Dunno, Costa seems a kinda ideal striker partner.

Aguero less so tbf

I mean in that they occupy the same space. And haven't got the best link up play so one dropping off to play in the hole is still wasted.

I'm of the belief that you don't need a player playing in the hole to have a successful partnership of the two.

I think if you get Costa running the channels and that he could make life very easy for Aguero.

With the way Atleti set up you do. Also need the striker dropping off without the ball to help the midfield. Aguero isn't good at this and if you task Costa with it then you are wasting his talents having him too far away from the goal when they look to counter. That's why I don't think it'd work that well.

Yeah maybe under Simeone, don't really watch them tbh.

I don't watch them as much as I used to. The football's crap to watch. Would be funny if he goes to Chelsea. Just to see the Chelsea fans pretend they don't play defensive football still.

People hate the fact that back 5 is a defensive formation, end of the day no matter how you spin it, it is still 5 defenders playing.

And two, sometimes three, defensive midfielders.

It tends to work for them, but the spin is funny.

Basically carried by Hazard being world class, Costa & Pedro also being excellent.

I hate when we play a back 5 vs bottom half of the table sides.

Matic has been a miss despite what Chelsea fans claim. He wasn't amazing but was much better than their other midfielders have been this season and gave them better balance than what we are seeing.

Conte seems to be trying his hardest to get sacked. Blaming all the bad transfers on the board today.

He'll be gone once Barca smash them.

Only death is certain Daz.

Costa/Falcao worked a treat, mind.

He clearly wants out, and is trying to push Abra's buttons. Tbh he seems a bit of a d*ck.

I thought the Matic transfer was stupid at the time and I still think it is now. He isn't the type of midfielder Utd needed (you needed, and still do need, a versatile DM). He also was pretty integral to the Chelsea system and any attempt of an upgrade was going to be an unnecessary risk.

True but Costa started out playing off the striker before becoming the player he is now. Same with Aguero. But they are very different from the players that broke through at Atleti and do their best work in and around the box on the shoulder of the last defender. Too similar in terms of the positions they take up for it to work for me.

That's why I'd be surprised if Atleti got him. Plus doubt they could afford his wages as well as Costa's.

I similarly don't get the Alexis transfer from a Utd POV. Obvs Mkhi has kind of burnt his bridges but despite some poor form he is clearly a talented player. Wouldve rather given Arsenal the £30-40m.

The only thing I can think is that either Jose REALLY doesn't rate him, think that Arsenal will struggle playing Ozil & Mkhi in the same team; or that he is trying to get in their good books for when Ozil becomes available.

comment by Alexis The King Sanchez (U10026)
posted 25 seconds ago
True but Costa started out playing off the striker before becoming the player he is now. Same with Aguero. But they are very different from the players that broke through at Atleti and do their best work in and around the box on the shoulder of the last defender. Too similar in terms of the positions they take up for it to work for me.

That's why I'd be surprised if Atleti got him. Plus doubt they could afford his wages as well as Costa's.
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Surely his wages arent that much more than Griezmanns?

Edin, yeah I think that's fair.

I'd have thought they would be. Atleti don't pay their players as well as City do.

Sanchez signing makes sense. Much better player than Mkhi. He's on quite big wages and clearly not in our plans so getting rid makes sense.

Sanchez one makes sense for both parties, but I feel like you are helping Arsenal out a bit.

The one thing I am interested about towards Sanchez is that he has played a huge amount of football over the last few years. Wonder if that will have an affect on him.

Maybe, but I'm not sure where he fits in at Arsenal just yet, especially if they get Auba. I also think he's unsuited to the league as he's not the quickest and is so weak, so may not excel for Arsenal anyway.

Yeah good point about Sanchez, his style of play must be very tiring as well. Hopefully Mourinho will sub him in games like he did with Ozil so he doesn't burn out too much.

Though I'm not sure he will as he seems to be reluctant to sub or rest his big names nowadays.

Mourinho also seems a bit crap nowadays as well

Yep facking priiiiick. He's become too safe in his old age. Not as prepared to make ballsy decisions and quickly change things on the pitch.

Fergie started to do this as he got older as well actually.

comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 3 minutes ago
Mourinho also seems a bit crap nowadays as well
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Music to my ears

Fergie got properly bad for it, read an article on it and in his last season apparently Fergie just focused on set-pieces as he didtn have it in him to build a long term team anymore. Utd conceded like 8 goals less than the set-piece average and scored 9 more. It helped them beat City to the title (and signing the best player in the league at the time).

Fergie delegated most of the training to the coaches in the last few years. When Queiroz left the football took a noticable decline in terms of possession.

Think Evra said he was only going to stay a few more years after 2013 anyway. The stuff with his wife brought retirement forward.