Our home record/form

[Rash Decision]

The oddity is we mainly either play well first half or second not both.

Have been wondering whether this could be a fitness issue?

The fact that we seem to play most matches at a walking pace suggests 2 things to me:
1. The manager isn't pushing the players to play at a higher tempo / intensity consistently
2. Given point 1, when the players do have to turn it up, they possibly cannot sustain it as they are simply not used to the higher intensity?

 

[londonredmaniac]

Did you watch the game? They took the game to us and it was Utd sitting back hoping to catch them on the break. The way we set up at home was cowardly against an average CL side who looked a lot better because of Mous tactics

That's what I saw, aye

 

[haram]

funny you mention the Leicester game. It's games like that which sum up an issue with Mourinho. Rather than go for a goal that will kill the game we sit back and try and protect what we have.

We had so many chances to kill that game. Lingard and Martial missed big and easy chances.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Still gutted about that City loss, the cheap goals we conceded from corners to a side full of midgets. They didn't even play well.

 

[haram]

We are only 2 points behind City in the 'home table'. The result that gives them edge is the game at OT. We shall see what happens at the Etihad. Away from home though...

14 point gap. Nowhere near good enough. Our transitions and counters need to be way better. Hopefully new fullbacks help us with this.

 

[londonredmaniac]

We had so many chances to kill that game. Lingard and Martial missed big and easy chances.

The Lingard one, I knew there would be a sting when that one didn't go.

 

[Perseus]

The problem other clubs have visiting Old Trafford is scoring, even more so from open play. WhoScored records one goal conceded from open play in the Premier League this season, one from a counter attack and four from set pieces and one own goal. These are formidable statistics. It gives 14 clubs almost no chance.

Away from home it is the same being second in the low number of goals conceded from open play and the best of the top six clubs.

Not the flamboyant United way, but it does mean that getting rid of Mourinho would probably mean losing the defence without improving the attack. Backwards.

It has got to mean good players in defence as well as good organisation. The basket cases for conceding from open play are Everton and Stoke.

 

[cyril C]

They done a Jose on us.

Sat back,decided to give nothing away,hopefully go into the last 20 mins at 0-0 or 1 down(an away goal would have seen them through)then hit us with a sucker punch.

They brought on their top scorer and with us chasing the game hit us again.
If we had done that Jose would have been lauded.

We played 4231 which went into the hands of Seville. So the biggest question should be why couldn't we score within 70min. 1-0 might not be enough as pointed out that we could still go out on 1-1 (like we did by Porto) but we failed to score at all, even with an aggressive setup. If you watched the game then it was the same old problem since Jan. Sanchez or Pogba got the ball, taking on 3 defenders, lost possession and we barely escaped from punishment, regain possession, then the whole cycle started again. The rest of the team was simply ball watching and everyone bar 2 were static. Did the rest of the team gave up because of these 2, or these 2 NEED to do a solo because the rest of the team was static.

Anyway, Mourinho knew where the problem was and act accordingly, unfortunately there is no 2nd chance on CL. You can get away with this type of poor performance in league format but not in knockout format.

 

[Stu1975]

We played 4231 which went into the hands of Seville. So the biggest question should be why couldn't we score within 70min. 1-0 might not be enough as pointed out that we could still go out on 1-1 (like we did by Porto) but we failed to score at all, even with an aggressive setup. If you watched the game then it was the same old problem since Jan. Sanchez or Pogba got the ball, taking on 3 defenders, lost possession and we barely escaped from punishment, regain possession, then the whole cycle started again. The rest of the team was simply ball watching and everyone bar 2 were static. Did the rest of the team gave up because of these 2, or these 2 NEED to do a solo because the rest of the team was static.

Anyway, Mourinho knew where the problem was and act accordingly, unfortunately there is no 2nd chance on CL. You can get away with this type of poor performance in league format but not in knockout format.

Jose got his tactics wrong,no two ways about it but the sitting back from him is nothing new.

We didn’t start with Pogba but were instead happy to hoof it forward for Lukaku,the man has done well this season with how we have set-up at times.

Too many players not showing up added to negative tactics is a recipe for disaster.

 

[TMDaines]

Erm, thought I would update this...

Some intial research at soccerstats.com suggests there’s less than 10 games a season where the home side leads at HT and loses at FT. Surprising how low it is.

City lost 2-3 to us in 17/18 when 2-0 at HT.
Spurs lost 1-2 to Newcastle in 14/15 when 1-0 at HT.
Chelsea lost 3-5 to Arsenal in 11/12 when 2-1 at HT.
Arsenal lost 2-3 to Spurs in 10/11 when 2-0 at HT.
Liverpool lost 1-2 to Arsenal in 09/10 when 1-0 at HT.

We’ve not lost at home leading at HT in the league since 1983/14! What a fecking outlier that is! I wasn’t sure how impressive that stat was until now!

 

[Damien]

If we win our last three games then it'll be our third best home record in the Premier League era.

 

[Minimalist]

If we win our last three games then it'll be our third best home record in the Premier League era.

Impressive.

Still amusing our best, 2010-11, is a rather forgetable season/side (in context of all the others). My favourite season/side 2006-07 is middling there too - with those two losses to Arsenal and (though meaningless) West Ham.

Still, you want to win all your home matches if you can, if not stay unbeaten. So it's a good job from Mourinho.

 

[Skills]

Since this thread was made, this fortress has been penetrated by both Seville to knock us out of the CL and now by the bottom placed side in the entire league.

 

[haram]

Since this thread was made, this fortress has been penetrated by both Seville to knock us out of the CL and now by the bottom placed side in the entire league.

We have also beaten Chelsea and Liverpool. Dissapointing result today. Such a good record and we lose to the bottom side of all teams.