Swango1980
Well-known member
Not really.
When Utd went chasing Sancho, I was a little puzzled. To be fair, I've not seen him a lot as I don't watch German football, but generally his opponents there are maybe not the best? I rarely saw him play well when I did watch him. However, putting my trust is the scouts who do monitor player performances, and assuming he is a great player, I still wondered how Utd would accommodate him. The problem being what do they do with Greenwood. There is no doubt Greenwood has shown some fantastic qualities, especially when he gets a chance to shoot with either foot. However, by bring Sancho in, either that meant less time for Greenwood, or as many expected, Greenwood to become our number 9. That worried me, I've never really seen him be given much of a chance in that position. So, up to now, the coaching staff have not felt it appropriate to rely on him up there. He can strike a ball, but does he have that ability to be in the right place at the right time? I'm unsure. Does he have the ability to get on the end of a cross, dominate in the air against big centre backs and score with his head. I am very sceptical he can. So, I felt if they gave him a chance as a No.9, inevitably they would quickly revert back to Cavani instead as much as possible. The Greenwood experiment could be similar when we got rid of Lukaku and though Rashford or Martial could be the main striker, which did not work out well at all.
So, if we are talking about balance, I'd say it is the signing of Sancho that has created the biggest problem in my opinion. With or without Ronaldo, Ole still wants to play Greenwood as much as possible, which ultimately would have ended up as a right-forward. So him and Sancho would probably always have competed for a spot in the team. I'm desperate for Greenwood to meet his potential, just like Rashford. But, Greenwood seems quite one dimensional, he cuts inside and tries to get a shot away. There is little else to his attacking game at the moment, and he is non-existent when we need to defend. Teams have got used to him, and so are probably just defending better against him this year than last. Rashford didn't have the best of seasons last year anyway, especially the 2nd half. Again, he is quite one dimensional with poor decision making, so the opposition have probably found a way to play against him.
Obviously, in one respect I'm pointing my finger at the players. But, I'm sure a great coach would see this and find ways to improve their games. However, I think their progress has stalled because the coaching at the club is severely limited. Having Ronaldo at the club is huge, he delivers time and time again. But, one of my biggest hopes was that players like Greenwood and Rashford would learn from him. Ronaldo seems to be quite a leader amongst his team mates, and if we cannot rely on the coaches, hopefully Ronaldo can give them some great advice. However, that only goes so far, ultimately it will be the manager players look for the biggest inspiration, as it is ultimately the manager that tells them how to play collectively.
