New season optimism

Although we lost the game, we dismantled city into pieces which is more important to me.
 
Will be happy if we can properly embed the new players into the squad and finish within the top four. And by that I mean a 'very' comfortable top-four with signs of major improvement going forward.
 
That’s the first time I’ve felt able to watch United play City without watching most of it through my fingers, expecting it to turn embarrassing at some point.
It can’t be any worse than last year, we played most of it without any defenders
 
I thought the match was fine. Decent run out considering the travel of pre-season (for both teams admittedly)

PROS
Gameplan worked well
Created chances.
Some nice passing at times.

CONS
Missed key chances
Still no LB; and Evans and Maguire at CB
Not much different than last year really
 
Brilliant to know that even after today, whilst City will be much stronger, we’ll also likely have:

Onana
Dalot Yoro/De Ligt. Martinez. Shaw/Mazraoui
Casemiro/Ugarte Mainoo
Fernandes/Mount
Amad/Anthony Garnacho/Rashford
Zirkzee/Højlund
​
So we’ll be improving on multiple positions and our options beyond the first eleven are night and day compared to last season.
 
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If we sign a midfielder, feels like the new formation is effectively 5 groups of 2 players and we have 3 passable options for all of them, since Mazraoui can play LB:

Front 2: Bruno-Zirkzee-Mount (Hojlund to return as a 4th option)
Wide: Garnacho-Amad-Rashford
Midfielders: Midfielder-Mainoo-Casemiro
Fullbacks: Dalot-Shaw-Mazraoui
Central Defenders: Lisandro-DeLigt-Maguire (Yoro to return)
 
I’m happy with todays performance. If it wasn’t for Rashford’s woeful finishing we could have been out of sight.

Amad I felt performed really well and was exciting to watch. Case looked much sharper and played some beautiful passes. Bruno looked sharp. Garnacho with a lovely goal.

Also a huge bonus that we didn’t concede 20+ shots. Yeah I’m fairly happy with that.
 
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Ok having watched United vs City, now I am optimistic. Especially with two additional defenders coming in and EtH knowing how not to overly expose our midfield when pressing.
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
Brilliant to know that even after today, whilst City will be much stronger, we’ll also likely have:

Onana
Dalot Yoro/De Ligt. Martinez. Shaw/Mazraoui
Casemiro/Ugarte Mainoo
Fernandes/Mount
Amad/Anthony Garnacho/Rashford
Zirkzee/Højlund
​
So we’ll be improving on multiple positions and our options beyond the first eleven are night and day compared to last season.
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Yep, the quality in attack is especially good. I just hope we sign Ugarte and some key players like Mainoo, Bruno, Martinez remain fit.
 
Certainly more positive about the season than I was before the Community Shield game. There were some lovely passages of play in and around City's box and we looked quite threatening. Early days and preseason isn't always a good indicator of where things are headed but encouraging signs nonetheless. Still feel midfield reinforcements are absolutely needed and the sooner the better. Hopefully Ten Hag is also more willing (or able) to rotate the likes of Casemiro to keep the players fresh.

The big concern is still the offensive output. I don't see how we are bridging that gap to the top teams with an extra 20-30 goals or so.

Hopefully we get off to a good start against Fulham. A positive performance and result please.
 
Is this the formation he's going to play?.. going forward?
Hojlund injury keeps him out, Zirkzee ? What's he going to do with him , does he start on Friday or same set up as CS ?
We were a lot better in most of that 90 yesterday and taken our chances game was over.. alot of positives to take..
 
The performance gives me hope… the score line doesn’t matter. We had the chances and if we had the proper team from the Geto, I think we would’ve dominated the match. We had to makeshift defense. And Garnacho was only a sub due to fitness. Plus no striker. We looked the part

I would be very worried if we got smashed!
 
I’m feeling more optimistic after the performance this weekend and the two defensive signings. Surely the only way is up after 8th last season.

Players who surely will be better/contribute more than last season:

Shaw
Malacia
Martinez
Mount
Rashford
Antony
Amad

Zirkzee will surely bring more to the team than Martial. I’d like to think Hojlund has a better season too.
 
We’re going somewhere.

For his flaws, I was so happy that we kept the manager. I couldn’t bear the idea of our latest fresh new project. Some continuity will jot be the worst thing.
 
Slight optimism has returned, we really just need a solid DM and then there's no excuses for not having a decent season.
 
pcaming said:
Slight optimism has returned, we really just need a solid DM and then there's no excuses for not having a decent season.
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Yup this is my stance too. It was bleak for a while but yesterday's two signings has made me a bit more optimistic. Now focus on the midfield these last two weeks and we'll maybe have a decent season ahead.
 
Damn my own optimism is kicking and and actually starting to believe we can challenge for the title with a bit of luck and a fit squad!
 
I’m feeling more optimistic. Talk of title challenging feels very premature, however I think we could easily shock people (Utd fans included) and go and get a comfortable top 3/4 finish with a view to kicking on next season. The key will be getting a consistent team and spine out all season. If Martinez is fit all season I’m pretty confident we will have a great campaign.
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
Brilliant to know that even after today, whilst City will be much stronger, we’ll also likely have:

Onana
Dalot Yoro/De Ligt. Martinez. Shaw/Mazraoui
Casemiro/Ugarte Mainoo
Fernandes/Mount
Amad/Anthony Garnacho/Rashford
Zirkzee/Højlund
​
So we’ll be improving on multiple positions and our options beyond the first eleven are night and day compared to last season.
Click to expand...

Yeah actually having squad depth of decent quality is going to elevate us definitely.
I am quite optimistic about the new season. Top 4 seems realistic
 
My optimism for the last couple of years have been lower for each season, starting out quite high, but still lower than the latest season.
All I'm hoping for this start of the season is some positive attacking play with single digit shots conceded.

Last year my hopes was crushed in the first game against Wolves, even though we won we looked way too open and you could see that we would struggle, also with the penalty focus late in the game you just knew that we wouldn't get any 50/50 decisions for a while.

I don't really care much for the results in the first couple of games (other than the one against Liverpool), I just hope we'll look like a team more likely to score than to concede, and 3 points will be a nice bonus.
 
Think people are underestimating Radcliffe and INEOS and the impact the backroom staff will have on the players. Glazers have been running the club into the ground and now seems everything is going right and addressing the stadium issues and also the upgrades at Carrington where both have dilapidated. 50 Million been pumped into Carrington. The club is also signing the right type of players and the right age players where for the last 11 years we have been signing rubbish bar a few players and overpaying.

I for one am looking forward to this new era at Manchester United and think we are going to see a different United this season. I am hoping for a comfortable top three and be within 12 points of Arsenal and City come the end of the season and maybe another trophy win. If we revamp the midfield I don't see any reason that this won't happen. Things are looking up and up and can see Garnacho and Diallo be like new signings and coming of age to perform consistently week in week out. I have high hopes for those two this season instead of been in the team as youngsters.

I'm never been as optimistic for a new season.
 
I've always had high hopes for every season, sometimes unfounded, sometimes plain stupid, but this club does something special to you. Just watched the Adidas video and Barry says "the things we've seen" and it's so true of our club more than any other, the nights and occasions we've been part of, the ups and downs we've endured and the legends that clubs has created is special. Every new season brings about the possibility of more legends being created, more nights we will remember for years and talk about to new generations.

My lad is 12 now, almost 13, and hes suffered some terrible times (Villarreal penalty shootout nearly broke his heart) but he is OBSESSED, he can't wait for Friday and neither can I.

Wherever we finish this season, (obviously I want it to be as high as possible with trophies involved), it won't take away what Barry was talking about in that video, theres not many clubs who's fans have had what we have and continue to have, so lets get behind the club, the manager, whichever players are here and on the pitch and remember how lucky we are to be hopefully headed in the right direction and how downright spoilt we have been to support this amazing club.
 
Facing the new season with a renewed sense of dread. 4 signings are uninspiring, Casemiro is still a key player, we’ve no fit reliable striker and the likes of Harry and Antony are still at the club. I’ve zero faith in our manager and we have Liverpool in the third game by which time our awful predicament will be clear for all to see.
 
Newton said:
I've always had high hopes for every season, sometimes unfounded, sometimes plain stupid, but this club does something special to you. Just watched the Adidas video and Barry says "the things we've seen" and it's so true of our club more than any other, the nights and occasions we've been part of, the ups and downs we've endured and the legends that clubs has created is special. Every new season brings about the possibility of more legends being created, more nights we will remember for years and talk about to new generations.

My lad is 12 now, almost 13, and hes suffered some terrible times (Villarreal penalty shootout nearly broke his heart) but he is OBSESSED, he can't wait for Friday and neither can I.

Wherever we finish this season, (obviously I want it to be as high as possible with trophies involved), it won't take away what Barry was talking about in that video, theres not many clubs who's fans have had what we have and continue to have, so lets get behind the club, the manager, whichever players are here and on the pitch and remember how lucky we are to be hopefully headed in the right direction and how downright spoilt we have been to support this amazing club.
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Oh gosh, your post covers pretty much everything I was going to say. My son is 9, almost 10, and same, he’s OBSESSED with the team and is counting down the hour until Friday. He’s still over the moon after we beat City in the FA Cup final. We’re not from the UK, so it will be a while until I have a chance to take him to a game, but that is on my wishlist.

New season, new possibility, new memories - what’s there not to look forward to!
 
More intrigued than optimistic I think at this stage. Getting beat by Arsenal, hammered by Liverpool and losing the community shield to City put a big downer on pre-season for me. The results don't really matter, but it doesn't instill confidence losing all the preseason games against PL opposition..

The overall performances and making chances appear to have improved a bit though. The transfer policy has been different too, signing players more than worth a punt for the prices paid rather than spending upwards of 60 million on single players who then carry the weight of the world class price tag without the ability to back it up. We seem to have prioritised the defence as well which I think is a good place to start strengthening any team in need of a major overhaul.

We haven't done our usual chase one player all window, and have offloaded some players that needed to go.

I wouldn't have kept the manager on after last season but INEOS chose to, so they must see something in what he's trying to do, would have been very easy to give him the boot if they weren't convinced.

I can't say I'm super optimistic at this early stage, but at least we've tried to do things differently which with a bit of luck with see us do even better than most are anticipating.
 
Newton said:
I've always had high hopes for every season, sometimes unfounded, sometimes plain stupid, but this club does something special to you. Just watched the Adidas video and Barry says "the things we've seen" and it's so true of our club more than any other, the nights and occasions we've been part of, the ups and downs we've endured and the legends that clubs has created is special. Every new season brings about the possibility of more legends being created, more nights we will remember for years and talk about to new generations.

My lad is 12 now, almost 13, and hes suffered some terrible times (Villarreal penalty shootout nearly broke his heart) but he is OBSESSED, he can't wait for Friday and neither can I.

Wherever we finish this season, (obviously I want it to be as high as possible with trophies involved), it won't take away what Barry was talking about in that video, theres not many clubs who's fans have had what we have and continue to have, so lets get behind the club, the manager, whichever players are here and on the pitch and remember how lucky we are to be hopefully headed in the right direction and how downright spoilt we have been to support this amazing club.
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Nice read. I’m baffled by the negativity on here, but I guess that speaks on my naivety. So many spoilt and negative fans around.
 
Opportunistic as ever, I wonder what silverware we'll win this year?
 
We'll either lose our first game or lose our first away game, we'll win one of them, then draw or lose vs Liverpool. 3 or 4 points after 3 games and then play catch up all season.

@GaryLifo
 
Really looking forward to the season. No idea how it will go but I think we have a good bunch of players and if we can bring in another CM I will be more optimistic. Looking forward to our youngsters being at the heart of the team along with our new sigings. Fingers crossed Rashford finds some form and fingers crossed we don't have massive injury issues.

I want EtH to succeed and this season is make or break for him so fingers crossed.
 
I wasn't particularly optimistic during the summer, but we've made some great signings and the performances in pre-season have been encouraging - more than anything it looks like our pressing is a bit more measured, and coherent, which should give us a lot more control in games and will hopefully lead to us cutting out a lot of the silly goals we conceded.

The noises around Ruud working on attacking patterns are music to my ears too, so I've definitely picked up a case of late onset new season optimism.
 
If we can keep the team relatively injury-free, sign Ugarte / a quality DMF, and especially if we also get somebody half-decent on left CB, we should make top 4 and that would be a great result

Making #3 would be amazing. Too early to compete for the title or even #2

As an added bonus, I think everybody would enjoy a European trophy, even if it is Europa League
 
I am more optimistic buy the shadow of injuries is lessening my optimism. Don't know why we get so many injuries. Is it down to the strength and conditioning coaches? Is it just hard luck ? Is it a g****y curse? I like the idea of having cover but hope that the likes of Amass, Collyer and Chido Obi Martin get game time
 
I wouldn't say I'm looking forward to the season much, and the myriad of excuses that'll be wheeled out if Ten Hag doesn't succeed.

I feel much more reassured however in the longer term by the steps INEOS have made bringing in competent football people at every level of the club.

We might not get there in the shorter term, but the longer term looks a lot brighter to me than it did at the start of last season.
 
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