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 it’s 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 doesn’t 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 Newcastle’s grasp, so there isn’t much money. In fact it’s 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 £25m a year, this plus the sales already made probably allows about £80m to be spent this window. Yoro and Zirkzee effectively take up all that budget leaving the club in a ‘sell to buy’ 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 don’t 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 ‘less than ideal players’ like Amrabat could be possible as stop-gap solutions.
Back to next season’s expectations, it appears from the first few pre-season games we’ll 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 can’t 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, you’re condemning the manager for being “rescued” 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 they’re 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 it’s sensible, he’s an excellent player and he’s 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 weren’t “lucky” in the FA Cup final. The City players were very clear that they weren’t suffering a hangover from celebrations; this isn’t 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. Doesn’t 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 “sign some players” and “start the season well”. Wow, move over Lampard, there’s a new guy in town.
Badwolf
…Not sure why Rami, Dubai has appointed himself the United fans’ Stewie Griffin, but I now sympathise with Arsenal supporters. It’s tedious, always hated the mentality “I’m a better supporter than you cause I criticise the club”… 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, it’s 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 won’t) Dublin
Generational what?
Lewis, Busby Way wrote about Slot as a successor to Klopp, and introduced (to me at least), the term “generational manager”. I have to admit, generational as a term foxes me. But let’s say it’s the best of every 15-20 years, and you’re only allowed one per generation?
Ferguson 1986-2013
Pep – 2008-
There’s 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? It’s like the term has been created because world-class wasn’t sufficient.
And don’t 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 Bellingham’s “meteoric rise” which got me thinking.
Where the hell does that phrase come from? Because meteors don’t 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 it’s just a silly and overused idiom but it’s really dumb. Soar like an eagle? Cheesy but makes sense. Rabid dog? Makes sense. Rising like….a meteor?
Little more on topic – 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 won’t be the same.
Whoever said that Liverpool will play like Klopp’s way until Jan then tail off clearly hasn’t seen any Slot matches as it’s totally different and more similar to Pep’s 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 he’s 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 can’t.
Without Klopp it’s already starting to feel like an increasingly homogenised ‘product’. The managers just seem like emotionless robots, scared to say anything because they know the media will be all over them. I’m absolutely sure it’s my age but I just can’t get excited by more of the same.
The constant ‘my club’s better than yours’ bitch fest, the continued enshittification of possession-based ‘let’s make it like maths’ football (clever as it is) whining from managers, VAR controversy, Man Utd are back, no they’re not, yes they are, and the inevitable City win.
Even the kits are sh*t this year. It’s 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 – but it’ll 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 “tackle” and “passion”.
The main reason, I think, we don’t 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 “it’s a fackin contact sport you soft cant”.
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 that’s not cheating, that’s 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. I’ve 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 80’s 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
