pistolped7
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They do. In most areas they are equal or just better.
F.A Community Shield- Manchester Utd vs Manchester City
- Thread starter MisterStubbs
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They do. In most areas they are equal or just better.
markodragojevic
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I would not take Kompany now,because by the time Rio is finished Jones/Smalling will be more than ready to slot in. He's great of course!
He's physically superior.
mark 19 times
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Being completely honest this would be the united/city X1 i would play
_ ___________ Hart
Rafael_____Vidic______Kompany______Evra
Nani__________ Anderson ___________Silva
_______________Rooney
_________Tevez _______Hernandez
_ ___________ Hart
Rafael_____Vidic______Kompany______Evra
Nani__________ Anderson ___________Silva
_______________Rooney
_________Tevez _______Hernandez
I'm gutted I didn't get to watch the match, but it seems like it was an entertaining one. Fair play to United for winning, and to City for being such good competitors. Looking forward to this season, this game shows how City have improved and the gap between the 2 sides is closing. Seeing as you're all commenting on a Manchester XI, here is mine, and with a reason why:
GK: Joe Hart - Top class goalkeeper, hardly ever makes a mistake.
RB: Rafael [Da Silva] - Solid attacking right back with typical Brazilian flair and skill.
CB: Nemanja Vidic - A very physical defender who can intimidate and deal with almost every striker - including the mighty Drogba.
CB: Vincent Kompany - A ball playing, rapid and strong defender who is well rounded and leads the line well.
LB: Patrice Evra - One of the best left backs in the world and can defender and attack.
DMF: Nigel De Jong - A solid, reliable defensive midfielder who isn't afraid to get stuck in for the cause.
CMF: Yaya Toure - A physical and technically talented complete midfielder who can play the holding role or get forward and score, too.
AMR: [Luis] Nani - One of the trickiest wingers for full backs to play against, Nani is full of pace, tricks and goals. Similar to compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.
AML: David Silva - A great playmaker who can find a gap in the tightest of defences. Is versatile and can be deployed down the wing as well.
AMC: Wayne Rooney - His partnership with Hernandez is great, and he can bang in a few goals himself as well.
CF: Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez - The poacher in the team, has a great partnership with Rooney and is a natural goalscorer.
GK: Joe Hart - Top class goalkeeper, hardly ever makes a mistake.
RB: Rafael [Da Silva] - Solid attacking right back with typical Brazilian flair and skill.
CB: Nemanja Vidic - A very physical defender who can intimidate and deal with almost every striker - including the mighty Drogba.
CB: Vincent Kompany - A ball playing, rapid and strong defender who is well rounded and leads the line well.
LB: Patrice Evra - One of the best left backs in the world and can defender and attack.
DMF: Nigel De Jong - A solid, reliable defensive midfielder who isn't afraid to get stuck in for the cause.
CMF: Yaya Toure - A physical and technically talented complete midfielder who can play the holding role or get forward and score, too.
AMR: [Luis] Nani - One of the trickiest wingers for full backs to play against, Nani is full of pace, tricks and goals. Similar to compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.
AML: David Silva - A great playmaker who can find a gap in the tightest of defences. Is versatile and can be deployed down the wing as well.
AMC: Wayne Rooney - His partnership with Hernandez is great, and he can bang in a few goals himself as well.
CF: Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez - The poacher in the team, has a great partnership with Rooney and is a natural goalscorer.
Watched the match, and a great match it was.
The build up to Nani's first was fantastic, one of the best team goals I've seen in a while. As for the final goal, I personally think Clichy was more to blame than Kompany but it was just shocking defending all around, I'm sure he'll improve with his decision making as his time at City goes on though.
The build up to Nani's first was fantastic, one of the best team goals I've seen in a while. As for the final goal, I personally think Clichy was more to blame than Kompany but it was just shocking defending all around, I'm sure he'll improve with his decision making as his time at City goes on though.
very rich coming from you, do yourself and us a favour, keep quiet
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he doesnt need to hit the ground running, he does need to adapt. its knee jerk to judge him on one game. he showed nerves but also some quality saves, aerial domination claiming the ball, and excellent distribution
TheBeardOfZeus
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Agreed, I thought it was more Chichy's fault.
What I was most pleased about was how well Welbeck and Cleverly played. We haven't signed 3 players this year, we've signed 5.
Also Cleverley: excellent today but lets not get carried away here, still need a player like Sneidjer. Cleverley is not the finished article by any means.
Anderson was excellent, finally had a full and fit pre-season with us, and what a difference it makes
Anderson was excellent, finally had a full and fit pre-season with us, and what a difference it makes
Anderson was a complete tank. Anderson-Sneijder could be excellent. MOM performance from Anderson if Nani didn't steal the show.
TheBeardOfZeus
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True, I don't think I'll let myself get carried away, but he played well and he does have the right attitude for me. We still need Sneijder.
And he was my MotM, I am a big fan of Anderson, and he proved how good he is today.
People underestimate pre-season but it makes such a huge difference, there was a reason why Wenger for example was adamant that Wilshere had a proper pre-season. Anderson-Sneijder would be :wub:
I think this'll be the first and last match thread I read this season... The immaturity levels are an absolute joke.
Shame, because every so often people actually post insightful analysis of the game instead of the winding up drivel that takes over the thread. Ah well.
Smashing game though. Great start to the season. Man Utd deserved winners too.
Shame, because every so often people actually post insightful analysis of the game instead of the winding up drivel that takes over the thread. Ah well.
Smashing game though. Great start to the season. Man Utd deserved winners too.
Community Shield matches can often be rather mundane – this year’s was a cracker, with Manchester United coming back from 2-0 down at half time to defeat Manchester City 3-2.
With a raft of changes at half time, it would be easy to say that it was a genius transformation by Sir Alex Ferguson at half time. In truth, United were the more positive and creative side for the majority of the game, and even at half time, they would have been pleased with the performance, if not the result.
This fixture often sees exciting new signings making their debut – but, perhaps surprisingly, all of City’s XI were at the club last season, and Roberto Mancini played a similar shape to in 2010/11. United, on the other hand, appeared a completely different side from the one which lost to Barcelona on the same ground nine weeks earlier. They had a new goalkeeper – the talking point at half time – but their fluid front four were the main attraction.
In the fallout from the defeat to Barcelona, many were quick to point out the obvious differences between the sides, and suggest how United could use the transfer window to become more like Barcelona. There are elements of truth in that analysis – United must retain the ball better, for example, but if they attempt to copy Barcelona, they’ll never catch them up. Barcelona can draw upon the world’s best three players and a side that has been nurtured for years through their academy. If they are to be stopped, it is more likely that it will be a side outwitting them with a strategy of their own, rather than an imitation of their system. You probably can’t out-Barca Barca.
United have their own identity, and would be better off looking back to their previous European Cup victory in 2008, and the side of a year later, which competed well with Barcelona for the majority of the final (by the end it was a clear Barcelona victory, but nothing like the thrashing they dealt out this year). The main main feature of that side was flexibility and fluidity. Ferguson used Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez almost interchangeably.
That changed with the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez, and whilst their replacements – Antonio Valencia, Michael Owen, Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov (even if there was a crossover between Berbatov and Ronaldo/Tevez) – are all excellent players, they lack the versatility of their predecessors, and therefore United have been more boxy and slightly more predictable in the last couple of years. When they failed to win the league in 2009/10, ZM believed it was primarily due to a lack of attacking variation.
The signing of Ashley Young is significant, because he is able to play on either flank – or even behind a main striker, the position where his ex-manager Gerard Houllier believed he was at his best. In addition, Danny Welbeck is also capable of playing on the left, the right or the centre, something fellow loan returnee Tom Cleverley would also feel able to do, even if he is a very different type of player. The excellent – and decisive – performance of Nani was also good for United. Valencia’s astonishing return from injury last season pushed Nani out of the side, despite the fact the Portuguese winger had been excellent for the majority of the campaign - so good that he was voted United’s best player by his teammates.
Therefore, whilst the United 4-4-1-1 in the ‘big games’ towards the end of last season was set in stone in terms of selection – it was, well, set in stone in terms of positioning. Valencia was superb in some games – against Chelsea at home, for example – but when he played poorly, like in the Champions League final, he made United seem compartmentalised rather than cohesive.
It was interesting to see, then, that Ferguson chose to use a 4-4-2ish system with much more flexibility. Young and Nani can both play either side – Young started on the left, Nani on the right – but both came inside quickly and linked up with the front players. The key was the positioning and movement of the front two. Neither stayed high up the pitch against the Manchester City centre-backs – Welbeck came deep, primarily to pick up Nigel de Jong, whilst Rooney played something of a false nine role. Therefore, United were roughly 4-4-2, and yet had no true strikers – instead, Rooney and Welbeck linked seamlessly with Nani and Young, whilst Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott struggled to cut out their passing. When those been drawn up the pitch, any of United’s front four could make runs in behind.
Granted, United only scored after the break, and it was after Cleverley had replaced Carrick. That only added to the clever movement in the attacking positions, though. Five United players were looking to move into a position between the lines, trying to find space in dangerous areas. The superb second goal was the most obvious result – it’s difficult to imagine United scoring a similar goal with the 4-4-1-1 from late last season – the side had a completely different feel.
It’s already been called a “Barcelona goal” across twitter, but that’s a slightly lazy comparison. It wasn’t overly Barcelonaesque. It was probably more similar to the type of goal Arsenal used to score in the mid 2000s – take Patrick Vieira’s against Liverpool, for example. That Arsenal side also used to play, effectively, a 4-4-2 with no set striker, and two wingers coming inside – and in addition to United’s own side of a couple of years later, is a better reference point.
The goal might mark the start of a new era in United’s attacking play. Talk of a new era might seem silly – there’s hardly been a revolution since May in terms of the playing squad. There have been subtle changes within an existing framework, however – and that sums up what United will try and do on the pitch, too. With versatile players and more fluidity, there are simply more attacking possibilities.
Ferguson’s flexible front four hints at a return to the fluidity of 2008 | Zonal Marking
With a raft of changes at half time, it would be easy to say that it was a genius transformation by Sir Alex Ferguson at half time. In truth, United were the more positive and creative side for the majority of the game, and even at half time, they would have been pleased with the performance, if not the result.
This fixture often sees exciting new signings making their debut – but, perhaps surprisingly, all of City’s XI were at the club last season, and Roberto Mancini played a similar shape to in 2010/11. United, on the other hand, appeared a completely different side from the one which lost to Barcelona on the same ground nine weeks earlier. They had a new goalkeeper – the talking point at half time – but their fluid front four were the main attraction.
In the fallout from the defeat to Barcelona, many were quick to point out the obvious differences between the sides, and suggest how United could use the transfer window to become more like Barcelona. There are elements of truth in that analysis – United must retain the ball better, for example, but if they attempt to copy Barcelona, they’ll never catch them up. Barcelona can draw upon the world’s best three players and a side that has been nurtured for years through their academy. If they are to be stopped, it is more likely that it will be a side outwitting them with a strategy of their own, rather than an imitation of their system. You probably can’t out-Barca Barca.
United have their own identity, and would be better off looking back to their previous European Cup victory in 2008, and the side of a year later, which competed well with Barcelona for the majority of the final (by the end it was a clear Barcelona victory, but nothing like the thrashing they dealt out this year). The main main feature of that side was flexibility and fluidity. Ferguson used Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez almost interchangeably.
That changed with the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez, and whilst their replacements – Antonio Valencia, Michael Owen, Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov (even if there was a crossover between Berbatov and Ronaldo/Tevez) – are all excellent players, they lack the versatility of their predecessors, and therefore United have been more boxy and slightly more predictable in the last couple of years. When they failed to win the league in 2009/10, ZM believed it was primarily due to a lack of attacking variation.
The signing of Ashley Young is significant, because he is able to play on either flank – or even behind a main striker, the position where his ex-manager Gerard Houllier believed he was at his best. In addition, Danny Welbeck is also capable of playing on the left, the right or the centre, something fellow loan returnee Tom Cleverley would also feel able to do, even if he is a very different type of player. The excellent – and decisive – performance of Nani was also good for United. Valencia’s astonishing return from injury last season pushed Nani out of the side, despite the fact the Portuguese winger had been excellent for the majority of the campaign - so good that he was voted United’s best player by his teammates.
Therefore, whilst the United 4-4-1-1 in the ‘big games’ towards the end of last season was set in stone in terms of selection – it was, well, set in stone in terms of positioning. Valencia was superb in some games – against Chelsea at home, for example – but when he played poorly, like in the Champions League final, he made United seem compartmentalised rather than cohesive.
It was interesting to see, then, that Ferguson chose to use a 4-4-2ish system with much more flexibility. Young and Nani can both play either side – Young started on the left, Nani on the right – but both came inside quickly and linked up with the front players. The key was the positioning and movement of the front two. Neither stayed high up the pitch against the Manchester City centre-backs – Welbeck came deep, primarily to pick up Nigel de Jong, whilst Rooney played something of a false nine role. Therefore, United were roughly 4-4-2, and yet had no true strikers – instead, Rooney and Welbeck linked seamlessly with Nani and Young, whilst Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott struggled to cut out their passing. When those been drawn up the pitch, any of United’s front four could make runs in behind.
Granted, United only scored after the break, and it was after Cleverley had replaced Carrick. That only added to the clever movement in the attacking positions, though. Five United players were looking to move into a position between the lines, trying to find space in dangerous areas. The superb second goal was the most obvious result – it’s difficult to imagine United scoring a similar goal with the 4-4-1-1 from late last season – the side had a completely different feel.
It’s already been called a “Barcelona goal” across twitter, but that’s a slightly lazy comparison. It wasn’t overly Barcelonaesque. It was probably more similar to the type of goal Arsenal used to score in the mid 2000s – take Patrick Vieira’s against Liverpool, for example. That Arsenal side also used to play, effectively, a 4-4-2 with no set striker, and two wingers coming inside – and in addition to United’s own side of a couple of years later, is a better reference point.
The goal might mark the start of a new era in United’s attacking play. Talk of a new era might seem silly – there’s hardly been a revolution since May in terms of the playing squad. There have been subtle changes within an existing framework, however – and that sums up what United will try and do on the pitch, too. With versatile players and more fluidity, there are simply more attacking possibilities.
Ferguson’s flexible front four hints at a return to the fluidity of 2008 | Zonal Marking