Shayve79

Rooney has a woeful win percentage of just 26.8% as a manager. He got benefit of the doubt at Derby due to them being in administration. Only 40 wins from 149 games as a manager is very poor.

Villa have a better squad than Newcastle and Spurs. Apart from Emi Martínez and Watkins, they have good cover for every other position. Serious depth in midfield. They have a good enough squad to run well in The Conference League and compete for top 4. I'd still be looking at another ST in January if were Emery though.

Newcastle had zero luck in terms of cup draws, which has made the schedule even more gruelling. They've done well to stay within reach of CL places when you look at the fixtures and take the injuries into account. Other teams like Man Utd have had injuries too. But their backup/squad players aren't Lascelles and Ritchie. Newcastle don't have the same depth as others. Both Newcastle and Spurs can't carry long term injuries well. They've already played: PL: Villa (H) City (A) Liverpool (H) Brighton (A) West Ham (A) Arsenal (H) Chelsea (H) Man Utd (H) Spurs (A) Cups: City (H) Milan (A) PSG (H) BVB (H) Man Utd (A) BVB (A) PSG (A) Milan (H) Chelsea (A)

3.5 days off to recover. That's manageable. Newcastle are actually one of the better equipped teams to face the directness/physicality of Luton. It should suit the likes of Burn and Lascelles. It's a matter of do Newcastle have enough quality/energy in attack. It will be tough if Gordon is ruled out.

Really impressed with this kid. He's got the right build and physical attributes to be a real midfield powerhouse. As he's still only 17, he has time to work on the technical side of his game. It's already more than decent. But he can add more key passes + goals to his game.

His head is gone. That Everton game really did a number on him mentally. It's now 3 direct errors leading to a goal across his last 4 appearances. And Son had the beating of him twice for two of the goals vs Spurs. He's been overplayed due to injuries. Burn is back now. Howe has to rotate him more. Trust Hall/Murphy to play more minutes at LB. Still, 8 assists this season. He just needs to get over this slump.

Howe has done a brilliant job overall. But he needs to find a way to play better away from home. Newcastle invited pressure in the 2nd half vs both PSG and Chelsea away. And while it was an unfair VAR call and player error that ultimately cost them, you're asking for trouble when you can't keep the ball for large spells. Also, I think he needs to trust his bench more. The players were dead on their feet in Paris. It would have been better to bring on a youngster or two for some energy instead of carrying corpses. Last night was the same. Hall or Murphy could have been brought on.

Modrić is a freak of nature. Literally. No other midfielder has had the longevity that he has. He's almost 38 and only starting to slow down since the turn of the year. Zidane, Xavi, Pirlo, etc. All retired or one the way out by 34/35. But not little Luka. His fitness levels are insane. Milner is the closest thing to him in England, and even he had to settle for a squad role a 2 years ago or so. Casemiro has a different body type. He's taller and heavier. His play style put more pressure on the body.

I disagree. His physicality is his biggest strength. Busquets and Rodri are high IQ players. Casemiro is not as technical, but has other qualities. I don't rate Bruno Fernandes. I think he's one of the most overrated players in world football. He plays too many Hollywood passes. It looks great when they come off, but he's also very wasteful. He's too emotional. He'd have an argument with himself if he could. Probably the most polarising player at the club. Eriksen is a tremendous footballer, but another stopgap. That's why United are being linked with the likes of Mount. Eriksen is not the best out of possession. He'll still be a good squad player and useful against low blocks at home.

I doubt it. Maybe 2 more seasons with technically better midfielders around him. Playing with Kroos and Modrić is what he's accustomed to. Casemiro is reliant on physical attributes more than technically ability or football IQ. He's struggled to get around the pitch since February. He has looked unfit since returning from suspension. He's been dribbled past a lot in recent games.

100%. They'll improve a lot if they replace De Gea and sign a reliable ST. They've won games that they looked dead and buried in as well. Leicester played them off the park at Old Trafford for about 30 mins... and then lost 3-0. Fulham had them on the ropes for long spells until the triple red cards. They blew a 2-0 lead vs Sevilla, which ended up being a heavy 5-2 aggregate defeat. You are never sure what will happen. Chelsea will probably play well tonight and still lose. Lol.

Phillips would be perfect for you. Tenacious, energetic and technically sound. Having Phillips and Bruno Guimarães as your DM options would be some serious depth.

Casemiro has been hit or miss. He had a slow start, a very good middle and a poor last few weeks (bar the odd game like Villa). At his age, he's likely to be an expensive stopgap. As a club that's used to winning PL titles and going far in The Champions League, a League Cup is nothing to write home about. Apart from Newcastle in the final, it was a run of fairly easy games. United have played every possible cup tie at home this season. That has helped, as the away form this season has been a big yikes. United have taken just 6 point from 33 vs the top 12 away this season. He's made Old Trafford a bit of fortress in comparison. ten Hag has done a good job overall, but I think fans are too quick to assume that he's going to a be a success long term. You need at least 86 points to win a PL these days. It's become a 90+ tally since Conte won the 16/17 title with Chelsea. Mourinho got the closest (81 points). Solskjaer failed miserably with very low points tallies that would usually be nowhere near the average for a 2nd or 3rd place PL team. Standards dropped under him. ten Hag looks amazing in comparison. But tbh, that 0-7 away defeat at Anfield would be a sackable offence at other European heavyweights such as Real, Bayern and even Chelsea (Abramovich era). It's as bad as Solskjaer being 5-0 down at half-time vs Liverpool at home. Two of the darkest days in the history of the football club. ten Hag has sacrificed his principles for short term success. United play with one of the lowest defensive lines in the league to protect De Gea. They don't press very high. He's done well to drop Maguire, get rid of Ronaldo and improve the home form. But there are still signs of mental weaknesses at United. They still only play well in spells throughout a game instead of sustained spell of pressure and dominance i.e. Spurs away. Obviously more signings are needed. Although he was backed well last summer. His persistence with Weghorst is kind of a running joke at this stage. ten Hag contributed to some of the injury problems by refusing to rotate at times. He's quite stubborn. He has his favourites. Anything was going to be better than the disaster that was last season. There's still a lot of work left to be done. The United squads is still full of mentally weak and entitled cunts. Bruno is a serial moaner, for example. Some fans love him. I think he's a bit of a fraud. Beating City in the final, which is unlikely but not impossible, could determine the trajectory of the club moving forward. Top 4 should be secured later tonight. United would have to severely bottle it from here.

I don't know anyone outside of Newcastle who doesn't call them United. Usually it's Man U in a negative way. As in "Manure". You'll all need to have thicker skin if a simple post rattles that you that badly tbh.