United (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

Look how fucking giddy the rags are. That annoys me more than the result ffs city
Because they have been shite for so long - and they know they've been shite for so long - that beating the champions of the past 6 out of 8 seasons is a big deal for them. Like it was for us when we relied on the goat et al.
 
For all those citing a “makeshift back 4” I give you:

Dunne, Wiekens, Mettomo, Jihai

Battered United 3-1 at MR with that defensive line up
I very much doubt that our back four was anywhere near as integral to our build-up back then. Not that we played a back four that day, it was 3-5-2.

Schmeichel
Dunne Wiekens Mettomo
Jihai Berkovic Foe Tiatto Jensen
Anelka Goater
 
That result was a perfect storm situation. They were always going to put in an anomaly honeymoon performance at the swamp for his first game. We were already in a run of flat performances, top that with a swathe of injuries, makeshift defence, Haaland tiredness, Foden out of form and Pep's misguided hope that the sheer emotion of the fixture would get us through, it was never going to end well.

We just need to clear it from memory as a team, be grateful that other results went our way and focus on getting back into the swing of things.

By rights, with us getting 3 points from 4 games, the title race should be well and truly over by now, but it's not, and that is what we should use to drive us on.
 
Could have been worse, we could have drawn and then had Arsenal beat Forest, and Villa beat Everton.

We will win more derbies and lose more in the future. People only remember the ones that matter and those where the score line showed a hammering. Shrug it off.
 
I just don't get how every out field player can have a stinker in a game. You might get five or six in a game and that will be enough to merit a shit performance, but to have basically all ten playing terribly is a recipe for disaster
I was thinking this myself. 1 or 2 might have a bad game but the whole team (bar the keeper) to play so badly. I don't get it. These are the game's you want to be a part of. I don't understand it. What did Pep say to them before the game? We've just signed 2 good players I thought this is it, Peps going for it. I'm still confused. Maybe he's putting all his eggs in Champions league basket.
 
I've thought of this a few times over the years on the back of a bad performance. Why does virtually an entire team play so, so bad at the same time? You get those occasional "downing tools" scenarios at clubs with teams, but that obviously doesn't appy here. The common denominator was the training and preparation prior to the game. Maybe something was done sightly different and, coupled with the other factors, Sat lunchtime's shitshow was the consequence. I think we'll all be happy to not see anything remotely like that again regardless.
Lack of reassurance of a stable back 4 and running out of gas would be my guess.
 
If it's lack of gas then the trend continues won't it?
It may well do whilst the injuries particularly at the back restricts rotation. Just have to see I suppose, but some fans going off the deep end following Saturday is a bit OTT in my mind.
 
That result was a perfect storm situation. They were always going to put in an anomaly honeymoon performance at the swamp for his first game. We were already in a run of flat performances, top that with a swathe of injuries, makeshift defence, Haaland tiredness, Foden out of form and Pep's misguided hope that the sheer emotion of the fixture would get us through, it was never going to end well.

We just need to clear it from memory as a team, be grateful that other results went our way and focus on getting back into the swing of things.

By rights, with us getting 3 points from 4 games, the title race should be well and truly over by now, but it's not, and that is what we should use to drive us on.
Arsenal are going to drop plenty of points in their last 16 games but alas so are we.

Our squad in thin in areas we need balance and consistency and the replacements available are always under an injury cloud at best.

Rodri is not the Rodri pre ACL and why would he be. 18 months older and attempting to link defense with attack without a solid back four ( nothing against them but Ake is finished at the club a player groomed for a short while in the Championship and when was the last time we had to recall such a player and put him straight into the hustle and bustle of the Premiership , another with limited first team experience with less that 12 months under Pep and the list goes on ) ,

How we could end up with 4 keepers in the squad with a experienced replacement for Ederson is way beyond my pay grade.

Arsenal have a squad 5 years in the making while others have deteriorated in quality and depth like ours for example and it would be a series of massive mistakes from their management and senior coaching staff in selection and match day tactics or a major loss of key players to injuries for a number of weeks to the likes of Rice , Saka ,Gabriel and the like for Arsenal to fall short this season.

At best I can see us struggling to 70 points or thereabouts unless Haaland returns to his scoring form of earlier this season ( 1 goal form his last 7 games ) and only scoring once in our 6 defeats to date.

This should be enough for a top four finish but well short of Arsenal's total and most likely Aston Villa's.

This time last year there were 7 teams with 40 points of more on the board and two above 50 points with the leader on 57 points.
 
It may well do whilst the injuries particularly at the back restricts rotation. Just have to see I suppose, but some fans going off the deep end following Saturday is a bit OTT in my mind.
It's all opinions, of course, but I haven't read a single post from those in your court actually justifying the high line? That's what annoyed lots of us, more than any individual performance. We could have had a front line of Messi, Ronaldo and Maradona and it would still have been open house every time we lost the ball.

If one of you could just explain why we're all wrong - considering that everybody agrees we have injuries and obviously the poor City players are just so much more tired than everybody else's - then you could stop the arguments in a single post.

I don't want Pep out - I want him back! You know, the innovative Pep who switched Stones to a hybrid CB/Midfielder that was instrumental in closing out the treble season? How can the guy who pulled that stunt be the same one who sat there clueless on Saturday, ignoring what was obvious to everybody else within the first 5 minutes?

Just complaining about 'moaners' without pointing out why their argument is wrong is not going to change anybody's mind, is it?
 
It's all opinions, of course, but I haven't read a single post from those in your court actually justifying the high line? That's what annoyed lots of us, more than any individual performance. We could have had a front line of Messi, Ronaldo and Maradona and it would still have been open house every time we lost the ball.

If one of you could just explain why we're all wrong - considering that everybody agrees we have injuries and obviously the poor City players are just so much more tired than everybody else's - then you could stop the arguments in a single post.

I don't want Pep out - I want him back! You know, the innovative Pep who switched Stones to a hybrid CB/Midfielder that was instrumental in closing out the treble season? How can the guy who pulled that stunt be the same one who sat there clueless on Saturday, ignoring what was obvious to everybody else within the first 5 minutes?

Just complaining about 'moaners' without pointing out why their argument is wrong is not going to change anybody's mind, is it?
Not sure if the response is for me because its stating things I haven’t said or highlighted. Not complained about moaners other than response being OTT.
Was a shit show on Saturday, that I can agree on. Let’s hope there’s a reset and we move onwards and upwards.
 
The attitude of the team reflects that of the manager. Tired, stale, ineffective, bored. We've been inconsistent for ages, regardless of injuries and absences. The squad and coaching team needs shaking up.

The fact that you mentioned Frank Clark (and even spelled his name wrong) leads me to think that you're the only idiot in this conversation.

Learn to respect opinions.
I'd say two seasons.
 
Our worst ever performance under Pep and it was obvious after fifteen minutes that something was wrong, with our slow makeshift defence (none of whom started the previous derby) exposed by United's lightening counter attacking pace.

Almost a reversal of 20 years ago when United had one eye on their midweek CL fixture and Stephen Jordan was in Ronaldo's face from the very first minute
This time it was United kicking City to bits and City resorting to petty shirt pulling when Taylor was obviously letting a few challenges go unpunished

I know that it's not the accepted norm to encourage mindless violence, but every now and then you need a bit of a Ben Thatcher mindset to accidentally elbow Mainoo in the face in the first few minutes and then see whether the ref is brave enough to make the right call.

Dalot should have been red carded but I honestly don't think it would have made that much difference as even when we had a couple of 3 v 2 opportunities, we still chose the wrong option or overhit the pass to the spare man

Also, too much slow recycling with Doku preferring to pass to the less skilful Ake than running directly at his opponents

Anyway things could have been a lot worse
 
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I'd say two seasons.

That's two seasons too long - particularly at this level of football.

We've got away with it over that period because of the generally poor standard of football in the PL.

Even with a fully fit squad, this latest version of City wouldn’t get anywhere near our 22/23 treble winners.
 
Monday, back in work and time to reflect.

We were just wank. Best not have an off day like that again.

Utterly wank.

They're all fucking giddy in work. Luckily it doesn't work on me, but fuck me they're giddy.

Told a few of them to come back when they do it to Arsenal and if they can do it next home game against a team who aren't fielding a suicidal pair of full backs and a vacant midfield.
It also helps if you have VAR on your payroll.
 

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