[NoLogo]

The best thing that can be said about Fellaini’s night at Anfield is that he was not sent off

Somehow I feel this is true for almost everyone of his games. Even when he is playing well he seems to be just one step away from a second yellow card.

 

[gerdm07]

The big difference for me was the number of times Liverpool moved the ball quickly with 3, 4 or 5 quick passes to find space and attack. On the other hand, we maybe had 2 or 3 sequences like that. I don't know if LvG wants that type of play. I see Schneiderlein so often receive the ball, look, take a touch, and pass when he could have done the same thing with one touch and some awareness. I really think that's what LvG wants especially in defense and midfield.

His philosophy is crap.

 

[Hostekule]

Those performances were a lot better, the kids were bringing enthusiasm, energy and lack of fear. They pulled the like of Morgan/Ander and Juan along with them. Yet LvG doesn't like this and Carrick comes back, Darmian who cannot play as an attacking fullback. Fellaini is now back, Valencia won't be long. BFS and his bulk will be brought back in. It is sad. God help us if Rooney gets fit he will be back in. Got to get him ready for the Euros don't you know. He will stink the place out, like he does when coming back from injury, get rushed back for England, get injured again and we will be stuck with him.

You're right, but don't you think it's entirely unrealistic to expect them to keep that going once they can no longer "hide behind" the unknown player tag? There will be experienced players on the bench competing for a spot which puts a lot of pressure on them. I don't trust LvG's motivating/man management skills as good enough to make them keep playing without fear. He's been unable to do it with the rest of the squad.

Also simply maintaining that attitude and work rate at the top level is a yuge ask to players that have never experienced the intensity of the PL before. Many of the youngsters got off to a good start, but once the momentum is gone and they face and uphill battle it's unfair to expect them to perform up to standards.

There are really no ideal solutions in the mess we're in at the moment.

 

[montpelier]

Seems like we have the older pros & the promising youngsters - we don't seem to have a lot in between, which should be an entire team really.

 

[NK86]

Tell that to Scholes & Rio then. Their opinion or yours ... hmmm tough call.

Well, if it suits your agenda! And fwiw, you are still below us in the table. Some improvement.

 

[NK86]

What really baffled me is that the Ander-Morgan MF combo was actually working well with MS sweeping behind and Ander pressing and controlling the short passing game. However LVG decides to completely dismantle it. I can understand squad rotation but Herrera played 60 mins with Morgan just 30 over the weekend. I am sure they could have been put together for such an important fixture. I have given up trying to decipher what LVG is thinking but he must explain some of his decisions.

 

[EverReddy]

Obviously you need consistency on this but I'm glad it's not being ignored.

Agree with you. Don't know if it was esp. bad last night (I didn't hear it on the tv) but it should be criticised. Lots of comments on here about it being shameful. As should the equivalent Munich ones. It's not just Liverpool who do that, either.

 

[SirBobbysCombover]

Those performances were a lot better, the kids were bringing enthusiasm, energy and lack of fear. They pulled the like of Morgan/Ander and Juan along with them. Yet LvG doesn't like this and Carrick comes back, Darmian who cannot play as an attacking fullback. Fellaini is now back, Valencia won't be long. BFS and his bulk will be brought back in. It is sad. God help us if Rooney gets fit he will be back in. Got to get him ready for the Euros don't you know. He will stink the place out, like he does when coming back from injury, get rushed back for England, get injured again and we will be stuck with him.

Exactly, the kids were showing the seasoned pros how its done with ballsy performances, you could say they have been playing for the crest and giving it everything.

I rated Carrick a while back, just a shame that in every bloody interview he is grinning and having a laugh even after a loss, he is just too chilled and relaxed to be a spokesman after games, what happened to desire and performance expectations, even more so now that he is past it and does not offer nowt on the pitch.

 

[slig]

like the last month have shown, while liverpool gets slowly the structure kloopo wants to apply, united fail to show anything like that. the result is no surprise.

 

[Untied]

"It's all to play for"

 

[No11]

No he clearly wasn't. United were poor but (although DDG was obviously on another planet as your best player) even though losing I'd give it to Smalling who generally did well breaking up the wave of attacks on the edge of your box. This from 365 :

The best thing that can be said about Fellaini’s night at Anfield is that he was not sent off, which was only really down to fortune. He should not have been booked for his ‘challenge’ on Clyne, but still committed four other fouls. All could have been worthy of a booking.

In an attacking sense, Fellaini was the albatross around United’s neck. Defensive midfielders and defenders continually looked for his chest or head without any modicum of success, until a cross finally found him in the penalty area seven yards from goal. Fellaini headed wide, naturally.

No shots on target, no chances created, one tackle for every half an hour played and 12 misplaced passes out of 44, most of which were played short, backwards or both. What is Fellaini supposed to be offering other than a lightning rod for the ire of every United supporter in the land?

365, ah well that's it I suppose.
No point having an opinion really.

 

[Crossie]

"It's all to play for"

I take it that it isn't sold out yet? That's surprising.

 

[Leftback99]

"It's all to play for"

I imagine plenty turned their tickets in after last night. We've got no chance.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

I imagine plenty turned their tickets in after last night. We've got no chance.

If the fans sit there booing and throwing all the toys out of the pram then we really do have no chance. We have the worst home support in the league as far as i can tell. Was at norwich game which came off the back of a few bad results before christmas and it was absolutely dead, by gf whos second game it was said she couldn't believe how quiet it is. If the fans actually got behind the players like last season we'd have a shout, all we have to do is beat liverpool 2-0, not that hard

 

[Mozza]

365, ah well that's it I suppose.
No point having an opinion really.

And they fundamentaly got it wrong, apart from that header at the end Feliani spent most the game on the edge of the box. Its frustrating as feck to me that we have the biggest player on the pitch but don't use him properly.

 

[Barca84]

If the fans sit there booing and throwing all the toys out of the pram then we really do have no chance. We have the worst home support in the league as far as i can tell. Was at norwich game which came off the back of a few bad results before christmas and it was absolutely dead, by gf whos second game it was said she couldn't believe how quiet it is. If the fans actually got behind the players like last season we'd have a shout, all we have to do is beat liverpool 2-0, not that hard

That's what mindnumbingly dull football eventually does to a crowd. Apathy.

 

[sammsky1]

"It's all to play for"

It's not already a sellout? Am surprised by that.

Is it worth going to or will there be a mass abandonment?

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

If the fans sit there booing and throwing all the toys out of the pram then we really do have no chance. We have the worst home support in the league as far as i can tell. Was at norwich game which came off the back of a few bad results before christmas and it was absolutely dead, by gf whos second game it was said she couldn't believe how quiet it is. If the fans actually got behind the players like last season we'd have a shout, all we have to do is beat liverpool 2-0, not that hard

Are you serious?

The players have to give the fans something to cheer about. It's not a one way street.

I think the fans have been incredibly patient with this cowardly boring dogshit football we've had to watch for 2 years.

 

[noodlehair]

It's kind of scary that you can analyse the game this accurately without even watching it. Says a lot about Van Gaal and United in general.

That's what pissed me off tbh. Liverpool play a high pressing game against every opponent, they were obviously gooing to be fired up. Klopp also played a high pressing game when he was at Dortmund. Van Gaal haad no excuse at all not to KNOW how Liverpool would play even if he'd been too fecking lazy to watch any of their games this season.

Yet when you look at the starting 11, it was 100% obvious that they would not be set up well to cope with this type of game. I mean, what was the plan? It wasn't a team that would be able to control possession and counter press Liverpool, and it wasn't a team that would be able to be disciplined by sitting off and playing on the break. So what was the idea? The only thing to expect was aimless panicky hoofing once the players realised they had no way of controlling the game.

THen when you look at Van Gaal's comments after the game, it was clear he was SURPRISED. So he either somehow had no idea how Liverpool would play, or even more somehow, doesn't know anything at alll about his own players (which given that he has no idea how to use a vast majority of them, is more likely).

You know when you have a player in the team who's so useless that you know as soon as they get the ball they'll do the wrong thing with it? ...well that's what we have, except as a manager. We almost never win a game without a massive struggle, because we're almost always playing half against the opposition and half against Van Gaal's inabillity to know anything about either of the team's on the pitch.

He willl pick a team tomorrow that will make the team he picked on Thursday make even less sense...and then West Ham will look the more organised and more well structured (and quite possibly just look better) and most of us will spend the game trying to figure out what our players are actually suppposed to be doing.

That''s the saddest thing. You generally don't have to watch the games anymore to know exactly what willl happen.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

That's what pissed me off tbh. Liverpool play a high pressing game against every opponent, they were obviously gooing to be fired up. Klopp also played a high pressing game when he was at Dortmund. Van Gaal haad no excuse at all not to KNOW how Liverpool would play even if he'd been too fecking lazy to watch any of their games this season.

Yet when you look at the starting 11, it was 100% obvious that they would not be set up well to cope with this type of game. I mean, what was the plan? It wasn't a team that would be able to control possession and counter press Liverpool, and it wasn't a team that would be able to be disciplined by sitting off and playing on the break. So what was the idea? The only thing to expect was aimless panicky hoofing once the players realised they had no way of controlling the game.

THen when you look at Van Gaal's comments after the game, it was clear he was SURPRISED. So he either somehow had no idea how Liverpool would play, or even more somehow, doesn't know anything at alll about his own players (which given that he has no idea how to use a vast majority of them, is more likely).

You know when you have a player in the team who's so useless that you know as soon as they get the ball they'll do the wrong thing with it? ...well that's what we have, except as a manager. We almost never win a game without a massive struggle, because we're almost always playing half against the opposition and half against Van Gaal's inabillity to know anything about either of the team's on the pitch.

He willl pick a team tomorrow that will make the team he picked on Thursday make even less sense...and then West Ham will look the more organised and more well structured (and quite possibly just look better) and most of us will spend the game trying to figure out what our players are actually suppposed to be doing.

That''s the saddest thing. You generally don't have to watch the games anymore to know exactly what willl happen.

I don't think the players are thick, which is what he insinuates half the time and to be honest I think the players are beginning to think they are thick. It's that half the time his tactics don't make one iota of sense to the players. It's the tactics that are stupid not the players. The tactics come from the manager.

 

[royboy16]

I think this was the worst performance I have seen under LVG and there have been a lot of bad ones.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

And not concede? 2-1 would have been an open game but 2-0 is a fantastic cushion in a Euro away

Against most teams. For a team in a Liv v Man Utd tie: am not convinced. Baring the flash in the pan away trips like Suarez's last trip to OT and our perfomance last year, the away team tends to be beaten and beaten whilst having been shit all the game. I mean we went their with teams as good as the 2007-2009 crop and had to resort to parking the bus robbery to snatch points. Its a reason I couldnt take Rio and Scholes' melodramatic critiques seriously. Especially since they have both been in United teams more humiliated at Anfield than we were on Thursday and even beaten by larger margins, thome and away, that once included a Dirk Kuyt hattrick. Dirk freaking Kuyt! There is zero chance we will be poor at home vs Pool and I will not be surprised to see Pool turn up the opposite of how they were at Anfield. My problem is I dont trust our team enough to take all their chances. For that reason, even though I see us levelling the tie. Am not sure we can get the extra strike/strikes needed to get over the line, even if we were to push them to penalties.

 

[Spoony]

Against most teams. For a team in a Liv v Man Utd tie: am not convinced. Baring the flash in the pan away trips like Suarez's last trip to OT and our perfomance last year, the away team tends to be beaten and beaten whilst having been shit all the game. I mean we went their with teams as good as the 2007-2009 crop and had to resort to parking the bus robbery to snatch points. Its a reason I couldnt take Rio and Scholes' melodramatic critiques seriously. Especially since they have both been in United teams more humiliated at Anfield than we were on Thursday and even beaten by larger margins, thome and away, that once included a Dirk Kuyt hattrick. Dirk freaking Kuyt! There is zero chance we will be poor at home vs Pool and I will not be surprised to see Pool turn up the opposite of how they were at Anfield. My problem is I dont trust our team enough to take all their chances. For that reason, even though I see us levelling the tie. Am not sure we can get the extra strike/strikes needed to get over the line, even if we were to push them to penalties.

Thus sayeth the schizophrenic Kemo.

 

[Devil may care]

http://www.football365.com/news/carra-and-scholes-mata-looked-like-a-10-year-old

Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes have questioned the performances of Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay against Liverpool.

The trio – much like most of their team-mates – were ineffective and outclassed by Liverpool on Thursday, with only goalkeeper David de Gea emerging with any credit.

Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino scored as Liverpool secured a two-goal advantage in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie.

Mata – who was criticised in Friday afternoon’s Mailbox – captained Louis van Gaal’s men at Anfield, but Carragher and Scholes, speaking to the Daily Mail, have questioned the Spaniard’s credentials.

“We beat you at times down the years, but whenever we went into a season, or a game, we always felt we were chasing you,” Carragher said. “But looking at those teams now and this game — I know you say there isn’t much you can change and it could still go wrong in the second leg, but I’ve never seen such a difference between Liverpool and Manchester United in one game.

“Another thing I couldn’t believe was the captain. Juan Mata? I’m not criticising him — I like him, he gets a few goals and assists. But, if everyone is fit, does he even get in the team?”

Scholes replied: “That is exactly what I said: how is Juan Mata captain? He’s a good player and he’s had a good month. But to be captain of Manchester United?

“I don’t think there are many real leaders in there. Chris Smalling? The goalkeeper? They, possibly, could be captain but are they real Manchester United captains?

“[Anthony] Martial and Mata were ineffective here. They got bullied. Mata looked like a 10-year-old at times. Memphis? You just don’t know what you are going to get from him.

“But you need to get the ball to these players to see what they can do. They will have more time to do that at Old Trafford.”

http://www.football365.com/news/scholes-united-and-schneiderlin-had-no-balls

Paul Scholes believes Manchester United – and Morgan Schneiderlin in particular – had “no balls” against Liverpool.

United succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against their bitter rivals at Anfield on Thursday, and had David de Gea to thank for the loss being less emphatic.

Louis van Gaal’s side now host Liverpool on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie, but Scholes believes the players had “no balls” in the first leg.

Scholes discussed the game with Jamie Carragher as part of an in-depth interview with the Daily Mail. Below is a transcript.

Carragher: “So you’ve had your say and called United a ‘shambles’ but if you were Louis van Gaal, what would you do in the second leg? What team would you pick to turn it round?”

Scholes: “It’s very difficult, really. I’m not sure the squad is strong enough to win the game. Listen. We are at Old Trafford. We should be good enough to win the game. But what changes would I make?. I don’t think there is a lot of choice. I really don’t. He can give them shape, of course. But (at Anfield) it looked like he threw them on the pitch, picked a back four and said, ‘Do what you want’.

Carragher: “I’d never say I was very confident playing Manchester United but when I saw the team, with Guillermo Varela at right back, Marcus Rashford playing right midfield and no Michael Carrick? I thought that was huge. I had confidence then.”

Scholes: “When I saw the teamsheet my first thought was, ‘They’re going to get beat’. I thought Carrick should be playing. Michael probably isn’t in the best form of his life, he’s picking up injuries and he can’t stay fit. But he has to play centre midfield. He’s brave enough to take the ball.

“Coming to Anfield, bravery is the biggest thing. Having the balls to go and play. This is a tough, horrible place to play. It’s a tight pitch, everything is on top of you. But Michael possesses that ability to get on the ball and calmness.

“Morgan Schneiderlin didn’t want to do it. Marouane Fellaini isn’t someone you can play through. He played for one reason: so they could smash the ball up to him and they didn’t have to play through midfield. This is United you are talking about! Every time Fellaini plays, that happens.

Carragher: “So as an ex-player and a supporter, what do you think? From my own point of view, I think about United’s name but then I see the way they are playing. It feels like they have become a long-ball team. How do you feel watching that?”

Scholes: “It’s disappointing. But, deep down, I knew beforehand this would happen. If you play Fellaini, you can only play one way. You have to smash it to him. That isn’t Manchester United. That should never, ever be Manchester United. But, where we are, it is.

“Van Gaal is almost saying we haven’t got the midfield players to handle the ball, to handle the pressure of Liverpool. He is saying we haven’t got the players who can play one-touch. He’s saying if we go long and smash it up to Fellaini, Liverpool can’t win the ball off us.

“It didn’t work. Liverpool were brilliant. Liverpool were 10 times better than United. So much quality. Philippe Coutinho took Varela all over the place. They all ended up out of position. Memphis is nearly playing as a left back!

“United had no control in the middle of the park. If Michael is there, you still might not get control because Liverpool are good. But if you try it, at least you have the chance to get into position.

“Now even if Memphis does get into positions, he has been poor. In games against the top teams, his quality has been really poor. Martial is a young player who will become a top centre forward. But, as a 20-year-old, he is a second or third choice.”

Scholes belief that Carrick is always the answer and that he's good under pressure is strange, and I don't get how Martial is a 2nd or 3rd choice option, probably because he still thinks Rooney is of use, but overall can't say I disagree with his general anger at the spineless, ugly football we played.

 

[Crossie]

There is zero chance we will be poor at home vs Pool and I will not be surprised to see Pool turn up the opposite of how they were at Anfield. My problem is I dont trust our team enough to take all their chances. For that reason, even though I see us levelling the tie. Am not sure we can get the extra strike/strikes needed to get over the line, even if we were to push them to penalties.

I agree with you that 2-0 is not necessarily a fantastic cushion but for very different reasons. Given how United performed at home this season, there's every possibility of a great to a piss poor performance, but the key question is if your team is able to create any chances that deserve that name that's been the common denominator of almost all United games this season. Relying on Mr OG or on Mignolet errors won't be enough.

 

[K2K]

I don't think the players are thick, which is what he insinuates half the time and to be honest I think the players are beginning to think they are thick. It's that half the time his tactics don't make one iota of sense to the players. It's the tactics that are stupid not the players. The tactics come from the manager.

I know Van Gaal's achievements before us, but goodness me, he has been one of the worst managers in the league .

He gets outcoached almost everytime, and at times it has been very embarassing to see.

If someone told me about his reputation , and I has only seen his United, I wouldnt believe them. He's been that bad.

And our players arent stupid(especially considering the level of competition in the league), they are just burdened by having a manager nowhere as smart as he thinks.

 

[NoPace]

http://www.football365.com/news/carra-and-scholes-mata-looked-like-a-10-year-old



http://www.football365.com/news/scholes-united-and-schneiderlin-had-no-balls




Scholes belief that Carrick is always the answer and that he's good under pressure is strange, and I don't get how Martial is a 2nd or 3rd choice option, probably because he still thinks Rooney is of use, but overall can't say I disagree with his general anger at the spineless, ugly football we played.

It obviously galls Scholes that Schneiderlin just ambles around when we have the ball because he's not confident on the ball and is saving his energy and positional concern for when we lose it and he has to do defensive work. The players don't really try to give him the ball and he rarely seems to call for it. He's like a reverse Xavi out there.