What is progress?
getting better with time? Being better than before?
This a great glass half empty post
the only progress i’ve seen is we started badly this season and we’re now 2nd in the league. If it wasn’t for Liverpool’s injured CBs, we would still be 3rd like last year. You have to be blind or wearing pink glasses to say that we’re clearly the second best team in the league. Besides, we’re only 1 point ahead of Leicester, but they have more wins than us. Having more draws doesn’t mean you’re better.
After 20 games you are 2nd with 57 points,, last season at the same point you were 5th with 45, you were also 38 points behind Liverpool, today you are 9 points ahead of them. Liverpools injured CBs are not responsible for your extra 12 points.
Leicester are not a better team because they happen to be one point behind you in the league that makes no sense. It becomes even more nonsensical when you look at the head to head results between the two teams. Since you lost to them in 2015, you've played 12 times won 8 drawn 4 lost 0. Having a better head to head record over 5 years and more points in the league right now suggests you're the better team.
We’re still galaxies away from Man City. youppi we beat Man City once this season . But what is our record against the top 6?
Everyone is miles away from City and given their squad and embarassment of riches there's no shame in that. But 5 draws against the top six isn't great, but the win against Man City was impressive, room for improvement here!
We’re second by default. We’re second in goals scored, get over it, we got 9 past 9-men Southampton.
You're second on points, I'm not even sure what by default means here, unless you mean by accident.
You did put 9 past Southampton, who went down to 9 men in the 86th minute of the game, so really it was 10 mean for the vast majority of the game. Lots of teams play against ten men, it's very rare to put 9 past them, so this was a real achievement as was the 6 past Leeds.
now let’s analyze the way we play. How many matches were we exciting to watch? Less than 25% of the matches, easily. How many matches have we dominated not only in possession but in clear scoring chances? Most of our wins come from scrambling and moments of brilliance. Our teamplay isn’t better than last year. We still have no identity. We still play counter attacking football against bottom leaguers. Against top 6, we also set to not to lose, but also not to win. If we do end up with a W, it’s more like a tap on the back, and ouff we made it boys, barely made it.
This is such a tedious argument, no identity, counter attacking and individual brilliance. Without going into massive detail your teamplay has improved since last year and though counter attacking is a part of your toolbox, it's not the only thing you do. For example look at the 3-0 win over Everton earlier this season. Ole said that was his favourite game as you scored 3 goals in 3 different ways, from dominating possession, clever creative passing around the box and finally through counter attacking. You don't play one specific way regardless like a Pep or a Klopp you switch styles against different teams and can play in a number of different styles, this is why some people say they can't see an identity, it's because you have more than one and actually its very difficult to play against.
We got eliminated in the group stage in CL, when Leipzig doesn’t even have a better squad than us. Europa league, it’s going to be a coin toss.
individually, who got better? Fernandes is still our main man. Luke Shaw got better, McFred also. Rashford is still hot and cold.
Wan Bissaka still can’t attack, we still haven’t found our right CB duo, Martial is having a nightmare of a season, Greenwood hasn’t been scoring much, Pogba is still up-and-down, De Gea hasn’t gotten any better, Matic has been poor; James is starting to play like he used to when he first arrives but that means he’s getting back to status quo. Our bench, well Ole doesn’t seem to fancy it.
So what is our progress exactly?
You ask for team identity and then ask individually who go better? The team has improved as a group and that is refelected in your points tally in the league.
Individually Maguire is playing brilliantly at the moment, yes so is Shaw, Greenwood's game has become far more than scoring and some of the link up play and passes he has shown this season is amazing for a teen, his goal tally has fallen a bit but I don't think you'll find one person here complaining he is getting worse. Pogba was playing some of his best football for you before he was injured, James has improved but obviously playing well and scoring is just the status quo for you for your young championship 15 million gamble. I think he's more than paid back his fee.
Ole not making any subs in one game, doesn't mean he doesn't fancy your bench, a bench with names like Cavani, DvB and Greenwood is a mile away from last season' first team containing Lingard and Pereirra. It's just right now you have a few injuries so the bench looks weaker.
Though I have to admit going out of the Champions League was disappointing for you especially given how you started it, but you the team snapped back quickly with a charge to the top of the league.
If you can not see progress in any of this then watching football must be a disappointing experience for you, I'm not a united fan, but I do like to watch you play and I can clearly see progress, is it enough to put you back on top as the dominant team in England as you were under SAF. Probably not as you're now competing with clubs with bottomless pockets like City and Chelsea, but you're certainly a team on the up and it will be interesting to see how far you can go.
