Premier League 2018/19

Who will win the league?


  • Total voters
    106

Morten

Senior Member
Exactly. United can use their money to land tier 2 talents like Martial. Not tier 1 talents like Dembele, De Jong, Mbappe etc.

Pogba was a very odd move and, if I may, extremely bad career choice for him. Which is why he is trying to force a move elsewhere.

Tier 1 talents aren't for RM or Barca anymore either, the oil clubs takes them, no way to compete with that.
 

jairzinho

Senior Member
Tough times to be a Man Utd fan. Sad state of affairs at that club. They should start fresh with a guy like Monchi as sporting director. That woodward guy is clueless. Second they should get a young manager like Nuno Santo or Marco Silva and look to build something from there, someone with a good technical understanding of the game.
 

Centauri B

New member
Liverpool are an exception because they signed one of the top 3 managers in world football.



Exactly. And that was when they were a top 5 team. Now it's not even a question, they don't even exist as an option for the type of players Barca/Madrid are after.

I'm sure De Jong didn't have United even in his longer list of possible teams to play at. Sure De Ligt doesn't either.

Before his spell at United, Jose Mourinho was almost universally regarded as a top 3 manager in world football at the very least. Pep & Lucho were complete unknowns in the sphere of management but still won epic trebles with Barca in their respective maiden seasons. The players make all the difference, it's as simple as that.

Money is the determining factor here, there is no way round it. All players on the planet are traded commodities and the richest clubs can pick & choose. The problems you are outlying for United are all short-term secondary issues. Of course it's very difficult for them to sign a player that Barca/Real/PSG and now even City and Pool are after. But they do not need to sign those players immediately. There are plenty of great players that the super elite clubs won't go after for obvious reasons. Look at City and how they built their team. Even though they were not a prestigious club (still aren't) they still signed players such as David Silva, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Sterling etc etc etc.

Or look at Liverpool's current side (which most in here think is better than ours) None of Salah, Mane, Robertson, VVD, Firmino etc etc were coveted by Barca/Real/PSG. Yet they proved to be very good or even world class players.

One thing that many do not understand, is that the main advantage of being a rich football club, is not so much what you can buy, it's the fact that you can afford to keep your best players. Players come and go all the time, but only the very richest clubs can hold onto those that prove good enough.

United will only be in real trouble if and when its sponsors reduce their endowments.
 
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serghei

Senior Member
Before his spell at United, Jose Mourinho was almost universally regarded as a top 3 manager in world football at the very least. Pep & Lucho were complete unknowns in the sphere of management but still won epic trebles with Barca in their respective maiden seasons. The players make all the difference, it's as simple as that.

Money is the determining factor here, there is no way round it. All players on the planet are traded commodities and the richest clubs can pick & choose. The problems you are outlying for United are all short-term secondary issues. Of course it's very difficult for them to sign a player that Barca/Real/PSG and now even City and Pool are after. But they do not need to sign those players immediately. There are plenty of great players that the super elite clubs won't go after for obvious reasons. Look at City and how they built their team. Even though they were not a prestigious clubs (still aren't) they still signed players such as David Silva, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Sterling etc etc etc.

Or look at Liverpool's current side (which most in here think is better than ours) None of Salah, Mane, Robertson, VVD, Firmino etc etc were coveted by Barca/Real/PSG. Yet they proved to be very good or even world class players.

One thing that many do not understand, is that the main advantage of being a rich football, is not so much what you can buy, it's the fact that you can afford to keep your best players. Players come and go all the time, but only the very richest clubs can hold onto those that prove good enough.

United will only be in real trouble if and when its sponsors reduce their endowments.

Manchester United are like this for about 6 years, and they haven't had any money issues during this time. In fact, money is basically the only thing they aren't lacking atm. So it's obviously not mainly about about money, but more about how you use it.
 

Centauri B

New member
Money doesn't matter if they are going to spend it on dross. Liverpool got Suarez and Coutinho for a combined 40 million Euros, Salah 40 million, Firmino 40 million etc.

Meanwhile United are buying Fred for 60 million and Lukaku 90 million and Matic 50 million.

In the short-run you can get your transfers terribly wrong. In the long-run it evens out. If a club is able to keep spending high for an indefinite period of time, this will tell, it always does.
 

serghei

Senior Member
In the short-run you can get your transfers terribly wrong. In the long-run it evens out. If a club is able to keep spending high for an indefinite period of time, this will tell, it always does.

6 years is the bigger part of a decade. Short run it would mean 1-2 failed summers. Not 6 years, going on 7 with no prospects of improving.

Before you know it, it is a decade, which is about the period of absence for Liverpool. Remember they won the CL in 2005 and made the final in 2007.
 

Ursegor

World Champion
In the short-run you can get your transfers terribly wrong. In the long-run it evens out. If a club is able to keep spending high for an indefinite period of time, this will tell, it always does.

The longer they remain shit, the harder it will be for them to attract top players. Who will join them next summer without CL football? Even with CL football there are 3 - 4 equally attractive options in England alone. Their only chance is to scout very well or hope for a golden generation to emerge.
 

Morten

Senior Member
While United is a mediocre side when they have possession, they are also kinda lazy.
They get outrun in just about every match, i think, the fitness regime must be awful.
 

Centauri B

New member
Manchester United are like this for about 6 years, and they haven't had any money issues during this time. In fact, money is basically the only thing they aren't lacking atm. So it's obviously not mainly about about money, but more about how you use it.

I think we have to put things into a more proper context here. Yes, United have lots of money, but so do other EPL clubs, therefore it's perfectly reasonable for United to not have everything their own way. Second, it's not like they have been relegated or something, they finished 2nd last season, made it to the CL quarters, and still have a chance of finishing of top 4.

And yes, bad dealings in the transfer market can have a negative effect on a club's performance, and the reason why United are where they are now is precisely because their transfers deals were the worst of any major club out there, whether this is down to incompetence or bad luck, or both I am not sure.

But I would put it this way. Imagine if United, with all their poor signings of recent years, did not have the revenues that they do, where would they be right now? They would be in the Championship in all probability. The point I am trying to make here is that money is the primary factor, everything else is secondary at best.
 

serghei

Senior Member
The longer they remain shit, the harder it will be for them to attract top players. Who will join them next summer without CL football? Even with CL football there are 3 - 4 equally attractive options in England alone. Their only chance is to scout very well or hope for a golden generation to emerge.

Basically what Liverpool did to get out of their long spell of being shit. Got the manager right, and some good transfers (not world class players at the time) who developed nicely.
 

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