News: The 2018/19 Season Preview, Discussion & Review Thread [R]

Full 2018-19 Prem schedule

www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/11401291/manchester-united-fixtures-premier-league-201819

A very manageable schedule all the way around, and one which should allow us to have a good start. If we have any real aspirations to the title, definitely can not fall behind early.

 

All #MUFC's 2018/19 @PremierLeague fixtures in one place, just for you. pic.twitter.com/ExLr5Q5SS2

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 14, 2018

December including start of year is a brutal schedule in terms of number if games.

 

Excellent. Two games at OT right after Christmas.

 

Will Mourinho overcome his 3rd season Syndrome wth United?

www.mufclatest.com/third-season-syndrome-is-there-a-hoodoo-that-jose-mourinho-must-overcome/

 

Mou not happy about scheduling of games following Champions League;

https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/15/jose...e-liverpools-favourable-fixture-list-7632696/

 

Jose Moaninho.[emoji6]

 

#MUFC's televised @PremierLeague fixtures for August and September have been confirmed...

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 6, 2018

 

The squad flies to the US in 3 days and we really haven't improved our starting 11 at all. Not good.

 

I really don't mind actually that the tour will be comprised mainly of young and fringe players. For the younger players, on top of getting a great experience, for some like AP, Timmy and others who are right there in terms of making the squad, it's a perfect opportunity to definitely show Mourinho that they belong and must be given serious consideration this season.
Same goes for Martial: I would hope he uses the tour to make some kind of statement and not sulk or angle for a move. As far as new players, the moves are coming: pity they couldn't have been completed by now, but with the WC in the way, it was never going to be easy. Woodward still has a month to make things happen.

 

We complain Jose doesn't use youth, he brought a lot on the tour.
He does not like having big squads. So we added Fred and lost Carrick.

Jose I guess believes in this group. That is my questioning of him.

 

I'd be fine with that if I actually thought he intended on using guys like TFM and AP next season. I don't believe he will. He'll ride guys like Valencia, Pogba, Matic, and Lukaku until the wheels fall off.

Also, it's not like our problem last season was just our depth. Our starting 11 is not better than City and arguably not better than Chelsea or Pool. We need to fix our starting 11 and so far we've only added Fred, who may or may not be an upgrade on Herrera.

 

Guys Timmy or AP have an opportunity, that's it really. All we can hope for is that their displays on tour leave Mourinho with some options and the ability to not rely on the same core group of players.
What he decides to do thereafter, ie if his stubborn streak continues and it leads to the team underperforming again, then it's all on him. And it will end up with him losing his job, in all likelihood.
As far as new players coming, let's see where we stand in mid August once the transfer window is shut and the season starts. But it stands to reason that we are not done yet, not by a longshot.
City don't need to reinforce to still be favorites, but apart from Pool (and to a lesser extent Arsenal), what have Spurs or Chelsea done to improve themselves? They've arguably done less than us, but they too are nowhere near done with their transfer business...

 

When I question coaching decisions, I always put myself back in place saying look I see a game a week of this player, but Mou and the coaching staff see that player how he eats, sleeps, talks to others, plays, trains, etc...

 

That's precisely why I hope that the young/fringe guys who will be on tour, will take every opportunity to impress Mourinho in any way they can, starting with how they behave themselves, all the way to their complete commitment levels to the team and also the game itself.
That's all they can do. The rest is completely on Mourinho and the rest of the staff, to not just take notice, but also make use of any tool at their disposal to make the team better, when it's all said and done.

 

You guys are overlooking the importance of integrating new 1st team players into the squad in pre-season. It takes time to build relationships with teammates/coaches, understand tactics, responsibilities, etc. This is why its so important to get business done before pre-season (which we haven't).

Just look at Sanchez last season. He came in the winter and looked absolutely lost for the first handful of games. He was pressing when nobody else was and looked lost at what the team shape and tactics were supposed to be. That's shit that you work out in preseason so everyone is on the same page.

 

Not overlooking anything tbh, but it is a fact that the WC has been in the way of completing business early for most teams (as is always the case in summers with intl tournaments really).
It's not ideal, nor is it anything new. And again, it's something that affects other teams, not just us. Anyone signing players who participated in the WC, as it's likely to happen in the coming weeks, will be behind integrating them into their squads. It's everyone's lot this summer.
One way to counter that, in the early going at least, is to count more in other players who haven't participated in the WC or who haven't signed late.

 

Obviously the World Cup is going on and is holding up any deal we can make. We also have no idea what’s going on behind the scenes(Ed has done a good job recently of keeping things quiet so we probably won’t know if we are signing anyone until it’s imminent). Let’s wait until Aug 10th before we freak out.

 

While I actually care for and appreciate strong and sound defensive play, we better hope that we'll pick things up on the offensive end a few notches.
With Sarri now being Chelsea's manager, they are another team in the Prem (and one of our direct competitors) who will be playing a positive brand of football. City, Spurs, Pool, Chelsea and even Arsenal still with Emery, all of them check that box. Everyone except us and it's something that better be addressed this season.
Said it before and nothing has changed: we know Mourinho to be a pragmatic manager, but we used to see frequently (particularly prior to his Real days) that his teams, while very organized, could still be strong going forward and score ton of goals. That's the Mourinho we want at United.

 

Who are the top 5 proactive, attacking sides, and the top 5 reactive, defensive sides, in club football today (or let's say 2017/18)? Bearing in mind that international football is a very different animal as teams spend far less time together, coordinating the press, tightening up player positioning in and out of possession.

 

I expect Mou to start in the EPL with a lot of familiar faces rather than trust/gamble on the youngsters (with such a short/incomplete pre-season).

The plus side is we have a number of established players who werent in the WC; Mata, Herrera, Martial, Shaw, Valencia, Bailly, Sanchez, Smalling etc.

Whilst would be great to have a 100% start, the start of the EPL is mostly about getting some momentum (eg >2 points ave) and not getting into a crisis.

Wont judge Mou so much on quality of first 5 games, just results. This season though for me he will have to deliver better quality football than the stuff we have had to date and that better start in the autumn.

 

First press conference was a fail.
So far transfer business has been a fail
and Jose still has his 3rd season meltdown pending.

Welp.

 

Why Uniteds odds to win the title are the longest they've been since 1991.

www.football365.com/news/manchester-uniteds-longest-title-odds-the-reasons-why

Truth is, as things stand, our hopes for the title are slim to none. Unless some major mishap befalls City (and probably Pool as well), can't imagine us really contending, since we really haven't done enough to close the gap. It's a sad state of affairs, but it is what it is.
A top 4 finish and CL secured once again for the following season, would be a solid accomplishment under the circumstances (a likely fierce fight for the top 4 spots, with 6 teams involved in it).

 

I've just watched It Follows. Never will there be a better analogy for the sense of dread that will precede every match day this upcoming season.

Especially now Fellaini's signed a new contract. Come minute 58, the sweats will start kicking in...