[Offside]

Carrick and Blind are doing okay and so is our defending. If we switch to a flat back 4, put Di Maria (The midfielder) in midfield and Rooney (The striker) upfront, we would win this game. Yet I am 100% convinced Van Gaal's stubbornness will ensure we once again fail to win. Hope I am wrong.

 

[Loublaze]

No to LGV... why isn't he pointing out that Rooney and di Maria should switch etc?

Thats a terrible and pointless assumption to make. How can you possibly know whats going on?

 

[iAm20Legend]

Van Gaal is getting a free ride because of his name. If this were any other manager people would be howling for his head.

I think that's true.

 

[Robbie Boy]

Wtf is actually going on. What is LvG trying to prove? That team on paper, if played the right way, is a damn good side. This is all starting to remind me far too much of the Moyes era.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

When you play a possession based game the players have to move and switch around. We're playing a breadless posession style. Barcelona showed how it goes. But we're so predictable and extremly rigid. No movement, no killer passes, nothing, nada, niente, ... I'm not this kind of critical supporter but the last 5-6 games were really really depressing.

That's why I can't understand Herrera not playing, he passes and moves, when he plays the other players pass and move. It is all too static.

 

[finneh]

Can anyone pm me a decent river.

One I'm watching is patchy at best.

 

[MkPaul]

Well that was boring.

 

[Red Dreams]

terrible...

 

[An Irish Red]

It doesn't matter who we play the opposition always create more than us when we play 3-5-2.

We dominate the ball and create nothing before getting hit on the counter. Like a poor mans Arsenal. Who are actually a rich Arsenal. Grim.

 

[Raw]

Just seeing the Chelsea goals makes me realise how far behind we are from a top team. It's fecking depressing.

 

[George Beast]

What is happening here? Is LVG doing all he can to show how he knows best? This is awful.

Seems like he's doing his best to show he knows feck all. Our recent performances have been painfully bad. And embarrassing considering the wealth of talent at our disposal.

 

[Gannicus]

Some of you are just taking the piss. We've been outstanding so far.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

What I can't understand is that Manchester United have now twice employed a manager less sensible than RedCafe.

 

[Freak]

United fans singing 4-4-2

They need to sing louder to break through his ego.

 

[Loublaze]

We're throwing away top four status

 

[Orton]

Agreed.

other teams are playing likes of Modric, Xavi, Fabregas, Pogba, Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, etc in midfield and United is playing Rooney.

Doesn't make sense.

It's hilarious, the comparisons.

All of those players can dictate the game. Rooney can't even dictate his first touch.

 

[ManUArfa]

Slow build up play and backwards passing to retain possession always means that opposition that is happy to play for a point is able to get quickly in to shape with banks of midfielders and defenders close together and in line.

It's the same story every time. I'd be fine with playing this style when we're 2:0 up to kill off a game and where the opposition has to come out. However, when it's 0:0, we simply have to take more risks an make the most of our quality midfielders and forwards.

 

[simonhch]

You're already breaking tradition at United, and proving you're unique, by playing a diamond. There's no need to go full retard and use a 3-5-2.

 

[RetroStu]

I have never said a word against LVG yet but i'm quickly losing patience.
Players out of position, midfielders playing as strikers and strikers playing as midfielders, terrible football, zero gameplan except passing it back.
Even the players look like they don't want to play for him.

Please come back SAF!.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

I expect Herrera to come on and Blind to go off. Shift back to the diamond with Carrick sitting deep. Di Maria in midfield and Rooney as striker.

So would I, doesn't mean it will happen.

 

[hubbuh]

We will not rediscover the good form playing a formation that clearly doesn't work, and making it worse by playing players completely out of position.

He's trying to mould Di Maria into an Argentinian version of Robben. As of yet, it hasn't worked.

The idea of playing Rooney in midfield is hardly revolutionary though.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

Same tactic against Southampton?!!?

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[jem]

Is LVG blind?

Can he not see that Rooney isn't a midfielder? That ADM is not a striker?

Can he not see that 3 at the back makes us extremely vulnerable and affects our buildup in a catastrophic way?

This is a shambles.

To add to that we had a decent penalty shout turned down. Still seeking for that first penalty then. We are more than halfway through the season too.

Its come to the breaking point of the season where moyes failed miserably. LVG is very close to doing the same.

If he doesn't change the formation we are not making top 4.

If he goes the whole season without changing anything, and we finish outside the top 4, then I think we should fire him.

 

[JTW95]

I think LVG has too much pride to accept that his formation is shite. Yes it worked with Holland but we are not Holland and this is not the World Cup. Its costing us points and if we fail to qualify for the Champions League then it is also costing us money.

 

[Mr.Plow]

It really is disgraceful that we look like we could play all day and not score considering the players we have on the field. I don't understand why LVG is so over the top with his 3-5-2, Di Maria up front, Rooney in midfield and now fecking Jones on corners. He fancies himself as some kind of revolutionary. It really doesn't seem that difficult, we have far better players than QPR, let's just play to our strengths and we'll surely come out on top.

 

[2 Neville's]

----------Dave
Valencia Jones Rojo Blind
----------Carrick
----Herrera Di Maria
----------Mata
-----Rooney Falcao

Sort it out Louis!

 

[wythyred]

Awful stuff and the manager is clearly to blame.. expect Falcao to be took off now for herrera!

 

[Feed Me]

In fairness, it was obvious this was going to be shit, it was obvious all week in the build up to the game. LvG looking clueless.

Chelsea four up away to Swansea. Pity that Mourinho pontificates so much...

 

[LeftyBlaster]

What I can't understand is that Manchester United have now twice employed a manager less sensible than RedCafe.

Forget a manager. They should just come here for tactical advice from a sticky we could create every week.

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

I have no words for the shiteousness

Yeah! Shiteousness was this thread's mystery word! You have won tickets to all next season's Manchester United Champions League home games, hold on, wait … what??? Oh crap!

 

[Pyro19]

Honest question

Do you think we should keep LVG if he doesn't get us Top 4 this year for the next season?

Honestly I wouldn't be displeased if he was let go even if he got us top 4 this year.I know he had an ego but this is borderline lunacy.The guy is absolutely driven to prove that his formation works even though everyone else in the world knows it doesn't. At this rate he's putting himself before the club.

As Bayern fans say "We made a good decision in hiring Van Gaal , we made an even better one when we decided to let him go".

 

[RedDevil-85]

Same tactic against Southampton?!!?

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

for fecks sake

 

[jem]

AND "to be fair" if we seriously expect to be in the CL positions at the end of the season we have to start playing our players where they are best. I felt sorry for LvG during the injury crisis but he has no excuse now … this is just stubborn idocy!

No argument here.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

If Falcao buried that chance he had it would've been a pretty decent half.

 

[ratburger]

Falcao, Rooney, Di Maria, Mata: not a single goal.
Even Liverpool have managed a goal, and Chelsea are 4-nil up against Swansea.
Embarassing.

 

[#07]

No confidence that we'll win the game if we carry on like this. Our form over the last five games is indicative of where we're going right now: downwards. Van Gaal's blind devotion to 3-5-2 baffles me. We can't get enough people around and in front of the ball when we attack, and ironically when the wing backs go forward we're left light in defence and so are vulnerable to counters. This is as bad as anything we have seen this season and reminds me of last season. QPR look comfortable and probably feel, like Southampton, that if they keep absorbing our aimless attacks and trying for breaks that they can win this. A month ago I thought we could win the title, right now Europa League next season looks like it might be the best we can hope for.

 

[sunama]

Bloody hell why are we making things so hard for ourselves?

Its almost as if we are able to win games too easily.
So, as a challenge, LVG has been told to try winning games, by playing our players out of position, with a formation which is not suited to our players.

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

Starting to see the gripes and concerns that Bayern fans had with LVG, the difference is at least he'd won a title and took them to a CL final before the issues really appeared, we're only half way through the fecking season.

 

[Needham]

Seems like stubbornness for stubbornness' sake.

You've just defined stubbornness.
Relax, Walshy. Good things will flow in the second half.

 

[kouroux]

The sequence with so many passes that led to nothing and them having one pass and that dangerous shot from Austin says it all. We are crap and we have a coach who sees nothing, it is crazy and stupid when you think about his CV as a coach.