2021/2022 Premier League Discussion

sportsczy wrote:
Btw, why the f is Pogba playing as a winger lol. Really?

Must be same reason Fraudiola plays Foden as a centre forward. Tactical tomfoolery

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Noticed Liverpool are top.

I seem to remember Liverpool fans on here were saying they shouldn't be considered contenders?

Will they ever actually show confidence in their team ? Never seen such a defeatist set of fans in my life.

great sleepy leader waking up from pre-covid sleep and saying some random things. Not sure if I missed but no Liverpool fan has said we are not contenders but just said it is too early and AFCON time will be decisive time in terms of title race.

With that said, such atrocious defending and how many chances we need to create goals, the game should have ended 4-5 or something.

sportsczy wrote:The manager has to put Bruno Fernandez in his place IMO... He's nowhere near the best player on the team. CR, Pogba, Cavani and Varane are better and more accomplished players. Even more, he could never reach their level.

Now to the PK... CR is one of the best PK players ever and likely has scored the most PKs in the history of football. I don't care who was taking them before he joined and how good he was at it... when CR joins your team, he takes the PKs. It's simply putting the best player you have on the team on the task.

Same with free kicks. CR should take all of them from a longer distance while Bruno should take the shorter ones. In this case, Bruno is the better choice for the shorter free kicks.

Btw, why the f is Pogba playing as a winger lol. Really?

first of all, lol... Bruno has been the man for United before Ronaldo showed up

secondly, lol... Ronaldo shouldn't be near any kind of free-kick

Bruno was the man on a, frankly, averagely talented team with the other top players either injured or not there yet.

Good for him.

Now, there are far better players than him on the team.  He's not that good frankly.  He reminds me a bit of Isco.  A lot of flash, early results because he's new, then teams figure out his tricks and finally he's just flash with no results. I've seen a thousand like him over the years. The ones who succeeded were far better than him as overall footballers.

The only notable additions are Varane, CR7 and a Sancho who hasn’t been performing. It’s not like he’s suddenly in a different environment.

Thimmy wrote:The only notable additions are Varane, CR7 and a Sancho who hasn’t been performing. It’s not like he’s suddenly in a different environment.

Cavani being health. Pogba being healthy. Greenwood gaining experience (he's going to be a star).

Varane and CR are fairly big players btw. Sancho will come around with his talent assuming Ole gets his head out of his ass with tactics and player choices.

If PSG didn't do what they did, Man U would have made the biggest transfers by far.

sportsczy wrote:

Thimmy wrote:The only notable additions are Varane, CR7 and a Sancho who hasn’t been performing. It’s not like he’s suddenly in a different environment.

Cavani being health. Pogba being healthy. Greenwood gaining experience (he's going to be a star).

Varane and CR are fairly big players btw. Sancho will come around with his talent assuming Ole gets his head out of his ass with tactics and player choices.

If PSG didn't do what they did, Man U would have made the biggest transfers by far.

Greenwood is a stone cold and clinical finisher but he's not a great all around player, not nearly on the same level as Sancho. Sancho should be starting over him every time, especially as all the other attackers, Bruno, Ronaldo, are similar - stone cold finishers, but not great all around players

I tried to explain in the Sancho thread why I'm a bit uncertain as to if Sancho will ever be able to replicate his Dortmund form for another club. I like to think that he will, but for now, that's still a big question mark. With his talents, I think his best position would be behind the striker, but that's out of the question at Man United, and even if it wasn't, he's used to playing as a winger in a very free role. I wouldn't assume an inability to fit into different systems, as has been suggested on here, but he does need to prove that he can excel in a much more restrictive system.

Bruno has played with Cavani, Pogba and Greenwood before. I assume you mean when they're all in form, or not lacking in match fitness? I feel like that's something most fans don't care to take into account. If a team struggles because they're forced to field players who are returning from, or playing with injuries, they're still always judged as if the squad was in acceptable condition. Just observe the reactions to City vs Tottenham. Totteham doesn't have a wealth of talent, and they fielded an injured Son, and out of form Harry Kane, and were without the offensive threat of Lucas Moura (berate him all you want, he is important to them). I would've assumed an easy win for City, and thus not really read too much into how much dominance they would display, but the general reaction seemed to be that City made some kind of statement of intent/quality.

Varane and CR are undoubtedly big players. I think the jury's still out on how well they can consistently perform for this team, though. I don't care if it's Ole or someone else who manages them, some consistency is required before it can be assumed that they're as great as their names would suggest. The same goes for Sancho.

This is just my opinion, but I'm generally not a big fan of the general assumption that a team's performance level should be directly related to the names that are brought in, rather than how those how those names actually perform over time. Regardless, of how good Bruno actually is, he exceeded expectations when he was brought in, and he did so on a consistent basis. Props to him for being such a reliable performer, even if he may or may not be a huge talent.

The new signings have yet to build up enough experience with this team to point to any semblance of consistency, and although I lost my patience with Pogba some time ago, part of me still hopes that this will be the season when he's more of a sustainable performer than a streaky one. Of course, him playing as a winger for whatever reason, excuses him for not looking entirely comfortable.

Brighton can go top on Monday, GOAT league

Greenwood is a kid. He's like 19 now. So every year, he's going to make massive strides. He's already made a big step this year. I'm talking about this year's version of Greenwood.

Cavani and Pogba were mostly injured last season.

As long as Ole plays a midfield that includes both Fred and McTominay, Man U is doomed.

Sports cant live with the fact that Bruno has done more for United in 1 and a half years than Pogba has in 5 years

@Hans. I don't think Sancho and Bruno can be on the pitch together. They play the same position. I don't understand Man U's transfer though process here or Sancho coming to Man U.

El Gunner wrote:Sports can live with the fact that Bruno has done more for United in 1 and a half years than Pogba has in 5 years

It's not Bruno over Pobga.  Pogba is a CM and Bruno a 10.  You're comparing apples to oranges.  Although I will mention that Pogba has 7 EPL assists so far this season while Bruno has 0 I think.

It's Bruno over CR or even Cavani.  Bruno can't even start for Portugal or, when he does, he's subbed in the 60th minute most times.  He's not that great IMO. Unless he's the focal point, which he should never be on an elite team, he has no impact.

Just seen the highlights of the Liverpool game, must have been so entertaining, those chances and clearances off the line Their defense arent as strong atm thats for sure, making for even more entertaining games.

I thought Sancho did best as a winger back at Dortmund? And that Man U bought him to be one?

He did play as a winger. I said that his talents suggest that he would perform the best behind the striker. I assume Man United brought him in to have him play on the wings, but he's been playing with so much freedom from that position during his time at Dortmund, that I actually struggle a bit to imagine him being restricted to a single role. If you look at some of the Dortmund games where he played as a winger under Favre, you might mistake him for a striker, midfielder, or playing on the opposite wing.

sportsczy wrote:Greenwood is a kid. He's like 19 now. So every year, he's going to make massive strides. He's already made a big step this year. I'm talking about this year's version of Greenwood.

Cavani and Pogba were mostly injured last season.

How many times do people have to get hyped up over teen footballers who just regress throughout their 20s before they stop blowing their load over the next 18 or 19 year old that catches their eye?

The difference is that this 19 year old is a clinical finisher.  Stone cold.  That's extremely rare at that age (and there aren't many period).  So when you see a super elite skill in a player that young, you get excited.

Not saying he's Mbappe... but that's what really caught my eye with Mbappe.  Even at 17, he had this innate ability to make the right runs and showed the poise to score.  

These guys don't show the promise of these things... they already have it.  That's the difference.

Now, I hope Man U doesn't ruin him lol.  He's a CF.

Thimmy wrote:He did play as a winger. I said that his talents suggest that he would perform the best behind the striker. I assume Man United brought him in to have him play on the wings, but he's been playing with so much freedom from that position during his time at Dortmund, that I actually struggle a bit to imagine him being restricted to a single role. If you look at some of the Dortmund games where he played as a winger under Favre, you might mistake him for a striker, midfielder, or playing on the opposite wing.

Exactly. You can't give 2 players that kind of freedom and Bruno is going to be the choice obviously. So Sancho has to change his game and play more of a specific role as opposed to the freedom he's used to having.

sportsczy wrote:

El Gunner wrote:Sports can live with the fact that Bruno has done more for United in 1 and a half years than Pogba has in 5 years

It's not Bruno over Pobga.  Pogba is a CM and Bruno a 10.  You're comparing apples to oranges.  Although I will mention that Pogba has 7 EPL assists so far this season while Bruno has 0 I think.

It's Bruno over CR or even Cavani.  Bruno can't even start for Portugal or, when he does, he's subbed in the 60th minute most times.  He's not that great IMO. Unless he's the focal point, which he should never be on an elite team, he has no impact.

what? stop moving the goalposts... you said Pogba is more important to this United team than Bruno, when in fact Bruno's impact on the team has proven that to be false since he's joined United

dunno what you have against Bruno, sure he isn't de Bruyne, but he has been by far United's most impactful player since he joined and that includes Cavani which you also brought up

sportsczy wrote:

Thimmy wrote:He did play as a winger. I said that his talents suggest that he would perform the best behind the striker. I assume Man United brought him in to have him play on the wings, but he's been playing with so much freedom from that position during his time at Dortmund, that I actually struggle a bit to imagine him being restricted to a single role. If you look at some of the Dortmund games where he played as a winger under Favre, you might mistake him for a striker, midfielder, or playing on the opposite wing.

Exactly. You can't give 2 players that kind of freedom and Bruno is going to be the choice obviously. So Sancho has to change his game and play more of a specific role as opposed to the freedom he's used to having.

Yeah, and I believe that's why he's struggled to have an impact for both England and Man United. It's only speculation, but it makes sense that he's not quite as comfortable when he's suddenly expected to perform within a certain framework, as opposed to being able to express himself according to his impulses.

I imagine him being at his best behind the striker, because his most exceptional talent is his play-making ability. Additionally, he can create space with his dribbling, and he's not afraid to take scoring chances. At Dortmund, I occasionally found it frustrating to watch him cover multiple roles according to his whims, especially when he was just drifting in and around the box to sniff out a goal when Dortmund were struggling to create chances, but I have yet to see him sustainably excel without that freedom.

Watched City vs Chelsea. looked like men vs boys.

sportsczy wrote:As long as Ole plays a midfield that includes both Fred and McTominay, Man U is doomed.

United has no other choice. Pogba can't play deep. he is not at his best there. also defensively your are doomed if you don't put two other midfielders behind Pogba.

I'll get destroyed for this... but Sancho has more talent in one foot than Bruno has in both feet. Bruno has just honed his skills a lot more than Sancho obviously. He's at his ceiling... Sancho is not.

Not saying Sancho is a better player. Of course not at this point. But he can become much much more than Bruno IMO.

And this is me talking up an English player... so you know I like him a lot.

something i noticed with Man City yesterday to look out for heading forward... Grealish is too slow for City in these tight, high pressure type of games. He is not the nifty type of player for that's needed to move the ball quickly and smartly, neither is he quick enough to spot out runs or positions on the pitch to put himself and the team in on the front-foot when attacking. Grealish is by all means just a ball-carrier that can draw in defenders and pick a pass, but he needs time and space for that.

In high pressure games throughout the season and the latter stages of the CL i do not think he should play because he'll just become a non-factor that slows down City's momentum whenever they move forward. He only came alive yesterday after City scored and hence the Chelsea defense gave him more space because they were trying to get back into the game. Now of course, i think Grealish could still adapt to the system and become more fluid in it and that could help (much like Sterling and Mahrez became more efficient in the system over time as well), but his fundamentals will never change. So let's see if Pep will be aware to this.