How was today’s performance?

This the issue with fan opinion. Had we signed Cucarella straight from Brighton everyone would be saying 'best left back in PL'. But now he's had a poor year at Chelsea it's a disaster.

The truth is we don't know if he's truly that bad or Chelsea have just been too much of a basket case of a club. Nobody played well for them last season really.

Wasn't long ago Pep tried to sign him too so maybe there is a player in him, who knows.

Can't see Chelsea letting him come to us on loan without a generous financial agreement. What do we do in Nov/Dec too when we have Malacia and Shaw back? We will go from having not enough cover there to having too much.

comment by The Red Side™ (U11275)
posted 4 minutes ago
I’m not against Cucurella at all. The season he signed for Brighton I lamented that we had paid similar for Alex Telles.

Then again we also paid similar for Malacia to what Brighton paid for Estupinan and I’ve lamented that too.

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I think it's worth taking into consideration that it can be easier for players to settle in a technically very good Brighton team where every player around you can receive, pass and carry the ball under pressure therefore making you seem better technically and better in other ways too than individuals at other teams.
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Very good point.

This is a bit like where Dortmund players leave them and come to Utd and look lost. It's happened three times with Kagawa, Miki and Sancho. All looked very technical and quality footballers for them and for us they struggled a lot.

comment by The Process (U20671)
posted 1 hour, 16 minutes ago
comment by Glazers Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 1 minute ago
Amrabat will hopefully join this coming week. God knows we need a player of his style to come in. That midfield is going to get a few batterings like last season if we don't address it.

Wolves, Spurs and now Forest have ran through us with ease. It's been very alarming to see and we are very fortunate to have 6pts out of 9 if we are honest.

If Maguire went and we signed another CB too I'd feel happier. Varane going off today shows how fragile he can be.
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Agree. A CM, CB and a loan LB and things are looking up.

A back up GK looks a guarantee.
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A striker remains more important for me. I just don't know how. Any prem striker tbh. We need one more. One that gives defenders stress. I've seen Cunha and I saw awoniyi. I get the feeling we can find one around the corner. The idea of subbing a striker for Sancho it Rashford just doesn't work for me.

I like Awoniyi as an option from the bench.

The money we spent on Mount, we should have tried to get Palhinha. To me it is a safer bet than Amrabat

Game was very open and entertaining. Forest look a fair bit improved from last season. You just about got away with it. Play that open against a better team than Forest and you won’t.

comment by red_evils (U19878)
posted 5 hours, 38 minutes ago
I like Awoniyi as an option from the bench.

The money we spent on Mount, we should have tried to get Palhinha. To me it is a safer bet than Amrabat
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Should have signed Palhinha last summer.

I still dont understand why we cannot not rely on Fernandez. These are back ups, not starters. Cucarella is giving me Mason Mount vibes. Clubs dont sell their players for no reason.

The money we spent on Mount, we should have tried to get Palhinha. To me it is a safer bet than Amrabat

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If we signed Palhinha we'd just have another midfielder who isn't good enough in possession. He's excellent off the ball and at least he's an actual midfielder but Amrabat ticks more boxes.

I think you underestimate his ball playing ability. He bossed the midfield against us in the FA cup last season, took the ball from his own half to ours multiple times

I think you underestimate his ball playing ability. He bossed the midfield against us in the FA cup last season, took the ball from his own half to ours multiple times

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I don't.

Palhinha's just not a very progressive midfielder. Casemiro offers more in possession than he does and we need better players than Casemiro on the ball in the side.