Are we going to get tanked on Sunday?

Doevle · 8th November 2009, 10:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadDogg

Swap Giggs to the left and Rooney on the right and that's probably how I'd line up. I remember a few years ago against Arsenal Rooney destroyed Cashley after he went to the right at halftime.

Rooney hasn't got the same ability to beat a man anymore though. I agree that Giggs should play on the left though.

Doevle · 8th November 2009, 10:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rams

We'll play 4-5-1 with Rooney as lone striker, giggs & nani on the wings and fletcher, anderson & carrick in the middle.

With Valencias form of late, I'd much rather have him in our team than Nani.

Nani Nana · 8th November 2009, 10:16

The Chelsea fans are quite confident, here's loz (admin of the shed end) analysis of our team (watch for the conclusion)

Clearly the big threat comes from the Rooney/Berbatov combination up front. Rooney is thriving on being played right through the centre and from no longer having to adapt his game to accommodate Ronaldo. Berbatov is finally beginning to realise that strolling around the park whistling until the ball comes within two yards of him is not good enough for United – he got away with it at Spurs because whilst he was there you only needed to have a half decent first touch for the fans to get excited about you.

Valencia is settling in a bit now after struggling to deal with the early pressure of replacing Ronaldo in the side however (and I run the risk of tempting fate) I don’t see him as a player to be massively concerned about. Ashley Cole is back and has more than enough in his locker to deal with Valencia.

At the back they are half way to being a shambles at the moment. The continued lapses in form of Rio and Van der Saar have resulted in Evans losing his confidence however I still rate Vidic and Evra highly and there is no way that whoever ends up playing at right back for us will not enjoy the space they did against Bolton and Blackburn. Meanwhile O’Shea will carry on being the jack of all defensive trades but the master of none and Brown watches on whilst his career slips along uneventfully.

On paper (yes I know football isn’t played on paper blah blah blah) they are also struggling in midfield. Scholes and Giggs are well past their best and Carrick isn’t a patch on Essien. Meanwhile Fletcher has established himself as the most important player in the centre of the park for them. That, in itself, tells a big story. Fletcher is a solid performer, one of those ‘I always get 7 out of 10 players’ and I have a lot of time for him as a player however for the Utd midfield to have deteriorated to the point where Fletcher is key means that what Ferguson has done is beginning to mirror what happened at Milan under Ancelotti. You have to wonder how much of the Ronaldo fee the American’s have given to Fergie to spend because I find it baffling that he didn’t strengthen the squad more in the summer. Nani and Anderson have both had very average seasons so far and are failing, so far, to take a very good opportunity to establish themselves as quality players in the first team.

However for all that we can dissect the team and point our their weaknesses and failings the truth of the matter is they are only two points behind us in the league and are the current champions with a squad which, bar one obvious change, is the same one as are currently being heavily criticised.

We should never under estimate Fergie’s ability to get a team to play a lot better than the sum of their parts and although the only players in the current Utd team that I would have in our 16 are Rooney, Berbatov and Evra (notice I said 16 – Evra would be back up to Ashley Cole) I fully expect Sunday to be a nail biting affair and nothing like the mismatch I appear to be suggesting it should be.

In summary we should hump them. Drogba and Anelka are combining superbly and Vidic (who I do rate) will struggle to deal with their combined power and pace and our midfield four (which has to be Essien, Ballack, Lampard and either Joe or Deco) should be far too powerful for them. However we won’t hump them. Liverpool raised their game massively against United and United were hideously complacent, it is now United’s turn to raise their game and I fully expect them to.

championo · 8th November 2009, 10:22

If SAF starts both Giggs and Scholes, expect us to be chasing them about on the field. They are going to pressure our midfielders. Anybody without the legs to do running will make us look out of shape. I hope SAF leaves both of his great servants on the bench to bring them on as impact subs.

datura · 8th November 2009, 10:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by championo

If SAF starts both Giggs and Scholes, expect us to be chasing them about on the field. They are going to pressure our midfielders. Anybody without the legs to do running will make us look out of shape. I hope SAF leaves both of his great servants on the bench to bring them on as impact subs.

There is nothing wrong with Giggs' legs. He's as fit as he ever was, this is the man who ran the vaunted Chelsea midfield ragged last season for those with short memories.

Interval Level · 8th November 2009, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nani Nana

The Chelsea fans are quite confident, here's loz (admin of the shed end) analysis of our team (watch for the conclusion)

Clearly the big threat comes from the Rooney/Berbatov combination up front. Rooney is thriving on being played right through the centre and from no longer having to adapt his game to accommodate Ronaldo. Berbatov is finally beginning to realise that strolling around the park whistling until the ball comes within two yards of him is not good enough for United – he got away with it at Spurs because whilst he was there you only needed to have a half decent first touch for the fans to get excited about you.

Valencia is settling in a bit now after struggling to deal with the early pressure of replacing Ronaldo in the side however (and I run the risk of tempting fate) I don’t see him as a player to be massively concerned about. Ashley Cole is back and has more than enough in his locker to deal with Valencia.

At the back they are half way to being a shambles at the moment. The continued lapses in form of Rio and Van der Saar have resulted in Evans losing his confidence however I still rate Vidic and Evra highly and there is no way that whoever ends up playing at right back for us will not enjoy the space they did against Bolton and Blackburn. Meanwhile O’Shea will carry on being the jack of all defensive trades but the master of none and Brown watches on whilst his career slips along uneventfully.

On paper (yes I know football isn’t played on paper blah blah blah) they are also struggling in midfield. Scholes and Giggs are well past their best and Carrick isn’t a patch on Essien. Meanwhile Fletcher has established himself as the most important player in the centre of the park for them. That, in itself, tells a big story. Fletcher is a solid performer, one of those ‘I always get 7 out of 10 players’ and I have a lot of time for him as a player however for the Utd midfield to have deteriorated to the point where Fletcher is key means that what Ferguson has done is beginning to mirror what happened at Milan under Ancelotti. You have to wonder how much of the Ronaldo fee the American’s have given to Fergie to spend because I find it baffling that he didn’t strengthen the squad more in the summer. Nani and Anderson have both had very average seasons so far and are failing, so far, to take a very good opportunity to establish themselves as quality players in the first team.

However for all that we can dissect the team and point our their weaknesses and failings the truth of the matter is they are only two points behind us in the league and are the current champions with a squad which, bar one obvious change, is the same one as are currently being heavily criticised.

We should never under estimate Fergie’s ability to get a team to play a lot better than the sum of their parts and although the only players in the current Utd team that I would have in our 16 are Rooney, Berbatov and Evra (notice I said 16 – Evra would be back up to Ashley Cole) I fully expect Sunday to be a nail biting affair and nothing like the mismatch I appear to be suggesting it should be.

In summary we should hump them. Drogba and Anelka are combining superbly and Vidic (who I do rate) will struggle to deal with their combined power and pace and our midfield four (which has to be Essien, Ballack, Lampard and either Joe or Deco) should be far too powerful for them. However we won’t hump them. Liverpool raised their game massively against United and United were hideously complacent, it is now United’s turn to raise their game and I fully expect them to.

Pretty well summed up tbh. A good read.

Crustanoid · 8th November 2009, 10:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Interval Level

Pretty well summed up tbh. A good read.

Agreed...although it is a Chelsea slant really, they're slightly overestimating their own players and slightly underestimating ours . Overall, though you can't argue that they are looking more impressive and are in the driving seat as far as the championship is concerned.

Magnus · 8th November 2009, 11:02

How anyone can predict anything but a win for us is beyond me. We are the fucking champions ffs. We are the best team in England and has been so for nearly 20 fucking years. Now get your heads up and support our lads. I know that if we play to our standards we will fucking win but if we don´t then maybe Chelsea will grab a point or three but we will still be the BEST fucking team in England. Have some faith ffs. COME ON YOU RED DEVILS I fucking love you

. On the piss from now on please let me be in a good mood come tonight

Rood · 8th November 2009, 11:12

I think this is the most negative I have seen our own fans for a long time - everyone I know thinks we have no chance of winning

Anyway I just managed to get myself a last minute ticket and I am ready to go and watch the lads prove all you negative feckers wrong!

fergieisold · 8th November 2009, 11:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nani Nana

The Chelsea fans are quite confident, here's loz (admin of the shed end) analysis of our team (watch for the conclusion)

Clearly the big threat comes from the Rooney/Berbatov combination up front. Rooney is thriving on being played right through the centre and from no longer having to adapt his game to accommodate Ronaldo. Berbatov is finally beginning to realise that strolling around the park whistling until the ball comes within two yards of him is not good enough for United – he got away with it at Spurs because whilst he was there you only needed to have a half decent first touch for the fans to get excited about you.

Valencia is settling in a bit now after struggling to deal with the early pressure of replacing Ronaldo in the side however (and I run the risk of tempting fate) I don’t see him as a player to be massively concerned about. Ashley Cole is back and has more than enough in his locker to deal with Valencia.

At the back they are half way to being a shambles at the moment. The continued lapses in form of Rio and Van der Saar have resulted in Evans losing his confidence however I still rate Vidic and Evra highly and there is no way that whoever ends up playing at right back for us will not enjoy the space they did against Bolton and Blackburn. Meanwhile O’Shea will carry on being the jack of all defensive trades but the master of none and Brown watches on whilst his career slips along uneventfully.

On paper (yes I know football isn’t played on paper blah blah blah) they are also struggling in midfield. Scholes and Giggs are well past their best and Carrick isn’t a patch on Essien. Meanwhile Fletcher has established himself as the most important player in the centre of the park for them. That, in itself, tells a big story. Fletcher is a solid performer, one of those ‘I always get 7 out of 10 players’ and I have a lot of time for him as a player however for the Utd midfield to have deteriorated to the point where Fletcher is key means that what Ferguson has done is beginning to mirror what happened at Milan under Ancelotti. You have to wonder how much of the Ronaldo fee the American’s have given to Fergie to spend because I find it baffling that he didn’t strengthen the squad more in the summer. Nani and Anderson have both had very average seasons so far and are failing, so far, to take a very good opportunity to establish themselves as quality players in the first team.

However for all that we can dissect the team and point our their weaknesses and failings the truth of the matter is they are only two points behind us in the league and are the current champions with a squad which, bar one obvious change, is the same one as are currently being heavily criticised.

We should never under estimate Fergie’s ability to get a team to play a lot better than the sum of their parts and although the only players in the current Utd team that I would have in our 16 are Rooney, Berbatov and Evra (notice I said 16 – Evra would be back up to Ashley Cole) I fully expect Sunday to be a nail biting affair and nothing like the mismatch I appear to be suggesting it should be.

In summary we should hump them. Drogba and Anelka are combining superbly and Vidic (who I do rate) will struggle to deal with their combined power and pace and our midfield four (which has to be Essien, Ballack, Lampard and either Joe or Deco) should be far too powerful for them. However we won’t hump them. Liverpool raised their game massively against United and United were hideously complacent, it is now United’s turn to raise their game and I fully expect them to.

Eh?! Is this some cockney rhyming slang?

Well he has a point about our defence if we turn up and play like we did against CSKA...Sunday league stuff!

OneUnited24 · 8th November 2009, 12:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rams

We'll play 4-5-1 with Rooney as lone striker, giggs & nani on the wings and fletcher, anderson & carrick in the middle.

Everyone seems to be going for this (variations of Giggs/Valencia/Nani/Obertan/Berba/Rooney) but i think SAF is going to supprise a lot of us and go with Fletcher and Carrick in midfield in a 442

cw1984 · 8th November 2009, 13:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneUnited24

Everyone seems to be going for this (variations of Giggs/Valencia/Nani/Obertan/Berba/Rooney) but i think SAF is going to supprise a lot of us and go with Fletcher and Carrick in midfield in a 442

That's extremely unlikely given the news that Berbatov isn't going to play.

Pogue Mahone · 8th November 2009, 13:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by cw1984

That's extremely unlikely given the news that Berbatov isn't going to play.

Is he injured? Bugger.

I would be tempted to play Rooney as a lone striker anyway but Berbatov would be a great option on the bench.

cw1984 · 8th November 2009, 14:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pogue Mahone

Is he injured? Bugger.

I would be tempted to play Rooney as a lone striker anyway but Berbatov would be a great option on the bench.

According to Heap he hasn't traveled and someone else said they reported that on Talksport too. I don't know how reliable it is though, it's not been on SSN or anything.

Count Duckula · 8th November 2009, 14:24

If we play Fletcher and Carrick in a midfield 4-4-2 we're going to get absolutely battered. Chelsea will - as they always do - just dominate the midfield and go from there.

cj_sparky · 8th November 2009, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Count Duckula

If we play Fletcher and Carrick in a midfield 4-4-2 we're going to get absolutely battered. Chelsea will - as they always do - just dominate the midfield and go from there.

I would not say we'd get battered with that pairing. If it where to be Carrick and Scholes ala the Liverpool game, or Giggs and Carrick ala the Burnley game I'd be extremely worried.

I'd sooner see Fletcher and Anderson if we go 4-4-2 or a 3 of Carrick, Fletcher and Anderson otherwise.

Eriku · 8th November 2009, 14:35

Quote:

Scholes and Giggs are well past their best and Carrick isn’t a patch on Essien. Meanwhile Fletcher has established himself as the most important player in the centre of the park for them. That, in itself, tells a big story. Fletcher is a solid performer, one of those ‘I always get 7 out of 10 players’ and I have a lot of time for him as a player however for the Utd midfield to have deteriorated to the point where Fletcher is key means that what Ferguson has done is beginning to mirror what happened at Milan under Ancelotti.

Nobody considered this stuffs nonsense?

Brwned · 8th November 2009, 14:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Count Duckula

If we play Fletcher and Carrick in a midfield 4-4-2 we're going to get absolutely battered. Chelsea will - as they always do - just dominate the midfield and go from there.

That's the thing though, they're going to dominate the midfield regardless.

It's working ways around that, not trying to take it head on, that's the solution.

If our wingers perform that could make the difference.

Feed Me · 8th November 2009, 14:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brwned

That's the thing though, they're going to dominate the midfield regardless.

It's working ways around that, not trying to take it head on, that's the solution.

If our wingers perform that could make the difference.

Yeah, we're never going into a game like this looking to overraw them in the middle of the park.

As you say, the width is key given their diamond and it's where we could win the match. Problem is that bar Valencia, I don't have a great deal of faith that our wingers can produce anything of note. I thought that Wayne on the left should be considered, but that won't happen with this Berba absence.

Also, thing about Valencia is that he'll probably never face as good a full back as Cole - I have doubts as to whether he's got enough vairety in his game to trouble him today.

championo · 8th November 2009, 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by datura

There is nothing wrong with Giggs' legs. He's as fit as he ever was, this is the man who ran the vaunted Chelsea midfield ragged last season for those with short memories.

I mean Giggs has dropped a couple of steps in his quickness, he says that himself in interviews.
A Chelsea team that had quit on their manager, a midfield that was without Essien at the time, it had Deco, Ballack, they don't do the ragged treatment like Essien. In any case, my opinion is that we can only afford one of them at the start of the game. Or else it will look like we just can't play.

Eriku · 8th November 2009, 15:04

Is it confirmed that Berba's out?

MG · 8th November 2009, 15:53

The Guardian predicted we'd lose 0-3.

I find that very excessive. They very rarely predict we'll win by that much against any team. I think that newspaper is somewhat harsh on us.

MrMarcello · 8th November 2009, 16:01

The media wants United to get embarrassed is what I'm sensing. Is it because
a) they're tired of United proving their rhetoric to be complete shit,
b) their jizzfest of Liverpool last season has faded into obscurity this season,
c) they want to jizz about London clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea, or
d) all of the above?

redwhiteblack · 8th November 2009, 16:04

Gonna be interesting to see if Valencia has any joy against A. Cole. I'm of the opinion that Valencia lacks variety and is slightly predictable and easy to handle, but i'll happily be proven wrong!

On a more positive note, I think Anderson could be an important player for us today.

Kraftwerker · 8th November 2009, 19:06

We should have 'tanked' them.

No doubt some of the people who predicted defeat will be feeling justified, but they shouldn't be.

We were by far the better team, robbed by a referee, and nobody's pessimism has been justified.

Allforone · 8th November 2009, 19:11

What an idiot the OP looks now....tanked!? yeah we sure did tank them...oh wait that’s not what you meant was it....keep your unjustified miserable doom prophesising to yourself in future...

Hold on a minute something just occurred to me….maybe your Paul Meson after all...didn’t he predict a 4-0 thrashing today to? He’s another knee jerk sensationalist who knows as much about football management as my left nipple!

8th November 2009, 11:02	#208 (permalink)
Magnus Another mad swede Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Balcony BB and after that W3106 Posts: 2,327	How anyone can predict anything but a win for us is beyond me. We are the fucking champions ffs. We are the best team in England and has been so for nearly 20 fucking years. Now get your heads up and support our lads. I know that if we play to our standards we will fucking win but if we don´t then maybe Chelsea will grab a point or three but we will still be the BEST fucking team in England. Have some faith ffs. COME ON YOU RED DEVILS I fucking love you. On the piss from now on please let me be in a good mood come tonight

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8th November 2009, 10:16	#203 (permalink)
Nani Nana Reserve Team Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Serbia Posts: 3,717	The Chelsea fans are quite confident, here's loz (admin of the shed end) analysis of our team (watch for the conclusion) Clearly the big threat comes from the Rooney/Berbatov combination up front. Rooney is thriving on being played right through the centre and from no longer having to adapt his game to accommodate Ronaldo. Berbatov is finally beginning to realise that strolling around the park whistling until the ball comes within two yards of him is not good enough for United – he got away with it at Spurs because whilst he was there you only needed to have a half decent first touch for the fans to get excited about you. Valencia is settling in a bit now after struggling to deal with the early pressure of replacing Ronaldo in the side however (and I run the risk of tempting fate) I don’t see him as a player to be massively concerned about. Ashley Cole is back and has more than enough in his locker to deal with Valencia. At the back they are half way to being a shambles at the moment. The continued lapses in form of Rio and Van der Saar have resulted in Evans losing his confidence however I still rate Vidic and Evra highly and there is no way that whoever ends up playing at right back for us will not enjoy the space they did against Bolton and Blackburn. Meanwhile O’Shea will carry on being the jack of all defensive trades but the master of none and Brown watches on whilst his career slips along uneventfully. On paper (yes I know football isn’t played on paper blah blah blah) they are also struggling in midfield. Scholes and Giggs are well past their best and Carrick isn’t a patch on Essien. Meanwhile Fletcher has established himself as the most important player in the centre of the park for them. That, in itself, tells a big story. Fletcher is a solid performer, one of those ‘I always get 7 out of 10 players’ and I have a lot of time for him as a player however for the Utd midfield to have deteriorated to the point where Fletcher is key means that what Ferguson has done is beginning to mirror what happened at Milan under Ancelotti. You have to wonder how much of the Ronaldo fee the American’s have given to Fergie to spend because I find it baffling that he didn’t strengthen the squad more in the summer. Nani and Anderson have both had very average seasons so far and are failing, so far, to take a very good opportunity to establish themselves as quality players in the first team. However for all that we can dissect the team and point our their weaknesses and failings the truth of the matter is they are only two points behind us in the league and are the current champions with a squad which, bar one obvious change, is the same one as are currently being heavily criticised. We should never under estimate Fergie’s ability to get a team to play a lot better than the sum of their parts and although the only players in the current Utd team that I would have in our 16 are Rooney, Berbatov and Evra (notice I said 16 – Evra would be back up to Ashley Cole) I fully expect Sunday to be a nail biting affair and nothing like the mismatch I appear to be suggesting it should be. In summary we should hump them. Drogba and Anelka are combining superbly and Vidic (who I do rate) will struggle to deal with their combined power and pace and our midfield four (which has to be Essien, Ballack, Lampard and either Joe or Deco) should be far too powerful for them. However we won’t hump them. Liverpool raised their game massively against United and United were hideously complacent, it is now United’s turn to raise their game and I fully expect them to.

8th November 2009, 10:22	#204 (permalink)
championo Top Stalker Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: From Brazil but in School in the States Posts: 5,089	If SAF starts both Giggs and Scholes, expect us to be chasing them about on the field. They are going to pressure our midfielders. Anybody without the legs to do running will make us look out of shape. I hope SAF leaves both of his great servants on the bench to bring them on as impact subs.

8th November 2009, 11:12	#209 (permalink)
Rood nostradamus like gloater Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Republik Of Mancunia Posts: 13,005	I think this is the most negative I have seen our own fans for a long time - everyone I know thinks we have no chance of winning Anyway I just managed to get myself a last minute ticket and I am ready to go and watch the lads prove all you negative feckers wrong!

8th November 2009, 14:24	#215 (permalink)
Count Duckula Banned Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Posts: 16,095	If we play Fletcher and Carrick in a midfield 4-4-2 we're going to get absolutely battered. Chelsea will - as they always do - just dominate the midfield and go from there.

8th November 2009, 15:04	#221 (permalink)
Eriku First Team Sub Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ørsta, Norway Posts: 8,189	Is it confirmed that Berba's out?

8th November 2009, 15:53	#222 (permalink)
MG First Team Regular Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now Posts: 10,638	The Guardian predicted we'd lose 0-3. I find that very excessive. They very rarely predict we'll win by that much against any team. I think that newspaper is somewhat harsh on us.

8th November 2009, 16:01	#223 (permalink)
MrMarcello No Lifer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Georgia Posts: 31,943	The media wants United to get embarrassed is what I'm sensing. Is it because a) they're tired of United proving their rhetoric to be complete shit, b) their jizzfest of Liverpool last season has faded into obscurity this season, c) they want to jizz about London clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea, or d) all of the above?

8th November 2009, 16:04	#224 (permalink)
redwhiteblack Banned Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: in the pale moonlight Posts: 3,200	Gonna be interesting to see if Valencia has any joy against A. Cole. I'm of the opinion that Valencia lacks variety and is slightly predictable and easy to handle, but i'll happily be proven wrong! On a more positive note, I think Anderson could be an important player for us today.

8th November 2009, 19:06	#225 (permalink)
Kraftwerker Formerly RedAddict Join Date: May 2008 Location: We can't stop here. This is bat country. Posts: 9,120	We should have 'tanked' them. No doubt some of the people who predicted defeat will be feeling justified, but they shouldn't be. We were by far the better team, robbed by a referee, and nobody's pessimism has been justified.

8th November 2009, 19:11	#226 (permalink)
Allforone First Team Regular Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: United could spend £85million on David De Gea, Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Wesley Sneijder. Quote: Liverpool spent £85million on Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing. Posts: 11,646	What an idiot the OP looks now....tanked!? yeah we sure did tank them...oh wait that’s not what you meant was it....keep your unjustified miserable doom prophesising to yourself in future... Hold on a minute something just occurred to me….maybe your Paul Meson after all...didn’t he predict a 4-0 thrashing today to? He’s another knee jerk sensationalist who knows as much about football management as my left nipple!