You’re spot on, but even still we didn’t deserve anything tonight. Terrible refereeing decisions both of them but I’ll only focus on that if I felt we were robbed. We beat ourselves tonight.
PL L FA Premier League
Manchester United 1:2 Sheffield United
Post-match discussion
Wed, 27 January 2021
Very odd decision to play Martial upfront. We all knew SU would sit deep and congest their penalty area, Cavani a much better choice in these kind of games.
Yes ^^ true
You forget to allude to that fact that Sheff Utd are the worst team in the league.
If we lost 2-1 to say LFC or MCFC, it would be understandable. But Sheff Utd?
In saying all of the above, we do have a history of struggling against the bottom team. Our players tend to raise their game against the better sides, but against relegation battlers they don't try hard and we get turned over. It even happened when Jose was managing us.
We're playing AFC in a few days and I expect 1 or 3 points against them.
The teams I'd be worried about playing are West Brom and Fulham, both of who are in the relegation zone.
Absolutely not.
4 semi-final losses in a year. The most spectacular shitting of the bed in Champions League group stage history and as soon they are overtaken at the top of the league they lose, at home, to a team with 5 points who have scored 12 goals in 19 games. The same team who were gutted by injuries and suspensions and had 64 year old Phil Jagielka marshalling their defence. This is our most embarrassing result since the City 6-1, in my opinion.
They are most pathetically mentally fragile group of players I've seen play for United.
Bags of talent, zero balls.
Match stats for those interested
I would say this. When we play relegation-threatened clubs, they have great incentives to fight for their futures. So they are not pushovers at all.
Was always going to be a banana peel given the pool games
I wonder if re-naming Old Trafford might help trick the players into finding their away form in home games.
What an abject performance. Martial's ball-watching with his hands behind his back for the second Sheffield United goal was painfully hilarious.
An Arsenal win wouldn't even make up for this horrendous performance.
What an abject performance. Martial's ball-watching with his hands behind his back for the second Sheffield United goal was painfully hilarious.
An Arsenal win wouldn't even make up for this horrendous performance.
Bit pathetic this forum. Seen Fernandes called an idiot, seen that's there 10 better LB's in the Championship than Telles, seen Tuanzebe called a League 2 defender and all the other rubbish written about our players.
Some of our fans are so entitled and just want to bitch about players. You'd think we have a team of Championship players with the way some of our fans talk about them. It's a big loss, but these results happen, we need to bounce back and ensure we get the result against Arsenal.
My thoughts for the game was we started alright, the goal changed the game, if Rashford had score the earlier chance or Greenwood, we probably would've gone on to win comfortably. Can't really excuse De Gea for that, him being weak from crosses/corners is a massive liability. For the second goal, I was astounded how much space Burke was given.
Some of our fans are so entitled and just want to bitch about players. You'd think we have a team of Championship players with the way some of our fans talk about them. It's a big loss, but these results happen, we need to bounce back and ensure we get the result against Arsenal.
My thoughts for the game was we started alright, the goal changed the game, if Rashford had score the earlier chance or Greenwood, we probably would've gone on to win comfortably. Can't really excuse De Gea for that, him being weak from crosses/corners is a massive liability. For the second goal, I was astounded how much space Burke was given.
Think at some point we have to acknowledge the players have played more football than at any point in their careers. They must be at least 5% off, they've been playing twice a week for months now.
Ole could have tried to rotate more (tonight would have been smart) but this season is just a level of continued intensity that footballers have never had to deal with.
I don't think we're that bad, just knackered.
Ole could have tried to rotate more (tonight would have been smart) but this season is just a level of continued intensity that footballers have never had to deal with.
I don't think we're that bad, just knackered.
How many more games are we going to waste on that utter total useless waste of space Martial? We were a player down from the moment the game started.
Martial is an absolute rubbish. No one would have understood Ole's insistence to stick with him. Greenwood is the one to groom, not the Frenchman.
Sheffield United scored 2 goals only twice in the league this season, and both were against us!
A depressing game.
Risky post
The doom and gloom talk is premature. There are many games remaining, and the story is yet to be written.
Everyone else is facing the same issue, blaming players for being tired is a cop out.
The main points from this game are:
1. Martial should be sold. He doesn't have the ego to stay on the bench and on the pitch he's rubbish and has been for years. The "talent" he has when it comes to close controlled dribbling is the only reason people think he's good at all.
2. Tuanzebe may be good one day, but we need a CB.
3. Telles was poor, but i'll give him the benefit of the doubt, plus he's a bench player.
4. De Gea is still weak on corners.
1. Martial should be sold. He doesn't have the ego to stay on the bench and on the pitch he's rubbish and has been for years. The "talent" he has when it comes to close controlled dribbling is the only reason people think he's good at all.
2. Tuanzebe may be good one day, but we need a CB.
3. Telles was poor, but i'll give him the benefit of the doubt, plus he's a bench player.
4. De Gea is still weak on corners.
I pity Greenwood. If I were him, I will be a confused man. What does he needs to do to not being hooked off? Stay invisible like Martial seems to be the message from Ole.
If anything we have learned from this game is that Ole is just betting an individual spark of brilliance from someone like Martial to win the game rather then trying to change the tactic early when plan A has failed miserably.
And there was just no that spark this time. Even from the over dependent Bruno. And it seems he only realised it too late.
If anything we have learned from this game is that Ole is just betting an individual spark of brilliance from someone like Martial to win the game rather then trying to change the tactic early when plan A has failed miserably.
And there was just no that spark this time. Even from the over dependent Bruno. And it seems he only realised it too late.
I keep saying we need to invest and fix the leaky defense. Its a bit concerning how many goals we are shipping virtually every game. You can't build championship winning teams with a defense like this. I can't pinpoint the problem (although we can all speculate) but we need a "carrick" like presence screening the defense. This team doesn't need a Sancho, certainly not the highest priority. A striker and fixing the defense is the priority.
We do but I remind you that AWB & Maguire cost 130 million.
We need to invest but we need quality.
He has scored two goals in the league and he doesnt even work hard. Get rid of this fraud.
He offers less than Lukaku ffs
He offers less than Lukaku ffs
Agreed. And I said I can't pinpoint exactly what the problem is, I just know there is a problem. We've shipped off same number of goals as 18th place team in PL. You don't win PL that way.
I'm dying after the match, ManUnited loses are my kryptonites
Very unlucky result but a poor performance regardless.
These results and performances, are the ones that get people thinking WTF. This season has thrown up so many inconsistent results . Players looked like they didn't even want to be there at times. Like sometimes you go to work and think , I'm not bothered today, just get through the day go home .
That's how these top pros looked. They didn't want to roll up there sleeves and do there job for 1 day. I really hope there hurting because they have just hurt the millions of there followers by just not wanting to do there job correctly for 90 mins. Hurry up and get fans back into OT and everywhere else. Or there's more like today coming.
That's how these top pros looked. They didn't want to roll up there sleeves and do there job for 1 day. I really hope there hurting because they have just hurt the millions of there followers by just not wanting to do there job correctly for 90 mins. Hurry up and get fans back into OT and everywhere else. Or there's more like today coming.
Very reminiscent of that schoolboy stuff in Istanbul that I had hoped we had learnt from, unfortunately this team is still far too immature to hold it together when the gauntlet is laid down by a rival winning
The only thing I'm bothered about is that Martial had no urgency with the ball in the last 20. We did lose but I thought we were just unlucky more than anything.
We're supposed to be fighting too unless winning the league is not worth fighting for.
Playing defensive also doesn't mean you don't deserve to win. They worked a lot harder than us whilst it looked like we were strolling out there expecting to win. Just to clarify I am annoyed just not mad over it as I'm now used to this club disappointing me.
When was the last time Martial had a good game? You said he had no urgent y in the last 20, I say he's had no urgency in the last 5 years!
Today confirmed what our weaknesses are in the squad. I do think that Ole knows them, but has been practical about how to deal with them. Going into the season, I had hoped that we could have a rotation going between Cavani and Martial, if each could give us 15 goals, then we would be in a really good space. Cavani has had issues which haven't allowed him to get as much game time as I would have though, but when he has played, he has proven to be a threat and a real positive to our attack. I already knew that Martial was not cut out to be our no.9, so I assumed a rotation of him and Cavani would suffice until Greenwood or another 9 takes the role, what has happened this season is that he has proven that he doesn't belong in the team at all; not in the middle or on the flanks. Overtime hopefully Diallo can take the right flank ( and we buy sancho), so that we can start pushing Greenwood through the middle ( in rotation with Cavani).
The truth is Martial has always been a problem, as early as even the 2016/17 season. His lack of movement and workrate were glaring, and even though Rashford was really poor during that time, you could see his development from week to week. First he started dribbling more, then his off the ball movement improved, then he picked up his shooting, then his touches started improving, now he can provide key passes and picks his dribbles more appropriately. There's improvement. Greenwood is the same too. Last season he came in just his finishing, then his touches started improving, his physique got better, he has more balance and agility when in tight spaces now and is consistently improving even with his poor output this season. However, with Martial his game has stayed relatively the same. His movement off the ball is still terrible, his work rate is still poor, his passing is still as bad as 2016, his range of dribbling is still the same, his decision making is still poor, still terrible on his left foot, still can't go down the line, still can't play on the right flank, even his finishing may even have regressed....his only area's of improvement are his heading ability (marginal) and being able to play with his back to goal. He's 25, rashford and greenwood are younger, yet they've shown more improvement than him. What's even funnier is the way in which some fans lap up the same skillset he had 6 seasons ago and call it world class "talent". That skillset hasn't improved, essentially we're calling a 19 year old Martial world class, he's not and never was. Having a playstyle that is more attractive does not lead to quality or effectiveness.
The truth is Martial has always been a problem, as early as even the 2016/17 season. His lack of movement and workrate were glaring, and even though Rashford was really poor during that time, you could see his development from week to week. First he started dribbling more, then his off the ball movement improved, then he picked up his shooting, then his touches started improving, now he can provide key passes and picks his dribbles more appropriately. There's improvement. Greenwood is the same too. Last season he came in just his finishing, then his touches started improving, his physique got better, he has more balance and agility when in tight spaces now and is consistently improving even with his poor output this season. However, with Martial his game has stayed relatively the same. His movement off the ball is still terrible, his work rate is still poor, his passing is still as bad as 2016, his range of dribbling is still the same, his decision making is still poor, still terrible on his left foot, still can't go down the line, still can't play on the right flank, even his finishing may even have regressed....his only area's of improvement are his heading ability (marginal) and being able to play with his back to goal. He's 25, rashford and greenwood are younger, yet they've shown more improvement than him. What's even funnier is the way in which some fans lap up the same skillset he had 6 seasons ago and call it world class "talent". That skillset hasn't improved, essentially we're calling a 19 year old Martial world class, he's not and never was. Having a playstyle that is more attractive does not lead to quality or effectiveness.
Sheffield are one of the worst side in PL history. No matter how knackered we were should be doing better. Embarassing.
I’m absolutely raging about that result. Going into the midweek fixtures you see City have West Brom away, and De Bruyne now out for a month. We have a comfortable home fixture against Sheffield United. One win all season. It was the first time I started to think we actually have a chance of the title. That thought was wiped out after one bloody game. I’m sure people will think I’m overreacting but the title race is done. You cannot give this City team an inch. They go 4 points clear winning their game in hand and they have coped with De Bruyne out long term before.
It comes back to the same thing again this season, the recruitment in the summer. Not a single player we signed improved the first 11 and now we are suffering. Telles was awful yesterday. Greenwood is now out of form and there is no one to replace him. Why did we not sign a RW that could start straight away? Even if it was a short term loan. Switching Rashford to the right makes him ineffective, and it was something tried by Mourinho before. Constantly switching Martial and Rashford to the right when it would have made far more sense to actually sign a player who’s naturally plays that position. Greenwood isn’t a RW either!
And finally Martial. Every game he’s getting worse at the moment. I cannot understand how he was on the pitch when he gave the ball away for their second goal he was that bad. But as usual Ole leaves him on and decided to sub Greenwood. Mason had a poor game but at least he had created a chance for himself. Martial has been given his chance over the last two seasons and proved he isn’t good enough. We need a replacement for him. Both Rashford and Martial are confidence players, with a very similar style of play. They also want the same space which leaves no one in the box for crosses. The sooner he is replaced the better.
It comes back to the same thing again this season, the recruitment in the summer. Not a single player we signed improved the first 11 and now we are suffering. Telles was awful yesterday. Greenwood is now out of form and there is no one to replace him. Why did we not sign a RW that could start straight away? Even if it was a short term loan. Switching Rashford to the right makes him ineffective, and it was something tried by Mourinho before. Constantly switching Martial and Rashford to the right when it would have made far more sense to actually sign a player who’s naturally plays that position. Greenwood isn’t a RW either!
And finally Martial. Every game he’s getting worse at the moment. I cannot understand how he was on the pitch when he gave the ball away for their second goal he was that bad. But as usual Ole leaves him on and decided to sub Greenwood. Mason had a poor game but at least he had created a chance for himself. Martial has been given his chance over the last two seasons and proved he isn’t good enough. We need a replacement for him. Both Rashford and Martial are confidence players, with a very similar style of play. They also want the same space which leaves no one in the box for crosses. The sooner he is replaced the better.
WTF was that, did we even create any chances? Against jagielka and co? Shaking my head in disbelief.
We didn't sign a RW because Woody pulled out the COVID excuse and Ole had no choice but to put faith in Amad, hopefully he does exceed expectations but unfair to be putting that on a young kid because your board can't be arsed
His idea of rotation was awful last night. Why start a new CB pairing In 3 games? If rotation is required that much why start with both Pogba and Bruno, who have played the most games? I’m sure Cavani could have played given his lack of play time over the season. Ole was slow to react to how poor we were from the very start. Changes needed to be made at half time. To be 1-1 against Sheffield United, at home, first sub was in the 66th minute. Our second sub comes on after we are 2-1 down in the 81st minute. It was ridiculously late and showed his immaturity as a manager. There is trusting the players and then there is being naive.
Not the end of the world, but definitely one of our worst performances under Ole. I can't remember a period of substantial threat throughout the whole game. No pressure on their defence whatsoever.
Which brings me to this point: why do we insist on playing it out from the back? Before Sheffield United scored, we seemed to be playing the ball around the back more often than going forward. I wish Ole would get rid of playing it out of the back and just punt it upfield. I'd much prefer us being on the front foot than inviting pressure from their press at the back.
If we can get a win on Saturday, I feel we've still got a chance of winning the league. We can't afford another slip up. I just hope we're not playing it out from the back against Arsenal. Need a vintage counter-attacking performance at the Emirates. Come on United!
Which brings me to this point: why do we insist on playing it out from the back? Before Sheffield United scored, we seemed to be playing the ball around the back more often than going forward. I wish Ole would get rid of playing it out of the back and just punt it upfield. I'd much prefer us being on the front foot than inviting pressure from their press at the back.
If we can get a win on Saturday, I feel we've still got a chance of winning the league. We can't afford another slip up. I just hope we're not playing it out from the back against Arsenal. Need a vintage counter-attacking performance at the Emirates. Come on United!
It's our defence, as ever. Two horrendous goals. We need to have a Bruno at the back.
Man of the Match
Runners-up
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15%
Paul Pogba
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10%
Edinson Cavani
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7%
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
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6%
Bruno Fernandes
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5%
Luke Shaw
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4%
Nemanja Matic
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4%
Mason Greenwood
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2%
Donny van de Beek
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2%
Alex Telles
Player Ratings
Total Average Rating
Highest Rated Player
Lowest Rated Player
Compiled from 368 ratings.
Score Predictions
233,3,6
- Man Utd win
- Sheffield Utd win
- Draw
Detailed Results
- 32% Man Utd 3:0 Sheffield Utd
- 23% Man Utd 2:0 Sheffield Utd
- 13% Man Utd 4:0 Sheffield Utd
- 11% Man Utd 3:1 Sheffield Utd
- 4% Man Utd 5:0 Sheffield Utd
- 4% Man Utd 2:1 Sheffield Utd
- 4% Man Utd 1:0 Sheffield Utd
- 3% Man Utd 4:1 Sheffield Utd
- 2% Man Utd 1:1 Sheffield Utd
- 2% Man Utd 5:1 Sheffield Utd
- 1% Man Utd 0:5 Sheffield Utd
- 1% Man Utd 2:2 Sheffield Utd
- 0% Man Utd 0:2 Sheffield Utd
Match Stats
- Man Utd
- Sheffield Utd
- Possession
- 76% 24%
- Shots
- 16 5
- Shots on Target
- 4 3
- Corners
- 7 2
- Fouls
- 10 12
Man Utd Lineup
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replaced by Luke Shaw
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replaced by Donny van de Beek
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-
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replaced by Edinson Cavani
