[cheeky_backheel]

Why do people keep on saying this?

If you keep goals out you have a great defense

Cos defending requires that the opponent has the ball.

You are not defending when you have possesion of the ball.

 

[big rons sovereign]

I live in London.
The infection rates in London I believe are now the highest in the UK, but it is being kept in a lower Tier to ensure that all shops remain open and the economy keeps ticking over.
The picture below was taken last week, on Oxford St and you can see how busy it is. If only a few people have the virus, it'll spread rapidly.
If London wasn't a centre for commerce, we'd already be in T3.

The cynic in me says that it's tier 2 so bozzer and his cronies can have a nice lunch and keep the Westminster bars open. Nothing more.

 

[big rons sovereign]

3-1 City or 1-0 to us. Either way, I imagine. Depends which side of our Jekyll and Hyde personal turns up.

Or theirs.

 

[Red00012]

We’ll probably start badly, concede 2 or 3 then get a goal back. Not looking forward to this

Don’t bother watching so

 

[Water Melon]

Having some perspective and common sense makes you a troll? Yes we know the standards but this squad is not the finished article. No one is happy with CL exit but we had an absolute killer group. Our squad is still relatively young in comparison to our rivals. You have to take the ups and downs that come when you’re relying on 19 and 23 year olds in Rashford and Greenwood to lead your attack.

No squad ever becomes a finished article. Blood is renewed all the time. The minimum is to get the very best out of players at disposal, improve game by game, season by season. I see no big contribution of Ole's. Is he getting the best out of what he has at his disposal? Have Maguire improved, AWB, Dan James, Ighalo? I am actually grateful to Woody as he is still sanctioning purchase of players despite a worrying tendency of seeing the players lose their value under Ole. And yes, you have to rely on 19 and 23 yeard old ones, if you sold Lukaku and Sanchez. You have to rely on Maguire if you sold Smalling, and you have to justify spending another 100 million quid by actually improving your squad and their performance. So far, Ole has shown that he is a bottler. He has never shown that he has what it takes to manage a mid level European club let alone a top one being in disarray. He is a nobody in managers world, and I rate Okan Buruk's success more than Ole's. At least the fooker won it in Turkey with a new team against traditional big clubs of Turkey, i.e. Galatasaray, Fenebahce, Besiktas Trabzonspor etc. Ole has been in charge of hundred plus games at United, while still struggling to show any significant progress.

 

[Footy van de Geek]

City, when I've watched them recently, have been guilty of dominating games but not being clinical enough.

They should have battered Fulham and Porto.

If they aren't clinical today, we can take them on the break.

 

[mav_9me]

Not looking forward to this. Feel very deflated with the midweek result.

I'll obviously watch it...

 

[Red00012]

We’re winning here aren’t we

 

[Red00012]

Just read Paul Merson article he says Ole will be sacked if we lose . More chance of me taking over the job

 

[big rons sovereign]

No squad ever becomes a finished article. Blood is renewed all the time. The minimum is to get the very best out of players at disposal, improve game by game, season by season. I see no big contribution of Ole's. Is he getting the best out of what he has at his disposal? Have Maguire improved, AWB, Dan James, Ighalo? I am actually grateful to Woody as he is still sanctioning purchase of players despite a worrying tendency of seeing the players lose their value under Ole. And yes, you have to rely on 19 and 23 yeard old ones, if you sold Lukaku and Sanchez. You have to rely on Maguire if you sold Smalling, and you have to justify spending another 100 million quid by actually improving your squad and their performance. So far, Ole has shown that he is a bottler. He has never shown that he has what it takes to manage a mid level European club let alone a top one being in disarray. He is a nobody in managers world, and I rate Okan Buruk's success more than Ole's. At least the fooker won it in Turkey with a new team against traditional big clubs of Turkey, i.e. Galatasaray, Fenebahce, Besiktas Trabzonspor etc. Ole has been in charge of hundred plus games at United, while still struggling to show any significant progress.

Yaaay, let's turn another thread into an ole bashing! What a novel idea.
We'll take the littlest thing, be it a throw away comment to a journalists question, a bad result or even a good one and use it as a stick to beat the manager with.
I find this is the best way to support my team, it just fills me with happiness.
Don't forget to add a bunch of baseless rubbish presented as fact otherwise you'll be at risk of looking foolish and could end up being labelled an 'inner'
Hated, adored, seemingly followed by legions of spoilt children....

 

[Water Melon]

Yaaay, let's turn another thread into an ole bashing! What a novel idea.
We'll take the littlest thing, be it a throw away comment to a journalists question, a bad result or even a good one and use it as a stick to beat the manager with.
I find this is the best way to support my team, it just fills me with happiness.
Don't forget to add a bunch of baseless rubbish presented as fact otherwise you'll be at risk of looking foolish and could end up being labelled an 'inner'
Hated, adored, seemingly followed by legions of spoilt children....

yaaaaaay, take a look at where it started. Enjoy the newbs.

 

[Kaos]

We win this and we'll be two points off the top of the league, which will probably compel the club to roll out a new contract for Ole, ugh.

 

[Samid]

................VS...................

Date - Saturday, December 12 2020
Kickoff Time - 1730 Hrs GMT
Venue - Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Game is at OT. Clueless McCluelesson

 

[pocco]

In typical fashion, I think we'll pick them off on the counter. Predicted 2-1. We'll drop points vs one of Sheffield United or Leeds then one of Leicester or Wolves.

 

[big rons sovereign]

yaaaaaay, take a look at where it started. Enjoy the newbs.

Good response. Well done.

 

[buckooo1978]

I live in London.
The infection rates in London I believe are now the highest in the UK, but it is being kept in a lower Tier to ensure that all shops remain open and the economy keeps ticking over.
The picture below was taken last week, on Oxford St and you can see how busy it is. If only a few people have the virus, it'll spread rapidly.
If London wasn't a centre for commerce, we'd already be in T3.

politics aside from a footballing perspective a few thousand fans would have given us a real lift tonight

Memories of that Derby back in early March

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Just read Paul Merson article he says Ole will be sacked if we lose . More chance of me taking over the job

Only reason I can think of why he would be sacked if we lose is if we are in love with Pochettino and got a scare from Madrid that we could have lost him

 

[Footy van de Geek]

politics aside from a footballing perspective a few thousand fans would have given us a real lift tonight

Memories of that Derby back in early March

Could put more pressure on players, as there's no way match going fans would be happy with some of the home performances dating back to July.

 

[Water Melon]

Good response. Well done.

Gotta work hard on getting to the mains. Some do it in less than 100 posts some in a thousand, some never. At least we all agree that the better posts you make, the sooner you are promoted. Same applies to managers. The better you are the more you are demanded, the more average you are, the lesser suitors you have. This is it from me to you. All the best!

 

[big rons sovereign]

Gotta work hard on getting to the mains. Some do it in less than 100 posts some in a thousand, some never. At least we all agree that the better posts you make, the sooner you are promoted. Same applies to managers. The better you are the more you are demanded, the more average you are, the lesser suitors you have. This is it from me to you. All the best!

Cheerio. Enjoy you're 11 points. One day I hope to be able to talk down to people from such a lofty height.

 

[Ramshock]

I feel like we are going to get twatted and the #OleOut mob wont need viagra tonight

 

[big rons sovereign]

I feel like we are going to get twatted and the #OleOut mob wont need viagra tonight

Win or lose will make no difference. This place has become unbearably toxic of late. It's a shame.

 

[Shark]

First time probably ever I'm not really arsed about a Derby. Win or lose we aren't going anywhere currently. Always a big step forward and than around five steps backwards.

 

[ForeverRed1]

Some fans on here are so fecked up. Get behind the fecking team or feck off. We are 2 points off Top (all games equal), not been in a position like this since fergie left. Beating City will give the Club a massive boost.

All the fans that want Utd to lose so Ole gets sacked are unreal.

makes me feel sick at how many ‘fans’ think like this! How the feck can you be a united fan and want city to beat us.. I have no idea. Under no circumstances ever ever ever should a fan want city to beat us. Especially when we’re actually ahead of them at the moment by only one point.

Bunch of jokers.

 

[Leftback99]

makes me feel sick at how many ‘fans’ think like this! How the feck can you be a united fan and want city to beat us.. I have no idea. Under no circumstances ever ever ever should a fan want city to beat us. Especially when we’re actually ahead of them at the moment by only one point.

Bunch of jokers.

It's pathetic. Before long they'll be saying it about the next guy.

 

[Ramshock]

Win or lose will make no difference. This place has become unbearably toxic of late. It's a shame.

"of late"

 

[Statue of Limitations]

A win here and the boo boys will be hard pressed to find something to complain about when they look at the league table.
We win this and our game in hand, yeah the title race is on then.

So hyped for this, Man City have smashed some poor teams but not looked too good otherwise, a big chance to put them in their place today, and we owe them for recent home defeats.

2-1 United with Bruno pen and Cavani winner.

 

[Giggsy13]

No squad ever becomes a finished article. Blood is renewed all the time. The minimum is to get the very best out of players at disposal, improve game by game, season by season. I see no big contribution of Ole's. Is he getting the best out of what he has at his disposal? Have Maguire improved, AWB, Dan James, Ighalo? I am actually grateful to Woody as he is still sanctioning purchase of players despite a worrying tendency of seeing the players lose their value under Ole. And yes, you have to rely on 19 and 23 yeard old ones, if you sold Lukaku and Sanchez. You have to rely on Maguire if you sold Smalling, and you have to justify spending another 100 million quid by actually improving your squad and their performance. So far, Ole has shown that he is a bottler. He has never shown that he has what it takes to manage a mid level European club let alone a top one being in disarray. He is a nobody in managers world, and I rate Okan Buruk's success more than Ole's. At least the fooker won it in Turkey with a new team against traditional big clubs of Turkey, i.e. Galatasaray, Fenebahce, Besiktas Trabzonspor etc. Ole has been in charge of hundred plus games at United, while still struggling to show any significant progress.

“No squad ever becomes a finished article.” A disclaimer, once you read that no need to read the rest.

 

[Footy van de Geek]

It's pathetic. Before long they'll be saying it about the next guy.

That would show they are consistent and don't have an agenda against Ole. They want what's best for their team. To some, that is a hiring a more qualified manager than our current one.

If I had even a 5% belief that Ole could beat City and then build on it, I wouldn't be so vocal about wanting him out. At this point, I would take losing 4 games on the bounce to get rid of him.

That's why debates exists. There are some who think the opposite. They genuinely believe Ole can turn this around. We can beat City and go on a run of wins, culminating in a title run.

Half glass empty, half glass full. That's life.

 

[Footy van de Geek]

A win here and the boo boys will be hard pressed to find something to complain about when they look at the league table.
We win this and our game in hand, yeah the title race is on then.

So hyped for this, Man City have smashed some poor teams but not looked too good otherwise, a big chance to put them in their place today, and we owe them for recent home defeats.

2-1 United with Bruno pen and Cavani winner.

Cavani isn't with the squad.

 

[DRM]

Just looking at the table...just 5 points off the top. I guess this is the closest we'll be

Enjoy it while it lasts lads.

As for today's game, really can't see anything other than a city win! 2-1 city

 

[Gasolin]

MEN starting lineup

That's a good team. As long as we don't lose the battle in the middle, we should win this.

 

[Gasolin]

That's why they will hammer us tonight. Ole has a tendency to disappoint when the fans have hope.

So why didn't he disappoint before against Pep? We still beat them many times.

 

[Water Melon]

“No squad ever becomes a finished article.” A disclaimer, once you read that no need to read the rest.

Do not read then. Well to add to your nonsense above, I can tell you another fact. Ole has never ever been famous for building a decent squad in top football. If anything, he struggled badly even in Championship after getting his team relegated down there, ultimately was sacked in the second tier English division.

 

[Gasolin]

I’d go the Jose tactic of keeping it tight and organised. Hit on the counter.

They like to have possession and playing too open suits them

It all depends, Pep has a tendency recently to fear us on the counter so he doesn't push up his team that much. So we need players in that pocket to transition the ball, not just counter. But yeah, if he believes in his double pivot, Pep will push up high and we can see how that plays out.

 

[Leftback99]

That would show they are consistent and don't have an agenda against Ole. They want what's best for their team. To some, that is a hiring a more qualified manager than our current one.

If I had even a 5% belief that Ole could beat City and then build on it, I wouldn't be so vocal about wanting him out. At this point, I would take losing 4 games on the bounce to get rid of him.

That's why debates exists. There are some who think the opposite. They genuinely believe Ole can turn this around. We can beat City and go on a run of wins, culminating in a title run.

Half glass empty, half glass full. That's life.

You want the next guy because you believe that everything will suddenly be great. When it's not you'll be stamping your feet for the next one because that one will definitely sort everything. Rinse and repeat.

 

[FujiVice]

This is either going to be 2-1 to us or 5-0 to City. United are so unpredictable.

 

[Red Royal]

That would show they are consistent and don't have an agenda against Ole. They want what's best for their team. To some, that is a hiring a more qualified manager than our current one.

If I had even a 5% belief that Ole could beat City and then build on it, I wouldn't be so vocal about wanting him out. At this point, I would take losing 4 games on the bounce to get rid of him.

That's why debates exists. There are some who think the opposite. They genuinely believe Ole can turn this around. We can beat City and go on a run of wins, culminating in a title run.

Half glass empty, half glass full. That's life.

Take losing 4 games on the bounce? Wow....

 

[Gasolin]

This is either going to be 2-1 to us or 5-0 to City. United are so unpredictable.

City is unpredictable as well. We are in 4 wins. As long as the belief is there, it should be fine.

 

[Raees]

#MUNMCI: DEAD MAN WALKING

For the first time in a long time, Manchester United sit above Manchester City in the table. Yet it is not necessarily a position which United fans can take comfort from seeing as how both sides have made rather poor starts to the season. This game comes on the back of an acutely harrowing 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig where Ole was outthought by Julian Nagelsmann and it has left many questioning his long-term future at the club.

City seem to have overcome their early season blip, and come to Old Trafford on the back of a 5 match unbeaten streak albeit against cannon fodder such as Burnley and Fulham and middle of the road European opposition such as Porto and Marseille. Their managers job seems safe, with Pep Guardiola secured as Manchester City manager until the summer of 2023 - although one has to question whether he has a genuine stomach for an elite level rebuild or does he just feel within his comfort zone there. One thing is for sure, a wounded United will prove a far stiffer test than their recent opponents and will need to be handled with due care and attention.

TAXI FOR TELLES (UNITED DEFENSIVE ANALYSIS)

With the signing of Alex Telles, the Red Devils finally took a step towards modernisation by signing a defender who is more reknowned for his attacking prowess rather than his defending. Whilst that can be applauded, one has to wonder when there were superior more balanced options available this summer in the form of Ben Chilwell and Serge Reguilon, why on earth were United so content with letting players of that quality go to their direct competitors? Not only do these two players have more dynamism and pace, better dribbling/ball carrying ability but defensively they are less suspect with superior tackling/intecepting/pressing metrics.

This is particularly relevant as Man City's most inform wide attacker is Riyad Mahrez, who seems fully acclimatised to life in Manchester and has become the driving force in this rather lacklustre Manchester City side. In the game against Tottenham, Reguilon made 10 ball recoveries, 3/3 tackles, 3/3 Clearances, 3 blocked crosses rendering Mahrez ineffective and the worst performing attacker of the Man City forward line. Therefore does the return of Shaw from injury tempt Ole into going safety first or does he take the gamble of Telles being caught out in return for a superior threat on the counter.

UNBALANCED (UNITED OFFENSIVE ANALYSIS)

In a rather unsurprising stat, 45% of United's attacks have come down their left hand side this season. The club has simply failed to build a functional attack down the right side of the pitch since arguably the departure of Nani, with a series of botched signings combined with endless tactical buffonery.

Why is this particularly prevalent, going in to the Manchester Derby? well it is quite clear that the Citizen's are particularly weak down the left side of their defence. Benjamin Mendy with his measly 6 tackles and 1 interception all season, not to mention his dire 25% tackle success rate when being dribbled at, is trailing in the wake of the likes of Cancelo and Walker who have had to battle each other for spots in the first team (34 & 28 Tackles/Interceptons respectively).

Against RB Leipzig, United's inability to attack down the right and exploit the uber-aggressive positioning of Angelino proved to be a key reason behind their inability to mount any attacks of substance, and it seems likely that it will be the case again on Saturday unless Solksjaer either gambles on young Uruguayan Pellestri - who in his brief glimpses so far, looks very comfortable on the right side albeit with a tendency to want to join the play inside or put Rashord out on that flank and let him use his pace and unpredictability to give Mendy nightmares. Putting Mata there, or Greenwood... is more likely to play into City's hands as Mendy can usher them into central areas rather than engage them in 1 v 1 duels.

If Cancelo plays on the left, then it is a different story and it will be difficult to see any of United's options down the right getting the better of him. But does Pep neutralise Cancelo's attacking threat down the right and hinder Mahrez' ability to be the match winner by prioritising defensive stability or does he go for the jugular, acknowledging United rarely offer a threat down that flank and gamble on Mendy.

WILL JOHN STONES KEEP HIS PLACE? (MAN CITY DEFENSIVE ANALYSIS)

One of England's heroes from the 2018 World Cup was John Stones. At that stage of his career, his future looked extremely bright having overcome harsh media criticism about his over-indulgence in possession and his error-proneness in general. In 2018/19, he would go on to make 20 league appearances, as City went on to win the Premier League. The following season, the errors had returned and Stones found himself displaced by the likes of Fernandino and Otamendi - the ultimate insult in the absence of mainstay Laporte.

English football had pretty much forgotten about him and Gareth Southgate no longer selected him for national duty, with no appearance since 2019. Yet there are signs of a renaissance, with him having displaced Laporte at the heart of the defence and excelling albeit against cannon fodder such as Fulham and Burnley. In midweek against Marseille, Stones came on as a injury substitute early into the game and when the French side were all hands to the pump, it was Stones who kept them at bay with one sliding block to deny Valere German denying what was an almost certain goalscoring opportunity.

The concern for Pep is, does he risk Stones new-found confidence against a wounded Manchester United? Well if Cavani remains doubtful, it is probably worth sticking Stones in as on paper, he seems a decent match up for the flailing Anthony Martial. But if the Uruguayan starts up top, his rugged presence, aerial ability and aggressive pressing might mean he's the tactical kryptonite for the young Englishman.

SHIFTING THE TRIANGLE IN MIDFIELD (MAN CITY OFFENSIVE ANALYSIS)

One of the main reasons City are not as potent nor as aesthetically pleasing as yesteryear is the shift from a upwards facing triangle to a downwards facing triangle in their centre of midfield. Pep has morphed into Jose Mourinho or rather Jurgen Klopp, by prioritising work rate and defensive solidity over chance creation and territorial advantage in the attacking third.

Liverpool, realising that they needed to add new weapons to their midfield in deeper areas invested in Thiago and in his absence they have developed the supremely talented Curtis Jones. City who started the season by pairing the ageing Fernandinho with Rodri at the base of midfield eventually tried to go back to their old method of two advanced 8's against Tottenham yet were burnt badly, with Spurs picking them off on the counter.

Since then, City have gone back to utilising a double pivot which has given them more defensive stability but one cannot help but feel an upgrade is needed for Gundogan if the 4-2-3-1 formation is to truly yield the results the Sheikh's crave as well as the entertainment. Against United, a potent counter-attacking force - the double pivot in theory seems a good idea but as Nagelsmann proved, this United side can be outplayed by brave courageous teams and tend to start slow... perhaps Pep should grab the bull by the horns.

KEY TACTICAL BATTLES

Mahrez v Telles/Shaw

If Cancelo starts ahead of Walker, then City's right flank looks devastating. It is one of the most scintilating flank pairings in the current game and United will need to keep their wits about them. 3 at the back, with Shaw and Telles operating in tandem does not seem a bad idea (assuming the rest of the team is not as negative as it was against Leipzig).

Jesus v Maguire/Lindelof/Tuanzebe

Maguire does not seem a great match up for Gabriel Jesus. He has been fortunate in that most of his games against the Citizens has involved him coming up against Aguero who does not have the same ability to unsettle and move elusively as he did in his prime. Pep needs to be bold here and give Jesus the best possible chance of succeeding, thus a front three of Sterling, Jesus and Mahrez is City's best bet of running this United defence ragged. United are advised to call up Tuanzebe, who stylistically represents a better match up against the slippery Jesus.

De Bruyne v Fernandes

Arguably the most in form CAM's in the EPL come head to head in this clash. Bruno has continued where he left off from last year, scoring 7 goals (all inside the box and even a header!) with 67% shot accuracy. Whilst he is lagging behind in assists, 4 to De Bruyne's 6 and is generally looser in possession (losing the ball 24.8 times per game and a passing accuracy of 76%) - he has created more chances during the season and is more influential in terms of crosses from open play and even defending. It must be noted however that De Bruyne has visibly started to look leaner and meaner the past few weeks and it would not be a surprise to see this comparison skew more in his favour by the end of the season.

Piece I done on the game... Really think anything can happen here - tough one to call.

https://www.pythagorasinboots.com/m...chester-city-premier-league-preview-12-12-20/