[Revan]

Giggs How much we all miss him playing!

 

[SteveJ]

Tyler ~

(Arsenal goal) "Wonderful...outstanding...superb..."

(United goal) "S'alright I suppose. *sniffs, kicks stone*"

 

[langster]

Can't believe all the negativity here. Well, I can, it's the match day thread.

Great first half of football. Much better from United, yes they have been sloppy at times, but overall, a far better performance and far more incisive and direct. A really good first 10 minutes with some good chances and great individual skill from a few of our players.

Di Maria has put in some very tasty balls and made some great runs, not perfect, but far better than he has been recently. Rooney has been excellent and scored a great goal. The game has been played at a great tempo too and has been really entertaining.

Obviously it hasn't been faultless and mistakes have been made (by both sides) but it's been a million times better than some of the one dimensional, slow, lethargic, back to front passing displays we have had for a while, and the displays everyone has been moaning about and asking for quicker tempo and more attacking football.

Come on United!

 

[Jazz]

That Ryan Giggs goal still gives me goosebumps…. so incredible…….

 

[Walrus]

Is Rafael really SO out of favour that he isn't worth giving a chance? Valencia has been poor.

I am surprised that so many people are criticising Fellaini; he and Rooney have been the ones causing Arsenal problems.


I would take Herrera off, who isn't doing fantastically well but moreso because he is on a yellow.

 

[MDFC Manager]

His yellow card is the worry.

That will make the decision to sub him off even easier. Blind is overloaded in midfield and Herrera hasn't offered him much support

 

[DomesticTadpole]

I wish people would make their minds up, either it is great we are pressing or others are saying they should show discipline and not press.

 

[Revan]

Keown

 

[Theonas]

Decent half. It was good that we equalised so soon after the goal.

Our defence is concerning me though. They are getting sucked out of position quite easily and it is creating a lot of space for Arsenal. We are also commiting a lot of bodies forward which is also creating space for them.

I think we should think about subbing Young as well. He hasn't had to much of the ball but he has been poor with it.

I think Arsenal can do this to any defense that is not sitting deep though. They simply have a lot of quality and it is clear that Van Gaal doesn't us to sit deep at the back but press and control possession so as long as we don't master this possession game, we will always be vulnerable to talented teams like Arsenal.

 

[christinaa]

I think we're playing very well and tactics are good tonight.

 

[El Zoido]

I've seen that goal hundreds of times and will never get tired of it.

 

[Shyftyy]

I wish people would make their minds up, either it is great we are pressing or others are saying they should show discipline and not press.

Not too mention that normally during the season possession is boring and now we need to show more control .

 

[Hed Zitin]

I wish people would make their minds up, either it is great we are pressing or others are saying they should show discipline and not press.

Well if Carrick is on the pressing is over.

 

[shivab]

Herrera has been indisciplined. i expect he would be taken off. Fellaini helps us but there are many times when there are open spaces and he never runs into them. always wants it to chest or feet. too immobile for my liking.

 

[stu_1992]

Decent stuff so far. Di Maria has looked better. Good goal for Rooney. Terrible defending for our goal.

 

[Señor]

I wish people would make their minds up, either it is great we are pressing or others are saying they should show discipline and not press.

I don't think anybody has a problem with the pressing, it's just we need to be a lot more intelligent going about it.

 

[mazhar13]

I am hoping that we keep Herrera. He's been getting more influential going forward, and he's contributed to us getting our danger men on the ball and keeping our attacks going. If he and Blind are going to play aggressively, however, we will need Carrick to come on in place of Fellaini to hold the fort. I don't know if Blind is playing aggressively by instruction or on his own accord, but he needs to stop dragging himself out of position.

 

[Ballache]

I wish people would make their minds up, either it is great we are pressing or others are saying they should show discipline and not press.

Some people are never happy, I think we have been good in the first half and their goal was due to a moment of magic from Ox.

 

[Hoof the ball]

My issue is that we have too many players that aren't technically adept. Guys like Valencia, Young, Fellaini, etc. On their good day, they're brilliant, but on an average or poor day they don't have the basic technical skill to cover the basic passing expected of them without an expected chance-costing pass.

It always seems like it's a matter of time.

 

[Theonas]

I wish people would make their minds up, either it is great we are pressing or others are saying they should show discipline and not press.

Weird isn't it! For this specific game, it might be better to sit deep as we aren't yet perfect at this pressing and possession style but long term, I want to see us pressing and we simply have to accept that there will be bumps along the road.

 

[Shane88]

Keown: "I'm surrounded by United fans, for Christ sake!"

He's rattled.

 

[Sassy Colin]

Keown said he might be a little bit biased

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

Been suitably impressed so far (compared to the dross we've been served up recently) need to, dare I say it, keep the ball more while at the same time being creative … hmmmmm dilemma

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

"Maybe I'm a little bit biased" says Keown. No, you're an utterly biased twat.

 

[Manchie]

The goal is Di Maria's fault as much as Valencia's . He was doing nothing there

 

[JPRouve]

Is Rafael really SO out of favour that he isn't worth giving a chance? Valencia has been poor.

I am surprised that so many people are criticising Fellaini; he and Rooney have been the ones causing Arsenal problems.

Rafael is too rash. hihihi

 

[Sam]

My issue is that we have too many players that aren't technically adept. Guys like Valencia, Young, Fellaini, etc. On their good day, they're brilliant, but on an average or poor day they don't have the basic technical skill to cover the basic passing expected of them without an expected chance-costing pass.

It always seems like it's a matter of time.

Very true.

Arsenal's basic technical ability, throughout the team, looks on another level to ours.

 

[Will Singh]

Fellaini is the only player who is in on all the action

 

[Cassidy]

The defending... sigh. For some reason Herrera looks like hes playing with the shackles on.

 

[mazhar13]

I don't think anybody has a problem with the pressing, it's just we need to be a lot more intelligent going about it.

Exactly. The players have been too gung-ho in their pressing, not caring about how to orient and position themselves and when to try and win the ball. Everybody's just following one man and getting dragged around too easily. There have been several instances where we've organised ourselves well and won the ball well in midfield or out wide, but we need to do this more often. We need more disciplined pressing and not some wild, loose approach.

 

[Fortitude]

He was aimlessly wandering in central midfield earlier on though, as well. Di Maria will naturally give the ball away a lot - it's part of his game - and Valencia should surely be able to compensate by not playing so high up the field all the time.

He's not up against some mug on that side of the pitch, he's got Sanchez haring into the open space and that's going to make most fullbacks nervous even with the double-team!

Valencia has gone walkabout across the pitch a few times, yes, but I think the majority of his 'bad' positioning has been caused by Di Maria doing nothing on the defensive side of the play.

 

[Randall Flagg]

Jones is on

 

[Sam]

Jones and Carrick?

 

[Dobba]

Keown is a little bit biased in the same way World Wars 1 and 2 were a bit of a pain in the arse

 

[Walrus]

Rafael is too rash. hihihi

I accept LVG doesn't fancy him but surely he is worth at least a chance?

 

[RedMachine03]

Jones and Carrick coming on

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

Carrick and Jones on. Wasn't expecting that.

 

[SuperiorXI]

Arsenal matches should be this way, edge of seat stuff.

 

[Señor]

Carrick and Jones on for Herrera and Shaw.

 

[JakeC]

Hmm, wonder what's going on.