United (H) | PL | Post Match Thread

JewelZee said:
I'm coming from he's a shit captain and why would the players who voted for him think otherwise? He was not a long term captain. He was voted captain after he was inches from moving to Bayern. I happen to think that's a bit odd, simple as. JMO...
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Pity he didn’t go to Munich, decent fee offered if I remember
 
East Level 2 said:
Substitutions: Most people in the ground wanted Pep to change things because so many of our players looked knackered.
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Many around me were calling for Pep to sub Doku and Nunes around the 70 minute mark.
I know Stones was by the touchline ready to come on at one stage, but not sure who he was planned to replace. Assumed it would be Nunes.
 
Pingu the Penguin said:
If you look at the patterns of play involving us you can tell a lot about our problems. There are regularly upwards of 20 players in the opposition third for large periods of the game. Even if you are absolutely on form with your passing that is extremely congested. It certainly allows no space for forward runs of any sort (the kind that the Viking loves). It also means that our defending, such as it is, consists of sprinting back 50 yards chasing balls over the top as the oppo break in groups. Probably not ideal for a midfield containing several players either getting on a bit, or carrying knocks.
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That's how we've played under Pep the majority of the time. Rodri the metronome always offering a pass, spreading play and switching and all the attacking players with the freedom to pass and move and create overlaps. Then when we lost the ball, Rodri would read the outball more often than not and mop up anything or ensure the opposition didn't break. Our attacking players would hunt incessantly to win the ball back quickly. It's been the basis of every Pep side since his Barca B days.

We don't have Rodri, but equally no one is pressing with any cohesion. When we do press it's isolated and therefore ineffective. Players don't seem to know who their man is and are a second off getting close enough which makes it so easy for the opposition to play through us which makes it a scramble defensively to get back into possession. If you're on it with the press and they find a way through it still requires a brilliant ball to get at us or some brilliant play. We've often conceded from a few chances, but usually we're both dominant with the ball (and patient) and also incessant with our pressing.

We're now incredibly sloppy with the ball, causing ourselves problems and the press is non-existent. Haaland and/or Foden jumped a couple of times but then the rags played it out to Mazraoui and Doku was too slow getting to him, he'd therefore find Fernandes and suddenly there was space to get at us and we're scampering in a panic. It's only because they're shite that we weren't battered.
 
The warning signs were there with Fernandes going through 1v1, and Amad having a header pushed round the post. They were looking more likely to score in that last quarter. Martinez played the same ball for Hojlund, (when Diaz was lucky not to give a penalty) that he did for Amad's winner.

You saw how wide their players were on both sides of the pitch. Pep's 5 second rule of winning the ball back is much harder when the opposition are hugging the touchlines, and you have players over 30 trying to cover all this ground. I noticed this a lot yesterday that they always had an out ball, even when Haaland, Foden, Bernado or De Bruyne pressed in packs, they always seemed to have someone out on the touchline ready to take the ball. This is a subtle tweak from Amorim that allows them not to concede possession so easily. Think they had 50% possession yesterday and the same at the Emirates. They were getting 35% under Ten Hag.

Amad was running at Nunes every chance he had, and you saw Pep specifically telling Kovacic to stay on Amad and double up on him. You can't see Kovacic anywhere near Amad for the penalty or the goal. And he was clearly the main threat to losing that game.
 
When your luck is out, your luck is out.

Time to grin bear it because as fans we can do little more than get behind the team and wait for the storm to pass, which it will soon hopefully.

When fit, he majority of the squad is still good enough, but reinforcements are needed. Those that aren't cutting it will know that they aren't.
 
Matt Diablo said:
Jack was smirking away when he came on. Wouldn't be doing that too much those 2 corners anything to go by
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Jack Grealish is a busted flush at City, love him as a lad, but since the treble he has fallen off a cliff, how the fuck can a 100 million pound midfielder not get into that midfield, amongst a team devoid of options, energy, spark, and yet he is a 10 minute sub, it's a sad reflection on how he has managed his City career, KDB, Gundo and Bernie should be behind him on age and fitness and yet Pep cannot get him into the side, it's a complete mystery to me. We saw a flash of his ability against Forest, on the bench against Palace, crap against Juve, and back in the cycle of being a bit part player, nowhere near good enough.
 
give it to gordon said:
And how does Haaland stop this ? It's the refs that should be stopping this.
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Jimmieblue said:
Myself I can’t understand Haaland. He allows himself to be manhandled all the time. I think someone said previously he needs to stop smiling. He does, he needs to be far more aggressive and cunning. He needs to be taught a strategy, he was bullied all the match and it will continue, if you always do what you always do …….
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The ref was negligent in issuing cards imo.
 
The thing that I can't get my head round is how every single player is playing shit, there's not one player standing out in this woeful run. Add to that that we now seem to have zero style of play anymore leads to big problems. Where do we go from here, oh Villa away, yikes!
 
mass collapse of squad form, as in barely a player has been 6/10 for the season so far, has to be indicative of a wider issue. As in it can't be coincidental. Things i can think of;

1. Burnout and subsequent total lack of fitness
2. Major disruption behind the scenes upsetting the squad, main culprit is potential bad decision from 115 thing.
3. Tactics arent working causing complete lack of cohesion, results, thus confidence.

I don't like number 2, i dont buy it.
Number 1 looks most likely and number 3 is happening because if it (compounding the issue plus dragging newer players down).
I'd say more defence of number 1 is that newer players, e.g. Nunes, Kovacic, Doku, Savinho, definitely don't look as fucked as the rest, but are being dragged down confidence-wise as they cant carry the team. Perfect storm folks.
 
Fordyboy46 said:
The thing that I can't get my head round is how every single player is playing shit, there's not one player standing out in this woeful run. Add to that that we now seem to have zero style of play anymore leads to big problems. Where do we go from here, oh Villa away, yikes!
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Dias
 
blue by birth said:
It was on a website the other day about his penalty record..
I knew he had given a few but apart from the two you mentioned I was stumped with the third one..will have to try and find it if I can.. yesterday's was nailed on though

Edited it... apparently Bernie on Rashford..we lost 2-1 2019
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To be fair, that was another stone waller from memory...........
 
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