 40 million per season lmao. That for a player who in no way has earned even his previous wages is truly ridiculous.

 

The position of the club is clear, either accept a reasonable contract extension or leave. Or simply just run down the rest of the contract on the bench. You can't blame the club or Xavi for not using a player who doesn't wanna be here. He's a diva. Again, I highly recommend you read what he's done at Rennes and Dortmund to force his transfer.

Edited January 20, 2022 by TheSantader25

[Jason]

Yeaaaa Barca are a mess for many reasons but the way they've handled Dembele is absolutely fine. All signs point to him and his agent playing games, and he's got previous with it at Dortmund.

 

He's a bad egg.

[Lonely-Martin]

Welp! The pussies got another red card tonight. Better call off that Burnley game Sunday Mr Artita.

[smokeless6]

I don't agree about Dembele. Barca are fine to say find another club if you don't want to renew. But to threaten him with not playing again because he refuses to extend is petulant. They could have either sold him or found an agreement. That they did neither is not a crime, but to now take their metaphorical ball and go home over the whole affair is beneath a club of this stature.

[TheSantader25]

1 hour ago, smokeless6 said:

I don't agree about Dembele. Barca are fine to say find another club if you don't want to renew. But to threaten him with not playing again because he refuses to extend is petulant. They could have either sold him or found an agreement. That they did neither is not a crime, but to now take their metaphorical ball and go home over the whole affair is beneath a club of this stature.

It's not really threatening mate. Why should Barca use a player who doesn't want to be there in their new project in which they desperately need to develop new players? It's a waste of time and resources that can be used for players who are actually interested.

 

No club is gonna buy a player who demands this much of a salary and only has 6 months left on his contract. Also Barca cannot renew Dembele because of his current demands (40 million a year wages) because it's simply suicidal. Bartomeu might have done it though lol.

 

Him and his agent are playing games with the manager and the club by making contradictory statements. This all f*cks up the dressing room as well. You cannot let a player like that play. It will only ruin the Spirit of the rest of the players as well. No one is preventing Dembele from training (if he actually bothers to show on time that is). It's just that playing him in the current situation is toxic for the rest of the team. 

 

I think it's pretty naive to think Dembele is the victim here. Though Liverpool have barely ever had divas like Dembele in their team (at least since Coutinho stirred up sh*t to move to Barca) so you might not have experiences like that before. You guys are really good with signing professional players who don't ruin the dressing room even in situations like this(Salah, Wijnaldum). We just have to accept that Dembele is failed transfer just like a lot of the signings made in the Bartomeu era and move on.

Edited January 21, 2022 by TheSantader25

[smokeless6]

I'd say the reason you play him is because he is under contract and you're paying him gobs of money. This sort of thing happens, there are many big-name players running down their contracts right now, but they haven't been banished by their clubs to the reserve team wilderness.

 

That said, I don't know if he is poisoning the well, like sulking on the pitch or being a negative influence on his squadmates. But if he is professional and giving maximum effort on the pitch then it's just a matter of him wanting more than Barca can offer, or maybe he wants to play elsewhere next year.  His agent is making silly demands? Fine, let him go in June, but get what you are paying for before then. Nobody wins when you banish him. If they can find a deal now, in this window, great. But if not, run him out there because he is one of Barca's best players. To me, the club are acting like a a jilted teenager, and at a time when they need every boot in the line.

[TheSantader25]

10 minutes ago, smokeless6 said:

I'd say the reason you play him is because he is under contract and you're paying him gobs of money. This sort of thing happens, there are many big-name players running down their contracts right now, but they haven't been banished by their clubs to the reserve team wilderness.

 

That's because they are acting professionally and don't say one thing and do another. Take Mbappe for example. Everyone knows he wants a move to Madrid. He doesn't lie. He WANTS a move to Madrid. This clarity helps the dressing room despite the inevitable. But Dembele says he definitely wants to stay and literally lies to the manager (So Xavi trusts him and supports him for a while but then gets betrayed) but his agent does another thing. These are games played by the player to get his way and will ruin the dressing room. He only wants to play to get a better contract at his next club.

 

Barca need to develop players for the future at the moment. And there are tons of youngsters who deserve this playing time and may be useful for the club in the long term. Barca cannot think short term anymore. Thinking short term is what got us into this situation in the first place. We have nothing to play for in short term. No la liga. No CL. We just need that top 4 and to develop the team for the upcoming seasons.

 

Dembele doesn't have a good history when it comes to departures. He has blatantly lied and manipulated every club he has been to force his needs.

Edited January 21, 2022 by TheSantader25

[smokeless6]

Yeah, fair enough, and you know more about the temperature of the club than I do. Like I said if he is being unprofessional, then fine, but if not, run him out there and let him bang a few in and see if you can finish in the CL places. Best thing though, for all concerned, is to find a move now. But that'll be difficult if some of his reported demands are real. I read his agent demanded a 45m signing bonus? Madness if true.

 

Liverpool got a result in their tie with the Gunners. Jota with a brace. So far they are weathering the ACON well. Keep getting results however we can until Salah and Mane come back.

 

Chelsea in the final. I always say the league cup is the one I care least about, but now I care about it

[Jason]

1 hour ago, smokeless6 said:

I don't agree about Dembele. Barca are fine to say find another club if you don't want to renew. But to threaten him with not playing again because he refuses to extend is petulant.

 

This isn't unusual, though. Lots of teams have taken this approach over the years, hell I know local teams who have done the exact same thing lol.

 

Managers want players whose head is in the game and are focused on the season. Same reason why players looking to move are often not in the squad.

 

Absolutely nothing unusual by Barca in the way they've handled Dembele.

[smokeless6]

9 minutes ago, Jason said:

Managers want players whose head is in the game and are focused on the season. Same reason why players looking to move are often not in the squad.

 

Well sure, but not signing a new contract is not the same as not being committed or focused or professional. Both things can be true at the same time. In Dembele's case? I have no idea. If he fails to give his all while he remains at the club then fine, banish him. Otherwise you're just squandering an asset. But ya know, I'm not a Barca fan, and whether I'm right or wrong, whether he stays or goes, doesn't even matter much to me! Unless Liverpool buy him (or he lands at a rival club). But Liverpool won't buy him. Newcastle are probably launching a bid right now!

[Jason]

Well he's an injury prone player who has yet to wow at Barca and by all accounts he wants wages that would put him as the highest paid player in the team.

 

He'd get treated the same way at any big club lol. God help if he was at a club not as desperate due their current situation, with a manager in a much comfier position. If he did this at say United under Fergie he'd have got flung under the bus by Fergie publicly.

[Eutyphro]

Dembele is a joke of a player. He obviously has never fitted in at Barca, and I wonder whether he could be rehabilitated. He should probably go back to Dortmund, if they'd want him back. It's the only good club that might want him considering he genuinely played well there. I feel like he is gonna go to Newcastle though.

 

He also might fit into Kloppball now that I think about it, but I think they have too many better options to be interested in Dembele.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Eutyphro

[smokeless6]

Nah, we don't want him (and I hope Klopp agrees!)

 

But we do need to freshen up the wings as Mane and Salah are not getting any younger and Salah's deal expires next year, and I'm not sure Liverpool will be willing to make him the EPL's highest paid player at 30. Obviously the whole club loves Mo, but there comes a price at which it no longer makes sense. Especially if they can sell him for 120m and use it like the Coutinho money. Then again 30-goal wingers don't grow on trees.

[Eutyphro]

A Dembele who genuinely reaches his potential would really be a good player in Klopp's system I think, but yeah, like I said, I would probably not go for him if were Pool either, because he's a clown.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Eutyphro

[Girish]

22 hours ago, smokeless6 said:

Chelsea in the final. I always say the league cup is the one I care least about, but now I care about it

Considering how sh*t we are right now, it's yours to lose. Unless Tuchel is able to turn it around in a month's time.

[Eutyphro]

If the important Chelsea players like Kante, Havertz, Jorginho etc get a little more fit, and Tuchel gains the wisdom to bench Lukaku, then Chelsea will be fine.. Tuchel should start using Lukaku as a pinchhitter type striker from the bench, and if Lukaku doesn't like it he can go. He doesn't have the quality on the ball to play well in Chelsea's system.