[Art]

Jose clearly not happy with his attacking players.

 

[ivaldo]

It really, really isn't. This has been prevalent for weeks (if not months) and I wish people could be more honest with themselves. We don't carve opens opposition teams and we are beginning to label difficult chances as some kind of open goal certainties. Even tonight, we didn't create an exceptional amount of chances. We miss one big one and suddenly it's all down to poor finishing. Granted, we've missed a lot this season, but game after game I'm reading the same things even in spite of rank performances in which we create few, if any, clear cut openings.

Only Liverpool and Spurs have created more chances than us this season, while we have one of the worst chance completion ratings in the league. So yeah, I'd say we are fine. Have a bit of context.

Teams score half chances, we don't. Teams score most of their clear cut chances, we don't. You don't need to create 10 clear cut chances to score goals, the only clear cut Chelsea had when beating Bournemouth 3-1 was a gifted penalty, but they convert their half chances, that's a massive difference.

Tonight we created 3 clear cut opportunities and scored 1, Anderlecht created none and scored 1.

 

[ivaldo]

It was in Sweden!

I'm having a mare here.

Erm, our name was listed first on the fixture list, ha!

 

[Yagami]

Leading in the tie, having the best home record in the competition and the best players will be more than enough to see us through. I expect it to be comfortable, have a little faith!

I really do wish I could be as optimistic as yourself but, even in our glory days, I've always been a bit of a pessimist. I just can't help it.

Be optimistic for the both of us!

 

[ivaldo]

I really do wish I could be as optimistic as yourself but, even in our glory days, I've always been a bit of a pessimist. I just can't help it.

Be optimistic for the both of us!

I'll do my best!

 

[J-Stander]

Fine result. Are these really gonna score 2 or beat us at OT? No chance.

 

[Kag]

Only Liverpool and Spurs have created more chances than us this season, while we have one of the worst chance completion ratings in the league. So yeah, I'd say we are fine. Have a bit of context.

Teams score half chances, we don't. Teams score most of their clear cut chances, we don't. You don't need to create 10 clear cut chances to score goals, the only clear cut Chelsea had when beating Bournemouth 3-1 was a gifted penalty, but they convert their half chances, that's a massive difference.

Tonight we created 3 clear cut opportunities and scored 1, Anderlecht created none and scored 1.

I could be completely wrong, but I think our form at the back end of last year skews that statistic. This calendar year, the football has been largely poor, we've been struggling to score goals and there has been numerous games in which we've barely created a bean. I take your point regarding half chances, but a lot of the clear cut chances many people are claiming we miss, tend to be exactly that: half chances.

Teams like Liverpool and Spurs tend to relentlessly batter the opposition goal - with arguably worse players. They tee up open goals from six yards out and welly them home. We don't, not really. Right now, we're not remotely creative or dynamic enough in attack. For me, it's down the manager to sort it out, and he's failing badly.

 

[Will Absolute]

Negative stuff on here.
That was very close to an ideal European away. On top throughout, away goal, fairly comfortable, should have scored more.
Late goal is a blow, but we're still massive favourites here!

1-1 away from home amounts to: no advantage to either side, go again.

That's a acceptable result against an Arsenal, City or another team on our level; a good result against Real, Barca or Bayern; but a bad result against a much inferior side like Anderlecht. The outcome of one game is more dependent on chance that the outcome of two.

 

[beingshe7don]

Either Jose was high or he was watching a different game because Martial's performance cannot be compared to Rashford's performance. Despite being is a great position, Martial gave the ball away cheaply.

 

[The red panther]

Fine result. Are these really gonna score 2 or beat us at OT? No chance.

They better not, it would be the single biggest embarssement in my fecking lifetime as a United supporter.

I think we will manage to get through to the SF but in general I'am fuzzed with the quality of our football and the decisions being made by the manager. I really worry that the quality we have won't be enough to win the EL even if we get to the SF. Anderlecht is probabbly one of the weakest teams still in that competition, if we play like this versus some of the other teams it could go very bad for us, we really need to step up big time if we want to win this damn thing and we must if we still want to salvage our season.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

They better not, it would be the single biggest embarssement in my fecking lifetime as a United supporter.

I think we will manage to get through to the SF but in general I'am fuzzed with the quality of our football and the decisions being made by the manager. I really worry that the quality we have won't be enough to win the EL even if we get to the SF. Anderlecht is probabbly one of the weakest teams still in that competition, if we play like this versus some of the other teams it could go very bad for us, we really need to step up big time if we want to win this damn thing and we must if we still want to salvage our season.

What are you? 2 years old?

 

[beingshe7don]

Fine result. Are these really gonna score 2 or beat us at OT? No chance.

Our performances at OT haven't been stellar this season, so I wouldn't be all that optimistic. You can't take Anderlecht lightly.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

1-1 away from home amounts to: no advantage to either side, go again.

That's a acceptable result against an Arsenal, City or another team on our level; a good result against Real, Barca or Bayern; but a bad result against a much inferior side like Anderlecht. The outcome of one game is more dependent on chance that the outcome of two.

Eh.. No.. How could you think that's true? You do realise home advantage is an actual, real phenomenon? With statistics to back it up?

 

[MrSingh2002]

Jose needs to realise Rashford, Ibra, Mkhitaryan and Lingard aren't Ronaldo, Benzema, Ozil and Di Maria. He needs to change the gameplan. Leaving those 4 to it as an attacking force will never be enough without support and interplay between them.

 

[The red panther]

What are you? 2 years old?

Against Anderlecht is personal for me, I'am from Belgium and I hate that club more than any other club in the world. Seeing United lose that club would be utterly embarrasing for me.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

1-1 away from home amounts to: no advantage to either side, go again.

That's a acceptable result against an Arsenal, City or another team on our level; a good result against Real, Barca or Bayern; but a bad result against a much inferior side like Anderlecht. The outcome of one game is more dependent on chance that the outcome of two.

We have an advantage courtesy of the away goal + our home form in the EL has been good.

That's irrespective of the result being good or not.

 

[Will Absolute]

Eh.. No.. How could you think that's true? You do realise home advantage is an actual, real phenomenon? With statistics to back it up?

I don't know anything about football statistics, but I'd say 0-0 slightly favours the home team in the first leg, and 1-1 evens the odds. If the stats say differently, I stand corrected.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Against Anderlecht is personal for me, I'am from Belgium and I hate that club more than any other club in the world. Seeing United lose that club would be utterly embarrasing for me.

Fair enough. Because we've had far worse results than that would be, many many times in the past. But we'll win. You'll see. We're much better than them.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I don't know anything about football statistics, but I'd say 0-0 slightly favours the home team in the first leg, and 1-1 evens the odds. If the stats say differently, I stand corrected.

 

[The red panther]

Eh.. No.. How could you think that's true? You do realise home advantage is an actual, real phenomenon? With statistics to back it up?

That is true but this season we don't perform any better at OT than in our away games, I even think we got more points from away games. OT surely isn't an impregnable fortress like it used to be.

 

[jungledrums]

Disappointing not to have inserted at least two road trip goalshots.

 

[Ramshock]

Well what signs are there that it isn't ?

Has been going on since the start off the season and instead of getting better has been getting worse. We just can't fecking score and we keep drawing game after game after game...

It is extremely tiresome

Dont watch it then. Theres more drama on HBO you may like instead.

 

[DevilRed]

Feels like we are so close yet so far from breaking through. So wasteful of chances. If we had taken at least one of the other chances we would have a 2 away goal lead and effectively kill the tie.

Yet we concede on the other end due to more slack defending from fellaini.

I have no doubt we will run through them in OT, but we made this harder than it should be.

 

[Dante]

We'll win the return leg.

This result won't change anything about anything. The lineup and approach in our next games will be the same as it would if we'd won the tie.

We might be frustrated by the final score, but it's a slight lead all things considered.

1-1 away and no injuries is better than 1-0 and a niggle or two. The result might not be 'good' but it certainly isn't 'bad'.

Anderlecht and United's tactics haven't altered for next week.

 

[AdnanRED]

So typical again, I feel like sometimes we rush when we have the ball in the final third. Also not happy with the ref not giving Tielemans a well deserved yellow that would have seen him miss the next game with that challnege on Mkhi when Mkhi got a yellow for the same in the first half.

Pogba shoulda scored, Ibra shoulda scored before Lingaard hit the post, Jose was trying to win this without having to use Herrera and not really going into 4th gear, anyway bring on Chelsea.

 

[KristianMackle]

Desperately poor finishing comes back to bite us again. When is Mata coming back? I'm very confident about the return leg, I just wish we could've finished them off tonight!

 

[Will Absolute]

Raw stats can't necessarily be taken at face value in this case.

If, for instance, a sample of 100 European ties that finished 0-0 in the first leg are examined, and it's found that the outcome of 55% of those ties is victory for the side that drew away from home in the first leg, that has to be interpreted with caution.

The team that's good enough to get the draw away from home in the first leg is likely to be the better side in the first place.

 

[Vashu]

Decent enough result but we were crap yet again. If one were to ask where it's all heading I'd say that towards the summer transfer window. Those defensive subs though were dreadful.

 

[Chicharito_]

Either Jose was high or he was watching a different game because Martial's performance cannot be compared to Rashford's performance. Despite being is a great position, Martial gave the ball away cheaply.

Agree that it can't be compared I just think Jose is fed up now of no end product, he's seen promise and good performance with no goals and he is just getting bored of it and at this stage I don't think you'll find him praising a forward player who hasn't scored right now.

I thought Rashford was great though and his movement and shot did make our goal but Jose wants more and you can't blame him, it's been the story for the whole season and it's getting boring.

 

[No Idea For Nickname]

It was in Sweden!

It is home! For Zlatan

 

[Paxi]

Our chance creation is just fine. There's ample evidence proving it's our finishing that less us down. The Pogba chance and the Zlatan/Lingard should have both resulted in a goal, if we won that game 3-1 would you be telling us we struggle to create chances?

I'm not saying we don't create chances, we do. But we also feck so many attacking opportunities up it's ridiculous.

 

[Sentient Meat]

Well there goes Jose's theory that if you get the first goal... it opens things up and then you win 3-0. Still in the driver's seat but really wish they killed the series off when they had the chance.

 

[Vashu]

We're absolutely getting to the final on autopilot. Not because we're so good, but for the reason that there's significant lack of good in-form teams. Celta Vigo is, next to us, the second favorite.

 

[El Zoido]

Feels like we're treading water at this point. I do remember a time in the season where we looked to have turned a corner, and I can't exactly pinpoint what's gone wrong. I think Jose needs another summer to refine the squad. I'm really confident we have some excellent players, it may just take a couple of tweaks to unlock us. This game was depressingly familiar though. I'm sure we'll have enough to beat them at OT, but I'm not exactly confident we'll win the tournament playing like this.

 

[Sentient Meat]

We're absolutely getting to the final on autopilot. Not because we're so good, but for the reason that there's significant lack of good in-form teams. Celta Vigo is, next to us, the second favorite.

I just don't want them to have to travel to Turkey... too disruptive with the distance and all the terrorism concerns right now.

 

[Reggie74]

Expected when you play for the 1-0 result in the second half. We played well in the first half and got the required goal. We then come out from halftime and decide to play within ourselves and surprise surprise, concede a goal. It's been the norm this season and United wonder why they've played so many draws.

 

[surf]

The only one of the 4 away teams to avoid defeat, so the result does not look so bad in those terms.

 

[TMDaines]

Really good performance bar the finishing yet again. We give them a single chance with a defensive lapse and they bury it. We get half-a-dozen and make their keeper look man of the match yet again. The finishing in our team is horrendous. Quite the cold streak. I mean Jesus Christ look at this:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

You look at our team and it is genuinely difficult to put your finger on the problem. We are a top side but just cannot get the ball to go in the net even an average amount of times. Doubt we'll see a season like this for a long, long time.

 

[Offside]

Really good performance bar the finishing yet again. We give them a single chance with a defensive lapse and they bury it. We get half-a-dozen and make their keeper look man of the match yet again. The finishing in our team is horrendous. Quite the cold streak. I mean Jesus Christ look at this:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

You look at our team and it is genuinely difficult to put your finger on the problem. We are a top side but just cannot get the ball to go in the net even an average amount of times. Doubt we'll see a season like this for a long, long time.

Good first half and shocking 2nd half doesn't equate to really good.

 

[Jim Beam]

5-2 Galatasaray was a friendly

It's a home game against European opposition, it'll do....

It was in Sweden!

I'm having a mare here.

Erm, our name was listed first on the fixture list, ha!

Almost pissed myself.