United (H) | PL | Post Match Thread

[WesthoughtonJohn]

Fair fucking play, Pep. Own it

Yes but "own it" and "fix it". We're all saying pretty much the same thing, stop being stubborn and accept you've got to change your plans

 

[eyalluvitt]

My god, every single part of our team is broken .
Goalkeeper who cant save, should have just let him go to Saudi if thats what he wanted.
Defenders who cant defend.
Midfield who cant control or pass.
Attackers who are bafflingly out of form and create nothing.
Wingers who cant cross.
Forward who looks completely lost.
One of these problems a team can cope with, but combine then all together and we are in a monumental shambles.

The only positive is they didn’t get revenge for the sick swan, because we are so embarrassingly bad I really feared it

 

[Bluesince1979]

I watched the women's team today. This passing back or square when it's easier to pass forward is endemic throughout the club with exactly the same result.i understand the "patience" thing and moving the other team around until they tire but how long before you realise that either you don't have the players to execute it properly or other teams have learned how to counter it with ease. Something has to change fundamentally.

They wanted the club to play like this from from u5s to senior and everything in between. Its been sussed. Probs sussed last season but we got away with it on account of arsenal having no bollocks.
But there is a massive issue with football snobs who think thats how football HAS to be played. Says who????

My sons u10s league.. you arent allowed to play long from the back from goal kicks. Its a snobbery that football has to be played this way

odd really

 

[ancoats]

Can anyone post the theme from M*A*S*H.
Seems appropriate on several levels.

its criminal

 

[Roachy]

Spectacular collapse against the worst United team I can remember since, well, O'Farrell's lot. They were dire and somehow we contrived to gift them 3 points that even they could scarcely believe they'd get based on the first 85 minutes.
Nunes, Doku and Ederson with the errors in the goals but Haaland and De Bruyne stank the place out just as much.
At least the City accounts are in good health and profits are high.

Don't worry mate, the happy clappers will be along in a minute to put you right.

 

[argyle]

Really? They've given a fucking good impression of being spineless the last few games. Not one player today showed any heart, any desire, any commitment. Not one.

You're angry because we've lost against them. Try not to also lose your head.

 

[paulsimpson]

Wow what an interview.

Pep saying it’s his fault and there is nothing he can do.

He might, I only say might, walk.

Well at least he's being honest. Could be an indirect appeal to Khaldoon and Soriano to do the unthinkable.

 

[svennis pennis]

This one hurts. It’s the first time I’ve felt a proper wrench in the stomach in this run of form. I can’t stand that lot, but they were so bad it was painful and yet we still imploded. That should have been 3 points and move on but you could see we were going to blow it the moment the pen was given away.

Eddie was never saving the pen and I’m not sure Nunes has looked up since the mistake, his body language felt like it took the team with him.

We need to advance the recruitment drive from whatever was planned for the summer if the board feel Pep has it in him. The recruitment also needs to be a lot more inspiring than it has been for a while.

Feels like in the summer we need a proper sit down and a look at the future of this team and learn from the mistakes that have lead to this. We really should be re-assessing our use of the academy, the level that is now starring for other teams in the league is overwhelming and instead of sales and net profit we perhaps should be looking at loans and then integrating into the first team.

 

[dadnlad]

pedestrian football
any bit of effort against us and we gave in but what took them so long to score
2 minutes to go were all in their half of the pitch wow

 

[Bluesince1979]

My god, every single part of our team is broken .
Goalkeeper who cant save, should have just let him go to Saudi if thats what he wanted.
Defenders who cant defend.
Midfield who cant control or pass.
Attackers who are bafflingly out of form and create nothing.
Wingers who cant cross.
Forward who looks completely lost.
One of these problems a team can cope with, but combine then all together and we are in a monumental shambles.

Well when you mention all those things … whats the common denominator ? The man that man that picks the team …

 

[Jim Tolmie's Underpants]

Only just got back from the match, can anyone summarise this thread for me? Are we disappointed?

No, we're over the moon mate.

 

[city2]

Really? They've given a fucking good impression of being spineless the last few games. Not one player today showed any heart, any desire, any commitment. Not one.

Maybe you should start following the scousers see if they can cheer up.

 

[Matt Diablo]

Have we got a set piece coach?

Yeah he went with legoman

 

[Mon Autre]

He needs to pull his finger out and up his work rate. Today was shocking.

His work rate is the same as it always is, it's just he's playing in a failing team right now.

 

[ShedDweller]

Trying to think constructively I think the confidence is so badly shot in the defence that extreme measures are needed until reinforcements can be brought in... So how could we change the mood a bit with what we have now.

Half the problem is our slow predictability, so if nothing else, some change of structure might buy us time.

Thinking radically...

Goal Keeper - Ederson's skilset only works if we are controlling the possession. Ortega is a miles better 'basic' goalkeeper so I'd bring him in straight away. He'd be No 1 for the rest of the season for me.

Defence - I'd drop the entire defence apart from Dias, I'd play the EDS/U23 defence ( with Dias ). The should know each other and be full of running if nothing else.

Midfield - I'd play KDB out wide and be telling him to fire in as many diagonal passes as possible from just inside the half way line and try and connect with Haaland who is making runs but never recieves the ball. Kev can't be box to box any more, so let him use the ball (like we used to!).

I'd play Grealish/Gundo as a 10 up the middle supporting Haaland. (We could also look at bringing back Delap for this).

Kovatic/Stones should be in the conventional holding MF role.

Bernardo/Foden should be given the licence to play Kova and Grealish.

Doku or Savinho to fill the last MF spot but they need to be more direct.

Will this happen with Pep in charge... will it fuck...

 

[Cuban heels]

Pep has turned us into a walking football team

 

[Ethan23]

It's like accepting a relationship is over. Somewhat liberating. The hope is dead.

 

[awest]

Is it me or does any one else think Haaland will be gone he looks so miserable lately like he knows something is happening maybe it’s me but?

He sets the tone, body language all wrong. I'm 100% convinced Pep would rather set up without him and play the false 9. If Pep had the balls to do that against Villa you will see a completely different City.

 

[Bluearmy]

1. Definitely not sign Rodri cover it's just not needed.
2. Make sure the team only has 1 striker as Haaland scores goals.
3. Never under any circumstance sign a left back.

I'm assuming this was the strategy.

Its fuckin mind boggling

They must of had meetings following the Treble, setting the strategy moving forward. I’d love to know what was said in summer 23 and 24. It must be arrogance, what else is there…

 

[Palerider]

Spot on. I put a lot of this season's issues down to burnout. And, I wonder how 'mentally fatigued' Pep and his team must be from devising tactics and gameplans from all the fixtures over the past few years. Not easy.

Yep. The effort these players put in to win the League last year was phenomenal and quite frankly it seems to have wrecked them.

And Nunes, not Doku, should have been subbed.

I think both had made run after run in the game and surely that takes it's toll. Tired bodies make tired mistakes. For me, both should have been subbed off around the 60 minute mark. We started doing that keep the ball without going anywhere thing and the concentration levels drop. With 5 substitutes a game allowed we should be in a position to keep the energy levels high the whole game.