19 minutes ago, forbzy said:

Here you go:

 

When I saw the images of Arrizabalaga pleading to stay on, I tried to imagine how he felt when he realised he was being subbed.

 

I don't fully agree with it but I appreciate his argument. 

 

Thanks for reposting, not signed up to telegraph!

The Special one is siding w/ Don Maurizio - 'it was a misunderstanding'

7 minutes ago, robdog said:

The Special one is siding w/ Don Maurizio - 'it was a misunderstanding'

It's been a long time since I've seen him not grumpy, think the break from management is doing him some good. 

Responded in the best possible way to the cup final fiasco. 

Put in a MOTM performance yesterday making some great saves to deny Fulham. I think the club, Sarri and Kepa have all handled the controversy well and hopefully that quality performances draws a line under the whole thing. 

 

Someone remind me how much we payed for him again. I feel like a good cry.

 

One of my concerns about Kepa is (enormity of the investment aside) that we have a player who (in theory) is best-suited to a single style of play.

When Sarri inevitably leaves (whenever that is), should we revert to a more reactive, direct, physical style of play from, say, a Jardim, an Allegri, a Nuno or a Simeone*, we will be stuck with a £71m player who, at best, will be a poor fit, at worst, a liability. Again, this just speaks to a complete lack of competent long-term planning from those in charge of our transfer strategy.

While I think Sarri is a hugely flawed manager who is playing a poor hand badly, part of me wants me to keep hold of him for a few seasons, just for the sake of consistency. He is clearly committed to a single style of play/player, and any transfers going forward will be geared towards fitting that style, as opposed to aimlessly flitting back and forth with little thought to long-term planning. In addition to that, with enough pressure, he has shown that he will play the youngsters, more than any other manager since Abramovich bought the club. Of course, his transfers so far have hardly convinced me that what I've just written is any more than an idle musing...

 

 

* According to https://www.oddschecker.com/football/manager-specials/chelsea/next-permanent-manager  Simeone is favourite to succeed Sarri, which seems utterly absurd to me.  

26 minutes ago, PloKoon13 said:

One of my concerns about Kepa is (enormity of the investment aside) that we have a player who (in theory) is best-suited to a single style of play.

When Sarri inevitably leaves (whenever that is), should we revert to a more reactive, direct, physical style of play from, say, a Jardim, an Allegri, a Nuno or a Simeone*, we will be stuck with a £71m player who, at best, will be a poor fit, at worst, a liability. Again, this just speaks to a complete lack of competent long-term planning from those in charge of our transfer strategy. 

Thing is PloKoon, you could swap the names about and cut and paste this into the Jorginho thread where the argument is possibly even more valid. 

We've appointed Sarri who's mantra is essentially to dominate possession at all costs. 

Suddenly you throw in a manager who likes to counter attack now and then and you've huge investments square peg, round holing it. 

Kepa's biggest fault (and it's a pretty big one for a goalie) is that he doesn't seem to make that many saves. He's the tallest of keepers and it seems anything anywhere the near the corners of the goal and he can't get across to them quickly enough. 

Yeah his distribution is light years ahead of Courtois but he's not commanding the area at all at the moment... It's started to look like a massive investment on a player with so many areas that need improving. 

Edited April 23, 20197 yr by ForeverCarefree

Yeah Kepa isn’t that good is he?

I can recall Cech, Courtois producing match winning saves every few weeks, Kepa hasn’t done that apart from Prague away?

We really needed him to save us last night, nothing he could have done about the first goal but I felt he could have done better for the Barnes goal.

Sometimes I really wish he’s taller. If he was taller then perhaps he would have saved Salah’s goal, Sturridge, etc.

Hes still young though and hopefully he will get better with age.

It's a shame Thibaut burned his bridges with us really considering he doesn't seem to be the most popular figure at Madrid (fans, dressing room, manager), and the De Gea to Real train appears to be back in motion.

I feel like we could do with a few more pricks in the dressing room as well.

17 minutes ago, dansubrosa said:

Yeah Kepa isn’t that good is he?

I can recall Cech, Courtois producing match winning saves every few weeks, Kepa hasn’t done that apart from Prague away?

We really needed him to save us last night, nothing he could have done about the first goal but I felt he could have done better for the Barnes goal.

Sometimes I really wish he’s taller. If he was taller then perhaps he would have saved Salah’s goal, Sturridge, etc.

Hes still young though and hopefully he will get better with age.

Don’t think we can blame him for the second goal. He had to stay near post for the ball coming in, and the defenders just left Barnes wide open at the back.

Are some of us really pretending Courtois was better? He was here 4 years and the only points i remember him winning for us was the last minute stop against Van Aanholt. Keep has been class this season.

Don't thinkhe had much chances with the goals, but an outstanding keeper would have saved one of those, and he's clearly isn't one, at this stage. He's hesitant to come out, which was the reason we had so many players in the 6 yeard box, and nobody near the edge of the box to close down the shot, He's not great, bu we got bigger problems just about everywhere else on the field.

43 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

Thing is PloKoon, you could swap the names about and cut and paste this into the Jorginho thread where the argument is possibly even more valid. 

We've appointed Sarri who's mantra is essentially to dominate possession at all costs. 

Suddenly you throw in a manager who likes to counter attack now and then and you've huge investments square peg, round holing it. 

Kepa's biggest fault (and it's a pretty big one for a goalie) is that he doesn't seem to make that many saves. He's the tallest of keepers and it seems anything anywhere the near the corners of the goal and he can't get across to them quickly enough. 

Yeah his distribution is light years ahead of Courtois but he's not commanding the area at all at the moment... It's started to look like a massive investment on a player with so many areas that need improving. 

That's the crunch for me. He does seem to get beaten by a lot of shots hit high into corners and I think his lack of height is the obvious reason. And when you consider how much we spent on him, that is a pretty major flaw.

 

.

Edited April 23, 20197 yr by Nibs
Duplicate

1 hour ago, PloKoon13 said:

One of my concerns about Kepa is (enormity of the investment aside) that we have a player who (in theory) is best-suited to a single style of play.

When Sarri inevitably leaves (whenever that is), should we revert to a more reactive, direct, physical style of play from, say, a Jardim, an Allegri, a Nuno or a Simeone*, we will be stuck with a £71m player who, at best, will be a poor fit, at worst, a liability. Again, this just speaks to a complete lack of competent long-term planning from those in charge of our transfer strategy.

While I think Sarri is a hugely flawed manager who is playing a poor hand badly, part of me wants me to keep hold of him for a few seasons, just for the sake of consistency. He is clearly committed to a single style of play/player, and any transfers going forward will be geared towards fitting that style, as opposed to aimlessly flitting back and forth with little thought to long-term planning. In addition to that, with enough pressure, he has shown that he will play the youngsters, more than any other manager since Abramovich bought the club. Of course, his transfers so far have hardly convinced me that what I've just written is any more than an idle musing...

 

 

* According to https://www.oddschecker.com/football/manager-specials/chelsea/next-permanent-manager  Simeone is favourite to succeed Sarri, which seems utterly absurd to me.  

Maybe the long term plan for the club is to play a possession based game, and play out from the back, maybe the signing of kepa on a 7 year deal is actually good long term planning? 

If sarri goes, what is to say the club font go for another manager that plays similarly? 

The transfer strategy has been all over the place for 5 years, but I thought the signing of sarri, kepa, and jorginho, was the start of a commitment to a new style. 

So far though, all 3 have been underwhelming. So I guess the question is how committed are the board to following through with this new style? 

If we revert back to a Mourinho style of manager, that is another £130m down the toilet. 

I think we need major investment, with or without sarri. It's got to this stage because of us failing to spend the money when it was required since 15/16. It wouldve worked out cheaper to back Mourinho every summer than it does to change manager and philosophy every 2 or 3 seasons, as United are about to find out. 

The transfer market has inflated to the point where our revenue no lo ger gives us the ability to revamp every couple of seasons. We didnt anticipate this otherwise we wouldve just spent the money on stones and pogba at the time. Even if you dont rate either player, you would have think 2 massive signings like that wouldve completely changed the mindset going into that season. 

We've been paying for it ever since. 

Well until I see Kepa chipped from 65 yards, he is better than the snake known as Tibo.

6 hours ago, Nibs said:

Someone remind me how much we payed for him again. I feel like a good cry.

 

If only he could save a shot, any shot would do! He's surely an outfield player that's been stuck between the posts, he just doesn't look or act  like a keeper.  Shilton,  Schmiechal, or Cech he certainly isn't. Might come good next season De Gea did.

Edited April 23, 20197 yr by chi blue

4 hours ago, big blue said:

Maybe the long term plan for the club is to play a possession based game, and play out from the back, maybe the signing of kepa on a 7 year deal is actually good long term planning? 

If sarri goes, what is to say the club font go for another manager that plays similarly? 

The transfer strategy has been all over the place for 5 years, but I thought the signing of sarri, kepa, and jorginho, was the start of a commitment to a new style. 

So far though, all 3 have been underwhelming. So I guess the question is how committed are the board to following through with this new style? 

If we revert back to a Mourinho style of manager, that is another £130m down the toilet. 

I think we need major investment, with or without sarri. It's got to this stage because of us failing to spend the money when it was required since 15/16. It wouldve worked out cheaper to back Mourinho every summer than it does to change manager and philosophy every 2 or 3 seasons, as United are about to find out. 

The transfer market has inflated to the point where our revenue no lo ger gives us the ability to revamp every couple of seasons. We didnt anticipate this otherwise we wouldve just spent the money on stones and pogba at the time. Even if you dont rate either player, you would have think 2 massive signings like that wouldve completely changed the mindset going into that season. 

We've been paying for it ever since. 

I appreciate your optimism but history is what tells us that they won't. I've heard this so many times over the years and as much as I would like to be wrong, I don't see this suddenly being the time when Roman/the board changes their ways. Especially seeing as we still don't have a Director of Football in place.

4 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Are some of us really pretending Courtois was better? He was here 4 years and the only points i remember him winning for us was the last minute stop against Van Aanholt. Keep has been class this season.

Yes that last minute Van Aanholt save was only save I can remember, mind you his size and presence probably made harder saves look simple, but he certainly was no Cech

Think he's been one of our better players this season poor defending has left him exposed at times not entirely all his fault.

1 minute ago, Remodez said:

I appreciate your optimism but history is what tells us that they won't. I've heard this so many times over the years and as much as I would like to be wrong, I don't see this suddenly being the time when Roman/the board changes their ways. Especially seeing as we still don't have a Director of Football in place.

I wasnt being optimistic, I was simply posing the question. 

I dont know what the club are going to do.

History tells us sarri wouldve been sacked in February but he's still here. So we are in uncharted territory. 

Roman has changed his ways. We used to be a club that spent big and strived to be the best, I dont see that ambition anymore. 

 

Kepa is a legend, remember this comment in 10 years.

27 minutes ago, chi blue said:

Yes that last minute Van Aanholt save was only save I can remember, mind you his size and presence probably made harder saves look simple, but he certainly was no Cech

We're going to be very disappointed if we compare every keeper to Cech or every CM to Lampard etc. 

Lets not forget that Cech had Terry, Carvalho, Cole, Ivanovic, Gallas etc. playing infront of him in a defensive block for most of his career.

27 minutes ago, chi blue said:

Yes that last minute Van Aanholt save was only save I can remember, mind you his size and presence probably made harder saves look simple, but he certainly was no Cech

We're going to be very disappointed if we compare every keeper to Cech or every CM to Lampard etc. 

Lets not forget that Cech had Terry, Carvalho, Cole, Ivanovic, Gallas etc. playing infront of him in a defensive block for most of his career.

Fair point.

But if you think about De Gea over past few years, he has saved United so many points. Obviously I’m hoping we won’t have to rely on Kepa as much but I would like to see him produce some of these match winning saves.

We have such a big job in the summer, we need to revamp the defence. Fullbacks need replacing, desperate for a top class centre half, need to replace Kovacic and Fabregas, need to replace Willian, Pedro and a striker.

I think we’ll be a top 4 contender team for a few years. No way we can resolve all of the problems in one summer.