PL L FA Premier League

Manchester United 0:1 Arsenal

Post-match discussion


Sun, 01 November 2020

Asger

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Two players, AWB and Shaw killed us in this game. How an earth are United, team that wants to be a top team with those two as their starters??? In a diamond system you can't have two defensive fullbacks.
 

James Peril

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It was another drab game. Don't think any side really did enough to say they deserved the win, and Arsenal with all of their possession did not pose a lot of threat, and neither did we do enought to deserve a goal.

In the end the pen decided the game from another pathetic game by Pogba.

Mike Dean was shut as well.
Arsenal had 4-5 chances and deserved their goal, albeit from a penalty in the end. For an away team coming to Old Trafford, they will be very happy with this showing. As would we away to Arsenal at the Emirates, or Everton or any semi decent team really. Hit the bar from Willian, Lacazette «sitter» just before the touch from Lindelof in the box, Aubameyang’s shot outside the right post (their biggest), his sliding effort from Bellerin early on, Sako’s header totally unchallenged.. they were well worthy of a goal.
 

The Irish Connection

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Utterly depressing this lack of consistency, and Liverpool back to the top of the table.

Woodward and the glazers are the root cause. Imagine having Partey and sancho in our side today. Partey, a reasonable release clause.
 

TrueRed79

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That was so bad i am at a loss for words. tumescent, boring and unacceptable. Shite tactics, shite subs and very bad game management. That result has me very worried. Lose to Everton and Ole is in big trouble i reckon.
 

NewGlory

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Ole gets a lot of credit for results vs. PSG and Leipzig, respectively, but there's commonalities to these kind of games. I'd argue that it isn't so much an Ole tactical masterclass as it is absolute naivety on the part of his opponents. For eg. An aggressively high line versus an Ole team that relies very much on its countering and transition from deep is asking to be beaten. Leipzig paid the price for trying to squeeze us into our own half. PSG, to a certain extent, were equally as naive, and so Ole walked out of those two games vindicated.

But Chelsea and Arsenal? They weren't so naive. Didn't play so recklessly, and rightly understood that when you get numbers behind the ball versus a team like ours it's going to give us a much more difficult game. Smaller opponents have already proved this this season. We have the individual quality to break down sides that sit back and ask us questions, but I honestly don't believe Ole has any answers to those questions. His job is largely reprieved by sporadic moments of counter-attacking success versus teams that throw caution to the wind.
I pray to God to give me the confidence of a man that thinks he is a better tactician than Tuchel and Nagelssman. Poor naive souls, if only had they consulted with you! Jose, come out of hiding - we recognized you!

The difference between those games and this one is that our players played like SHIT. And Pogba crapped his pants. If he didn't, we could have scored a late goal, instead of gifting penalty to Arsenal, and Ole would be a genius for absorbing Arsenal's attacks + getting us 3 points. In football margins really are that thin when playing against tough opponents. One mistake can cost you the match. Unfortunately, Pogba managed to make a very dumb one.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Utterly depressing this lack of consistency, and Liverpool back to the top of the table.

Woodward and the glazers are the root cause. Imagine having Partey and sancho in our side today. Partey, a reasonable release clause.
They paid 50m for Fred, gave Matic a longer contract, think McTominay is the next United great.
 

Andersonson

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First defeat at Old Trafford to Arsenal in the last 15 years. Well done Ole. Like Moyes did, he's breaking some records now. The wrong records. Even Moyes didn't lose to this lot ffs.

Far better team than Arsenal my ass. Not creating anything on your turf, only looking to counter attack like minnows and can't deal with their press. Yeah, we have the far better players but they have the far better manager.
Calm down. Jesus christ the whining...

Yes we played badly this posts is just piss Poor.
 

mustaine

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A few notes.

We looked bad, no ideas and generally lost for a huge chunk of the game.

Two standout performers, bad ones that is, Pogba and McT. Both horrible, at least one of them works hard, didn’t help him today though.

Taking Bruno off is madness, doesn’t matter if he sucks for 80 minutes, he can still come up with the goods. Probably our only player with that quality in a game like this.

How bad are our players at set pieces? We actually have Luke Shaw taking them. He might hit a decent cross every now and then but it’s baffling to see him banging in corners and free kicks.
 

NewGlory

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This leader/men business. I don't see anyone in that Arsenal side but I saw a side who knew exactly what the manager wanted and had been coached to carry it out.
Keane always exaggerates. We know that, but your praise of Arsenal is even more over the top. Give me a f...ing break. What did Arsenal do that was so great? Had Pogba not gifted them penalty, they were every bit as boring as us.
 

FrankDrebin

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Much like Jose before him, Ole is now scared of letting this United team off the leash.

Why is that ? Why are we so conservative with the talent we have at our disposal ?
 

James Peril

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I'm a massive supporter of Ole but even I have to admit that he has us playing like cowards in the league this season.
The same goes for PSG and Leipzig, although the first game made sense - even though PSG fielded a really weak midfield. And what did we really do against Leipzig before they waived the white flag and invited us to the luxury of counter attacking football? One interception and quick pass to Greenwood, we didn’t create anything against an established defensive unit. We do well when our star players dig out their best, we create very little as a team, from set patterns or obvious moments of «ah, that’s something they have practiced in training».
 

Withnail

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People can talk about tactics and formations til they are blue in the face but the simple fact so we weren't up for it and they were.

Top teams follow up an excellent mid-week CL performance with a good showing at the weekend. This is something we need to learn to do and fast.

It's all well and good covering every blade of grass on a Wed night but it's worth feck all if you're second to everything on Sunday.
 

Rightnr

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People can talk about tactics and formations til they are blue in the face but the simple fact so we weren't up for it and they were.

Top teams follow up an excellent mid-week CL performance with a good showing at the weekend. This is something we need to learn to do and fast.

It's all well and good covering every blade of grass on a Wed night but it's worth feck all if you're second to everything on Sunday.
This is your opinion, which is wrong, and is nothing sort of a fact.
 

MrBest

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U cannot blame the board or Ed for that. It is bamg on Ole. Bad management, why Mctominay stayed on or even started, how Pogba played the full 90 mins is beyond me, Lindeloff and Maguire are not the right CB pairing, we need Tuanzabe pace. Ole literally manages like he is in football manager, he wins and he keeps the same formation, he looses he makes a few changes. He takes no consideration to the fact we actually have a very very good set of 12 to 14 players. That midfield should boss things. Keep Pogba on the bench, he don't deserve to play ahead of VDB. Ole out!
 

DomesticTadpole

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Oh, give me a f...ing break. What did Arsenal do that was so great? Had Pogba not gifted them penalty, they were every bit as boring as us.
So it would have been another boring 0-0 draw. We were never going to score in a month of Sundays. If he had taken Pogba off when he should have done there might not have been a penalty. His subs today were mind boggling.
 

Cpt Negative

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Oh, give me a f...ing break. What did Arsenal do that was so great? Had Pogba not gifted them penalty, they were every bit as boring as us.
This. Neither team created anything in the game. They were fortunate that Dean let a few tactical fouls go before getting his cards out.

pogba shouldn’t be allowed any where near his own penalty area... or pitch for that matter
 

MalibuKen

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Utterly depressing this lack of consistency, and Liverpool back to the top of the table.

Woodward and the glazers are the root cause. Imagine having Partey and sancho in our side today. Partey, a reasonable release clause.
I'm tired of this argument.

Please name a player in the last 5 years that after we've purchased them from another club have gotten better?

We've seen how Sancho looks when he's playing under a clueless manager in Southgate, why should we expect anything different here?
 

RRCE

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One thing that really struck me today, and it isn’t a new thing, is the staggering lack of movement off the ball. Our players are so static, it’s unbelievable. It makes progressive passing, which we struggle with to begin with, even more difficult. where are the players making runs and presenting for the ball? Where are the options for the player in possession?
 

Devil77

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Much better than Chelsea so some progress IMO. No need to panic. Ole will turn it round. Back him 100%
Funny. I thought we were much better vs Chelsea. Today we didn’t create anything. To be fair, neither team did but a brain fart from Pogba made all the difference.
 

NewGlory

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So it would have been another boring 0-0 draw. We were never going to score in a month of Sundays.
Maybe. Or maybe 1:0 would have been ours. We were starting to look better in 2nd half. Either way - I agree with you that Keane exaggerates with his men/leader shit, but Arsenal were not any better than us today. feck Arteta. The only thing he was today, was - being lucky.
 

gerdm07

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We can't play a diamond against a good PL team and the reason is we do not have dangerous attacking full backs and we do not have a really good DM that can destroy and distribute.

- Has Fred reached his peak?
- Not very good games from Fred, Bruno, Pogba, and Lindelof. 3 out of 4 are midfielders which is a problem
- Still would like
 

amsoUG

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I can't believe we were so poor after the game vs. RB Leipzig.

The whole game was so frustrating, but I don't know how it was possible that we couldn't even think of an offensive play in the last 10 minutes. Just hoofing the ball and that's it.

Pogba staying on the pitch was a terrible decision, too.

It was not the team which played in Paris and against Leipzig.

What happened?! And how come is playing Arsenal at home so difficult for us?!
There was no space to run into, for our young forwards who are still developing. Martial and VDB would've been influential against Arsenal's 10 man low block.
 

Utd heap

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Have we ever had a worst footballer than Fred?

It defies belief he gets paid to do this.
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

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Maybe. Or maybe 1:0 would have been ours. We were starting to look better in 2nd half. Either way - I agree with you that Keane exaggerates with his men/leader shit, but Arsenal were not any better than us today. feck Arteta. The only thing he was today, was - being lucky.
You’re crazy. They were much the better team.
 

glazed

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But Chelsea and Arsenal? They weren't so naive.
You could say Ole's biggest vulnerability is over-familiarity. When he first came in he was an unknown quantity and won well. Then got found out. Brought Bruno in and went on another run. Then got found out. Brought in his diamond which worked in Europe. But against teams that know him back to front it won't wash.

We just need to be tactically more sophisticated. A year ago I would have said that means an intensive high press, but I think it's now too late to chase that fashion. We need to restructure top to bottom towards the next big thing, whatever that might be.
 

amsoUG

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How is it possible to play like we did vs PSG and Liepzig and so trash vs Chelsea and Arsenal especially Arsenal they are terrible themselves!
Martial brings a lot to how we play - he would have had a field day with those Arsenal centre backs.
 

Ace of Spades

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Arsenal had 4-5 chances and deserved their goal, albeit from a penalty in the end. For an away team coming to Old Trafford, they will be very happy with this showing. As would we away to Arsenal at the Emirates, or Everton or any semi decent team really. Hit the bar from Willian, Lacazette «sitter» just before the touch from Lindelof in the box, Aubameyang’s shot outside the right post (their biggest), his sliding effort from Bellerin early on, Sako’s header totally unchallenged.. they were well worthy of a goal.
No they did not, half assed chances does not mean you deserve to win a game. They will be happy with the win, but the showing was average. Yes they hit the bar, so did we. Lacazette 'sitter', that never actually fell to him. Auba's shot which he missed, about worth as much as the chance by Greenwood that was stopped. Sliding effort that did not even reach him, and if Sako's missed header should deserve a goal, then Maguire effort should as well.

Again, does not matter how you dress it up, neither team deserved a goal, as neither team did enough to really get a goal apart from some half chances. That is not enough to say one team deserved to win over the other when both were very average. This was very similar to the Chelsea game, only no one made any moronic decisions in defending in the that game.

Hell, we could have had a pen as well, and Arsenal were fortunate to finish the game with 11 players. A close boring game overall, but nowhere near did we get battered to say that Arsenal deserved to win, but they did not deserve to lose either.
 

Hoof the ball

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I pray to God to give me the confidence of a man that thinks he is a better tactician than Tuchel and Nagelssman. Poor naive souls, if only had they consulted with you! Jose, come out of hiding - we recognized you!

The difference between those games and this one is that our players played like SHIT. And Pogba crapped his pants. If he didn't, we could have scored a late goal, instead of gifting penalty to Arsenal, and Ole would be a genius for absorbing Arsenal's attacks + getting us 3 points. In football margins really are that thin when playing against tough opponents. One mistake can cost you the match. Unfortunately, Pogba managed to make a very dumb one.
Superb tacticians have the capacity for naivety. Their courage in their ideology, to dictate the terms on the field can sometimes play into the hands of teams with very specific strengths. In our case, we are far more effective when teams push higher and take the game to us, leaving vast spaces for Rashford, Marial and co to run into, than when teams conservatively operate on the offensive transition and ensure more lines of depth in their own half.
 

Hoof the ball

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You could say Ole's biggest vulnerability is over-familiarity. When he first came in he was an unknown quantity and won well. Then got found out. Brought Bruno in and went on another run. Then got found out. Brought in his diamond which worked in Europe. But against teams that know him back to front it won't wash.

We just need to be tactically more sophisticated. A year ago I would have said that means an intensive high press, but I think it's now too late to chase that fashion. We need to restructure top to bottom towards the next big thing, whatever that might be.
Perhaps so. Employing a diamond means the full-backs are your sole provision of attacking width, but when those full-backs have no good instinct for attacking with any effectiveness, it just makes the diamond.......dull?
 

Bocca9978

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I’m still confused by this game.
We were shite, Arsenal were better yet they only had one more shot than us and that was the penalty.
 

b20times

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Just not good enough. Looked on blob against Leipzig and flat as a witches tit tonight.
Jekyll and Hyde all season.
 

Player Ratings

4.8 Total Average Rating

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Lowest Rated Player

Compiled from 316 ratings.

Score Predictions

215,13,40
  • Man Utd win
  • Arsenal win
  • Draw

Detailed Results

  • 22% Man Utd 2:0 Arsenal
  • 22% Man Utd 2:1 Arsenal
  • 13% Man Utd 3:1 Arsenal
  • 11% Man Utd 3:0 Arsenal
  • 9% Man Utd 1:1 Arsenal
  • 3% Man Utd 0:0 Arsenal
  • 3% Man Utd 1:0 Arsenal
  • 3% Man Utd 2:2 Arsenal
  • 2% Man Utd 1:2 Arsenal
  • 2% Man Utd 4:0 Arsenal
  • 2% Man Utd 3:2 Arsenal
  • 1% Man Utd 4:1 Arsenal
  • 1% Man Utd 5:0 Arsenal
  • 1% Man Utd 0:2 Arsenal
  • 1% Man Utd 4:2 Arsenal
  • 0% Man Utd 5:1 Arsenal
  • 0% Man Utd 0:1 Arsenal
  • 0% Man Utd 5:2 Arsenal
  • 0% Man Utd 1:3 Arsenal
  • 0% Man Utd 0:3 Arsenal
  • 0% Man Utd 0:4 Arsenal
  • 0% Man Utd 0:5 Arsenal
Compiled from 268 predictions.
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Match Stats

  1. Man Utd
  2. Arsenal
Possession
53% 47%
Shots
8 7
Shots on Target
2 2
Corners
6 3
Fouls
12 12

Referee

Mike Dean