O I'm under no illusions, I expect us to drop points in quite a few games this season but last night was disappointing as we dominated possesion away from home against a good team and deserved more than a draw from it. The performance was very encouraging, especially the pressing in the first half. That was causing Wolves to make mistakes, and they really didn't have a plan b to counter it. Saturday will show how far we have come as we have struggled to break teams down that play 10 men in defence, as Palace will do.
PL D FA Premier League
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1:1 Manchester United
Post-match discussion
Mon, 19 August 2019
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
Come on, they're not five year olds, they can figure it out between them on who will take it.
They can both score them and they can both miss.
Nothing is certain.
Although i'm all for Rashford taking them, he's better at it.
There's quite a team in there. Might need a few adjustments and another transfer window, but there's definitely a team in there. Feels like City and Liverpool before they turned into what they are today.
The goal conceded was out of this world. Some of them, you just can't do anything to prevent.
The goal conceded was out of this world. Some of them, you just can't do anything to prevent.
I feel a bit disappointed. I would have taken a draw before the game but not like that, especially considering that Man City, Spurs and Chelsea drew their games.
Top four is the best we can hope for this season.
Top four is the best we can hope for this season.
Why's the penalty become such a hot talking point? It's a complete lottery ffs, striking a ball from twelve yards. Anything can happen regardless of how you try to approach it. If we're talking hypotheticals, saying that Rashford might have scored it, you might as well talk about the hypothetical where Pogba takes it and scores. 9/10, Pogba puts it home, but this time he didn't. That's the point of penalties, it can go either way and sometimes you miss them.
If you start blaming isolated incidents for dropped points then it ignores the fundamental issues that bothered you last night. Namely that once you lost control of the game you never wrestled it back, that you didn't do as much with the ball as Wolves did even though they had much less of it, and that Shaw really struggled to cope once Traore was at him because he received basically no protection from the midfield.
I'm sure Ole's looking at those things as we speak, but Neville losing his mind over the penalty just smacks of Sky trying to drum up controversy.
If you start blaming isolated incidents for dropped points then it ignores the fundamental issues that bothered you last night. Namely that once you lost control of the game you never wrestled it back, that you didn't do as much with the ball as Wolves did even though they had much less of it, and that Shaw really struggled to cope once Traore was at him because he received basically no protection from the midfield.
I'm sure Ole's looking at those things as we speak, but Neville losing his mind over the penalty just smacks of Sky trying to drum up controversy.
Nonsense. You put your best penalty taker on it, someone with a proven record of scoring them, who is your best chance of scoring. By your logic of "It's a complete lottery" you may as well put Maguire or DeGea on it.
I think the big point missed here was we had 2 shots on target which is very poor. The goal and the pen was it, for all the possession we had. This needs to be addressed asap. Ole reckons Greenwood is the best natural finisher, well play him then. We are carrying lingard and he can take his place.
Yep.
Because seemingly making decisions during a game on who should take the penalty shouldn't be happening. Rashford should be the penalty taker as he has a better record than Pogba (at least recently, anyway) and took one the week before and scored from it. Not to mention some of the pressure penalties he has taken. Nobody in their right mind is suggesting that if he had taken it he would have definitely scored, but he would've had a better chance.
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We had an opportunity to win it from the spot, so you put your best penalty taker on it. This is something that should be sorted before the match, not bloody during it. This it isn't some friendly kickabout; this is a match we we could've won against a team who gave us shit last season. We shouldn't be so blasé on who takes the pens in these sorts of games, especially when you have someone on the pitch who has proved that they're pretty adept at taking them. All in all, a draw isn't a terrible result, but we came so close to winning it. That's why many are frustrated over the pen incident.
That was not very solid, it was not crap but that's about it. You were no better than Wolves, your play in the final third is slower than a snail going up a tree.
The similarities with my Milan are shockingly striking:
- Fans attributing above average play to solid playing.
- Hiring past players who have no business trying to stir a sinking United ship.
- Buying mediocre players for big money.
The big difference right now is that you lot still generate a shitload of money, and play in the EPL so it's going to be at least another 5 years of crap like this before you completely turn to mid table mediocrity.
I think we probably won't create that many chances in games because lack craft in centre midfield.
Still hoping that we might buy one in January but whether that will happen is anyone's guess.
I don't understand why it's become such a talking point, though. Pogba and Rashford take your penalties. This has been established for quite a while now. If either one of them takes a penalty then you'd expect them to score. This time Pogba didn't, and that's that. Bit of a storm in a teacup imo.
People are just a bit salty having dropped two points and are looking for someone or something to blame.
because Pogba isn't very good at penalties and shouldn't be taking them at all. and the fact he still is says something, about our lack of leadership, etc. frankly Martial should be number 2 behind Rashford.
Weak leadership.
Most managers let players decide themselves
Exactly.
Of course. They are different to us now since we are in their league.
I don't know how Martial strikes a penalty, but the issue is absolutely because Pogba is the biggest name at the club but has a history of missing penalties, therefore there's a sense that he's getting to take them because he wants to, even though his record shows it's time to give them all to someone else.
I wouldn't expect Pogba to score - that's the reason he shouldn't be taking penalties.
So far so good. If someone told me before the season that we ll get 4 points from Chelsea and wolves games, I would have snapped his hands off.
Still early days though - I m a bit skeptical about us keeping this tempo throughout the season. That s my main concern
Other than that, early signs are good
Still early days though - I m a bit skeptical about us keeping this tempo throughout the season. That s my main concern
Other than that, early signs are good
The PL champions literally drew there last year and their record against top six sides is nuts. It’s a frustrating but decent result.
Did you watch the game? Our midfield passed the ball well with our fullbacks and Maguire stepping up, our pace from Rashford Lingard and James they just couldnt handle. That's not because "they were terrible" its because we absolutely bossed them. They are one of the Premier Leagues' best teams and they couldn't handle us for a good 60-70 minutes of the game and only scored after 10-15 mins of pressure and a wonder goal.
Are you just being a spoilt fan demanding we get 100 points a season because its our right? Face it, we're re-building and we have built an excellent base to continue building from.
Gutted we didn’t win that game in the end but we are so much better than last year. We would have lost that game last season
Exactly this.
While Pogba hasn't got that great a record (he has scored 9 out of 13 at united, 69% conversion rate), he is not so far behind Wayne Rooney (20 of 28, 71% conversion) who was the designated penalty taker for United for quite some time under Fergie and later other managers. Marcus has scored all of his penalties so far, but he has only taken 3 at a senior level.
Pogba missed yesterday and it probably cost us 2 points. But if you evaluate all aspects of the situation, its not such a horrendous decision that everyone is making out to be. If you step up to the spot, sooner or later you are bound to miss a few. Leaving the decision to the two designated penalty takers on the field is a smart decision - especially if both of them are on the same page.
Just from a stats point of view, our top 5 penalty takers -
Player Pens taken Goals Success
Wayne Rooney 28 20 71.4%
Ruud van Nistelrooy 22 18 81.8%
Eric Cantona 16 14 87.5%
Cristiano Ronaldo 13 11 84.6%
Denis Irwin 9 7 77.8%
Robin van Persie 8 6 75%
Source: https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/who-was-best-penalty-taker-for-man-united-in-premier-league
So you're including their creative players in their midfield but not ours in our midfield?
You could class Rashford, Lingard and James as being part of our 5 man midfield as when we didn't have the ball they were pressing quite deep, James regularly in the RB position. To say we had a 2 man midfield is quite naive ....
They handled it pretty well, we only scored one goal.
This is fair, as well. A good point. We should have won, but signs are encouraging.
No they didn't, they were crying out for half time. We pushed their line way back, they were doubling up on them, defending way too deep, they couldn't pass out from defence, we absolutely controlled the game for about 70 - 75 minutes.
A decent result and a massive improvement on last season. Another day and their goal is offside and our penalty is scored, and Martial bundles home from 2 yards. The percentages were with us but we were a little unlucky. We were better for most of the game and probably deserved to edge it.
Last season we were intimidated, overran and out of our depth with no real plan b. Last night we controlled the game and were unlucky not to win.
Disappointing result but a really encouraging performance. Completely controlled the game away at the best team outside the top 6. A draw is a positive result but they deserved better based on the performance.
Ole, McKenna and the rest of the coaching staff deserve a lot of credit. The team could do with more quality players in midfield and attack but there are some really encouraging signs.
Ole, McKenna and the rest of the coaching staff deserve a lot of credit. The team could do with more quality players in midfield and attack but there are some really encouraging signs.
This exactly. When was the last time we have come out with a 1-1 thinking we should have won that game. For the past few years, it has been wow! we were lucky not to get beat here.
Is it me or the fans look at the scoreline and think we played shit.
The goal we conceded as well was a well worked set piece and brilliant goal, past few years we have been absolutely opened up and conceded.
I'm not disagreeing that there was a massive improvement from both defeats last season but to say we had them frightened is OTT. For all our dominance in possession we didn't create an awful lot of clear chances. We are lacking cutting edge.
Mctominay and Pogba gave the ball away an obscene amount of times.
We had two shots on target in the ninety minutes, if that’s ‘absolutely bossing a team’ then feck me standards are at an all time low.
Just because the team is in transition doesn’t mean we need to sit here and do mental gymnastics. Norwich went to Anfield and create a dozen or so clearer chances than we did last night. I’m not sure why you’re waxing lyrical about Manchester United going to Wolves and having two shots on goal and keeping possession.
Lingard shows no value.
Pogba still thinks he has the Midas touch.
Rashford looks upset?
Should of won it.
Pogba still thinks he has the Midas touch.
Rashford looks upset?
Should of won it.
It's true that the jet James wasted most of his energy yesterday, but I'll tell you: it was the match with the most moments on the right flank in a very long time. Neither Mars, nor Rash, nor Lingard and Perreira created so much spice and movement on the right. Yes, we keep dreaming of Sancho, but James brought our paralyzed right wing to life at least a little bit. And by the way, he played on the left side of the Swan, so he's not used to it either, so make up for that. I remember Mars on the right just disappearing when he was pushed there...
The most disturbing thing for me about the match is that there is almost no possibility of strengthening the team from the bench. Greenwood is too young, Mata is too old, Pereira still can't find himself. Gomez's coaching staff still doesn't consider himself worthy of the first team for some reason. Therefore, letting Sanchez go means losing a good option (compared to other candidates for the substitution). And with ordinary people in the course of the season of 1-2 injuries, the situation can become critical for the attackers.
The game from our side was not bad on the whole. It is much more reliable in defense, if we compare it with last year's trips to the same place. Taking into account all the factors, it was clear that the moments in this match we will need to collect literally in small pieces, and the shortfall can cost us dearly.
The game from our side was not bad on the whole. It is much more reliable in defense, if we compare it with last year's trips to the same place. Taking into account all the factors, it was clear that the moments in this match we will need to collect literally in small pieces, and the shortfall can cost us dearly.
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I'm sorry about your club, must suck really. Especially since you were the best club in the world almost 3 decades ago. But our free fall counts "only" 6 and a half years, but we are still a powerhouse in terms of money and we also have some very good players and very good prospects coming through. We have at least one major obstacle, that are the owners and their organisational structure, their lack of ambition and their ineptitude in running the club as a football club. How good Ole is or can be remains to be seen. He alone though will not be able to overcome the problems rooted in the ownership.
When I said solid, it was based on the following:
- we struggled there on two occasions last season
- Wolves had the best record against the top 6 outside of City and Liverpool
- Wolves did not get a sniff in the first half - played like the away side
Yes, our play in the final third was poor, but what else is new. Against a deep sitting organised team, we always look clueless. We are a real magician short in unlocking those types of teams, or incredible coaching.
What you see as the celebration of mediocre players because our standards have dropped so far, is something that's on the way out. There's been a temporary optimism due to the high press showcased in pre-season and the result against Chelsea, but if we start struggling in games the knives will be out in no time. I'd say the Caf is maybe 50% pessimistic, 30% pessimistic in-waiting, 10% levelheaded and 10% naively optimistic. (I'm in the 30% bracket).
That being said, I don't think this club will completely fall into midtable obscurity and we'll become some sort of challengers for 3rd/4th over the next 3-4 years.
I didn’t blame him. I simply said he shouldn’t be penalty taker.His record isn’t good enough.
Everybody think we played a great first half but the truth of the matter is that, we did not. I think we just held possession at the back and were so slow on the ball. We never really caused any trouble except for the play that got us the goal. The transition from defense to the opponent box is still pale and so slow. We definitely need a couple of solid midfielders and our campaign looks bleak if we come across a few injuries in the squad.
Our back line looks solid but i think we still cannot go past a player and create a worthwhile chance when the opponents are sitting deep. I mean we go side-wards and backwards when rushed into making a decision. I have a feeling Maguire and Bissaka will soon get tired of this and start going backwards too. The mentality to get back on the ball as soon as you lose it is fantastic but should football be all about keeping the ball and creating chances?
I'm not very happy with our performances as yet but huge shout outs to Bissaka, Maguire, Pogba and Lindelof. Hopefully we keep improving quickly and hit the right strides. IMHO, i think we are still very far behind the likes of Liverpool and City.
Our back line looks solid but i think we still cannot go past a player and create a worthwhile chance when the opponents are sitting deep. I mean we go side-wards and backwards when rushed into making a decision. I have a feeling Maguire and Bissaka will soon get tired of this and start going backwards too. The mentality to get back on the ball as soon as you lose it is fantastic but should football be all about keeping the ball and creating chances?
I'm not very happy with our performances as yet but huge shout outs to Bissaka, Maguire, Pogba and Lindelof. Hopefully we keep improving quickly and hit the right strides. IMHO, i think we are still very far behind the likes of Liverpool and City.
Man of the Match
Runners-up
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34%
Anthony Martial
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8%
Harry Maguire
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6%
Marcus Rashford
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5%
Paul Pogba
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3%
Daniel James
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2%
Victor Lindelof
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1%
Luke Shaw
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1%
Scott McTominay
Player Ratings
Total Average Rating
Highest Rated Player
Lowest Rated Player
Compiled from 613 ratings.
Score Predictions
693,60,145
- Man Utd win
- Wolves win
- Draw
Detailed Results
- 24% Wolves 1:2 Man Utd
- 23% Wolves 0:2 Man Utd
- 11% Wolves 1:1 Man Utd
- 11% Wolves 1:3 Man Utd
- 8% Wolves 0:3 Man Utd
- 6% Wolves 0:1 Man Utd
- 4% Wolves 2:1 Man Utd
- 3% Wolves 2:2 Man Utd
- 2% Wolves 0:0 Man Utd
- 2% Wolves 0:5 Man Utd
- 1% Wolves 0:4 Man Utd
- 1% Wolves 2:0 Man Utd
- 1% Wolves 1:0 Man Utd
- 1% Wolves 2:3 Man Utd
- 1% Wolves 3:1 Man Utd
- 0% Wolves 5:0 Man Utd
- 0% Wolves 1:4 Man Utd
- 0% Wolves 2:5 Man Utd
- 0% Wolves 3:0 Man Utd
- 0% Wolves 4:4 Man Utd
Match Stats
- Wolves
- Man Utd
- Possession
- 34% 66%
- Shots
- 6 9
- Shots on Target
- 2 2
- Corners
- 4 6
- Fouls
- 17 8
Referee
Jonathan Moss
Man Utd Lineup
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replaced by Juan Mata
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replaced by Andreas Pereira
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replaced by Mason Greenwood
