[77Hill]

I was expecting LVG & Giggs to march onto the pitch with a bag of oranges and deliver the HT sermon Phil Brown style.

Oh well. I remain hopeful. Not sure why, but I do.

 

[Raven Blade]

Pretty poor half from us. Apart from that gifted goal we haven't properly imposed ourself on the game. Since losing Smalling our defence has started to look a shambles again. It's very worrying how a bit of movement is leaving gaps everywhere. Rooney has been missing while Fellaini has resorted to his form of last season. Young's crossing has been hit and miss while nothing is coming from Valencia on the right.

At least Van Gaal has seen something he doesn't like and made a change with Herrera. We should actually try to play some decent football in that 2nd half. We have our best passers out there on the pitch now. Just need to start competing against them and controlling possession like we know we can.

 

[JPRouve]

No. Just moved Carrick to CB and moved Fellani where Carrick was.

That's so painful to read.

 

[VanAlden]

Fellaini is embarrassingly bad. Just awful.

 

[Skills]

Was a real chance to actually attack them today, but we set up like cowards and Southampton seem back to their confidence selves.

 

[fallengt]

FFS, best chance to secure top 3 but half of our players playing like they don't care...
Forget the title. I'd take 1:1 right now.

 

[Leg-End]

Diamonds are forever.

 

[Krusty]

Would go back to the diamond. This isn't working at all going forward or defending

 

[Thiim]

Paddy McMare and Marouane Fellaini must have hit the bottle together before the game. The quality of our passing in general is horrendous but these two took it to completely new depths. The cheap, ridiculously unnecessary give away from Fellaini for their goal is just jaw dropping. What on earth goes through his thick head there?

Incredible that we are still level on 1-1.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Hate 3-5-2 what was wrong with the diamond? We played great using that.

Mata must be cousins with casper because he's the friendly invisible fecking ghost

 

[BarstoolProphet]

On a more positive note: We did look more solid after Herrera came on, albeit by not much. Still Fellaini got a couple of easy passes successful which could boost is frail confidence. He also looks a better player centrally. I like that substitute. I think Carrick is crucial if LvG wants to get this 5-3-2 going. Instead of using three CB's he can put Carrick there, which gives him the option to seamlessly change to 4-3-3.

 

[rooney2009]

So poor,it's embarrassing,let's go back to 4-4-2 please and at least be how some balls

 

[Suhail]

How much I miss Fergie, 352 is a pain to watch and I suspect if he'll ever stop using it

 

[Zoo]

Was Mata locked inside the dressing room?

 

[siw2007]

Very poor first half. Fellaini is having one of his worst games and seems slow to every ball as well as giving the ball away for their goal. Defence is all over the place and we are finding it really difficult to break beyond Southampton's pressing game.

Think we are going to need a bit of luck to keep Southampton out in the second half.

 

[Lennon]

The first 20 minutes were alright and then we losed completely our concentration. A few attacks from the opponent are enough to bring the team out of concept. Not only tonight, this goes for the whole season so far.

 

[hirotan69er]

It almost looks like Mata isn't pulling his weight so Fellaini had to pull the double duty. Also, Southampton is laying out tight press in the midfield so that's almost why Fellaini looks like liability, I think....and Valencia, his visions are too narrow so Fellaini looks like it's bit frustrating for him to play along with Valencia as RB.

I hope in the 2nd half Ander will reduce Fellaini's workload and lets him be more like an anchor and control everything in front of our defensive line.

 

[umop apisdn]

2 shots on goal!!! amazing philosophy, i really believe in it. if i were a player i would definitely be happy playing such attacking football, it's a beauty to watch. i caught some fecked up virus today and i'm laying in my bed watching the lads with 38 temperature and it really makes me more healthy every minute. oh, and talk about improved fitness and physical condition of our players! incredible.

 

[Winrar]

HT impressions: could've been much worse. Good to see changes made because nothing was working out for us except for the early goal.

 

[shivab]

not a game for fellaini..lvg needs to realize that..too quick for him...need a player who has pace and is willing to run beyond the defence...perfect game for di maria but wilson will do..fellaini off for wilson would be good change.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

It's just 1-1 lads. We can win this.

Good news: we can't play any worse.

That's what I'm taking from this half!

 

[BaguetteBoy]

We will get better second half. We need to re-organise a bit. Should have put herrera in instead of evans for smalling.

 

[Bratone]

This has to be our worst half of football we played this season, absolutely horrible, can't find words to describe it.We need to change something now or we lose.

 

[RetroStu]

There is still so much shite in our squad. All our injuries are just proving it.

 

[KennyBelfast2013]

shambolic

 

[mitchmouse]

Piss poor half of football. Fellaini back to his very worst. How is someone so big eased of the ball so easily so often. Everyone's passing has been bad - we just presented them with the goal. I'd have taken Fellaini off not Mcnair. And the goal showed the one area of DDG's keeping I still don't like: he came with his feet as always; should have been braver and thrown himself at the guy's feet. Can only see us losing this one

 

[RORY65]

Erm.. Why do you think that?

It's the go to excuse when we're not winning. We've won 1 away game all season, a fluke against you and have been shite every time we've played 3 at the back. United had to expect a tough game against a good Southampton side but the side and formation Van Gaal picked made it inevitable before the kick off that we'd struggle. Certain players being below their best has been an issue but this performance is the norm for us with this formation against anyone half decent.

 

[Sunny Jim]

I hate it and hate it when our players are afraid to take risk by moving the ball forward or making a forward control. Too many back passes hurt my fecking soul.

Aye mate...only Carrick plays ball forward.

Valencia on the other hand

 

[untitled_6899]

Southampton have pressed really well, putting us under huge pressure, I hope they tire soon - we're screwed if they done as we can't get out of our half.

Fellaini and McNair have been awful, Fellaini in particular has looked shambolic.

 

[SammyUnited_83]

This

Everytime they attack in the last 30 mins they looked like they were going to score.

 

[minoo-utd]

Believe me it's so obvious that this formation is not working. Simple as that.

 

[Hell Raiser]

Shows how much smalling has been carrying us recently.

 

[DevilRed]

Poor paddy looked absolutely lost in this formation. Hauled off before the half.

Rojo not much better too with multiple mistakes.

We are just giving the ball away too easily.

 

[saivet]

It has to be the formation. I bloody has to be. Whenever we play it, we seem so so uncomfortable defensively and we struggle to get any control of the game when we play it. I said it before. I don't think this system gets the best out of anyone.

 

[Raoul]

One of our poorer performances this year. Van Gaal needs to break out his version of the hairdryer. And get Falaco on at some point.

 

[kundalini]

Fellaini looking like a pub player. Rojo only slightly better. McNair's substitution merited given how poor he was. Most of the team looked completely lost as to how we were meant to play. After 6 passes we almost inevitably gave the ball away.

 

[Vooon]

However bad Fellaini has been this half, and how invisible Mata's been, we can't really take off another player for at least another 30 minutes now can we? We're bound to get another injury before the match is over.

 

[RedDevil-85]

Hopefully this is the end of 352.
Never wanna see us play that formation again unless we have the players for it.It just doesnt work.

 

[Trizy]

Just plain awful, we're getting schooled on how to play football by Southampton who have done effectively feck all against any top 6 side but we're some how managing to make them look like Barcelona.

3 at the back from the start was always gonna be a fecking disaster, everyone on here could have told you that. First of all we don't have the CBs for it to work but more annoyingly is for the attacking part to work you need full backs who can actually defend and attack, not Valencia and Young who shit themselves every fecking time they're pressed. It amazed me on the caf the past two games some people were crediting Young for doing 1 or 2 good times a game out of about 50 stupid back passes or his trade mark miss placed cross.

We haven't a hope of winning this game defending like that, and whats the deal with Carrick supposed to be playing as a CB? Our strongest midfield in the past 3 games was playing perfect and tonight we were giving a chance to play a weakened Southampton midfield and yet we're getting schooled? I'm all for supporting LVG but he hasn't a fecking clue if he thought he could come here with 352, leaving Herrera on the bench and playing McNair.

If it isn't broke don't try fix it, back to midfield diamond for the second half, please! I've never been so frustrated all year, we were giving a golden chance with the weekend results.

 

[The Stain]

Comical watching their goal. Yes, Fellaini fecked up but how is it even possible for them to get through when the defence is socompact?