[Tom Cato]

I wonder what our first half stats are the past 20-30 games. My gut says its below average at best.

We're 20th in the Premier League. I wish we'd fire the manager and hire Conte.

 

[2 man midfield]

Can’t follow the game today - how have we been, any good?

 

[Denis79]

Villa will be kicking themselves how they aren’t winning this game by at least 2 goals. They look the team more likely to score. We’ve created hardly nothing in that half.

What game are you watching?

 

[Escobar]

Not really? Villa are making it difficult to find any space around their box, but we still had a few near misses. We've been fine

Villa making it difficult… wow, our standards really have dropped

 

[Superden]

if

Greenwood was our best player. Maguire was very good as was AWB. Fred was average as usual, great in defence but the guy can’t pass or compose himself.

If freds job is purely a defensive one, ie to harras the oppo and make tackes, then might as well stick a CB or even a full back in there...

 

[Rustyspider13]

Entertaining half. Created enough to lead, but not clinical. The goal should come eventually. Shame about Shaw's injury, hope it isn't anything serious.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Maybe not, stats wise. But watching the game, we did create many opportunities.

The only clear one has been the greenwood one to be fair.

 

[horsechoker]

If Ole doesn't take McFred off ASAP, I will drive the taxi to the airport myself. Totally unacceptable to be overconservative against Aston Villa and even less playing with such mediocre midfielders.

Whom would you bring on for both?

 

[M Bison]

Sancho will be on soon I imagine and wouldn’t be surprised to see pn

 

[Samid]

This is the type of game we're missing Rashy in. He would've had a field day on the left with the space.

 

[Siorac]

sorry for being a bit thick, but how can their expected goals be greater than the attempts on target?

Imagine a striker facing the empty net from five yards out but slicing it over the bar somehow. That is a shot off target but an xG of probably 0.95 or something.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Yep AWB going forward has been excellent considering he's by himself all the time.

I'd like to see Greenwood stay wide like he did when he came on against West Ham the other day. They're playing with wing backs too, so he'll get 1v1 opportunities.

 

[Smores]

Very much like the West Ham game, we're just taking every opportunity to shoot into bodies rather than picking out the threatening pass. If we're being honest Villa have been the most threatening but thankfully they're not taken their chances.

 

[M16Red]

You just knew Dean would blow bang on 4 minutes, despite the ball being out of play for 2 minutes of injury time.

Its starting to piss me off this, Ings was down for a bit, the goal keeper was fecking about and they were kicking the ball away.

Irritating

 

[No Idea For Nickname]

If Ole doesn't take McFred off ASAP, I will drive the taxi to the airport myself. Totally unacceptable to be overconservative against Aston Villa and even less playing with such mediocre midfielders.

So you are a taxi driver?

 

[Escobar]

Maybe not, stats wise. But watching the game, we did create many opportunities.

But not real chances, maybe some half chances or crazy shots from far out

 

[Denis79]

Can’t follow the game today - how have we been, any good?

Was nice to see us kick in gear early, I think we played well, some mistakes as always but not bad at all.

 

[Canagel]

We're not creating enough

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Martial's fault

 

[The Hilton]

We're 20th in the Premier League. I wish we'd fire the manager and hire Conte.

Let's just go full short term fc and hire Mourinho again

 

[Alvaro Maestre]

I often believe that bots come to this forum just to say we are playing shit. Great game by us so far, just missing the goals.

 

[Crimson King]

Maybe not, stats wise. But watching the game, we did create many opportunities.

We got into a lot of good positions that should have led to a goal or a big chance but we kept fecking it up with poor decision making.

Villa's big chances both came from defensive feck ups.

 

[RedSky]

Carrying an injured Shaw hampered the game for a while. But we looked better since Dalot came on.

McTominay needs to up his game and provide more. He's not touching the ball anywhere near enough for a midfielder, a passenger. Luckily we have Sancho and Cavani to bring on later in the game if we're still struggling and Villa did have a very good 1st half against Chelsea followed by a relatively poor 2nd half.

Villa had 3 decent chances, 1 gifted from Shaw not tracking back and falling asleep, 1 from a Maguire awful backpass to De Gea and 1 from a corner. Tighten up on our defending and they're really not creating anything. We just seem to gift the opposition decent chances with some relatively poor defending. While Villa always seem to have 7/8 players back in their box defending.

 

[Tom Cato]

There are some incredibly toxic people on redcafe lately, it's just astonishing.
City and Chelsea are doing feck all, 0 shots on target for the first half. Yet there are some posters here wanking over their "amazing setup" and "looking well organized".

We have 15 shots vs 4 for Villa (3 of them coming from individual mistake, not because Villa's coach outsmarted Ole), we've had much more possession and yet the same people claim that "Villa is dominating us".

I mean, c'mon. We should easily be 2-0 up already. We are winning this in 2nd half, and comfortably.

Fred needs to be replaced by VDB and Sancho needs to come on surely.

Manchester City are completely dominant, they're hardly allowing Chelsea to have the ball. All they've done so far is park the bus

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

Don't be ridiculous

This just shows your complete hyperbole. All or nothing and nothing in between.

Is that what your life is like, complete perfection in everything you do?

It’s not all or nothing though is it? It’s literally nothing. If we’d won the Europa last season & the FA cup the season before, whilst climbing up the league table, then maybe you’d have a point. We have won nothing in years.

Ole aside, we’re never gonna agree on that, but does it not alarm you how often we play shit? With the players we have we should be dominating games more often than not, yet we rarely ever do.

 

[laughtersassassin]

Persisting with a unnecessary Midfield combi to our detriment

 

[bond19821982]

15 shots and 3 chances in a single half isn't creative enough?

That 15 includes Fred's Hollywood shot as well. Just shows how stats are meaningless if you don't explain the context.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Should be 3-1 Villa. If you put any stock in xG Villa will be far ahead in this game. Very similar to Wolves and Newcastle in terms of instability of our play and opposition creating quality chances that they're not finishing. We'll be put to the sword eventually for it.

Come on. Sort it out.

 

[Fortitude]

Does lying down behind the wall work?

Can get you ushered on for loitering in some parts. Wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

So you are a taxi driver?

HGV driver

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

Greenwood looks the only player that is going to create something for us when he’s on the ball. All the others look like they are having an off day, particularly Pogba who’s been anonymous.

 

[wolvored]

Put VDB on for fred at least. Take Pogba off play Sancho maybe. Dalot not a lb so someone who will track back on the left is needed

 

[tenpoless]

Matic on for Fred
Pogba joins in midfield
Sancho on for Scott, playing on the left
Greenwood on the right

Please

 

[V.O.]

This commentator twat is ridiculous. Every time a Villa player goes down it's "Yehh, [United player] is claiming his innocence, but that's a foul for me." Every time a United player goes down: "[Villa player] saying he went down easy. Might have a point."

Dunno who he is, but he's got a Cheshire/Wirral area accent. Almost certainly a dipper.

 

[stu_1992]

You'd swear we were awful in that first listening to some people in here. I thought we actually played some decent stuff, and had a few decent chances too even if a couple of those came from set pieces (Maguire & Pogba headers). Better decision making from Greenwood to square the ball to Fernandes and that easily could have been 1-0 too.

Yes it hasn't all been our own way and we'd like more control and to not see the sloppy mistakes such as Maguire's backpass that nearly lead to a goal for them.

I see no reason we can't go on to win this.

 

[Superden]

for all the mcfred frustrations, ive enjoyed the game. and Villa are a good side, they gave the worlds bestest team ever, with the bestest coach ever a very good game the other day.

 

[FreakyJim]

I often believe that bots come to this forum just to say we are playing shit. Great game by us so far, just missing the goals.

That's just as ridiculous as saying we're playing shit.

 

[Siorac]

Technically McTominay has been worse as he hasn't been involved at all

My theory is that he escapes criticism because people forget he's on the pitch.

 

[The_Midfielder]

Very much like the West Ham game, we're just taking every opportunity to shoot into bodies rather than picking out the threatening pass. If we're being honest Villa have been the most threatening but thankfully they're not taken their chances.

We have been threatening too.. haven't finished..
Pogba chance, Greenwood chance, Maguire chance.. ?

 

[Offside]

Once again we’ve got some firepower on the bench. Lingard and Sancho can change this.

 

[Tom Cato]

Let's just go full short term fc and hire Mourinho again

We should hire Potter, he's a much better manager than most in the big clubs at the moment. Huge chance missed.