Official Manchester United FC Thread

[treiz]

Benzema and Chicarito are 2 different players. In a 3-3-4 Real formation, most of that attack up front is going to based on Ronaldo and Bale's runs. They are also generally a counter attacking team. Benzema has always had troubles keeping up with their pace, and the reality is he simply misses too many of the 2nd chances that come his way. Chicarito will be able to keep up with the speeds of Ronaldo & Bale, but also has that skill of being at the right place at the right time. That's his specialty. The rebounds coming from the saves just navigate towards him as if he's some magnet.

Don't get me wrong, he's not better than Benzema. Hernandez excels at not being the centre of attention but still providing goals in the right moments, while Benzema needs the offense to be more involved around him, which is ideal if he's the back-up.

Same applies to Hernandez, he's useless at everything else he does apart from poaching he needs guys to take attention away from him so he can sneak into the box for a tap in. He is the ideal guy to bring on when you need a goal, I like him as a back-up.

[Matty]

I don't know how to say this but that's simply not correct. Real need more players who work hard for the stars , not more goal scorers who do nothing else. Benzema's passing, movement and capable pressing are a big part of the success Ronaldo and bale found, like Mandzukic for Robben and Ribery. A useless goal scorer would just clog things and put more of a burden on those stars, limiting their ability to shine, like when Bayern still had Gomez.

As a joker chicha will do exactly what you're describing and do it well, but that's exactly the opposite skillset to what they need from their striker. That's why I've never understood the Falcao to real rumors other than falcao's desire to go their and real's desire to buy every star on the market when a guy like Cavani would serve them much better should they decide to replace benzema next summer.

Benzema is Falcao-lite and is close in playing-style to the Columbian than Cavani, but maybe we just see things differently.

[Matty]

Benzema and Chicarito are 2 different players. In a 3-3-4 Real formation, most of that attack up front is going to based on Ronaldo and Bale's runs. They are also generally a counter attacking team. Benzema has always had troubles keeping up with their pace, and the reality is he simply misses too many of the 2nd chances that come his way. Chicarito will be able to keep up with the speeds of Ronaldo & Bale, but also has that skill of being at the right place at the right time. That's his specialty. The rebounds coming from the saves just navigate towards him as if he's some magnet.

Don't get me wrong, he's not better than Benzema. Hernandez excels at not being the centre of attention but still providing goals in the right moments, while Benzema needs the offense to be more involved around him, which is ideal if he's the back-up.

Same applies to Hernandez, he's useless at everything else he does apart from poaching he needs guys to take attention away from him so he can sneak into the box for a tap in. He is the ideal guy to bring on when you need a goal, I like him as a back-up.

Poaching is the complete opposite of wanting the offense to be around you. Ronaldo wants the be the centre of attention. Bale wants to be the centre of attention. Benzema needs to be the target man to be successful. Real cannot accommodate all of that without having a skilled player in the middle that can move up and distribute the ball e.g Di Maria. Chicarito never needed to be the man in united and certainly won't need to be in Real.

I guarantee you Chicarito will have a better scoring rate than Benzema in Madrid.

[cgf]

So what if he does? Benzema's job is to make bale and Ronaldo shine, chicha's job will be to come off the bench to snag some late goals and to play with the backups when bale and Ronnie are being rested. He better have a better scoring rate otherwise this signing will be almost completely useless on the pitch.

Granted chicha isn't being bought because of what he brings on the pitch but because, like Hamez, he helps real compete for attention in South America with the Neymar and Messi boasting Barca. So he'll still validate the transfer in jersey sales and the other off the pitch benefits so even if he can't score at a better rate than benzema the deal still won't be a total disaster.

[Matty]

^Since when was Benzema an AM? And how is it that Benzema's job is ''to make bale and Ronaldo shine''? Isn't that why they bought Kroos and James for?

I think I'm missing the plot here somewhere. Last time I checked Benzema was there to score goals. If he isn't doing that he's useless. Ask any Real fan what they think of him and they won't give you much praise.

[cgf]

^Since when was Benzema an AM? And how is it that Benzema's job is ''to make bale and Ronaldo shine''? Isn't that why they bought Kroos and James for?

I think I'm missing the plot here somewhere. Last time I checked Benzema was there to score goals. If he isn't doing that he's useless. Ask any Real fan what they think of him and they won't give you much praise.

I think you have. The 80s and 90s ended a long time ago and strikers are asked to do a lot more than just poke in goals now a days, especially when they're operating between two of the most prolific wide forwards around with a midfield that'll chip in a lot of goals themselves. That's why Mandzukic took Bayern to another level than Gomez could despite the mez being the stronger penalty box poacher.

And you should ask some real fans, they even have their own thread on here. I think you'll actually find quite a bit of praise for him from the knowledgeable ones, who are admittedly rare.

[treiz]

Poaching is the complete opposite of wanting the offense to be around you. Ronaldo wants the be the centre of attention. Bale wants to be the centre of attention. Benzema needs to be the target man to be successful. Real cannot accommodate all of that without having a skilled player in the middle that can move up and distribute the ball e.g Di Maria. Chicarito never needed to be the man in united and certainly won't need to be in Real.

I guarantee you Chicarito will have a better scoring rate than Benzema in Madrid.

How so? To be an efficient poacher you need to have service constantly, since you can't make it yourself you have to rely on others to create for you. That's what I meant when I said you have to build around him, because of his inept skills elsewhere across the pitch, you need other players to accommodate for that.

Benzema on the other hand has the skill set to work well on other systems too, the fact that he's not the main guy at Madrid and he's managed to do pretty well for himself despite being in Ronaldo/Bale's shadow shows that you don't have to build around him, he's also perfectly capable of having the ball at his feet, heck in the WC I thought he did pretty well showcasing all of his skills for France. He is a perfect compliment to both Ronaldo and Bale, forward play now is not just about goals, they have to do so much more, Rooney is a prime example. You could even say Hernandez' playing time in recent years is a good example of this point.

They have Kroos to replicate Di Maria's passing and improve it some more, so that's not that bad.

I wouldn't be surprised, he has one of the best scoring rate in the history of the PL. That's what he's good at, he'll come on for the 2nd half when they need a goal then he'll use his pace to find a small crack in the defence and tap it in or pounce on the rebound, sort of what he's been doing in Manchester for the last couple of years, he's a bench player nothing more, nothing less. He won't beat Benzema for a starting spot at Madrid, that I can guarantee.

[Matty]

Poaching is the complete opposite of wanting the offense to be around you. Ronaldo wants the be the centre of attention. Bale wants to be the centre of attention. Benzema needs to be the target man to be successful. Real cannot accommodate all of that without having a skilled player in the middle that can move up and distribute the ball e.g Di Maria. Chicarito never needed to be the man in united and certainly won't need to be in Real.

I guarantee you Chicarito will have a better scoring rate than Benzema in Madrid.

How so? To be an efficient poacher you need to have service constantly, since you can't make it yourself you have to rely on others to create for you. That's what I meant when I said you have to build around him, because of his inept skills elsewhere across the pitch, you need other players to accommodate for that.

United never built their team around Chicarito yet he was successful in his first season because we had quality midfielders back then. Nani's best season coupled with Scholes and Giggs, Carrick who was still in international form and Fletcher who was Vidal-lite in the middle.

To quote Drake, ''Nothing was the same'' since 2011 when Scholes retired after the CL finals. We never fully recovered (12/13 PL trophy was Van Persie single-handedly carrying a sub-par team), we never addressed the issues of Giggs retiring and adding more depth in the middle and because of that our attack suffered and so did Chicarito. Benzema would have probably been a better player for us in that situation.

Chica will have no problems working around the superstars and putting in the rebounds. That's what he excels at, and that's what he can do better than Benzema. It sounds simple but that's really why he's a professional footballer in the highest of stages.

Benzema on the other hand has the skill set to work well on other systems too, the fact that he's not the main guy at Madrid and he's managed to do pretty well for himself despite being in Ronaldo/Bale's shadow shows that you don't have to build around him, he's also perfectly capable of having the ball at his feet, heck in the WC I thought he did pretty well showcasing all of his skills for France. He is a perfect compliment to both Ronaldo and Bale, forward play now is not just about goals, they have to do so much more, Rooney is a prime example. You could even say Hernandez' playing time in recent years is a good example of this point.

France and Real Madrid are 2 different cases entirely. One team has Ronaldo and Bale on their wings, the other Valbuena and Griezmann. Of course Benzema is going to excel more in France when he has players that gear toward servicing him the ball more than creating the attack themselves.

[treiz]

Poaching is the complete opposite of wanting the offense to be around you. Ronaldo wants the be the centre of attention. Bale wants to be the centre of attention. Benzema needs to be the target man to be successful. Real cannot accommodate all of that without having a skilled player in the middle that can move up and distribute the ball e.g Di Maria. Chicarito never needed to be the man in united and certainly won't need to be in Real.

I guarantee you Chicarito will have a better scoring rate than Benzema in Madrid.

How so? To be an efficient poacher you need to have service constantly, since you can't make it yourself you have to rely on others to create for you. That's what I meant when I said you have to build around him, because of his inept skills elsewhere across the pitch, you need other players to accommodate for that.

United never built their team around Chicarito yet he was successful in his first season because we had quality midfielders back then. Nani's best season coupled with Scholes and Giggs, Carrick who was still in international form and Fletcher who was Vidal-lite in the middle.

To quote Drake, ''Nothing was the same'' since 2011 when Scholes retired after the CL finals. We never fully recovered (13/14 PL trophy was Van Persie single-handedly carrying a sub-par team), we never addressed the issues of Giggs retiring and adding more depth in the middle and because of that our attack suffered and so did Chicarito. Benzema would have probably been a better player for us in that situation.

Benzema on the other hand has the skill set to work well on other systems too, the fact that he's not the main guy at Madrid and he's managed to do pretty well for himself despite being in Ronaldo/Bale's shadow shows that you don't have to build around him, he's also perfectly capable of having the ball at his feet, heck in the WC I thought he did pretty well showcasing all of his skills for France. He is a perfect compliment to both Ronaldo and Bale, forward play now is not just about goals, they have to do so much more, Rooney is a prime example. You could even say Hernandez' playing time in recent years is a good example of this point.

France and Real Madrid are 2 different cases entirely. One team has Ronaldo and Bale on their wings, the other Valbuena and Griezmann. Of course Benzema is going to excel more in France when he has players that gear toward servicing him the ball more than creating the attack themselves.

I like Fletcher a lot but he was never close to Vidal (lite or not).

Anyway, still the points stands he needed those players at a top level around him to succeed, he needs other players to accommodate for his inept skills in other areas of the pitch, he needs the service constantly and when the skills of those around him diminished as did his production and he was eventually sent to be a bench player for the rest of his United career. Bale and Ronaldo also needs to be serviced and that's something that Benzema does a lot better than Hernandez considering his lack of skill when he needs more than 2 touches.

In regards to the 2nd paragraph, that again sort of proves my point. He showcased his full arsenal of skills for France at the WC and did it pretty well, he was France's best player and despite having a completely different system to Real he still plays really well for both system and his RM career shows that you don't have to build around him as he's a great complimentary player. He'll produce whether it's as the main guy or playing as third fiddle.

EDIT: Don't forget that they had a better version of Hernandez in Higuain, and when they had to make a decision between him and Benzema, they chose Benzema.

[Matty]

^Since when was Benzema an AM? And how is it that Benzema's job is ''to make bale and Ronaldo shine''? Isn't that why they bought Kroos and James for?

I think I'm missing the plot here somewhere. Last time I checked Benzema was there to score goals. If he isn't doing that he's useless. Ask any Real fan what they think of him and they won't give you much praise.

I think you have. The 80s and 90s ended a long time ago and strikers are asked to do a lot more than just poke in goals now a days, especially when they're operating between two of the most prolific wide forwards around with a midfield that'll chip in a lot of goals themselves. That's why Mandzukic took Bayern to another level than Gomez could despite the mez being the stronger penalty box poacher.

And you should ask some real fans, they even have their own thread on here. I think you'll actually find quite a bit of praise for him from the knowledgeable ones, who are admittedly rare.

It's all about perception at this point. From what I've watched from Benzema, he isn't the Mandzukic type that doesn't need the ball to be successful as he can be. I don't think he's a striker that can play around Ronaldo/Bale as efficiently as Chicarito. Any other team Benzema would be the better option but Real is a special case with the wingers who operate as strikers or centre forwards. I could be wrong in my opinion but I'm sticking with it.

Benzema can be so much more successful in teams like Arsenal or Liverpool.

[TurboTitan]

So Welbeck officially gone then. Absolutely gutted

[poeman]

So Welbeck officially gone then. Absolutely gutted

You got Falcao though bro (altho on loan with 14 million pounds of wages)...I am noticing the lack of english players growing on United's team...No longer are they looking to bring youth through the system.

[TurboTitan]

So Welbeck officially gone then. Absolutely gutted

You got Falcao though bro (altho on loan with 14 million pounds of wages)...I am noticing the lack of english players growing on United's team...No longer are they looking to bring youth through the system.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about Falcao but after Welbeck starts to play for Arsenal you'll see how good Danny really is. He works so hard and has so much talent. He really is a unique player

[RahimC7]

We have international break coming up this weekend don't we? fml

[Matty]

Farewell Welbeck. Was never going to work here given the talent we already had up front. We brought you up, and if your ever good enough you'll come back home.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf9SOUOiNHQ[/youtube]

[Matty]

Falcao/Van Persie
Blind/Di Maria/Herrera/Rooney/Rafael
Shaw/Rojo/Jones

Mata at his current form just doesn't deserve to be in the starting lineup. Was piss poor all game this past weekend.

[Matty]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/506601354375467008[/tweet]

[Matty]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/FALCAO/status/506606174637424641[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/FALCAO/status/506615509333573632[/tweet]

Falcao didn't address our defense issues but at least we have the most lethal front in the Premier League. Take that Mourinho!

[poeman]

GET IN...It is done

@SkySportsNewsHQ BREAKING NEWS: Aston Villa made a bid to sign Tom Cleverley on loan late last night, are awaiting a decision from the Premier League.

[Matty]

Out of the 2 English boys I would have much rather Danny went on a loan deal and the former leaving once and for all. Cleverly is simply not talented enough to play midfield at united. It's no knock on him, I'm sure he'll do well in some mid table team.