[RopersReturn]

Probably the most glaringly obvious weakness, is our lack of a midfield which allowed Spurs plenty of space.

 

[Red Dreams]

Eriksen is done.
McT is not good enough.

Mainoo and Casemiro should be our midfield.
Gore and Amrabat as back up.

Why we did not win.

 

[AndyMUFC]

I mean I thought we were going to lose so a point in itself isn't a bad result.

The football though? fecking terrible. Is it going to have to take Bruno and Rashford leaving for us to actually control games against these teams?

 

[Wilt]

Utd had best chance ever of beating such a depleted Spurs

….they blew it

 

[Sunny Jim]

Hojlunds goal was his only shot in that game. The chance came becasue he collected a loose ball, just like he did against Villa. Poor lad.

ive read somewhere that his xG for the whole season was something around 3.5….not enough service with selfish wingers

 

[Livewire1974]

If ever there was a time to the expression ‘meh’ then that game was it.

meh.

Our players agreed, zero pressing in the second half, especially the last 20 mins.

 

[doomy20]

Our minus goal difference mid Jan is so pathetic. Does anyone know when Utd last had a negative goal tally this deep into the season?

By the pace we are going we will and we should finish 7-8.

 

[Winrar]

I ’m hoping SJR doesn’t tolerate this kind of performance.

 

[RoyH1]

Like someone wrote above, felt like a 2-2 loss

 

[lysglimt]

One positive thing is that I actually believe we can start scoring goals with Rashford, Garnacho and Hojlund.

 

[Chipper]

Our minus goal difference mid Jan is so pathetic. Does anyone know when Utd last had a negative goal tally this deep into the season?

1989/90.

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/14-january-1990/

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

That was not the best match of football I've ever seen.

 

[RopersReturn]

Eriksen is done.
McT is not good enough.

Mainoo and Casemiro should be our midfield.
Gore and Amrabat as back up.

Why we did not win.

You’re right, but even with Casemiro and Mainoo its still really insufficient, especially if we want to start bossing games and playing with creativity.

 

[Spaghetti]

We are boring. A point earned considering how poor we were. Hojlund and Rashford took their chances well, which got us the draw. Top five is looking pretty unrealistic. I really hope we never appoint another Dutch manager after Ten Hag - the football is boring.

Spurs were not exactly missing left, right and centre. They scored with their only decent chance from open play (and Onana should have saved it) and from a set piece with poor defending.

A lot of our most dangerous moments came from Leeds… sorry, Spurs, overplaying it. Spurs didn’t invent this brand of football, and they’re not even doing it that well. I don’t understand all of the comments suggesting Spurs played well, they didn’t. We should have won, but not because we played well - mostly because Spurs played badly and we should have taken advantage of it.

 

[Oscar Bonavena]

If I was a Spurs fan I'd be disappointed that their team seemed to settle for a draw, even with all their injuries. The game was there for the taking for them if they really wanted it. Maybe they were scared of being hit on the break which looked like the only way we were going to score.

A typical United performance. No pattern, no style of play, no control. Hoping someone, anyone, does something and that it's enough to win the game. Sometimes it is, and it might have been today too, but it's no way for a so-called top team to play.

 

[Demon Barber]

Casemiro would have scored that mct chance

Was he playing?

 

[miliebrowndivorceattorney]

I dont understand all the negativity. This was a game written BIG LOSS all over it. Spurs are a well drilled team, headed the league not long ago and had the press to a T. So Mainoo, Eriksen, Bruno couldnt replicate the previous BIG LOSS games vs Villa and Chelsea. They still managed to get ahead, and then get ahead again. Wan Bissaka isnt a left back but, no other choice. Evans was good but not against a good top 4 team that this Spurs really is. For the players we have, this is a good result. When Martinez came on, it already looked much more levelled. Keep the faith. Well, maybe not in Rashford who again wasted quite a number of counters with slow indecisive raheem Sterling like actions. Also, put Garnacho on the left. His output is just so much better. Praise to that Spurs left back. he had him in his pocket most of the game. Also, WHAT A HOJLUND GOAL!! Come on, see some perspective.

 

[Bastian]

That second goal we conceded was absolutely criminal. It was like watching them fall asleep in slow motion. A gift.

 

[Gopher Brown]

Every game is a struggle for us. It's painful to watch - what happened to the joy of playing football? The majority of the players are just going through the motions every game like we have already achieved something.

 

[The Hilton]

That second goal we conceded was absolutely criminal. It was like watching them fall asleep in slow motion. A gift.

That's one of the big concerns I have of this season - we tend to switch off after breaks, goals, etc, it's cost us a lot this season already.

 

[SirScholes]

You’re right, but even with Casemiro and Mainoo its still really insufficient, especially if we want to start bossing games and playing with creativity.

The issue will be Bruno
They’ll win the ball and pass out of danger then Bruno will lose a crossfield pass

 

[M4nu4Life]

Defending from headers is shocking.

 

[Oldbknes]

[/QUOTE]

Positives:
Still have our record.
Hojlund looks better.
Martinez is back.

Negatives:
Pretty much everything else.

Dominated by a B team Spurs at home. We're not finishing in the top 4.

I mean did you actually think we could until this game? Top 4 has been dead for months now. Top half flatters us.

 

[TrailMonkey]

I ’m hoping SJR doesn’t tolerate this kind of performance.

I think it depends what his standards are. ETH seems to accept shit performances as good. If SJR is on the same page then we're in trouble. Our performances are shit. We can't play possession-based football, nor can we play effectively on the counter attack - the latter supposedly being ETH's holy grail that he's transforming us into. He's not.

 

[Todd]

Glad Licha's back because Evans really looked the fool on the second goal.

 

[redshaw]

Even if we scrapped a 2-1 win it's another shocking performance getting outplayed by a patched up Spurs.

 

[RopersReturn]

I think it depends what his standards are. ETH seems to accept shit performances as good. If SJR is on the same page then we're in trouble. Our performances are shit. We can't play possession-based football, nor can we play effectively on the counter attack - the latter supposedly being ETH's holy grail that he's transforming us into. He's not.

ETH’s fate will probably be likely decided at the end of the season, but bringing on McTominay for Erikson tonight, when he had Casemiro on the bench, won’t help him.

 

[Savlehest]

Poor subs, late subs and lack of game management. We played the kind of football Tottenham would have killed if they had Son available.
I don’t get we are so bad at supporting each other. The wingers have zero options though the middle. I wish we could play fluid like Tottenham, so much more threat and desire in their link up. They are extremely open in the back and a high line. Why to high to win the league, but they will get a lot of points with a good frontline.

 

[redmanx]

For 45 minutes things were better, though the Spurs equaliser was a bummer, but then came the second half; just what the fxxk are we giving our players at halftime, Horlicks? Night Nurse? Sedatives? because yet again our players started the second half in comas! Most of them were miles away when Spurs scored again and remained catatonic for most of the next 45 minutes! When will they learn that a football match lasts for 90 minutes, not 45, not 50 not 60 but 90 and they are supposed to be alert, awake and concentrate for the entire length of the match!

 

[Stig]

How on earth does a team that is, was, or wants to be, one of the top football teams in the world get itself into a position where they have one left back ? Not only that, we got into that position knowing that the one we were going to be left with was injured. The incompetence beggers belief.

Also, when we are 2 - 2 at home, supposedly chasing the win, why take of your striker who for once looks to be a bit dangerous and has actually scored in the game, and replace him with someone who has zero goals and zero assists this season ?

The lunatics really have taken over the asylum at Old Trafford.

 

[Sassy Colin]

Just seen the replay of the Garnacho penalty incident on MotD. It's a clear penalty, the defender has both his arms around his body such that he can't move.

How that isn't seen as a penalty I can't understand.

 

[Jeffthered]

2nd best team at home to Spurs, at least we got a point and Hojlund and Rashford got on the scoresheet. And Lisandro back on the pitch. Those are the only positives

This. Spurs were comfortably the better team and a fair few of their main players were missing. Bruno was nowhere, our whole midfield in fact didn't get a grip of the game. Gary Neville is absolutely right: we have no patterns of play to rely upon.

Spurs are a well-coached team with a playing identity ( which will get stronger). We are not coached and have no identity.

Our Player's drift through games. There's nothing really there.

 

[Glorio]

Timo Werner though, how can a professional striker be soooooo bad at ..... striking?

 

[Glorio]

Just seen the replay of the Garnacho penalty incident on MotD. It's a clear penalty, the defender has both his arms around his body such that he can't move.

How that isn't seen as a penalty I can't understand.

I understand the ref not seeing it in real time, but for VAR not to intervene? He basically held him

 

[Bangor_Red]

Just seen the replay of the Garnacho penalty incident on MotD. It's a clear penalty, the defender has both his arms around his body such that he can't move.

How that isn't seen as a penalty I can't understand.

It wasn't even covered in post match analysis. I don't think I'm biased as a united fan to think that's a stonewall penalty. Yes garnacho milks the fall but in fairness to him he waited and waited for the whistle. Also udogie surely should have been carded for a clear dive at other end later in game

 

[Sassy Colin]

It wasn't even covered in post match analysis. I don't think I'm biased as a united fan to think that's a stonewall penalty. Yes garnacho milks the fall but in fairness to him he waited and waited for the whistle. Also udogie surely should have been carded for a clear dive at other end later in game

Yup, Udogie was a clear dive.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

That's twice this season against this lot we don't get clear cut pens at moments where it would clearly affect the dynamic of the game.

 

[CtrlAltDeLigt]

I have been wondering for a long time why is United like United. The spurs game made it a bit more visible, due to the transitional nature of the game. Here’s my take

1- Attacking Gameplan: Our players are one trick ponies. It’s not breaking news but United are not really playing in transition, as Ten hag claims.
Transitional football requires players with a cutting edge, 100% aware positionally, and the next pass, no point of playing in transition if you can’t speed and slow the game at will.
Currently we have players that are throwing hail marry attacks, with no forethought in our approach. This is one of the biggest reasons for inconsistency in performances through this season.
Our touch/ technique under pressure is abysmal. And that’s completely attributed to foundational knowledge, on how these players have been brought up in academies. Be a Ronaldo regen is the aim for them, but not excel in technical aspects of overall game, which a lot of managers prefer over what we have. I miss you Micheal Carrick :’(

2- Defensive Gameplan: People are lamenting Eriksen for his lack of physicality. But that’s something Ten hag is aware of, it’s a known gamble, play McT and get some physicality (still on the fence) or have someone control passing tempo. The major problem imo is Bruno. He has absolutely no positional discipline. Number of times you see him chasing the ball, leading to space in front and back of our midfield 2. His vigour and anxiousness to impress hurts us more than helping.
We are always short of pressure in the middle of the pitch, and that’s not due to a lack of desire. It’s the starting positions of players while defending and game intelligence. That’s what makes us so easy to play against.

Summary: Fans lay blame on Ten Hag, the players for not wanting it enough. Frankly, think of them as employees at a corporation which has no real vision.
A quick signing, changed tactics, nothing can solve the problem we are in and it’s called MISMANAGEMENT and lack of desire at the top. There have been no standards set on what is expected of a player. No real incentive structure for the whole organisation.

In conclusion I hope Ratcliffe doesn’t repeat the sack manager, sign new players approach. Treat this like a giant firm where complacency has set in. Come in, tear the structure down of how daily operations take place, identify redundancy, eliminate, and build from the start. Our fans are impatient, they will cry over the short term results. But the job at hand is far bigger than just performing well one season. In my opinion it is one of the biggest challenges a CEO/ owner will ever face.

Hope this time it’s different.

 

[sunama]

1989/90.

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/14-january-1990/

That's gotta be some sort of negative record.
I'm not sure how ETH hasn't been sacked yet.
He is better than Moyes (ETH won a trophy) and it is questionable if he is better than Ole - perhaps the same level.
He is definitely not as good as Jose and LVG.

 

[Tap]

That's gotta be some sort of negative record.
I'm not sure how ETH hasn't been sacked yet.
He is better than Moyes (ETH won a trophy) and it is questionable if he is better than Ole - perhaps the same level.
He is definitely not as good as Jose and LVG.

Agreed. Jose and LVG were disappointments too but they won the bigger trophies, had victories over the big rival sides and certainly did not have negative GD this deep into the season.

In fact, Ole probably edges ETH out too. He was a whisker away from winning the EL and except for his last season, did not have the humiliating results and persistent negative GD.