03 Sep 2015 14:16:41
Ed 001 if you are about, can you give a brief comparative analysis of the Manchester United and Liverpool squads.
Further down, Red_Jack08 said the Manchester United side is horrendous. In your opinion who has a better squad position for position and overall in terms of squad depth and quality.
Thanks
{Ed001's Note - ok quickly, they have better keepers to choose from, well De Gea is better, Romero and Valdes are no better than Migs. Their first choice full backs are excellent, but they have no decent back ups, they are ahead of us there. Central defence is different, they are severely weak there, Smalling, even when he manages to stay fit, has no idea about positioning and relies on pace so requires protecting by the midfield. Blind is simply not good enough, while Jones is injury prone and not good enough. Midfield is now one of United's strengths with Schneiderlin, Herrera is excellent though not trusted by the manager. We have lots of huff and puff but the quality is not there. Their attack is hopeless, Rooney has never reached anything like his potential, but now he has got flabby and lost the physicality that made him special. They are relying on Depay and the silky but hopelessly sluggish Mata, when the team pass forward that far. On the other hand, we have what looks, on paper, a decent attacking threat with Benteke, Coutinho and Firmino, if we get the most from them.
Their side is not horrendous, they are just badly managed and scared to make mistakes in case the ego gets upset. Our side is not horrendous, but it is being shackled by a tactically inept manager. We are probably both on a par and should be looking over our shoulders at the likes of Swansea as the top four battle is going to be difficult.}
03 Sep 2015 15:34:53
Perfectly summed up Ed
03 Sep 2015 17:12:40
United are stronger than Liverpool all over the pitch, don't kid yourself into thinking that Coutinho is going to put in a full season this year and Firmino will be the same, Benteke is a good number 9 but Liverpool will not get the best out of him as they will not play to his strengths just as they wouldn't to Carroll's.
{Ed001's Note - and you think Rooney is going to be good then? Or has it escaped your attention that he is not a good player?}
03 Sep 2015 16:50:40
I have to say to some extent I disagree on the full backs front Ed. while Darmain and Shaw are both good players Shaw has had a lot of injuries problems. I wouldn't say Clyne is that bad.
We also have Flannagan who as we all know has had bad injuries of late but was brilliant two seasons ago at both left back and right back. Moreno has the potential to be a top left sided player but probably not as left back more left wing.
04 Sep 2015 01:52:28
Rooney or benteke to score more, disagree for Rooney agree for benteke
04 Sep 2015 11:31:55
Well said Ed, agree with the synopsis entirely, although I suspect LVG may eventually get more from the squad than BR will just because BR is not playing to our squads strengths (Coutinho as a winger instead of a no.10 for example).
Their biggest issue was not buying a top striker IMO and if they miss top 4 that will probably be their downfall.