#1039 | United's transfer window closed with Dominic and Ed landing on a mixed verdict, somewhere around a six out of ten. United made three good midfield signings, but no left-back and no backup centre-forward. 

Who's going to fill the gap?

How much financial headroom was there to spend more?

And why were United cautious?

Deadline day itself produced a bizarre five-way standoff between United, Everton, Chelsea, Fiorentina and Monaco over Zirkzee, Camara and Balogun that ended with nobody getting what they wanted.

The pod then moves on to Everton, where the fanbase is angry and the manager is on their side. United should be favourites, but how will the visitors shape up after last week’s victory?

0:00 Introduction

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#1038 | Ipswich made a real go of it for a half, evading United's high press by exploiting isolated full-backs.

Once Lisandro Martinez started dictating United's patterns of possession into midfield, the game opened up completely and United ran away with it.

Ed and Dharnish dig into why United's press still isn't functioning, how much of the transformation in build-up play comes down to Martinez specifically and how well Mainoo and Tielemans dovetailed.

They also look at Cunha and Bruno rotating as false nines, question whether it costs United a real box presence and close with a positive verdict on Ipswich as a team for the rest of the season.

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#1037 | United trailed to Ipswich for a moment, but a hat-trick from Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire’s deflected effort and a Bryan Mbeumo goal turned it into a 5-2 win. It was a complete response to the opening-day defeat at Hull.

Ed and Dan dig into the bigger picture: how well the Tielemans-Mainoo midfield pairing worked, the ongoing debate over Marcus Rashford's role, and the club’s search for a new left-back.

The pod closes on the transfer window with two days left: there’s scepticism about Villa's reported £40 million interest in Amad and a general sense that United’s could have been more ambitious than a net spend that trails Coventry and Ipswich.

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#1036 | Ed and Dominic analyse United’s Champions League return. It’s a tough-looking draw with Bayern, Roma, and RB Leipzig at home. Then some cracking away ties in top European travel destinations.

From there it's on to the run-in to transfer deadline day, where the expectation is that a left-back arrives. Probably not the marquee name everyone's been hoping for. There’s also a wider question about why United never seem to be able to sell anyone for a decent fee.

There's a proper rant about the ex-United pundit circuit and how relentlessly negative it's become. It’s to the detriment of the club not its benefit.

The pod finishes with a preview of Ipswich at home and why this one matters more than it should after Hull.

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#1035 | Ed and Dharnish break down United's 2-0 defeat at Hull on the tactics show. Some of this was physical. Four starters had played one 90 or fewer all pre-season, and the lack of sharpness showed. But a lot of it was tactical too. 

There’s a cautiously optimistic look ahead to Ipswich: trust the system, cut down the aimless crossing and give the new midfield time to settle. 

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#1034 | Ed and Jamie look at Jeff Bezos buying into Liverpool, a deal that values the club at around £5.5 billion for a consortium stake of just under 40%. Why is Bezos getting involved now? Can an Amazon-owned media empire buy into a Premier League club without creating a conflict of interest for future TV rights deals? And how does it compare to United's own ownership structure?

0:00 Intro
2:13 Bezos Liverpool consortium
10:16 Amazon, media rights and conflicts of interest
16:16 United's transfer spend and SCR position
22:31 Rashford's future
27:35 Big-six spending across the league
39:54 Is SCR anti-competitive?
45:51 Salary caps, owner-funding, potential exits
49:34 EFL losses and the Premier League deal
55:21 Ticket prices and the pyramid
56:22 Wrap-up

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#1033 | Ed and Wayne react to United's 2-0 opening-day defeat at Hull.

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#1032 | Ed and Dharnish preview the season with a focus on how United’s tactics are evolving under Michael Carrick. The pattern in pre-season has been more possession, more central possession, and an emphasis on third-man runs. 

Where Carlos Baleba fits is still unclear: he's more carrier than passer, so the assumption is someone else, Kobbie Mainoo or Youri Tielemans, drops in to start moves while Baleba operates further forward. 

The bigger worry is pressing. Pushing fullbacks and forwards higher creates gaps between midfield and defence, and neither Bruno Fernandes nor Marcus Rashford presses well enough to close them, though Baleba's mobility should help cover the space. 

Up front, the squad is deep enough that losing Benjamin Sesko to injury or rotation shouldn't be a big problem, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and a returning Rashford all able to play through the middle.

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#1031 | Ed and Adam talk about United's move for Carlos Baleba, a deal likely to land in excess of £65 million. It’s the right profile for United, even if Baleba’s poor season last year presents a risk. He's a front-foot, ground-covering midfielder that should combine well with United’s other midfielders and solve some specific problems.

The deal takes United's spend on midfielders this summer to around £150 million across Tielemans, Santos and Baleba. It’s a strong midfield rebuild even if United are still a bit short elsewhere. Left-back remains the outstanding piece of business before the window closes. 

The pod closes with a preview of Hull away this weekend as United look for a strong start to the new season.

0:00 Introduction

1:42 Baleba: role and player profile

6:19 Midfield pairings

11:10 Pressing, transitions and defensive cover

12:55 Left-back hunt

15:04 Deal timing and transfer strategy

21:54 Rating the midfield rebuild

31:46 Zirkzee and Rashford: squad business

36:07 Hull preview and Championship finances

45:30 Predicted line-up and sign-off

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#1030 | Ed and Wayne are back for the season preview after a mixed pre-season: two wins from six and a 4-2 defeat to Milan in the last match. Neither is panicking about that result specifically, but it exposed problems that were already there. The defence is the biggest concern. Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire remain first choice and neither has the legs for a higher, more front-foot approach, while Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt can't be relied on for fitness. Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro have the potential to solve those problems but it’s a big ask for two young players. 

There’s a different problem in midfield: plenty of technical quality in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, not enough physicality to handle the games that get scrappy. 

United need two more signings before deadline day, a genuine upgrade at left-back and a proper ball-winner in midfield, to have a real shot at matching last season's third-place finish. Without them, expect some regression with a much busier schedule. 

They finish with a run through the rest of the league: Arsenal have strengthened again, Liverpool are an interesting watch under Iraola with the Bezos ownership question in the background, Spurs have spent big, and nobody fancies predicting what Chelsea will do.

0:00 Six games, one freak-out

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