[Irwin99]

There's no universe in which we get some points from game against City in this form, with this manager, with this striker.

It's not the losing, it's the manner that hurts. Just so many instances where you're screaming at the player to do something basic like follow a runner or even foul a guy.

Yes it sounds bad, but would it have hurt Eriksen to take one for the team and get a yellow card in the build up to City's 4th goal? We're up against Pep who himself has no qualms about 'tactical' fouls. Could Shaw maybe have paid attention on the last goal and got himself forward further and played offside?

 

[TheNewEra]

10x better than us

 

[mu4c_20le]

Thank god Haaland didn’t go to Liverpool.
He will spend a couple of seasons with City and then move on and so will Pep one day, and in the meantime the rest of us just have to focus on top 4.
We are not in their league but we have recently beaten Arsenal and Liverpool, and if we can get back on track against Everton next week then all is good.

Exactly. Need more optimism like this around here

 

[BuzzKillington]

Just another humiliation in a long list of them over recent years. There once was a time when a result like this was a genuine crisis. We are so used to these hammerings now that it almost feels like business as usual. I feel sorry for all reds who have to go into work tomorrow with blues. Utter s-t.

Was thinking the exact same thing. That we managed to pull it back to 6-3 means I’m only mildly disappointed.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

We were odds on to lose this match, and we did. It’s out of the way, and we have Martial back, Casemiro one match closer to starting, and Antony in form. Most teams are going to lose to this Oil City side, it is what it is.

 

[Steven-UK]

We lost the game but the City collapse at the end was hilarious made a shit day slightly better

You really think that's what actually happened?....

 

[Fanta Stick]

Haaland should be made to carry a big bag of potatoes strapped to his back.

 

[RedCurry]

City are far superior to us. Many years of good planning has gone into making them what they are today. But having said that, today’s game could have easily gone completely differently had Dalot not received a yellow card in the first minute, Varane getting injured and then having to leave the field for their corner. I hope we will take the positives from this game and use them to improve ourselves.

 

[stu_1992]

Utterly defaulting game, and frustrating considering we looked to be on the up but potentially lost momentum with the break in fixtures. We need to bounce back from this quickly. At least we got some goals back which may be of some importance somewhere down the line with goal difference.

 

[mu4c_20le]

It's not the losing, it's the manner that hurts. Just so many instances where you're screaming at the player to do something basic like follow a runner or even foul a guy.

Yes it sounds bad, but would it have hurt Eriksen to take one for the team and get a yellow card in the build up to City's 4th goal? We're up against Pep who himself has no qualms about 'tactical' fouls. Could Shaw maybe have paid attention on the last goal and got himself forward further and played offside?

Agreed. If all 6 goals were brilliant football that's one thing. Some of them were because Foden just waltzed through our back line. ETH needs to address that.

 

[Cpt Negative]

City can do that to teams but our inability to put a tackle in during the first half as well as control a football. Quite clear we need a striker

 

[Bestofthebest]

Not a lot to take from this game in terms of giving me hope for any up coming games. Even Everton next week will be a huge challenge for this team. We are a good 5 or 6 players away from being a top side.

 

[Biggins]

I really hoped that the break we had would do us good but we got the same United of last season. No intensity whatsoever.

 

[largelyworried]

Despite the bizarro score, this bothered me less than other various humiliations we've had in recent years. Main reason is that under Ole we had the capacity for appalling performances, but with no suggestion things would ever get better. Under Ten Haag I think we're making progress. If part of that process is getting beaten up occasionally, so be it. I'll only start to really worry if all signs of progress have gone.

 

[Green Yellow Red]

United hadn’t played in a month so we lost form and momentum, does it make a sense?

 

[AndyMUFC]

An embarrassing day, though I'll take 6-3 after that first half. Very naive performance. Weren't compact enough with a McTominay and Eriksen duo in midfield and gave the ball away far too cheaply every time we got it. I don't actually think it was a lack of effort, I think they were being too eager with the ball insead

 

[flameinthesun]

in hindsight probably should have played casemiro over one of bruno/eriksen. The first foden goal where he runs off of eriksen, you'd hope casemiro or mct would be a bit more defensively aware in that position.

There is a clear gap between, not necessarily a huge gap between individual players, but a gap between the way we play as a team and the way city play. Their players just know where they have to be at all times and play their way with such speed and conviction. Us on the other hand are very slow in every phase of the game. We've made some steps forward, but I think this game shows us that there is a massive gap between us on the top teams. They reality is if we can play quick passing football against the smaller, there is no way we will be able to do so against a city.

 

[mu4c_20le]

You really think that's what actually happened?....

I can't wait to hear your version! Tell us what happened today.

 

[YzWayne]

Wonder how much Teddy Sheringham have made for this game

 

[Orange Tree]

Have you seen Liverpool this season?

Game at Anfield is always nervy and Liverpool on a good day can still dish out some trashings.

 

[RedOrange]

There were some positives in this game:

Antony scored a cracker. The criticism of him was that the goals weren't there but he's got 2 goals in 2 PL games to start his career.

Martial looked very good at CF. We'd probably have 3 or 4 more goals this season if he'd been healthy.

It was only a cameo appearance but Fred played reasonably well in the deeper midfield position. He looked far more confident on the ball and was turning and passing more quickly.

A lot of the players were still fighting despite being down 4-0. You're going to say it's pathetic to even get to 4-0 but it's still a good sign that they didn't simply give up.

Playing out from the back looked a lot better in this match, even with City's heavy press. De Gea didn't kick it long every time even with multiple players pressing both him and some of his passing options. He and the back 4 did a good job playing through the press in the 2nd half and De Gea was able to dink the ball over the press to the fullbacks a few times.

If we can play through City's press we can do it against anybody. City didn't let off the gas in the 2nd half, it was tactical adjustments and the subs that changed the game.

 

[Plant0x84]

We won the second half 3-2. I’ll take that!

 

[Speako]

We have one genuine striker at the club, and he’s stank the place out for two thirds of his tenure.

But the number nine position today was actually the least of our problems. How on earth have we gone into this game this year, this season, with even less bite, less confidence, less bollocks, less passion, less intensity, less belief, less ability, less will, less skill, less cohesive, less reaction, and less heart than last year?!

Honestly, turn the fecking lights out. It’s like the Glazers are smiling, whilst watching us through a glass window in intensive care.

 

[Irwin99]

Another thrashing-my god these players have had some of the stuff kicked out of them in the past two seasons We must be nearing 10 games in two seasons where we've shipped 4 or more goals in defeats. It's beyond a joke at this point and you can't blame it on one player either. It's a team thing.

The problem for me in the first half from an attacking perspective is that the counter attacking moments had to be so precise when the opportunity arose and then you've got Rashford, Bruno, Sancho, Eriksen that made a complete mess of them and offered very little else defensively.

The midfield was absolutely dire and offered no protection to the defence (Sound familiar? it should!). Gaps everywhere. The full backs were being tortured and again got no help from anyone else.

Probably being really harsh but DDG could at least make a better attempt at a few of the goals. He just watches them go in the net half the time.

Edit- first time i've ever seen my average rating lower than the cafs. That's raised a giggle at least

 

[Woziak]

Reality check
- City are a great side, one of the best in PL History
- ETH tactically poor today takes too long to react and doesn’t understand when you have the most expensive squad in the league use it !
- Playing Ericsen, Bruno and Mctominay in a midfield against Gundogan, KDB and B silva with Grealish, cancello and Fodden dropping in and out to outnumber us 2-1 was stupid at best !
- Not playing Luke Shaw who gives additional height in the defence and is finally regaining form and looks in better condition was a mistake because of the intensity of the game.

- We actually should have played 4312 to keep us more organised in a low block

- Team today should have been D De Gea, Dalot, Varane, L Martinez, L Shaw, Fred, Casemeiro, S Mctominay, C Eriksen as 10 that tracked Gundogan and then Split strikers Martial and Ronaldo

Subs - Heaton, Lindelof, T Mallacia, Rashford, Sancho, Antony, Bruno, A Tuanzebe, Elanga

- We needed to stay in the game up to 70 mins not be out of sight by 30 mins this is on the Manager !
He needs to learn quick I will judge him after 10 games and if he has 6 wins 1 draw 3 defeats - 19 pts would be an ok start however we are conceding 2 pl goals per game so that has to Improve and quickly !

 

[Steven-UK]

I can't wait to hear your version! Tell us what happened today.

The game was won at half time; they take off most of their players that won said game (to avoid injuries for their title challenge), and then sit back as they have zero incentive to push other than for easy counter attacks which duly came.... whereas we are/were scuttling around with our best team trying to avoid embarrassment...

It was men against boys...

 

[El Zoido]

So fed up of us not just losing, but being totally humiliated. Seems like it happens every couple of months.

 

[justsomebloke]

It wasn’t an experiment; it was the same team with the same tactics that won the last 4.

What, we played man marking in the midfield in the last 4 games? I don't think so.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

So many players need benching. Rashford, Sancho, Dalot, Eriksen, Bruno, McTominay. Ridiculous really.

Eriksen who just won United Player of the Month. He had a bad game. That was it.

 

[meamth]

Thank god Haaland didn’t go to Liverpool.
He will spend a couple of seasons with City and then move on and so will Pep one day, and in the meantime the rest of us just have to focus on top 4.
We are not in their league but we have recently beaten Arsenal and Liverpool, and if we can get back on track against Everton next week then all is good.

Doubt it. Who can purchase and sign prime Haaland?

first ever 200-300 million pounds player? Doubt it.

 

[Salus Populi Suprema Lex]

I can't even muster some anger; it's just dejection and a sense of deja vu. We've had ten years of this. God knows how we close the gap.

 

[pseudo_canadian]

Missed the game entirely.

What was the general synopsis? Spineless and incompetent like years past?

 

[rollingstoned1]

Those 3 goals we scored are misleading, doesn't even qualify as any shallow moral victory for me.

 

[The Irish Connection]

I knew we were fecked as soon as Dalot got the yellow after 2 minutes. Losing a goal then a few minutes later meant we were doomed.
Tactically naive from ten Hag. You have to be solid and stay in these games for the first 20 minutes and build from there.

 

[Ventura]

We live in interesting times.

 

[spiriticon]

Our New Year's resolution must be to stop getting hammered for 4, 5 or 6 by either City or Liverpool.

 

[Salus Populi Suprema Lex]

Missed the game entirely.

What was the general synopsis? Spineless and incompetent like years past?

Yes, exactly that. Outclassed.

 

[pseudo_canadian]

Yes, exactly that. Outclassed.

Awesome. As expected.

 

[Offside]

Everton next week we need to see a reaction. If we win that I’ll be convinced we’re at least going in the right direction. If we lose that I’ll be convinced we’re going to down tools for another manager and finish 6th.

 

[kouroux]

Was thinking the exact same thing. That we managed to pull it back to 6-3 means I’m only mildly disappointed.

Or maybe we have gotten used to getting spanked these past few years