Middlesbrough 1:3 Manchester United

Shimo · Mar 18, 2017

I think we've taken advantage of the teams above us dropping points on the same weekend just once all season. Now that Arsenal have lost and one of Liverpool/City or both dropping points, I fully expect to wake up early to suffer through another frustrating game where we desperately need to get all 3 points and won't get them.

We'll win this 2-0 !

whatwha · Mar 18, 2017

What are Boro's strengths and weaknesses? Apart from not scoring many and not conceding many. Haven't watched them at all this season.

minoo-utd · Mar 18, 2017

With no Pogba, Ibra, Herrera and Martial we will struggle IMO, but hell we already did with our full team at O.T so maybe just maybe we can get the three points no?

OnlyTwoDaSilvas · Mar 18, 2017

I would love to see a front four of Martial, Mkhi, Mata and Rashford. Has that front four ever happened this season?

Love Zlatan, but when he's not on it, it often seems like he just gets in the way and slows us down. I hope we go at them with pace.

Hugh Jass · Mar 18, 2017

Cant see us winning this unfortunately. I would be betting on a draw.

Alabaster Codify7 · Mar 18, 2017

soapythecat said:
Supporting United must be a real chore for some of you drama queens. Middlesborough are awful. We may not be playing particularly well but we are very hard to beat. Easy win this. Easy.

So were Bournemouth, man. We struggle to even beat terrible sides at the moment, with a full strength team. If we win it will not be easy, 0-1 or 1-2, but a draw is the obvious outcome.

Jazz · Mar 18, 2017

We better win this! One more chance again to move a bit further up. I want no excuses from us! Otherwise we'll be 7th for fecks sakes. That's totally unacceptable.

Jaybomb · Mar 18, 2017

DDG
Valencia Bailly Rojo Darmian
Fellaini Carrick
Lingard Mata Mkhitaryan
Rashford

djembatheking · Mar 18, 2017

Finally moved from 6th place .

Marcelinho87 · Mar 18, 2017

5th tomorrow and 3 points off Liverpool with a game in hand.

Lawman · Mar 18, 2017

Jaybomb said:
DDG
Valencia Bailly Rojo Darmian
Fellaini Carrick
Lingard Mata Mkhitaryan
Rashford

DDG
Valencia Bailly Rojo Shaw
Fellaini Carrick
Young Mata Mkhitaryan
Rashford

Fixed for you Jaybomb but I think we might actually see Rooney!

space · Mar 18, 2017

Arsenal losing and rivals playing each other. Playing a team which just lost its manager and is in free fall.

1-1

horsechoker · Mar 18, 2017

This has got draw written all over it

KN5 · Mar 18, 2017

horsechoker said:
This has got draw written all over it

I don't want to admit that I took roughly 6-8 seconds to realise what you actually meant haha.

RedMaestro · Mar 18, 2017

whatwha said:
What are Boro's strengths and weaknesses? Apart from not scoring many and not conceding many. Haven't watched them at all this season.

According to whoscored:

+ Strengths
Protecting the lead - Strong
Stealing the ball from the opposition - Strong
- Weaknesses
Finishing scoring chances - Weak
Avoiding fouling in dangerous areas - Weak
Defending against long shots - Very Weak

Middlesbrough's Style of Play

Attacking down the right
Take long shots
Play with width
Playing in their own half
Play the offside trap
Rotate their first eleven

simonhch · Mar 18, 2017

Fairly certain we will draw or lose this. No Pogba and no Ibra, where are the goals going to come from. If Martial is out, forget about it. Carrick is a mandatory start. Seeing as Middlesborough are so goal shy - we'll see if they are more attacking tomorrow - I think we should put out a pretty aggressive line up. Personally I'd go with:

DDG

Valencia Jones Rojo Shaw

Carrick Fellaini

Mkhitaryan Mata Martial

Rashford

There's nothing on the bench to turn this match around, however. And if Martial is not fit, I guess you have to go with Jessie Lingard. Shaw is selected primarily to deal with the pace of Adama Traore. He'll roast Blind if selected.

The other option is to give a start to Schweinsteiger - which I don't think will happen. Or play Blind in a double pivot with Carrick. The passing would be superb, but the mobility not so much.

MyOnlySolskjaer · Mar 18, 2017

Really can't afford to bottle this.

Treble_Winning · Mar 18, 2017

Hugh Jass said:
Cant see us winning this unfortunately. I would be betting on a draw.

Sorry but please do not fall for Jose's mind games. He did not literally mean we would lose this game. He was trying to make a point against the corrupt FA/UEFA establishment and their craven agenda. Middlesbrough are a relegation contender. There is no excuse whatsoever. We MUST win and Mourinho will be telling the players exactly that. Especially because we have an international break coming up so there won't be any fixture congestion for awhile. We win and we go above Arsenal. It is absolutely crucial that we finish this crunch period with a flourish and come back after the international break in prime position to finish as high as possible in the league + also storm to the Europa League final.

RedMaestro · Mar 18, 2017

simonhch said:
Fairly certain we will draw or lose this. No Pogba and no Ibra, where are the goals going to come from. If Martial is out, forget about it. Carrick is a mandatory start. Seeing as Middlesborough are so goal shy - we'll see if they are more attacking tomorrow - I think we should put out a pretty aggressive line up. Personally I'd go with:

DDG

Valencia Jones Rojo Shaw

Carrick Fellaini

Mkhitaryan Mata Martial

Rashford

There's nothing on the bench to turn this match around, however. And if Martial is not fit, I guess you have to go with Jessie Lingard. Shaw is selected primarily to deal with the pace of Adama Traore. He'll roast Blind if selected.

The other option is to give a start to Schweinsteiger - which I don't think will happen. Or play Blind in a double pivot with Carrick. The passing would be superb, but the mobility not so much.

If Mkhi and Mata have a good day - a win. Or else most likely a draw or even a loss...

Treble_Winning · Mar 18, 2017

space said:
Arsenal losing and rivals playing each other. Playing a team which just lost its manager and is in free fall.

1-1

Karanka is a good friend and a former assistant of Mourinho's. He has commented that Karanka was ousted due to player power, and that he didn't deserve to be sacked. He said some critical things about the Boro board and players. You can bet he will be extra motivated to win for his good friend Karanka.

RedMaestro · Mar 18, 2017

MyOnlySolskjaer said:
Really can't afford to bottle this.

You're right. But if it would happen, then it should be all-in in the Europa League.

Hugh Jass · Mar 18, 2017

Treble_Winning said:
Sorry but please do not fall for Jose's mind games. He did not literally mean we would lose this game. He was trying to make a point against the corrupt FA/UEFA establishment and their craven agenda. Middlesbrough are a relegation contender. There is no excuse whatsoever. We MUST win and Mourinho will be telling the players exactly that. Especially because we have an international break coming up so there won't be any fixture congestion for awhile. We win and we go above Arsenal. It is absolutely crucial that we finish this crunch period with a flourish and come back after the international break in prime position to finish as high as possible in the league + also storm to the Europa League final.

We are playing in Middlesbrough, with a depleted team that played a tough match on thursday. It is going to be a tough match. Dont give me this bullshit about them being in relegation. Its still a tough match away from home. Every match we play away from home whether its in Europe or the league is automatically a tough match. Can you please understand that.

Now if we get a bit of luck, we might win, but if I were a betting man, i would go for a draw, given the circumstances.

0161_UNITED · Mar 18, 2017

Not every interim manager does well after a sacking. I'm feeling confident we'll get 3 points tomorrow and be right in the mix for Ibrahimovic and Pogba's return. Arsenal are ordering on a dumpster fire and Pool and City can't find a semblance of form, Tottenham could still be without Kane. 3 points - one of those he biggest matches of the season to test our mettle - Jose is many things, but not a fool. I hope.

0161_UNITED · Mar 18, 2017

Hugh Jass said:
We are playing in Middlesbrough, with a depleted team that played a tough match on thursday. It is going to be a tough match. Dont give me this bullshit about them being in relegation. Its still a tough match away from home. Every match we play away from home whether its in Europe or the league is automatically a tough match. Can you please understand that.

Now if we get a bit of luck, we might win, but if I were a betting man, i would go for a draw, given the circumstances.

Put on your finest and go a bit flash, get some optimism. Turn up your collar. Pessimism isn't attractive.

Treble_Winning · Mar 18, 2017

Hugh Jass said:
We are playing in Middlesbrough, with a depleted team that played a tough match on thursday. It is going to be a tough match. Dont give me this bullshit about them being in relegation. Its still a tough match away from home. Every match we play away from home whether its in Europe or the league is automatically a tough match. Can you please understand that.

Now if we get a bit of luck, we might win, but if I were a betting man, i would go for a draw, given the circumstances.

Mourinho's comments should be taken seriously, not literally.

Even if we rested a few players, we still have enough quality to beat manager-less Boro. Jose needs to (and will) go for the jugular and come back with the 3 points. This will be a game for Rashford to hopefully seize his opportunity.

RedMaestro · Mar 18, 2017

Hugh Jass said:
We are playing in Middlesbrough, with a depleted team that played a tough match on thursday. It is going to be a tough match. Dont give me this bullshit about them being in relegation. Its still a tough match away from home. Every match we play away from home whether its in Europe or the league is automatically a tough match. Can you please understand that.

Now if we get a bit of luck, we might win, but if I were a betting man, i would go for a draw, given the circumstances.

Not saying you're wrong but this season has shown that the home games have been more difficult:

12 away games
7 W [Bournemouth, Hull, Swansea, CP, WBA, WH, Leicester], 2 L [Watford, Chelsea], 3 D [Liverpool, Everton, Stoke]

14 home games
6 W [Southampton, Leicester, Spurs, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Watford], 1 L [Manchester City], 7 D [Stoke, Burnley, Arsenal, WH, Liverpool, Hull, Bournemouth]

Sandikan · Mar 18, 2017

If this was Leicester after their manager's sacking, it'd be dangerous, as we saw what their players could do last year. But Boro have been stale all year.

Hope we settle to play at the very rare 12 Sunday slot better than them!

PoTMS · Mar 18, 2017

We'll do what United (and Boro) love to do this season. Draw. Said this the last time we had the chance to go up the table. Expect a 0-0.

Treble_Winning · Mar 18, 2017

RedMaestro said:
Not saying you're wrong but this season has shown that the home games have been more difficult:

12 away games
7 W [Bournemouth, Hull, Swansea, CP, WBA, WH, Leicester], 2 L [Watford, Chelsea], 3 D [Liverpool, Everton, Stoke]

14 home games
6 W [Southampton, Leicester, Spurs, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Watford], 1 L [Manchester City], 7 D [Stoke, Burnley, Arsenal, WH, Liverpool, Hull, Bournemouth]

I wonder why that is. Maybe Roy Keane might have a theory or two about the home support not motivating the team enough. Our away fans have been excellent. Home fans, not so. We need to make Old Trafford more intimidating for oppponents the same way the Turkish and Russian teams do. Maybe we should make banners saying "welcome to hell" like the Turkish fans. After all our nickname is the Red Devils.

whatwha · Mar 18, 2017

RedMaestro said:
Not saying you're wrong but this season has shown that the home games have been more difficult:

12 away games
7 W [Bournemouth, Hull, Swansea, CP, WBA, WH, Leicester], 2 L [Watford, Chelsea], 3 D [Liverpool, Everton, Stoke]

14 home games
6 W [Southampton, Leicester, Spurs, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Watford], 1 L [Manchester City], 7 D [Stoke, Burnley, Arsenal, WH, Liverpool, Hull, Bournemouth]

Quite similar to Moyes' form with us tbh. Almost top of the league in the away games table but usually disappointing at home.

hobbers · Mar 18, 2017

Still confident so long as we've got Carrick, Mkhitaryan, Mata and Rashford on the pitch together. If we can add in Martial as well that's a very competent attacking side.

Attila · Mar 18, 2017

Treble_Winning said:
I wonder why that is. Maybe Roy Keane might have a theory or two about the home support not motivating the team enough. Our away fans have been excellent. Home fans, not so. We need to make Old Trafford more intimidating for oppponents the same way the Turkish and Russian teams do. Maybe we should make banners saying "welcome to hell" like the Turkish fans. After all our nickname is the Red Devils.

I don't think it has anything to do with the fans. Just really poor finishing at home for some reason. It's really frustrating looking at that list as many of the games we completely dominated. Even Arsenal only managed one shot on target in the 89th minute

Offside · Mar 18, 2017

So yet another chance to move into the top 5? We can't bottle it again.

RedMaestro · Mar 18, 2017

Treble_Winning said:
I wonder why that is. Maybe Roy Keane might have a theory or two about the home support not motivating the team enough. Our away fans have been excellent. Home fans, not so. We need to make Old Trafford more intimidating for oppponents the same way the Turkish and Russian teams do. Maybe we should make banners saying "welcome to hell" like the Turkish fans. After all our nickname is the Red Devils.

Difficult to say. But as a "non-expert" I would think that the expectations are generally very high to win at home so the players feel the pressure. Away games aren't expected to be wins to the same degree as the home ones, so they probably feel "freer" and can play more relaxed which results in taking better shots.

But we shouldn't forget that a lot of the goalkeepers have had really strong performances in the home games, so that's an addition as well. Not an excuse, but one more reason to why it's been difficult to win at home. Usually goalkeepers in the "lesser" teams have 1 or 2 mistakes but I can't remember any in those dominating games. They were basically "human walls".

It takes time to build a strong mentality and also be able to "frighten" the opponents when they arrive - which is almost "non-existen" at the moment. But I have full trust in Mourinho and I think he knows that he has to "fix" to be able to be a PL-Winner.

pauldyson1uk · Mar 18, 2017

simonhch said:
Fairly certain we will draw or lose this. No Pogba and no Ibra, where are the goals going to come from. If Martial is out, forget about it. Carrick is a mandatory start. Seeing as Middlesborough are so goal shy - we'll see if they are more attacking tomorrow - I think we should put out a pretty aggressive line up. Personally I'd go with:

DDG

Valencia Jones Rojo Shaw

Carrick Fellaini

Mkhitaryan Mata Martial

Rashford

There's nothing on the bench to turn this match around, however. And if Martial is not fit, I guess you have to go with Jessie Lingard. Shaw is selected primarily to deal with the pace of Adama Traore. He'll roast Blind if selected.

The other option is to give a start to Schweinsteiger - which I don't think will happen. Or play Blind in a double pivot with Carrick. The passing would be superb, but the mobility not so much.

There will be no BFS, Blind or Rooney well not f this injury list is correct.

D Blind Head Injury No Return Date Slight Doubt
W Rooney Knee Injury March 19, 2017 Major Doubt
Schweinsteiger Muscular Injury No Return Date Major Doubt

Gerald G · Mar 18, 2017

De Gea
Valencia--Bailly--Smalling--Shaw
Carrick--Fellaini
Mata--Mkhitaryan--Martial
Rashford

G Best the Belfast Boy · Mar 18, 2017

hobbers said:
Still confident so long as we've got Carrick, Mkhitaryan, Mata and Rashford on the pitch together. If we can add in Martial as well that's a very competent attacking side.

I agree, furthermore we have De Gea and a decent defense.

The bookies have us as favourites and so do I. However, that said, this will be a difficult game - though we should have enough to win.

Stats don’t prove an accurate measurement, yet according to the Daily Mail :-

‘This game will see the team who averages the fewest shots on target (Middlesbrough – 2.4 per game) face the team who attempts the most per game (Manchester United – 6.3 per game)’.

And

‘Manchester United are currently on the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League (17 games), while opponents Middlesbrough are on the longest current winless run in the competition (10 games)’.

Despite missing Pogba, Herrera and Ibra surely our poor run of results when we have dropped points in games we ought to be winning has to end sometime. This may just be the game for Mkhi and Rashford to shine.

I just hope it is not another optimistic feeling I have that turns sour

Maradona10 · Mar 18, 2017

Carrick and Fellaini in the middle? That will be a very immobile midfield. We dont really have another choice though.
I wonder if we will go 3-5-2 again?
I hope we win, but this season has shown us that we will draw this.Hope i am wrong.

LuisNaniencia · Mar 18, 2017

I'm calling it now, we are going to see something that surprises us all tomorrow.

whatwha · Mar 18, 2017

LuisNaniencia said:
I'm calling it now, we are going to see something that surprises us all tomorrow.

In terms of lineup or performance?

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