SEASON REVIEW 22/23 PART THREE
part three discusses about the transfer dept and manger veto over new signings, and aspirations for the new season
Transfer dept and manager veto over new signings
i suspect that the transfer dept reported directly to ed woodward back then, and he had more say in signing new players that had bigger reputations, or can sell more jerseys, but not necessarily fit into the manager's plans. why? i think he (or the higher-ups) want to make marquee signings fitting for a big club, regardless of their suitability. ever since SAF retired, man u have overspent and the signings underperformed, they have been trying to get their act together for a long time and now ETH seems to be the right manager to bring the club forward. man u needs to sign players that suit the manager's system and not for commercial reasons, success on the field first and then everything else will auto fall into place
under moyes: last minute scrambles to sign fellaini and mata after failing to attract supposed big names. moyes was highly scrutinised by the media and his management style and tactics didn't work for the squad either, gone after man u couldn't qualify for UCL
under LVG: LVG was backed to sign players to get back into UCL, but his system was so sideways that fans chanted "attack, attack, attack". gone despite winning the fa cup
under mourinho: JM was backed to sign quality players to get back into UCL, once that was achieved, token effort was put in to reinforce the squad, JM whined to the media and then he was gone.
signing mkhitaryan and then trading him for sanchez who operated on the left wing was really wtf
under OGS: OGS also was generally backed to sign quality players to get back into UCL, but i think he had little say in the signings of maguire, VDB and CR7
maguire - rojo's rant revealed some juicy info: OGS had to play maguire due to his price tag, it didn't matter whether he fit into OGS system or not
VDB - OGS refusal to play him says alot. why sign him and then don't play him? VDB is the prime example that the manager and the transfer dept are out of sync
CR7 - CR7 means goals and jerseys. his massive reputation means that OGS had to play him, the higher-ups must be telling OGS "fans come to OT to watch CR7 play so u must play him"
under ETH: ETH has been backed so far but antony is a question mark, why sign another winger when there are already many wingers in the squad? ETH has also come out to say that the squad needs investment in order to compete, putting the ball in the owner's court (well played). note that ETH signings of martinez, malacia, and casemiro have "bite", antony has some bite but he is too easily baited into retaliation. ETH wants to sign players who doesn't roll over easily, he must have observed that the squad under OGS were doormats. overall, ETH signings have been astute so far (eriksen was signed for his creativity and to improve ball retention and possession, good on some days, ineffective on others, average overall)
there are alot of rumours about players linked to man u, we shall see who is signed in the off season and if they fit into ETH system, ETH must have the final say/judgement call in potential signings
Aspirations for season 23/24
BPL
man u record for 22/23 is W23 D6 L9 GF58(1.53goals/game) GA43(1.13goals/game). man u only scored 58 goals, which is low for a club who plays attacking football. conceding more than a goal per game on average goes to show that the defence is still leaky. next season's objectives are a top 4 finish, to score more (2goals/game), concede less(<1goal/game), and reduce the number of losses by 50%
city has been setting the benchmark for a long time now, it will take years to catch up to city and man u can only overtake city after Pep is gone
man u lagged by 14pts this season but given the fa cup performance and the manner in which man u lost games, i don't think man u can challenge for the title yet. come next season, the squad will be adapting better to ETH system and we should see man u getting into rhythm faster, improved mentality, more goals scored and less goals conceded
UCL
getting out of the UCL group stage is a minimum, and a deep run in the tournament is a bonus given how competitive UCL is
FA & EFL cups
ETH will be placing more importance on PL and UCL, we saw how the squad was stretched with injuries, burnout and loss of form when chasing 3 cups this season, so FA & EFL cups might take a backseat next season. but it depends on man u's performance in UCL: if man u can progress far, 2nd stringers and youngsters will be fielded in the domestic cups, if man u exit UCL early, ETH
must retain the EFL cup and try to win the FA cup