Pogba would do better with a better class of 6 and Rome needs guy who has better ball control and speed up top with him
The personnel is only part of the problem indeed, but it's clearly not the biggest one as it's been suggested. Fred in midfield, should be eventually a big help in getting the best out of Pogba (and Matic as well, with his role being even more streamlined than before). And upfront, Lukaku has good partners upfront with him already and all we are missing is a top shelf right sided forward but Sanchez, Martial (if he stays) and Rashford are good components already at the club. The issue and I think it's been made crystal clear in this WC, with both Pogs and Lukaku's performances with France and Belgium as prime examples, is that the team's tactics have to change. The change is required in order to put them both (along with the rest of the attack) in an ideal position to succeed, by taking advantage of their strengths, ie athleticism and pace among other attributes. Something that most already knew but I don't think there's any debating this anymore tbh...
What is clear to me is that Lukaku would thrive with better movement from midfield and a proper threat alongside him. If he could play as RS and Martial/Rash or Sanchez could be LS, he could drift to the RW without us abandoning the striker position and it would create space for him or the other forward. Rom 1v1 on the wing is a win. The extra CB of a 352 would allow for Fred/Paul/Jesse to work as a midfield. The problem is that we are short quality CBs - I would be ok if Mourinho would use Blind or Tuanzebe as one of the CBs but he won’t so we’d be stuck with Rojo, Jones and Smalling playing a lot. I’d love this: —————Martial/Rashford————————-Lukaku/Sanchez —————————————Jesse/Sanchez LWB/Young———————————————————————-RWB/Valencia ——————————Pogba———————-Fred ——————-Blind——————-Bailly——————-Lindelof I could live with that particularly if Tuanzebe, Perreira and TFM get squaddie minutes that we wasted last year. With Ander, Fellaini and McT as reserves we would have enough bodies in midfield to play a 3 without any issues.
Good points. We have also shown to be very dangerous in a 352 and 343 this season. When does the preseason tour start?
The first game will be July 20 vs Club America, in Phoenix. The one benefit of this tour, in the early going at least, is that it will feature tons of young and fringe players (with all the WC guys still on vacation). I'm looking forward to see the likes of Timmy, Tuanzebe, AP among others playing major roles and hopefully doing plenty to impress Mourinho and the staff.
Last sentence was exactly what i was thinking. Plus hopful we get to see Alexis and Martial on the right and left side as they prove they can co-exist.
July in Arizona? I doubt we'll learn much beyond which of our reserves has the most powerful sweat glands. Indeed, looking at the forecast for the 20th, the temperature is expected to hit 105 degrees. This match is about making a boatload of cash from the locals and not a lot else.
The game will take place early evening for starters, so while still hot, it stands to reason that the temp will have dropped some by then. The real worry, from that point of view, will be the game 2 days later in Santa Clara at Levi's Stadium, which will kick off smack dab in the middle of the afternoon at 2pm. Something they seem to be doing every year and it just does not make much sense, but whatever, it is what it is. But about the original point, this tour as a whole, should be very beneficial to the young players, since there are lots of players, who because of their participation in the WC, who will not be able to show up until pretty late (if at all), I imagine. So those guys will have opportunities throughout the tour, not just in the first game or 2.... Not to mention the most important and obvious point as well and it's that the first 2 games vs Club America and San Jose will likely be nothing more than glorified training sessions anyhow. Just getting back into the swing of things, those games are primarily about building fitness for the latter games on tour, all the way to the start of the season.
Does anyone else miss the feel of these tours back when they started in 2003? They had dynamite atmospheres, and were against top level opposition.
By the way, through my work, I am able to get discounted tix to United-RM. Will need military grade binoculars or steal something from NASA but I will be there with my son!!!! of course i probably wont recognize half of the team but still...............
We still get to play top shelf oppo while on tour (more even probably) because of the ICC tournament. After the opening 2 games, we face AC Milan, Pool, Real and Bayern (the only game that will not take place in the US). That's as big as it gets. And the atmosphere is still there: obviously being a more regular thing now, it doesn't have the rare feeling it used to have, but it's getting bigger and bigger. The game at the Big House vs Real was absolutely nuts. And that's just one game among many.
If we can get even one wingback with consistently high quality delivery I would be fascinated to see how we'd get on in a back 3. Again, we need a CB with great ball playing skills, but if we had high quality crossing on one or both flanks and a lot of mobility in Fred, Jesse and Alexis / other, we could play to most of our strengths, no problem. Dalot's crossing looks to be a real strength of his, which is a positive, but we need more again. I'd prioritise delivery over defensive solidity, no question.
My game is about more than scoring goals - Lukaku www.espn.com/soccer/belgium/story/3558755/belgiums-romalu-lukaku-my-game-is-about-more-scoring-goals That clearly has been on evidence in the past couple of games. He might not have scored in either one of them, but his (enormous) influence in both of them has been remarkable nonetheless. He surely has a big part to play tomorrow against France, as he'll be the main guy counted upon to have to go after Varane and Umtiti and be a handful to them. Hopefully, he can find the way to the net, but I'll take another game like the one he had vs Brazil. Especially since Belgium are not short of scoring options.
Romelu Lukaku equals his 'hero,' and at a better pace ⚡ pic.twitter.com/hx7RJq2hid— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 2, 2018
Drogba was better and big match player plus he had an xcellent first touch and close control. Drogba over Lukaku anyday.
That's yet to be seen. Lukaku was much better than Drogba at the same age. Drogs didn't really develop until later in his career but I agree that peak Drogba is better than current day Lukaku.
DD and Lukaku are a very different kind of striker, each with their own strengths. DD was better technically, better touch and a better big game player. But I think Lukaku is better in open space or receiving on a counter and has a slight edge in the air imo. Lukaku seems a better flat track bully than DD ever was.
For example, I think Lukakus debut goal for us is classic Lukaku at his best. A great powerful run into space followed by a terrific one time finish.
We never saw DD till his peak. We have four years of Lukaku before he gets to his peak. If his movement off the ball gets better and his finishing more consistent, he could be a 30+ goal per season type. His crossing is also massively underrated. It is as usueful a secondary skill as can be had.
26 games. Involved in 33 goals. 👏 @RomeluLukaku9 pic.twitter.com/ZSDqqC6X07— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 13, 2018