Manchester United Seasonal Blog 2025/26 - Groundhog Day

[forestfan]

I don’t think he’s made that many, or Young Trafford would have had the call by now…

What the United keepers were getting a year or so ago was justified. Onana had lost the plot, and Bayindir never even looked PL quality let alone big club material.

[thebillfella]

I recall Trafford made a pretty big howler early on himself so there's a trust thing there as well for Pep!

What Onana and Bayindir got was absolutely justified; the point is more that other keepers don't get the same critique for the same errors.

And we saw that in De Gea's last season where he was hounded when Allison, Raya and Lloris actually made more errors leading to a chance or goal for example. It's natural, United get the most clicks so make more bait around them.

This season, Martinez, Pickford and Donnarumma are right up there in terms of errors (Raya in terms of errors leading to chances that weren't converted to goals!) but you wouldn't know it.

Anyway, doesn't matter because Garnacho got his come uppance at the weekend the arrogant little shit and it was beautiful to watch!

[thebillfella]

Starting to be concerned about De Ligt and his ongoing back problem. He's been rehabilitating with a niggling back injury since the end of November and no one knows when he'll return.

It's a real shame as he was playing really well until his injury, but we may have to consider the possibility that a back problem like this will never truly be resolved and we may need to consider selling and replacing him in the summer.

[Darbyand]

Wouldn't think that would be an easy sell.

[thebillfella]

Possibly not, but there is always someone willing to take a punt for the right price.

[murf]

Possibly not, but there is always someone willing to take a punt for the right price.

Amazing how often it happens actually (not sure if they have lots of performance/appearance based bits in contracts) - always a host of clubs linked with Joe Gomez and he stays fit less often than he scores.

[forestfan]

Possibly not, but there is always someone willing to take a punt for the right price.

Amazing how often it happens actually (not sure if they have lots of performance/appearance based bits in contracts) - always a host of clubs linked with Joe Gomez and he stays fit less often than he scores.

That would actually imply a negative number of appearances…

[murf]

It feels like it...

[maxi123]

Man Utd - Brentford. With Sesko in F expecting fantasy goal for the devils tomorrow.

[thebillfella]

We need to take about Bruno!

A lot will depend on when the votes need to be submitted by (it used to be February but is it a little later now?) but surely he has to be in the mix for Premier League POTY now? Suspect his main competition comes from Rice, Semenyo and maybe Gabriel, but right now he surely has to be considered the best player in the Prem (even accounting for my bias!)?

if arsenal presumably win the league this wont even be up for discussion (rice will get it)...

Well, that seems to be the general nonsense assessment criteria these days. Similar to players rarely winning the Ballon d'Or if they haven't won the Champions League and/or World Cup that season.

i dont agree with it but sadly that appears to be case. real madrid for example. if we presume they knock out all english clubs laid before them then i wonder which striker will be getting it

I think the powers that be are going to have to reconsider their "safe pick from the title winners" criteria this year, especially if he breaks the assists record. Imagine what he (and we) may have achieved if he'd been played in his best position from the start of the season rather than from December!

Without doubt the best player in the prem right now - and that is why we shouldn't sell him for all those saying we should have cashed in over the summer. If he doesn't get the POTY award now it will be a travesty.

[forestfan]

Certainly in the mix for the PotY awards, though there’s three of them now and it’s quite possible they all go to different players (isn’t one of them not awarded until a few months into the following season, typically?)

[thebillfella]

Has anyone ripped Carragher a new one for his "leave football before football leaves you" comment about Casemiro btw?!! A large part of his resurgence has to come down to finally being partnered with a quality dedicated partner in a maturing Kobbie Mainoo not leaving him so exposed ; since he announced his move he has been flawless and his passion and drive has really made him a fan favourite this season especially.

Will be missed and a bigger hole to fill than maybe some would give him credit for.

[Heimi Henderson]

He did. Himself. Three months ago.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news ... d-displays

[Guppings]

I hope Carrick gets the 'job' even though we're a long way off of winning the EPL & our position is as much down to other teams regressing as our improvement. At least we're watchable since Carrick took charge

[Dr. Giggles]

CL qualification assured

Weird atmosphere at The Theatre, yesterday, I felt, lacking the usual ferocity of a United/Liverpool game for the most part, and it felt strange going into this feeling like we could/should win... Stumbled over the line in the end, but it wasn't as convincing as it should've been.

Nevertheless, I'll take the outcome... all day long and twice on Sundays.

[thebillfella]

Another one of those games of two halves yesterday wasn't it. First half was superb, and it was looking like it could be 4 or 5 if the game carried on in that way, but as is often the case half time came too soon for us and was a blessing for Liverpool.

2 completely avoidable mistakes at the start of the second half lifted Liverpool undeservedly IMO, and I think what is telling for next season is that there wasn't really much on the bench that we could turn to, to turn the tide back. Regardless of who the manager is, it's clear that with what we have and the obvious outgoings this summer that we need 7 or 8 new signings to bolster a squad back in Europe, not the 3 or 4 that have been rumoured.

We certainly need a new backup goalkeeper with Onana and Bayindir on their way out (although Vitek may be promoted), a replacement for Malacia at left back, the two of three centre mids that have been talked about consistently for, well, over a decade now (!) to replace Casemiro and Ugarte, a left winger to replace Rashford and a centre forward to replace Zirkzee assuming Hojlund completes his move to Napoli as planned.

There's a lot to do and it may not happen in one summer, but the direction of travel is moving back in the right direction again which is positive.

[thebillfella]

I hope Carrick gets the 'job' even though we're a long way off of winning the EPL & our position is as much down to other teams regressing as our improvement. At least we're watchable since Carrick took charge

I said last year we had a sliding door moment where we might have been able to get Ancelotti before he signed for Brazil. He is the sort of manager we'd probably need now to sort this mess out. Someone with gravitas that the players look up to and are slightly intimidated / in awe of but whole also plays the game the right way rather than being over-pragmatic.

Right now, looking at who falls into that bracket and could possibly be acquired given that we are still at the start of the season, I think the best option feasible would be Unai Emery. I do like Iraola but I'm not sure he'll have the gravitas required, and Glasner plays the same system as Amorim so no change there.

Revisiting my thoughts again from the start of the season, and for me nothing has really changed. I think we still need someone with gravitas and an aura that the top players we seek to attract look up to. But there are very few of those around, and if you can't get Ancelotti or Enrique (I'm assuming at this stage that Pep and Klopp are forbidden fruit!) and Emery is destined for Real as is now the rumour, the you have to say that everybody else is a gamble.

In which case, given what he has achieved so far, his understanding of the club culture and fans, and the fact that the players currently there clearly have his back right now, then why not Carrick. But I have to say that if there is a chance we can get Ancelotti or Enrique then we should do everything we can behind the scenes to explore that option before appointing Carrick. I guess what plays into Carrick's favour is the work that needs to be done this summer and the fact that Carrick is there right now and can get to work without delay - a problem we would experience if we had to wait until after the World Cup for a new appointment.

[thebillfella]

So all in all looking quite good as far as the bomb squad is concerned with only Malacia seemingly struggling to find a new club now (but I don't think he is one of the disruptive lazy ones to be fair).

Looking like we'll go into the season with a new keeper in baby Courtois but not a new CM on top of the other signings (but Kobbie is staying so maybe he will be given more chances now).

I'd say on balance that is probably as good a transfer window as we could have hoped for given no European football and a poor season last year, and more positive than it was when the Mbeumo saga was running on. On this basis I don't think Amorim can have many more excuses now other than bedding new players in and thus needs to be targeting a European place (is that top 6 or 7 these days?) and a decent FA Cup run this season as a minimum.

Seeing as I'm reflecting back on predictions from the start of the season, now is probably a good time to reflect on expectations vs reality.

Baby Courtois has proved himself to be a better call than Martinez, Kobbie needed Amorim to be shifted to be given more chances (and thank god because we'd have lost him for nothing at the end of this season otherwise and that would have been a travesty), Amorim did indeed have no more excuses, and we got better than 6th place at the expense of a shit cup run.

And, by and large, the complete upgrade of our forward line was on balance a success, albeit that things can still improve in that regard (but far better than the snowflakes such as Sancho / Garnacho / Rashford for example).

I'd say that was largely on target, and being top of the form table since Carrick suggests plenty to be positive about.

The only big negative (other than our weak bench I guess) was Sir Alex being rushed to hospital yesterday - hope he is ok?

[Darbyand]

We need to take about Bruno!

A lot will depend on when the votes need to be submitted by (it used to be February but is it a little later now?) but surely he has to be in the mix for Premier League POTY now? Suspect his main competition comes from Rice, Semenyo and maybe Gabriel, but right now he surely has to be considered the best player in the Prem (even accounting for my bias!)?

if arsenal presumably win the league this wont even be up for discussion (rice will get it)...

Well, that seems to be the general nonsense assessment criteria these days. Similar to players rarely winning the Ballon d'Or if they haven't won the Champions League and/or World Cup that season.

i dont agree with it but sadly that appears to be case. real madrid for example. if we presume they knock out all english clubs laid before them then i wonder which striker will be getting it

I think the powers that be are going to have to reconsider their "safe pick from the title winners" criteria this year, especially if he breaks the assists record. Imagine what he (and we) may have achieved if he'd been played in his best position from the start of the season rather than from December!

Without doubt the best player in the prem right now - and that is why we shouldn't sell him for all those saying we should have cashed in over the summer. If he doesn't get the POTY award now it will be a travesty.

Bruno is indeed the writer's player of the season. Well deserved.

[forestfan]

Interesting to see a BBC article suggesting United under Carrick are still basically a mid-table team under xGD… I know such stats get a lot of stick but they do tend to indicate how a team will revert to the mean over time.

[Darbyand]

United 26/27 should be significantly different enough to reset that stat

[forestfan]

United 26/27 should be significantly different enough to reset that stat

The signings will need to be spot on though.

[thebillfella]

Isn't that always the case though?

[forestfan]

Isn't that always the case though?

Well yeah, United have a worse record than most over recent years though (even if Liverpool and Chelsea have given you a run for your money recently).

[Dr. Giggles]

Chelsea have given you a run for your money recently.

Mad-Todd's "project"

[thebillfella]

Vs Woodward's fantasy football folly

[forestfan]

Is Bruno the only post-Fergie signing who will go down as a genuine club legend, as it stands?

[SamD]

. . . and being top of the form table since Carrick suggests plenty to be positive about.

Graphic compares first 19 results versus 16 since. Carrick took charge from match #22, the Manchester derby on 17 Jan.

[thebillfella]

Is Bruno the only post-Fergie signing who will go down as a genuine club legend, as it stands?

I think they call that a rhetorical question FF!

[Dr. Giggles]

Awfully glad I didn't travel all the way to Sunderland for that shower.

The lack of quality in the squad was starkly exposed.

Sooner we get rid of Slow-Loris, the better. What an absolute waste of space.