PL D FA Premier League

West Bromwich Albion 1:1 Manchester United

Post-match discussion


Sun, 14 February 2021

U.N.C.L.E

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Dec 1, 2020
Messages
161
Location
Melbourne, Australia
To borrow a hockey phrase, isn’t it way beyond time for Martial to be a “healthy scratch”? The persistence in starting him is beyond belief.
 

redmanx

Full Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2017
Messages
1,378
I know we are not happy with referees and VAR, but I now worry that it is becoming a distraction as well for the players. It isn't that it is firing them up, but they will let themselves lose focus on the hard task ahead. Think they are still rankled by the Sheffield United game. I actually wouldn't care if they moaned like hell during a game, but they always seem passive and then gripe after the game instead.
If thats the case then Klopp has succeeded in derailing us by whining about the amount of VAR decisions which supposedly go our way.
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,337
If thats the case then Klopp has succeeded in derailing us by whining about the amount of VAR decisions which supposedly go our way.
Yeah his comments have played a blinder for all our opponents
 

lex talionis

Full Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
13,615
To borrow a hockey phrase, isn’t it way beyond time for Martial to be a “healthy scratch”? The persistence in starting him is beyond belief.
Way beyond time was some time ago. Martial has become a serious liability who should have been benched back in November.

Incredible Ole is blind to the shell of a footballer Martial has become.
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,337
Way beyond time was some time ago. Martial has become a serious liability who should have been benched back in November.

Incredible Ole is blind to the shell of a footballer Martial has become.
He is blind to De Gea, Lindelof, McFred & finally Tony too
 

lex talionis

Full Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
13,615
He is blind to De Gea, Lindelof, McFred & finally Tony too

Yes, but there’s a steep dropff from De Gea to Henderson. Bailly is permacrocked.

No excuses for persisting with McFred, at least against inferior opposition.
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,337
Yes, but there’s a steep dropff from De Gea to Henderson. Bailly is permacrocked.

No excuses for persisting with McFred, at least against inferior opposition.
Yes Deano isn't De Gea at his best but at least he commands better
 

Eddy_JukeZ

Full Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
16,977
Horrific result.

We need to pick it up.

The 1st half performance was as bad as it gets.
 

Cantonagotmehere

Full Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2015
Messages
3,316
Location
Charm City, MD
Zero movement off the ball is absolutely a big problem.
Hate to say it, but just watch City. When they are in possession, they are moving constantly looking to find space.
And especially so when in and around the penalty area.
Martial should be locked in a room and made to watch it for hours.

To me, the lack of movement is basically laziness and lack of basic footballing skills.
Agreed. Something needs to change.
 

ex and

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Messages
44
The most disappointing aspect is that I’m not surprised at the result, or the team selection or for the lack of action in the first half.
 

Popcorn

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jun 20, 2016
Messages
81
WBA didn’t have to do all that much to get a result out or us today. De Gea doesn’t stamp his authority on the game (again) and than the defence is all over the place.
Bruno scores a great goal, that should win it for us , but we are already on an uphill struggle. We have an amazing squad, but the mentality is a bit weak. We do look poorly coached , but each and every player should at least try to stamp their authority on the game . Everton , Sheffield and today points towards a problem with the overall mindset of the squad. 2 from 9 out of that is not good enough.
 

Asger

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
3,709
There are fans at our club that believe Ole is the calibre of manager that will bring success to this club! Good grief.
And some people like you believe we have 11 WC players when we only have maximum two wc players. Too many that are starting should not be more than squad players
 

Neo_Mufc

Full Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Messages
10,162
Normal service resumed. We've been rather poor in the last month. 2 wins in 7.

My hope for this season was that we would try and get closer to the leader. Feb is much better than being out pre Xmas but if we don't pick up the season is looking like another failure.

If we get within 10 points roughly from the title winner. That to me is progress.

Can only hope City have a mini blip.
 

Asger

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
3,709
WBA didn’t have to do all that much to get a result out or us today. De Gea doesn’t stamp his authority on the game (again) and than the defence is all over the place.
Bruno scores a great goal, that should win it for us , but we are already on an uphill struggle. We have an amazing squad, but the mentality is a bit weak. We do look poorly coached , but each and every player should at least try to stamp their authority on the game . Everton , Sheffield and today points towards a problem with the overall mindset of the squad. 2 from 9 out of that is not good enough.
What is so amazing with this squad?
 

Asger

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
3,709
Feel the first two perform better with Bailly at the back, however Rashford is being selfish which is getting on my nerves
Lindelof has also played better with Bailly. Sadly none of the DC are good enough
 

Asger

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
3,709
Regardless of how you feel about the squad, 1 point in 6 vs Sheffield and West Brom is disgraceful.
Yes it is, but with most players that are more inconsistent than Nani was im not surprised. Its the reason i predicted we would end in 5th place before the season started. I guess Jose was right about Martial and Rashford.
 

Eddy_JukeZ

Full Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
16,977
Yes it is, but with most players that are more inconsistent than Nani was im not surprised. Its the reason i predicted we would end in 5th place before the season started. I guess Jose was right about Martial and Rashford.
What did Jose say about Rashford?

Martial has been a disgrace this season, I won't defend him.
 

Will Singh

Full Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
5,675
Location
Theatre of dreams
We still have problems breaking down teams that sit back. It’s a waste of time keeping possession and not doing anyone with it, we might as well give them the ball and counter as we seem to do that well!
 

Buster15

Go on Didier
Joined
Aug 28, 2018
Messages
13,299
Location
Bristol
Supports
Bristol Rovers
Lindelof is Swedish, he loves ice hockey, he should be used to that.
He was fouled and had it been the other way round it would have been a penalty.
But I was referring to the fact that both sides were affected by the weather.
 

Skåre Willoch

Full Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
4,218
I see so much criticism towards playing two DMs against West Brom/supposedly weaker teams.
Do people still think McSauce is a DM?
I agree we could/should be playing a more creative player in midfield, but our best/only option is out with injury.
VdB is not an upgrade at all on McTominay, and Mata is a liability against physically imposing teams.
With Pogba injured, who do people suggest we play in midfield instead of Fred (DM) and/or McTominay (not a DM)?

That said, yesterday was an awful performance by just about everyone. No excuses.
 

GioF

Full Member
Joined
May 18, 2015
Messages
259
Location
Cheshire
Shocking performance. Unfortunately we don’t have a plan B.

That system/gameplan wasn’t working and instead of changing formation and reacting in real time we just play the same way with very little chances created. Why we don’t have a different option for teams parking the bus I will never know.

Perfect game to have a holding midfielder like Scott with Bruno and DVB/Mata ahead of him. Lots of possession and interchanging with the front three and that would cause actual problems.

The Martial/Rashford situation we have is very concerning. Both are so unreliable and you simply can’t trust them. Very hit/miss. When they are on they look like world beaters but more often than not they look lost. The decision making between the two is so bad.

As for the defense.....why Ole sticks with Lindelof is beyond questionable. Bailly is clearly the better player and partner for Maguire. With Bailly being so injury prone a centre back is probably our biggest need going into the summer. That is saying something with how bad our strikers/wingers have looked recently.

All in all it was yet another game you want to put your arms through the tv and shake the players to wake up. But more of the same lethargic tempo waiting for someone to pull a piece of magic (Bruno ) and then back to the same shite.
 

red4ever 79

New Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2015
Messages
9,530
Location
Czech Republic
I see so much criticism towards playing two DMs against West Brom/supposedly weaker teams.
Do people still think McSauce is a DM?
I agree we could/should be playing a more creative player in midfield, but our best/only option is out with injury.
VdB is not an upgrade at all on McTominay, and Mata is a liability against physically imposing teams.
With Pogba injured, who do people suggest we play in midfield instead of Fred (DM) and/or McTominay (not a DM)?

That said, yesterday was an awful performance by just about everyone. No excuses.
If you watched the match you would clearly have seen that especially in the first half he was playing right in front of the two CB's to compensate for their weakness. It was like having 3 CB's with Fred just in front. We are essentially sacrificing one CM to help out our CB's each game
 

RaddyRed

Full Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2017
Messages
1,150
Location
Manchester
Supports
Henrik Larsson
A big part of struggling to break teams down is that both of our cb starters yesterday look like amateur players anytime they attempt to bring the ball out of defence (so rarely attempt it).

Bailly is our best at this, as he has the confidence to step into midfield with the ball at times and become the extra man needed to disorganise the opposition low block.

Maguire attempted this a bit in the 2nd half, but is too slow and clumsy to be affective.

Maguire won't be dropped due to his price tag and being captain, so will be interesting to see if we sign a cb in the summer as a priority.
 

justsomebloke

Full Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2020
Messages
5,861
Our xG was quite shocking - 0.42. It's only been worse in the loss to Arsenal (0.39). When we beat them 1-0 last time, it was 2.43. A little surprising, it didn't look that bad.

In view of our having had 73,1% possession and 10 shots (7 on target), that is really awful.

That being said, it was still a good deal less depressing than much of the unbelievable bullshit on this thread. Some people come out of the woodwork when there's a bad game, and argue as if it's those games that show our real level. And keep their mouths shut when things go well, as if that was some sort of extraordinary anomaly that doesn't truly represent the reality of the team. It's ridiculous.
 

vanderpants

New Member
Newbie
Joined
May 19, 2012
Messages
2,914
Location
Rochdale
If you watched the match you would clearly have seen that especially in the first half he was playing right in front of the two CB's to compensate for their weakness. It was like having 3 CB's with Fred just in front. We are essentially sacrificing one CM to help out our CB's each game
Even Gary Neville picked up on this during his commentary and was critical of the Oles tactics
 

DomesticTadpole

Doom-monger obsessed with Herrera & the M.E.N.
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
100,449
Location
Barrow In Furness
If you watched the match you would clearly have seen that especially in the first half he was playing right in front of the two CB's to compensate for their weakness. It was like having 3 CB's with Fred just in front. We are essentially sacrificing one CM to help out our CB's each game
Then they have to make sure they get him the best CB they can, otherwise the problems will continue, it will just be can we score enough to not worry about the defence
 

Jeffthered

Full Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
2,678
What's worrying is that West Brom should have won, and they are a very limited team in Premiership terms.
 

Inigo Montoya

Leave Wayne Rooney alone!!
Joined
Oct 1, 2008
Messages
38,543
What's worrying is that West Brom should have won, and they are a very limited team in Premiership terms.
They could have not should have. So could we. That’s not the worrying thing IMO. It’s how slow we looked for so much of the match. We didn’t need McFred and played like they were City.

I saw a pattern with all teams that had hard games in midweek in the Cup; they were all pants over the weekend. Just need a bit of quality to come in but we’re over relying on Bruno
 

Mike Oxard

Full Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
685
Supports
City
I’m not surprised and I’m not disappointed. A draw away from home is never a bad result - we only think it is because we have this whacky notion that we are challenging for the Title, but the truth is that we are not. I know that we are in the top 4 and we were top of the league briefly, but so were Spurs, who are also not challenging. Let’s take the draw and be happy with a point from a game we could have lost. Win our home games, maybe go further in the FA Cup and really go for the Europa League, which is about our current level. It will be a few years yet before we can really go for it, so let’s make the most of things. Ole is doing a good job.
 

OleTheGreat

Full Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
814
Location
Bangalore, India
It was just a ridiculous watch. West Brom didn't make it easy for us but I still think the creativity in this team is next to nil. Even though we have so many midfielders, none of them bar Bruno actually make a crucial contribution. I know all the numbers look in our favor but it doesn't actually show progress on the pitch. We definitely need some good summer signings or change a few things and bring people like Amad, Shole Shortire, Hannibal and the sort and give them a chance. I'm sure they're egging to have a go at the first team places and will actually get on that pitch and do more than the ones who are actually on. Martial has had so many chances to prove his worth but I think he's not a good fit for this team. He needs service to his feet and we're not that kind of a team now. The likes of Bruno, Cavani and Rashford moved up to collect the ball, albeit losing them going forward but they made efforts nonetheless. Dropping points to teams who are in the relegation battle is so poor. Soon the teams below us will catch up to us and we'll find it very hard to even be in the Top4. Ole has to address a lot of issues in this team, he's always said that United teams must run more than his opponents but it seems like we just stand still and pass it around like 600+ times without actually being dangerous and that's totally opposite to what he's looking for. I love that we're keep such high possession but it's not by any means meaningful possession. I worry about Sociedad game now because Spanish sides are generally very good technically and our off ball tactics are horrendous. I really hope things improve.
 

justsomebloke

Full Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2020
Messages
5,861
They could have not should have. So could we. That’s not the worrying thing IMO. It’s how slow we looked for so much of the match. We didn’t need McFred and played like they were City.

I saw a pattern with all teams that had hard games in midweek in the Cup; they were all pants over the weekend. Just need a bit of quality to come in but we’re over relying on Bruno
Sorry, but did Fred look like a defensive midfielder to you in this game? As soon as we had established ball control in the opposition third, he moved up to the edge of the opposition box. Starting McFred in the CM pairing doesn't automatically mean a defensive approach. "Played like they were City"? We had 73% possession.
 

DomesticTadpole

Doom-monger obsessed with Herrera & the M.E.N.
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
100,449
Location
Barrow In Furness
Sorry, but did Fred look like a defensive midfielder to you in this game? As soon as we had established ball control in the opposition third, he moved up to the edge of the opposition box. Starting McFred in the CM pairing doesn't automatically mean a defensive approach. "Played like they were City"? We had 73% possession.
Pointing out we had 73% and us drawing 1-1 at West Brom actually makes it worse. It was pointless possession without goals. They had 27% possession and still had seven chances to our ten with all our possession.
 

Player Ratings

5.0 Total Average Rating

Highest Rated Player

Lowest Rated Player

Compiled from 272 ratings.

Score Predictions

174,5,12
  • Man Utd win
  • West Brom win
  • Draw

Detailed Results

  • 28% West Brom 0:2 Man Utd
  • 28% West Brom 0:3 Man Utd
  • 11% West Brom 1:3 Man Utd
  • 7% West Brom 0:4 Man Utd
  • 5% West Brom 1:2 Man Utd
  • 5% West Brom 1:4 Man Utd
  • 3% West Brom 1:1 Man Utd
  • 3% West Brom 0:5 Man Utd
  • 3% West Brom 0:0 Man Utd
  • 3% West Brom 0:1 Man Utd
  • 1% West Brom 1:5 Man Utd
  • 1% West Brom 2:1 Man Utd
  • 1% West Brom 2:2 Man Utd
  • 1% West Brom 3:0 Man Utd
  • 1% West Brom 5:0 Man Utd
  • 1% West Brom 2:0 Man Utd
  • 1% West Brom 1:0 Man Utd
Compiled from 191 predictions.
Show more results Score Predictions League Table

Match Stats

  1. West Brom
  2. Man Utd
Possession
27% 73%
Shots
7 10
Shots on Target
3 7
Corners
4 5
Fouls
13 10

Referee

Craig Pawson