Ten Hag sack incoming because Man Utd need Champions League money
Man Utd are the most discussed club ahead of the new season while Liverpool get a few mentions and mavericks are lamented.
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Ten Hag sack incoming because Man Utd need the money
Whilst I agree itâs a good idea to manage expectations around Man United for the forthcoming season the suggestion to just coach better and sign another CB and new LB and a CDM doesnât really fit with that.
The club barely scraped through the PSR calculations for last season and had maybe a few million spare before facing a penalty, which was then spent to free Dan Ashworth from Newcastleâs grasp, so there isnât much money. In fact itâs looking more and more likely that Ten Hag only remains as manager because United literally could not afford the pay-off to sack him, never mind the compensation to get a new manager in.
Varane and Martial leaving frees up about ÂŁ25m a year, this plus the sales already made probably allows about ÂŁ80m to be spent this window. Yoro and Zirkzee effectively take up all that budget leaving the club in a âsell to buyâ situation. Signing a left footed CB or LB needs Lindelof to be sold first. Signing De Ligt from Bayern needs Maguire to be sold first. Signing Ugarte would mean selling Casemiro or McTominay first. Getting a new RB only happens if they get decent money for Wan Bissaka.
The new INEOS team have thus far appeared rather astute with transfers so I do expect further activity, but reports tell us more than anything they donât want to make a bad transfer. With the plans they have and the limited money available it would be better to stick with what they have rather than make the type of short-term expensive signing United have been synonymous with for the last decade.
They really only want to sign players that can be useful for 4-5 years, although short term loans for âless than ideal playersâ like Amrabat could be possible as stop-gap solutions.
Back to next seasonâs expectations, it appears from the first few pre-season games weâll be setting up 4-2-3-1, perhaps with Zirkzee dropping deep to create more of a square midfield four. This would be a departure from the insane donut-esque shape we got used to and is much more compact. It should lead to a much improved defensive performance especially if the significant changes to the physio and medical team over the summer result in fewer injuries. Adding more defensive transfers will also help with this, especially if Ugarte can be signed.
I believe the main objective for the season will be Champions League qualification so the target will be 4th in the league, with winning the Europa as a distant secondary objective. Both of these aims seem achievable to me.
However, there is so much money associated with the UCL that is absolutely imperative qualification is achieved for next year or else the required growth canât happen. So if at any point that looks in serious doubt Ten Hag will be sacked, which could be as early as October. So you can expect to see a much better Man United, or a Ten Hag free Man United pretty quickly.
Dave, Manchester
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Cheer up Rami
Ok fine, here we go, Rami.
First off, youâre condemning the manager for being ârescuedâ by some of his players playing well? What?
We finished 8th having missed our entire first-choice defence (and most of the second) for most of the year. We had a range of other injuries as well, including losing our new midfield signing and having to rely on an untested young striker who was getting very little supply (no team performs well in attack if theyâre unable to build from defence). They are now fit again, however.
So yeah, signing one new CB to replace one leaving is not ground-breaking, but itâs sensible, heâs an excellent player and heâs not going to be the only joiner. And he joins the rest of the defence who have returned. Including Martinez who made a huge difference in the first season, and is back with a fresh bit of silverware.
We werenât âluckyâ in the FA Cup final. The City players were very clear that they werenât suffering a hangover from celebrations; this isnât the 1980s, they are professionals and seasoned winners (and Grealish). We also managed to get a few more of the injured players back in time for the game, so we were more at full strength. Doesnât mean that we can compete for the league, but does show the difference in fielding your first choice vs your third.
Finally, your brilliant recommendation is to âsign some playersâ and âstart the season wellâ. Wow, move over Lampard, thereâs a new guy in town.
Badwolf
âŠNot sure why Rami, Dubai has appointed himself the United fansâ Stewie Griffin, but I now sympathise with Arsenal supporters. Itâs tedious, always hated the mentality âIâm a better supporter than you cause I criticise the clubâ⊠but you never stop criticising to actually support the club? Do you get any joy out of United?
What do you expect Ten Hag to say pre-season? Course he has to put a positive spin on things, itâs called media training. Yes last season was terrible, but there were some good moments, and yes United should be doing better, hopefully they will. But you have to take the good with the bad too, there is no divine right to win all the time.
Anthony, (have money on Arsenal winning league this season, so they wonât) Dublin
Generational what?
Lewis, Busby Way wrote about Slot as a successor to Klopp, and introduced (to me at least), the term âgenerational managerâ. I have to admit, generational as a term foxes me. But letâs say itâs the best of every 15-20 years, and youâre only allowed one per generation?
Ferguson 1986-2013
Pep â 2008-
Thereâs my two for the last 40 years..
Now clearly there have been other great managers during these periods, but how many generational ones can you actually have? Itâs like the term has been created because world-class wasnât sufficient.
And donât get me started on Trent being generational.
Simon S, Cheshire
Meteors and Liverpool
Might seem a little off topic but I read an article today which talked about Jude Bellinghamâs âmeteoric riseâ which got me thinking.
Where the hell does that phrase come from? Because meteors donât rise. They either travel past your relative place in space OR they fall into your planet and cause destruction. There is no circumstance where it rises.
I know itâs just a silly and overused idiom but itâs really dumb. Soar like an eagle? Cheesy but makes sense. Rabid dog? Makes sense. Rising likeâŠ.a meteor?
Little more on topic â I agree with F365 that Liverpool is a bit of an unknown quantity right now. What should we expect? Fans need to be a little more realistic. It wonât be the same.
Whoever said that Liverpool will play like Kloppâs way until Jan then tail off clearly hasnât seen any Slot matches as itâs totally different and more similar to Pepâs early Man City teams. Possession heavy high pressing team comprising of lots of very short patient passing.
Klopp played fast and frantic utilising cross field passes from Trent and Van Dijk to move the ball forward quickly.
Slot will be retraining a bunch of players to play a totally new way of playing, for a new manager. Top 4 and QF of Champs League is realistic anything more is a bonus for this year. Year 2 when heâs had a full season with his players and knows where he needs to make changes in the team will be a more defining season really. Expecting Slot to come in and win things would be very very unfair. Especially considering most of his key players have been away all summer at national tournaments.
Lee
The Premier League is just product
After the collective outpouring of all things England this summer, I find myself trying to get excited by the new Premier League season.
Trouble is, I just canât.
Without Klopp itâs already starting to feel like an increasingly homogenised âproductâ. The managers just seem like emotionless robots, scared to say anything because they know the media will be all over them. Iâm absolutely sure itâs my age but I just canât get excited by more of the same.
The constant âmy clubâs better than yoursâ bitch fest, the continued enshittification of possession-based âletâs make it like mathsâ football (clever as it is) whining from managers, VAR controversy, Man Utd are back, no theyâre not, yes they are, and the inevitable City win.
Even the kits are sh*t this year. Itâs starting to feel like every goal looks the same, curled one into the top corner? Seen it mate. Plucky underdogs holding out for a spawny 1-0 win? Yep â but itâll be a one-off. Promoted clubs going straight back down you say? No shit Sherlock.
Tom (just wanted to use the word enshittification really)
READ: The Premier League is like Budweiser: Gassy, hollow and soulless
Cloggers have killed the mavericks
Really found myself agreeing with Moses reading most of his email. However, where we differ is his yearning for a âtackleâ and âpassionâ.
The main reason, I think, we donât have so many mavericks is that the cloggers are still in charge. Think about it, when you say tackle and passion, what I think you mean is kicking someone up in the air and I just cannot get with that.
The very reason the skillz are in decline is due to the players getting kicked shitless and everyone allowing it because âitâs a fackin contact sport you soft cantâ.
Football is NOT a contact sport, contact is incidental and the sooner the authorities realise this the better. Anyone who goes to ground head on into a tackle should be sent off immediately.
My point is shit players are allowed to assault talented players, still, in 2024. But no thatâs not cheating, thatâs being a man right? Yeah, a toxic moronic man who masks his lack of skill by kicking others.
Just ask Ryan Shawcross, Paul Robinson, Kevin Nolan, Kevin Davies etc etc
Fat Man (Jude went abroad so as to have a long career not getting kicked by the spawn of Shawcross)
Aye aye aye aye aye captain
I read the earlier post from John, LFC about Liverpool currently having 5 national captains in their squad and it reminded me of something I have known for over 40 years but have never had the right opportunity to share it. Iâve waited and waited patiently and it has never come up in any pub quizzes but finally I can share this amazing stat:- In the early 80âs Southampton fielded 5 players in the same team that had captained England. Those players? Peter Shilton; Mick Mills; Alan Ball; Kevin Keegan and Mick Channon.
Simon, Southampton
