We are trying to move on from Liverpool, Newcastle and Alexander Isak but there\u2019s still plenty of that. Man Utd first though\u2026<\/p>\n
Send your views to theeditor@football365.com; maybe watch the Carabao Cup first.<\/p>\n
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Hammer time
It\u2019s time to break out the cracked badge, lads.
Phil The Hammer, Norway<\/p>\n
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Amorim is destroying talents
I have had a long and hard thought about what\u2019s happening at United and still can\u2019t fathom Amorim\u2019s decisions, team selection and tactics but, more so his damaging relationships with players. We have lost the services of talented players directly due to his actions albeit he has been in charge for a short period.<\/p>\n
First, we lost Rashford, then Garnacho and now Mainoo may be leaving. Great talents and skills lost to United, especially if the cool and collected Kobbie Mainoo leaves.<\/p>\n
Instead of playing Fernandes at his competent position of No. 10 and fielding Mainoo in midfield, he continues to play Fernandes in midfield and keep Mainoo on the bench, very ridiculous indeed. This is not impacting on United only, it is also adversely affecting the performance of Bruno Fernandes himself.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Chico Obi is wasting his skills and talents, not getting even a few playing minutes. Besides, he signed a natural striker, Sesko, and he continues to keep him on the bench. Why? It is completely illogical and, actually, irresponsible that a club signs a needed striker and not play him, leaving him to warm the bench. This is happening despite the fact that only 3 or so clubs scored fewer goals than United last season. No good coach will do that.<\/p>\n
Sight should further not be lost of the fact that his utterances are adversely affecting his relationships with the playing body. The issues are exacerbated by his utterly refusal to make changes. All told, Amorim is a problem at United not a solution. I urge him to be flexible enough to identify and implement changes.<\/p>\n
Amorim\u2019s greatest problem is his lack of flexibility which has resulted in his adamant refusal to make changes. No change no progress, a saying which is true for all aspects of human endeavours. The status quo is leading the club closer to relegation than to challenging the top six.
Professor (Dr) David Achanfuo Yeboah<\/p>\n
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Can a 3-4-3 work in the Premier League?
To butcher a famous quote \u201cI have not come to bury Amorin, nor praise him\u201d because it\u2019s pointless. Firstly, no one of any influence is reading my diatribes (heck I can barely get you folk to read them!) and secondly, I don\u2019t have all the facts. So instead I want to change the approach of the club-specific moaning and ask the collective wisdom of the group, perhaps some of you former players or coaches, \u2026 Can the 343 system actually work in the EPL?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve read the books and watched numerous teams who play this system and conclude there are 3 major flaws to it:<\/p>\n
1. It is overly reliant upon excellent wing backs. If you try and force players to fill that role (e.g. Dalot) not only do they play badly but the whole formation seems to fall apart.<\/p>\n
2. The high press works right up until you play against elite teams who can either play around you or ping the ball into the gaps. The current Barcelona women\u2019s team is a perfect example of beating the press. Although they lost to Arsenal in the CLF, they played them off the park.<\/p>\n
3. Without 2 DMs, there is either huge holes in the center of the park or one of the 3 Defenders needs to step up. Currently none of the MUFC back 3 can either step into that space and run with the ball.<\/p>\n
Sure Amorim was successful\u2026 but in the Portuguese League! Can you name a Portuguese Team outside the top 3? And their mid-table teams have noting like the strength in depth of the EPL, teams such as Brighton, Fulham, etc. Similarly with Conte in Italy.<\/p>\n
And maybe it is just Amorim. After all, other than a couple of players (i.e. Dalot, Fernandes, Maguire) everyone is new, and he\u2019s had close to 6 months to get his philosophy across. They can\u2019t be that stupid\u2026 Can they?<\/p>\n
Can someone please help me understand what I am missing?
Adidasmufc (Watch Amorim drop Fernandes and we beat Grimsby 5-0!)<\/p>\n
READ: Mainoo and Garnacho to start, record signing made and Amorim \u2018sacked in the morning\u2019 in League Cup omen<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Arne Slot has made some errors I had reservations before the season started about forcing Kerkez into the line-up against Bournemouth (his old team, first home game, emotional game, etc.). This week Slot playing Wirtz against Newcastle away is more of the same<\/a>. It is probably the most physical fixture on the calendar. Also it is a difficult place to play without all the Isak nonsense. Just seems tone deaf.<\/p>\n The whole advantage of having quality depth is to be able to withstand injuries and make small changes to keep a competitive edge. Robertson is still a high quality left back and should be the preferred starter and should have been since matchday 1.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t tell if it is his desire to make this his own team or some other reason, but I\u2019ve not been inspired so far. It is early days but there needs to be some tweaks. Maybe you go three at the back and provide more cover for Konate who looks out of shape<\/a> in addition to being unfocused. MacAlister coming back will help sure up the midfield, but they won\u2019t win against Arsenal (another emotional game against a title rival) without making some change. Large or small. Great games, but christ almighty I won\u2019t hate a clinical 2-0 win. \u00a0<\/p>\n Isak is the only one to blame All of the blame should sit squarely on Isak (and\/or his agent). By all means indicate internally you would like a transfer, (perhaps even submit a transfer request like the good old days?), but still turn up to training and play for the team that is paying you, as per your contract. Do not go public with veiled complaints and go on strike!! Eze played right up to the end and still got his move OK\u2026 \u00a0<\/p>\n BadWolf, bad suggestion If I want to change my job I can A) apply online or B) speak to a recruitment agent or C) Be head hunted.<\/p>\n I am under zero obligation to tell my current employer that this is happening.<\/p>\n My contract typically also gives me a 4 week or 3 month notice period depending on my importance to the organisation.<\/p>\n Anyway, to football and BadWolf.<\/p>\n BadWolf, your idea is genuinely rubbish<\/a>. Like, rubbish rubbish.<\/p>\n Why go to all the effort and expense of trying to agree a deal with a club for a player, with zero idea on whether he is remotely interested in joining the club?<\/p>\n Teams are in contact with players all year round. They speak to players of various ages and maintain contact throughout their careers. Relationship building is a huge part of the transfer game.<\/p>\n Newcastle, for example, could have finalised deals (subject to contracts) with 7 or more clubs this year and still been rejected by the player.<\/p>\n Huge effort wasted for Directors, Lawyers, Negotiators etc. The time and effort here would be huge and costly.<\/p>\n This way round, a player understands how a club values them, what the future looks like, and whether they\u2019d be a good fit for each other. Then and only then do you make a bid.<\/p>\n Going back my points earlier about a normal person getting a normal job, this all falls under option C essentially.<\/p>\n In fact, you can consider Agents to be Recruiters too, ie it is their job to find you a new job, that\u2019s option B covered as well.<\/p>\n In this analogy your suggestion (that is struggling under the weight of how bad your idea is) doesn\u2019t even have a place for options A, B, or C.<\/p>\n Your whole email in truth is confusing. To then not really have a point that stands up to scrutiny, you just move on to shirt pulling.<\/p>\n From memory, you\u2019re a United fan. Tapping Up and Shirt Pulling have been United tactics for as long as I can remember and certainly activities that Fergie didn\u2019t discourage.<\/p>\n Your suggestion wasn\u2019t extreme, it was just rubbish. PS: Lee Ryan, I\u2019m flattered<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2026Badwolf proposes a set of draconian solutions<\/a> to make it more difficult for players to be \u201ctapped up.\u201d The question I would ask is: why? What problem do you think you are solving by these proposed measures? The problem of someone getting a more well-paid job with better prospects?<\/p>\n What other professionals do you think should be limited from pursuing their career in their own interests? Or is it just footballers?<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think Alexander Isak has covered himself in glory in this whole soap opera, but, morally, why shouldn\u2019t he try to get a better job with a more successful, and on the face of it, more professional organisation? \u00a0<\/p>\n Liverpool have done this before\u2026 Whilst Liverpool eventually got their man 6 months later, it shows that the club has no respect for anyone else, much more so than the other top 6 clubs (Spurs & Gibbs-White aside). A lot of Liverpool fans try and sit upon the moral high ground, decrying other teams\u2019 approaches to transfers (e.g. Real Madrid & TAA), but Liverpool have demonstrated the exact same approach to undermining other teams, much more so than other clubs in the Big 6.<\/p>\n As an aside, Monday\u2019s match was another instance of Newcastle disgracefully crossing the line with physicality, only this time VAR rightly stepped in to actually ensure they were punished for once. It should be unbelievable that the spineless worm of a referee clearly didn\u2019t care about player welfare and would have been happy for Gordon to remain on the pitch, but this is PGMOL under Howard Webb\u2019s stewardship, where the referees need to be front and centre instead of the actual football.<\/p>\n On the basis of Newcastle\u2019s approach alone, Liverpool deserved to win, because they wanted to play football not just kick lumps out of the opposing team like Newcastle. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Slot has not been great in picking the starting 11 thus far this season.<\/p>\n
J<\/p>\n
I am amazed at the coverage around the Isak saga and people actually blaming Liverpool or Newcastle. As far as I\u2019m concerned neither have done anything wrong and, as others have said, this is a negotiation process which may or may not lead to Newcastle selling to Liverpool<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Bulbisar<\/p>\n
I am a normal man with a normal job.<\/p>\n
Barry (Perth)<\/p>\n
Dara O\u2019Reilly, London<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve not been a mailbox obsessive in recent months, so I may have missed it, but one thing I haven\u2019t seen mentioned is that the Isak situation is extremely reminiscent of the Van Dijk transfer saga<\/a>.<\/p>\n
James Jones, STFC (that Van Dijk article\u2019s headline was so refreshing, as it was matter of fact and didn\u2019t include any superfluous quotes or references to Fabrizio Romano)<\/p>\n