The Manchester United Thread X

De Gea straight swap for Cesc - put both of their values at £100 million to keep Zurich quiet

Barca would then have to hand over a cheque for 50m to Arsenal. Doubt they'd fancy that tbh,

Absolutely amazed that any Utd fans are still harboring hope of getting Fabregas when he was never leaving Barca anyway, is so wrapped up in clauses to make him practically unsignable for everyone but AFC and wouldnt play for Utd anyway. Unless he really thinks that David Moyes is the logical figure to take his game to the next level of course.

You should have clicked my spoilers!

I reckon Moysie would get more out of Cesc than Tito does

You should have clicked my spoilers!

I reckon Moysie would get more out of Cesc than Tito does

Moyes actually has a good record for developing young players, but hes not so hot on the technical side of things is he?

look at Rooney. If we are being honest, we've contributed quite heavily to his stunted growth. He's been so important, that at that crucial 25-28 zone where Messi and Ronaldo just exploded, Rooney was carrying our team and getting a bit of a beating. Less games and less pressure if it means focusing on playing the game you need, is probably better than 35 games a season doing the job the team needs at the expense of yourself. I'd guess that was a trap Cesc was falling into at Arsenal, not that Barca solved it.

This is one of the things I'm kind of on the fence about. Tactically over a season with the resources he has, he's clearly a very good manager or he wouldn't be placing Everton that high but his record against the big sides is a bit lacking. A common one thrown out is his record against the Tradition big 4 is pretty poor, didn't win a game against any of them away. People have said, he's not too tactical and such but tbh, how many games has he come into without a significantly weaker side? I'm not really sure how to read into it, he beats the managers he's competing against season after season, and they inflict defeats on the big teams so you would think by default he's capable of the same tactical feats, but 45 games no wins is a hard record to look away from.

On the field I think Moyes is quite old school pretty hands on compared to SAF in the training dept. Although I'm not really sure how much that means tbh. I think the manager is more responsible for the players heads than their actual training development.

As for Cesc at Arsenal, I'm not so sure about staying and developing. Game time doesn't always mean the best development, look at Rooney. If we are being honest, we've contributed quite heavily to his stunted growth. He's been so important, that at that crucial 25-28 zone where Messi and Ronaldo just exploded, Rooney was carrying our team and getting a bit of a beating. Less games and less pressure if it means focusing on playing the game you need, is probably better than 35 games a season doing the job the team needs at the expense of yourself. I'd guess that was a trap Cesc was falling into at Arsenal, not that Barca solved it.

I honestly think there are bigger factors than him carrying the team to why he hasn't become as good as some expected. Messi and Ronaldo both play vast amounts of games each year (Messi 60 and 50 in the last 2 years, Ronaldo 55 and 55.)

I'd personally more put it down to:

Fabregas is an artist. Then again Fab will win trophies at Barca that we wont at AFC but personally, I think I'd prefer to be remembered as a great player than just to disappear into the night with a bunch of medals half earned.

He can have half a medal seems to play first half of the season storming then the next half extremely inconsistent.

If Barca had won the CL this year, Fab would have got a medal whilst being on the bench for all of the important games. Where's the glory in that? May as well get a job as the kitman.

Yeah Moyes is in many ways a throwback to a bygone era. One thing that's always struck me watching his teams in the flesh was just how fit they were, well either that or they were just unbelievably motivated because Everton just never stopped running. But that only takes you so far and Fergie wasnt exactly running a health spa either. His record against the top 4 sadly suggests tactical inexperience. But hes never had the players to properly implement complex tactical strategies, Gravesen was never going to outsmart the top players was he, so Moyes probably just played the hand he was dealt. Having said that, Everton literally seem to play the same system week in week out under him so interested to see how he does with top class playersand if he feels confident enough to experiment. Better hope he picks it up quickly...

Rooney is a very raw footballer who tbh, hasnt learned a thing in his life. He plays exactly the same way he did at 17 and that's just the way he is. I think Rooney's problem is simply that hes lost the hunger that he had, with RVP's arrival bringing things to a head. Fabregas is similar in that hes at his best when he plays with instinct, Barca try to integrate him into their machine and hes just not as good and its a real waste. They should have signed Arteta is they wanted a cog, Fabregas is an artist. Then again Fab will win trophies at Barca that we wont at AFC but personally, I think I'd prefer to be remembered as a great player than just to disappear into the night with a bunch of medals half earned.

To be honest, I can't see United winning the title next season. My best bets are on Mourinho winning it.