[PoTMS]

Van De Beek looked better as the game went on. Surprisingly, Eriksen looked the poorer of the two. Thank God for Casemiro.

 

[Chief123]

Another game Rashford is anonymous on the right wing. I really don’t know why we even bother trying it anymore.

 

[sparx99]

On balance we actually ended up the better side that half. Villa made a good start but the free kick goal is just one of them things. After about 25 mins we got hold of the game and looked more dangerous as it went on. Villa will be holding on 2nd half.

 

[Hughie77]

Last 15 of that half was better. 2-1 game on. Keep this pressure going in 2nd half. Martial on.

 

[IFC 1905]

Take VDB and Garnacho out. Put Martial and Fred in.

yeah and martinez for Maguire tooo

and de gea for my cousin

 

[Marcelinho87]

We will win this now.

 

[redshaw]

Well at least the players have wiped some of the sleep from their eyes. Perhaps with a slight adjustment and talk at halftime we can salvage something.

 

[VivaJesperBlomqvist]

That goal was so important. Casemiro is a wonderful player btw. Closest to Keano since he left. He’s fired up today.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Would rather any of the kids play than Van de Beek based from those 45 mins.

 

[hellhunter]

We miss Bruno both offensively and defensively. VDB is a nothing player.

Bruno's workrate and hustle is really underrated

 

[VivaJesperBlomqvist]

We can simply label him as an Ole signing. That would be cruel enough.

James, VDB, Maguire, Ronaldo, AWB. Ole didn’t do great did he :/

 

[MrSingh2002]

Ronaldo did very well In the build up to the goal but that’s all he’s done. VDB making good runs but is useless off the ball. Fred on for VDB and eriksen in the 10, it’s so obvious

To everyone except the person that matters unfortunately.

 

[SirAnderson]

Question is, do we have 2 more goals in us? Hoping Martial can come off the bench and give us those goals.

 

[Judas]

The throwing the ball aimlessly into the box hoping for Ronaldo to do something is painful. Why is this the tactic. We're making Mings look like a PL footballer.

 

[Idxomer]

so the biggest praise you can give his performance is “well he was fine for 100 seconds”

I meant the goals

 

[MonkeysMagic]

ETH has to be proactive here and make changes at HT. Ronaldo got to come off with Martial and I would bring Fred on also. Have 5 subs use them!

 

[macheda14]

This half of football is on Ten Hag. He choose to start Ronaldo once again, he put Rashford on the right and started Dony.

Don't, Ronaldo and Eriksen they won't give you much fight and energy in midfield. Put some legs next to Eriksen, sub Ronaldo and put Rashford in a position where he could be impactful.

Martial is coming back from injury. Who would you have had start? Garnacho - Rashford - Elanga?

I agree with Donny, but who would you have started instead of Donny? Fred - Case and Eriksen as 10?

 

[MrSingh2002]

Eriksen would create so many chances against this lot if played as a number 10.

 

[lex talionis]

Need to get Ronaldo off at half time, get Martial on and let him and Rashford play upfront close together.

Agree with this. Ron hasn’t been the problem, but he’s not part of the solution. Get Tony on — assuming he really is fit — and we’ve got a chance at opening up Villa.

 

[Rustyspider13]

We've ended the half strongly but our midfield is still too open. EtH has to change something, we need runners. Our only tactic seems to be asking Eriksen, Shaw and Dalot to deliver perfect crosses into the box. That doesn't work when our team isn't that great at crossing and our striker keeps fluffing chances that actually reach him. We have the time, we have a few options, we have to use them. Please EtH, don't waste 10-15 mins of the half, make your changes now.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

Villa with one breakaway and one beautiful free kick, that’s it. It rattled us but we have been at their throats after the goal.

Ronaldo with a free header in the box and agar doesn’t place it in the corner. A game if very fine margins and we (almost) deserve to go in level.

Garnacho looks good, really tricky, turning defenders inside out. Iris easy to say Ronaldo is holding back this team, and today really shows how.

 

[Strats]

Now watch Martial score an equaliser and then picking up an injury that keeps him out for the rest of the season.

 

[AndyMUFC]

Perfect time to score after that awful start, lucky deflection but can't say we didn't deserve it because we've been the better side after the first 20 minutes. There was always a risk of Villa doing that with how up for it they'd be in the new manager's first game.

 

[hellhunter]

James, VDB, Maguire, Ronaldo, AWB. Ole didn’t do great did he :/

People keep forgetting Varane

 

[LoneStar]

Needs selling, has to go down as one of our worst signings ever.

Looking at the money spent, I think it has to be one of the worst signings ever.

Even the bad signings had one or two good games for us. I can't think of a single game where he was an 8/10, let alone a 10/10.

 

[Desert Eagle]

Was DVB that poor? I thought he played ok bar when in the box.

It's the caf way to fixate on a scapegoat. He's been fine , pretty much as good as eriksen.

He's playing as a 10 with a poor forward with no movement and interplay capabilities in front of him.

 

[hp88]

Hate to break it to you but he's not taking off vdb or ronaldo.

Fred for DVB and Martial for Ronaldo, he know's he has fecked up with the selection he will try and correct it for the 2nd half.

 

[harms]

Not sure why Donny even started, especially after that terrible performance. How is he ahead of Fred, who, at least, gives us some legs in midfield — Donny usually hangs up top near Cristiano, leaving Casemiro and Eriksen exposed.

Less said about Cristiano, the better, but at least we have a genuine crisis of options up front at the moment.

Martinez reminded us that he is human after all, but he had grown into the game. How badly are we missing Varane to pair up with him at the moment

It has to be said, 2:1 is not the worst score to have after such a half.

 

[PoTMS]

Another game Rashford is anonymous on the right wing. I really don’t know why we even bother trying it anymore.

The thing is we have no options when Antony is injured. Anyone we play there is shite. Elanga, Rashford, Sancho, Bruno all struggled.

 

[the_cliff]

Take VDB and Garnacho out. Put Martial and Fred in.

You want to take Garnacho off ? After our 3 attackers performances that half, you'd choose Garnacho to come off ?

 

[arnie_ni]

What's pissing me off wit Ronaldo isn't the pressing or the crosses, it's the fact that he keeps missing easy chances, and he was supposed to at least be able to convert those. He is a complete liability if he can't score those anymore.

Yep. I've been saying all along he's still our best striker, but that was on the basis he scores those chances i don't think the others would, but he's not doing that.

Has to score chances like that header to justify his inclusion.

 

[DWelbz19]

Eriksen would create so many chances against this lot if played as a number 10.

I don’t really understand why he sees Eriksen as a midfielder in a two. He isn’t a good ball carrier, he’s not a particular physical presence to screen, and his passing range is far more suited to the final third. It’s very strange.

 

[wangyu]

Who was at mistake for the first goal? Who should cover for Lindelof when he gets out of position? Should Martinez have been sharper or should one of our midfield players fill in the gap left by Lindelof?

Why does Eriksen get flack here? He is our best player today imo

 

[Rightnr]

Another game Rashford is anonymous on the right wing. I really don’t know why we even bother trying it anymore.

Definition of insanity. The problem is that our main RW is injured and our back-up RW is injured/shite.

 

[Waynne]

Martial on at halftime. Risky considering he's made of cheesestring but needed.

 

[RedDevilQuebecois]

Handball, but never a penalty

Seen penalties given for really innocuous stuff this season.

 

[evil_geko]

And Caf like predicted blames Donny for lots of problems in the game, even though he was pretty decent.

 

[V.O.]

That goal was so important. Casemiro is a wonderful player btw. Closest to Keano since he left. He’s fired up today.

Fighting for every blade of grass. Spreading play with one and two touches. Aerial threat in the box. Popping up on the wing and sticking in crosses with the outside of the boot.

Yet, if you'd have believed the British media, you'd have thought we were buying a slightly more upmarket version of Robbie Savage.

 

[Dominos]

Was DVB that poor? I thought he played ok bar when in the box.

He's not good but people are looking for scapegoats.

The truth is we're shit in most games and are only capable of scraping close 1 goal wins. A bad result was coming. Hopefully we can still turn this around as Villa tire.

 

[Dr Foo]

Will he have the gall to sub Ronaldo the captain off at halftime?