[UnitedSofa]

Mate, you've said two games in a row that we've played our best football and you always defend any criticism about the team - and we haven't forgotten about the whole Ole In thing!

It's okay to admit when we've been a bit shit, like we have for almost a decade now. I'm not going to suddenly have my United duvet covers and matching socks confiscated by the Top Red Police.

The Ole In thing wasn't my best defence I'll admit.

We were shite in the 2nd half, I'm not denying that, but I'd love to defend the team in the sense that we are improving. We are playing much better football than we have at the start of the season, there's tactics at least and a clear vision of what and how we want to play.

It's simply not as bad as we think it is.

 

[MUFC OK]

This place is dominated by knee-jerkers who haven't a clue. Get off your entitled high-horses. FFS. We are improving, that's beyond doubt.
Performances are getting there, the results will come.
We should have won, we didn't, but we are getting better. All this season is, is setting a baseline for next season, like it or not, its how it is. Get on board and actually support your 'kin team.

Results end of the season though, this is only an acceptable take if youre not in the slightest bit bothered about top 4. Spurs can go about 8 points ahead of us with their games in hand.

After that first half, including the officiating that draw was as inevitable as death and taxes.

 

[UnitedSofa]

This is what the bottom clubs tell themselves each game when they face the top top teams.

It's what we say to ourselves when we play anybody.

100%

While I think we've improved all over the pitch, from defending to chance creation. Where we've called off a cliff is scoring goals. Ronaldo hasn't scored in weeks, if not months, whereas he was scoring fairly frequently before Ralf came in.

 

[Mailo]

How bad is he? It wasn't even a header in the end, came off his shoulder. Ffs.

Seriously, the guy has no brain and is a defensive Lukaku.

 

[11 forwards]

This game is proof that we live in a simulated universe. So, so predictable what would happen after those disallowed goals. Similar-ish story in the 'Boro game with their jammy goal.

At least got the Nobel prize of Physics out of this black hole match then!

 

[Barthez]

I don't think we can last 90m. Not fit enough to maintain any intensity.

I think it’s a personal issue. Some players just can’t do it. Not Ralfs fault, but a previous recruitment fault

 

[Fredo]

Dalot
McT
Pogba
Fast moving Triangles
Numerous chance creation

We simply need to take our chances. The OG stands and we’re having a very different discussion here.

Fast moving triangles, flying rectangles, round-shaped squares .. yeah... a lot of positives, we were fecking shambolic in the second half...

As for the players, they played well and we drew 1-1? Thank feck they didnt have a bad game!

 

[Ranchero]

The Ole In thing wasn't my best defence I'll admit.

We were shite in the 2nd half, I'm not denying that, but I'd love to defend the team in the sense that we are improving. We are playing much better football than we have at the start of the season, there's tactics at least and a clear vision of what and how we want to play.

It's simply not as bad as we think it is.

Thar really isn't selling it. United: Not as bad as you think they are. We are quite frankly a superstar 11 and a mediocre team.

 

[ayushreddevil9]

Chill guys, no way we don’t take all 3 points tonight

 

[Ranchero]

Seriously, the guy has no brain and is a defensive Lukaku.

No. Lukaku is more worthy of his value than Maguire is

 

[Oranges038]

Like I said, I'm not even arguing for Maguire but Evans bottom was pretty bad. We also lost 1-6 to City at home in 2011 with Evans being diabolical and getting red carded. He had too many bad game s to count at the end of his OT career. In his final season he rated lowest among the fans by far, and he was once a crowd favorite who many thought would be a future leader and captain

https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...s/manchester-united-201415-season-how-9359909

Maguire's bottom level is much worse an has been more extended than anything Evans served up. He should be at his peak, but he's worse than Evans ever was.

Evans left Utd at 25. He has played 335 PL games, conceded 334 goals and played in 92 clean sheets. He's played 200 of those games away from Utd.

Maguire joined Utd at 26. He's played 192 PL games, conceded 251 goals and played in 50 clean sheets. He's played 100 of those games before he joined Utd.

To sum up Evans has spent most of his career away from Utd and has managed to help keep his defence at an average of less than a goal a game. Harry Maguire plays for Man Utd and is part of a defence that concedes nearly 1.5 goals per game.

 

[UnitedSofa]

No. Lukaku is more worthy of his value than Maguire is

Which Lukaku, the Man Utd one or the Chelsea/Inter one?

Because I know which Lukaku I'd rather have in my team

 

[Ranchero]

Ralf you cant complain about VAR. We shouldnt be drawing against these.

 

[Spark]

We just look inept at creating anything. Appreciate Burnley had every man behind the ball, but the number of crosses that don't make it past the first man (regardless of whether it's a corner or not) is shocking. Also for some reason we play so many slow, short, passes - Cavani is the worst at them for some reason, which is inexplicable as he was world class and passing is basics .

I genuinely believe United are objectively better under Ragnick. But we're still shit and it's clear that we're a long long way off from competing with anyone. Every player is off the boil and the general feeling I get from watching us play is one of a serious malaise within the club. Been said ad nauseam, but now more than ever do we need a cultural reboot, much like Fergie himself did when he joined by getting rid of the boozers and when he brought in the "kids".

 

[UnitedFire]

So up there it is close to the moon. Crosses need to be lower and with zip. There is a reason we dont score from corners and a lot is down to delivery.

Fair eye test versus stats view. Stats suggest he is putting the ball in right place, but lack of attacking the cross and maybe too obvious, lack of variation.

 

[Ranchero]

Fair eye test versus stats view. Stats suggest he is putting the ball in right place, but lack of attacking the cross and maybe too obvious, lack of variation.

The professionals say that the high crosses are far easier to defend against and if an attacker does get on the other end of it he has to generate the power into any header and that is tough. The stats that matter show we get zilch from corners.

 

[Ranchero]

Maguire interview in a nutshell: blah blah blah blah (what am i doing here) blah blah blah cliche.

 

[OleTheGreat]

This United team hasn't played a good full game for ages now. We have watched 20, 30 and 45 min spells of good football from them but the opponents always have a chance to get back into the game vs United. After dominating the first half and not letting them even shoot on goal, we managed to give away a goal within 2 mins in the second half. We lost all the control, we were just playing from side to side without any conviction. We just don't know how to attack if our opponents sit back n defend. Harry Maguire is one useless centre back, always passes to Shaw or Varane.. no lofted passes to the wings, no square balls to players like Pogba or Bruno or even Cavani/Ronaldo.. he's one useless pro. Thank God for Varane. Shaw wasn't great. Mctominay tried but was all over the place. Bruno goes everywhere on the pitch but forgets that he's one of the 8s and needs to hold position.. Sancho was very lively but just cannot pick a pass because nobody runs or gives him a route to pass into. Rashford is more than useless on the right. Cavani had a bad game. It all went crumbling down after half time. The mentality just isn't there, no drive, no passion, such a slow paced game that was in the second half.. I don't simply know what to make of it!

 

[Hammondo]

Dalot
McT
Pogba
Fast moving Triangles
Numerous chance creation

We simply need to take our chances. The OG stands and we’re having a very different discussion here.

Our midfield was crap.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Finishing and VAR let us down that first half. maybe to be critical peps city if they had similar chances as us in that first half would have scored three.

Lost control early second half and i said we would. I knew burnley would come out all guns blazing. This is where the MF and backs have to just kill the game by retaining the ball.

 

[George The Best]

Our midfield was crap.

What midfield? It was McTom v The Rest. Not one other so called midfielder can make a tackle.

 

[Hammondo]

What midfield? It was McTom v The Rest. Not one other so called midfielder can make a tackle.

True.

 

[Hugh Jass]

What midfield? It was McTom v The Rest. Not one other so called midfielder can make a tackle.

Noticeable alright that we started losing a lot of the 50/50s in the second half early on.

 

[The Brown Bull]

Have a very good feeling about this. We will hammer them. Our lads will want bounce back after the Boro shitshow.

 

[Lentwood]

Performance was absolutely fine. I was at the game so didn't get caught up in the usual crap peddled by the commentators and online and I felt we played well.

I think some posters live in the 90s, whereby you rock up to away grounds against the bottom ten and win 5-0

 

[Hammondo]

Performance was absolutely fine. I was at the game so didn't get caught up in the usual crap peddled by the commentators and online and I felt we played well.

I think some posters live in the 90s, whereby you rock up to away grounds against the bottom ten and win 5-0

Your standards are really low, that was a bottom half of the PL performance.

 

[Caesar2290]

We literally put the ball in the back of the net 3 times. @The Brown Bull

 

[Lentwood]

Your standards are really low, that was a bottom half of the PL performance.

My standards aren't low, I'm just not outcome-orientated, like the majority of football fans.

If you run that game 100 times in that manner, United win probably 80/90% of the time. Ultimately, that's what I care about in the long-run.

 

[Hammondo]

My standards aren't low, I'm just not outcome-orientated, like the majority of football fans.

If you run that game 100 times in that manner, United win probably 80/90% of the time. Ultimately, that's what I care about in the long-run.

I'm not result oriented, our first half was also poor, we are lucky Burnley are so bad.

If we play like this the rest of the season we are dropping down the table for sure.

 

[mitchmouse]

Dreadful second half... we just never seem to learn. Very poor from maguire in the build up to their goal and once again DDG not brave enough. But we should still have been good enough to score again but we lost all direction and all our pace. This one-half performance has now been going on for more than a year. Something is very very wrong a the heart of the team

 

[Lentwood]

I'm not result oriented, our first half was also poor, we are lucky Burnley are so bad.

If we play like this the rest of the season we are dropping down the table for sure.

At HT we had had 11 shots, 5 on target and 60% possession.

Burnley had had 0 shots, 0 on target and had only made 131 passes.

I fail to see how that's poor in any PL away game.

 

[christinaa]

We were outmuscled at the beginning of the second half and we couldn't keep possession of the ball.

 

[Hammondo]

At HT we had had 11 shots, 5 on target and 60% possession.

Burnley had had 0 shots, 0 on target and had only made 131 passes.

I fail to see how that's poor in any PL away game.

Because you cannot judge on those stats, Burnley were really poor the first half instead of us playing well.

 

[VP89]

Ralf you cant complain about VAR. We shouldnt be drawing against these.

To be fair he also says we had many chances to score.

 

[christinaa]

Because you cannot judge on those stats, Burnley were really poor the first half instead of us playing well.

We played well in the first half.
It's our finishing which is letting us down presently.

 

[Hammondo]

We played well in the first half.
It's our finishing which is letting us down presently.

I disagree, I think we were better than our opponents, but far from good. Not a standard that will get 4th, probably not 5th either.

 

[Lentwood]

Because you cannot judge on those stats, Burnley were really poor the first half instead of us playing well.

How do you distinguish between whether Burnley were poor or we were really good and never let them play?

For the most part under RR, since the Wolves game we have played very well in games for 60/70 minutes but still fall back into bad habits for small passages. We had a bad 5 minutes against Burnley yesterday and they scored.

 

[lysglimt]

The strange thing is - the first half against Boro and Burnley have been among the best I have seen from us for a long time....it's just that we cant finish teams off.

 

[USREDEVIL]

Seriously, the guy has no brain and is a defensive Lukaku.

Good analogy.

 

[christinaa]

I disagree, I think we were better than our opponents, but far from good. Not a standard that will get 4th, probably not 5th either.

We are playing far better than we were playing a few weeks ago and creating more chances than Ole times too.

We need:

1) more muscle in midfield;
2) a better CB than Maguire;
3) better finishing up front.