[redmeister]

What is so special about 352 that it's worth adjusting for? It's nothing new and have been around forever. Why are we so desperate to change to this formation? It's not as if we are suddenly going to be a brilliant team if we click playing 352 anymore than if we click playing 442 or 433 etc. It's just a bog standard formation in a simple game, that is determined by which team has the best players, hence the near perfect correlation between spending and success.

 

[caid]

I really dont get the calls for changing the formation.
There are no quick fixes anymore. Its going to take a while to get going.
Changing the formation wont change that.

We really should have had 2 penalties today and burnley never looked like scoring.
On another day it would have been a fairly comfortable win.

Its funny to see people blame the usual suspects too, when some of them were the better players in the match,
while others get more of a free pass.

 

[An Irish Red]

Not worrying just yet. Van Gaal starts slow, and our first XI next match will probably have 4-5 changes from what we saw today.

It wont make a jot of difference if we start with the same system. We had players that were easily good enough to win today, just not with that set-up.

If we continue to play this way we have absolutely no hope of european football.

 

[ItsEssexRob]

When you didn't get a decent striker( and in fact gave one to Everton) and it cost you the league? yeah, that was genius

Yeah and now we would be saddled with him instead of a top class striker.

 

[Vato]

It looks to me like all your players could do with at least a 2 month break from football. Maybe a spiritual group trip to Tibet or something, do some team bonding.

 

[bleedred]

We have to get back to basics. Players have zero confidence. Cannot complete a short pass, cant find a player in a throw in. Some serious issues with the squad, mentally that needs to be addressed.

 

[BD]

I accept that we are in transition etc but so far we have seen no improvement what so ever.

3 games with half our best XI out, I wouldn't start to worry just yet. Also, Burnley didnt really look too much like scoring today, so thats an improvement on shitting myself everytime Sunderland and Swansea came at us.

I know they're different situations, but Van Gaal got 2 points from his first three games at Bayern, and won the double that year. We're obviously not gonna win the league this year, but top 4 is definitely not gone.

 

[littlepeasoup]

To be honest, I think the International Break has come at the perfect time for us. Injured players can have a rest and come back without the fear of missing a game.

And at least Angel Di Maria doesn't have to fly off to Argentina.

 

[senorgregster]

The lack of results for a little over a season now is alarming. We'll be (un) lucky to qualify for Europa. Granted the new manager has a tougher job than Moyes (loss of 3 solid defenders albeit beyond their prime) but we seriously need to pick up our game EVERYWHERE. I fear that the new players coming in to replace the current crop of cr@p will take time to gel so we'll likely fall even farther behind.

As a previous member posted, watching is becoming boring. I still watch every game but boy it gets tougher and has been heading that way since SAF's last season. I felt our spark was getting lost that far back yet he managed to push us to the title. Since then our pace has gone.

 

[Godfather]

How long does Rooney have to play terrible for for him to be the one that should be off? We dodged a bullet last season.

He will never be dropped. The only one having the bullock to do that was Fergie and Rooney started moaning and trying to get sold. We are a joke as far as Rooney is concerned.

 

[Maciej]

I don't even feel excited to watch us. Terrible feeling.

 

[Will Absolute]

It's like the 7 plagues of Egypt, but all at once. Everywhere you look, nothing but shit.

 

[Freak]

He will never be dropped. The only one having the bullock to do that was Fergie and Rooney started moaning and trying to get sold. We are a joke as far as Rooney is concerned.

He's possibly the most overrated footballer on the planet today.

 

[bleedred]

3 games with half our best XI out, I wouldn't start to worry just yet. Also, Burnley didnt really look too much like scoring today, so thats an improvement on shitting myself everytime Sunderland and Swansea came at us.

I know they're different situations, but Van Gaal got 2 points from his first three games at Bayern, and won the double that year. We're obviously not gonna win the league this year, but top 4 is definitely not gone.

People got to stop using such examples. Its similar to ppl defending Moyes because he had a better record than SAF in his initial X games...

 

[Dylan94]

I don't even feel excited to watch us. Terrible feeling.

And we won't be exciting to watch; for now. And I can't stress that enough. We have to bear the pain and brunt of this for the next couple of months and things will improve. I'm sure of it.

 

[pseudo_canadian]

1. Too many players out through injury.
2. Playing a system that the players are not comfortable with.
3. Lacking any real leader on the pitch.

 

[Mister_Stubbs]

3 games with half our best XI out, I wouldn't start to worry just yet. Also, Burnley didnt really look too much like scoring today, so thats an improvement on shitting myself everytime Sunderland and Swansea came at us.

I know they're different situations, but Van Gaal got 2 points from his first three games at Bayern, and won the double that year. We're obviously not gonna win the league this year, but top 4 is definitely not gone.

Burnley didn't look like scoring but I wasn't comfortable with our defending even still, we looked edgy throughout. We also haven't really looked like winning ourselves in any of the 3 games, that's the worrying part.

 

[Oo0AahCantona]

We are now 100% the most boring team to watch in the league, we have maybe created 6 chances in games against Swansea, Sunderland, MK Dons and Burnley.

If we carry on playing like that we may aswell sign Peter Crouch.

this, not only are we struggling to get points, we are playing the worst and most boring football i have ever seen.

 

[Irrational.]

LVG post-match comments:

- United were the stronger team, especially in the second half.
- United didn't play a good passing game in the first half
- United missed too many chances
- Didn't want to discuss the penalty incidents, but felt that there were many free kicks against us despite superior possession
- United didn't give many chances away. (Not too sure about that one, Louis)
- Progress is there, but 'Manchester United have to win'
- 2 points from 9 is 'disappointing'
- Incomings nothing to do with results, being very fluffy regarding who's coming in/ leaving.
- Re: Rojo, hopeful his work permit shall be sorted by the time we play QPR

 

[shivab]

He will never be dropped. The only one having the bullock to do that was Fergie and Rooney started moaning and trying to get sold. We are a joke as far as Rooney is concerned.

rooney did all right today. he wasnt great but he wasnt terrible either. when he plays as a striker he plays better when paired with welbeck rather than with van persie. one of mata rooney or van persie has to be dropped. no more 3-5-2. this is van gaals fault.

 

[montpelier]

Need 7-9pts from the 3 September games (2 are at home) which are roughly equivalent in difficulty to Aug. Must be possible with players in/returning.

Just point out that equivalent results would give us 4pts from 6 games, which is relegation fighting territory.

So, should be 'interesting' after the international break, anyway.

Mata's not finding any space in this system.

 

[caisenma]

Just curious if Januzaj is in LVG's doghouse if he cant get in ahead of Young Valencia and even Anderson today?

 

[Dylan94]

What is so special about 352 that it's worth adjusting for? It's nothing new and have been around forever. Why are we so desperate to change to this formation? It's not as if we are suddenly going to be a brilliant team if we click playing 352 anymore than if we click playing 442 or 433 etc. It's just a bog standard formation in a simple game, that is determined by which team has the best players, hence the near perfect correlation between spending and success.

It's not bog standard though because hardly anyone plays it in the world. That's why it's special. And when it works it is fantastic.

 

[Devil may care]

There's very little you can say about that performance, Di Maria and Jones are the only two that can claim to have played a decent match. Evans looks so uncomfortable in the back 3 system in my view, it just doesn't suit him, and the midfield situation remains dire, not to mention the front 2 not being compatible, I can't even see any signs of hope right now, it just looks disjointed and bleak.

The one thing that I didn't understand was Anderson coming on for Di Maria instead of Januzaj.

 

[Godfather]

Can't wait for Herrera to come back. We have no CM.

 

[SammyUnited_83]

Burnley didn't look like scoring but I wasn't comfortable with our defending even still, we looked edgy throughout. We also haven't really looked like winning ourselves in any of the 3 games, that's the worrying part.

They probably came closest to scoring when they hit the bar. We aren't creating enough chances, their keeper made 1 save, which in fairness was a bloody good one.

I was going to turn off when he brought Ando on, clueless decision.

 

[BEST No7]

this, not only are we struggling to get points, we are playing the worst and most boring football i have ever seen.

Aye, it's not a good combination.

 

[Ixion]

On the bright side we have new players coming in and those coming back from injury, but thats going to be a lot of new players playing together and that in itself will take time and the process hasn't really begun yet.

 

[Fully Fledged]

We really need to drop this system. It just doesn't work when the opposition saturate their defensive third with players who have no intention of moving. having Rooney and RVP on the edge of the box to circulate the ball wide is all well and good but then we have nobody in the box to play the ball to when it goes wide.

 

[Arruda]

The 1-3-5-2 is not working. Change to a 1-4-2-2-2 or 1-4-2-1-3. The extra centerback in defense and the lack of competent wingbacks and midfielders are destroying our creativity upfront. Van Gaal also needs to make drastic changes including dropping one of van persie or rooney. Our squad and style of football is in a mess and Van Gaal is not directing it in the right direction.

Something new everyday. Hopefully this doesn't become a fashionable trend

 

[caisenma]

They probably came closest to scoring when they hit the bar. We aren't creating enough chances, their keeper made 1 save, which in fairness was a bloody good one.

I was going to turn off when he brought Ando on, clueless decision.

Me too mate. Its just a cruel windup.

 

[Speak]

So so poor.

 

[Hed Zitin]

Whoever said to Rio we're long ball was right. Frustrating watching that cack.

 

[jaimoe]

rooney did all right today. he wasnt great but he wasnt terrible either. when he plays as a striker he plays better when paired with welbeck rather than with van persie. one of mata rooney or van persie has to be dropped. no more 3-5-2. this is van gaals fault.

For me it's drop RVP.

 

[Cina]

It looks to me like all your players could do with at least a 2 month break from football. Maybe a spiritual group trip to Tibet or something, do some team bonding.

More likely to be bondage than bonding under LvG.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Rooney's first touch is reaching new lows I've never imagined before.

We have been duped giving him a new contract and the captaincy and the England captaincy. They must have been brainwashed. It is early for a slump, even for him.

 

[JohnDoe]

Can't blame the formation when our players are making schoolboy errors all over the pitch. The fact that Rooney, Fletcher, van Persie etc. couldn't control the ball if their lives depended on it has nothing to do with the formation.

 

[redmeister]

It's not bog standard though because hardly anyone plays it in the world. That's why it's special. And when it works it is fantastic.

Of course it''s bog standard. How old are you? 352 or 343 have been around for years. There is nothing special about. hardly anyone plays it? Virtually every team in Serie A played it last season!

 

[Moriarty]

We really need to drop this system. It just doesn't work when the opposition saturate their defensive third with players who have no intention of moving. having Rooney and RVP on the edge of the box to circulate the ball wide is all well and good but then we have nobody in the box to play the ball to when it goes wide.

It works really well when there's a defensive midfielder (and I don't mean Fletcher) playing in front of the back three. It works well when there's a ball winner who can hold up the play to get the wing backs into position. Until Van Gaal sorts out the DM conundrum, the system looks cumbersome.

 

[justboy68]

We can't get the new signings involved soon enough. Honestly at this stage I think we need a severe purge of the old guard who have gotten stuck in this rut. It may take a couple of transfer windows and a more or less complete new side built with the likes of Di Maria, Herrera and even Blind and Rojo to truly bring us back. Players who haven't suffered this mental collapse that has infested the squad. Once those players make the majority of the lineup then hopefully it will reverse the fortunes of our big players like Mata, Rooney and RVP who have been very poor so far.

People can bang on about the defence which has been terribly shaky but it's on the attacking end where we are truly woeful. 2 goals in 3 games with hardly any chances is abominable for Manchester United. Part cause for that is the inability to play neat passing football on the ground, which is something LVG is surely working hard on. Movement off the ball and attacking positioning is the other big (and no doubt related) problem, we have been honestly laughable in that regard.

 

[ItsEssexRob]

rooney did all right today. he wasnt great but he wasnt terrible either. when he plays as a striker he plays better when paired with welbeck rather than with van persie. one of mata rooney or van persie has to be dropped. no more 3-5-2. this is van gaals fault.

Not true, Rooney was absolutely abysmal, his touch was worse than Torres' and passing was woeful he even got nutmegged and dispossed.