United (a) post-match thread

[alexmcity]

So we have to play badly now because we are playing ever 4 days but we managed to play much better in the same conditions in 2019 and 2018.

We won 5 games in a row before yesterday, 4 of them away from home, playing sufficiently well to do it. We weren't bad. It's a reasonable management of limited resources. Last season we had both Laporte and Kompany in top form, Sane was available, Sergio was better and Sterling was in form.

 

[domalino]

We won 5 games in a row before yesterday, 4 of them away from home, playing sufficiently well to do it. We weren't bad. It's a reasonable management of limited resources. Last season we had both Laporte and Kompany in top form, Sane was available, Sergio was better and Sterling was in form.

So again what you're saying is that we are playing well below our previous standards but excusing it.

Doesnt change the fact its miles below our previous standard, does it? We had serious injuries last year as well.

 

[Craig]

It was our best performance in the CL under Peo with our best defender unfit and a trio of top attackers in Sergio, Raz and Leroy not in form.

It's not about excusing the performances but understanding we play every 3-4 days now and we'd be silly to play at high intensity for 90 minutes apart from the CL. Villa away and Madrid away are apples and oranges.

Forget the name of our opponents in the champions league and we beat a very average side who we should be beating. If that one result means we now have to play so averagely ourselves for 2 weeks on the back of that it shows how far our levels have fallen from the previous 2 seasons.

 

[waspish]

Mendy Laporte Sane kdb Walker none starters yesterday!

 

[Sheik Battle and Goal]

His calmness which was an asset is becoming a weakness. He gets beaten too easily by run of the mill shots and as you say his distribution success has dropped. He pulls out the odd top class save like the header against Madrid but even average keepers do that too. I'm not sure if its a concentration thing but he looked on another planet yesterday.

I was thinking the same thing yesterday. His concentration levels are definitely not the same this season

 

[ancoats]

good morning

right to all the moaners yesterday you have been sent notice and noted and a fine will be in the post ? you will have to appear at trafford court and swear on the bible to follow united the rest of your life because manchester is now red and united have won 3 derby matches and are back in the big time

if you can prove your innocence from yesterday please use the manchester city lawyers fighting the uefa FFP ban and maybe a reduce punishment of watching stockport county can be on offer

 

[alexmcity]

So again what you're saying is that we are playing well below our previous standards but excusing it.

Doesnt change the fact its miles below our previous standard, does it? We had serious injuries last year as well.

I'm saying we are playing well below our previous standards? That's your claim.

We weren't blowing teams away in most games from February to May lasty year. Won on pens vs Chelsea in the league cup, just 1:0 on several occasions (Bournemouth, Burnley, Spurs, Brighton in the FA Cup), were a bit lucky to get past Swansea in the FA Cup, lost from Spurs in the CL.

 

[bluemc1]

In terms of our approach. He may change players to suit a game etc whilst playing our usual way of trying to dominate the game. Only other time I’ve seen it to that level was the 0-0 at Anfield, the other times we’ve played our usual way we’ve been twatted. It’s been an often criticism that whoever we play he sticks to his principles.

Sorry but anyone who thinks we didn’t play well in Madrid and we only scored through their errors isn’t worth talking to.

didn’t Mahrez run from halfway line to set up Jesus, are we saying we were gifted that goal cos they gave the ball away in midfield ?

tough crowd

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

It does to us if they get CL for fifth because we have gifted that shite 6 points.

If we get banned from next year's CL despite a pending or successful CAS appeal (and in the case of further legal action being pursued by us should CAS uphold UEFA's ruling) and the PL don't back us, then there's no point in football any more. No business should be able to be accused and punished until the full legal processes have been exhausted.

 

[jimbopm]

Very slow and ponderous buildup play yesterday, which I think is due to the Rodri/Gundogan axis in midfield, without Kev there was just no dynamism. Sterling has been woeful since Xmas, would love to see Sane back in that role. Bernado strangely off colour too.

 

[domalino]

If we get banned from next year's CL despite a pending or successful CAS appeal (and in the case of further legal action being pursued by us should CAS uphold UEFA's ruling) and the PL don't back us, then there's no point in football any more. No business should be able to be accused and punished until the full legal processes have been exhausted.

If you get convicted of a crime and launch an appeal, they dont let you stay out and about free as a bird until all your appeals are done. You're in prison.

UEFA wont do that because they'll be terrified of the financial punishment if they end up on the losing side, but that is where we are in this process, locked up hoping an appeal works.

 

[Craig]

We weren't blowing teams away in most games from February to May lasty year. Won on pens vs Chelsea in the league cup, just 1:0 on several occasions (Bournemouth, Burnley, Spurs, Brighton in the FA Cup), were a bit lucky to get past Swansea in the FA Cup, lost from Spurs in the CL.[/QUOTE]

Yeah that’s true. Towards the end of last season we stopped playing with as much attacking intent and were a bit more pragmatic. We largely had Sterling on the left and Bernardo on the right so you can see there the pace of our attacking play out wide was already starting to fade then. Obviously though unlike this season those 2 were in form. Main difference with that run was we could keep it tight as we largely had 2 fantastic centre halves during the run in. Now we don’t attack with pace, play quite conservatively with Gundo and Rodri strolling about but don’t have top class centre backs.Not signing a centre back was absolutely criminal.

 

[JRockBlues]

Despite how badly we were playing yesterday I never once saw a player having a go at another player. KDB is the only one of the current crop that will do that on a regular basis and he was rightly not risked in that match. We miss Vinnie so much in these situations. Too many players have dropped off a cliff form-wise since last season and I hope we can still keep pulling it out for the cup competitions we're still competing for. But the thing is, we've still won 1 trophy and even if that's the only one we win in what we're considering to be a poor season then things have changed indeed.

 

[warringtonblue]

Game tonight meant as much to us as Vienna did to Midge Ure in the 80's. All about lifting trophies this season...league was gone in December. 1 in the bag and 2 to go. 2-0 in their cup final, we won the important derby and have that trophy in the cabinet like we'll win the next important derby in the fa cup semi/final. 70% possession at the swamp and only 2 mistakes by us cost us the game....they're light years behind us.

Only 2 mistakes? Ederson made at least 3

 

[Whymewhynot]

didn’t Mahrez run from halfway line to set up Jesus, are we saying we were gifted that goal cos they gave the ball away in midfield ?

tough crowd

He has dug himself into a hole he refuses to get out of.

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

If you get convicted of a crime and launch an appeal, they dont let you stay out and about free as a bird until all your appeals are done. You're in prison.

UEFA wont do that because they'll be terrified of the financial punishment if they end up on the losing side, but that is where we are in this process, locked up hoping an appeal works.

I agree. This was my reasoning as to why yesterday's result is nothing for us unless UEFA enforce the ban letting the rags in by the side door. If this happens and the PL let one of their clubs be treated as such, then I really don't see the point of it any more, seriously. The whole thing becomes a total sham (if it isn't already on the way there). And I don't think they'll get 4th, they won yesterday because we were poor, but it was a dreadful game - very little quality on show by either team.

 

[blue oli]

Let’s not go over the top here, United were luckier, played better and deserved to win. We won’t win everything every year.

It’s a mirror image of 10-20 years ago where we would win the odd game against United then have to sit back and watch them win trophies.

Nothing to worry about and I suspect the team are more focused on the champions league than other games right now.

Move on and let that game disappear into history, I know which of the two team playing yesterday I would prefer to be a supporter of full stop !

 

[robbieh]

Was Kun offside, and was it a free kick before their first goal?

 

[Phil1]

Was Kun offside, and was it a free kick before their first goal?

Seen it dozens of times and still can't say for sure. Definitely not a free kick. Not even close and to make it worse we were breaking for a counter attack when he pulled it back.

 

[Dribble]

Peps buys
Ederson mainly ok
Cancelo ?
Mendy ?
Stones ?
Laporte ok
Walker ok
Rodri ?
Gundogan 50/50
Stirling ?
Mahrez ok
Sane ok
Jesus 50/50
Bernado mainly ok
KDB ok
Yes a couple of these were signed by the club before Pep took over - but the board were laying the foundations for him imo

The point I'm making is we had Kompany, Yaya, Silva & Aguero at their peaks. In that world class level we've got Laporte & KDB. There'a an argument to say Sterling maybe there now, but that's it.

We need to replenish our squad with a sprinkling of gold dust which can make all the difference in games like yesterday.