[Betson]

Can't read much into the result since we clearly didn't give a shit.

But maybe we can read a lot into how much the club has changed in such a few short years if we don't give a shit about beating Arsenal and putting our self's into a position to overtake Liverpool. The Club is losing it heart.

 

[wolvored]

What time is the Arsenal open-top bus parade booked for then?

Before ours

 

[siw2007]

Well there goes our uninspiring unbeaten run. Poor display today, I think it stemmed from our set up as we showed very little ambition, which is disappointing because I felt that Arsenal were beatable if we went at them. Jose has to take the blame here, but some of the individual performances were poor too. We needed Martial to hold up the ball better, and though Rooney worked hard, it was clear that he couldn't cover the ground as quick as he needed too. I thought Tuanzebe had a good game at right back against quality opposition which was a positive.

Maximum effort and focus on Thursday now. It's conceivable that our season could be over on Thursday if we flop so we need to make sure that we do the job.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Smalling really should have headed out Welbecks goal.

Rooney looks finished.

Wouldnt be surprized if Mourinho sells one of Mata or Micky T. The defensive side of their game is poor.

Was not expecting much. Thought me might get a draw.

Tuanzebe was pretty good. Looks confident.

Get through on Thursday and all we be forgiven.

 

[SirMattBugsby]

Some glaring culprits in that performance (Rooney, Smalling, Mkhitaryan, Lingard) but okay otherwise. I actually thought it was better than some of our draws.

Replace Rooney with Pogba and we would have had a 'tactical masterclass.'

 

[Yagami]

But do you really think Arsenal were good today? We actually started the second half better then them. City and Liverpool away at least were good tests. It's just a strange game at the wrong time of the season for us.

No, which makes it worse! We could have got at them but decided to sit deep with Mata and Mkhi in def, which is the norm in big games for us under José. This avoidable defeat is on José again, IMO.

 

[tentan]

We won the League Cup. Which means we already qualified.

Dammit. Do we enter the group stages or a qualifying round? It the latter, Jose please makes us lose!

 

[Cloud7]

Spineless Gutless Embarrassing. There is never any excuse for a performance so weak. You can't be out-efforted by a Wenger led Arsenal team. Europa league doesn't excuse going there and performing like that. Do you think you would ever see Barcelona rock up like that against Madrid?

This wasn't some small team, this was against one of our rivals, one of the biggest teams in the league that we compete against. We always describe Arsenal as spineless, lacking in effort, well what was that we saw out there? Our team was actually outfought by Arsenal. A Wenger led Arsenal !

Tuanzebe was good. Promising signs for him. Today should be Smalling's last day in a United jersey. He's had his time here. Rooney needs to be taken out back.

Bring on Thursday to at least try and erase the memory of this capitulation.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

The difference between having Pogba in the team and not having him is night and day. We dom't know how to transition from defence to attack without him.

When one of your outlets is Rooney, that is more than enough problems.

 

[Son Of Sam]

This is what any sane manager would have done considering the circumstances. If we weren't in Europa, there's no way Jose would have kept Pogba, Bailly & Rashford on the bench.

Better to keep all our eggs in one basket now. Europa all the way. A win today wouldn't have guaranteed our top 4 as we still have to go to Spurs & Southampton.

 

[Valar Morghulis]

Forgot this game was even happening until literally 2 mins before kick off, wish I hadn't remembered now. Bouncing on my boy's d wondering how the feck Rooney got to play the full 90 minutes. How much more fecking shit can he actually get. Today's game was a nice reminder, it highlighted how average this squad really is. Other than no Pogba, we had our best players out there today so we can have no excuses. Smalling and Jones are a joke as well, Axel is already the better player. Need to clear out a lot of the shite if we're to do well next year that's for damn sure.

 

[GM K]

Another game against a big team, another disappointment from José.

Gutted as well but let's be patient. Jose has one of the best head to head records against the big teams both domestically and in Europe. Let's see what happens next season.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Who were commentating in sky? Was hilarious hearing "Stunning strike from Xhaka" for a huge deflection which I could see on my feckin slow stream in real time.

 

[Paxi]

Will be interesting to hear Joses thoughts.

 

[Matty7]

Yes and if we cock Thursday or the final up? Nothing to fall back on now.

But we still have Spurs to play away from home, what if Rashford is to pull up in that game? Sometimes you have to play the percentages to give yourself the best chance.

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

This game was close, despite the scoreline. We set up not to lose, and to get a goal on the counter. If Rooney had passed to Mata, or Martial had slotted it home, we would have shut up shop and it would be a Mourinho masterclass.

However, that terrible unlucky deflection put us on the back foot, and Smalling decided to forget being a defender for the second. Replace Smalling and Rooney with someone better, and we could have nicked that game.

It was clear, looking at the lineup, that Mou has his priorities elsewhere. I'm not too disappointed. League hopes were over long time ago.

 

[wolvored]

Rooney.
Lingard.
Martial.
Smalling.
Jones.
Darmian.
Mkhi

Happy for them all the leave.

Add Carrick, and Mata to that

 

[Josep Dowling]

So much pressure on the Europa league game now. This team have proved time and time again this season they can't handle the pressure so I expect a collapse on Thursday.

Anyone saying that was a second string team is kidding themselves. Nearly every player that started cost over £20m and are internationals. Just not good enough. Fed up for excuses for this squad.

 

[BigBebe]

I might be wrong but it looked to me like Jones and Smalling weren't fully fit.


Whodathunk.

 

[RAVred]

Few points IMO people are way too bummed about it. I'm kinda bummed I stayed up till 3 am to watch this shit (I live in straya), but at least I got to see a new exciting youth prospect.


We weren't really even that negative this game, the problem is no way this team has the fitness, stamina, to play like we did the first half. We needed to put our chances away, if we did then that's fine and it's a comfy win most likely.


Imo the fact nor blind or bailly started ahead of the two fecking clowns (aka dumb and mfkin dumber), just shows you something. Mkhi was frustrating again, Lingard shite, Rooney was 50/50 (but is a massive liability that simply seems to not care anymore and just does what he feels like, e.g. Those potential reds), Carrick needs to be shipped off.

We lost all our energy in midfield when Herrera got a knock, but fairplay considering he's started the last few games iirc and played most of them out.


Our midfields once again shit without pogba though, we need to find a backup for him or a way for it to work in the summer without Pogba being necessary every fkin game.


Calls for martial to be sold are downright retarded if I'm being honest, he deserves another season and we'd get 30 mill maybe for someone who's still considered worldwide a world class prospect.


Please win vs celta... parking the bus won't work with our current defence imo and I think he realises that that's why he started the game like that. Also crowd was pretty good today for Arsenal I reckon.


In all seriousness the overall outcome is good as we will win Europa and Arsenal will delude themselves further. Expect Wenger to announce his contract now/soon or after the next game if they win.

 

[Steven7290]

I mean if we were gonna give up on today's result, why didnt we just go out there and let the kids play anyway?
There was absolutely zero football from our side.
Shittty all around.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

Who were commentating in sky? Was hilarious hearing "Stunning strike from Xhaka" for a huge deflection which I could see on my feckin slow stream in real time.

Think that was football genius Jamie Redknapp.

Positives out of today

Tuanzebe
Didn't pick up any injuries.

That's it.

 

[shield]

It's all part of a brilliant plan by Mourinho to keep Wenger at Arsenal for a little longer.

 

[yamo123x]

The game is so much easier when you attack and take the game to the opposition and not just start the game sitting back. negative negative negative.

I've been a staunch mourinho supporter but I do not like this Negative play all the time. This is not what the club is all about. Mata and Mikhi playing defensively ??!! Wtf? Our approach got the result it deserved.

Saying that there are so many players who we are carrying all the time.lingard was atrocious in his cameo. Carrick and Rooney looked shot. Clearout needed.major squad reinvestment needed

On a positive no injuries and well done to Axel on a composed and promising debut.

 

[Seveneric]

It was an amazing match, there are no problems, it's all good, 24 match unbeaten run, Fergie lost to Arsenal 2-0 too, injuries the likes of which football has never seen, the squad isn't even fit for the Somalian league.

 

[Triple.Threat]

Martial was starved for service in plays where he could utilize his pace. We had zero through balls today. I thought we would have players with intelligence who could expose the back 3 and who could find runners. But we had Rooney. who couldn't even spot Mata when he shot straight at Cech when Juan was open in the 6 yard box.

 

[Eire Red United]

Another game against a big team, another disappointment from José.

Chelsea?

 

[Insanity]

Limping to the finish line in the league again.

Limping? There is no finish line, bud, we are waiting to pack up and leave.

 

[Random Task]

Will be interesting to hear Joses thoughts.

"Wenger cheated"

 

[Yagami]

Gutted as well but let's be patient. Jose has one of the best head to head records against the big teams both domestically and in Europe. Let's see what happens next season.

Bar Chelsea I haven't come out of a game against one of the big guns thinking we played well. José's tactics in these games are worrying.

 

[Lentwood]

Who cares? We took Rooney's Testimonial more seriously than that!

Cannot read anything into that game whatsoever. Main objective was just to get it out the way

 

[DevilRed]

But maybe we can read a lot into how much the club has changed in such a few short years if we don't give a shit about beating Arsenal and putting our self's into a position to overtake Liverpool. The Club is losing it heart.

Thats so far from the truth. Its unbelievable how fans on this board ignore the facts set out for the last few weeks and come up with their own storylines.

We clearly were resting players for a midweek match to get into the final of a major european cup competition.

We also are in the middle of a major injury crisis where we have lost our top goal scorer and first choice centreback. We've only just got back 3 players from injuries too, all of whom played today.

The performance was poor but it was to be expected.

I still think that most of you delusional fans on here will be praising and calling Jose a genius if we win the EL.

 

[notcool]

Bit unlucky really. Deflected shot and then the second goal came quickly after that and probably wouldn't have happened if it was at 0-0. Wonder how the game would have panned out if were level at around 70 minutes because Arsenal probably needed 3 points. Still, congrats to Arsenal.

Will probably finish the season in our rightful 6th place now. Might as well just play youth players until the EL final (hopefully we'll get there).

 

[manichester]

Arsenal where there for the taking today and we played poorly, the so called squad players don;t want to steak a claim for a first team place.

 

[MadDogg]

Meh, whatever.

First half was pretty much even, we forgot to come back out in the second.

 

[TMDaines]

Most disappointed I've been in the manager by far. What a gutless way to surrender your club's unbeaten league run and your record against the opposition. Play like that and you either get the result or you look like fools. We basically built this up as a freeroll and then didn't even bother to roll the dice. That was this crisis club Arsenal who we didn't turn up against.

We need to win the EL now.

 

[Jazz]

Its shit to lose. I dont disagree with you.

However, Jose has not made the wrong decision to rest key players. We have simply played too many matches and its caused our players to become fatigued and injured. Rojo, Zlatan, Pogba, etc. all going down in the last few weeks is no coincidence.

All eggs in the Europa League basket and it makes sense. Given our draw against swansea last week I believe that was the final straw for Jose.

Looking at the remaining schedule its unrealistic to expect us to get top four even with a strong team fielded.

I really hope you're right and it works out for us. Bloody bricking it for Thursday now.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

After he gave that freekick away against Swansea, it amazing Rooney still gets a game. If Fellaini had not got banned Wayne would not get near the side.

 

[Yagami]

Chelsea?

Below I did say that was the one big game I thought we were excellent in.

 

[kps88]

But maybe we can read a lot into how much the club has changed in such a few short years if we don't give a shit about beating Arsenal and putting our self's into a position to overtake Liverpool. The Club is losing it heart.

Well yeah it's changed considering we're arguing over top four vs Europa League. But there is nothing wrong with prioritizing one competition over another. We did it plenty under SAF as well.