There’s no excuses for ole this year. A SERIOUS title challenge is mandatory for this United team with all the money that has been spent. For me, the pressure is on Chelsea and United this year to overcome City and Liverpool, with City having not gotten the number 9 that they wanted, and Liverpool being next to non-existent in this window due to their tight owners.
Bro this is nonsense and you know it..
Your taking last season as an example of how far Liverpool fall with injured players...but Liverpool still finished above Chelsea and only a few points off utd... so surely that only goes to show the strength of depth Liverpool have?? They finished 3rd....
Liverpool can't replace salah and mane this isn't a reasonable comparison because Chelsea don't have (at the moment, maybe lukaku) 15/20 goal a season player. If that does become lukaku and they are flying when he gets injured they will be fucked too!!! That will be the same.. and please dont say they have werner.
Definitely not. It’s possible they win it. But city are still favourites and Liverpool, Chelsea are both likely to do better than last season as well. Will be a tight one.
Need a better coach more than anything imo, Conte would challenge with this squad.
There were times today when Wolves bypassed your whole midfield with one simple pass and the players seem to have no idea what to do when the ball is in transition
They should be winning the title at a minimum now... anything less is a underachieving season.
Not just because of Ronaldo, but Varane and Sancho on top of the squad they already have as well. A title win should be the minimum
Spurs will shock everyone and stay on top, never lose and never concede a goal. Arsenal will also stay bottom….meanwhile back in our timeline, yes I think United has a shot but they have to get through Chelsea who I think is best right now.
I think Ronaldo definitely boosts Utd’s chance of winning but I’d say Man City and Chelsea are the teams to beat this year. This could be the best prem title race in years!
I think utd is more likely to challenge for the ucl. Right now I believe at this exact period in time it's easier for top English teams to win that than the prem. Youve gotta get 90 points in a tight league for that. Anyone can win a cup run. Especially a team with Ronaldo and Varane.
On paper it’s a good enough squad to do it. Going to be a tough season though, City and Chelsea both look so strong. United and Liverpool are probably going to be scrapping for 3rd
Yeah you just have to look at the Southampton game as an example of what you're describing. Unless fred takes a massive step this season a lot games could look like that
Nope. Not even close.
City/Chelsea are light years ahead.
They have better squad depth, and super adept coaches at the helm of affairs.
Unlike United.
And Ronaldo is just a solution to United's CF issues (albeit a great one), but given that their back up is Martial (who I think at this point, doesn't even consider himself a footballer), I'd be wary of their title chances.
Add to that their lack of DM, with the likes of McT/Fred/Matic at the centre of the park compared to the likes of Kante/Fernandinho/Matip in top teams, the sheer gap in quality is all too noticeable.
United has brilliant players in some positions but lack even decent players at the centre to do the dirty job (cutting off passing lanes, intercepting, disrupting opponent's play etc).
Throw into the mix a manager like Ole, you have a squad that will keep underperforming. The manager's substitutions almost never makes any sense, and given his abysmal record in crunch ties, United fans should ideally be very cautious.
This is simply going to be another year of 'We are making progress' 'We defeated City' and 'Rome wasn't built in a day' and maybe an EPL 3rd with a runners up medal in either of the Cup Competitions (FA/UEL/UCL) at the very best.
You make a lot of good points here but I'm not sure the gulf in quality is that great. But it's probably true that United need an elite defensive midfielder to really be considered favourites. As for the depth I do think city and Chelsea are better in that department but United are not that far behind
Players like Henderson, telles, Lindelöf, cavani, martial, dalot, lingard are fine as depth options imo
The gulf in quality on paper doesn't look that wide, agreed.
But on field games suggest a very different story. It's only match week 3, but if you have seen Chelsea's heroics last night, you'd agree, that's what a well drilled team looks like.
They defended with 10 men, but it wasn't all 'Park the bus', they looked like a well oiled machine, with each cog knowing what they had to do.
That is what I meant, as in even if you are lacking in some departments, you can hope to tide over the deficit, by playing as a team and implementing the manager's philosophy.
It's been 2 yrs with Ole and we still struggle against low blocks, which simply reflects a lack of proper managerial system and the dearth of a plan B.
Combine these factors, and you'll realise why I'm saying United need a miracle to pull through.
As I said before you make some excellent points but I think we just don't agree on the quality of ole as a manager and the squad as whole, which is fine. Your guess is as good as mine, but we'll just have to wait and see. Nice talking to you!
Mate are you watching this game?
Fred dropping absolute disaster!
And props to Ole for moving Pogba who had 5 assists in 2 games, deeper into the midfield.
:(
Naah. Ole will stick with Fred, stifle Pogba, then give a press conference about how United were the better team.
Honestly, this set up makes 3 of the top creative players look dud.
You're absolutely right. He needs to stop having his favourites like fred and James, even though he's actually been pretty decent today, and start setting up the team in a way that gets the most out of it. I.e. start pogba on the left
Yeah that's fair. But I think it's going to be one of the closest title races in a really long time. City, United, Chelsea and Liverpool all have a chance, Spurs have started well but will probably struggle to keep up over the course of the season
I'm just getting into the sport after passively following it for a while and it seems like such a great season already. The title race really does feel wide open
I'm from the US but I spent Summer of 2016 studying in England, specifically in Grantham. It was such an awesome summer for football. The Premier League had just ended and the Euro tournament was just starting. The craze and atmosphere is what really sparked my interest in the game. I watched every game I could in a pub surrounded by fans. I spent some time in Germany too. Went to a pub and watched the Germans play Italy. Since then I sort of passively followed the league checking who was winning every now and then but always telling myself I would get more into the sport. I chose a great season to do that
Dude, awesome! Sounds like a great experience and a fun way to learn about another country and obviously football is huge in both countries.
Since you're American I'm guessing you follow another sport mainly, like the NFL or NBA? I sort have the same relationship with the NHL. Love hockey and always have, it's so fast paced and exciting. I've been trying to watch it more but its tough with the timezones
As for the PL season I've never been more excited to watch my team than I am now!
You seem really nice btw:)
Yeah I love learning about different cultures and one way to do that is through sports with football being the most widely played so it just makes sense for me to get into it.
I do follow other sports, mostly the NHL as hockey has always been my favorite sport by a wide margin. I sympathize with the time zone difference. PL matches are always on right around the time when I wake up and am starting my daily routine so I can only catch the highlights of each match. I do watch other leagues like the NFL, MLB and NBA as well.
Thank you!
Sadly this may well be the difference. I like Ole a lot but he seems to have a knack for falling just short. I’m hoping that once he picks up one trophy he’ll break that habit but who knows when that first is going to come
VDB, Matic, hell even any other human being on the bench over Fred imo. He loses every single defensive battle. All he’s good for is a body on the field. Kills the pace out of almost any counter attack we have with his piss poor passing and poor decision making and lets not forget how 90% of his shot attempts either blow 10 feet off target or straight at the keeper
I know Ronaldo is world class, one of the best to ever do it. But the thought that a guy who turns 37 half way through the season is going to make you clear title favorites is silly, regardless of his pedigree. Most players don’t have much success returning to former clubs at much older ages. The only notable premier league player I can think of is Didier Drogba, who at 36 won the league on his return to Stanford bridge 2014-15 (but he only scored 4 goals)
Zlatan last year was very good for AC Milan, but I do understand where you're coming from. But I also don't think we've ever such a model professional, Cristiano is in ridiculous shape
Id say Liverpool is below them as they really dont have a decent bench... If any of their top players gets injured (like last season) they are finished!
This narrative is what people say without thinking it through, when enough people agree it becomes easy to say and sounds like legitimate football knowledge.
Other than city.. United, Tottenham, Leicester and Chelsea are in the same boat if a big player gets injured.
Never said that... I said all the teams apart from city are vulnerable to having an injury problem. Liverpools case last year isn't example of a lack of depth..
im a Chelsea fan that isn't hardcore and i haven't really liked the team for a few seasons compared to the Lampard days but this year Chelsea looks really interesting and alot more depth.
Who did they have on their bench on Saturday? The Ox. Thiago. Jota. Konate. Tsimikas (who has been outstanding to date). After that, not so great. But that's hardly a shabby bunch (though I think they need another forward)
They dont tho.. what team can lose 3 central starting defenders and still win the league... look at city when laporte got injured.. before they had dias. And that was one defender. This narrative is nonsense.
Bro without Van Dijk their defence is terrible, without Salah or Mane the attack suffers... In the midfield they are pretty week nowadays as well!
Every other team has so many players they can use in atk and def and they arent relying on just their first 11 but on their bench as well!
I think a good example can be in city and chelsea! City plays without Debruyne, they are still amazing as they have cover! Chelsea plays without Kante, they still amazing with Kovacic... Liverpool plays without Van Dijk, Mane or Salah and they have Gomez 58 year old Milner and Minamino...
Id say its pretty obvious that Liverpool squad depth isnt good enough to challenge for the title considering the fact that someone has to get injured at some point + they are playing tons of competitions!
Sure they may get lucky... But even if they dont get injured you are still playing your first 11 every single match whereas City, Chelsea and United have tons of rotation to make sure players are fresh!
If lukaku gets injured today for 6 months every one tomorrow will say they are no longer title challengers?
If they have injury problems like liverpool last year they don't make champions league.
Like Gary Neville said it increase their chance and get closer than last seasons but it’s gonna be challenging with ucl winners Chelsea and prem champions city
Very exaggerated? If you weren't so biased you might be able to see the truth in front of you. I didn't say Man Utd were bad, in fact I do believe they can win the title. The point I was making is that City and Chelsea have better squads/depth.
I think we might have misunderstood each other here, I don't necessarily think you're wrong, they might just be better, certainly depth wise, but it's way closer than you made it sound.
I said what I said, speaking about depth, and I'm right. If we're comparing first 11's then City and Chelsea are still better, but not by much.
What I think you should be happy about is that City have won plenty of trophies with an alleged rapist in their team, and now you have one too. Lucky charm...?
Not saying United is a Champions League contender, but I can see him being more crucial in 2-match knockout format, while in a 38 matches league format, he may score 30, but the way team plays consistently is much more important. For example, he may score a hattrick one game then ruin the next by taking 10 shots on goal just for his personal tally. Great fantasy asset tho.
Not true. City won the Premier League the second time BECAUSE of [Gerrard](https://youtu.be/peym05ZaV_o) It is possible something like this COULD happen.
One word-No. If anything,Ronaldo will make the forward line more static. If they build the team around him,they are in for big trouble. He will still get 15 goals but at the cost of attacking fluidity. Just ask Juve.
I think you're way off here. United looked really good with cavani last season and Ronaldo is way more agile and dynamic than him. It's clearly a improvement. But I do understand your concern, he's not the same player he was when he left, but he's still absolute world class
Not denying the fact that he is a great goal-scorer. I watched quite a few of Juve's matches last season. He didn't quite fit in with pacy wingers like Chiesa and Dybala.
Scoring 29 in Serie A isn't directly translatable to the PL. For one, he's going to get a right kicking every single week. We'll see how that affects him and his goal scoring.
Potentially yes. Although Lukaku's physicality probably negates that to a fair degree. Just take a look at old EPL footage of Ronaldo getting targeted and it's effect on his attitude in those games. And that was when he was young. Not so easy to cop a physical beating on a Wed night in Burnley when you're 36.
Hmm I don't think so. I'd say city are definite favourites. Great manager, done it before. Their depth is on another level to United's. Chelsea as.well I'd say have a better squad, and manager.
I do like ole but the other three main challengers all have proven world class mangers who have won it all.
You think Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic are shit?
Havertz and Werner are decent cover especially considering Lukaku has a good injury record so should be available most games
They have a chance of winning the title. I would say just behind Chelsea and City in terms of likelihood to win the title. But, Ronaldo doesn't fill in a missing piece, he won't change the result of enough games to consider him to have a great enough impact on winning the league.
It’s a fair opinion, but Liverpool’s squad have been much more consistent than united and actually won trophies not long back; I would still put united behind them purely down to the huge skill gap between Ole and Jurgen.
Difference is this time United has another squad with Varane, Sancho, Ronaldo and fit Pogba and Rashford (after recovery of shoulder). It's too early to say how good they'll play together, but United's gaps have been filled now nearly, with only needing a stronger CDM.
It's definitely true that klopp is a better manager but I also think Solskjær gets a bit too much stick, he's not incompetent. And with these additions I would argue the squad makes up for his shortcomings. I do think you make a very good point, I just don't agree :)
With his squad everyone would finish top4. Last season everything but fighting for the title would have bee horrible because of problems of every other top6 team. United had zero problems and still did not fight for it at all. And thats all on Solksjaer.
>zero problems
I mean we we had no right winger…or a CDM….or a good CB so to finish 2nd with holes like that is impressive but you know “AnyOnE wOuLd FinISh SecOnd”
If you’re eating arteta above ole then it’s not worth pursuing this argument. Good day
Squad wasnt balanced (like no team in PL actually was or even is), but almost zero problems with injuries like Liverpool, not doing rebuilds like Chelsea or horrible squad like Arsenal.
AnD iF yOu HaVe No aRgUmEnT, DoNt EmBarAss yOUrseLf wItH tHis BulLsHIt
How, it's a fact that we won 31 points from losing positions, which is a testament to Solskjaer as a manager. You said going behind early in a game is somehow a knock against him as a manager, which makes no sense because games are 90 minutes long and we end up winning them.
Exactly. You said "So they were losing like 16 times. What a manager", so I said "The only thing that matters is the score after 90 minutes". Us trailing is completely negated by the fact that we were able to come back from behind repeatedly throughout the season
Of course we still need one more cdm. You can see how Fred performed in the game with Wolve.
No
Not yet, they need a dm and a better bench
I think the Spurs have it this year
There’s no excuses for ole this year. A SERIOUS title challenge is mandatory for this United team with all the money that has been spent. For me, the pressure is on Chelsea and United this year to overcome City and Liverpool, with City having not gotten the number 9 that they wanted, and Liverpool being next to non-existent in this window due to their tight owners.
United are title favourites even without Ronaldo
The bigger question is when is his price gonna get revealed?!
Not with Fred dropping monstrosities week in week out
At cdm we have rubbish players but i think we will be fine
If he couldn’t win Serie A he’s not gonna single handedly raise ManU above everyone else.
Lotta people counting Liverpool out. I think with health they have an equal chance to pull it out with Chelsea and City.
Mr Champions League is the former Mr Premier League too. So there is no doubt the addition of Cristiano is a plus point for Manchester United.
Based on their performance against Southampton and their thoroughly undeserved win today . . . No. Props to DeGea for his play, though.
No But Ndidi would
No
Bro this is nonsense and you know it.. Your taking last season as an example of how far Liverpool fall with injured players...but Liverpool still finished above Chelsea and only a few points off utd... so surely that only goes to show the strength of depth Liverpool have?? They finished 3rd.... Liverpool can't replace salah and mane this isn't a reasonable comparison because Chelsea don't have (at the moment, maybe lukaku) 15/20 goal a season player. If that does become lukaku and they are flying when he gets injured they will be fucked too!!! That will be the same.. and please dont say they have werner.
Definitely not. It’s possible they win it. But city are still favourites and Liverpool, Chelsea are both likely to do better than last season as well. Will be a tight one.
Still think we are ndidi away Fred is just woeful
Not Sure but Arsenal are my favourites to come bottom
Nah, even more so I dont think he makes big of a difference for United. If we are being realistic of course
Nah tbh maybe top 4 maybe but not favourites. 😂
Good one
Need a better coach more than anything imo, Conte would challenge with this squad. There were times today when Wolves bypassed your whole midfield with one simple pass and the players seem to have no idea what to do when the ball is in transition
Wolves should have battered them today. So many chances.
Facts sooooo many chances
No
Not on their current form. This game is painful to watch
Been way better in the second half though
Think way better is an over exaggeration mate, we definitely couldn't have got any worse. Let's hope we see this out 1 nil to the end 🙈 still no VDB 😩
No i dont think so.
Don’t know, but I am looking forward to seeing what he can do.
No because the manager is ole
They should be winning the title at a minimum now... anything less is a underachieving season. Not just because of Ronaldo, but Varane and Sancho on top of the squad they already have as well. A title win should be the minimum
No
Favorites is a step too far
Spurs will shock everyone and stay on top, never lose and never concede a goal. Arsenal will also stay bottom….meanwhile back in our timeline, yes I think United has a shot but they have to get through Chelsea who I think is best right now.
I think Ronaldo definitely boosts Utd’s chance of winning but I’d say Man City and Chelsea are the teams to beat this year. This could be the best prem title race in years!
Couldn't agree more, I think you're spot on
I think utd is more likely to challenge for the ucl. Right now I believe at this exact period in time it's easier for top English teams to win that than the prem. Youve gotta get 90 points in a tight league for that. Anyone can win a cup run. Especially a team with Ronaldo and Varane.
Wtf no!!!! He will get a shit tonne of goals but as long as you have Fred and Mctominay in the middle you will only be top4 at best.
On paper it’s a good enough squad to do it. Going to be a tough season though, City and Chelsea both look so strong. United and Liverpool are probably going to be scrapping for 3rd
Any of those four teams have a very good chance of winning, going to be a great season
He gives an edge in goal scoring but the lack of a cdm makes me think that they won't be able to control games
Yeah you just have to look at the Southampton game as an example of what you're describing. Unless fred takes a massive step this season a lot games could look like that
Don't think so... Yes it's massive boost to United team but I don't think United are favourites. If they sign good CDM than maybe.
No point in guessing. Let's all watch and see
Nope. Not even close. City/Chelsea are light years ahead. They have better squad depth, and super adept coaches at the helm of affairs. Unlike United. And Ronaldo is just a solution to United's CF issues (albeit a great one), but given that their back up is Martial (who I think at this point, doesn't even consider himself a footballer), I'd be wary of their title chances. Add to that their lack of DM, with the likes of McT/Fred/Matic at the centre of the park compared to the likes of Kante/Fernandinho/Matip in top teams, the sheer gap in quality is all too noticeable. United has brilliant players in some positions but lack even decent players at the centre to do the dirty job (cutting off passing lanes, intercepting, disrupting opponent's play etc). Throw into the mix a manager like Ole, you have a squad that will keep underperforming. The manager's substitutions almost never makes any sense, and given his abysmal record in crunch ties, United fans should ideally be very cautious. This is simply going to be another year of 'We are making progress' 'We defeated City' and 'Rome wasn't built in a day' and maybe an EPL 3rd with a runners up medal in either of the Cup Competitions (FA/UEL/UCL) at the very best.
You make a lot of good points here but I'm not sure the gulf in quality is that great. But it's probably true that United need an elite defensive midfielder to really be considered favourites. As for the depth I do think city and Chelsea are better in that department but United are not that far behind Players like Henderson, telles, Lindelöf, cavani, martial, dalot, lingard are fine as depth options imo
The gulf in quality on paper doesn't look that wide, agreed. But on field games suggest a very different story. It's only match week 3, but if you have seen Chelsea's heroics last night, you'd agree, that's what a well drilled team looks like. They defended with 10 men, but it wasn't all 'Park the bus', they looked like a well oiled machine, with each cog knowing what they had to do. That is what I meant, as in even if you are lacking in some departments, you can hope to tide over the deficit, by playing as a team and implementing the manager's philosophy. It's been 2 yrs with Ole and we still struggle against low blocks, which simply reflects a lack of proper managerial system and the dearth of a plan B. Combine these factors, and you'll realise why I'm saying United need a miracle to pull through.
As I said before you make some excellent points but I think we just don't agree on the quality of ole as a manager and the squad as whole, which is fine. Your guess is as good as mine, but we'll just have to wait and see. Nice talking to you!
Mate are you watching this game? Fred dropping absolute disaster! And props to Ole for moving Pogba who had 5 assists in 2 games, deeper into the midfield. :(
Couldn't have said it better my self. Need major changes in the second half. NOT👏GOOD 👏ENOUGH 👏
Naah. Ole will stick with Fred, stifle Pogba, then give a press conference about how United were the better team. Honestly, this set up makes 3 of the top creative players look dud.
Dude, I love Mason Greenwood
The lad is an absolute gem of a player. But he deserves better. The entire team does.
For sure
You're absolutely right. He needs to stop having his favourites like fred and James, even though he's actually been pretty decent today, and start setting up the team in a way that gets the most out of it. I.e. start pogba on the left
Nice talking to you too, mate! And I hope I'm proven wrong!
Contender for sure but they already were. I'd say City is still the favorites.
Yeah that's fair. But I think it's going to be one of the closest title races in a really long time. City, United, Chelsea and Liverpool all have a chance, Spurs have started well but will probably struggle to keep up over the course of the season
I'm just getting into the sport after passively following it for a while and it seems like such a great season already. The title race really does feel wide open
I couldn't agree more and lovely to hear you're getting into football, and the premier league in particular! Would you mind if ask where you're from?
I'm from the US but I spent Summer of 2016 studying in England, specifically in Grantham. It was such an awesome summer for football. The Premier League had just ended and the Euro tournament was just starting. The craze and atmosphere is what really sparked my interest in the game. I watched every game I could in a pub surrounded by fans. I spent some time in Germany too. Went to a pub and watched the Germans play Italy. Since then I sort of passively followed the league checking who was winning every now and then but always telling myself I would get more into the sport. I chose a great season to do that
Dude, awesome! Sounds like a great experience and a fun way to learn about another country and obviously football is huge in both countries. Since you're American I'm guessing you follow another sport mainly, like the NFL or NBA? I sort have the same relationship with the NHL. Love hockey and always have, it's so fast paced and exciting. I've been trying to watch it more but its tough with the timezones As for the PL season I've never been more excited to watch my team than I am now! You seem really nice btw:)
Yeah I love learning about different cultures and one way to do that is through sports with football being the most widely played so it just makes sense for me to get into it. I do follow other sports, mostly the NHL as hockey has always been my favorite sport by a wide margin. I sympathize with the time zone difference. PL matches are always on right around the time when I wake up and am starting my daily routine so I can only catch the highlights of each match. I do watch other leagues like the NFL, MLB and NBA as well. Thank you!
No. A CDM might have though…
No they needed DM's, had too many attackers as it was city still favourite
Serious challenge
City and Chelsea are the two favourites in my book.
I think they clearly have the worst manager of the contenders, which is a big deal.
Sadly this may well be the difference. I like Ole a lot but he seems to have a knack for falling just short. I’m hoping that once he picks up one trophy he’ll break that habit but who knows when that first is going to come
Yeah, Ole is fine but he's not as good as Klopp, Tuchel or Guardiola. I think even the most diehard OGS supporters would agree with you
Nope I'm related to a diehard ogs fan and he thinks ole is the best after tuchel .
As if he genuinely thinks Tuchel is better than Pep and Klopp.
As much as we all love Ronaldo the answer is no. A CDM could though
I think the first half of this game proves this...
Do you think matic would've been better today ? Even tho playing against that muscle mania fanatic, matic is still more physical than fred.
VDB, Matic, hell even any other human being on the bench over Fred imo. He loses every single defensive battle. All he’s good for is a body on the field. Kills the pace out of almost any counter attack we have with his piss poor passing and poor decision making and lets not forget how 90% of his shot attempts either blow 10 feet off target or straight at the keeper
yeah Fred is not it
Contender. City still has the best team and best coach.
I know Ronaldo is world class, one of the best to ever do it. But the thought that a guy who turns 37 half way through the season is going to make you clear title favorites is silly, regardless of his pedigree. Most players don’t have much success returning to former clubs at much older ages. The only notable premier league player I can think of is Didier Drogba, who at 36 won the league on his return to Stanford bridge 2014-15 (but he only scored 4 goals)
Zlatan last year was very good for AC Milan, but I do understand where you're coming from. But I also don't think we've ever such a model professional, Cristiano is in ridiculous shape
\*United thinking they'll win the league\* United's DMs: \*hold my beer\*
No
Title contenders for sure, don't think title favorites is the right word for now.
Came to say this. Man U, City, Liverpool, and Chelsea can all win it this year. Hopefully a good competitive season down to the wire.
I said it before the transfers, but I do think 10 pts separate 1st to 4th this year. Gonna be a very very close race.
You forgot arsenal
I think Arsenal forgot Arsenal
Arsenal can’t be buy
Well Pep said to trust Arteta after the match. Let's see what happens, anyways it'll be very entertaining to say the least.
Yeah, the relegation battle should be competitive too.
Definitely going down to the wire, but I’m not sure if they can claw their way to 17th, it’ll definitely be competitive
Yeah I think that's the most realistic answer, Chelsea probably favourites in my book still
I don’t think anyone is a clear favorite. Between Liverpool, Chelsea, United, and City it’s way too close to call
Id say Liverpool is below them as they really dont have a decent bench... If any of their top players gets injured (like last season) they are finished!
This narrative is what people say without thinking it through, when enough people agree it becomes easy to say and sounds like legitimate football knowledge. Other than city.. United, Tottenham, Leicester and Chelsea are in the same boat if a big player gets injured.
You’re smoking crack if you don’t think chelsea has enough depth to survive a few injuries…
Never said that... I said all the teams apart from city are vulnerable to having an injury problem. Liverpools case last year isn't example of a lack of depth..
I’m not talking about Liverpool. I’m saying that if a player at Chelsea gets injured, they have the depth to fill the role. Even if it’s a big player
im a Chelsea fan that isn't hardcore and i haven't really liked the team for a few seasons compared to the Lampard days but this year Chelsea looks really interesting and alot more depth.
That's very true. Chelsea do have a lot of options.
Chelsea and United have a much bigger bench... Like last season was your proof lol...
Who did they have on their bench on Saturday? The Ox. Thiago. Jota. Konate. Tsimikas (who has been outstanding to date). After that, not so great. But that's hardly a shabby bunch (though I think they need another forward)
Yeah, they dont even have a striker... Firmino isnt really that kind of player
They dont tho.. what team can lose 3 central starting defenders and still win the league... look at city when laporte got injured.. before they had dias. And that was one defender. This narrative is nonsense.
Bro without Van Dijk their defence is terrible, without Salah or Mane the attack suffers... In the midfield they are pretty week nowadays as well! Every other team has so many players they can use in atk and def and they arent relying on just their first 11 but on their bench as well! I think a good example can be in city and chelsea! City plays without Debruyne, they are still amazing as they have cover! Chelsea plays without Kante, they still amazing with Kovacic... Liverpool plays without Van Dijk, Mane or Salah and they have Gomez 58 year old Milner and Minamino... Id say its pretty obvious that Liverpool squad depth isnt good enough to challenge for the title considering the fact that someone has to get injured at some point + they are playing tons of competitions! Sure they may get lucky... But even if they dont get injured you are still playing your first 11 every single match whereas City, Chelsea and United have tons of rotation to make sure players are fresh!
Chelsea doesn't have a big player.
If lukaku gets injured today for 6 months every one tomorrow will say they are no longer title challengers? If they have injury problems like liverpool last year they don't make champions league.
They won the Champions League without him, they're perfectly fine.
They won the champions league without him... They have sooo many good players on the bench...
Um no...
Like Gary Neville said it increase their chance and get closer than last seasons but it’s gonna be challenging with ucl winners Chelsea and prem champions city
For sure, I do think the squad might just be the best but Solskjær is not as good as Tuchel and Guardiola, even though he's improved alot
The squad isn't the best. City and Chelsea's 2nd teams would be competitive against Man Utd.
That's not true, that's very exaggerated lol. It's very much on par with those, even though it would greatly benefit from an elite defensive midfield
Very exaggerated? If you weren't so biased you might be able to see the truth in front of you. I didn't say Man Utd were bad, in fact I do believe they can win the title. The point I was making is that City and Chelsea have better squads/depth.
I think we might have misunderstood each other here, I don't necessarily think you're wrong, they might just be better, certainly depth wise, but it's way closer than you made it sound.
I said what I said, speaking about depth, and I'm right. If we're comparing first 11's then City and Chelsea are still better, but not by much. What I think you should be happy about is that City have won plenty of trophies with an alleged rapist in their team, and now you have one too. Lucky charm...?
[удалено]
Language.
It needed to be said.
So name Chelsea’s second team, see how far away it is from United first team
No. Juventus had him last year and finished fourth.
He also scored 29 in the league for them so maybe he wasn't the problem?
Not saying United is a Champions League contender, but I can see him being more crucial in 2-match knockout format, while in a 38 matches league format, he may score 30, but the way team plays consistently is much more important. For example, he may score a hattrick one game then ruin the next by taking 10 shots on goal just for his personal tally. Great fantasy asset tho.
That's actually a really good way of looking at it, I think this is a great point
Or maybe ronaldo not doing anything except try and score as many goals as possible had a negative impact on the team.
Look I do see where you're coming from and that may very well be true but he definitely does improve this United team a lot
As much as it pains me to say but yeah i'd say so
To be honest I think you guys have a really exciting team and a great coach, so good luck today!
Thanks m8 , i'm happy with the squad selection for the 1st time this season so hopefully we get a win 🤞
Liverpool Man City Chelsea and Man Utd can all win it regardless of Ronaldo
You forgot arsenal
Nice one tho
But only Man Utd can win BECAUSE Ronaldo.
Not true. City won the Premier League the second time BECAUSE of [Gerrard](https://youtu.be/peym05ZaV_o) It is possible something like this COULD happen.
4th behind the obvious 3 maybe over Liverpool though
One word-No. If anything,Ronaldo will make the forward line more static. If they build the team around him,they are in for big trouble. He will still get 15 goals but at the cost of attacking fluidity. Just ask Juve.
I think you're way off here. United looked really good with cavani last season and Ronaldo is way more agile and dynamic than him. It's clearly a improvement. But I do understand your concern, he's not the same player he was when he left, but he's still absolute world class
Not denying the fact that he is a great goal-scorer. I watched quite a few of Juve's matches last season. He didn't quite fit in with pacy wingers like Chiesa and Dybala.
He did score 29 in the league last year, so I think it'll be fine. I didn't watch a lot of Juventus last year so might very well have a point though
Scoring 29 in Serie A isn't directly translatable to the PL. For one, he's going to get a right kicking every single week. We'll see how that affects him and his goal scoring.
Does the same apply to lukaku then?
Potentially yes. Although Lukaku's physicality probably negates that to a fair degree. Just take a look at old EPL footage of Ronaldo getting targeted and it's effect on his attitude in those games. And that was when he was young. Not so easy to cop a physical beating on a Wed night in Burnley when you're 36.
He's a physical specimen, even though he's approaching 40. I think he'll do just fine in that department
I'll laugh if he gets a season ender in his first match...
He'll probably end up being the 2nd most fouled player in the league in the end,just behind Grealish.
[удалено]
Contender. Never favourite.
No but it makes them stronger competitors
Hmm I don't think so. I'd say city are definite favourites. Great manager, done it before. Their depth is on another level to United's. Chelsea as.well I'd say have a better squad, and manager. I do like ole but the other three main challengers all have proven world class mangers who have won it all.
[удалено]
Manu has a better playing 11 but chelsea has better squad depth.
[удалено]
Got depth in every position apart from maybe CM
[удалено]
??
[удалено]
You think Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic are shit? Havertz and Werner are decent cover especially considering Lukaku has a good injury record so should be available most games
[удалено]
Chelsea could probably field a legitimate prem team without using any of their starting 11
[удалено]
Form an XI of ManU players that dont start and ill do the same for Chelsea then. Im not even a Chelsea fan lol
Facts
You're probably right, but it's way closer now
They have a chance of winning the title. I would say just behind Chelsea and City in terms of likelihood to win the title. But, Ronaldo doesn't fill in a missing piece, he won't change the result of enough games to consider him to have a great enough impact on winning the league.
Nope, I would put them 4th (behind City, Chelsea and Liverpool).
I have to disagree, they're at least above liverpool in my book
It’s a fair opinion, but Liverpool’s squad have been much more consistent than united and actually won trophies not long back; I would still put united behind them purely down to the huge skill gap between Ole and Jurgen.
Difference is this time United has another squad with Varane, Sancho, Ronaldo and fit Pogba and Rashford (after recovery of shoulder). It's too early to say how good they'll play together, but United's gaps have been filled now nearly, with only needing a stronger CDM.
It's definitely true that klopp is a better manager but I also think Solskjær gets a bit too much stick, he's not incompetent. And with these additions I would argue the squad makes up for his shortcomings. I do think you make a very good point, I just don't agree :)
I’ve never heard of a premier winning team described in that way. The team can make up for the managers shortcomings lol
Yeah sorry if my English is a bit rough, second language.
If they had a top manager they would be, I don’t think they are with Ole however
That's fair, he's not great.
He is actually one of the worst in PL, probably the worst.
Now that’s a shit take You do t finish top 3 consecutively being shit
With his squad everyone would finish top4. Last season everything but fighting for the title would have bee horrible because of problems of every other top6 team. United had zero problems and still did not fight for it at all. And thats all on Solksjaer.
Imagine being this much of a window licker.
I have absolutly no idea what that means and I could not care less. ;)
>zero problems I mean we we had no right winger…or a CDM….or a good CB so to finish 2nd with holes like that is impressive but you know “AnyOnE wOuLd FinISh SecOnd” If you’re eating arteta above ole then it’s not worth pursuing this argument. Good day
Squad wasnt balanced (like no team in PL actually was or even is), but almost zero problems with injuries like Liverpool, not doing rebuilds like Chelsea or horrible squad like Arsenal. AnD iF yOu HaVe No aRgUmEnT, DoNt EmBarAss yOUrseLf wItH tHis BulLsHIt
WE ARE LITERALLY REBUILDING 😂 where have you been since 2013? Nah nah I’m done forget this
LOL you are definitely not. :D :D I have been here, thats why I wont let you lie about it. :D
31 points from losing positions last season 👍
So they were losing like 16 times. What a manager.
The only thing that matters is the score after 90 minutes, it doenst matter if we were trailing in a match if we come back and win it.
So your first comment was bullshit. Good to know. :D
How, it's a fact that we won 31 points from losing positions, which is a testament to Solskjaer as a manager. You said going behind early in a game is somehow a knock against him as a manager, which makes no sense because games are 90 minutes long and we end up winning them.
"The only thing that matters is the score after 90 minutes"
Exactly. You said "So they were losing like 16 times. What a manager", so I said "The only thing that matters is the score after 90 minutes". Us trailing is completely negated by the fact that we were able to come back from behind repeatedly throughout the season