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

[Jason]

Lukaku isn't as chaotic IMO, he's just poor technically but I'd still say he's a much better player than Nunez simply because he's a much more reliable goal scorer. I think I've said it before but if Nunez could reliably score he'd be one of the best players in the world. He's rapid, massive, strong, works hard, he even has glimpses of good technical ability and control. But he literally misses open goals for fun lol.

[TonyRyodan]

Opinions about the 2025 club world cup? 

 

Since I was a kid I dreamed about such thing, now after all the FIFA controversies i'm not sure.

 

Very curious about the games tho.

[Jason]

It's an absolute load of tripe and yet another example for why FIFA need gutting and rebuilding from scratch.

 

It's been a worthless cup for a long time in Europe and while I respect the idea to make it mean something, their overhaul is nothing more than a money grab, while also adding more games to the schedule.

[Guest]

Years ago, when I was a teenager who watched Supa Strikas, I would've liked the prospect of a bigger Club World Cup.

 

But seeing the congested schedule nowdays, I'd rather side with the players and cancel the CWC forever. F*ck the people who said "but they get paid millions", they need rest too okay.

 

Not to forget that Inter Miami's inclusion is so blatantly forced. Inter Miami only lead the "league phase" table, not winning the final "cup phase", they were eliminated early.  It's said that FIFA needs Messi to secure the CWC broadcasting rights.

[TheSantader25]

They get paid millions sure. But they get paid millions to show quality on the pitch to the fans. Not the slugfest that football has become due to fixture congestion. Players have no choice.

 

They can't push themselves and show the quality they used to because they have to protect themselves against injuries. You can have a look at the number of serious injuries post COVID due to fixture congestion.

Edited December 7, 2024 by TheSantader25

[Jason]

Top level football is played at a higher pace than ever before while also being played at an intensity over the game that is higher than ever before. Combine that with more fixtures, more travelling, and it's no surprise injuries and all sorts of other issues are becoming more common. Not to mention the level of quality at major tournaments is often rubbish cause everyone is exhausted at that point - with the Qatar WC having some good football played and an absolute all time great final because it was mid-season.

 

Like other sports (Formula 1 especially) eventually something will snap and the athletes will strike, which many of the major clubs will support, and it'll put the governing bodies in a really bad place that reminds them they don't actually hold all the power. Same with stuff like sports selling out to Middle East countries and hosting sh*te events in those countries with horrible atmospheres and fan experiences. If you piss off the athletes and the fans long enough eventually it won't end well.

[TheSantader25]

The game against dortmund when as expected lol. Two chaotic teams going at it and we happened to win. Winning in that stadium is a big achievement as always. But it's clear as i expected that our form will weaken as fixture congestion continues. We look gassed in the last 20 minutes and very vulnerable.

 

We probably need one more point to secure top 8. Good not to play an extra 2 games. I didn't expect us to be top 8 when we started the season.

 

I never thought I'd see a pep team do so badly in 10 consecutive games. One if his greatest strengths is always consistency and coming back quickly from losses but he's in a deep hole now like never before. Maybe he's tired of this and wants a quick exit. Maybe the players are tired of him too. It's bound to happen after so many years.

Edited December 13, 2024 by TheSantader25

[Guest]

Fonseca has been booted out. I'd say to him, "Thanks for the Real Madrid win, but we can't trust you if you can't beat Cagliari".

 

Replacing him is Sergio Conceicao of Porto. Now that we have a better manager, first resolution of 2025 better be to get a real RB (won't talk about Emerson) and a sharper forward.

[Jason]

I was out watching a local game so unable to watch, but the result was no surprise.

 

Our absolutely dismal recruiting under ETH is killing us. Casemiro was a one season wonder, Antony is useless, Zirzkee is useless, Eriksen past it. No fit leftback, Dalot's form has fell off a cliff, Rashford is done and Bruno is suspended.

 

We're apparently at the limit for FFP in Jan but we're gonna need some fresh faces that Amorim wants if he wanna get anything out of this season, cause on current form it could be a long, tedious season for us. It's never been more clear that we need a proper clear out with some new faces and fresh attitudes.

[Eutyphro]

I think Amorim is rotating too much. Ever since he brought Maguire back in as a starter it went to sh*t. He had a pretty workable formation with a back three of Mazraoui, de Ligt, and Martinez, with Diallo as right wing back and Dalot on the left. I don't know why he feels it necessary to start Maguire.

 

I understand he's rotating cause he's a new coach who has not had a preseason and he wants to give everyone a chance, but they need results now. The fallout with Rashford and Garnacho has also not done him well. With how things are looking to be going it's not long before Amorim gets the sack.

Edited December 31, 2024 by Eutyphro

[TheSantader25]

I think there are simply too many sh*t players at United. The signings under ETH and frankly most of the previous managers before him have been atrocious.

[Eutyphro]

I think his system functioned pretty oke when he was still playing with the back three I mentioned. They looked defensively more solid and they were good at playing out from the back.

 

The fallout with Rashford and Garnacho has also not been good for them. They are important players for the team, and removing them from the match day squad was damaging.

 

He should go back to that back three that worked so well and build on that. It showed some promise, which now has been replaced by gloom as since he changed the back three and the fallout with Garnacho and Rashford everything went bad.

Edited December 31, 2024 by Eutyphro

[TheSantader25]

49 minutes ago, Eutyphro said:

I think his system functioned pretty oke when he was still playing with the back three I mentioned. They looked defensively more solid and they were good at playing out from the back.

 

The fallout with Rashford and Garnacho has also not been good for them. They are important players for the team, and removing them from the match day squad was damaging.

 

He should go back to that back three that worked so well and build on that. It showed some promise, which now has been replaced by gloom as since he changed the back three and the fallout with Garnacho and Rashford everything went bad.

I mean sure fallouts like that are always poison for the entire team but if I'm being honest Garnacho is still not at the level of being a Man United starter. He's still too immature and inconsistent as a player and it's clear why principled managers won't like his mentality on the pitch.

 

Rashford was once at the level of the Man U starter but he has been in a very depressive mood for 3 years now. You can always make a comeback when you have talent at some point. I think Mbappe is slowly easing into a comback at Madrid but I'm starting to think time is running out for Rashford to step up and become the star he was meant to be at a young age. 

 

I just think United have too many of these players who have regressed which is a mix of bad recruiting and changing managers with different ideas who all had completely different preferences in transfer policy and tactics.

Edited December 31, 2024 by TheSantader25

[Jason]

1 hour ago, Eutyphro said:

The fallout with Rashford and Garnacho has also not been good for them. They are important players for the team, and removing them from the match day squad was damaging.

 

It's been one of the best things he's done.

 

It's even came out, from one of the most reliable United reporters (a fan with close connections to the club) that Rashford has been problematic for every manager he's worked under, something every manager has told the reporter.

 

Rashford's also not an important playeyr for the team, he hasn't been for about 2 years now. He had an incredible purple patch and since then he's been absolutely woeful and he plays like he doesn't care. Garnacho on the other hand while talented does not work hard enough off the ball. Neither of which score our problem at their end of the pitch either, which is we lack goal scorers. Rashford hasn't been one for two years and shows no signs of wanting to get back to that form (he wants to leave lmao), and Garnacho isn't a goal scorer either.

 

One key thing he's said is that the squad isn't fit enough, and that's clear and obvious because we get outrun by every team, and that's likely why he has rotated as much as he has but I do suspect he'll stop rotating as much in future. That said, he had no Ugarte and Bruno yday due to suspensions, which is why our midfield was what it was. Casemiro and Eriksen being our backup is a problem cause they've just got no legs anymore. As for Maguire, that's probably an attempt to stop another issue which is we're conceding from set pieces at a terrifying rate, but part of that is because Onana is no where near good enough for us. He conceded two directly from a corner in a week, which would be embarrassing at non-league level nevermind the Premier League.

 

Amorim more than any other manager we've had in the past few years has simply exposed how dogsh*t our recruitment has been. Buying players with 1 season in them before their legs go, buying bad players like Antony and Zirkzee, not being able to buy an established goal scorer, fullback issues, etc. We need to buy some technically good, fit, high work rate players - modern footballers. Cause we've bought a load of rubbish.

 

 

[Eutyphro]

I don't particularly disagree with any of that, but Maguire is also clearly a problem, though I think Maguire is a top bloke with a good attitude, he's slow and clumsy as hell. I also totally agree concerning Garnacho and Rashford, but wonder whether it could have been handled differently than booting them from the match squad. I think they struggled more with them gone as options during the match.

 

All in all, Amorim deserves time. I think the quality of the squad is currently getting slated too hard, but for instance the consistent injuries of Mount also has not helped them, as he's the only alternative to Bruno they have. We shouldn't pretend this squad doesn't have quality to outperform Forest. Even the supposed most mediocre buys like Antony could be part of a team that outperforms Forest to be honest.

Edited December 31, 2024 by Eutyphro

[Jason]

Fitness is a major issue, players are getting out worked by most teams. A lot of goals are also individual errors or inability to handle set pieces. A lot of the goals we've conceded have nothing to do with shape or tactics at all really, it's just a lot of mistakes.

 

We do absolutely need better wingbacks, I'm hoping we can buy 1-2 in Jan, it's pretty clear that's a limiting factor for us in possession and is making is easy to press - pack the midfield, force us out wide where our wingbacks, who are fullbacks, aren't good enough on the ball to progress the ball so they lose it or go back and cause the midfield is packed we can't get the ball directly into midfield from the 3 centrebacks.

 

It's pretty obvious at the moment that we're in a period where it'll get worse before it gets better. We need players suited to this system in, particularly wingbacks, and we need a proper pre-season where Amorim and his staff can get the fitness levels where they need to be for the players staying. Beyond that, getting a bunch of deadwood out is once again needed.

 

We do need to be careful, our form is relegation form so we need to start picking up some points again quick to get that suggestion out of everyones heads but yea this season is clearly gonna be one of pain until we get 1-2 transfer windows in us and a proper pre-season.

[Guest]

On 12/31/2024 at 8:34 PM, Jason said:

We do need to be careful, our form is relegation form so we need to start picking up some points again quick to get that suggestion out of everyones heads but yea this season is clearly gonna be one of pain until we get 1-2 transfer windows in us and a proper pre-season.

Almost all of us here are in sh*tty times right now, even Barca bottling the lead and losing Olmo's registration. I think you'd realistically finish 10-14th, but no way you'd get relegated (Fabrizio even wished that happen, it's disgusting). I'm not a fan of CR7, but I really appreciate his gesture to support Amorim instead of loathing him like 99% of United alumnus.

[Jason]

Barca's situation is an absolute shambles. I've heavily criticised the "lever" stuff in the past, it's nothing other than selling chunks of what is meant to be a fan owned club away for shot term goals by the current leadership and this Olmo situation is the cherry on top. Barca's entire leadership needs throwing out and some new people put in with a clear understanding between them, the players and most importantly the fans that the priority will be steadying the ship and getting the club to financial stability. This path they're on is f*cking stupid and will ruin the club one way or another. Sacrificing a few years of competitiveness is far, far, far, far better than selling the clubs soul for good, cause once you go down that path it's hell to get it back - see English football.

 

And yea the relegation stuff is nonsense, but it happens anytime a giant club is down there. We've got a tough run at the moment but we'll be alright in terms of staying in the league, lol. But a big January needed with both outs and ins hopefully, and then a big summer, so Amorim can really start to build the team to suit his system cause it's clear and obvious we're missing players that suit what he wants. Not just formation wise but in terms of athleticism and technical ability - we are team with no where near enough legs, we got out ran and outworked too easily.

[Shyabang Shyabang]

People in Vietnam react to their victory against Thailand in the 2024-2025 ASEAN Championship final:

 

 

[Shyabang Shyabang]

Drone footage of the Vietnamese fans:

 

 

[TheSantader25]

We've had drama literally every transfer window in the past 3 years and it's not because we're financially in a bad situation anymore (hell we barely even spent in the past two summers) it's because la liga's regulations are not flexible enough and have basically strangled every team except Madrid in the past 3 years. It's no wonder why La liga clubs are among the lowest spending in the top leagues by large margins.

 

I've just learnt to ignore it these days because it will resolve on its own. It's just the usual la liga drama. We've barely spent, we've lowered our wages from the disaster era heavily and we've got some good new sponsor deals. At least it seems like we're back to the 1:1 rule for spending which makes me hopeful that this is the last time we're having laliga transfer drama but Tebas will Tebas so...

 

My biggest concern this season is actually getting back to our stadium. This current one has zero home advantage for us and is hurting our chances. If the previous management was even half as smart as a bumpkin they would have done the stadium renovation during covid like Madrid but they were too busy destroying the club.

Edited January 10 by TheSantader25

[TheSantader25]

great to see that for once we don't lose our sh*t when we go a man down. 

[Jason]

Watched most of that Barca game and it very nearly went a bit mad lol. I know Madrid have injuries but f*cking hell, if Barca had 11 on the pitch it could well have ended up 7 or 8. Also Raphinha's form this year is just f*cking crazy, he was a good player at Leeds but Barca raised a few eyebrows when they bought him but this season he's been one of the best players in the world.

 

In other news, a bit of justice today in the United game. Now yes, Dalot's stupidity got him sent off, but the ref handed yellow cards very quickly in that 1st half to us, while ignoring Arsenal's diving about, play acting, time wasting on set pieces, etc. Then the penalty was the cherry on top, a 100% dive from Havertz. It was an embarrassing display all round from Arsenal and something that's becoming not uncommon this season for them. Havertz was awful, and is awful up front full stop, but they have completely regressed this season under Arteta. All this set piece set piece set piece malarkey, the set piece coaching acting like the manager on the sideline, it's as if they'd rather play for set pieces than try and score from open play. Again, it doesn't help when you have Havertz up top but Arteta thought they didn't need a striker so I have no sympathy for that. One of the many reasons why I don't think Arsenal will win the league under him anytime soon.

 

As for us, it was backs against the wall but between this and Liverpool game we've come away looking pretty good actually, despite the fears going into it that it might get embarrassing for us. The key now is taking the mentality we've shown in these two games and applying it to our next 3 games, which are all at home and all games we absolutely should be winning, cause if we defend like that then we'll give our selves a good foundation to go and win any game.

[Guest]

That El Clasico was madness, Barca actually had to play 10 men to give Madrid a balanced fight 

[TheSantader25]

Flick seems to bring the best out of certain wingers. Gnabry was workd class under him too and i don't recall him being that good ever again under any other manager. I wish that red didn't happen lol we could have easily had a generational defeat on our hands.

 

As for Arsenal, i just never understood buying havertz. He really brings their entire team down. I think they could be a force to be reckoned with if they had a proper sticker.

[Blackburn1872]

On 1/10/2025 at 11:54 AM, TheSantader25 said:

We've had drama literally every transfer window in the past 3 years and it's not because we're financially in a bad situation anymore (hell we barely even spent in the past two summers) it's because la liga's regulations are not flexible enough and have basically strangled every team except Madrid in the past 3 years. It's no wonder why La liga clubs are among the lowest spending in the top leagues by large margins.

 

I've just learnt to ignore it these days because it will resolve on its own. It's just the usual la liga drama. We've barely spent, we've lowered our wages from the disaster era heavily and we've got some good new sponsor deals. At least it seems like we're back to the 1:1 rule for spending which makes me hopeful that this is the last time we're having laliga transfer drama but Tebas will Tebas so...

 

My biggest concern this season is actually getting back to our stadium. This current one has zero home advantage for us and is hurting our chances. If the previous management was even half as smart as a bumpkin they would have done the stadium renovation during covid like Madrid but they were too busy destroying the club.

What renovations are being done on the Stadium?  Didn't they think it'd be back in action before the end of 2024?  I assume this hasn't happened going from your general comment.

[TheSantader25]

2 hours ago, Blackburn1872 said:

What renovations are being done on the Stadium?  Didn't they think it'd be back in action before the end of 2024?  I assume this hasn't happened going from your general comment.

Basically everything apart from the base of the stadium is being reconstructed. They tore down all the 3 levels and are replacing them with new structure. by the looks of it, it will take another 6 months to complete since as usual everybody underestimates how long these plans take. 

[Jason]

God I can't wait for Amorim to get a summer transfer window.

 

Players who are happy to turn up at Arsenal and Liverpool, but don't do the same against Southampton or Brighton.

 

Can't wait for him to get some natural wingbacks and hopefully an attacker or two... an actually good striker would be nice too.

 

Also a keeper cause Onana is absolutely useless.

[Blackburn1872]

48 minutes ago, TheSantader25 said:

Basically everything apart from the base of the stadium is being reconstructed. They tore down all the 3 levels and are replacing them with new structure. by the looks of it, it will take another 6 months to complete since as usual everybody underestimates how long these plans take. 

Ah least it's a full overhaul, we done similar in the summer at Ibrox Park and it ran over, all they did was add some disabled sections and the construction guys made a complete mess of it.

[TheSantader25]

Wtf was that game? We are playing chaotic football lol. This settles us as top 8. Very much appreciated to have 2 less games.

Edited January 21 by TheSantader25