[MU655]

James goes down - no foul

Looks like nothing, to be honest.

 

[always_hoping]

So far so good, Ole in fairness to him has got his tactics spot on and the players fired up. City forced to mainly pop shots.

Loads of energy was used up in that half and United will do to keep that type of game going for 90 minutes.

 

[Rajma]

Championship teams would manage to put together more passes than we, simply unacceptable. However as always the plucky result will likely gloss over total lack of coaching. Hope you guys enjoy watching this on a consistent basis.

 

[The Brown Bull]

We could do with making one of those counter attacking chances count. Wrong option is being taken a lot.
City bossing possession but not creating a whole lot.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Bruno is the worst player on the pitch.

Martial gets a lot of criticism but I think Bruno is the one who needs benching and I would play Cavani and Martial both for a couple of weeks.

I can't think of a single thing Bruno has done well outside of the penalty which wasn't great either.

Yep let's bench that guy that's carried us. No what he needs is a few games off which should've been given weeks ago but now we can't afford to bench him because we have big games coming.

 

[lex talionis]

Narrative on here seems to be that we are getting battered. i don't see it myself.

Looking fairly decent, Shaw good, Martial is good. Henderson spot on. Bit sloppy passing but what's new there...

Both can be, and in fact are, true statements.

City are battering us, but we’ve looked fairly decent in defending their attacks.

 

[Sandikan]

We've been rubbish but i won't care if we can keep this result.

Baffling. We really haven't.

 

[SuperiorXI]

Getting battered?

It's the perfect away performance so far. We've had a few decent breaks and shots,. so it's not like we've smashed and grabbed either.

No chance are we getting battered. They're winning the passing, whoopie.

They haven't looked that dangerous and not had that many chances. We can let them pass it around the midfield all day. That's not getting battered.

 

[Random Task]

Robbie Earle always comes across strictly neutral in his analysis. A rarity for pundits these days.

 

[bsCallout]

that has to be poor coaching, no idea what they do in training but it's clearly not what city do

Look at City's midfield options, then look at ours. That is not training, that is personnel.

 

[tjb]

This is what has cost us in big games, our central midfield's inability to play on the ball. City's can hold off tackles, pick out passes and move the ball forward, yet people want to blame our attack.

 

[mitchmouse]

hate to say it but agree with souness - we look better with hendo in goal. but can't see him keeping clean sheet in this

 

[Stack]

Did you see how the team started? Clearly they were instructed to stay high.

They then sat back, do you think the coaching staff told them to do that?

What's your reasoning ?

The players were working the socks off when pressing but you can only do it at that intensity for so long before needing to breathe. Also a high press is only possible if you get the ball up the other end of the pitch. Too many of our midfield passes have been poor and so we havent been getting the ball well forward as much as needed. If the balls not in the City Def third we cant press high

 

[laughtersassassin]

That foul on James at the end. I only saw it once but was he not on the line so it should have been a penalty.

 

[Sandikan]

Bruno is the worst player on the pitch.

Martial gets a lot of criticism but I think Bruno is the one who needs benching and I would play Cavani and Martial both for a couple of weeks.

I can't think of a single thing Bruno has done well outside of the penalty which wasn't great either.

Just

 

[Rustyspider13]

We've generally been solid. We'd have more of the ball if Fred and McT had more passing ability. But we're out of options so they'll have to do. The forwards have been good, Martial discovering some form is good to see. That City bench is scary and we'll need a massive defensive performance to keep them out. I have hope that we can do it. Come on United!

 

[DOTA]

If they don't improve we should win this easily. Our average performance is a lot better than what they've shown so far.

 

[MattofManchester]

Fred and McTominay have broken almost every chance on the balm we've had with their God awful passing.

We seriously need better than them.

 

[Sandikan]

That foul on James at the end. I only saw it once but was he not on the line so it should have been a penalty.

The ref certainly bottled it didn't he.

 

[GifLord]

Keys on bein sports having a meltdown

 

[PoTMS]

I'm shit scared of Foden. You just know the cnut will score against us.

 

[SuperiorXI]

This is what has cost us in big games, our central midfield's inability to play on the ball. City's can hold off tackles, pick out passes and move the ball forward, yet people want to blame our attack.

Have to say towards the end of that half I was angry at how we couldn't get the ball and put some passes together. I know we're playing a top team but christ, Man United can't hold on to the ball for 5 minutes?

 

[SirMattlives]

Blaming Bruno is amazing to me. That pass to no-one near the end after a break away is one that would work fine if our receiving player, the intended one, had maintained position and not decided by default to go backwards rather than forward. Was that AWB?

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Championship teams would manage to put together more passes than we, simply unacceptable. However as always the plucky result will likely gloss over total lack of coaching. Hope you guys enjoy watching this on a consistent basis.

Let's all be miserable while winning a derby match. Why even be a fan...

 

[Fts 74]

Championship teams would manage to put together more passes than we, simply unacceptable. However as always the plucky result will likely gloss over total lack of coaching. Hope you guys enjoy watching this on a consistent basis.

Take it you'd prefer us to be losing

 

[dal]

I look in every position and think there player is better than ours.

There strength and quality in depth is stupid yet there manager has then working for the cause too.

Yet we are winning, we really need 2-3 quality signings in attack and midfield.

 

[DWelbz19]

At least the first 8 minutes were very good

 

[edgecutter]

Great to be leading, but there is a massive gulf of class between the two teams and it shows in the league table.

 

[SuperiorXI]

I'm shit scared of Foden.

He's an amazing young player, I'm with you if he comes on. He's having a great season as well.

 

[FrankDrebin]

that has to be poor coaching, no idea what they do in training but it's clearly not what city do

Without a doubt. There's acres of space between the defensive midfield duo of Fred and McTom and Bruno.

 

[TMDaines]

We’re not quite getting it right, but we’re half way there.

Michael Cox wrote an article for The Athletic this week, suggesting that Ole was broadly building a decent side at United, but Bruno and Rashford’s decision making in the final third has let us down in recent months. Again we see that today. Rashford had a chance to get a shot off and instead looked to play Fred in! Bruno overplayed too near the end of the half. Let’s get shots off when we have the chance,

Martial has offered more as the half has gone on. He will probably play most of the match now. I’d ask James to give me everything for 15 mins and then take him off, probably for Greenwood. I’d be also be tempted to being Matic into the double pivot, put Fred further up the field and put Bruno in the front three.

We’e been better in the last ten minutes at keeping the ball and getting breaks away. Still much room to improve though. City aren’t getting great chances, but they are exerting serious pressure.

 

[laughtersassassin]

Fred has got to be out of the starting 11 next season

 

[mu4c_20le]

Keys on bein sports having a meltdown

Sad thats how he tries to stay relevant these days

 

[Sunny Jim]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Is he really questioning the pen??

Wow

 

[SuperiorXI]

Great to be leading, but there is a massive gulf of class between the two teams and it shows in the league table.

It shows on the pitch as well to be fair. You can see the gulf in class even though we're 1-0 up.

 

[united_99]

Yeah I mean a Pep team would dominate possession against any team and midfield, let alone against McFred. We need a dominant midfielder with better passing and ball retention skills, but we already know this. Hard to blame Fred for something he just isn’t capable of doing.

 

[PoTMS]

He's an amazing young player, I'm with you if he comes on. He's having a great season as well.

Strange he's on the bench for this one.

 

[Baneofthegame]

Just feel Bruno he been very nonchalant with a lot of touches and passes.

Fred/McT haven’t been great either.

 

[2 man midfield]

We’ve been great, I don’t get the negativity. We’ve been solid at the back, restricted City to sod all, and held a threat on the break. And most importantly of all - it’s working!

Did people not watch us in the big games before? When have we ever dominated these games start to finish? Even under Fergie we’d be under the cosh for large periods - it’s a big game, you expect it.

 

[Teja]

I feel like all the whiners on the matchday thread need some banning from the Caf if we pull off a result today.

We've basically been playing the exact same way for the past two years against City and doing a good job at it and yet people complain non stop.