The Manchester United Thread

United ridiculed for having useless possession last year. Using the possession without context us grasping at straws
 
Yeah, playing for a draw would've been fine if you weren't already five points behind top 2, with tough run of games coming up next.

This would be more salient if it was the home game, or 10 games to go. At this point. Take the draw, and get the 3 points in the home fixture. All this talk of United attacking the big sides away from home is a little false, we always countered away from home, against arsenal we actually countered at home too. Where we need to knock these teams down is at OT, as well as picking up loads of those 78 points outside them. That's title winning stuff
 
Wasn't a great game to watch but we got a point away to Liverpool, who are currently a better and more settled group of players.
Hopefully we can build on that and improve our play going forward, while also stifling the opposition.

(I didn't use today's buzzword 'expansive'... Is my post still valid?)
 
Wasn't a great game to watch but we got a point away to Liverpool, who are currently a better and more settled group of players.
Hopefully we can build on that and improve our play going forward, while also stifling the opposition.

(I didn't use today's buzzword 'expansive'... Is my post still valid?)

No buzzwords, no use.

Can't remember if we are home to Chelsea, but that's the game we need to attack hard in if so. Win the home clashes against rivals
 
No buzzwords, no use.

Can't remember if we are home to Chelsea, but that's the game we need to attack hard in if so. Win the home clashes against rivals

Chelsea is away, then three home games, City, Burnley and Fenerbahce.
 
I still can't get my head round that being the lowest percentage of possession Utd have ever had in a PL game.

That can't be right can it as that's just staggering when you think on it?

Well there's many different ways to play and watch football. Possession stats are for hipsters (and Van Gaal). From last night I remember our pressing working brilliantly especially in the first half (and yours was nowhere to be seen almost all match) and also that in the first 20 minutes we didn't let you anywhere near the ball. I also remember you managing to, erm, penetrate us twice all match.

Only worrying thing is that once more Ibra was very isolated in attack with time and no support player gets near him from midfield or the IF positions and people struggling to run off him.

This, finally is a United with purpose, passion and a plan. And structure. We had structure, not that headless chicken stuff we have played last couple of seasons.

This game gave the lie to the presumption that football is a game of feet, when in reality its a game of brains.

Also this was the first time this season where we (UTD) had decent refereeing.

Btw THIS is Pogba's position! Now all he must do is calm down a bit and not try to prove that he is the most expensive midfielder in the world with his every move.

Also, for all his height Fellaini cant head the ball for toffee! Maybe lose the hair?!
 
Last edited:
Forgot to mention Pogba.
Utter ***** again!!! He looks lost on the pitch and has the ball control of a Sunday pub league player.
 
Not when you're paying to watch it it's not. But regardless, that's mind blowing to me through 24 years.

Not in 24 years, only since they began recording it in the early noughties (around 10-12 years ago I think). I actually think we had more possession in the first half (or very similar), but in the second half when Lallana came on, your pressing intensity multiplied by a couple of levels, so Mourinho, very shrewdly, was happy to let you have the ball for most of the time across your backline or in midfield allowing us to maintain our shape & structure, smothering any space in between the lines (where Liverpool are most dangerous), rather than having possession and being constantly under pressure from the press.

What we lacked was a counter attacking threat, every other aspect of our performance bar that was perfect, he wanted more "penetration" from Pogba in the #10 role, but he didn't offer that rapid burst of acceleration that say a fit Mkhitaryan or Martial would've, or even Rashford who was going to be switched into the #10 role before unfortunately taking cramp.
 
Last edited:
Wasn't a great game to watch but we got a point away to Liverpool, who are currently a better and more settled group of players.
Hopefully we can build on that and improve our play going forward, while also stifling the opposition.

(I didn't use today's buzzword 'expansive'... Is my post still valid?)

I strongly doubt the comment in bold. More settled, yes.
 
This would be more salient if it was the home game, or 10 games to go. At this point. Take the draw, and get the 3 points in the home fixture. All this talk of United attacking the big sides away from home is a little false, we always countered away from home, against arsenal we actually countered at home too. Where we need to knock these teams down is at OT, as well as picking up loads of those 78 points outside them. That's title winning stuff

And equally as important, if you presume everyone else around you does similar, is games against your rivals.

You missed a MASSIVE trick last night. L'pool we're poor from one to eleven. There was no pace. No intensity. The crowd was flat. If you'd had ANY ambition you'd of had a great chance to of won that. I get why a lot of Utd fans are ruing a massive missed opportunity to take three points as it was down to the way he didn't adjust and take advantage of how poor L'pool were.

You finish a couple of points behind L'pool or anyone else the top four, and that negativity becomes crucial.

2 points lost as much as one gained given the circumstances of the game.
 
None of that was coincidental. As much as it would pain you to give credit for it, Mourinho negated all of that.

And you're giving him WAY too much credit for nothing new he did. L'pool playing with no intensity or pace is on us. L'pool not being able to control a simple pass under zero pressure a lot of the night is on us. L'pool not being able to string two passes together first half even when they weren't under pressure is on us. Not played as poorly since Watford and a massive missed opportunity for you to win at Anfield.

Even the second half we came out exactly the same. We were WAY off. If he'd as been tactically savvy and adjusted instead of just sitting as you're lording, you'd of taken advantage and taken the three points. Instead, he had even less ambition to do that than he normally does.

Again all credit to the intensity of pressing the first half. After that, you were there for the taking but L'pool were just completely off. Still should of won. But were there for the taking the other end.

You missed a serious chance to take three points down to Mourinho being Mourinho.
 
Last edited:
You probably won't agree, but I think Mourinho was out to steal 3 points more than people would think. He wanted a lot more from Pogba as his main counter attacking outlet, in what was in fairness an unfamiliar position/role for the Frenchman.

I actually think the Liverpool defence deserve credit, because every time United got the ball within 25-30 yards from goal, they did really well to close Pogba very quickly with a couple of men marshalling him/getting the foot in and kept nice and tight to Ibra. Would've been easy for them to have a little lapse of concentration, particularly in the second half given how much they had the ball, but stayed focused, organised and dealt with every threat, granted not too many.
 
Scouse, doesn't matter how you dress it up... you predicted a 3/4-0 drubbing against us and your now trying to turn the tables to make it seem like we missed out when we clearly came for a point (not saying I'm happy with that but still).

Look, I'm not particularly happy with our performance last night, I really thought you were there for the taking in the first half and we needed to do much better with the possession we did have.

BUT, lets not forget that at the start virtually every pundit and Liverpool supporter expected a smashing. We came away with a point and negated your attack pretty much with ease bar one or two moments where De Gea made a great save. But we also had a glaring opportunity that Ibra somehow missed.
 
You probably won't agree, but I think Mourinho was out to steal 3 points more than people would think......

We've seen him ten times with Chelsea at Anfield set up to do that.

Trust me, last night he went even further the other way and came for one thing.
 
Scouse, doesn't matter how you dress it up... you predicted a 3/4-0 drubbing against us and your now trying to turn the tables to make it seem like we missed out when we clearly came for a point (not saying I'm happy with that but still).....

I don't see how don't think you didn't completely miss out on the chance of a win. Yeah, a points not to be sniffed at all. But it could of been so much more for Utd.

All things being equal you're not going to get L'pool, on and off the pitch, as off as last night often. Any ambition and you take advantage of that.
 
Scouse, doesn't matter how you dress it up... you predicted a 3/4-0 drubbing against us and your now trying to turn the tables to make it seem like we missed out when we clearly came for a point (not saying I'm happy with that but still).

Look, I'm not particularly happy with our performance last night, I really thought you were there for the taking in the first half and we needed to do much better with the possession we did have.

BUT, lets not forget that at the start virtually every pundit and Liverpool supporter expected a smashing. We came away with a point and negated your attack pretty much with ease bar one or two moments where De Gea made a great save. But we also had a glaring opportunity that Ibra somehow missed.

Exactly. The only disappointing thing for us is that our counter wasn't sharp enough
 
First we were going to get hammered, now we should have won.. Funny how things change. United did a massive job on how Liverpool played but our own counters missed chances. Draw a fair result. We actually broke out a lot, but we weren't clinical enough.
 
Be interesting how we try to play against Chelsea considering their 3 at the back formation.
 
Back
Top