some things never change
CL W Champions League Play-off Round, 1st Leg
Manchester United 3:1 Club Brugge
Post-match discussion
Tue, 18 August 2015
Wow LVG was in a bad mood at the start of that press conference 
Very interesting that he had it planned that if we needed a goal late on it would be Fellaini and Hernandez up front.
Very interesting that he had it planned that if we needed a goal late on it would be Fellaini and Hernandez up front.Watch out that kind of attitude will not be acceptable to some
Neutral fans let their hate for the club cloud their judgment. Rawk used to say we were lucky back when we had "greesy diving cnut". Oh and Greesy = Ronaldo, they didnt like him much over there.
First match at OT for me this and bloody loved it!
Superb atmosphere (including the Brugge fans who were noisy and funny - fair play) and a real buzz in the ground, hearing that Champions league music ring out again was special.
As for the game, I thought we played really good football and totally dominated the game. Memphis' goals were stunning and getting a 93rd minute 3rd felt great.
Dumbfounded by some of the whingers on here, there were some genuinely exciting play on display tonight and it's our third game of the season. Cheer up ffs!
PS Brugge also had the sum total of 1 shot in the entire match. Beasty defence!
Superb atmosphere (including the Brugge fans who were noisy and funny - fair play) and a real buzz in the ground, hearing that Champions league music ring out again was special.
As for the game, I thought we played really good football and totally dominated the game. Memphis' goals were stunning and getting a 93rd minute 3rd felt great.
Dumbfounded by some of the whingers on here, there were some genuinely exciting play on display tonight and it's our third game of the season. Cheer up ffs!
PS Brugge also had the sum total of 1 shot in the entire match. Beasty defence!
what the feck are you talking about? He was generally very composed on the ball, and made no 'crosses into the stands'. What 3 dodgy passes are you even talking about? I think you're the only one on here who sees them. As for his backpass, it was no where near as bad as you are making it out to be.As for the second bolded part, you sound like a WUM. Most of our players gave decent performances today.
This generally sounds like a post coming off a RAWK thread, trying to find the bad in everything we do.
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Pleased to see that we created more chances today than we have in recent matches.
We really are a strongly organized unit in our first 3 matches! Only goal against was an OG, and not many other opportunities from Brugge tonight.
Let's hope this continues.
We really are a strongly organized unit in our first 3 matches! Only goal against was an OG, and not many other opportunities from Brugge tonight.
Let's hope this continues.
It'll be interesting to see if he can do it on a cold rainy Wednesday night at Britannia.
3 wins out of 3, 5 scored and 1 (unluckily) conceded. Some good individual performances but as a team, we're still far away from our peak! Can't really ask for much more at this stage in the season, while being realistic that is.
As for the second bolded part, you sound like a WUM. Most of our players gave decent performances today.
This generally sounds like a post coming off a RAWK thread, trying to find the bad in everything we do.
To be fair - BFS hit 2 cross field passes out for a throw, one landing in the stands and there was one that Rooney barely kept in and Schweiny had already acknowledged on that one it was a poor one. There was also one pass that was slightly underhit towards him where he wasn't quite turned on and a Brugge player got onto it and presented a moment of danger of getting caught light at the back. He's had his dodgy moments in all 3 games far so but, he is just working his way back.
Granted the poster you quoted is very doom/gloom after what was a marked improvement all around from the first 2 games.
I'm very happy we won but not gonna get carried away cos we were playing a very average team.
I'm most pleased with how Darmian seems to have settled in to the team and has been very good in the three games he's played. £12m is looking an absolute steal for him right now.
I'm most pleased with how Darmian seems to have settled in to the team and has been very good in the three games he's played. £12m is looking an absolute steal for him right now.
I was excited by the amount of chances created, games like these against teams we should dominate we should play like this. Brugge would probably only be a relegation battling team in the prem but at least the players have a taste for it now and should aim to replecate the result vs the lower half teams.
My only worry is that Van Gaal just let them keep playing so offensive because there is still a second leg so scoring more actually helped rather than a regular premier league game where he might just want to make sure of the win by playing defensively for the last 10 minutes.
Ok, to be fair, I didn't notice the one ball hit into the stands but the poster made it sound like he did it quite often in the game which is simply no where near the truth. What annoys me is that he took all the bad things out of the team/single player performance without addressing or even slightly opening his mind to the fact that there was a lot of good to take from both. BFS may have made a few mistakes but on the whole it was a solid performance. Nothing spectacular but no where near the disaster they made it out to be.
I myself tend to be a bit on the negative side and certainly do not hold back on criticism when players are out of form, and may even go OTT sometimes; but I certainly don't focus and exaggerate the negative aspects when they play well. From his post, you would have thought we lost or failed to have more than a couple of shots on target.
It had a lot of RAWKishness to it. Honestly could imagine the same thing written on one of their threads trying to downplay our performance. Infact, it was so negative and one sided that it would have probably made it onto the RAWK meltdown forum itself.
"Mata being the best of the bad".
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If one can't enjoy a 3-1 win on a European night as a supporter, then one has to have a good look at himself. Sure, if you are the coach or the players look for room for improvements, but as a supporter? What does being negative achieves? Constructive criticism is ok, but judging harshly on a player based on a few misplace passes when the team just won doesn't really generate confidence, and redefines the meaning of "support" in supporters.
@santeria13 - yeah there were a lot of very encouraging things about the game, far more than the negatives spewed. BFS was as you said solid but, not without his poor moments.
Feeling a lot better about the team after that display. Contrary to what many on here thought (myself included), looks like our defense will be a strength rather than a weakness. Starting to think we might not actually need another central defender. However, Romero still scares the shit outta me. Just feel like a costly error could come at any moment. Nice to see Memphis and Fellaini both get on the scoresheet. So far this season we've looked better with each and every game, here's hoping that trend continues.
Romero: Might be a good shot stopper, looks so nervy and shaky though.
Darmian: Pretty good barring his booking. Seems to get the attacking and defensive side of things right.
Blind: Pretty flipant to just say he played some good passes, he was solid defensively again as well.
Smalling: Booking the only blemish from an excellent performance.
Shaw: Impressive defensively and in attack.
Schneiderlin: Very good again, he's probably first name on the team sheet in the middle of the park.
Carrick: Didn't play well again akin to Villa on Friday. Deservedly hooked for Schweinsteiger.
Mata: Nothing special from him, but nothing horrendous.
Januzaj: As above, same as Mata.
Memphis: The night he announced himself as a United player with two well taken goals. Sounds harsh to say, but he should have had a hat trick.
Rooney: Something is not right about him at the moment. He'll have to start scoring soon as your main striker.
Subs:
Schweinsteiger: he'll surely displace Carrick when he's fit enough to start. Like Blind, he's like a manager on the field which is valuable for a team still finding its way.
Hernandez: First bit of game time in a long while so it's unfair to make many judgements, looked ok when brought on.
Fellaini: Scored what could be a crucial goal late in the game.
Darmian: Pretty good barring his booking. Seems to get the attacking and defensive side of things right.
Blind: Pretty flipant to just say he played some good passes, he was solid defensively again as well.
Smalling: Booking the only blemish from an excellent performance.
Shaw: Impressive defensively and in attack.
Schneiderlin: Very good again, he's probably first name on the team sheet in the middle of the park.
Carrick: Didn't play well again akin to Villa on Friday. Deservedly hooked for Schweinsteiger.
Mata: Nothing special from him, but nothing horrendous.
Januzaj: As above, same as Mata.
Memphis: The night he announced himself as a United player with two well taken goals. Sounds harsh to say, but he should have had a hat trick.
Rooney: Something is not right about him at the moment. He'll have to start scoring soon as your main striker.
Subs:
Schweinsteiger: he'll surely displace Carrick when he's fit enough to start. Like Blind, he's like a manager on the field which is valuable for a team still finding its way.
Hernandez: First bit of game time in a long while so it's unfair to make many judgements, looked ok when brought on.
Fellaini: Scored what could be a crucial goal late in the game.
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Good game to watch and a long time since we created so many chances. Carrick always a slow starter at the beginning of the season and Rooney below average again, happy with the rest of the team and ow quickly we passed the ball around. Same again on Saturday please.
what I am saying is that if his watch has passed 90 mins he should have blown, regardless of whether play is in a neutral zone or not. It looks to me like he's about to blow and then decides to let play continue.
That was outrageous - was very impressed with him.
Yeah but how did he go in the match?
Still solid looking at the back, we havent been that for three games on the bounce since before Moyes (even last year there were lots of errors that Dave got us out of). Shaw is really finding his feet and realising his potential and I think Darmian is the best right back we have had since G Neville at his peak, really impressed with him.
Middle of the park is our strongest area now, which is a bit shocking really, its been a decade since that happened, and upfront I think we did OK. Memphis was great, there is the start of an understanding with Rooney, and that will only get better as games come around.
I thought Rooney was better again, never get all these 'past it' posts, he always starts a season one of two ways, on fire and fades a bit, or takes a few games to get going, this year its the second one. Adnan is doing OK, but I still think Mata would be better as 10 and a new fast and skillful right winger would really get things going. Adnan is a great option off the bench and will grow into a starter in any of the front positions, but this year is just a bit too soon.
More than anything, we have a team that knows exactly how they are going to play, whoever is in the 11. I think there has been a lot of progress even since last season.
Middle of the park is our strongest area now, which is a bit shocking really, its been a decade since that happened, and upfront I think we did OK. Memphis was great, there is the start of an understanding with Rooney, and that will only get better as games come around.
I thought Rooney was better again, never get all these 'past it' posts, he always starts a season one of two ways, on fire and fades a bit, or takes a few games to get going, this year its the second one. Adnan is doing OK, but I still think Mata would be better as 10 and a new fast and skillful right winger would really get things going. Adnan is a great option off the bench and will grow into a starter in any of the front positions, but this year is just a bit too soon.
More than anything, we have a team that knows exactly how they are going to play, whoever is in the 11. I think there has been a lot of progress even since last season.
There were certainly some moments of individual brilliance last night. Shaw was really impressive with his determination to win the ball, and Darmian is so good you don't really notice him! Memphis seems to have a real joie de vivre about him, you can see that the lad is just loving this opportunity. Rooney - still struggling a little with the first touch, I reckon he's not really completely match-fit yet.
My seat is high up and so I get a real bird's-eye view of the whole pitch (and thus the shape of the possession-based passing game). The only negative for me was that we often seemed to be going backwards more than I'd have liked! The Brugge fans were vocal throughout. Didn't go down too well when they started singing YAWN.
My seat is high up and so I get a real bird's-eye view of the whole pitch (and thus the shape of the possession-based passing game). The only negative for me was that we often seemed to be going backwards more than I'd have liked! The Brugge fans were vocal throughout. Didn't go down too well when they started singing YAWN.
You are having a laugh. Really. Apart from one pass Carrick was woeful.
We looked and played like the shackles were off, even though some of the moves broke down players were taking risks which was great to see. For the first time since Leicester (not saying this is our best performance since then) we played with freedom.
What is left right now is for LVG to bring in Pedro and look to play Mata through the middle, I think he will create loads because some of his passing last night was unreal but you could see the limitations he brings to the wing because he slowed down some of the moves on the right.
Mempis.....oh my what a way to announce your arrival on the big stage. I felt that if he can improve on his awareness of other players' position and look to play them in he could be a lot more dangerous because defenders won't know what to expect from him.
I midfield I think it's increasingly clear that Schmifield is our clear first choice even though it could be seen that Bastien is still some way from full match fitness.
What is left right now is for LVG to bring in Pedro and look to play Mata through the middle, I think he will create loads because some of his passing last night was unreal but you could see the limitations he brings to the wing because he slowed down some of the moves on the right.
Mempis.....oh my what a way to announce your arrival on the big stage. I felt that if he can improve on his awareness of other players' position and look to play them in he could be a lot more dangerous because defenders won't know what to expect from him.
I midfield I think it's increasingly clear that Schmifield is our clear first choice even though it could be seen that Bastien is still some way from full match fitness.
Darmian is going to be brilliant for us. And Shaw is coming on leaps and bounds, I enjoy him breaking at pace but his distribution can be a tad ropey at times.
Great result for us, didn't watch the game live but I watched the scores. Especially after going behind really early.
Lucky that we scored the third goal else it would too close in the second leg,overall performance was good.
Darmian and Shaw going to be brilliant for us and no doubt in it,Shaw got more pace to burn.Also impressed with Smalling,he started to believe in his ability,as well i like the way he moved forward and play the right pass,i don't think it would more often with as LVG would ask him to hold back.
Memphis,i like the way this kid strike the ball,last match was bit a disappointment when he couldn't cure the ball into the net,this match was absolute brilliance the way curved in for the second goal and the final assist.
Darmian and Shaw going to be brilliant for us and no doubt in it,Shaw got more pace to burn.Also impressed with Smalling,he started to believe in his ability,as well i like the way he moved forward and play the right pass,i don't think it would more often with as LVG would ask him to hold back.
Memphis,i like the way this kid strike the ball,last match was bit a disappointment when he couldn't cure the ball into the net,this match was absolute brilliance the way curved in for the second goal and the final assist.
- Memphis was immense
- Shaw and Darmian are great full-backs
- Rooney is not un-subable
- Smalling and Blind work together quite well
- Mike Smalling.
- Fellaini can still score.
my initial impressions last night was that we looked naive at times in defence - we looked pretty open but good defending got us out of trouble - Shaw had a very good game but seemed to be dragged out of position a few times - easy to forget that of the side that started only a few have significant CL experience
Memphis was superb...listening to radio this morning and Lou Marcari described his first goal as alright and the second great...couldn't disagree more - the control from that pass from Carrick which had serious pace on it - the skill and control to get in position to finish was superb and we haven't seen skill like that since Nani had his great season
the contrast between Memphis with Rooney and Mata was stark - everytime the Dutchman got the ball you expected something to happen - the latter two need to up their game though Rooney did improve last night - his touch to Memphis was delightful.....with that pass when clean thru in the first half he easily could have had 4 goals last night
as for Mata I think if you are going to give him a free role play him at 10....his impact was limited last night and he drifted out of the game for long long periods - if we can add Pedro there to add that pace and goals it will be a step up
whats going on with Michael Carrick.....with our midfield additions does he finally feel he can drop his level a bit - very disappointing last night and against Villa
Is Schweinsteiger fit to start against Barcodes? I certainly hope so
Hard to argue with Fellaini as a striker when we need a goal - Hernandez quick enough and wary to pounce on flick ons....hoofball I know but late in the game when we need a goal and a change of attack its a good option
Memphis was superb...listening to radio this morning and Lou Marcari described his first goal as alright and the second great...couldn't disagree more - the control from that pass from Carrick which had serious pace on it - the skill and control to get in position to finish was superb and we haven't seen skill like that since Nani had his great season
the contrast between Memphis with Rooney and Mata was stark - everytime the Dutchman got the ball you expected something to happen - the latter two need to up their game though Rooney did improve last night - his touch to Memphis was delightful.....with that pass when clean thru in the first half he easily could have had 4 goals last night
as for Mata I think if you are going to give him a free role play him at 10....his impact was limited last night and he drifted out of the game for long long periods - if we can add Pedro there to add that pace and goals it will be a step up
whats going on with Michael Carrick.....with our midfield additions does he finally feel he can drop his level a bit - very disappointing last night and against Villa
Is Schweinsteiger fit to start against Barcodes? I certainly hope so
Hard to argue with Fellaini as a striker when we need a goal - Hernandez quick enough and wary to pounce on flick ons....hoofball I know but late in the game when we need a goal and a change of attack its a good option
Great:
-) Memphis showed for the first time that he can be an exceptional player for us. Not only 2 goals + 1 assist but overall fantastic performance.
-) Fellaini! Hope he gets more playing time from now on. He is definitely more than a "plan B".
-) Blind grows into his role as left CB. He might not have as much stamina and pace as other CBs but he makes up for that with his positioning and his vision. Him and Smalling are forming a good working partnership so far. And that pass for the Depay`s second goal...
-) Overall our back 4 look really good. Hopefully this illusion won`t come to an end as soon as we face some tougher challenges...
Good:
-) Overall we looked much better than against Tottenham and Villa. Good movement and more fluid.
-) Mata and partially Januzaj played well. Also our midfielders bar Carrick have been solid.
Neutral:
-) Rooney gets a lot of stick but I thought he has shown glimpses of improvement. Not enough but hopefully it will go on from here.
-) Romero: Still shaky at some points but overall solid. Not sure if he is the solution.
Not so good:
-) Carrick should not start ahead of Schweini and Herrera. Sorry to say it but he should not be more than second or third choice from here on.
-) Talking about Herrera I am a bit worried that he will be overlooked this season. Such a great player. What a shame.
-) In the end our game looked quite ok but teams like Bayern or Barca would have hammered Brugge with 5:0 or more. They looked completely toothless and we needed a last second header by Fellaini to make a third goal.
-) Memphis showed for the first time that he can be an exceptional player for us. Not only 2 goals + 1 assist but overall fantastic performance.
-) Fellaini! Hope he gets more playing time from now on. He is definitely more than a "plan B".
-) Blind grows into his role as left CB. He might not have as much stamina and pace as other CBs but he makes up for that with his positioning and his vision. Him and Smalling are forming a good working partnership so far. And that pass for the Depay`s second goal...
-) Overall our back 4 look really good. Hopefully this illusion won`t come to an end as soon as we face some tougher challenges...
Good:
-) Overall we looked much better than against Tottenham and Villa. Good movement and more fluid.
-) Mata and partially Januzaj played well. Also our midfielders bar Carrick have been solid.
Neutral:
-) Rooney gets a lot of stick but I thought he has shown glimpses of improvement. Not enough but hopefully it will go on from here.
-) Romero: Still shaky at some points but overall solid. Not sure if he is the solution.
Not so good:
-) Carrick should not start ahead of Schweini and Herrera. Sorry to say it but he should not be more than second or third choice from here on.
-) Talking about Herrera I am a bit worried that he will be overlooked this season. Such a great player. What a shame.
-) In the end our game looked quite ok but teams like Bayern or Barca would have hammered Brugge with 5:0 or more. They looked completely toothless and we needed a last second header by Fellaini to make a third goal.
With this size of him and his personality on the pitch not to mention his goal celebrations I always think he's gunna have a monstrous voice to match, and then he opens his mouth and could speak poetry.
I saw very organized football last night, from both sides actually.
Im surprised we had 69% of ball possession. didn't look this way.
You can criticise Mata for some things but it's not his work rate. He works ridiculously hard and I'd expect any stat re ground covered would prove that.
It's the infrequency of those flashes of brilliance that mean his place is under threat. He doesn't do it often enough and too often takes the conservative option.
Yeh we dominated possession alright but we just looked a bit open when they did have it.
Tbh I sometimes had the feeling we had 90 %. Brugge has not been great at all. It would be embarrassing to stumble over them.
It's probably difficult for him to find a balance. He's obviously given license to find creative options, but at the same time I bet LvG has stressed the importance of those creative options being realistic as well. If he starts losing the ball more than he already does, I think he would be out of the team anyway.
I don't share the immense confidence in Smalling, I seem to be reading atm, (might be me not watching properly). Our 2 full backs look fantastic.
Schweinsteiger is obv a very accomplished footy player, the only question there is 90mins week after week, or how many games and so on.
Some of the rest seem to be a bit tentative with each other in a getting to know you kinda way.
And Rooney needs a goal and games - or he's finished, obv (take your pick). played the 2 passes of the night though. That stupidly gorgeous flick where Memphis really ought to have scored, & early on, a thumping crossfield jobby from this side.
We Are. Definitely improving.
Schweinsteiger is obv a very accomplished footy player, the only question there is 90mins week after week, or how many games and so on.
Some of the rest seem to be a bit tentative with each other in a getting to know you kinda way.
And Rooney needs a goal and games - or he's finished, obv (take your pick). played the 2 passes of the night though. That stupidly gorgeous flick where Memphis really ought to have scored, & early on, a thumping crossfield jobby from this side.
We Are. Definitely improving.
Player Ratings
Total Average Rating
Highest Rated Player
Lowest Rated Player
Compiled from 1079 ratings.
Score Predictions
1110,13,21
- Man Utd win
- Brugge win
- Draw
Detailed Results
- 39% Man Utd 2:0 Brugge
- 32% Man Utd 3:0 Brugge
- 8% Man Utd 3:1 Brugge
- 6% Man Utd 1:0 Brugge
- 5% Man Utd 4:0 Brugge
- 4% Man Utd 2:1 Brugge
- 1% Man Utd 5:0 Brugge
- 1% Man Utd 0:0 Brugge
- 1% Man Utd 4:1 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 1:1 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 0:1 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 0:3 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 0:5 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 1:2 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 3:2 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 0:2 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 2:3 Brugge
- 0% Man Utd 5:1 Brugge
Match Stats
- Man Utd
- Brugge
- Possession
- 69% 31%
- Shots
- 19 1
- Shots on Target
- 9 1
- Corners
- 10 1
- Fouls
- 11 11
Referee
Deniz Aytekin
Man Utd Lineup
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replaced by Javier Hernandez
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replaced by Bastian Schweinsteiger
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replaced by Marouane Fellaini
