Post Match Thread - United (h)

[kevodevo]

72% possession 22 attempts on goal . A game dominated by City but not enough goals of course but just take stock - all those blocks and the odd good save by de Gea -one or two of those goes in its a different picture. I am disappointed but the team we are watching is still brilliant . Yes we need more pace at the back. Yes we need a variation to breakdown these dogged eleven men behind the ball boring bastards but this team is still the best in the league and has the best coach in the world. Those goals will come , the players will come back from injury and the options will be there - season’s not over and plenty - yes plenty to play for
The margins are so fine at this level - Those players will hurt as I do but it’s never over until the last ball is kicked and pride can be restored for sure.
Move on work hard and get better in every way- that applies to those shite referees too!!!!
VAR has badly performed make no doubt about that too.
All in all not a good start but we will do better - players do not become shite overnight

 

[East Level 2]

Raz has been off the pace in games for a while now, rarely see him sprinting at full speed anymore and he hasn't got the close control or skill to go past defenders regularly. There was a gaping hole on the left hand side yesterday and as bad as Angelino was he was often 1 on 1 with James with no help from Sterling

That will be the Sterling that has hardly had a rest all season due to Sane's injury. And the Raz that plays almost every England game as well. He's running on empty; but he's still running.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I did and thank you.

Stones is simply not good enough, a liability who can't be trusted.

There were a few in the back line and midfield yesterday who, at times, rendered my heart into my mouth - losing possession at the first nibble, slipping on the turf! It just showed how shitty a team we were playing when you consider the chances they created or we gifted.

 

[itsnevereasy]

I think Sterling needs a rest, a couple of times yesterday he sprinted back and then pulled up fairly suddenly - so could be carrying a niggle. But with Sane out he seems to play almost every game. I think Sliva needs to be on the bench, the magical passing and always finding his gone recently and he clearly now longer has the legs for the presss.

 

[flook]

If you consider the last two games at The Etihad - CFC and The Ragamuffins - the pace the opposition shift the ball - we operate at walking pace. It doesn't inflict any harm on the opposition, it doesn't induce any panic that leads to defensive mistakes, and it allows teams all the time they need to organise and reorganise, even shitty teams like yesterday. We have to have players on top of their game playing that slow, drawn out, possession-based game, and too often they aren't! Last season, everyone was on the mark, but then last season we had Vinny's voice on and off the field.

I know it won't be a popular opinion, but Silva is and has been for a while one of the worst culprits, makes up for it in other ways though

 

[Keeper!]

There were a few in the back line and midfield yesterday who, at times, rendered my heart into my mouth - losing possession at the first nibble, slipping on the turf! It just showed how shitty a team we were playing when you consider the chances they created or we gifted.

Only Ederson and Walker are good enough out of our back line yesterday.

 

[ID70]

72% possession 22 attempts on goal . A game dominated by City but not enough goals of course but just take stock - all those blocks and the odd good save by de Gea -one or two of those goes in its a different picture. I am disappointed but the team we are watching is still brilliant . Yes we need more pace at the back. Yes we need a variation to breakdown these dogged eleven men behind the ball boring bastards but this team is still the best in the league and has the best coach in the world. Those goals will come , the players will come back from injury and the options will be there - season’s not over and plenty - yes plenty to play for
The margins are so fine at this level - Those players will hurt as I do but it’s never over until the last ball is kicked and pride can be restored for sure.
Move on work hard and get better in every way- that applies to those shite referees too!!!!
VAR has badly performed make no doubt about that too.
All in all not a good start but we will do better - players do not become shite overnight

All that possession and all those shots but rarely looked like scoring. De Gea only had to make one half decent save, the blocks are what the defenders are there to make but something ours don't, we standoff and are too passive in our defending and don't won't to do the hard jobs putting your body on the line to stop a shot or a cross

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I know it won't be a popular opinion, but Silva is and has been for a while one of the worst culprits, makes up for it in other ways though

There are times when we STOP, ball under a foot, and the opposition don't have to do anything! It is infinitely slower, though, when you watch MCWFC. There seems to be a notion over there that the more you return a pass to the person who just passed the ball to you, particularly if the ball travels away from the opposition goal, the better the play! I saw this season a pass from just outside the opposition penalty area back to the halfway line. Possession football gone completely loony!

 

[manimanc]

All season the team & Pep have looked a shadow of them selves

Out of all the guff posted on here yours is this most sensible and honest post and your one sentence sums us up perfectly.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Only Ederson and Walker are good enough out of our back line yesterday.

We have had games this season where seven or eight players are only three-quarters on their game. i agree that had Kyle and Eddie been on the bench we could have been well and truly mullered.

 

[Keeper!]

We have had games this season where seven or eight players are only three-quarters on their game. i agree that had Kyle and Eddie been on the bench we could have been well and truly mullered.

Agreed on the 7-8 players not performing, and that's a major worry.

Why? Is it the hangover from last season's run in or they are no longer thriving off Pep?

 

[Indaparkside]

Anyone else think eddy could have saved martials goal

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Agreed on the 7-8 players not performing, and that's a major worry.

Why? Is it the hangover from last season's run in or they are no longer thriving off Pep?

Age, fatigue, complacency, lack of quality competition for places. Expectation and pressure on the same player (s) to win us the game.

 

[Keeper!]

Anyone else think eddy could have saved martials goal

No, not a chance, totally unlighted.

 

[kevin horlocks wand]

Agreed on the 7-8 players not performing, and that's a major worry.

Why? Is it the hangover from last season's run in or they are no longer thriving off Pep?

I think it’s also also a question of teams have now worked out how we play, we never change the way we play ever. It’s predictable stuff.

 

[the plasterer]

More I think about yesterday’s game the more I realise just how shit we were, How can someone like Bernardo play like he did last season to play like he did yesterday, he wouldn’t get a game for the ladies team never mind our first 11

 

[Blu1]

Well after a nights kip it still Fookin hurts today in fact it’s more painful.

the loss doesn’t bother me that much just the way we are playing this season and seem to make no attempt to resolve it.

we can not continue with this set up & same game plan every game as we will soon find ourselves out of the top 4.

Utd, Leicester & spurs are now full of confidence we are seriously broken at the minute.

league Table come end of Xmas will be interesting.

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

Agreed on the 7-8 players not performing, and that's a major worry.

Why? Is it the hangover from last season's run in or they are no longer thriving off Pep?

Apart from last season we always endure a hangover from a title winning season and come no where near the season after. What’s Pep’s thinking does he stay another 3 years and build another team or is he getting off at the end of his contract? Has a feeling of the end of Pelegrini with players downing tools and not putting a shift in, if he is staying get the ones that are regressing gone.

 

[paulchapo]

Lacking pace all over the pitch, too slow in possession and lack of effort and desire to track back when they lose possession.

Yes I agree, Rodri in particular is very one paced and although looking quality at times Pep needs to find his most effective position. I am not sure he's Ferna' s natural replacement.

We are without three of last season's first choice back four and have also lost our best DM as a result of him having to fill in there. We are bound to suffer defensively but how often and easily they got behind us yesterday was alarming. I am just glad they were wasteful or hit most shots straight at Eddie, who really should have done better with Martials goal.

Jesus was easily contained, Sterling and Bernardo huffed and puffed but rarely looked like scoring, De Bruyne was off the pace and David Silva is sadly showing age catches up with everyone, even el magico. The false dawn of the Burnley game proved just that. Our comfortable win was more down to how woeful the opposition was, as proved by their hammering at Spur's.

Pep is making the right noises and defending his players in public but I'm sure inside he is pretty angry. He has proved ruthless in his career in the past and a few players don't know he has probably put a big cross through their names for next season. He isn't above blame himself and as in his first season here if we don't have the personnel to play his game due to injuries etcetera he has to tweak it until we do. We played right into the rags hands yesterday.

Long term there is a bigger revamp needed than any of us would have dreamed after the magnificent season we had last year. I am sure plans are afoot already regarding that and of course Laporte and Sane coming back will strengthen us for now, unfortunately that isn't for a couple of months.

 

[Keeper!]

I think it’s also also a question of teams have now worked out how we play, we never change the way we play ever. It’s predictable stuff.

Agreed, if Pep has one major weakness , it's his stubbornness to play the same way every game, sometimes we should adjust due to the oppositions strengths or injuries to our own players.

It was fairly obvious yesterday how Utd would play on the counter with pace, yet we seemed utterly unprepared for it.