[Mentality Monsters]

A really poor performance, but looking at the line up, not unexpected.

With the absence of Rashford and Cavani, as well as Sancho and Varane not being picked, this was an inferior team that lined up last season. Add in a midfield of Matic and Fred, I never felt confident of getting a win.

The bigger issue going forward is midfield. If we don't bring someone in to hold that midfield together, then Ole can forget this 443 formation. Playing two in midfield means Cavani, Rashford, Greenwood, Sancho and Martial (no great loss with him to be honest, he needs to go) playing for just two positions. McFred are shoe ins, as is Fernandes. I can't see Ole dropping Pogba so he'll occupy the left as he can't be trusted in midfield, so there's essentially two spots up for grabs. The team from midfield through to attack is so unbalanced, and a lot of it stems from not having that one player capable of sitting in there and doing a job.

I also think it's pretty damning that Ole has been in the job now as long as he has and if he was asked what his strongest 11 was tomorrow he still wouldn't know. That's great when your team has strength in all areas, but ours doesn't.

 

[Stig]

Am I the only one who thought that Fred had a really good game ?

 

[Infra-red]

Am I the only one who thought that Fred had a really good game ?

Yes. Even Fred's mum doesn't think he had a good game.

 

[U.N.C.L.E]

Outsmarted on the pitch.

Outsung off it.

 

[noodlehair]

Another example of a knee jerk reaction. Clearly Sancho isn’t fully fit yet, as half the squad isn’t. Second game of the season him being on the bench doesn’t make him a luxury option. Come on now, don’t be daft.

We didn’t play well today, looked like we are still building up our fitness. I’ll take that we didn’t lose. Keep building and see how this team develops. Already 4pts better off than at this stage last season, and again after a very short preseason.

It's not a knee jerk reaction. I don't think Ole has a clue what he is doing.

What other manager in the world, after seeing their team win 5-1 with Sancho, Cavani and Rashford still in reserve, sits there and thinks "what I really need to do is immediately put Anthony Martial back in the team"?

Do you think this is a good indicator of someone who knows what they are doing? If Sancho is not match fit how would Martial be? And why is he changing the attacking line up after a 5-1 win to accommodate an unfit player who the last time he was fit didn't justify getting near the starting line up anyway? Was 5-1 not good enough? Has Martial some Messi level of ability that the rest of us and apparently Martial himself are unaware of?

Last season Ole provided repeated evidence that he does not understand his own team and is incapable of picking the correct team or making the correct changes to amend for his own errors, and decisions like this give me a perfectly reasonable indicator that nothing has changed. It took him an hour to figure out what anyone else could have figured out before the game.

Why would you, as a person who watches every man utd game due to being their manager, decide to lump Matic into your first choice midfield, in a high intensity league, against a pressing opponent, who you have already been caught out before trying to play Matic in midfield against?...and then even after 70 minutes of the game during which this has inevitably caused a quite obvious issue for your team, still not recognise this and waste your chance to rectify it by subbing the other midfielder off and actually in doing so make the situation much worse?

This is the sort of thing you do not see managers of City, Liverpool, Chelsea, etc. do, and those are the teams and managers we are expecting Ole to compete against.

It is not a knee jerk reaction because it's the same nonsense Ole was getting up to repeatedly throughout last season. If he thinks he needs Sancho less than Martial, and also feels he needs to start Matic, then he should have focused on signing a fecking midfielder rather than another forward to missmanage

 

[Dan_F]

I have to be honest, I thought we were decent enough in the first half to be winning comfortably. Even up till 70 minutes it was fine and I was confident we’d score.

At that point we fully lost control, missed passes, sloppy control. From basically everyone bar Pogba. I’m not really sure that’s on Ole. It’s should be an absolute bare minimum that we can pass the ball around without giving away possession in the middle of the pitch continuously.

 

[Ole'sattheWheel]

I thought we looked knackered from minute 75 on, same to the Leeds game actually. Only difference was we scored 5 goals by that point so it didn't matter.

To be expected with our preseason, wouldn't be surprised if we were like that next game too

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Lets be honest, it's standard after a high scoring win for us. Second gear if not first all game. Who have we got next? Marching on and all that.

Wolves away.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Yes. Even Fred's mum doesn't think he had a good game.

You know Fred's mum?

 

[Crimson King]

Mutually exclusive.

McFred can do a job, sometimes. I'd like us to get a real quality pairing, obviously, but if it's not going to happen then he needs to figure something else out with what he already has.

 

[FatTails]

As a one off yes…. But it was the accumulation of so many draws last season that prevented us being genuine title challengers

Yes I agree with that. The game looked so similar to many of our games last year.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

McFred can do a job, sometimes. I'd like us to get a real quality pairing, obviously, but if it's not going to happen then he needs to figure something else out with what he already has.

It is like you need one of them with someone else, they work fine together against a gungho team like Leeds, but do not add anything creatively against a pressing more defensive team. As long as the someone else isn't Matic.

 

[Stookie]

I’m just gonna put it down to one bad game caused by a change of players. Many more of them and we’ll be out of it by the end of November if we’re not careful. Should absolutely be beating teams like Southampton if you’re going to challenge for the league.

 

[abailey123]

This has to become a one off result. You’d rather it this early on in the season than later on in the year. Enough with nursing Sancho and varane in now. Both need to start next week.

 

[antohan]

Was it any different to the same game last year?

The only obvious difference is last year we brought on last-minute-panic-buy-Cavani and discovered we needed an actual proper centreforward probably more than Sancho. This time we actually brought on Sancho and conclusion is pretty much the same.

No idea why McTominay didn't start, the other two make him look like peak Roy Keane.

Speaking of... annoyed at how our players just let Romeu and Stephens rough them up at every turn. It's not just up to the ref, you just shouldn't put up with that shit. No fire in their belly, absolutely none.

 

[fps]

Martial played and we weren’t great? Who knew. On to the next match.

 

[Coops73]

Proper gutted with that result today, we have a real chance to get some momentum with the way the games are panning out for the likes of city, Chelsea etc.

really poor first 10 minutes, then we recovered and looked dangerous, then we seemed to have a brain fart. Defence looked shakey at times, maybe having Varane on the bench gave Maguire and Lindelof the fear.

For me Matic was really poor and why Fred came off instead of him I have no idea.

Pogba was ok and glad Greenwood got another, all be it, scrappy goal, gotta have them as strikers sometimes.

Would like to see Sancho start the next game as Martial offers nothing at the moment and I can’t wait to get Cavani back.

 

[Dike_Manc]

All this game does is show our weakness is midfield, and we need Varane to start

Yes but for who? Maguire was awful and if you watch the Leeds game closely you will see much of the same.

 

[Shane88]

I don't think it's a one-off. To be facing one of the league's lesser lights and create absolutely nothing in the final 20 minutes when we're supposedly desperate for a winner is hugely worrying.

 

[Will Singh]

Let’s hope this is our 6-1 vs Spurs moment and Ole has learnt he’s lesson….

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

I don't think it's a one-off. To be facing one of the league's lesser lights and create absolutely nothing in the final 20 minutes when we're supposedly desperate for a winner is hugely worrying.

We weren’t desperate for a winner. Ole didn’t mind the draw. He’d take that over risk losing chasing the winner. Opposite of Fergie.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Was it any different to the same game last year?

The only obvious difference is last year we brought on last-minute-panic-buy-Cavani and discovered we needed an actual proper centreforward probably more than Sancho. This time we actually brought on Sancho and conclusion is pretty much the same.

No idea why McTominay didn't start, the other two make him look like peak Roy Keane.

Speaking of... annoyed at how our players just let Romeu and Stephens rough them up at every turn. It's not just up to the ref, you just shouldn't put up with that shit. No fire in their belly, absolutely none.

McTominay was carrying an injury. Think he was a doubt for the Leeds game but actually played.

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

Let’s hope this is our 6-1 vs Spurs moment and Ole has learnt he’s lesson….

He’s been here for 3 years. I don’t think he is ever going to learn his lesson.

 

[nainaisson]

There's a silver lining to this game is if it convinces us to buy a new central midfielder and send Matic to the limbo in which Phil Jones currently resides. I saw enough "I'm Finished" performances from him last season to know this result was coming.

 

[Infra-red]

I’m just gonna put it down to one bad game caused by a change of players. Many more of them and we’ll be out of it by the end of November if we’re not careful. Should absolutely be beating teams like Southampton if you’re going to challenge for the league.

Games like this will keep happening throughout the season, just like they have every season under Solskjaer.

Overall, we'll do OK and should be good enough for a top 4 finish.

 

[Martialfc]

I despise Fred and all his being. I actually hate the bloke. He’s my new Jesse Lingard. I can’t stand watching him week in week out. I have gone from watching the class acts of Scholes and Carrick to this muppet. We will never ever ever get even close to the league without an upgrade in CM. I was looking forward to this game all week now I’m depressed.

 

[Will Singh]

He’s been here for 3 years. I don’t think he is ever going to learn his lesson.

That’s why I said hope, I have to agree with you that he ain’t learn’t as we see the same mistakes too regular. He’s decision making is poor and inexperienced.

 

[Oldyella]

Yes but for who? Maguire was awful and if you watch the Leeds game closely you will see much of the same.

Agreed. He's looked shakier than Lindelof so far.

 

[noodlehair]

That’s why I said hope, I have to agree with you that he ain’t learn’t as we see the same mistakes too regular. He’s decision making is poor and inexperienced.

Problem is 3 years should be experience in itself.

If you spent 3 years getting stung trying to collect honey, you'd have figured out how to not get stung by now. Ole is still there sticking his arm straight into the nest and being surprised when it hurts

 

[Leftback99]

Was always going to be a tricky game with them well up for it in front of their fans.

Still despite pretty much the whole team bar Pogba being really poor we deserved a win on the balance of play.

Expecting more frustrating games like this this season when we still have a glaring weakness in centre midfield.

 

[The Brown Bull]

Depressing return to reality after the euphoria of the Leeds game. Simply not good enough today to beat a side that will seriously struggle to stay up.We will do well to finish 4th.

 

[littleman]

Thinking back to the match, a couple of comments:

• Pogba did a good job, shifted from LW to LCM to pivot.. held the ball well, played forward appropriately and ultimately his close control got us the goal.
  
  
• Bruno was mostly ineffective, I think we need to figure out how to get him involved in play when we're not playing 100 mph.
  
  
• Matic has been declining. Today he distributed the ball decently, but cracked when pressured, didn't provide sufficient defensive cover and also took way too much touches and slowed down play. Usually you'd still count on him to bring the ball out progressively and keep it well, but today was not the day.
  
  
• Martial likes ball-to-feet too much and is not providing a focal point to the game.
  
  
• Greenwood did well with the goal but also failed to provide a focal point at CF.
  
  
• Only Cavani provides a focal point. When Rashford plays up front, we don't get a focal point but at least we get runs.

Our best XI requires Cavani

 

[G-manc]

So frustrating and the sort of game any serious title contenders would win at a canter.

Saints are aggressive but have little quality. We were and have always been poor against any sort of press and most of the encouragement Southampton were given was self-inflicted with stray passes. We always give teams a chance.

Wan Bissaka, Maguire and Matic were all awful. Matic should be left to come on as a sub to see a game out or league cup games.

If VDB can't get a game now then he never will.

 

[Dike_Manc]

It's not a knee jerk reaction. I don't think Ole has a clue what he is doing.

What other manager in the world, after seeing their team win 5-1 with Sancho, Cavani and Rashford still in reserve, sits there and thinks "what I really need to do is immediately put Anthony Martial back in the team"?

Do you think this is a good indicator of someone who knows what they are doing? If Sancho is not match fit how would Martial be? And why is he changing the attacking line up after a 5-1 win to accommodate an unfit player who the last time he was fit didn't justify getting near the starting line up anyway? Was 5-1 not good enough? Has Martial some Messi level of ability that the rest of us and apparently Martial himself are unaware of?

Last season Ole provided repeated evidence that he does not understand his own team and is incapable of picking the correct team or making the correct changes to amend for his own errors, and decisions like this give me a perfectly reasonable indicator that nothing has changed. It took him an hour to figure out what anyone else could have figured out before the game.

Why would you, as a person who watches every man utd game due to being their manager, decide to lump Matic into your first choice midfield, in a high intensity league, against a pressing opponent, who you have already been caught out before trying to play Matic in midfield against?...and then even after 70 minutes of the game during which this has inevitably caused a quite obvious issue for your team, still not recognise this and waste your chance to rectify it by subbing the other midfielder off and actually in doing so make the situation much worse?

This is the sort of thing you do not see managers of City, Liverpool, Chelsea, etc. do, and those are the teams and managers we are expecting Ole to compete against.

It is not a knee jerk reaction because it's the same nonsense Ole was getting up to repeatedly throughout last season. If he thinks he needs Sancho less than Martial, and also feels he needs to start Matic, then he should have focused on signing a fecking midfielder rather than another forward to missmanage

Agree wholeheartedly with all of that. Looking at the lineup I knew we were going to get absolutely nothing from Martial...low and behold that's exactly what you get. What was the point?
Ole is walking a tight rope with me and I'm losing patience with his ineptitude and delusions.

 

[RedPed]

In the grand scheme of things when the top 4 have taken points off each other early on, this will be forgotten but my only criticism is starting Matic and Martial when we had better options. We would have won this game easily with Cavani. I just want a run of convincing victories, that's all. At least we didn't lose and I survive Last Man Standing for another week.

 

[Sandikan]

I’m just gonna put it down to one bad game caused by a change of players. Many more of them and we’ll be out of it by the end of November if we’re not careful. Should absolutely be beating teams like Southampton if you’re going to challenge for the league.

It depends what you mean by "it".

Did you suddenly think we were going to be title contenders?

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

I, for one, am blaming that kit.

 

[pseudo_canadian]

Massively disappointed, spoiled my weekend.
Last week’s result looks irrelevant now.
Utter shit.
A bunch of pussies.
We do not have the grit anymore to be champions. Fecking joke.

Yes.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

Can't we just sack off this whole midfield and buy a new shiny one.

They can't play together, they can't play against a basic press or low block, they can't play through the lines and the best one we have to shove on the left wing because the rest are incapable of partnering him in the middle.

Literally the most important area of the pitch and we continue to be shit there.

 

[SinNombre]

Southampton (0.62) 1-1 (2.15) Man Utd

It is a bit of a freak result.

If we keep doing this rest of the season, we will be fine.