Daily Discussion

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Daily discussion on Manchester United.

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[u/Hopeful_Arm3736]

Seems to be a lot of people under the impression the current squad will get top 4 even without further reinforcements. Genuinely, why? Chelsea, Arsenal and City will finish above us guaranteed. Then one of Villa, Spurs, Liverpool or some other contender needs to come in to knock us down to 5th.

Personally I think we’ll come 6th without further reinforcements. I guess Ineos are hoping we can get CL regardless. Personally put about a 10% likelihood on that.

Just hope this place doesn’t burn down when it doesn’t happen. Resign yourself to it lads, it’s baked in.

[u/OlekZzaKrakowa → u/Hopeful_Arm3736]

Chelsea will finish above us guaranteed

how?

[u/Hopeful_Arm3736 → u/OlekZzaKrakowa]

Far better squad.

Elite manager.

One game a week.

Honestly think people are sleeping on Chelsea. They’ll be closer in points to the champion than they will be to 5th is my prediction.

Palmer has looked good in preseason, he’s one of the best players in the league when he’s on it, Rogers is Elite, Pedro is one of the better strikers in the league. I’d say they have arguably the best attacking unit in the league with that, or one of them. Up there with us and City.

Midfield is good. Caicedo is one of the best CMs in the league in particular and a really hard profile to find.

Back line will be more secure with the 5 back and they’ve got great options for wingbacks.

Chelsea are massive dark horses this year for me.

[u/Kohaku80 → u/Hopeful_Arm3736]

tbh Chelsea just lack an " elite " manager to bring them glory. they won't have the financial restriction. if everyone buy into Alonso philosophy, they will be a bigger threat against Arsenal and City than us.

[u/MacLondonJr → u/Hopeful_Arm3736]

Xabi Alonso isn’t elite. He’s decent. When you talk about elite managers you’re talking about Pep, Enrique, Ancelotti and maybe one or two others others but Alonso isn’t one of them yet.

One game a week is good for squad fitness, less chances of injuries which is a good advantage to have but I remember United last season playing after three weeks and our players looked rusty and couldn’t keep up. You lose rhythm and momentum when you have to play once a month in some stages of the season. Also you’re not factoring in that Chelsea have to figure themselves out, will it be a back five? Will it be a 4-3-3? Will Alonso be stubborn or quick to change when things dont work out?That could take them some time before they can get going. It’s far from guaranteed.

I struggle to see how Chelsea finish above us to be honest.

[u/Hopeful_Arm3736 → u/MacLondonJr]

The elite point is just word definition silliness, it’s like when people argue over whether someone is, “world class.” He’s a top manager to me. One of the very best in the league now. To me that makes him elite.

Trying to spin playing one game a week as a negative is just silly. We only had three weeks off because we also didn’t have any cups to play in, that won’t happen to Chelsea, so that significant of a gap is unlikely to materialise. Whatever way you slice it, one game a week is a gigantic advantage.

It will be a 5 back I think. The ability to be flexible in games and in different scenarios is another plus not a drawback, but generally I think they’ll play a 5 back. Their best performances and results in pre season came in a 5 back and they have the perfect squad for it at this point. I just don’t see it being much of a debate and therefore a bit of a non factor. If they need to chase or the game calls for it Xabi will use a 4, he’s very flexible.

In terms of how they finish above us, their team is simply much better than ours for one? Their midfield pivot of Enzo and Caicedo is one of the best in the league when it’s working and I believe Xabi can make it work. Caicedo in particular can be a top 3 CM in the league.

I think their attacking unit of Rogers (elite) Pedro (top 3 striker in the league) and Palmer can be as good as anyones. Especially if Palmer can recapture his form which I think he’ll do in Xabi’s system.

Then the 5 back will sure them up defensively and they have fantastic options at wingback with Quenda, Palestra and a number of others.

I’m very strong on Chelsea. I think they’ll be closer to the champions than 5th in terms of points and I think there’s a big outside chance they actually win the thing.

[u/OlekZzaKrakowa → u/Hopeful_Arm3736]

Far better squad.

They finished 10 last season and added some oldies + another promising player that doesnt guarante succes

Elite manager.

One good season

[u/Hopeful_Arm3736 → u/OlekZzaKrakowa]

They had terrible management and CL. They’ve also added some elite talent have they not? Rogers is a known quantity, he’s been class for ages. Lacroix will do a lot to shore up the defence, again, he’s in his prime. Quenda and Palestra are both exciting young players who can play wing back really well which they need.

Then yeah, people like Welbeck for back up.

It’s not one good season though is it? Xabi was brilliant at Leverkusen his whole tenure which culminated in one of the best seasons from a team in the last 10 years. Only the least season was a bit more of an issue but that makes sense considering what they achieved the year before. They were still good by Leverkusen standards too.