AWB

True, AWB definitely positions further forward than Dalot.

As long as we keep giving the ball away, have our backs against the wall.playing on the back foot as we do for large spells in games and allow a coach and horses to drive through our spine, home and away, we need the likes of AWB. Plus we are pretty thin on regularly playing full.backs.

Boy can he tackle.

In regards to comparisons to Dalot I just don't get why people prefer Dalot. Don't get me wrong, they're both useless but this idea that Dalot is someone better offensively is nonsense (mainly due to this idea he was great last season before the WC when he wasn't). Dalot might like to cross and shoot but he's dreadful at both which is why he has less goals/assists than AWB during their time at the club (15 for AWB and 9 for Dalot). AWB might be terrible at a lot of things but he's actually better at progressing the ball into the opponents half and seems to combine better with the wide man in front while defensively he's vastly superior. Just because Dalot doesn't look afraid of the ball when he gets it doesn't mean he's any good.

------------------------------------------------------

To put some context in those stats, AWB has played 177 times for United, compared with Dalot 135.
AWB has 13 assists and 2 goals in that time. 10 of those assists and both goals came in his first two seasons, which means he has three assists and no goals since August 2021. Dalot has three goals and four assists in the last season and a half (and for what it's worth two goals and three assists the year he was on loan at Milan). Prior to his loan he was kind of a Malacia figure - a young prospect getting minutes here and there. I think if you judge mature Dalot against AWB, the attacking output is clearly superior, which is not to say it's impressive.

One thing I'd totally take issue with is the assertion that AWB is better at build up from defence into midfield. AWB can be deceptively good at wriggling away from attention by poking the ball away at the last minute with one of his long legs, but Dalot is a much better and more confident passer, and more secure when receiving the ball.

"Dalot is a much better and more confident passer, and more secure when receiving the ball."

Totally agree but that doesn't make him a better RB imo. Also, just because AWB has better G/A stats at the start of his United career shouldn't mean you should dismiss them, he still has better stats over the 5 seasons at United, both in terms of actual numbers and G/A per games. I always hear in Dalot's defence that he's far better offensively but he really should be statistically better too but isn't.

Like I said, they're both rubbish and the fact they're both still here epitomise how poorly run this club has been for the past decade.

I don’t think Dalot is more secure when receiving the ball because he’s not very good at shielding it. He’s more likely to get dispossessed by the opposition the AWB because of this, despite being technically much more comfortable. AWB’s a bit deceptive with how he can take the ball and transition the ball when it’s at his feet because he looks so bloody uncomfortable.

AWB is a better right back because despite having some really bad limitations, he’s also got some very good strengths. Dalot is just a bit shiiiiit at everything.

Yeah I'd agree with that. AWB never fills you with confidence because he looks so uncomfortable but he does often seem to carry the ball and help us transition into attacks, he also often dribbles past a few players and you can't tell if he even knows what he's doing but I assume he does. Like you say, Dalot is just not very good at anything but he's deceptive, you sometimes think he should be decent because he is technically better but then you realise he's done f-ck all all game. The one thing he does a lot that fans always love but means nothing is geeing up the crowd when he's won a throw in or corner.

Unless you are getting loads of cash in to get someone like Jeremie Frimpong (who I very much doubt would leave Leverkusen right now). Who are you going to get in?

AWB is a very good defender who can get forward, but is pretty average at it.

I'd be more concerned with your massively nonperforming midfield and attack.

Not forgetting the manager who couldn't find a decent player, even if looking at the Ballon d'Or list of players to choose from. He'd probably wonder why Mount and Antony aren't on it.

comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 1 hour, 28 minutes ago
"Dalot is a much better and more confident passer, and more secure when receiving the ball."

Totally agree but that doesn't make him a better RB imo. Also, just because AWB has better G/A stats at the start of his United career shouldn't mean you should dismiss them, he still has better stats over the 5 seasons at United, both in terms of actual numbers and G/A per games. I always hear in Dalot's defence that he's far better offensively but he really should be statistically better too but isn't.

Like I said, they're both rubbish and the fact they're both still here epitomise how poorly run this club has been for the past decade.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I wasn't dismissing the AWB stats, but if you're using them to suggest he has more attacking output, I think the context is useful in qualifying that: Dalot's stats cover fewer matches, and his leanest seasons were when he was a teenage understudy, whereas AWB's attacking output is basically all from his second season, with nothing since then.

Obviously assists don't tell the full story of creativity as they depend on quality of finishing, and they record it equally whether you put the ball on a plate or give the ball to someone on the half way line and they score an individual goal from distance. A glance at the deeper data seems to support my subjective impression that Dalot has created more chances than Wan-Bissaka. Over the last two seasons his expected assists per 90 minutes are comfortably higher, he is putting in more crosses per 90, and there's a gulf between his cross completion rate and AWB's particularly low stats. (I got this from https://footystats.org/ - full disclosure, you can only look at one season at a time, and I couldn't be аrsed to scroll back further than last season, so the picture may even out, and one and a half seasons is a statistically small sample.)

However, as I've said, I'm not particularly arguing that Dalot's mediocre offensive contributions are a key thing in his favour. For me the key thing is that if we want to turn into a side that is good at playing out from the back, I'd rather have a back-up right back (which is ultimately the best either of them will be if we upgrade competently) who is more adept at that. At the moment we have too many players in defence and midfield who lack the technical security to pass through a press I'd put Casemiro, McTominay, Varane, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka in this category. Shaw and Martinez are the best in this respect, and I'd put Dalot third or fourth among the defenders. For me, the highest priority in rejuvenation of the back six is gradually replacing players who are a net impediment to being comfortable in possession with more technically secure ones. And I'd rather have a second-choice RB who is a more "meh" version of the similar profile first choice. I think bringing in AWB will disrupt playing style / passing patterns more. If he were a defensive colossus who never failed to track a run or switch off at the back post in addition to his amazing one v one defending, that would be a consideration, but in my eyes Dalot is marginally superior in his awareness/positioning.

I don’t disagree VC but I just feel this season is pretty much gone anyway.

............

But the club are not going to feel that way.

comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 1 day ago
I don’t disagree VC but I just feel this season is pretty much gone anyway.

............

But the club are not going to feel that way.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Suppose.