Our attack was absolutely toothless and lacking any sort of purpose and imagination. Bruno was extremely wasteful and both Rashford & Martial were a pair of headless chickens.
LC L League Cup Semi-Final
Manchester United 0:2 Manchester City
Post-match discussion
Wed, 06 January 2021
What the feck is our set piece defending. It’s comical and a lot of the blame falls on Maguire.
Am I the only one that things we weren’t terrible?
Beaten by a better team ultimately.
Beaten by a better team ultimately.
I hope i am wrong, but i think this. I would love to be wrong come May.
I want to know how come Maguire wins every header when we have a corner and can never do anything with them? Every other side he's played for he seems to bury these chances, and us, nowhere near. Bizarre.
City were better tonight.Very entertaining first half though.
Absolutely impotent performance. Captain Mouse once again proves he's got no place in this team and yet Martial gets the lowest rating from this game when service and tactics were so poor that even if everyone's darling Cavani was playing, he'd not have done much better.
Yeah the decision making definitely needs some serious work but it will improve in time I am confident about that
When is the penny ever going to drop with Ole on our set piece issues, that must be double figure goals conceded this season and all in the same damn sloppy manner.
The problem is that your otherwise saying we are only verified to have success at this club if we have the best team in world football. PSG / Madrid have been a fantastic example in recent years before Zidane that the best players means nothing if they don't play as a team. The only individual for creating a cohesive team is the manager.
We did not lose this game because city have a better set of players surnames on paper, we lost this game because we failed to impose ourselves as a team. Semi finals is SOLSLJAERS ceiling, Bayern have shown that yes a manager does make the difference when the players underperform under one coach and are winners with another. I'm not campaigning for Ole to be replaced but this narrative of blame the players when we lose and praise the manager when they win is unevenly distributed.
Rashford was off it today, but reading some of the posts here makes me think I've been watching a different player lately. Poor for the last three games? Not good enough?
Guy's been nearly as dangerous as Fernandes over the last month or so. His finishing is going to click any day now, just like his dribbling already has. He'll hit 20 league goals this season.
This was an even game until another shite set piece concession gave the best defence in the league the opportunity to invite United to unlock it. Surprisingly, it didn't happen. No big deal, keep the knees in check.
Fernandes was due an awful performance, now let's hope he gets a rest at the weekend so he can get right back to it.
Guy's been nearly as dangerous as Fernandes over the last month or so. His finishing is going to click any day now, just like his dribbling already has. He'll hit 20 league goals this season.
This was an even game until another shite set piece concession gave the best defence in the league the opportunity to invite United to unlock it. Surprisingly, it didn't happen. No big deal, keep the knees in check.
Fernandes was due an awful performance, now let's hope he gets a rest at the weekend so he can get right back to it.
No real mystery, every City player worked their asses off while the usual suspects for ud didn't.
Games like this really show how lacking Rashford and Martial in doing any defensive work to help the team.
Games like this really show how lacking Rashford and Martial in doing any defensive work to help the team.
City looked very good. We didn't and had a few below par performances. It was tight enough. Not too disappointed with this match in isolation.
This match just highlights how far we have come and how far we still need to go. There is no point blaming anyone for the loss, our players did put in the effort (they where sloppy at times) but they tried, City just had more quality and it showed.
We do need to find a top DM and a RB comfortable with the ball, the RB doesn't have to be outstanding just someone capable with the ball. We cannot keep playing Fred and McTominay against the top sides and compete with them in a game. We need a top DM and Grealish more than any other position, our midfield might seem the position with the most quality in the squad but it's also the most unbalanced as it doesn't allow us play on the front foot. Grealish should bring the ball magnet we need in the middle of the park.
On a final note although they where poor in this match, I just want to point out we shouldn't really blame Martial and Rashford too much because the midfield did not really get them involved in the match. They had very little time on the ball and it was clear the plan was to hit City on the break which they seem better prepared for this season. If we had more possession and worked on isolating Rashford with Zichenko we probably would have got something out of the match.
Ole and the coaching staff have done well to get us to this point but now we need to evolve and transition to a top team, as well as the transfers suggested above, they should work on us getting more comfortable in possession and being less direct. We don't necessarily have to lose our ability to go direct in games but it shouldn't be our only option against the top teams any longer.
We do need to find a top DM and a RB comfortable with the ball, the RB doesn't have to be outstanding just someone capable with the ball. We cannot keep playing Fred and McTominay against the top sides and compete with them in a game. We need a top DM and Grealish more than any other position, our midfield might seem the position with the most quality in the squad but it's also the most unbalanced as it doesn't allow us play on the front foot. Grealish should bring the ball magnet we need in the middle of the park.
On a final note although they where poor in this match, I just want to point out we shouldn't really blame Martial and Rashford too much because the midfield did not really get them involved in the match. They had very little time on the ball and it was clear the plan was to hit City on the break which they seem better prepared for this season. If we had more possession and worked on isolating Rashford with Zichenko we probably would have got something out of the match.
Ole and the coaching staff have done well to get us to this point but now we need to evolve and transition to a top team, as well as the transfers suggested above, they should work on us getting more comfortable in possession and being less direct. We don't necessarily have to lose our ability to go direct in games but it shouldn't be our only option against the top teams any longer.
When players dont make basic errors that are so obvious that its not coaching.
One thing I noticed was the absolute desire and drive to press and win the ball back from Citeh. They fairly won and were the more dangerous team. Rashford and Bruno both look tired. Tony is low on confidence and taking too many touches or passing up a shot. Hopefully it lights a fire and we can go all out for the league.
The biggest I've seen from this side (which I've seen in the past) is how Ole becomes reluctant to make tough choices when the going gets tough. Despite my concerns with the selection, I understood why Ole went with it at the start, and in the first half, we were evenly matched despite not necessarily having as much finesse as City did.
In the 2nd half, however, City took more control due to our overall sluggishness. Bruno was being wasteful on the ball with his forced passes. There were so many instances where the City players dropped off, and he still attempted to play a first-time through pass instead of settling on the ball or force a cross (deep or otherwise) into the box despite having the time to turn and play off of others. Rashford started off well but got worse; instead of maintaining his composure, he got more frustrated and started to force things more, too, and that contributed to both his physical and mental fatigue. Martial and Pogba were both heavily involved and tried to combine, but Rashford got closed down way too easily, and Bruno kept trying to force things. Ultimately, we lost it, mentally, and it showed in the end.
This match looked destined to go either way, but City scoring off of the free kick made the players lose their heads. Ole should have acted on that by taking out players who worsened afterwards. However, instead of removing Bruno and Rashford, he kept them on, and their influence was waning as the half wore on. Donny on for Bruno, and Greenwood on for Rashford would have helped.
Oh well, that's another semi-final lost. Let's see how the team responds against Watford.
In the 2nd half, however, City took more control due to our overall sluggishness. Bruno was being wasteful on the ball with his forced passes. There were so many instances where the City players dropped off, and he still attempted to play a first-time through pass instead of settling on the ball or force a cross (deep or otherwise) into the box despite having the time to turn and play off of others. Rashford started off well but got worse; instead of maintaining his composure, he got more frustrated and started to force things more, too, and that contributed to both his physical and mental fatigue. Martial and Pogba were both heavily involved and tried to combine, but Rashford got closed down way too easily, and Bruno kept trying to force things. Ultimately, we lost it, mentally, and it showed in the end.
This match looked destined to go either way, but City scoring off of the free kick made the players lose their heads. Ole should have acted on that by taking out players who worsened afterwards. However, instead of removing Bruno and Rashford, he kept them on, and their influence was waning as the half wore on. Donny on for Bruno, and Greenwood on for Rashford would have helped.
Oh well, that's another semi-final lost. Let's see how the team responds against Watford.
Really are some apparently amazingly tactical minds on here.
If only they had been hired
If only they had been hired
Terrible negative football.
If Ole truly is the long term answer in the eyes of the decision makers, then we are totally fecked.
If Ole truly is the long term answer in the eyes of the decision makers, then we are totally fecked.
He wasn’t but everyone is entitled to an opinion. Pretty sure he was also caught by Fernandinho. They clash knees but no doubt he’s trying to buy the pen there which was quite annoying but people saying he was terrible then we weren’t watching the same game. Hold up play was great brought others in to play and was setting us away on the attack. Not to mention his closing down and positions he took up to stop the passing lines were spot on. Really if you see all those things and the only conclusion people can come to is he was awful then god help us.
I have expected a defeat therefore i'm not disappointed
To write something right now in the "Ole out" thread is wrong but my opinion "Solskjaer is not good enough to bring us to the next level" will not change (Another semi-final defeat supports my opinion) and the quality + mentality of our most players is currently not enough either for titles.
To write something right now in the "Ole out" thread is wrong but my opinion "Solskjaer is not good enough to bring us to the next level" will not change (Another semi-final defeat supports my opinion) and the quality + mentality of our most players is currently not enough either for titles.
Where should I send my CV? I won the quadruple on Football Manager.Really are some apparently amazingly tactical minds on here.
If only they had been hired
In regards to United and City's chance of winning the league, I would say it is City's defense which is more settled than Untied's. Ruben Dias signing has done wonders for them. He settled in quickly and improved everyone around him, Stones got his form back.
Maguire still lacks that commanding presence.
Our midfield is arguably better than theirs with more depth as well. Both sides are I would say at par attacking wise. United do have more options. The real difference between the two sides are managers. Pep is ecperienced and knows how to win league titles.
So it really is City's settled defense and better manager which could make them clinch the title. In any case I think it will be between United and City. I really hope United can win. It will be the most satisfying title win ever.
Maguire still lacks that commanding presence.
Our midfield is arguably better than theirs with more depth as well. Both sides are I would say at par attacking wise. United do have more options. The real difference between the two sides are managers. Pep is ecperienced and knows how to win league titles.
So it really is City's settled defense and better manager which could make them clinch the title. In any case I think it will be between United and City. I really hope United can win. It will be the most satisfying title win ever.
People complain about the defence and it is warranted. However, what surprises me is the satisfaction with our forwards. Rashford and Martial both have to be among the club’s most overrated players of all time. This is not just a knee jerk post. Both seem to have been nailed on starters for years, and my assessment is based upon years of subpar, lacklustre performances.
Martial has been dire this year, in particular. But the guy is just not a natural finisher. If he can’t curl it in the far post with his right foot, he’s pretty useless.
Rashford is pacey and has good acceleration, but what else does he have? He’s ludicrously overrated. His decision making is poor. His finishing is absolutely suspect, at best. He’s not imposing in the air. His crossing is inconsistent. His attitude, for someone who apparently loves the club, is neither here nor there. I couldn’t care less if he breaks 20 goals this season, it’s about time he did with all the starts he enjoys. The amount of sitters or good one on ones he misses is considerable.
Cavani is the only Man Utd level attacker in the team and he’s old. Despite that, he gives more every single game than either of the aforementioned and knows how to score. Juxtapose the overrating of Rashford and Martial with the underrating of Cavani and it makes for good, deadpan comedy.
Martial has been dire this year, in particular. But the guy is just not a natural finisher. If he can’t curl it in the far post with his right foot, he’s pretty useless.
Rashford is pacey and has good acceleration, but what else does he have? He’s ludicrously overrated. His decision making is poor. His finishing is absolutely suspect, at best. He’s not imposing in the air. His crossing is inconsistent. His attitude, for someone who apparently loves the club, is neither here nor there. I couldn’t care less if he breaks 20 goals this season, it’s about time he did with all the starts he enjoys. The amount of sitters or good one on ones he misses is considerable.
Cavani is the only Man Utd level attacker in the team and he’s old. Despite that, he gives more every single game than either of the aforementioned and knows how to score. Juxtapose the overrating of Rashford and Martial with the underrating of Cavani and it makes for good, deadpan comedy.
He's class, isn't he? Wasn't sure what to expect but he looks so composed on the ball, reads the game really well and has the physicality and enough speed to cope.
United lost, now back to Capitol Hill!
They are a great team, we will get there.
He continuously lost the ball. Overall he couldnt hold it up. The fact your the only poster on here who thinks he had a good game speaks volumes. Obviously your a dyed in the wool Martial fan and thats fine. Cavani will hopefully take his place once he has served his last game.
And you call our manager a fraud ?
They were better than us - because Bruno, Rashford and Martial all had a poor game. If Bruno had been at his usual self, we could have won this
Why is it that when we loose a game we are back to being the worst coached team in the world? People do realise that losing games occasionally happens? City were better tonight but we didn’t play that poorly at all. The player performances threads are unbearable after a loss.
Totally agree.
Gary Neville said it best during the West Ham game a few weeks ago - our forwards half press, they half sprint to close the opposition down, but it's pretty ineffective. All the other top teams press better than us.
So no league title this season then?
Hopefully this result has put some context around expectations this season. Lots of cringeworthy threads on United’s “new found supremacy” and Ole’s genius
Hopefully this result has put some context around expectations this season. Lots of cringeworthy threads on United’s “new found supremacy” and Ole’s genius
We can pick over the bones of this all night, but it’s not all bad. It was the Carabou Cup, which is our best chance of a trophy, but it’s still behind the other three trophies in importance (although, personally, apart from the UCL qualification, I’d rather win that than the Europa League). We didn’t play that badly, we just lost to a better team. We’ve been kidding ourselves recently about being Title challengers and I think this game tonight highlights why, come May, we’ll be scrapping for top 4. We’ve nicked a few results recently that could have gone either way and have propelled us up the table, but in the long run, that will not do. BUT, as OGS said, we are much better than last year and I think he’s right. Unfortunately, we suffer from too much hype. We always have. It’s not good for the players and it’s even worse for the fans. We are not realistic Title challengers, Bruno is a good player, not Zidane, Figo and Scholes rolled into one as the media would have us believe and we are not going to fix this in a year or two. We are however making progress, but we need more players with fire in their belly. Players like McTominay are the future of the club and whilst people will sneer at this, Phil Jones is still only 28 and could have a massive part to play if he gets fit. Neither have the silky skills of the City midfielders etc, but they have fire in their belly, which is what we desperately need.
We’re still in 2 Cups and we should make top 4, so not all bad in the grand scheme of things.
We’re still in 2 Cups and we should make top 4, so not all bad in the grand scheme of things.
We limited their chances and had some of our own. It was set pieces again that hurt us with the first one falling squarely on Maguire. It’s a terrible loss only that the label of being bottlers in cup competitions firmly remains.
This result doesn’t mean we’re not going to win the league the same way the good form over Christmas means we are going to win the league.
Set pieces are really starting to frustrate me now. We seem to have at least a goal against on them every other game. Any corner or free kick within 30 yards of our box and I don't have confidence.
Overall City were the better team. We go again.
Overall City were the better team. We go again.
Come on...
Seems to have no confidence when Bailly isn't alongside him which worryingly Ole doesn't seem to see at all
Our pressing is disorganised. One (usually Bruno) runs flat out, one half sprints and the 3rd jogs and city play out.
it happened about 60 times in that game. We’ve done it all season but feck me we need to improve that. Bruno runs about 5 unnecessary miles per game.
Apart from that city just managed the small things better than us. Deserved winners but with a bit more composure up front we could have had one or two. Just one of those days when everything was slightly off.
Hope we rest everyone vs Watford do not care about that.
it happened about 60 times in that game. We’ve done it all season but feck me we need to improve that. Bruno runs about 5 unnecessary miles per game.
Apart from that city just managed the small things better than us. Deserved winners but with a bit more composure up front we could have had one or two. Just one of those days when everything was slightly off.
Hope we rest everyone vs Watford do not care about that.
Player Ratings
Total Average Rating
Highest Rated Player
Lowest Rated Player
Compiled from 241 ratings.
Score Predictions
136,44,27
- Man Utd win
- Man City win
- Draw
Detailed Results
- 38% Man Utd 2:1 Man City
- 10% Man Utd 1:2 Man City
- 10% Man Utd 2:0 Man City
- 9% Man Utd 1:1 Man City
- 8% Man Utd 1:0 Man City
- 7% Man Utd 3:1 Man City
- 4% Man Utd 0:2 Man City
- 3% Man Utd 2:2 Man City
- 2% Man Utd 1:3 Man City
- 2% Man Utd 2:3 Man City
- 2% Man Utd 3:2 Man City
- 1% Man Utd 3:0 Man City
- 0% Man Utd 0:0 Man City
- 0% Man Utd 0:1 Man City
- 0% Man Utd 2:4 Man City
- 0% Man Utd 0:3 Man City
- 0% Man Utd 0:4 Man City
- 0% Man Utd 0:5 Man City
- 0% Man Utd 5:0 Man City
Match Stats
- Man Utd
- Man City
- Possession
- 40% 60%
- Shots
- 11 12
- Shots on Target
- 2 4
- Corners
- 4 4
- Fouls
- 9 6
Referee
Martin Atkinson
Man Utd Lineup
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
replaced by Donny van de Beek
-
replaced by Mason Greenwood
-
-
