United (H) - Sun 14th Sept, 16:30 | PL | Pre-Match Thread

[Pezzer2]

I’d be happy to see this. For me the wingers aren’t good enough and with Foden and Cherki out you’re relying on creativity from them and it means the full backs pushing high up which is leaving us suspect at the back. I think this is a balanced team which for the time being will get the best out of our better players.

No offence but we’d be lucky to see any of the keeper and 3 central defenders you’ve mentioned . All 3 defenders nursing injuries and I can see Pep sticking with Trafford for now.

 

[Keepingthefaithsince1976]

A performance like against Wolves & I'll be buzzing.

 

[noseve]

A performance like against Wolves & I'll be buzzing.

Probably wouldn't bring the same result, though - Wolves still had their moments in that game and this lot might not be so forgiving.

 

[pavelsrnicek]

Anthony Taylor twat in black this weekend

Probably means we need to score at least twice to win. We always manage to concede a penalty when he refs the derby and in fairness they usually are penalties.

 

[Marvin.]

Timely performance from Doku for Belgium. Almost a hattrick inside an hour.

Dembele was once regarded with a good deal of scepticism and now he's talked in terms of the Ballon D'or. I am not suggesting that will happen for Doku but I think we can expect him to improve. If we play Doku on the left, and Bobb on the right, it's going to be more difficult for Premier League defenders to double up on Doku. Lots of fans complain about his final ball but he gets a lot of attention from defenders because last season he was imo City's cutting edge. In the FA Cup Final, the only player who looked like doing anything was Doku and Palace could stop him because they could double up on him.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Anthony Taylor twat in black this weekend

I'm shocked that Howard Webb has selected another rag friendly match official for one of their games.

Always give them a penalty at ours...

 

[warringtonblue]

Timely performance from Doku for Belgium. Almost a hattrick inside an hour.

Dembele was once regarded with a good deal of scepticism and now he's talked in terms of the Ballon D'or. I am not suggesting that will happen for Doku but I think we can expect him to improve. If we play Doku on the left, and Bobb on the right, it's going to be more difficult for Premier League defenders to double up on Doku. Lots of fans complain about his final ball but he gets a lot of attention from defenders because last season he was imo City's cutting edge. In the FA Cup Final, the only player who looked like doing anything was Doku and Palace could stop him because they could double up on him.

Haaland looked like he was going to do something until the keeper handled the ball outside the area

 

[Axel Freed]

Getting this in early - I'm baffled how a squad as good as ours consistently makes the shittest rag team I have seen in my lifetime look competent. It’s fucking infuriating.

It feels as though during Pep’s tenure our results against them have been notably worse than our results against equivalent sides, even when the local derby factor is considered. And given the number of managers they’ve had during this period, it really can’t be a question of “styles make fights” being a factor either.

That dreadful non performance in Pep’s first derby in the league cup seems, with hindsight, to have set the tone for a significant number of below par displays in subsequent derbys.

All that said, we won the biggest one though - the treble cup final. Don’t think I’d swap that win for any number of other wins

 

[Axel Freed]

Probably means we need to score at least twice to win. We always manage to concede a penalty when he refs the derby and in fairness they usually are penalties.

And with slow as a week in jail defenders like Dias and Lewis desperately scrambling back to deal with speculative long balls over the top it’s a fair bet they’ll get one on Sunday

 

[blue b4 the moon]

View attachment 168912

Shocked, shocked I tell thee.

 

[SatOnTheWall]

the leper colony

I like this.

 

[Marvin.]

Haaland looked like he was going to do something until the keeper handled the ball outside the area

He did but generally speaking Haaland can't do much unless someone creates chances or him. City fans get frustrated with Doku because the end results aren't what they might be but he'd be more effective if he was played through in the final 1/3rd rather than the 2/3rd, or if there were midfield runners around him taking defenders away from him.

I think Cherki, Reijnders and Ait-Nouri will make life easier for Doku this season but first we have to get them fit.

 

[TheGhost]

I like this.

I can’t claim this. It’s @BTH ’s from the Electrc Blue fanzine days in the 80s. It’s stuck with me since then.

 

[Bellamy's Caddy]

Praying Dias doesn’t start, he needs a reality check. Other worry is creativity. Can't see where it's gonna come from right now...

It's impossible not to rate Dias, after how integral he has been for us, however, he's not been performing at the level he set himself for some time.

I know he's in the captain group and he talks well, but I want to hear less from him this season. Let his football do the talking and get back to being the defence rock the rest of the back four can rely on.

 

[Brunswick Blue]

Hate to say this but I'll be happy with a scruffy draw.

 

[Marvin.]

Hate to say this but I'll be happy with a scruffy draw.

And the prior 3 posts from Brunswick Blue...

pep has checked out months ago, this is going to be embarrassing

I fear Pep migt be on the way out ! Buying a goalkeeper that can't play his way is not a good sign !

Ater last nights proformance I fear the worst .

 

[Blu1]

This is a huge game for us & zero pressure on Utd. Not only do we need to win but we need to perform & put a marker down to get the season up & running. A flat performance will destroy our season even if it’s so early on.

 

[I'msingingingtheblues]

He runs hard to the back line and then kicks it back to nobody, almost everytime. It's chaos in motion.

There are times when he should be running at an angle, directly into the penalty area - where the defender might misplace a tackle - instead, as you say, he either stops, passes back or goes to the byeline where he's often blocked or dispossessed :-(

 

[Marvin.]

This is a huge game for us & zero pressure on Utd. Not only do we need to win but we need to perform & put a marker down to get the season up & running. A flat performance will destroy our season even if it’s so early on.

Why is there zero-pressure on Utd? I suggest there is considerable pressure on Amorim. Pep has won trophy after trophy. Amorim has done nothing at Utd other than kick out former star players that he has been unable to manage.

 

[Eaststander1]

Why is there zero-pressure on Utd? I suggest there is considerable pressure on Amorim. Pep has won trophy after trophy. Amorim has done nothing at Utd other than kick out former star players that he has been unable to manage.

Whilst that's generally true, leapfrogging City in the table will definitely have lightened the mood or depression at Old Trafford, and no doubt taken a bit of the pressure off ..... and they only need a draw at the Etihad to keep it that way!

(Well, at least for another week anyway!)