[RedStarUnited]

Watch it again if you have time. He did not have a bad game. Created a few decent chances to Hojlund and also was unlucky not to score a couple himself.

A couple of times he made the wrong decision agreed, but he overall was ok.

Expecting more agree but I personally think you need a cohesive attack and we don’t have one. He didn’t press as much as Hojlund, but even then hes making a lot of runs off the ball at full sprint and then recovering

Saying that Rashford has some obvious flaws but from just rewatching the game I think the criticism is very OTT today.

Funny the Casemiro criticism today is also way over the top too.

Theres a chance just before half time, for me he has to hit the target and he just uses the wrong technique. He nearly always goes for power instead of placement.

If he learned to try curl every now and again, he will score a lot more of those cut in goals. There was a game Henry was commenting on and he was talking about how he had done the hard work and placing it is the easy part. Evra then says he doesnt have Henry brain and Henry says “He has a brain,use it!!”

I cant find the exact clip but its illustrated in this video.

 

[Cassidy]

Theres a chance just before half time, for me he has to hit the target and he just uses the wrong technique. He nearly always goes for power instead of placement.

If he learned to try curl every now and again, he will score a lot more of those cut in goals. There was a game Henry was commenting on and he was talking about how he had done the hard work and placing it is the easy part. Evra then says he doesnt have Henry brain and Henry says “He has a brain,use it!!”

I cant find the exact clip but its illustrated in this video.

Yes he miss kicks the ball. Again never said he played great but I think he was fine.

That chance and the one where he shoots when he should put the ball across the goal for Hojlund are the 2 standout poor decisions.

Overall though he clearly was not as bad as fans are making out and its back to hating our better players from the caf.

 

[AndySmith1990]

Thought he was absolutely trash today.

He's been trash in every game this season. He's got his new contract, no need for him to make an effort again until 2027

 

[stw2022]

This. Reminds me of the Rooney conundrum we had in his last year or two at the club. Would show up with goals but they tended to mask his overall terrible level of play. Playing terribly for the majority of most games should not be excused by a good scoring record.

Even when he was in his 'fat nan' stage, Rooney at least worked harder than Rashford. I know I've said this before, but when you look at examples of when young players let fame and recognition go to their head have a chilling effect on their progression and development, I don't think you need to look much further than Rashford.

I'd be disappointed in the manager if he doesn't drop him now.

 

[klayton88]

He needs to spend less time feeding kids

and more time feeding Hojlund

 

[SirScholes]

I think he was very good attacking wise in the first half. Just unlucky to lack endproduct. But touch, finesse etc. was on point.
Second half he faded away and was not seen much.

Have to say, I really got angry at him for his defensive efforts. He is the weak point in our press and I'm sure managers like de zerbi regocnised that long time ago.

I don’t think he was unlucky I think he was selfish and picked the wrong option time and again
Brighton do so well at playing the easy pass and letting the ball do the work

 

[SirScholes]

Actually today he was not. Him and Hojlund actually found each other well.

Today the attacking midfield players did not link well with the front 2

They did until rashford got close to goal
Then he ignores everyone until his last and only option is to pass, Christ today he took so long to take the pass he played it off the pitch
He stopped this last year but it’s sad to see his selfishness come back because it’s killing our attacking play

 

[Cassidy]

Christ today he took so long to take the pass he played it off the pitch

They did not, and Im not just talking about Rashford but also Hojlund. Who by the way chances today and vs Arsenal only came from bits of play from Rashford, why is that? Where was Eriksen and Bruno making chances for Hojlund today?

On the ball going out of play, hes trying to ensure the defender does not get the block on the pass clearly

 

[ayushreddevil9]

They did not, and Im not just talking about Rashford but also Hojlund. Who by the way chances today and vs Arsenal only came from bits of play from Rashford, why is that? Where was Eriksen and Bruno making chances for Hojlund today?

On the ball going out of play, hes trying to ensure the defender does not get the block on the pass clearly

Maybe next time he could ensure that his brainless shooting doesn't hit an opposing defender.

 

[Irwin99]

Well, off the ball this happens too much

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Basically nullified our press. And this was first half

That and our midfielders casually jogging back to our box for the first Brighton goal just seems like the same old problems on repeat. What was that game towards the end of last season where he made the most half arsed jump for a header you'll ever see and the fans really went at him for it?

 

[ayushreddevil9]

He needs to spend less time feeding kids

and more time feeding Hojlund

Hojlund is still a kid so maybe that helps

 

[Chief123]

Said it a few times, his build up and link up is very average to poor far too many times. It’s unacceptable to play for a top team and give the ball away so easily as he does which is normally followed up with a poor attempt to win it back.

His shooting is his strength but he really does need to work on his weaknesses. Especially when he is only best playing from the left. He needs more than just shooting.

So many occasions he would be much better looking for a quick one two with a team mate or finding the pass rather than trying to take it on himself. It comes down to poor decision making at critical times. If he could rectify that part of his game his output would improve massively.

I could post this every week even when he plays well. Build up and decision making is terrible far too often.

 

[L1nk]

https://x.com/brunofernanshh/status/1703065518050078986

 

[bstb3]

Even when he was in his 'fat nan' stage, Rooney at least worked harder than Rashford. I know I've said this before, but when you look at examples of when young players let fame and recognition go to their head have a chilling effect on their progression and development, I don't think you need to look much further than Rashford.

I'd be disappointed in the manager if he doesn't drop him now.

I think probably he should be dropped, or at least someone else given a chance, at least to put to bed the argument he can't be because 'he is the only threat'. It's very hard to tell what impact the lack of pressing and defensive work is having and what would happen with someone making better decisions. Does his superior speed and 'threat' make up for that? Well when he's not scoring and assisting we can easily say no, but we won't know for sure without trying it. We can say fairly certainly that a press won't work if it is not applied by all, and doubly so against a masterful passing team like Brighton.

The very real difficulty Ten Hag has now is can he afford the drama? The media (and some fans) would be all over him for it should it not work out, and I've an (entirely no evidence based) suspicion there would be fall out in the dressing room too. It might just be a step too far given all the other issues going on. His hands are rather tied, whether he would want to or not.

 

[Cassidy]

I think probably he should be dropped, or at least someone else given a chance, at least to put to bed the argument he can't be because 'he is the only threat'. It's very hard to tell what impact the lack of pressing and defensive work is having and what would happen with someone making better decisions. Does his superior speed and 'threat' make up for that? Well when he's not scoring and assisting we can easily say no, but we won't know for sure without trying it. We can say fairly certainly that a press won't work if it is not applied by all, and doubly so against a masterful passing team like Brighton.

The very real difficulty Ten Hag has now is can he afford the drama? The media (and some fans) would be all over him for it should it not work out, and I've an (entirely no evidence based) suspicion there would be fall out in the dressing room too. It might just be a step too far given all the other issues going on. His hands are rather tied, whether he would want to or not.

So you have not watched United when he was injured?

I think long term it makes sense but right now we don’t have the personnel to drop Rashford when he is available. We need Rashford to continue to develop a relationship with Hojlund and hopefully also Garnacho joining in too

 

[bstb3]

So you have not watched United when he was injured?

He's been ever present this season. What matters is how the system ETH is attempting to use now can be applied. What's happened in the past doesn't matter if we weren't trying to play this way (which I'm pretty sure we weren't). It's a strange argument to say we should not be looking for options when clearly what happened today, off the ball, was not working with him.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Yes he miss kicks the ball. Again never said he played great but I think he was fine.

That chance and the one where he shoots when he should put the ball across the goal for Hojlund are the 2 standout poor decisions.

Overall though he clearly was not as bad as fans are making out and its back to hating our better players from the caf.

I don’t think he was bad going forward. Frustrating sure especially on the left footed chance.

But I have no issues slating him for being a lazy feck and will continue to do so if that’s the effort he wants to give.

 

[Cassidy]

He's been ever present this season. What matters is how the system ETH is attempting to use now can be applied. What's happened in the past doesn't matter if we weren't trying to play this way (which I'm pretty sure we weren't). It's a strange argument to say we should not be looking for options when clearly what happened today, off the ball, was not working with him.

5 games this season. A season where we have lost 2 of our attackers and have a striker who can’t complete 90 mins. This is the time you think its wise to drop Rashford?

 

[stw2022]

So you have not watched United when he was injured?

I think long term it makes sense but right now we don’t have the personnel to drop Rashford when he is available. We need Rashford to continue to develop a relationship with Hojlund and hopefully also Garnacho joining in too

Hojlund's contributions are going to be severely restricted if he's going to be left to fight for Rashford's scraps. The footballing equivalent of the Denis Waterman character from the Little Britain sketch show. 'Get the ball, run with the ball, shoot the ball, write the theme tune, sing the theme tune'. It's impossible. Rashford needs to link up with those around him better. The second Rashford is on the ball, in most instances, our entire team might as well start walking back to our own half in preparation for the goalkick.

 

[Idxomer]

https://x.com/brunofernanshh/status/1703065518050078986

He could've played the pass at any point during that move. He chose the absolute worst option shooting with his weaker foot.

 

[Cassidy]

Hojlund's contributions are going to be severely restricted if he's going to be left to fight for Rashford's scraps. The footballing equivalent of the Denis Waterman character from the Little Britain sketch show. 'Get the ball, run with the ball, shoot the ball, write the theme tune, sing the theme tune'. It's impossible. Rashford needs to link up with those around him better. The second Rashford is on the ball, in most instances, our entire team might as well start walking back to our own half in preparation for the goalkick.

All of the chances Hojlund has had in a United shirt has been setup by Rashford

 

[lex talionis]

It’s time ETH bite the bullet and bench Rashford for a few games.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

There's no defense for his laziness off the ball, but I thought he was really good that 1st half.

Some poor decisions in the 2nd half, but we faded as a unit after their 2nd goal.

That said, he should work harder off the ball. There's no excuse for it. I'd demand it from any player in the world.

He's not Messi where his attacking contributions grant him leeway to run less off the ball.

 

[L1nk]

All of the chances Hojlund has had in a United shirt has been setup by Rashford

Surely the argument shouldn't be that he had 1 maybe 2 chances created by Rashford, but if Rashford actually decided to pick his head up and actually pass instead of constantly taking blocked shots he'd have had much more chances and more than likely actually scored? You know, like the one time Rashford actually did cut back he scored, albeit it was ruled out for reasons beyond him

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

There's no defense for his laziness off the ball, but I thought he was really good that 1st half.

Some poor decisions in the 2nd half, but we faded as a unit after their 2nd goal.

That said, he should work harder off the ball. There's no excuse for it. I'd demand it from any player in the world.

He's not Messi where his attacking contributions grant him leeway to run less off the ball.

Exactly. Attacking wise he’s been dangerous but we are getting pathetic effort from a fecking 26 year old with one good year of football under his belt. It reeks of arrogance that’s undeserved

 

[bstb3]

5 games this season. A season where we have lost 2 of our attackers and have a striker who can’t complete 90 mins. This is the time you think its wise to drop Rashford?

Well it's better to find our sooner than later, no? I'd rather we tried things now, and if they work out we have the rest of the season to benefit, than continue 'what if ing' when we are 3 losses out of 5 already.

However, your point on having already lost 2 attackers is exactly why I said Ten Hag's hands are probably tied... while personally I think we should try it, I very much doubt that we will. If it turns out we are worse without him in this system then argument over and we can all look for someone else to point at.

 

[Cassidy]

Surely the argument shouldn't be that he had 1 maybe 2 chances created by Rashford, but if Rashford actually decided to pick his head up and actually pass instead of constantly taking blocked shots he'd have had much more chances and more than likely actually scored? You know, like the one time Rashford actually did cut back he scored, albeit it was ruled out for reasons beyond him

No the argument should be why is no one else in the team creating chances for him.

If you read all my posts you would see I said Rashford made a few bad decisions but overall he did OK. Yes he should have squared the ball. By the way he cut it back 3 times today for Hojlund

The concerning thing for me is no one else is creating opportunities for our striker.

 

[Stadjer]

Yes he miss kicks the ball. Again never said he played great but I think he was fine.

That chance and the one where he shoots when he should put the ball across the goal for Hojlund are the 2 standout poor decisions.

Overall though he clearly was not as bad as fans are making out and its back to hating our better players from the caf.

It was really frustrating. Good chance at the 1-1 but he decided to take a shot from a bad angle with his left. It was already a difficult angle but using his 'wrong' foot made it next to impossible for him to score. Hojlund was there too so that made it even more frustrating.

Brighton also scored the 2-0 from the attack that started from the goalkick after Rashford missed chance.

Thats what i remember from him from the game. He is a moments player so that does leave the impression that he had a horrible game.

 

[Cassidy]

It was really frustrating. Good chance at the 1-1 but he decided to take a shot from a bad angle with his left. It was already a difficult angle but using his 'wrong' foot made it next to impossible for him to score. Hojlund was there too so that made it even more frustrating.

Brighton also scored the 2-0 from the attack that started from the goalkick after Rashford missed chance.

Thats what i remember from him from the game. He is a moments player so that does leave the impression that he had a horrible game.

He had a lot more “moments” and if thats him having a horrible game then I dread to think what type of game some others had. Any how like I said. I made my assessment after re watching the game emotions aside.

 

[Swiss_Red89]

The cross with his left foot to Hojlund in the first half was perfect. Hojlund should have scored that one imo.

 

[Cassidy]

The cross with his left foot to Hojlund in the first half was perfect. Hojlund should have scored that one imo.

No no hes total shite mate. Had a horrible game

 

[stw2022]

It's not just about analysing today's performance, it's a pattern. He's probably the most (at least most high profile) wasteful player in the league. We have to create far more chances than we probably would otherwise need to simply because we have to pay the Rashford tax. That is a certain number of attacking moments that we know Rashford's poor decision making or inability to look up - or combination of both - are going to be squandered. Having an actual competent forward player like Hojlund merely highlights the issue because it makes if difficult to ignore.

 

[Swiss_Red89]

No no hes total shite mate. Had a horrible game

He was our best player until 0:2, no debate about that for me.

His efforts against the ball are not exusable though. If he doesn't make up for it with endproduct while attacking and we loose the game, he gets rightfully critisised for it.

 

[Sylar]

The cross with his left foot to Hojlund in the first half was perfect. Hojlund should have scored that one imo.

Was that with the whole lead up of Eriksen doing a 360 on the ball, Bruno outside the foot pass, and then the cross? That was really good.

https://x.com/brunofernanshh/status/1703065518050078986

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Posted for ya so it shows. I honestly would have understood it slightly if rashford was on his right foot. But left foot and taking that shot was bananas. Hoijlund even slid expecting it

 

[Cassidy]

It's not just about analysing today's performance, it's a pattern. He's probably the most (at least most high profile) wasteful player in the league. We have to create far more chances than we probably would otherwise need to simply because we have to pay the Rashford tax. That is a certain number of attacking moments that we know Rashford's poor decision making or inability to look up - or combination of both - are going to be squandered. Having an actual competent forward player like Hojlund merely highlights the issue because it makes if difficult to ignore.

What a load of crap. We do not create many chances compared to most teams in the league yet he scores many goals. That does not sound like someone who is even close to being the most wasteful player.

I am not even Rashfords biggest fan but the narrative around here is bananas. Check the stats and I am pretty sure your assertion would be proven to be complete bollox.

Attacking player make mistakes all the time, at United because we create so little we are holding Rashford to a much higher standard.

 

[Cassidy]

He was our best player until 0:2, no debate about that for me.

His efforts against the ball are not exusable though. If he doesn't make up for it with endproduct while attacking and we loose the game, he gets rightfully critisised for it.

He is being criticised for alot more than that.

 

[stw2022]

It's funny that people who watch the games think he's garbage and every week and yet "check the stats" is said and apparently it turns out he's played really, really well.

The best period of Rashford's play in a game is always several hours after the match finishes when someone says 'check the stats' or mentions his 30 goals the season before. Usually around midnight UK time. Just like that time some of us thought it was a bit out of order that he didn't work very hard in a game but were Rashplained later on and corrected by those who pointed out his lack of effort was actually justified out of protest against manager for having audacity to play him out of position.

 

[Cassidy]

It's funny that people who watch the games think he's garbage and every week and yet "check the stats" he said and apparently it turns out he's played really, really well.

The best period of Rashford's play in a game is always several hours after the match finishes when someone says 'check the stats' or mentions his 30 goals the season before.

The OP said he is probably the most wasteful top player in the league. That is something that is either a statical fact or not. And I’m willing to be its not and also not even close.

Especially when as a club we are statistically one of the worst top teams in the league at creating chances

 

[the_cliff]

He was our best player until 0:2, no debate about that for me.

His efforts against the ball are not exusable though. If he doesn't make up for it with endproduct while attacking and we loose the game, he gets rightfully critisised for it.

I don't blame him for it this game tbh. Usually I do agree that Rashfords pressing is half hearted and lazy (especially compared to Antony) but the way we set up so narrow anyway, it wouldn't have mattered.

Every time he did decide to press the gk or the full back they'd found an easy outlet pass out wide, simply to do with the fact that we were playing so narrow. He must've got frustrated with it and just decided to stop pressing which is fair.

 

[VorZakone]

Does he enjoy football? We all know he's talented but the lack of tenacity and energy is worrying. A young Rooney would be running all day long.