Fair enough. I do think those kind of stats point more towards a team effort personally, how you are as a unit, certainly suggests Soyuncu is the better fit. Coupled with Jonny Evans who seems to have really stepped up since Maguire's left. I would say he's been a lot more influential in your defence being as solid as it is, elevated his status within your squad for sure. I could be talking sh*t though as I do tend to keep an eye on him more being a previous player of ours. I'm more impressed with him to be honest than Soyuncu. Looks like the player we thought he could be whilst he was on our books and I'm pleasantly surpised by him. Maybe I underrated him but he was solid enough as an understudy to Vidic and Ferdinand, couldn't have been easy for him, plus we were spoilt with that pairing so not exactly a fair yardstick to measure him by. Don't mention it. I get your point, mine comes from a similar point of view. People laughing at the Maguire fee (rightly so) and hearing pundits talk utter nonsense about Soyuncu, based on what I'd seen, was ridiculous. Considering he slotted in for Maguire is probably why there's been so much talk about it and has fuelled my opinion. For context AWB gets the same plaudits, makes a tackle and the plaudits he gets makes me think "Eh?", shouldn't have to be lunging in like that anyway if he had any braincells in regards to positioning. There was a comment made last game where Soyuncu cut out a cross, it was nothing special honestly, and the commentators said "He's so good isn't he?" "Oh yeah absolutely!" and I just laughed and thought wtf that's not his fault at all though and I'm certainly not saying he's sh*t, but the plaudits he gets are IMO over the top. I just don't see it, or maybe haven't yet. I've been impressed by a lot more players in your squad but maybe I'm just not paying attention. I'll certainly pay more next season For the record, I don't class Maguire as one of the best either and he really should be for the fee we paid, again though not his fault. He has improved though in my opinion and whether United fans like it or not he is probably along with Bruno our most import / influential player. When he's not there we're so much worse at the back. Considering the shambles he has at the back with him, I have to give him props for how good he's been where other's may have folded. He's not easy on the eye but he is solid as a rock for us generally. He's proven to me he's a very good player who needs help now rather than replacing. I never saw the fuss with Maguire in a Leicester shirt either, wasn't really too keen on him and let's not mention the fee! That's what I'm seeing at the moment with Soyuncu. As it stands I think Maguire is the better player right now, really grown in the United shirt where others haven't or couldn't handle it. I'm not trying to be arrogant with that statement, it's just true in my opinion. Because I still hear and have heard Leicester fans tell me this, along with pundits and commentators fuelling this opinion. I just don't see it or maybe I'm unfairly expecting too much? Reckon I've covered this with comments above. Anyway good luck next season and congratulations on the FA cup. Contrary to some fans beliefs these days, you've had a better season than us, winning is what it's all about.
We should make some changes, I think Spinazzola, Immobile, Berardi, Barella, Chiellini and maybe Di Lorenzo will sit on the bench. I see us playing against Wales like that Donnarumma Toloi - Bonucci - Acerbi - Palmieri Locatelli - Jorginho - Pessina Bernardeschi - Belotti - Chiesa Verratti could play his first match, but I don't think he will start the match. Interesting to see if Mancini gives Bastoni and Raspadori some minutes.
Would be nice to do something no team has done in ten games and score against Italy. Not expecting too much as they are unbeaten in 29 I think it is so would be delighted with a draw.
I think we're best off having a go at them. The Turks & Swiss didn't really push them, they're going to rest key players and take it easy before progressing to the knock-outs. They're there for the taking IMO.
Yellow cards now become a bit of a worry. We have Kieffer, Ben Davies and Mepham now on cards and facing a suspension if any more are picked-up against Italy, It was a major blow to lose Ramsey and Davies v Portugal in S/F Euro 2016, so do you protect players from potentially missing a crucial knockout game (given we’ve likely done enough to get out of the group), or first of all just try to make sure we qualify and leave the rest in the lap of the gods? I generally prefer the fortune favours the brave approach and not overthinking things (best laid plans etc.), but do you also need a dose of pragmatism to progress as far as possible in tournaments? Tricky.
I'd rest Kieffer & Davies tbf. Mepham is probably the only defender we could afford to lose. Kieffer has a habit of picking up avoidable bookings and his height advantage will probably mean f**k all against Donnaruma and Italy's centre backs who are all 6'5 or thereabouts. Davies has been key so far playing like an absolute warrior, but if Neco has had the same tactical awareness drilled into him, I think we can get away with it for one game.
I don't think you can do that, or go in to a game like this with that mindset. If we were playing a weaker side perhaps, but not against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico. Sure, we're probably already through, but getting a result here or even potentially only losing by the one goal could be the difference between a quarter final place being very unlikely and within our grasp. if we left out Ben Davies, we'd be effectively losing him to suspension for a game already by not playing him in an important game. He's also only been booked twice in 38 games this season. I think with Mepham and Moore, we've got the depth now to not have to overly worry about these things. We've got centre-backs who've had better Championship seasons waiting in the wings for Mepham, and we're going to lose Moore at some stage to suspension and will have to play a false nine. I don't mind us doing that against Italy, but only if it's seen as our best way of getting a result, if we need him off the bench though we shouldn't be looking to other options because of that yellow card. I think from what I've seen as well, there's definitely a tendency from some fans to really want us to overly rotate. We've got a chance here of going at them, and trying to beat them in Rome. I would perhaps try and play the same formation that lined up against France, and did so well until the red card decision. I'd be fine with us going with a false nine, or Moore up top, in that formation. I think we can have some healthy rotation, without necessarily weakening the side by bringing in Ampadu and Neco. Ward Roberts - Mepham - Rodon - Davies Ampadu Allen - Neco Bale - Ramsey - James
Chiellini ruled out. I’m sure they have more than adequate back-up but further encouragement for us to give it a go if we needed any
Don't think he'd have played regardless. Mancini's confirmed that he's going to rotate his side, hopefully to the extent they did four years ago. "Tomorrow night will be our third game and we would have rotated regardless, even if this was a must-win fixture," he said. "A third game in the space of 10 days with 30-degree heat, you need fresh legs out there. Marco needs to play. Until today, after so many days of training, he is fine." Roberto Mancini: Italy manager says next Euro 2020 opponents Wales are tough like Stoke
I think he's genuinely meant it as a compliment, doesn't particularly translate well. We've been proven to be tough to beat in competitive matches but I'm not sure it's true either, if anything I think we really lack physicality and it's possibly our biggest weakness along with set pieces. We've got Kieffer Moore sure, but if he isn't playing we're playing with someone false nine. We don't really have any power and physicality in midfield, and our starting centre-backs aren't powerful either although Cabango could give us that option if selected. We could certainly do with finding someone to make us a bit tougher and stronger and more like Stoke, particularly in central midfield.
