I don't blame him for their goal. I don't blame him. Benteke is a tank. Took his penalty well. Once we get the balance right or the blend then Ander will find his best performances. He's better higher up the pitch with a quicker tempo but i'm glad for him to get the whole game. He's an intelligent guy and that's rare in football.
21
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 41
- Goals
- 5
- Assists
- 6
- Yellow cards
- 9
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
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Too often now he choses the safe option (that goes for many of our players) and that just can't bring the best out of him. I hope LVG finds a way to get that direct and quick play out of him where he can create a lot of urgency
Great run that got us the pen, and a Sheareresque penalty to follow. Not a great match, but as some have pointed out, Liverpool was very compact around their box and he had very little space to work with. Should keep playing in that no 10 role imo
I like the way he leathered that ball into the roof of the net, fantastic. He wasn't at his best in that #10 and won't be unless we have willing runners, with Mata & Fellaini it was not possible yesterday.
I thought he was very good yesterday. Like another poster mentioned I don't like the way LVG has now trained him to think more negatively so he is looking to face backwards rather than squaring up his opponent and playing those brilliant through balls he's capable of. Overall tho I still think he's one of our best players and adds an energy and urgency that no one else brings to the side?
Was anyone else absolutely terrified when he stepped up for the penalty? If he'd missed we could've easily thrown away the win. I was thinking it had to be Schweinsteiger and Herrera was way down the list.
Yeh I love Herrera but I have to say I was thinking the exact same thing. I really thought it would be schweinsteiger with all his past experiences.
I was afraid if he had missed Van Gaal would have benched him again.
Anyway, Lampard -esque peno.
Anyway, Lampard -esque peno.
I had a first thought that he should get his head there but two seconds later i said to myself 'i don't want our player to get his head there'.
No, I don't want to be too harsh cos I really like Herrera and want him to start, but most mangers will fecking kill him for ducking out of that and I expect Lvg to give him a right ear full
There was such a power in the shoot it would be really stupid to try to stop it.
Kinda. I remember thinking its a bit odd but then thinking, well he's confident enough to be step up and obviously good enough to be chosen so I'll trust him. Banging pen though.
There is a clear hiearchcical order for penalties though. I think it is Mata, Herrera, Carrick....Once soemone misses, the next one takes penalties til he misses and so on. So i knew he would take it, but i hoped for Schweini at that moment. But philosophy is the philosophy.
I posted an article from United website, Ander has never taken a penalty in a competitive game before. LvG said he was capable of taking penalties so he has been practicising them. If Mata was on the pitch he wouldn't of taken it and if he is on the pitch in future he won't be taking them either. He did well for his first in a game like this.
I think Schweini is bit shit at penalties from what I remember from Bayern, or am I mistaking him for someone else?
I don't think Schweini was ever the main penalty taker for Bayern, he missed his penalty in the 2012 CL final too. People just assume he's good at penalties because he's German
10 goals in 36 appearances apparently.
Thought he was average yesterday, as always a lot of good - running into the box and neat exchanges but also a fair amount of wastefulness and I actually thought he was a bit more negative than usual, could be the Fellaini factor though.
Thought he was average yesterday, as always a lot of good - running into the box and neat exchanges but also a fair amount of wastefulness and I actually thought he was a bit more negative than usual, could be the Fellaini factor though.
Yet it was Memphis and Mata the manager mentioned as being wasteful.
Indeed, Memphis surely! Mata in that he wasted 90 minutes playing the ball backwards I suppose.
LvG also said we were better in first half so I really do wonder how we views football at united - though in fairness I fell asleep at around 25 mins due to the sheer lack of football being attempted by either team so maybe I missed it.
That was the most odd half of a United Liverpool game you're ever likely to see.
Or however many minutes until he was subbed I should say.
10 goals and 6 assists in 2,410 minutes at United. Goal/assist every 151 minutes, not a bad record at all.
Just for comparisons sake Mata has 17 goals and 12 assists in 4,215 minutes at United, which is a goal/assist ever 145 minutes.
Both of these records are bloody brilliant. Ander's is probably better considering a bulk of it was played as a CM in a 433.
We were better in the first half it was in the final 3rd we were awful. With Mata doing his usual nothing at right wing and slowing every attack that side and Depay having an off day.
That was his first professional penalty!
I couldn't believe that. We have the German captain on the pitch and we decide to go with someone who has never taken a penalty before! LVG is bizarre when it comes to allocating penalty takers.
As someone else said, they don't think BFS is actually a good penalty taker. It's just because he is German we presume he is. Ander said LvG told him he would be a good penalty taker and gave him the confidence to try, this was last season. He said he practices them every week and this is the first chance, due to Mata going off, that he has been able to take one.
Well taken penalty. To the roof of the net. Unsavable. We should be taking penalties this way.... out of the keeper's reach.
My favourite kind of penalty, but they're so so risky. There's always a chance that you're going to sky it.
Took some proper balls to take that penalty in the fashion he did. I specifically remember the split second it was in flight thinking he'd skied it. Emphatically rammed it in though.
Love those sort of penalties.
Van Nistlerooy used to take them like that.
Van Nistlerooy used to take them like that.
I never doubted him he took the penalty. Last season he scored brilliant, precise goal. His shooting technique is top so I was sure he will hit it well
His first penalty ever in a competitive game he says - it was brilliant. Apart from him shying away from the overhead kick (which tbf he was never reaching but he might have been able to block it with his face lol) he was good again.
I was absolutely cacking it when he stepped up to take it
When it was awarded my first thought was 'Shit, we don't have any penalty takers on the pitch', then presumed BFS or Carrick would step up and take it.
When it panned to Herrera holding the ball my heart did sink a bit. Top penalty though. Very reminiscent of Hargreaves vs Chelsea in the shootout. No keeper is saving those.
When it was awarded my first thought was 'Shit, we don't have any penalty takers on the pitch', then presumed BFS or Carrick would step up and take it.
When it panned to Herrera holding the ball my heart did sink a bit. Top penalty though. Very reminiscent of Hargreaves vs Chelsea in the shootout. No keeper is saving those.
Just watched the game and agree with this. Everything he does on the ball is pretty tidy and he has great technique but he just seems so reluctant at times. I feel it has to be LVG's influence or Herrera being worried about losing his place in the team. Too many times he received the ball with the chance to drive at the Liverpool defense but he chose to turn back and play it safe. Hopefully with a run of games we'll see him grow in confidence and he'll feel comfortable enough to play his natural game more. Most of the time when he chooses to be more direct good things come from it and he definitely has the ability to play killer balls and be a goal threat. Ditto for Mata too.
You did see the penalty didn't you? Unsaveable, maybe LVG knew what he was doing.
I was oddly confident that he would score it. Impressive considering it was his first one in a professional game.
His shooting technique is excellent. Reminds of Yaya Toure a bit - both know how to lump the ball but almost all of their goals are side-footed caresses.
His technique is actually surprisingly good, seeing how spare his goal contributions were at Bilbao.
We need to start getting this guy in more goal scoring positions.
Having watched the game again, a lot of the players were passing the ball sideways and backwards, including BFS. As LvG seemed to rate the first half performance then I presume it was instructions.
Agreed, I'd also like to see him get into the box a lot more
I worry if he rates the first half as good. We were impotent.
indeed
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