Elanga is just not good. I know some people will say that he’s just a kid and he’s shown glimpses. I don’t think he’s show anything to say he’s good enough to make it here. I’d much rather we play Garnacho or Amad (I have major reservations about him as well, but at least he’s shown flashes).
Yeah, good technique needs to be a bare minimum now. Just having a grown-up’s body early isn’t a sign of a promising youngster. I’m hoping Zidane Iqbal sticks around for this reason - seeing him registered for the PL squad was a v good sign. I think he looks physically ready enough to play, and agile & technical enough to avoid unnecessary physical tussles while maintaining our high possession approach. As far as the striker goes - the worrying part is that other than PR37, I only remember Hannibal or Amad playing at 9 during preseason? And I don’t remember liking any of them there, even when Amad scored. I don’t like Bruno there, maybe Donny has the intelligence and isn’t going to be starting as a 10 anyway… It baffled me that Rash and Elanga didn’t get time at the 9. Maybe with Rash they know he needs retraining how he plays LW as it is, but that shouldn’t apply to Elanga given he’s no good as a winger for ETH.
Seeing some of Elangas shot attempts from last season, I’m not sure his finishing is up to chops to play as a backup 9. I remember a lot of soft, miss hit shots from Elanga last season.
The things Elanga is good at are so important to the whole team though. I think bar Martial in the right mood, Elanga is the best at occupying CBs. He is constantly making angled runs from one side of a CB towards the other CB, dragging the first one out of place and making room for our other attackers. Martial does it, Elanga does it... that's it. Everyone else only has eyes for the ball when they are making runs. I'm not making an argument for his inclusion, just stating what he brings. He didn't look technically out of his depth in the unders so I'm hoping he'll calm down and let the game come to him. He's scored some absolute belters with either foot in the unders and I wonder if he's just nervous/not mentally cut out for the bright lights.
The new manager / clean slate is particularly applicable to both the youngsters and a training ground style manager like ten Hag. If he cant get an EPL level performance from some if these younger players that stay, then deffo time to move them on.
I don’t think his runs are all that intelligent, but because he’s so fast defenders have to respect his speed getting in behind. I like having that threat on the field if he wasn’t such a black hole when he gets the ball. Similar to Chong, he offers no threat with the ball. There’s a place for guys like that if they have an outlier trait to make up for it like Pedro and his finishing or peak Lingards pressing. Elanga just has speed and not much else right now. Hopefully more develops but I just don’t see the flashes.
Respectfully, I'll agree to disagree. His movement is really good. His pace with the ball isn't really relevant when discussing him using that pace off the ball. I mean, it isn't like he becomes Maguire when he receives the ball. If he's beyond the defenders, they aren't really catching him.
His pace isn't really elite for this level though, even without the ball. It just depends on match ups. For example, the majority of PL have at least a couple of starting defenders who could keep pace with him given an even start. Just look at us. He's not appreciably faster than AWB, Malacia, Shaw or possibly Varane.
Looks like another manager we’re going to fail. It’s not his fault. He wants to play a certain way but doesn’t have the players to do it. Recruitment is nonexistent and owners/DOF failing to get the right players over the line. RR gets a lot of shit but he said it quite openly and everyone mocked him. Said we need to decide how we want to play, hire a manager that plays that way, and then bring in 8-10 new players that fit this style. We’ve done the first two and then decided bringing in a CB new to the league, 30 year old free transfer, and backup LB and expected the team to magically be better. Club failure top to bottom.
He bet big on signing de Jong, but he couldn't convince him. He couldn't sell Donny on playing as the 6, who knew it would burn him. He got Eriksen to play in that role today, but it backfired badly. Maybe he can coach Rabiot to play the role, but Rabiot has always been a bit part player. I don't think it's in him to quarter-back a team. IMO ten Hag needs to be far more pragmatic. He has to prove his worth as a coach by squeezing every damn thing he can get from the players he has available to him. If he can't do that, then he's not that great a coach.
Every coach has a style they play and will tweak slightly based on the squad. But you don’t see any managers that completely change their style based on the team and have success with it. ETH can’t get what he wants out of these players because they’re incapable of playing the modern day style used by the best managers…which is high intensity, high press, lots of movement off the ball, lots of possession, and a squad full of technical players. We have the most static team in the league, a midfield with players that struggle with possession and positioning, and an overall low intensity squad. And our overall technical level is atrocious (see McT, Shaw, AWB, etc). ETH is failing because he has a team full of players that were bought by managers that prefer to sit deep and defend (Jose and Ole) or play with slow methodical buildup (LvG). He doesn’t have the intelligent, high intensity, highly technical players that the good clubs have. Pep and Klopp would fail miserably with our squad.
He has to work with what he has. Klopp didn't have everything he wanted in place his first season at Liverpool. He finished 8th and reached the Europa final. Erik ten Hag has to make what he has works as best he can. No reason we can't finish at least 8th place and maybe win Europa. The best managers find a way.
That’s exactly how a bad club is run. Hire a manager known for playing a certain style, stick him with a team of guys that can’t play that style, and then don’t support him in the market to replace them. Brilliant.
I say go out like Ralf. Lay it plan to see how bad and lacking depth this team is. Beyond that here is my recommendation. Again, I say Donny and Martinez are your 6 and 8. Bench Maguire, if Varane and or Lindelof are healthy play them or one of them with Bailly. Bench Shaw. Go for broke and play with the guys who like your system and loan out the malcontents while there is still a window left. DDG Fred Bailly Varane Malacia Donnie Martinez Ericksen Bruno Ronaldo Rashford I got the formation from when France played in Euro 2000, it was the one they won, and they had Zidane with Deschamps Petit and Viera behind him.
Yeah I responded in another thread I just think we need somebody who can go forward and do something and is a little bit more useful back there we have the makings of a decent fullback if we combine our first and second option but I am really sitting here and I'm like you know maybe we can use Fred because the current ones aren't going to get the job done.
Same old story Erik ten Hag has pleaded with the #mufc board to sign some players before the transfer window closes #mulive [@hirstclass]— utdreport (@utdreport) August 14, 2022 Erik ten Hag’s advisors are furious that #mufc have let him down badly in the transfer market. His agents have been left disappointed that Ten Hag has been hung out to dry #mulive [@sbates_people]— utdreport (@utdreport) August 13, 2022 Erik ten Hag was promised #mufc would bring in five new players this summer #mulive [@sbates_people]— utdreport (@utdreport) August 13, 2022
That Twitter account claims there was an argument at Carrington on Thursday before the game. Also they said Cristiano unhappy with high press approach. Who wants to bet ten Hag hands in his resignation after Liverpool game? Cut his losses before this stuff starts make him look bad?
With the money they're paying him to be coach? Never. That's why coaches are fired, never resign. None of them have the integrity to do so or desire to lose out on the payday. They'll ride the ship to the ocean floor before they voluntarily leave.
Carragher dissected our playing out from the back issues on Sky. We leave 5 players very high which the oppo have to +1 with 6 players back. So we are 6 v 5 (ie +1) when playing out from the back, yet this season we have lost these battles nearly every frikin time. Then DDG bottles it and starts hoofing it to the area we are +1 down leading to the inevitable turnover in possession. Main criticism goes to the central players - which given the split CBs is DDG and the deepest CM - Fred first game and Eriksen last. All 6 players to blame though really, as with proper movement and accurate passing we should be able to maintain and spot the free man to progress.