Manchester United 2023-24 Thread

100,460 Views | 1893 Replies | Last: 5 mo ago by Thunder18
Showstopper
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AG
Hojlund! All my favorites are having a game!
Aston94
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Good to have Fernandez back. Really played a heck of a game.
Showstopper
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AG
Please don't blow this United….
Thunder18
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Typical early ET goal given up... here comes squeaky bum time
Showstopper
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AG
Welp, another easy win in the books. Have a great day, all!
Showstopper
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AG
PS: take that L back to Saudi Toonabia. Maybe put the L on gardening leave.
Dre_00
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So we have to best Newcastle's result on Sunday to qualify for the Conference League and/or beat City in the FA Cup to qualify for Europa League.

Yikes.
Showstopper
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I'll be honest: I'd rather have no Europe at all than be in the Conference League. Yuk. Not sure what the financial hit is, but can't be that much; probably mostly match ticket sales.
Thunder18
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I agree, one year out of garbage European cup competitions should help keep key players healthy for the season. The key is we HAVE to finish top 4 next year
Dre_00
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I remember at one point there was an article out that showed how qualifying for the Conference League would actually cost Chelsea money due to FFP differences between UEFA and PL and the fact that Conference League brings in very little revenue.

Not sure if that same situation would apply to United or if they have more breathing room in FFP.
Aston94
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Beat Man City and keep them from winning the double.

Qualify for Europa League, kicking Chelsea down to Conference League.

This is the way.


John Armfield
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you always want to play in Europe if you can that's crazy talk saying you dont
Mathguy64
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John Armfield said:

you always want to play in Europe if you can that's crazy talk saying you dont


Im not sure with Europa Conference League that's the case. If it negatively impacts your finances regarding FFP then you turn it down.

We aren't Man City with a get out of jail free card.
Showstopper
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No one watches the third tier tournament. Can anyone name the teams that are still in it without Googling it? (If you can, you are a bigger Conference League fan than me, that's for sure; I knew Villa got knocked out in the last round and that was the extent of my knowledge).
Dre_00
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Yeah, I definitely wouldn't want to be forced into player sales just because we qualified for the Conference League. I don't know if that would actually be the case for United. But if it is, then clearly it's not a benefit to play in the tournament.

Even if United play in the tournament, I would do some heavy rotating. The number of games is killing players and killing thin squads like United. I don't want to increase the risk of an injury crisis for the sake of getting out of the Conference League group stage.

All an academic exercise anyway. As it stands, the far most likely outcome is that United doesn't qualify for any European tournament.
deadbq03
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Did y'all spend a bunch in January? If not, you're likely still meeting UEFA FFP. I'm pretty sure the standards are the same regardless of level of competition.

What Conference League could do is prevent a big splurge of spending in the summer that takes you on the wrong side of FFP… but honestly that seems really unwise for any team to do because presumably you want to qualify for Europe the following year so you'll have to make hard choices the next summer.

Chelsea are the only club I've heard of who are willingly running afoul of UEFA FFP and would have hard choices to make if they got to the Conference League.

Also I'll just add that while the 3rd tier league journey is lame, it's still better than nothing. It's extra revenue, and a chance to get your bench playing time that's far superior to reserve matches.

Pardon my intrusion, I'll see myself out.
Dre_00
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We haven't spent a lot in January since...Bruno?

Anyway, you're probably right and I agree. If we don't have to cut the roster to play in the Conference League then why the hell not...as long as the manager uses it to heavily rotate then I have no problem playing in it.
Dre_00
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Stop me if you've heard this before...

Luke Shaw had a setback in his injury rehab.

Shocking right?

I like how we literally have no functioning left back on our squad who is capable of playing more than 3 games before getting an injury that puts them out for 6 months and yet that position is still not in our top 5 of greatest needs.
Showstopper
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Remember when we sent Reguilon back in January because Shaw and Malacia were nearly back? Great diagnosis….
Dre_00
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On the plus side, it looks like Varane, Maguire, and Lindelof could all be back in some form on Sunday. Maybe one of them starts and is replaced at halftime by one of the others. I feel like this game will be treated more like a training match to prep for City rather than an attempt to win and maybe finish 7th.
Dre_00
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Napoli has expressed interest in Greenwood. They typically spend a max of 20-30 million EUR on a player though they do occasionally splurge (75 million for Osimhen, 45 million for Lozano not so long ago).

They are 9th in Serie A which means they won't be anywhere near Europe this season. Good chance they sell Osimhen for a boatload and try and rebuild the squad a bit. I think anything in the 30-40 million EUR range would be a great deal for United under the circumstances.

All of that said, I have a sneaking suspicion that he'll be in United colors next season. I'm not saying it's likely but...Ratcliffe was very neutral when asked about it several months back and hasn't said much since. Most likely he's sold but I think the chances of him returning are maybe higher than people think (I'm not for this in any way mind you...but I could see it happening).
Dre_00
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De Zerbi is leaving Brighton after tomorrow's game.

His stock has fallen a lot as Brighton have looked average at best much of this year but still...interesting. ETH's seat might have just gotten 20 degrees warmer.
Furlock Bones
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That's crazy.
Showstopper
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Well, for you guys that want to fire ten Hag… one of the issues with De Zerbi is he has a contract with Brighton, and Brighton will sell but not cheap.

De Zerbi is now free!!!!

Harsh result. Losing the guts of your midfield in sales (Mac Allister and Caicedo) doesn't get much sympathy from Brighton these days (plus injuries, I hear those can be rough).


(I'd keep ten Hag, but poll me tomorrow, my opinion could change)
Mathguy64
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The big brains were brought in to implement a strategic plan. Find the manager that fits within that plan. I don't care who it is. Just find the best one available. If they will be available this year, get them. If not, ETH stays another year.
Dre_00
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Had thought Ashworth hired De Zerbi but he left Brighton 6 months before he was hired.

De Zerbi would have been a risk even before Brighton turned to "meh". But I don't think there's any manager that United could get who doesn't have some question marks. At this point I don't really care anymore. Just have to trust that the new leaders will get the decision right. If not, then another bad decision after 12 years of bad decisions won't sting as bad.

But De Zerbi being free now definitely thickens the plot as they say.
Mathguy64
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ETH is just trolling with this lineup.

Mathguy64
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Arambat can't play at this level. He's got no awareness of who is around him.

In the first 13 minutes he gave it away 4 times in his own half.
Thunder18
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Easy to see how much we've been missing Martinez in the back
Mathguy64
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If you are going to build out of the back you can't do it with Arambat at the 6.

Frankly you can't do it with him within 6 miles of the stadium.
Showstopper
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I agree, but I also don't think we replace 2 number 6's, SJR likes getting rid of expensive contracts (i.e. Casemiro) so something has to give.
Mathguy64
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"Arambat caught in possession again".

It's like a bad feedback loop.

Put in anyone who is remotely healthy in at CB and move Casemiro to CDM.
Mathguy64
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He's literally passing it straight to Brighton.
Thunder18
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Amrabat actively trying out for Brighton
Mathguy64
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And he did it again.
 
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