[redmanx]

Result aside I’m all in with Eric ten Haag, this isn’t his issue never has been never will be, it’s the players and decades of bad decisions and recruitment. Reset button needed in every department from the owners down, but it’ll never happen. We’re 5hite now accept it and move on

Im inclined to agree; its the players who fail to tackle, fail to make simple 10 yard passes, fail to focus, fail to mark, fail to defend, fail to get strikes on goal and fail to fight.

 

[croadyman]

I expected them to at least show heart in the first home league game since Bobby died,what I got was virtually a carbon copy of that training game 2-0 from November 2021. That performance was a disgrace to his memory and feel terrible for him looking down and seeing that today.

 

[redmanx]

I think you also know you are angry and therefore bashed some wrong targets. I think the players had given their all but they were well beaten systematically.
The players should not be scapegoat every time we play like amateur team.
ETH’s strategy of squad building fails emphatically. It’s a fact and current reality. Maybe, he can figure out a formula to adjust the strategy. But his mistake in transfers is so huge that it’s hard to see how he can. More than likely, it’s a shambling season to continue.

"Given their all?" No, not at all! Yet again too many of them switch off and seem too busy wondering whats for supper later; yet again within 5 minutes of the restart we conced a goal; yet again the reaction is pathetic. OK City are a far better team, and by God it hurts me to say that, but our players dont even fight, they seem perfectly happy to finish second best. But for Onana City would have scored 6 or 7...we are absolutely terrible!

 

[reds_fan_aus]

It is quite obvious now that the Manager is clueless and out of his depth in the Premier League. The team plays without any defined structure or pattern of play. At least Sheffield Utd try and play football. Not the dross Ten Hag comes up with. I really didn't understand the change at half-time or the changes made with 5 minutes of normal play resuming. I did not see at anytime in the game when we put three passes together let alone hit targets when they were options available. When I saw the line-up I almost switched the TV off because of the carnage that was to follow. Pep let us off easily. City didn't even get out of 2nd gear. Please Ten Hag do the right thing and resign! Bring attacking football back to Old Trafford.

 

[RazorOz]

Today has to have been ETH's worst day as manager. We've taken worse beatings last season, but I can't remember him seemingly getting it so wrong, his management of the match today was dreadful, and worse still it seemed obvious to pretty much everyone that the HT change was going to make things worse before it had even happened.

His post-match interview didn't exactly make it convincing either, talking about Mount adding offensive threat, he added nothing and was never likely to add anything in that setup. And as Neville pointed out there was a bit of a contradiction when you're saying how well we played in the first half (we were ok in reality), but then you change the whole setup at HT, makes no sense at 0-1. It seemed inevitable as soon as we made that change we'd be well beaten so it's really hard to see what ETH was seeing.

The biggest issue on the pitch is our biggest players are just in awful form. Bruno and Rashford are a shadow of the players they were last season. Bruno showed yet again why he shouldn't be anywhere near the captaincy, not that this wasn't known before he was captain. Your captain should be leading by example, and getting others in line, instead Bruno is always the first to lose his head when we're getting destroyed.

Final note is it won't happen but Antony really shouldn't be playing anytime soon after today, his antics were an absolute disgrace.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

Was expecting a loss but was hoping for a scrappy game, not this shit. Our entire “style” was laughable. No off the ball movement, pass control control slow it down pass. Against this City side we needed to be the opposite of slow, methodical, and predictable.

 

[BorisManUtd]

We were probably bit unlucky with the penalty and some chances we missed but ultimately think game showed (like every game we play vs City) difference in class between two teams. We conceded too many chances again.

 

[REDMagpie]

I just don't care anymore and that's the saddest thing for me. How the feck has it got to the point where I just don't care???

 

[ayushreddevil9]

Onana - He was fine apart form when he came out to collect the ball then somehow ended up rolling on the floor without the ball and also not in his goal whilst also rolling the ball straight to a city player. At least two saves though that were far from routine.

Dalot - Where does he go? The second goal. Where is he? He's not in attack, he's not in defence. Where's he gone there? He does this all the time. Its like Where's Wally except it turns out he's on holiday in Bermuda so isn't actually in the picture.
Evans - Not that I thought he was one of the worst players, but anyone have any idea what "tactics" (as ETH put it), require picking Johnny Evans over Rafael Varane? The tactics of your mate bet £10 Evans would be in the line up?
Maguire - There goes the 110% win ratio or whatever it was.
Lindelof - So we signed an emergency left back, in order to avoid having to do something desperate like have to play Lindelof at left back for example, and then leave them on the bench so we can play Lindelof at left back? Ok. Definitely not concerning or daft in any way.

Amrabat - We also appear to have signed an emergency midfielder so we can either play them not in midfield or replace them with not a midfield at half time.
Eriksen - He played that one Beckham ball to Rashford, but unfortunately Rashford was able to get across and defend the situation from himself.

McTominay - I liked him better in the first half when he didn't really do anything football related but was far enough up the pitch for it not to matter as much.

Bruno - Playing on the right wing so McTominay could play in Bruno's position so McTominay could then have to move out of Bruno's positon so Mount could play in Bruno's position, so Mount and Bruno could then swap places, or something. I dunno it must have made sense to someone. Anyway he was shite. Disagreed with Neville's assessment that he was just going round trying to "do" everyone and somehow psychopathically controlled Antony into kicking someone.

Rashford - Somewhere there's a bunch of aliens playing buggs bunny and co at a game of football and one of them has stolen Rashford's ability.
Hojlund - Good first half, then in the second half Mason Mount was brought on to link up play with him.

Subs:
Mount - Did he touch the ball? I feel bad for him but I still don't know what he even does never mind what he's good at.
Everyone else - Came on late enough that I'm sparing them, apart from Antony who managed to be annoying.
Antony - Annoying.

ETH - So, just to be clear, he played McTominay at no10, so his no10 could play on the right wing, so his £80m right winger could sit on the bench along with his £50m central midfielder who can't play in central midfield. Then at half time he subbed off the central midfielder he signed to play in central midfield, so he could move his no10 who isn't a no10 into central midfield, so he could bring his central midfielder who isn't a central midfielder on at no10, so his no10 could stay on the right wing. He signed a left back on emergency loan so he wouldn't have to not play a left back at left back, so he could leave them on the bench so he could not play a left back at left back. You know if you're sitting on a plane, and the pilot keeps pressing random buttons in the hope the next one he presses will be the on button? At what point would you maybe think you should get off before he causes you to die? Because I feel like our players will maybe reach that point quite soon.

Gary Neville - There is still no button on my tv remote that causes nurses to come and escort Neville to bed once his anti dramatic medication wears off, and I feel like this is something Sky really need to address.

Haaland - He does some up City quite well. Obviously better than everyone else, yet somehow also completely uninteresting to watch or feel any particular way about at the same time.

It must be a Dutch thing in playing players out of position

 

[Theonas]

It must be a Dutch thing in playing players out of position

Pep is regularly playing Gvardiol, Akani and Aké on the left, Stones in the middle, Alvarez behind the striker, Grealish and Bernardo on the wings. Klopp is playing Mac Allister as the deepest midfielder. Ancelotti is playing Camavinga on the left and Bellingham in a new position relative to where he played before with Rodrygo and Vinicius as strikers. The list goes on... There is nothing Dutch about it, it's just the way football is evolving. When it works, people laud it, when it doesn't people blame it.

 

[ayushreddevil9]

Pep is regularly playing Gvardiol, Akani and Aké on the left, Stones in the middle, Alvarez behind the striker, Grealish and Bernardo on the wings. Klopp is playing Mac Allister as the deepest midfielder. Ancelotti is playing Camavinga on the left and Bellingham in a new position relative to where he played before with Rodrygo and Vinicius as strikers. The list goes on... There is nothing Dutch about it, it's just the way football is evolving. When it works, people laud it, when it doesn't people blame it.

But then maybe stick to the plan? As the poster mentioned, his changes undid whatever the gameplan we started with. The dross we have aren't adaptable to new postions. When has Bruno on the right worked for us? Why is McTominay at 10?(why is he even playing?)

What I can say with clarity is that this group smokes some good pot throughout the week and get their tactics put up 15 mins before the game starts.

 

[Theonas]

But then maybe stick to the plan? As the poster mentioned, his changes undid whatever the gameplan we started with. The dross we have aren't adaptable to new postions. When has Bruno on the right worked for us? Why is McTominay at 10?(why is he even playing?)

What I can say with clarity is that this group smokes some good pot throughout the week and get their tactics put up 15 mins before the game starts.

I really don't think fixating on the day's and in-game tactics is relevant. No tactics in the world would make up for the embarrassing lack of cohesiveness in our play. We rely on moments and don't look like we have a coherent identity which should not require anything from the coaching department other than competent work on the training ground and clear communication and leadership.

If we played consistent football and were lacking cutting edge or making defensive mistakes, we can look then at the individuals or selection. If we played consistent football but lost the game in a moment, we can then look at in-game tactics. But the fact is we struggle to play and move the ball with any fluidity. Even with this selection or that change, what are we exactly hoping for? Another smash and grab like we did under Ole and at times under Mourinho? And then what? Are we really hoping to just get one over our neighbors? Playing the way we set up will not get us anywhere close to the elite which is the only ambition we should have as a club.

The biggest issue is the coaching side of things and I have absolutely no idea if it's a question of competence, communication or that those guys just crumble under the weight of expectations because it's really embarrassing that after all these years and money spent, we still play City like Everton play Liverpool, win, lose or draw, it's more or less the same performance.

 

[NewGlory]

Let’s only highlight the positives the other is too easy. I start


okay over to you

Now, now. There was a positive. Onana had the best game of his career at United.

Struggling to think of any other. Maguire was OK, and Hojlund was as good as can be expected, everybody else was absolute shite.

 

[NewGlory]

I've been saying this for the last 3 years. We have no one that can run at people and cause havoc consistently for 90 minutes. Every other team has that 1 or 2 wingers that constantly beat their man all game.

Fair enough, but it's not just dribbling past a defender, we are absolutely horrible at playing in tight spaces, especially in the opposition box, as a team and our fullbacks don't interchange well with their wingers to create free-man-shooting situations. There is no way to play modern, progressive football without these two components, especially if nobody can run at people (like you said) and when our forwards have serious problems with quality finishing.

We don't have the team and skills for the game EtH is trying to play

 

[Captmfla]

City got lucky with the penalty. It was a soft penalty and the player tripped was nowhere near the ball.

Was it Mctominay who had a great shot saved by Ederson? What a wondrous strike but the keeper was alert enough to save it. Alas.

 

[tentan]

Expected. Pathetic.

 

[DSG]

I hate this team. Absolute shit.

 

[moodyred]

Expected score but didn't expect to he run over with such ease in the 2nd half. We were literally chasing shadows.

It's painful to support this club. I am addicted to this pain.

 

[Stu Pearson]

Men v boys in the second half. Shocking.

 

[Chicharo]

The worst and most painful aspect is that we tend to lose these games before they practically begin.
It used to be the other way around...

 

[Irishman]

We are the worlds banter football club. Run into the ground by owners who have zero knowledge how to run a football club.

The Glazer Globe Trotters.

 

[Widow]

United have now lost more games at Old Trafford since SAF retired than he did in his entire time at United!

 

[YikesSchmeics]

The opening possession yesterday where we kept the ball for a minute going up and back and eventually made a good chance only for Dalot to waste it with an utterly shocking cross. A minute later McTominay shoots a low percentage chance with his weak foot instead of playing in Hojlund for a 1 to 1. Then as usual, we just wilted about a spirited 5 minute spell let down by the awful quality and mentality of this group.

What's most sad is that this shower couldn't even bring a high intensity 90 minute performance for Sir Bobby. They just got humiliated and urinated on for the next 80 minutes. Pathetic.

Add to all that, UAE employee Michael Oliver dying to give that nonsense penalty, but not reviewing the shirt pull on Hojlund when through one on one. We never stood a chance. In the end I was relieved it was only 3.

I think ETH has to go. Hand tied from above and badly let down by this protracted sale process etc, but once you sink this low, you don't get it back. He also doesn't seem to have any fight in him which says a lot. These VAR calls get worse and worse and he is so meek. Klopp managed to not only pressure referees in relation to his own team, but also influenced penalty calls against us by playing the game. ETH is just so utterly passive and that speaks to a wider lack of fight, so better to cut him loose. He has no charisma to inspire this group of deadbeat mental midgets out of a crisis.

 

[Hackman2210]

What is mason mount - I’m feckin clueless and so is he apparently.
Antony’s one trick has been found out.
Erikson - hasn’t got a full game in him sadly.
Evans - too old.
Onana - made as many mistakes as saves.
Hojlund - needs crosses our wingers don’t cross.
Rashford - we might as well have signed Usain Bolt.
Amrabat - finding it much harder in the big boy league.
Garnacho - another sprinter.
Fernandez - as captain you can’t be crying all the time. Pathetic.

ETH - time defo running out.

 

[mitchmouse]

I don't usually bother with the post-mach analysis on Sky, even when we've won but it was excellent on Sunday. All you Neville haters should have listened: he was magnificent and knowledgable while rightly crediting City.

Many here said he protected Ole because he was a mate but I think he rightly said there's no much point in sacking ETH when there is so much wrong with the club: from the rotting roof to the fact that he does not believe (unlike in the past: "hello, Mr Pogba") there are toxic players in the changing room.

He also shut down Carragher's asinine comments well while pointing out our deficiencies and that the Glazers can't even sell the club properly and will pocket Ratcliffe's dosh - there was a moment when it sounded as if a producer had tried to stop him talking but the host said it was just a technical difficulty.

He even pretty much stunned Keano into silence although Roy is 100% right that Bruno should be stripped of the captaincy...

But even Gary looked amazed when he realised how many players we've still got from past eras who weren't good enough in the first place and he was right that Scotty can do a good job in the right position but simply isn't good enough for where ETH played him in the second half. Again he was right that the half-time substitutions made us worse an he reiterated - despite what some here claim - that the penalty was soft as hell, which everyone except Keano agreed with.

From my point of view, we are like the fish rotting from the head down: we are rudderless and leaderless on the field and while agree that there's little point in sacking ETH (who would replace him?), he has to tke brave decisions an bench Rashford and Bruno and let Garnacho (and maybe other youngsters) bed themselves into the team.

pretty much no one came out with any credit except - despite a couple of dodgy moments - Onana and Hojilund, who must be wondering what the hell he has to do to get someone to cross for him. Sorry, but it begins to look like Ronaldo was right to be pissed off with those around him (although that doesn't excuse how he behaved)

 

[Ish]

Injuries are a huge issue - let's be honest, not many managers will get anything, other than a spanking against City having to field a back 4 of Dalot, Maguire, Evans, Lindelof. That being said, my trust in EtH is eroding faster than I had imagined. I just see very little, to no organisation out there. Poor "technical" quality players really shouldn't hamper our ability to "press" as a unit to a level where it's non-existent, should they? Or is the press not an option because we have to accommodate CB's who can't push up high/can only defend in a low block?

Attack seems clueless these days as well, almost as clueless as the managers team selections at times. It's all just chaos and he should be on borrowed time.

 

[RoyH1]

Just numb at this point. Saddest thing is that en entire generation is growing up with the image of City being the best club in Manchester and England.

 

[Obligatory Nigel]

I thought first half we were set up well to restrict City and hit them on the counter. If we had more quality and were more clinical we could have converted a couple of chances created on breakaways. The hard truth is we do not have that quality and therefore can't. We have an almost entirely disfunctional midfield at this point and I doubt there's very few here would be massively upset if none of Ericksen, Fernandes or Mount were here next season.

The chasm remains massive. £400m ( I think) spent since ETH arrived and we look as far away as ever.

 

[Godfather]

So as expected back to business as usual. Just another blamage and just another battering on our books. At any top club with a bit of ambition you'd have talks about the manager and a lot of the players being at risk. Not here though.

 

[crossy1686]

Great tactics...

 

[Godfather]

Great tactics...

Bruno always stands on someone else's toes in these graphics. Incredible

 

[justsomebloke]

What are we trying to do? When you choose to play with Scott McTominay as your #10, or really as a sort of second striker to maximise runs into the box from turnovers, it seems clear that we're certainly not aiming to control anything (and just before anyone brings that up, we haven't done that just against City). But the worst of it isn't that we're choosing to play that way, the worst of it is that it may just be our best option at the moment. What does that say about us?

We clearly aren't functioning as a team, it's not just about individual players malfunctioning. Except Onana, who was great, and maybe Højlund, they all did. Mostly not spectacularly so, but pretty much everyone was less effective than you could expect. I've been among those arguing that Rashford has not been nearly as bad as a lot of people here make out, but yesterday he was decidedly poor. Same thing with Bruno (who's still close to the PL top for chances created, for those who like to wallow in the notion he's been shot this season), but then that's what you tend to get when you stick him out on the right flank.

 

[Rams]

I think most so called experts and posters on here realize how the injuries have impacted performance and the ability to play a certain way. Maguire & Evans instinctively pedal backwards creating gaps in the midfield and exposing the midfielders. It’s no coincidence that both Casemiro and Amrabat looked off pace because they are forced to cover too bigger distances. Amrabat’s main strength is his ability to cover the meters ffs, he’s got lungs like a horse. The injuries to Martinez, Shaw (one of the best players in the World) and Malacia have hit us badly, yesterday 2nd half was a good example how. I expect the performances to improve like night & day when 2 of those 3 injured players return. I also expect we’ll see a lot more of Mainoo then people realize. Things will greatly improve as players return back to fitness.
Meanwhile, as I’ve been saying for a decade now, we won’t start properly competing with City until we sort out how the footballing side of things are restructured properly at the club. They’re light years ahead of us. But when the time comes, revenge will be sweet.

 

[SonOfFergie]

The only way for us to get anything from this game was to not concede first, City to have an off day, have some luck etc. And for then to get called such a disgrace of a penalty called vs City I turned of the TV as soon as that penalty went in as I knew we were not coming back. In what world is this a penalty when a player running into a box would have no chance whatsoever to get on the end of this cross? He was at least three meters from the path of the ball and for a ref to blow this as a deciding moment of the course of the game was a disgrace. Killed the match instantly. So I heard I didn't miss anything positive in the second half so it seems I made a right decision not to watch it. Better things to do with your time I guess.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Pep is regularly playing Gvardiol, Akani and Aké on the left, Stones in the middle, Alvarez behind the striker, Grealish and Bernardo on the wings. Klopp is playing Mac Allister as the deepest midfielder. Ancelotti is playing Camavinga on the left and Bellingham in a new position relative to where he played before with Rodrygo and Vinicius as strikers. The list goes on... There is nothing Dutch about it, it's just the way football is evolving. When it works, people laud it, when it doesn't people blame it.

Been a lot of Dutch influences at Barcelona in the past though.

 

[Houdini]

Onana - He was fine apart form when he came out to collect the ball then somehow ended up rolling on the floor without the ball and also not in his goal whilst also rolling the ball straight to a city player. At least two saves though that were far from routine.

Dalot - Where does he go? The second goal. Where is he? He's not in attack, he's not in defence. Where's he gone there? He does this all the time. Its like Where's Wally except it turns out he's on holiday in Bermuda so isn't actually in the picture.
Evans - Not that I thought he was one of the worst players, but anyone have any idea what "tactics" (as ETH put it), require picking Johnny Evans over Rafael Varane? The tactics of your mate bet £10 Evans would be in the line up?
Maguire - There goes the 110% win ratio or whatever it was.
Lindelof - So we signed an emergency left back, in order to avoid having to do something desperate like have to play Lindelof at left back for example, and then leave them on the bench so we can play Lindelof at left back? Ok. Definitely not concerning or daft in any way.

Amrabat - We also appear to have signed an emergency midfielder so we can either play them not in midfield or replace them with not a midfield at half time.
Eriksen - He played that one Beckham ball to Rashford, but unfortunately Rashford was able to get across and defend the situation from himself.

McTominay - I liked him better in the first half when he didn't really do anything football related but was far enough up the pitch for it not to matter as much.

Bruno - Playing on the right wing so McTominay could play in Bruno's position so McTominay could then have to move out of Bruno's positon so Mount could play in Bruno's position, so Mount and Bruno could then swap places, or something. I dunno it must have made sense to someone. Anyway he was shite. Disagreed with Neville's assessment that he was just going round trying to "do" everyone and somehow psychopathically controlled Antony into kicking someone.

Rashford - Somewhere there's a bunch of aliens playing buggs bunny and co at a game of football and one of them has stolen Rashford's ability.
Hojlund - Good first half, then in the second half Mason Mount was brought on to link up play with him.

Subs:
Mount - Did he touch the ball? I feel bad for him but I still don't know what he even does never mind what he's good at.
Everyone else - Came on late enough that I'm sparing them, apart from Antony who managed to be annoying.
Antony - Annoying.

ETH - So, just to be clear, he played McTominay at no10, so his no10 could play on the right wing, so his £80m right winger could sit on the bench along with his £50m central midfielder who can't play in central midfield. Then at half time he subbed off the central midfielder he signed to play in central midfield, so he could move his no10 who isn't a no10 into central midfield, so he could bring his central midfielder who isn't a central midfielder on at no10, so his no10 could stay on the right wing. He signed a left back on emergency loan so he wouldn't have to not play a left back at left back, so he could leave them on the bench so he could not play a left back at left back. You know if you're sitting on a plane, and the pilot keeps pressing random buttons in the hope the next one he presses will be the on button? At what point would you maybe think you should get off before he causes you to die? Because I feel like our players will maybe reach that point quite soon.

Gary Neville - There is still no button on my tv remote that causes nurses to come and escort Neville to bed once his anti dramatic medication wears off, and I feel like this is something Sky really need to address.

Haaland - He does some up City quite well. Obviously better than everyone else, yet somehow also completely uninteresting to watch or feel any particular way about at the same time.

ETH is mess. He has no plan B. The Ajax tactics did not work out here and he is clueless now. He was backed so no exuses here. I was his fan but his tactics does not work with these players.

 

[redmanx]

Pep is regularly playing Gvardiol, Akani and Aké on the left, Stones in the middle, Alvarez behind the striker, Grealish and Bernardo on the wings. Klopp is playing Mac Allister as the deepest midfielder. Ancelotti is playing Camavinga on the left and Bellingham in a new position relative to where he played before with Rodrygo and Vinicius as strikers. The list goes on... There is nothing Dutch about it, it's just the way football is evolving. When it works, people laud it, when it doesn't people blame it.

And it helps if you actually have players who can play different positions and still be effective, if not brilliant; we dont.

 

[UTD_Since_1978]

What a shite we assembled after all that spending

Absolutely.

I mean, summer transfer window is all about improving the team, last season we won this fixture 2-1, this season we lose it 0-3, that's not an improvement.

And what about Mount? I mean, come on Mount supporters out there, we spend £55m on him, we are 3 months in to the season & one of our biggest games of the season, is he in the starting line-up to improve our team? No!

Instead ETH has him sitting on the bench, why buy him in the first place if 1. He is not good enough to get in to a UTD team who have played mostly poor this season & 2. Obviously the manager doesn't rate him enough to start an important game like this.

Back in the summer I was the lone dissenting voice on here whilst others were saying, "wow, what a super signing!" & I was saying, "come off it, we are signing a Chelsea reject who couldn't even get in a Chelsea side who almost got relegated last season"

And as for our forwards this season...1 goal & 1 assist from Rashford & that's it! Shocking!

 

[ToToMarshall]

God we're just shite aren't we? Casemiro, Varane, Lisandro and Shaw for McTominay, Evans, Maguire and Lindelof and I'm sure we'd look a bit better quality-wise, but I don't believe that it would have changed how gutless we were yesterday.

 

[Adisa]

Delete the club.
Copy and past Real Madrid’s team and we will still struggle. We are cursed. The club needs an intervention.