robsblubot

Lavia is as unproven as it gets esp coming from championship. Odd considering that Poch said no long ago, "Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he does not want any more than 25 players in his Chelsea squad for the 2023-24 campaign."

Partially agreed. The game today against Wolves was mostly about fitness; wolves players were simply running past United players as if they were cones for 90+. They also won most 50/50 disputes. It was quite an achievement for United and the officials to pick up the 3 points. Yeah Wolves finishing wasn't there. Fans will always see what they want to see.

Yup... that's the level we need him at. You are talking about accomplishments tho, not quality of play; much is not under his control unless he forces an exit in a couple of years in case we continue struggling. I've watched plenty of that ream play and Valencia was a cracking player at times, but there was plenty of quality all around.

my point exactly. 😉

Welcome to the club! Kid, you just need to become the best Ecuador player in history to be the player we need, but no pressure. 😄

haha took me a second to remember him... now I'm trying to forget. Yeah these super long contracts are a new thing... it shows a lot of confidence in the scouting, but it's scary as any player could have his career changed by injuries and whatnot. Especially younger players, because they are still developing physically--some still bulking up--and it's difficult to predict how the joints/muscles will adapt. R9 at inter was the extreme case of that.

that's a VERY low bar for a 100m+ player 😆

Aside from the players selected above, I would also take Mount but depending on squad balance -- point here is nuanced and demands a long text. Too busy at work for that now. I'd take Anthony too... I don't think he's good enough yet, but he's got skill, power, pace, and lacks decisions. If, and is a big if, he can improve on that mental aspect, I think he could become a very interesting player.

Should make us think about these long-term contracts doesn't it. Any flop with these contracts will become a nightmare to deal with for years to come. Kepa for example. Isn't Bakayoko still our player eh?

Totally normal for over 30 players... he will need an additional couple of weeks to get to a decent level esp w/ his build. You'd expect the younger folks to be flying high tho, which was not the case. They looked very unfit.... like physically unfit. Mount too.

It wasn't only the ref + VAR w/ that ridiculous call. I'm also disappointed with Wolves; you can't dominate a game like they did today and not score at least a goal. That's a very worrying sign for their manager to think about--they are prob expecting a lot from Cunha, but his injury record is worrying. Yeah this was the time for United to lose points at home to a non-competing side. They now have a week to up their fitness levels and improve their game. 😕 Hopefully a week is not enough because they look "not ready." Reassuring apathy signs from Ten Hag tho.

Onana completely misses the ball and hits Wolves player instead inside the box... no penalty. 🤷‍♂️

clear PK by Onana... but it's United...

lol I hope that does not mean they will win a CL anytime soon. 😉 United are still getting completely dominated; wolves just lack the quality to put the ball in the back of the net. It looks like a big fitness difference... wolves players are just winning all 50/50s and outrunning united players.

The story of smaller clubs is always the same.... 😕

nah way too early for that. We also need to win some games, because as promising as the draw with Liverpool was, we still got 1 point at home. Can't imagine they won't be better when we pay them a visit. Early season some smaller sides have better fitness levels, which is clear as day today. Wolves are outrunning United in all areas. That will not be the case in 2-3 weeks.

I did not have a formed opinion about their manager, but it's clearer today. Left winger was completely out of the game and should've been replaced in the first half. United isn't playing tight... lots of spaces between the lines. Casemiro is too slow... prob early season + age. Dunno about Wolves Cunha looks back to his pre-injury form.

yeah United is playing in slow-motion.

Strong starting XI for united... at least "on paper." Mount does not seem to be playing CM, but in a more advanced line. Wolves pressing high, but that's about to end as their main tacklers are picking up yellows when trying to stop counters. Matheus Cunha is putting on a show so far.

That's interesting, because they got a point in a tough away match. We tied at home. While they do look defensively vulnerable, they also look pretty good in attack esp early first half. They were absolute shit once Klopp put the kids in late in the second.

Lucio's point remains tho; 5 min, with both teams clearly happy with the result, the word "solid" was a bit much tbh. 😃 Good for the kid to be able to tick that checkbox, but literary anyone could've done the same.

I don't even *want* the pressure to score goals on him. Striker position means little these days, unless you have a whole team playing for you to score goals. Jackson does not seem to require that.

Does he have lots of potential? maybe, but I'd not say showing quality in a league like Ukraine means a whole lot. I've seen a lot of lesser players do that. He's turning 23 next Jan, so he should be playing better for his age in my view. honestly, I couldn't care less about his potential. We already have too many young players in the starting XI. We need players who can *help* these younger players develop right now! I'd be totally for giving Mudryk more minutes, but he simply does not seem employable atm. Perhaps that's why he's not getting minutes to begin with? Don't you think he goes to the ground a little too easy for the PL?

Mostly agree. You did not list Chukwu btw. He was pretty poor (slightly better in the 2nd half) which is normal for a 19yo at this level. Please help me understand Mudryk; why should he be ahead of Sterling? one of the very few experienced players we've got in the squad. What has Mudryk done to warrant starting games for us? Has Mudryk scored at all? Was it a pass that I missed? A nice move where he did something amazing that I did not see? I don't know, it is possible I missed something he did. 🤷‍♂️ There might be a reason Poch is not giving him many minutes don't you think? First match of the season and he only comes in after the 75m mark.

Mudryk where all attacks go to die. I honestly don't know what some see in him: easily muscled out of every play--always on he ground. Heavy touches esp on that 1x1 situation... I just knew he was going to fuck it up.