[Rob Bowman]

Why are we playing a 4-4-2?

It honestly hurts to watch. It is like last year all over where everyone can see the same thing except LvG...

Emperor has no clothes is all I can say .

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Why are we playing a 4-4-2?

It honestly hurts to watch. It is like last year all over where everyone can see the same thing except LvG...

Emperor has no clothes is all I can say .

Goggs has taken over.

 

[Ronnie O'Sullivan]

Very poor from Rooney. Any good striker would have smashed the ball into the net yet Rooney wasn't confident enough, ended up taking a touch, slow to adjust and lucky to get the OG.

 

[The Mitcher]

Goggs has taken over.

Sack Loony Sell Goggs.

 

[Oneunited26]

It is a worry we are playing a system with a midfield 2 when one of our midfielders is 34, and our attacking lineup is not well balanced, in terms of depay in the middle and mata out wide. You could see it today, Spurs were finding spaces and pushing our midfield and defence back. What worries me? We seem to be playing a high line at times, which could be exposed by better teams. Let's just hope blind is not played at CB too often

 

[vanrooney]

did we loose? some on here are really negativ human beings. enjoy the fact we have 3 points against one of the top 6 pl teams.

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

3 points on day 1 is what we needed. Last year we couldn't muster that vs Swansea. We kept a clean sheet too. We may not have played our best but a win is a win. Some on here making out as if we lost 3-0 today.

Let the team settle and we'll start performing. Clearly a few of the lads are still trying to click.

 

[togg]

I'm very happy we won, no matter what. You grind out results, we are difficult to beat, no doubt about that. The defence, although not perfect is stronger, our midfield is stronger, we have more options in many positions. I think we maybe lack a out and out striker, but not a galatico, just a decent squad one. Also, I do think LVG really really wanted Ramos and the big CB area is still one he may have to deal with. We can't play Blind there the whole season, but I can't believe he doesn't know that. I just think it's all the DDG sage with Real that is preventing us here. In the Woody interview, he said that any position the manager wants to improve has 2 or 3 options to target, so I'm presuming someone else might be coming in.

 

[Carl]

Can anyone point me in the direction of one of those heat map things where it shows a player's average position?

 

[MrSingh2002]

Great to get 3 points from a very average performance. We were very lucky to go in at half time 1.0 up. I think the game confirmed my opinions of our new signings, Schneiderlin was busy and did well to get about the pitch and break attacks up, Darmian was solid defensively and very supportive when attacking opportunities were there. Depay showed glimpses of power, pace and trickery however it looked like he would have more joy on the wings, and Schweinsteiger showed how good he is on the ball although not quite upto speed in terms of his fitness and sharpness.

Romero definately impressed in difficult circumstances and with even an average game we would have lost this game comfortably.

Still hope we sign Pedro so Mata and Herrera can compete for the number 10 spot and between Depay Young and Pedro we fill the wing positions.

Positives
All the new signings looked good signings immediately
Smalling and Shaw seem to have stepped up to the plate too
Centre mid now more of a strength than a weakness

Negative
Looking light up front with little creativity and movement

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

 

[ghagua]

3 Points. No attacking threat, team going forward was garbage. Darmian had an excellent game. Smalling was very good, Schneiderlin had a good game after a nervous start. Shaw and Young looked solid. Romero looked very hesitant in the first half. Makes sense why we need a keeper who is good on the ball at his feet along with the central defenders as it looks like we will spend most of the time making back passes.

 

[RedIke]

3 Points! All that matters.

 

[Michael T]

Massive sigh of relief to come away with the three points from our opening match. Pressure off slightly for Woody to finalise our transfer dealings and LvG to organise a sh*t load of goals for our delectation.

 

[sammsky1]

Given the DiMaria and De Gea issues, our inability to sign a world class centre back, 5 new players making their career debuts today and it being the 1st game of the season .... wow ... I thought today was as good as we could have hoped for!

• On paper the team looks good (as long as we retain DdG and get a CB) and all our new players did OK
• I liked the movement we showed off the ball: the player on the ball always had 2 options to pass into and we moved forward in beautiful triangles. Sometimes the passing was slick and fast, we just lacked the final pass to create chances.
• After a shaky first 10 mins, our defence and especially Romero and Smalling looked good.
• We beat Spurs and won out first game!

I can of course list negatives, but why do that after just one game?!

Aston Villa Newcastle and Brugge are all easily winnable games. If we can do that, we are off and we take it from there.

 

[Water Melon]

Blind did not convince as a CB, would prefer Rojo instead. Memphis is neither a proper no10 nor a second forward, has all the attributes to become a top winger though. Mata/Herrera would be immense in the hole, whereas Wayne needs some competition as a striker. Hopefully, Chicha gets his chance soon. Schweinsteiger looked very raw, needs some match fitness and sharpness. Smalling was immense. Shaw solid, Darmian is obviously the first choice RB, solid and reliable, whereas Valencia is still struggling with his positioning. Romero grew into his role as the time went on, however, DDG will definitely be our no1 keeper, if he stays this season. All in all not a bad game, but not much to write home about. Thankfully, 3 points in the pocket; thank you players and Lady Luck.

 

[Revan]

My two cents:

- Smalling was immense today, a colossus in defense winning everything. His passing was also quite good.
- Despite the popular belief, I think that Blind can do a very good job in defense. At the moment, I would say that he is more reliable than any of our other CB bar Smalling. Good at passing, good at reading the game, doesn't usually do dumb things or make fouls. If we don't sign a CB, I hope that we'll continue with this partnership.
- As I expected, Romero did quite good today. His shot stopping abilities are nice. If only he learns how to catch a ball and to not pass the ball out of the play once in a while, he'll be good for us. Probably not good as a starter, but he'll be a very capable No.2.
- Darmian is already becoming one of my favorites. A fantastic right back who is very solid defensively.
- Shaw is basically a left footer Darmian. We're lucky to have these two fullbacks.
- Schneiderlin bar some dodgy passes, was very good for us. He makes a ton of tackles and interceptions. Likely our best ball winner we have had in the last decade.
- I think that if we continue Carrick-Schneiderlin in midfield, we'll have problems and get overruned. We need Herrera to complement them in a midfield three. On the other side, I understand LVG for not doing so cause we would lack goals in that midfield. If we play a midfield three, we need a 30 goal per season striker, and we don't have one.
- Rooney was slower than evolution today. He must improve his play. He also waited to long to shoot for the goal, but lucky for him, Walker was eager to tell him how you can score from 8 yards.
- Depay will have trouble if he continues acting that way when he gets substituted.
- Smashley Young continued his good form from last season. One thing you can say for Smashley, is that he never gives up and always tries to do his best.

Happy with the victory and three points, but I think that we need to improve if we can even hope to fight for the title.

 

[Kostur]

Can anyone point me in the direction of one of those heat map things where it shows a player's average position?

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/statszon...9/team-stats/1/OVERALL_01#tabs-wrapper-anchor

Although it's not a typical heatmap it's a very accurate average position with activity/time spent (not sure which one, probably the former) described by the size of the name.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Well I watched this at work, and to be honest, it wasn't a performance that aspires me for the season.

Obviously getting the 3 points is vital, but if we continue to play like this, we are gonna be in for an up and down season.
For me, its more about tactics rather than the players we have.

We:

• Attack so slow (We give the opposition plenty of time to get in a solid defensive shape)
• Play very high up the pitch (Most of their better attacks happened by getting in behind us)
• Play to many risky passes around the keeper (Allows team to pressure us as a group)

 

[diarm]

I'm pretty pleased with how today went. I never expect to see perfect attacking fluency in the first game of the season but the 20 minutes or so after the goal saw some cracking play. It took us until spring time to see anything like that kind of fluency last year so it's very encouraging to see even a flash of it in the first game of the campaign.

The most promising thing though was our defence. I thought Eriksen and Kane looked really sharp and to come out of such a tough test with a clean sheet was brilliant. Smalling was excellent and seems to be growing into a real leader on the field, Romero was really good in that second half, Shaw showed some really good flashes and Darmian was just superb. He looks a real player.

 

[Jacob]

Given how much pressure we put on ourselves to start the season with a win, I am very happy with the outcome. The gameplay was good on and off but that is to be expected with four debutants at once.

 

[Sultan]

Generally most players had decentish games except Rooney and Valencia. Darmian and Smalling were standout performers. I'm not sure about the goalkeeper. Shot stopping was fine towards the end of the game, but his distribution, positioning, and decision making made for a few nervous moments.

The biggest issue and problem today was the formation. We should have played a box to box midfielder (Herrera) to link up attack and midfield and also get into opposition penalty area to help out in the attacking third with Depay and Young on the wings, Rooney the lone striker.

 

[Mali_Zeus]

All in all decent game. Poor start but grew into the game after the goal. We lacked Herrera though, it was obvious there was a gap between our attack and Morgan and Carrick.
Darmian is a beast, he'll be immense for us.
Great game by Smalling.
And I'm glad for Romero that he had a good game too.

 

[AbusementPark]

Was a really dull game to be honest but lets not forget we got 3 points against a good team today. Rooney looked very slow and should have hit that shot first time instead of it going for an o.g. Mata was too slow on the wing, we need Pedro in their to improve things, move Memphis to the left as Young was pretty ineffective. Mata needs to play in the middle or Herrera but we need more speed on the wing and less of Valencia as RB.

 

[pierrethesnack]

Missed the game, so just saw the whole thing recorded.

XI:

Romeo: A bit scrappy with his feet to begin with, but otherwise I'm positively surprised. Very good reactions and fairly quick of his line. Still want De Gea to stay and start but I'm calmer after seeing him for myself. Important save at the end! 6/10

Darmian: So this is what it's like to have a proper right back again? Very solid both ways. No way is Valencia getting his place back. 7/10

Smalling: Good game. Some crucial challenges and otherwise solid. 7/10

Blind: Does well enough despite playing out of position. Good at reading the play, and didn't get challenged too much on pace and aerial duels. Hope we don't see him there to often this season though... Got dispossessed in a dangerous area a few (or just one) time. 6/10

Shaw: Looks very sharp and fit! A bit disappointed that he didn't get into better positions offensively, but maybe he didn't have licence to go too much forward. Solid, and covers large areas of the pitch with his pace.

Mata: Puts in his usual performance... Lots of initiative on the right side, with Darmian. Didn't produce too much, though. Has to stop loosing the ball in dangerous areas. Don't want to be too critical since we all know he might suddenly start scoring every other game, but not good enough for me today. 5/10

Carrick: Lots of good passes and interceptions. Got a bit overrun at the start, but grew into the game before being subbed off. Seems determined to not lose his place in the team. 5/10

Schneiderlin: Got caught in possession too many times. Some good passes and tackles, but has to be sharper. Very disappointed that we were unable to keep possession at the end of the game. As a midfielder, he has to take part of the blame for it. Good at breaking up play though, can absolutely see him being a regular starter throughout the season. 5/10

Young: Full of initiative, but didn't quite find the right options today. Fascinating duel with him and Walker, with neither walking out on top, I'd say. Doesnt' seem to relax too much due to his new contract. Too many crosses into the box, though. Mata and Rooney against Verthongen and Alderweireld? Proves he can still due a solid job for us. 6,5/10

Memphis: A bit anonymous at the start, but grew more into the game and had a very good period from midway into the first half and a bit into the second. Hope we don't have to rely too much on him this season. I can easily see him chip in with goals and assists, but he still looks a bit...rough. Seemed to dry a bit up at the end, and didn't like being subbed off! 5/10

Rooney: Has to do better. Lucky for us that Walker was able to tackle in an own goal. What is Rooney thinking there? He has to be sharper and faster. Taking an extra touch and taking the time to aim isn't something a top striker should have to do when finding himself alone with the goalie. Wasn't by any means terrible, but doesn't look like he'll give us 20 goals. Needs to step up if we don't buy another striker. 4/10

Subs:

Very disappointed at how the final part of the game panned out. We weren't able to retain the ball, and we suddenly started playing as if 30 seconds of the game remained. When Schweinsteiger came of I expected us to retake control, but the opposite seemed to happen. Herrera ran in between without achieving much, and same with Valencia. Maybe a bit unfair to them, but 4/10

 

[noodlehair]

- Romero though he did well worried me all game. Though it wasn't his fault really. Firstly because he was thrown in to a near impossible situation due to our manager not being able to manage his players, and secondly because he was having to contribute more to our build up play than any of the outfield players!

- Which brings me to Blind...why exactly is he at centreback again? I thought it was to help us build from the back with the ball...because he seems to be absolutely fecking atrocious at doing that. He's more likely to set up an attack for the opposition than he is for us back there.

- I'm not sure what either Carrick or Schneiderlin were doing all game because it wasn't midfielding. I've seen some comments that Schneiderlin played well. I don't know what this is based on...because he tackled a few people? If you play in midfield, you midfield. The pair of them were close to completely pointless. Spurs controlled that area of the pitch with a pair of average players until Schweinsteiger came on

- Schweinsteiger came on and we instantly improved, due to having someone in midfield who was awake...until Van Gaal then decided to piss around with the right back position for absolutely no reason at all and hand control of the game back to Spurs.

- Mata can't play on the right wing, but I knew this before the game

- Why did Darmian come off?

- Smalling was our best player and our best defender as he invariably is, yet if the manager actually had a choice he would have been on the bench.


Just the same old really. Just like last season. Watching a bunch of players struggling to win a game of football in spite of their manager attempting to stifle them. Thinking after the game that you'd have possibly enjoyed your day more if you hadn't watched it, despite the fact we won.

Was hoping today would offer encouragement that a summer of sorting the squad out and signing players he wanted would allow Van Gaal to get the team playing more effectively. Instead it offered encouragement that he'll continue to find ways to make it impossible for them to. though I do think there were a number of players today who were way below the level they should be at.

Spurs are also going to struggle big time this season with that squad. Can't remember the last time they had a team as littered with average. I mean they've got rid of a few of the awful ones (mainly in their defence), but usually Spurs teams have a semi formidable spine to them and a few stand out players. This one looks like it could walk out in an Aston Villa kit and not raise any eyebrows.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

- Romero though he did well worried me all game. Though it wasn't his fault really. Firstly because he was thrown in to a near impossible situation due to our manager not being able to manage his players, and secondly because he was having to contribute more to our build up play than any of the outfield players!

- Which brings me to Blind...why exactly is he at centreback again? I thought it was to help us build from the back with the ball...because he seems to be absolutely fecking atrocious at doing that. He's more likely to set up an attack for the opposition than he is for us back there.

- I'm not sure what either Carrick or Schneiderlin were doing all game because it wasn't midfielding. I've seen some comments that Schneiderlin played well. I don't know what this is based on...because he tackled a few people? If you play in midfield, you midfield. The pair of them were close to completely pointless. Spurs controlled that area of the pitch with a pair of average players until Schweinsteiger came on

- Schweinsteiger came on and we instantly improved, due to having someone in midfield who was awake...until Van Gaal then decided to piss around with the right back position for absolutely no reason at all and hand control of the game back to Spurs.

- Mata can't play on the right wing, but I knew this before the game

- Why did Darmian come off?

- Smalling was our best player and our best defender as he invariably is, yet if the manager actually had a choice he would have been on the bench.


Just the same old really. Just like last season. Watching a bunch of players struggling to win a game of football in spite of their manager attempting to stifle them. Thinking after the game that you'd have possibly enjoyed your day more if you hadn't watched it, despite the fact we won.

Was hoping today would offer encouragement that a summer of sorting the squad out and signing players he wanted would allow Van Gaal to get the team playing more effectively. Instead it offered encouragement that he'll continue to find ways to make it impossible for them to. though I do think there were a number of players today who were way below the level they should be at.

Spurs are also going to struggle big time this season with that squad. Can't remember the last time they had a team as littered with average. I mean they've got rid of a few of the awful ones (mainly in their defence), but usually Spurs teams have a semi formidable spine to them and a few stand out players. This one looks like it could walk out in an Aston Villa kit and not raise any eyebrows.

People were under the impression that Darmian had cramp, not surprised with the heat and the amount of work he put in. We missed him when Valencia came on and Spurs got a lot more chances. Hope he stays fit, we need him. Agree that Spurs aren't great but they still got chances that a better team would put away.

 

[pierrethesnack]

- Why did Darmian come off?

Seemed to have a cramp.

 

[Aussie_Red_Devil]

- Depay will have trouble if he continues acting that way when he gets substituted.

I fell asleep for the 2nd half. How did he act when he got subbed?

 

[Carl]

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/statszon...9/team-stats/1/OVERALL_01#tabs-wrapper-anchor

Although it's not a typical heatmap it's a very accurate average position with activity/time spent (not sure which one, probably the former) described by the size of the name.

Thanks.

 

[nemanja15]

I've just got round to watching the match now as I was at work all afternoon and cannot believe some of the words in this thread.

Dire and disappointing - what planet are people on? First game of the season, four or five new signings who are only just beginning to grasp the 'philosophy' and we were the only side to have any sustained periods of pressure in the game. Granted, there was the last 5/10 when Mata got cramp, Valencia came on and showed his worrying lack of positional sense and Blind, Shaw and Rooney became so tired they could not hold on to or distribute the ball to another man in red. Other than that, Spurs never remotely worried us because of the strength and nous of Darmian and Smalling in particular, whilst Romero to his great credit rescued us on a couple of occasions. I was skeptical about him in particular going into the game but he really proved me wrong,couple of wayward kicks aside. Fair play to the guy.

All the signings impressed. Carrick, Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger had almost complete control of the midfield and snuffed out so many potential attacks in the early phases of Spurs play.

The one area we lack in is pace and creativity up top, which LVG has come out this week himself and admitted. With Young, Rooney and Mata up top the movement is not at its best and we need sharper runs and out-and-out pace to really stretch teams. Sounds like we're looking to get Pedro plus one more in up top and if we do, we'll be just fine.

It's game one, three points and two up on the Champions already. Some people need to actually watch the game and look at all the good things we did, the signs that were really promising, rather than nitpick and zoom in on things we're not quite there on (yet). What do you expect at this early stage?

 

[VanGaalEra]

3 points is all I care about at the moment.

 

[Revan]

I fell asleep for the 2nd half. How did he act when he got subbed?

A bit like Falcao last season. Looked a bit, made a few weird gestures and then took 2 minutes to leave the pitch. And then barely looked at Van Gaal when he gave his hand.

Obviously he was just dissapointed, but I think he'll need to learn that it may happen many other times. Even Ronaldo was regularly subbed on his first 3 years at United.

 

[noodlehair]

People were under the impression that Darmian had cramp, not surprised with the heat and the amount of work he put in. We missed him when Valencia came on and Spurs got a lot more chances. Hope he stays fit, we need him. Agree that Spurs aren't great but they still got chances that a better team would put away.

Yeah. Spurs had the better chances and probably slightly more of the game...bu that's the worrying thing, because they were average. Didn't think we were any better than on the opening day last season. We had two central midfielders doing absolutely nothing, players in positions they can't play in, players not really doing their jobs, and generally just the look of a team that didn't have any real idea what it was supposed to be doing.

Exactly how long does Van Gaal need to assemble a team that looks like it has a clue? I know we had new players but there were multiple things going on which were just blatantly not going to work.

If Darmian was injured fair enough but then he should have compensated in some way when he brought Valencia on because it was very obviously going to cause problems.

 

[caid]

Tbh i get the formation and the tactics.
Spurs are a good team and easing shaw in with cover from young and protecting our defence with carrick and schneiderlin makes sense.
We looked tight and in total control for the vast majority of the game.

Spurs are a pretty big ass banana peel, i'm happy to get 3 points. I think they'll finish 5th this season
We got a lucky goal but we closed the game out well.
Individual errors and rustiness led to us giving one or two chances away but outside of Romero throwing it in his own net we didn't look likely to concede.

I'd moan more if it was watford and they parked 10 players behind the ball for the 90 mins but spurs are a good team and they had a decent enough go.

 

[United again!]

Kyle Walker's face . He looked like a crying baby nearly every time the camera panned to him.

All in all it was the same boring possession garbage that we saw last season. Look, each to their own but I have absolutely no idea how anyone can enjoy watching possession football. It is just pass it around, give it to the creative department, someone comes near the creative department, they start a chain of passes which culminates in starting the attack again. Rinse repeat. Our goal was extremely fortunate in that the opposition gave it away and we were already three up the field with an overload to score. I hope we are going to see more instances of teams giving the ball away in these situations but if we're going to bank on getting a couple of chances a game where we win the ball high with an overload then we aren't going to score many goals. After we scored it was clear Poch tightened it up and said no more playing out from the back. We really did well into hassling them out of possession, they could hardly pass their way out through the second half.

That in itself was very promising and bodes quite well for European football. Players showing a real aptitude for high ball winning and overload breaks. The problem is, against the faster teams who will have a go at us this season we're going to get countered. A lot.

The defence and the two defensive midfielders were outstanding and it never looked like Spurs would be able to just get on the ball and score after the first 20 minutes. However setting up like this at home on the opening day of the season against an obviously tired and laboured Spurs team was completely pointless. Get ready to see a lot of that this season, it won't win us the league.

I have to say, some of these attacking players must be really shitting it at losing their place if they aren't even trying to create chances. 1 shot on target from 8 chances. Diabolical.

 

[Trizy]

Dunno why people are so negative, any team in the league would be laughing to beat Spurs 1-0 on the opening day.

 

[ghagua]

Missed the game, so just saw the whole thing recorded.

XI:

Romeo: A bit scrappy with his feet to begin with, but otherwise I'm positively surprised. Very good reactions and fairly quick of his line. Still want De Gea to stay and start but I'm calmer after seeing him for myself. Important save at the end! 6/10

Darmian: So this is what it's like to have a proper right back again? Very solid both ways. No way is Valencia getting his place back. 7/10

Smalling: Good game. Some crucial challenges and otherwise solid. 7/10

Blind: Does well enough despite playing out of position. Good at reading the play, and didn't get challenged too much on pace and aerial duels. Hope we don't see him there to often this season though... Got dispossessed in a dangerous area a few (or just one) time. 6/10

Shaw: Looks very sharp and fit! A bit disappointed that he didn't get into better positions offensively, but maybe he didn't have licence to go too much forward. Solid, and covers large areas of the pitch with his pace.

Mata: Puts in his usual performance... Lots of initiative on the right side, with Darmian. Didn't produce too much, though. Has to stop loosing the ball in dangerous areas. Don't want to be too critical since we all know he might suddenly start scoring every other game, but not good enough for me today. 5/10

Carrick: Lots of good passes and interceptions. Got a bit overrun at the start, but grew into the game before being subbed off. Seems determined to not lose his place in the team. 5/10

Schneiderlin: Got caught in possession too many times. Some good passes and tackles, but has to be sharper. Very disappointed that we were unable to keep possession at the end of the game. As a midfielder, he has to take part of the blame for it. Good at breaking up play though, can absolutely see him being a regular starter throughout the season. 5/10

Young: Full of initiative, but didn't quite find the right options today. Fascinating duel with him and Walker, with neither walking out on top, I'd say. Doesnt' seem to relax too much due to his new contract. Too many crosses into the box, though. Mata and Rooney against Verthongen and Alderweireld? Proves he can still due a solid job for us. 6,5/10

Memphis: A bit anonymous at the start, but grew more into the game and had a very good period from midway into the first half and a bit into the second. Hope we don't have to rely too much on him this season. I can easily see him chip in with goals and assists, but he still looks a bit...rough. Seemed to dry a bit up at the end, and didn't like being subbed off! 5/10

Rooney: Has to do better. Lucky for us that Walker was able to tackle in an own goal. What is Rooney thinking there? He has to be sharper and faster. Taking an extra touch and taking the time to aim isn't something a top striker should have to do when finding himself alone with the goalie. Wasn't by any means terrible, but doesn't look like he'll give us 20 goals. Needs to step up if we don't buy another striker. 4/10

Subs:

Very disappointed at how the final part of the game panned out. We weren't able to retain the ball, and we suddenly started playing as if 30 seconds of the game remained. When Schweinsteiger came of I expected us to retake control, but the opposite seemed to happen. Herrera ran in between without achieving much, and same with Valencia. Maybe a bit unfair to them, but 4/10

You never know with LvG in charge.

 

[XdanielredX]

Eye watering amounts of money spent.....outplayed by Tottenham, had our 1st shot on target after 65 minutes while a number of our better players play out of position or don't play at all. Philosophy.

Everyone avoiding it but this.

 

[utdalltheway]

Happy with the result, but not so much with how we played.
Hoping for better the next game.