[fergiewherearethou]

Vital win of course but the way we play is horrendous at the moment. Can't pass, can't dominate and can't even counter(we were at least good at that not long ago). We can only score from individual moments of brilliance or pure luck. What are the players doing in training is a big question mark.
We will not face many opponents as weak as Sheffield this season and that worries me.

 

[justsomebloke]

That's the point.

As opposed to clearly being MOTM.

 

[Chumpsbechumps]

Decent game from Maguire, Evans, Amrabat in the end.

Predictably abysmal from the usual suspects. Rashford, Bruno, the invisible (scots)man.

You wouldn’t find a Maguire, Evans (at their age) , Amrabat, Lindleof , mctominey quality level player in any pep team ever and you’d struggle to find one, let alone him starting half a team of them. Indeed , while Ferguson had carrick/fletcher in defence and regularly had to shuffle his squad around to compensate for the glazers under investment , we didn’t exactly play free flowing football and look Uber safe in these games.

Yet we should be playing comprehensive football against sheff United, cause of some random assumption that United managers have to make whatever they have work, cause money spent. Most league winners would agree that having a solid defence is imperative , we don’t have that due to injuries.

This has always been multiple United managers issues. When a couple of their better players don’t perform, they are relying on sub standard players to compensate.

If you swapped Brighton or Newcastle squads with United, the expectations at United would make them collapse under pressure. It really is something that’s not considered, we have squads just not good enough to handle the pressure and our managers are stuck managing mish mash squads with loads of players they don’t want and United can’t offload.

This is a season of “everything that can go wrong, is going wrong”. There’s not one thing going right , most of which isn’t the managers fault.

 

[Josep Dowling]

You wouldn’t find a Maguire, Evans (at their age) , Amrabat, Lindleof , mctominey quality level player in any pep team ever and you’d struggle to find one, let alone him starting half a team of them. Indeed , while Ferguson had carrick/fletcher in defence and regularly had to shuffle his squad around to compensate for the glazers under investment , we didn’t exactly play free flowing football and look Uber safe in these games.

Yet we should be playing comprehensive football against sheff United, cause of some random assumption that United managers have to make whatever they have work, cause money spent. Most league winners would agree that having a solid defence is imperative , we don’t have that due to injuries.

This has always been multiple United managers issues. When a couple of their better players don’t perform, they are relying on sub standard players to compensate.

If you swapped Brighton or Newcastle squads with United, the expectations at United would make them collapse under pressure. It really is something that’s not considered, we have squads just not good enough to handle the pressure and our managers are stuck managing mish mash squads with loads of players they don’t want and United can’t offload.

This is a season of “everything that can go wrong, is going wrong”. There’s not one thing going right , most of which isn’t the managers fault.

Ten Hag is making mistakes as well. His summer signings were a very bad waste of funds. Onana and Mount were not needed. The only signing I think suited us was Amrabat. He plays the same team, the same system and doesn’t make changes quick enough. Even with Rashford and Bruno in dire form they start and don’t get subbed off. Garnacho shows far more than Rashford on the left currently. Fallen out with Sancho when we need him as an option.

 

[Buster15]

I nearly fell asleep during this match. Very little to get the blood going. Journeymen. I get the whole “keep your shape” but where is the guile, the invention? Eriksen was the only player creating. Bruno was like Bad Fred. Everyone else played like strangers to each other.

I recently watched the 5-3 second half blitzkrieg against Spurs, when we were down 0-3 at the break, Becks, Scholes, Ruud, etc. The passing, movement, and commitment of that team was incredible. Maybe only Dalot’s strike today would be comparable to that day. I hate when we get the ball wide then just stop, pass it back, left to right, right to left, then invariably misplace a 10 yard pass.

will Bruno and Rashford ever be dropped? No one in the team today gets anywhere near that team. I’ve been waiting for the new dawn and it never arrives.

Agreed. Watching a proper Manchester United team and then the current team is just depressing.
This match was one of the most boring for ages.

The passing was lacking in any ambition.
The movement was static.
And the creative play was non existent.
Just awful. But we squeezed a win and that was all.

 

[lex talionis]

Squad building at OT has been terrible for years. Disjointed play is on display match after match. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Glorio]

Not really. It’s not on McT that Bruno plays like an amateur at times and Rashford and Antony are brainless.

I agree with the players you've called out, but is McT a striker now?? He's a midfielder and should be helping us control the game and build through the centre. How on earth could a midfielder end a game with 9 passes versus Bruno's 67?
Maybe he was the more defensive? A grand total of 2 tackles and 2 fouls and 1 clearance, whereas Bruno (who, again, I agree was terrible) had 2 tackles too, and 3 clearances

These are not just stats, the eye test tells the story - he was not in the game at all bar the goal, and the moment an actual, albeit physically declining player came on in Eriksen, we started to look like a team.

 

[RedIan]

Last season our best games were with casamiro and erikson in midfield. only with those two did we get to control games and we had a very good win rate. That combo was the reason we finished third and got to two cup finals.
without Erikson any other combination in midfield doesnt seem to work and we cant control games.
Erikson still contributes to this when he comes on as a sub, he helped change the game yesterday. Not sure he has the legs for 90 minutes now. Im hoping Mainhoo can learn from Erikson and have the same impact, i dont see any one else who can do this in the squad.

 

[MalaysianRed7]

Hojlund missed 3 golden chances at 5-6y, and you called that absolutely excellent?

Did you actually read the whole paragraph or just the first sentence?

 

[MadMike]

Counterpoint: Sheffield controlled long parts of the game in the first half. Some nice saves from Obama saved us. Start of 2nd half we looked poor again. Garnacho and Eriksen on turned the tide.

why is ETH asking Lindelof and Evans to do things they aren’t capable of doing? Evans as an extra body in midfield while in possession? Lindelof pinching in as an extra midfielder?

I never said it was a perfect or great performance. I said it was an improved performance. Ask yourself if that counterpoint you wrote merits branding the performance terrible or abysmal.

 

[gearoid]

Another lifeless, dismal, boring performance. Maguire had a very good game and Evans was solid. Bruno can’t get too many more chances before being dropped. Eriksen and Garnacho made a difference, sadly Martial didn’t. Happy with three points but had hoped for a much better effort to give me some semblance of hope for the derby.

 

[Robertd0803]

Get in there.

At least we won. I dont have a issue winning ugly for now while we try to sort ourselves out.

I hate the 8pm kick off time.

 

[Chumpsbechumps]

Ten Hag is making mistakes as well. His summer signings were a very bad waste of funds. Onana and Mount were not needed. The only signing I think suited us was Amrabat. He plays the same team, the same system and doesn’t make changes quick enough. Even with Rashford and Bruno in dire form they start and don’t get subbed off. Garnacho shows far more than Rashford on the left currently. Fallen out with Sancho when we need him as an option.

Pep makes mistakes , but when you have two squads Of quality players to choose from, it doesn’t matter. Pep has a foden sitting by for de Bruyne, we just don’t have those alternatives. I mean expecting Garnacho to fill that void is pure desperation that ignores how sh*t our squad management has been.

I think the issue with every United squad/manager is that the margins for error are so small (because we are run so badly) that issues are compounded greatly.

 

[r3idy]

Only because Sheffield United are his level

What does that nonsense even mean.

 

[Kostov]

I agree with the players you've called out, but is McT a striker now?? He's a midfielder and should be helping us control the game and build through the centre. How on earth could a midfielder end a game with 9 passes versus Bruno's 67?
Maybe he was the more defensive? A grand total of 2 tackles and 2 fouls and 1 clearance, whereas Bruno (who, again, I agree was terrible) had 2 tackles too, and 3 clearances

These are not just stats, the eye test tells the story - he was not in the game at all bar the goal, and the moment an actual, albeit physically declining player came on in Eriksen, we started to look like a team.

No McT is just a CM who is not good enough to start, but like last night will come up with the important goal because he has it in him.

The team being absolute crap is more down to “big guns” like Bruno and Rashford playing shit than McT having 9 passes.

 

[mintyred]

We were crap, we were lethargic, and we looked void of ideas. I will give the benefit of the doubt as we are missing 50 players. Lindelof at LB is insanity to watch.

 

[Woziak]

How many games have we played this season where we can say we were the better team? Even in the games we've won.

How many games have we played this season where we can say we were the better team? Even in the games we've won.

Maybe 2 which is why we have a - 2 goal
Difference after nearly 25% of the season has been played !

 

[greater wall]

We are just coming back from a bad injuries cluster and other issues. Just need to hang in this spell picking up some wins. Regullion and Wan Bissaka are nearly back so getting closer to picking a better balanced team.

 

[norm87cro]

Just watched the highlights and Onana did well yesterday and I for one am happy for him.
Our dear old Scott gave us the lead and f... it up in a matter of minutes. Still great control for the opener.
I actually thought Lindelof did something well when I saw the assist to his name but then I saw the Dalot screamer that "assist" is just a regular pass nothing more.
Poor old Bruno brilliantly found Ronaldo last year for a goal but since Ronaldos shot went striaght at the Gk and back to Ronaldo that wasnt an assist and this is. Thats football for you.
60% of the CAF voted Maguire motm? Was he decent? I said it earlier games like Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and West Ham is something he could be good at.

 

[SungSam7]

Can we play Scott as a backup striker at this point, rotate him with Hojlund. The guy can clearly find the back of the net playing further up for Scotland has scored 3 of out last 4 goals. Get him as far away from defensive duties as possible. He's a liability but has proven he score more than our "attackers" lately.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

We won. Why are you boys moaning so much?

Because we like to win playing attractive, exciting football and expect a least a little of that against the worst team in the league.

 

[Cantonagotmehere]

So happy for the win, but goodnessthe 1st half was awful.

I have no idea how Garnacho does not start if ETH does not want to show he means business. Hojlund and Garnacho our are only difference makes right now.

 

[Buster15]

Ten Hag is making mistakes as well. His summer signings were a very bad waste of funds. Onana and Mount were not needed. The only signing I think suited us was Amrabat. He plays the same team, the same system and doesn’t make changes quick enough. Even with Rashford and Bruno in dire form they start and don’t get subbed off. Garnacho shows far more than Rashford on the left currently. Fallen out with Sancho when we need him as an option.

I would add Hojlund was needed.

 

[GueRed]

That first half display was dreadful.

The midfield was almost non-existent. Bruno's passing to put it midly was very untidy, Amrabat was marked out of the game and McTominay was too high up the pitch to get involved..I dont know what kind of tactics ten Hag was trying to employ

Much better second half. Overall thoroughly deserved the three points. In the end we really should've scored more.

 

[ArjenIsM3]

I would add Hojlund was needed.

Definitely. The drop off when he was subbed off for Martial was immense.

 

[Maticmaker]

Last night I was nervous watching us play the bottom of the league, so what will it be like against City... the mind boggles!

For most of the first half, every time the ball was played out left.... to Rashford's feet, any forward movement/impetus we had stopped and within a fraction of a second, he was surrounded by 3 opposition players. Any United player coming to help was almost always approaching from behind Rashy and hence the ball travelled backwards, sometimes all the way back to the keeper. This happened time and again, but nothing seemed to change, so I am thinking is it the players lack of intelligence and/or is the manager and training staff not watching?

Admittedly, it was 3 points away from home, but a dire watch.

Fingernails almost gone by half time!!

 

[Zico1982]

Lessons learned in the Steel City...

1: Onana can play a decent game in a United shirt
2: Maguire can still be an asset in games like this, and with confidence.
3: Injuries are killing us in the build up from defense...
4: We are incapable of controlling a game or even pace it without Christian Eriksen on the pitch.
5: Bruno and Rashford are continuing their bad spells.
6: EtH is a stubborn man, holding on to his main players despite what goes on in the games.
7: Amrabat is fighting Casemiro for a spot while Mount competes with Bruno without getting any minutes at all.
8: Höjlund is starving in the box, and Rashford, Anthony and Bruno cannot seem to find him.

 

[mitchmouse]

Once again we made really heavy weather of being an awful side. Rashford and Bruno don't deserve to be starting. Scotty McT outshone Bruno by a mile (not that he was great). I have no idea why ETH took Rasmus off, especially to bring on the utter joke that is Martial - he touched the ball about twice: once to give it to a Sheffield defender.

Positives: Onana's best game or us, Maguire best game in as long as I can remember, Amrabat's best game for us. Once again we looked better with Garnacho on the park

If we could learn to pass, I reckon Rasmus will score a few - right now, I wouldn't put money on Rashford scoring agin this year...

Overall, I was bored solid which is the greatest insult to the club that gave as Sir Bobby...

not a hope of anything next weekend

 

[Josep Dowling]

I would add Hojlund was needed.

We should have got an experienced striker. Not saying I don’t like Hojlund but for our needs right now he wasn’t the right option.

 

[Buster15]

Last night I was nervous watching us play the bottom of the league, so what will it be like against City... the mind boggles!

For most of the first half, every time the ball was played out left.... to Rashford's feet, any forward movement/impetus we had stopped and within a fraction of a second, he was surrounded by 3 opposition players. Any United player coming to help was almost always approaching from behind Rashy and hence the ball travelled backwards, sometimes all the way back to the keeper. This happened time and again, but nothing seemed to change, so I am thinking is it the players lack of intelligence and/or is the manager and training staff not watching?

Admittedly, it was 3 points away from home, but a dire watch.

Fingernails almost gone by half time!!

We must pass backwards or square more than any other team in the history of football. Or it feels like it.
People used to absolutely slate Jose for this type of play calling him a coward.

 

[justsomebloke]

No McT is just a CM who is not good enough to start, but like last night will come up with the important goal because he has it in him.

The team being absolute crap is more down to “big guns” like Bruno and Rashford playing shit than McT having 9 passes.

Really? Why? You don't think it has an adverse effect on their game and on the team to play with a midfielder who has 9 passes?

just because you have lower expectations for McT, that doesn't mean a weak performance from him matters less. People go way overboard with Rashford and Bruno, comparing them to the best version of themselves and thinking they're crap when they don't meet that. But that misrepresents the causes of the team's problems. Even at their present level, they are still among those who bring the most.

 

[Maticmaker]

We must pass backwards or square more than any other team in the history of football. Or it feels like it.
People used to absolutely slate Jose for this type of play calling him a coward.

Yes, indeed, but passing backwards is acceptable, if it is part of some plan to circumvent/draw out defenders/play between the lines etc.and leads to breakthroughs elsewhere.
However, we seem to pass back because we have walked into the same trap time and time again. The Rashford situation is not new, he was so devastating with the ball at his feet from that position on the left last season, that this season opposing coaches are aware and set traps, but we keep walking into them, that's what's worrying me.

 

[cpresc]

Maybe go back to Tik Tok and your wanking over same ?

weird comment.