[croadyman]

We really hampered ourselves with Ronaldo earlier in the season. I honestly believe there were games that could have been like this, but our inability to press at all ensured that most games with him were dog fights.

I honestly believe we have enough quality within the side to be where Arsenal are at the moment. But in order to be at the level of City, we have to do a few things.

1) Buy better depth - One of the reasons we had to use Ronaldo as much as we did was the lack of depth at centre forward. In midfield, the drop off between Casemiro and Eriksen to Fred and Mctominay is mindboggling. It's bad enough to the point that it stops us from being able to play with the style that we would like to play. This is a problem neither City or Liverpool have faced in the last few seasons. Injuries happen, so being prepared for them is important. In the summer, signing a midfielder who with the technical ability and positioning to play alongside or replace Casemiro temporarily is important imo. Martial is also injury prone and can be inconsistent, a rotation piece with similar quality would really bolster our attack. I do think AWB and Malacia are legible back up options at full back. Shaw just also proved that we have enough depth at CB today as well.

2) Youth development - Unless a truly quality player becomes available, I don't think we need to invest much in attack outside the no.9 Developing Garnacho, Amad, Sancho and Antony should give us so much quality moving forward. Having these amount of options will provide us with a lot of room to develop these players. Sancho is currently out, yet we aren't feeling the impact because we have legible replacements. He has the room to get himself right and potentially develop his game behind closed doors without media pressure. I think taking time to commit to this will bode well for us as a team moving forward. These players are clearly talented and ensuring they can eventually deliver consistently could provide us with Martinelli's and Odegaards.

Who do you think we could sign in CM to provide that better depth alongside Casa and backup option for Tony as well

 

[AlPistacho]

Our finishing is pants, Forest are fecking wank and we should have put six past them. Antony had a poor game.

Keep hearing this opinion about Antony today. But to me he stood out badly for long passes that fell just short of reaching the player. But I want him to carry on doing that because when he gets it right it will open up a new dimension to our play.

His actual wing play wasn’t bad. Without the few stray long passes, I don’t think people say he had a bad game.

 

[Real Name]

2 nice goals with dominating display, were in control the most of the game, added the 3rd like cherry on the top. Nice stuff from us.

Casemiro is fekin brilliant, every time I think he cant get any better he does get better. Shaw at CB was good, so was Varane. Another good game by AWB too I thought.

Rashford another great game. @SportingCP96 what do you reckon?

Martial we so needed and we so need him to stay fit.

Anyway nice solid win, upwards and onwards!

 

[Ludens the Red]

We really hampered ourselves with Ronaldo earlier in the season. I honestly believe there were games that could have been like this, but our inability to press at all ensured that most games with him were dog fights.

I honestly believe we have enough quality within the side to be where Arsenal are at the moment. But in order to be at the level of City, we have to do a few things.

1) Buy better depth - One of the reasons we had to use Ronaldo as much as we did was the lack of depth at centre forward. In midfield, the drop off between Casemiro and Eriksen to Fred and Mctominay is mindboggling. It's bad enough to the point that it stops us from being able to play with the style that we would like to play. This is a problem neither City or Liverpool have faced in the last few seasons. Injuries happen, so being prepared for them is important. In the summer, signing a midfielder who with the technical ability and positioning to play alongside or replace Casemiro temporarily is important imo. Martial is also injury prone and can be inconsistent, a rotation piece with similar quality would really bolster our attack. I do think AWB and Malacia are legible back up options at full back. Shaw just also proved that we have enough depth at CB today as well.

2) Youth development - Unless a truly quality player becomes available, I don't think we need to invest much in attack outside the no.9 Developing Garnacho, Amad, Sancho and Antony should give us so much quality moving forward. Having these amount of options will provide us with a lot of room to develop these players. Sancho is currently out, yet we aren't feeling the impact because we have legible replacements. He has the room to get himself right and potentially develop his game behind closed doors without media pressure. I think taking time to commit to this will bode well for us as a team moving forward. These players are clearly talented and ensuring they can eventually deliver consistently could provide us with Martinelli's and Odegaards.

Nah we don’t at all, we’re still very much the underdogs in this top four race.
I still think our team is lacking balance in midfield although it’s much much better now but it is likely to be exposed against better sides especially away from home and we do have some very difficult away games to come. Our depth up front isn’t really good enough and I’m not convinced there’s enough goals in Antony, Martial and Rashford.
We’re also not a team three years into their development like Arsenal so it’s to be expected that we’ll be short of them.

 

[Sly1]

I'm starting to think Antony might just not be that good

Too early,I think. This is our first game in about a month now,and national team football is comparably a bit different. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Sly1]

Quick double sink Forest who set up to soak up pressure, then we just toyed with them, as we should.

Lot of players looking rusty but we look functional, patterns of play, movement all much better - work in progress and that's good to see.

Stand out is Casemiro, wrap the bloke in cotton wool and build Rio beach on the banks of the canal, just keep him happy. What a player, if we can keep him doing this, 7-8 out of 10 every week, then we have a real chance of competing. Add in a bit more ability in the forward/wide areas and we could be a real force.

Varane, again never the most reliable due to fitness but when fit is a monster at the back, him and Cass could be a bedrock for the next 24-36 months man. Again, get Lizzy back and add another talent in midfield (Enzo?) and we could be a tough nut to crack.

We are lucky to have such players like Casemiro and Varane. It's of no wonder that Real Madrid won a lot of Champions league with them. Rashford deserves a praise too,He has been in a great form lately and hope that continues. If I remember well,ETH once said he expected Rashford to bag at least 20 goals this season.Shaw,Bisaka, all did well.

 

[Sassy Colin]

Post match interview on NBC worth a watch:

 

[Sly1]

I would be happy if we were clinical in our finishing, not really fussed about being more clinical

Most pleased with AWB performance, of course Casemiro and Rashford were amazing, but great to see the improvement in AWB. Love how EtH is starting to get more out of certain players.

Sancho and Antony next…

This is really a plus for us. The players seem to be catching the manager's ideas. I can see us going far with ETH. We only need to support him and run the club as it's supposed to be.

 

[mitchmouse]

Only saw brief highlights, having listened on the radio and although we sounded good, we can't go on missing good chances and expect to win games. We desperately need to find a No.9.

That said, on the night we looked pretty untroubled even with the problems with centre backs and playing Shaw there. Rashford was clearly very good as was Casemiro, while Varane looked very secure at the back. We broke at pace which was good but as I said we need to take more chances - I still don't see Martial as the answer: his goal should have been saved and he faded for periods (according to the radio), which is pretty much par for the course.

Of the missed, Antony should definitely have scored; seems to me he always wants to open up his body and curl the ball inside the post when sometimes just hitting it will do the trick...

 

[Judas]

It was an absolute breeze. The sort of performance we've simply not had very often in the league the last few years.

 

[RoyH1]

I'm at work and have this warm feeling in my belly after last nights performance. A lot of our players are looking good and I'm confident that with a couple of more pieces ETH can begin to challenge for the league.

 

[DJ_21]

I forgot Luke Shaw was playing during the game last night. Probably because he was at CB. Had a nice quiet game.

 

[Drizzle]

Good performance. As many have said, we are seriously in need of a reliable goalscorer who can score 6 yard goals, make sharp runs across defenders when we cross, and occupy defenders. Rashford is good at the moment, but his goals are the type of goals that it's hard to get 25 of in a season. And we just don't have enough goals elsewhere in the squad. Without it, I don't think we can get top 4.

The other point - both fullbacks looked like backups last night. Which they are. Malacia is not strong enough against prem wingers. Awb is playing well by his standards but doesn't have the passing or confidence to really threaten teams even when he gets into good positions.

 

[Gazautd18]

Post match interview on NBC worth a watch:

Good interview that.
EtH is one hell of a manager!

 

[TheReligion]

I forgot Luke Shaw was playing during the game last night. Probably because he was at CB. Had a nice quiet game.

I think he was that good you didn’t even notice he was a full back playing centre half.

 

[DJ_21]

I think he was that good you didn’t even notice he was a full back playing centre half.

I like how ETH is making the right choices in who to play out of position. Before the game people was questioning wether it was AWB, Malacia or Shaw at the back. We now know after the last 2 games that Shaw and Casemiro can step in at CB if we’re thin on the ground.

 

[TheReligion]

I like how ETH is making the right choices in who to play out of position. Before the game people was questioning wether it was AWB, Malacia or Shaw at the back. We now know after the last 2 games that Shaw and Casemiro can step in at CB if we’re thin on the ground.

Yeah he is obviously starting to know the squad very well which also gives us more options in game against different opponents.

Big plus being able to drop Shaw in at CB, or Casemiro if the game requires it, or even look at playing a fluid 5.

All very positive signs moving forward

 

[Garethw]

Post match interview on NBC worth a watch:

I didn’t like the way he brushed aside the question on getting a striker. Looks like he’s been told he won’t be getting a Ronaldo replacement.

The sooner we get rid of these parasite owners the better.

 

[Maticmaker]

Say it softly... but at last we may have found the ideal replacement for Carrick... Casemiro. It is pity about his age but after the last few games I am beginning to be convinced that this guy has it 'nailed down'... midfield, defence, even going forward he could add some goals for us, he knows where he wants to put the ball, even before it arrives with him... the odd slip just to show he is human, but again he recovers 90% of his mistakes before any damage is done... fantastic buy!

 

[Havak]

I know it's a process and we are definitely making progress under EtH, I'd even say at times we are taking big strides towards the kind of improvement we want and expect. However, this is only the second time we have won by 3+ goals under EtH and the first time in the Premier League.

I wouldn't go as far to say it's a worry yet, but it does make it very clear that we need a couple more players who can be reliable double-digit scorers. We have had large spells in games where we were dominant but either didn't score or only scored once. The game last night was probably a 5-0 game most of the time, but I was saying to myself we need at least three here in a game like this. So, without being too harsh I think the final score last night was the minimum expectation.

Still, one of our better performances and we didn't really have to play exceptionally well. Rashford, Casemiro and Varane in particular look bang at it right now. Bruno, Martial, Erisken, and Shaw also looking very solid and consistent. We are at a point very soon where I think we all know our starting XI for this season unless there are some top January signings.

 

[Hughie77]

Casimero, has made a huge difference in how the rest of the team functions, he reads danger better than most, his passing ability is one of the best . At CB v Burnley his passing from there was on the money. Bruno looks more comfy in his role . ETH needs a striker and who knows we're this team goes.

 

[TheReligion]

I didn’t like the way he brushed aside the question on getting a striker. Looks like he’s been told he won’t be getting a Ronaldo replacement.

The sooner we get rid of these parasite owners the better.

I think he’s made it clear he wants one and the squad needs it. He was quite specific on that along with the volume of matches and fitness.

 

[hellhunter]

Say it softly... but at last we may have found the ideal replacement for Carrick... Casemiro. It is pity about his age but after the last few games I am beginning to be convinced that this guy has it 'nailed down'... midfield, defence, even going forward he could add some goals for us, he knows where he wants to put the ball, even before it arrives with him... the odd slip just to show he is human, but again he recovers 90% of his mistakes before any damage is done... fantastic buy!

I loved Carrick more than most an thought he was very underrated in England, but Casemiro is a different beast of a player

 

[GaryLifo]

I like how we won 3-0 easily at home and the average rating of our players on here is 6.7

Tough fecking crowd our 'fans'

 

[Vidyoyo]

I didn’t like the way he brushed aside the question on getting a striker. Looks like he’s been told he won’t be getting a Ronaldo replacement.

The sooner we get rid of these parasite owners the better.

He did it on Amazon too. I'd say it's unlikely we'll be going in for one

 

[Oranges038]

Good team performance and a good win. The sort of expected win we haven't seen against these lower table teams very often lately. Usually find a way to make hard work of these games.

Forrest offered nothing, they are terrible and will probably go down.

 

[Sassy Colin]

I didn’t like the way he brushed aside the question on getting a striker. Looks like he’s been told he won’t be getting a Ronaldo replacement.

The sooner we get rid of these parasite owners the better.

Tagline checks out.

 

[Sgreddevil]

Made you wonder how strong were the real madrid team that won back to back champion league titles. Varane and Cas stood out easily as one of the top players in our squad when they play. They were not even considered the best players in the madrid team. World class players but not that main stars. Hope our team can become like that in near future.

 

[MrBest]

Good game against a bad team. I'm just disappointed that we couldn't get a few more goals. Given its the first game back after the world cup I think I can live with a 3 0 win.

 

[Cantonagotmehere]

Great game, we are fun to watch play most of the time these days. Really happy AWB looks solid enough to be a squad player, that's huge. Still need that 9, I love MArtial form but we cannot count on his health.

Anthony did not have a great game but I sure do not think he was poor like many on here. He's a great option fo us, IMHO.

 

[Gator Nate]

I didn't notice if/when the rain stopped, but 3-0 in those conditions was fine by me. We seldom looked threatened.

Shout out to Shaw filling in at CB. He played Martinez' role well. Only thing I think he lacks compared to Lisandro is the attitude.

The rest of the squad played at least solid games. Glad to see Rashford bag another and Martial, too.

I'm not quite getting all the hate on Antony. He's drawing the defense to him all the time, which was exactly what we needed. We were so ineffective on the right prior to his arrival that opponents rarely bothered covering that side much, and we couldn't even take advantage of that. At the very least, 15 games into the season, we can go down both sides for an attack and switch it over quickly. I think he will continue to grow into our squad, and once he really settles down (the one coachable area that really stands out as a weakness to me - dude's a bit to frenetic at times) I think he'll be immense.

On Casemiro, what he has that McTominay and Fred lack in the midfield, is so much that Bruno and Eriksen can focus more on what they're supposed to be doing, rather than compensate for deficiencies. Our midfield bossed the game yesterday. Glad to see Fred get his goal, though. I like McFred but, in general, they're subs/backups, not starters.

 

[DSG]

Wow, I’m blown away at how the Caf thinks that was a great team performance. Forest were so blatantly awful, both from a talent/quality standpoint as well as tactically. Did Steve Cooper actually watch a single match we’ve played this year in preparation for this fixture??? Forest should have employed the high press considering we had a back 4 that has never played as a unit and we struggle with that anyhow.

Antony was truly abysmal, giving the ball away for fun, not playing the ball soon enough when on the counter.

Delighted we won 3-0 and props to Casemiro, Shaw and Marcus for great performances. And this was far from our best 11. Still, it felt to me like we were pretty rusty after the WC with a lot of misplaced passes and mistakes.

 

[Denis79]

I forgot Luke Shaw was playing during the game last night. Probably because he was at CB. Had a nice quiet game.

I think he was brilliant! Composed, positionally flawless, carried the ball nicely, nice forward passes. Way, waay better than Maguire and Lindelof at CB if you go after this game.

 

[RashyGiggsy]

I'm not quite getting all the hate on Antony. He's drawing the defense to him all the time, which was exactly what we needed. We were so ineffective on the right prior to his arrival that opponents rarely bothered covering that side much, and we couldn't even take advantage of that. At the very least, 15 games into the season, we can go down both sides for an attack and switch it over quickly. I think he will continue to grow into our squad, and once he really settles down (the one coachable area that really stands out as a weakness to me - dude's a bit to frenetic at times) I think he'll be immense.

I tend to agree with you. Also, he was playing with AWB, who has not linked up well with wingers in the past, so one should not expect it in this game. Antony needs to play a bit calmer, and he wants to cut inside too frequently. It makes him easier to defend if you know what he is going to do. He needs to incorporate more options into his game. Part of the problem is that United doesn't have the traditional striker in the middle to receive crosses, but cutting inside for a left-footed shot from 20 feet 4-6 times per game becomes easy to defend when you know that it is coming.

 

[Jam]

I tend to agree with you. Also, he was playing with AWB, who has not linked up well with wingers in the past, so one should not expect it in this game. Antony needs to play a bit calmer, and he wants to cut inside too frequently. It makes him easier to defend if you know what he is going to do. He needs to incorporate more options into his game. Part of the problem is that United doesn't have the traditional striker in the middle to receive crosses, but cutting inside for a left-footed shot from 20 feet 4-6 times per game becomes easy to defend when you know that it is coming.

He isn't Robben who predictably did it multiple times a game but was so good it still worked to the tune of 15-20 goals a season. He can't rely on it as much as Robben could, I do think Antony has shown he has a wider skillset but he leans on the cut inside too often because it is what he most comfortable doing.

 

[RashyGiggsy]

He isn't Robben who predictably did it multiple times a game but was so good it still worked to the tune of 15-20 goals a season. He can't rely on it as much as Robben could, I do think Antony has shown he has a wider skillset but he leans on the cut inside too often because it is what he most comfortable doing.

Sorry to nitpick. I was curious to see if Arjen Robben had truly been that prolific of a goal scorer, because - to be honest - I was never much of a fan of his. In his three years at Chelsea, he never topped 10 goals in a season (all competitions included). However, at Bayern he did score more than 15 goals in 5 (out of 10) seasons (3X more than 20). He was 25 years old before he scored more than 10 goals outside of the Eredivisie. I was curious about this as much as anything.

It's interesting how often we expect young players to produce from the start. Antony is 21, living in a new country, learning a new language, and adapting to a new place and a new football league. He is bound to have some ups and downs. I agree with you that Antony does have a wide skillset. I think that United today has the coaching staff to help him develop that technical ability into something useful on the pitch.

 

[Jam]

Sorry to nitpick. I was curious to see if Arjen Robben had truly been that prolific of a goal scorer, because - to be honest - I was never much of a fan of his. In his three years at Chelsea, he never topped 10 goals in a season (all competitions included). However, at Bayern he did score more than 15 goals in 5 (out of 10) seasons (3X more than 20). He was 25 years old before he scored more than 10 goals outside of the Eredivisie. I was curious about this as much as anything.

It's interesting how often we expect young players to produce from the start. Antony is 21, living in a new country, learning a new language, and adapting to a new place and a new football league. He is bound to have some ups and downs. I agree with you that Antony does have a wide skillset. I think that United today has the coaching staff to help him develop that technical ability into something useful on the pitch.

Well exactly - I bet that most posters would be happy if he had a Robben-esque career in terms of numbers and performances. It wasn't just the cut inside goals provided it was the threat that he could that led to him being marked and taking up opposition mind share and positioning that invaluably led to an unquantified number of chances and goals.

His stats alone are "pretty good", but it was everything else he offered too.

Competition	Apps	Goals	Assists
Bundesliga	201	99	62
Champions League	110	31	24
Eredivisie	108	25	23
Premier League	67	15	16
LaLiga	50	11	12
DFB-Pokal	32	16	17

Honestly perhaps Robben might be the best comparison he currently have, I believe they came to the Premier League at a similar age and look to have a similar skill set but also are still unproven and blowing hot and cold.

Obviously it is VERY early days for Antony with us yet and jumping to any sort of definitive conclusion is ludicrous.

 

[always_hoping]

I like how we won 3-0 easily at home and the average rating of our players on here is 6.7

Tough fecking crowd our 'fans'

6.7 ratings is decent, if the majority of the team continues to get those ratings more comfortable wins will follow.