[Oscar.Z.Acosta]

Is anyone actually shocked at what transpired with our attack tonight?

I would doubt it so why are we being linked with defenders and midfielders constantly when clearly we need at least one world class forward urgently?

 

[OleGunnar20]

Echoing the general consensus so far really - Can't fault the work ethic generally, lots of players previously written off players out-performing the likes of Pogba & Martial.

I have to eat my words re Mctom & Fred, they really deserve to start going forward I'd say with how well they've taken their chances these last few weeks. Mctom in particular for me has really upped it a gear, great attitude also seems like the type of guy who sees Utd as the pinnacle.

We need to build a team on that attitude rather than an attitude of individualism. We don't have the budget or higher structure to pull that off.

 

[TheReligion]

Don't see it like that all. This just makes it better what it actually was.

They got what they wanted without breaking a sweat. We didn't while putting max effort. As simple as that. Barca will be happy with the overall match tonight, not much effort and a great result away from home. Printing it as if both teams were rubbish and just an own goal is imo just trying to make things good on our side, which isn't true really. That was bad from the home team. One team got what they wanted in a comfortable night for them and the other left wanting a 2-0 win away from home to progress.

Which all boils down to what I said initially. We aren't at their level at the moment and are exceeding expectations in this competition. We simply don't have enough quality.

That said we are still in the tie and still did enough to look comfortable against Barca and Messi.

 

[TheReligion]

I would doubt it so why are we being linked with defenders and midfielders constantly when clearly we need at least one world class forward urgently?

Ashley Young was poor tonight and we should still be in for a centre half in the summer in my opinion.

 

[Patrick08]

The mentality we came out with at the start cost us, had we not parked the bus before their goal, they weren't getting a away goal today.

 

[Patrick08]

We aren't at their level at the moment

The only difference was efficiency in both boxes. I don't think we can improve much on forward areas.

 

[TheReligion]

It’s a little bit sad seeing so many United fans being happy with “not getting destroyed”. It sounds very similar to when a midtable or worse team comes to Old Trafford and plays well defensively, but creates nothing and lose 1-0.

People seem to forget that creating chances and scoring goals is the hardest part of football and what seperates good teams from bad teams.

Yes we are still not in a good place as a team, but lets still have some dignity and act like a big club. I actually had a friend write that he was proud of the performance tonight. I didn’t send a reply to him, but it kinda hurt to read.

[edit]also reading a lot of fans saying that we were the better team and unlucky to lose. I’m sorry but if you create zero chances you are not the better team.

I think you are forgetting where we were under Jose. This is the same squad with the same deficiencies. We shouldn't be competing with the top clubs with the squad we have.

 

[Oscar.Z.Acosta]

Ashley Young was poor tonight and we should still be in for a centre half in the summer in my opinion.

Agreed. But all 3 (if we include a forward or maybe 4 with a creative right-sided attacker as well) really do need to be world class if we are to challenge for titles in the near future. Will the board be prepared for that big a spend?

 

[Beaucoup]

Last time we won the CL, Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo Vs Rashford, Rom & Dalot, need I say anymore! and let’s not even mention the midfield.

 

[predator]

We should have scored and we performed well imo. We looked abit clueless in the first half an hour but we had them dropping back all through the second half.

What's blatantly obvious for me and has been for a while is our lack of target men. After realising we are unable to counter attack and hit a team on the break we resort to long balls, but Lukaku (Our only viable target man) is either busy on the wing or has been subbed off.

We desperately need a poacher / target man. Hernandez would've been ideal tonight and he was no world beater.

 

[Okey]

Quite a few comments about team selection tonight. It's not like we left better players on the bench, as evidenced by the performance of the subs (not that we didn't already know). Many of our players just aren't good enough. At the moment we're just squeezing the best or off what we have. I can't see what personnel changes would have had us better tonight. Maybe Dalot for Young but that's it. Rojo could have been the left sided CB with Shaw flanking but clearly the manager isn't convinced. And we all know how the Caf will explode when he stinks the place up like he's done so many times before. Get better players in, then we can put out better options.

 

[Random Task]

I think you are forgetting where we were under Jose. This is the same squad with the same deficiencies. We shouldn't be competing with the top clubs with the squad we have.

I think many people have forgotten this small fact.

Ole has work to do this summer if he hopes to get us challenging once again.

 

[TheReligion]

Agreed. But all 3 (if we include a forward or maybe 4 with a creative right-sided attacker as well) really do need to be world class if we are to challenge for titles in the near future. Will the board be prepared for that big a spend?

They don't though. We just need to be smart. Liverpool snapped up Robertson for example so there are players around who can step up.

I do feel the squad has alot of potential. Rashford, Martial, Pogba, Dalot, Shaw, Lindelof can and will improve in my opinion. McTominay can be added to that list with a bit of caution but there's certainly enough to build on.

 

[TheReligion]

I think many people have forgotten this small fact.

Ole has work to do this summer if he hopes to get us challenging once again.

Exactly. Plenty to do. This will be the summer to see if the club want to push on in my opinion.

That said though there's enough potential in this squad for us to progress if we recruit well in the right areas.

 

[Random Task]

Last time we won the CL, Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo Vs Rashford, Rom & Dalot, need I say anymore! and let’s not even mention the midfield.

Pogba, Fred and McTominay?

Yeah, they just outplayed one of Europes best sides by a fairly large distance.

They absolutely deserve a mention if you ask me.

 

[Oscar.Z.Acosta]

They don't though. We just need to be smart. Liverpool snapped up Robertson for example so there are players around who can step up.

I do feel the squad has alot of potential. Rashford, Martial, Pogba, Dalot, Shaw, Lindelof can and will improve in my opinion. McTominay can be added to that list with a bit of caution but there's certainly enough to build on.

I do think those kind of players (Robertson) are few and far between and won’t all become as good as he’s become. As sad as it is, to compete with City (still easily the best team in England) we need a squad akin to theirs and ours is not quite there.

 

[matherto]

We started horribly and Barça took advantage of it.

Slowly but surely the midfield got hold of things and we stopped giving it to Young to lump forward.

McTominay and Fred especially were very good once they got into it.

We badly need better players up front though. Lukaku did really well with his hold up play but he didn't have a sniff and Rashford did absolutely naff all. Martial should perhaps have started because once he came on he had a few runs at them but he blows hot and cold so it's not a surprise he didn't start.

 

[DaGOAT]

United were the better team and the same nothing to lose attitude that we had against Juve and PSG will prevail. 2-1 United. Nice one.

Nah. Barca were in control as a consequence of their possession. United created nothing. Who cares about being able to press Barca’s back line for some stretches in the match?

The fact is that Barca were in control, had possession and created more and the better chances. Deserved win by a below avg Barca.

 

[Sandikan]

Pogba, Fred and McTominay?

Yeah, they just outplayed one of Europes best sides by a fairly large distance.

They absolutely deserve a mention if you ask me.

Outplayed? I think we have a different definition.
We did a decent containment job on a barce team in a low gear.

We came without one shot on target from a home game. We didn't even get free kicks on target.

We're a long way off so i hope ole is astute this summer and is well backed

 

[Random Task]

Exactly. Plenty to do. This will be the summer to see if the club want to push on in my opinion.

That said though there's enough potential in this squad for us to progress if we recruit well in the right areas.

Yeah, there is loads of potential in this squad:

DDG
Shaw
Lindelof
Smalling
Mctominay (continues to impress)
Pogba
Fred (jury still out although he played well tonight)
Martial
Rashford
Lingard

You can make a strong case for all of the above to either be first-team regulars or squad players at worst. In my opinion of course.

There is a fair amount of dross within the squad too but we already knew that.

 

[TheReligion]

Yeah, there is loads of potential in this squad:

DDG
Shaw
Lindelof
Smalling
Mctominay (continues to impress)
Pogba
Fred (jury still out although he played well tonight)
Martial
Rashford
Lingard

You can make a strong case for all of the above to either be first-team regulars or squad players at the worst. In my opinion of course.

There is a fair amount of dross within the squad too but we already knew that.

I agree with that lot. I think we need a really big summer this year. Finally weed out the likes of Young, Valencia, Darmian, Rojo etc and start building for the future.

We have made a right mess post Fergie. We need a DoF and a busy window with a clear strategy when the window opens up.

Anything else this season is a bonus.

 

[Coops73]

I thought we played well, Barcelona weren’t great, whinging cnuts that they are, but we showed some good character I thought.

McTominay my motm, Pogba could learn a thing or 2 from him with regards to application and effort but I thought Fred was great, best I’ve seen him a United shirt, shout out to Smalling too, smashed Messi in the moosh which is all good.

If we can play like that at the Nou camp then we’ve got a good chance..............................
Oh and Suarez is a racist cannibal cnut.....still.

 

[lex talionis]

It wasn't the result I had hoped but I actually was very impressed with the performance overall. This isn't a side that's expected to beat Barcelona over two legs but it's a side that earned the right to compete with Barcelona and wasn't that far off from getting the win.

Is there something in Ole's box of tricks that can recreate the magic at Paris? Probably not, but we came back from a worse position than being down 0-2 against a very strong opponent.

McTominay answered his critics well today.

 

[Random Task]

Outplayed? I think we have a different definition.
We did a decent containment job on a barce team in a low gear.

We came without one shot on target from a home game. We didn't even get free kicks on target.

We're a long way off so i hope ole is astute this summer and is well backed

'Outplayed' is relative of course.

We were the better team over 90 minutes and that was largely down to the midfield who were excellent tonight. It was unfortunate that Rashford was so poor or that Lukaku + Young failed to put in a single decent cross all night long.

We would have won that game on another night.

 

[Eckers99]

The worst Barca team in over a decade. If we don't do them at the Nou Camp, the scousers will.

 

[mariachi-19]

Outplayed? I think we have a different definition.
We did a decent containment job on a barce team in a low gear.

We came without one shot on target from a home game. We didn't even get free kicks on target.

We're a long way off so i hope ole is astute this summer and is well backed

Maybe, just maybe, Barcelona couldnt get out of gear because we didnt let them?

 

[pocco]

I kept saying prior to PSG and the same coming into this, play on the front foot. We sat back again to start off with and it cost us the game. That's exactly what these teams want. If it was prime Barca with Xavi and Iniesta then fair enough, but this is a far cry from that.

Overall we did well off the ball in the end. We pressed and forced the errors,but yet again our players let us down with the ball, especially our attackers. Barca were never there to be countered so it needed some quality to carve out a goal. I don't think we even got a shot on target. That says it all.

At least now more of our fans are realising the issues and hopefully the club are too, so we'll all be singing from the same hymn sheet for once this summer. There are question marks over all our attackers and that's not good. Young deserves a mention too because he was so bad. His decision making for a captain and experienced poster was so bad.

Having said all that, we are still in with a shout. I'm not convinced we can perform much better with this team as the quality isn't there at the top, top level. But if we press them with intent and things drop differently, then we can still progress. It will be harder without Shaw because we don't have many players with the right attributes to play against Messi, but maybe we'll find something that works.

 

[Canagel]

The mentality we came out with at the start cost us, had we not parked the bus before their goal, they weren't getting a away goal today.

Were they still getting adjusted to the new formation change and Barcelona simply caught them cold ? We didn't play that system under ole with those defenders in that position. I don't believe it was Oles intention to start like this because we did control their attacks better after it.

 

[pocco]

The worst Barca team in over a decade. If we don't do them at the Nou Camp, the scousers will.

I feel like the scousers or city could have their pants down. They'd be a much better version of us tonight. Even Spurs could beat this Barca side.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Fred still gets caught on the ball but had a great performance defensively. McTom conversevely was brilliant on the ball, amazing how many of the redcafe professional scouts seemed to think he was championship level on the ball a few short months ago.

We are still too reliant on Pogba as a playmaker and he is simply too inconsistent. Young delivery was poor but at the end of the day he is a right back and Pogba's form is 50x more important.

Thought we struggled without Lukaku too... contributed well enough

A draw would have been a fair result but we didn't get it, it is what it is

 

[Tapori]

Should have have scored but considering everyone lining us up for a pumping, was very impressed with how we didn't simply stay back banks and atcually pressed and caused problems. Good positions but poor balls and finishing in that final 3rd.

Shaw had a very very average game.
Pogba grew
Fred and McTominay excellent.
Dalot decent battle with Semedo. 2 bright youngsters, but oh Dalot that header lad what were ya thinking?
Rashford - Injury was rushed as was his finishing and touch.
Lukaku - Not hilarious, worked hard but lacking

Young - Oh Ashley. Ashley ashley ashley ashley. Good organisation, good defensive nous as expected but jesus, the amount of times he couldn't see or played a terrible ball into the final third was mental.
Smalling and Lindelof did well.


Optimistic for Nou Camp and will be very difficult.
Loved McTominay and Smalling's attitude post-match.

 

[The Irish Connection]

Lads we have to win this, Liverpool will beat them. Oh jesus, it could be a Liverpool city final.

 

[Patrick08]

Were they still getting adjusted to the new formation change and Barcelona simply caught them cold ? We didn't play that system under ole with those defenders in that position. I don't believe it was Oles intention to start like this because we did control their attacks better after it.

Suddenly after their goal, the mentality changed and we got the system right? We never pressed in the first 15 mins before their goal and this led to us being on the back foot. It was a wait and counter attitude at the start which didn't go according to the plan.

 

[Eckers99]

I feel like the scousers or city could have their pants down. They'd be a much better version of us tonight. Even Spurs could beat this Barca side.

Yeah, I'd agree with that. They looked surprisingly brittle when pressed and their main men looked past their best. Shame we couldn't capitalise.

 

[Drifter]

Such a lifeless performance. Play like that in the return and it could be all over.

 

[Sandikan]

Maybe, just maybe, Barcelona couldnt get out of gear because we didnt let them?

Yet they've comfortably eased to a win tonight..with us not having a shot on target.

We were relying on hopeful breakaways and that rash n lukaku would magic something.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Not as bad as I'd feared. We lack cutting edge, of course, but weren't outplayed on the whole.

McTominay was impressive. Didn't look out of place. I like that lad more and more.

 

[kundalini]

Could have been worse, could have been better.

Some real positives in the performances of Fred and McTominay, backing up their displays against PSG.

Our strikers didn't have a good night. Expected a lot more from both of them. Martial wasn't any better either.

Defence generally did ok. Their goal was all Luke Shaw. Failed to track Messi, failed to mark Suarez, then a bit unfortunate with the own goal but better positioning might have prevented a goal even at that stage.

Ashley Young was awful but by this stage, Solskjaer has to take responsibility.

We need so much work on the training ground. The Barcelona players knew where their team-mates were going to be. Our players hadn't got a clue.

 

[Eric Cantona]

I think this is were Ole made a mistake after the PSG win. He immediately re-inserted Matic and Herrera back in the first team and after that we have been pretty wank. Had he maintained the same players after PSG match, I believe we would have fared better.

 

[Beaucoup]

Pogba, Fred and McTominay?

Yeah, they just outplayed one of Europes best sides by a fairly large distance.

They absolutely deserve a mention if you ask me.

Madness