United (A) Post Match Thread

[Mike Cledford]

he dived..there is minimal contact - walker kicks the end of rashfords foot as its in the air....

This doesnt make people fall over however.....he threw himself to the floor. The commentators on the stream I was watching agreed it would have been very soft (Andy Townsend I belive)...
Sterling goes down easy as does Jesus(however he also takes a good kicking in every game as well)

I just watched MOTD and the scream of agony which was so obvious and exaggerated was missing. The crowd noise conveniently blocked it with a roar that was suspiciously early. No amount of noise could hide the exaggerated dive and Salah-like change of direction.
I tend to agree about Sterling less so about Jesus but l recall incidents with Rodri and Merlin who were brought to the ground by a cross between a rugby tackle and a wrestling move and not punished.

 

[Marvin]

I’ll never say fuck Pep etc, love the guy too much. And I like to believe there is a plan of some kind. He’s seemingly identified the defensive issues, stones has turned it around and Dias is fucking class. Superb player

I do believe our attacking threats will come back, hopefully soon. I trust pep to get it right.

yesterday was poor though, and foden should have started the game, never mind come on for a bit. Mahrez slows this team down far too much. And Mahrez does my fucking head in. Should never start the big games

Mahrez is lazy imo. A guy like Torres is direct. Or Bernardo. Mahrez has unbelievable skill.

The problem at the moment is that KDB is at 80%. His passing is there but it's eye of the needle stuff. He's not carrying the ball at his feet as well as he used to. He used to create and score more, and his drop off is not down to dip in forwards around him. It's his game. Sterling, Mahrez, KDB all struggled yesterday. In part that is because Pep decided to put a 2nd defensive player in midfield.

 

[Gingers Dad]

The problem is that they’ve deemed any contact to be worthy of a penalty. That’s total bollocks for me but at least the players know what is likely to happen

Soon as I saw the reply I knew the penalty decision wasn't getting overturned by VAR. Then they showed the obvious offside. Sky were gutted.

 

[Mr Mad]

I’m honestly not sure what I have just watched

It was supposed to be a football match, I think it breached the trades descriptions act.

 

[give it to gordon]

I just watched MOTD and the scream of agony which was so obvious and exaggerated was missing. The crowd noise conveniently blocked it with a roar that was suspiciously early. No amount of noise could hide the exaggerated dive and Salah-like change of direction.
I tend to agree about Sterling less so about Jesus but l recall incidents with Rodri and Merlin who were brought to the ground by a cross between a rugby tackle and a wrestling move and not punished.

I said in an earlier post it's very noticeable how quite the City players when being 'fouled', they dont make a noise and dont get the foul. Other players scream like a baby and win fouls that City dont. Without fan noise its abit embarrassing watching grown men screaming like babies just to cheat. It is really testing my enjoyment of football. Other sports must look at footballers and think 'grow a pair'

 

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

United is a top side and they beat us 3 times last season but at some point we have to beat the other title challengers. This would have been a good point against a top team but I feel we made it a must win because we have drawn against West Ham and Leeds (don’t care if they are decent sides but we reduced our margin of error in those matches)

They really aren't mate..........

 

[Sky Blue]

I said in an earlier post it's very noticeable how quite the City players when being 'fouled', they dont make a noise and dont get the foul. Other players scream like a baby and win fouls that City dont. Without fan noise its abit embarrassing watching grown men screaming like babies just to cheat. It is really testing my enjoyment of football. Other sports must look at footballers and think 'grow a pair'

Out and out cheating by Rashford and not a peep by the moronic twins Neville and Tyler on the commentary. As for the "might be offside" the remote was close to being smashed against the wall.

 

[warringtonblue]

Mahrez is lazy imo. A guy like Torres is direct. Or Bernardo. Mahrez has unbelievable skill.

The problem at the moment is that KDB is at 80%. His passing is there but it's eye of the needle stuff. He's not carrying the ball at his feet as well as he used to. He used to create and score more, and his drop off is not down to dip in forwards around him. It's his game. Sterling, Mahrez, KDB all struggled yesterday. In part that is because Pep decided to put a 2nd defensive player in midfield.

The problem isn’t KDB, are you blaming him for Mahrez pathetic attempt when put clean though? Are you blaming him for the pass out wide to the left when Sterling was dreaming? And just who is he supposed to thread these eye of the needle passes to if GJ is behind him and Mahrez and Sterling aren’t looking to get on the end of them.
The stats for chances created don’t back your argument. Look at the players around Kev before criticising him, he actually looked pissed off with a few yesterday

 

[dadnlad]

I did say Pep isn't without his faults or blindspots.

Like you, I'd have Foden in the starting eleven, but he was absolutely dogshit in midweek.

I think he also started against United last year in the league defeat at their place, so maybe Pep thought better of it yesterday?

Chelsea losing yesterday puts a different sheen on our own result, as I do think they are contenders this year.

What I will say is that Pep is wrong to think there are certain players he can rely on in big games, he can't.

They are flat-track bullies. We know who they are and I also include Sterling in that equation, under performing when really needed.

i wouldnt say foden was dog shit but he's also not the shinning light people think he is yet, he's like an injured player gets better the longer he doesnt play at moment

 

[alexmcity]

I don't think Pep is being given enough credit at present.

He is trying to manage internal and external circumstances.

We don't need to be at our former brilliant best to win the league this year, he's simply trying to pick our battles.

He absolutely deserves credit for identifying Stones remains a top player and that Laporte had been getting a free pass for some very poor lapses in big games, his terrible injury, notwithstanding.

As I reluctantly commented on Friday in the pre-match thread, United are very dangerous in the front six positions when it comes to transitions, our set-up gave them really little to feed off at any time.

Of course, there are players such as Sterling and Mahrez who appear to getting more leeway from the manager, which certainly yanks my chain and I can't fathom, as they are offering very little in either the attacking phases, putting in token track backs to help cover our full-backs.

All the same, it seems we are the fall guys for having the temerity to not leave our arses hanging out yesterday, just so we can entertain the Sky know-nowt masses and Gary Neville.

When we do turn it on, we get plenty excuses as to why the opponents are at fault.

Plenty Blues, including myself, were calling for Pep to be more pragmatic and the signing of Dias has absolutely given him that option.

For me, we are absolutely one of the favourites for the title as things stand and Pep knows we have to pick our battles right now.

We have been missing David Silva, we have been missing our greatest-ever goalscorer, we have a 36-year-old veteran still our best defensive midfielder, coupled with zero pre-season for the squad.

Presently it isn't the cakewalk we have been accustomed to, but we will continue to grind out results and make our quality and presence known at the top of the table when it starts to count.

Guardiola is certainly not without his faults and blind spots, but he sees the players every day and I have sensed behind the scenes he has a very clear road map of how this season may unfold, with plenty of excitement that this could be our best ever season.

And if it is, surely nobody can be left in any doubt what a genius he really is?

The proof will be in the pudding as they say, but the oven has arguably been on pre-heat and, come February, we can be sure the mix can properly rise.

The best thing to do at present is to avoid getting panicked with results around us, the likes of Everton, West Ham, Leicester, Southampton and Aston Villa won't be contenders.

Spurs and Liverpool will also have their own bad days.

I've calculated we can probably lose another five or six, drawing a couple more, and still be at the business end of around 80 points.

Thanks for that post Tolmie. I've expressed similar thoughts as well. Nobody really knows what's going to happen but it is likely that we will gradually improve and finish the season strongly.

Why do many fans think that we can just go there, create many chances and win? When was the last time Klopp's Liverpool did it? The game last season between them and Manure at OT was similar to yesterday's, with very few created chances. Same or even worse in season 18/19.

We have problems in attack but those problems are not hard to overcome. Defence is looking as solid as it gets. Once Kevin and Sterling improve on their performances, hopefilly Bernardo too, we are talking. The potential is immense and will shine through.

 

[Sky Blue]

The problem isn’t KDB, are you blaming him for Mahrez pathetic attempt when put clean though? Are you blaming him for the pass out wide to the left when Sterling was dreaming? And just who is he supposed to thread these eye of the needle passes to if GJ is behind him and Mahrez and Sterling aren’t looking to get on the end of them.
The stats for chances created don’t back your argument. Look at the players around Kev before criticising him, he actually looked pissed off with a few yesterday

2 weeks ago he came out with the bollocks that KDB was finished. Yes, he actually posted that. I said at the time he won't let up on that shite and I have been proven correct.

Let it go Marvin as you are embarrassing yourself.

 

[come-on-barney]

I see that this board has been infiltrated by hordes of rags and dippers.

Getting a bit old to be honest. There might be one or two sure, but just because people have different views to yourself, does not make them other teams fans. It’s a forum where people have different views. Calling people out as ‘rags and dippers’ just because they have different views to yourself is an easy way to negate their views.

 

[Marvin]

The problem isn’t KDB, are you blaming him for Mahrez pathetic attempt when put clean though? Are you blaming him for the pass out wide to the left when Sterling was dreaming? And just who is he supposed to thread these eye of the needle passes to if GJ is behind him and Mahrez and Sterling aren’t looking to get on the end of them.
The stats for chances created don’t back your argument. Look at the players around Kev before criticising him, he actually looked pissed off with a few yesterday

Look at all the players including KDB. He's well under par. I am afraid that Sterling and Mahrez have always been hit and miss.

 

[jimharri]

And for all the Pep doesnt care brigade?

Do you also think Ole doesnt care, as their attitude was no different that ours. Two teams that didnt want to lose is all i saw.

Why would we be bothered whether Solskjaer cared or not? My concern is City.

 

[oddfellows]

The cheating twat went down in instalments like Willem Dafoe in Platoon. There was minimal contact and he writhed around as if he'd taken a bullet in his guts. Not a shining example of a role model for all the kids he's helped save from going hungry.

The offside saved us. The pen would have stood without it, Kavanagh couldn't wait to give it. No way he would have overturned it.

 

[warringtonblue]

Look at all the players including KDB. He's well under par. I am afraid that Sterling and Mahrez have always been hit and miss.

So who does he thread these passes though to if the others aren’t there? Does he pass through the eye of a needle and get on the end of it himself

 

[Mike Cledford]

I said in an earlier post it's very noticeable how quite the City players when being 'fouled', they dont make a noise and dont get the foul. Other players scream like a baby and win fouls that City dont. Without fan noise its abit embarrassing watching grown men screaming like babies just to cheat. It is really testing my enjoyment of football. Other sports must look at footballers and think 'grow a pair'

Especially the egg chasers but also hockey and supposedly non contact sports like basketball let alone the lunacy of Aussie Rules lacrosse etc.
I've never understood why refs never learn from other sports how much 'contact' is needed to Impede another athlete let alone knock him over.
Its just struck me that l dont think the womens game suffers from this diving and shouting in pain. They dont seem to need to grow a pair;)

 

[Sky Blue]

The offside saved us. The pen would have stood without it, Kavanagh couldn't wait to give it. No way he would have overturned it.

He didn't give the penalty straight away. Had the whisper in his ear a moment later.

 

[stan bowles]

Only saw the first half and that was enough, I didn’t want Pep to commit us forward why should we get hurt in the break but I also didn’t want the inverted wingers AGAIN. Let’s get people back out on the touch line making space through the middle and stop coming inside crowding us out. Torres, Foden and Bernardo now need to start to get a run of games and we have no mojo up front. We seem to have sorted the back, although United seem to target Cancelo as the danger on the left from what I saw they doubled up in him a lot. Mahrez and Sterling both should’ve scored first half for me, we need a natural goal scorer and quickly. Didn’t see the second half so can’t comment.

Bernardo has had his chances this season and contributed the square root of nothing. What on earth has he done to merit a run of games ?

 

[give it to gordon]

As for the 'might be off-side' comment I didnt hear as my missus had fallen asleep half way through the second half and was snoring !

It wasnt even close he had most of one leg in an off-side by today's standard of being off-side by a length of nostril hair, that was miles off side