Award humbly accepted.And you win the award for "the easiest catch of the day" - he got u by the hook, line and sinker.
Pre-season friendly Manchester United - Borussia Dortmund
- Thread starter the hea
- Start date
We beat Barca 3-1 last pre season. As you know Barca went on to finish midtable and we became league champions with scintillating football.
It's incredible so many of these posters got promoted...
I'am pretty sure Bailly, Shaw and Valencia will be heavily involved in the regular season. Obviously we'll improve with Smalling and DDG coming in but that is about it. I think TFM will have a good shout to become first choice RB.
But Rojo and Jones that is a disaster, we should get rid and maybay sign another CB
TFM and Valencia for RB
Shaw and CBj for LB
Darmian as back-up for both Rb and LB
Smalling, Bailly, Blind and Tuanzebe for the CB, could do with another CB imo
Jones and Rojo out please
Midfield hopefully we'll get Pogba or James as first choice nr 10, Rooney and Mata can be back-up
CM pair we'll have Carrick, Bastian, Fellaini, Herrera, Schneiderlin and Pereira so we should be good I think
Alltough I wouldn't mind seeing a few of them go out, we seem to be too crowded in that area
Our attack is likley done, we will see Ibra as main striker with Rashford and Rooney as back-up
Mkhitaryan for the RW with Lingard/Mata as back-up and Martial for the LW with Depay/Young as back-up and Januzaj aswell who can play on both wings
--------------------------DDG/Romero-------------------------------------
TFM/Valencia----Bailly/Tuanzebe-----Smalling/Blind--------Shaw/CBJ
---------Schneiderlin/Carrick-------Herrera/Pereira/Schweinsteiger--------
------------------------Pogba(or James)/Rooney/Mata------------------
Mkhi/Mata/Lingard--------------------------------Martial/Depay/Young
--------------------------Ibra/Rashford/Rooney------------------------
I'd expect the current group of players to be drastically trimmed down before the real business of the season starts.
Really think these friendies are more about who José is going to move on than winning to fare.
Am assuming no one got injured today? That's probably the most important thing to come out of today's game. Hopefully everyone got a good run out in very hot conditions and that would have helped build up their fitness.
Fair enough.
The 4th was just a great strike.. I guess I was blaming Rojo being on the pitch for just 1 goal and that is where that came from.
I try not judge players based on preseason anyway. All the way back to SAF's days we could have a poor preseason then start the league on fire and visa versa.
Fair enough.
Even with equal fitness levels that Dortmund side is better than the side we put out, which is sad considering our starting team cost €287m while their starting side cost €80m.
Why isnt Bailly allowed to start at CB in the prem? If he's good enough he will... which he is.
It's the complete lack of brains that's worrying, not the result. Most of our players don't know what to do on the pitch, they just react to what happens, headless chicken style. We look like a team from the 90s. (and not an United one)
There's a lot of deadwood for clearing, a lot of work for Mourinho.
There's a lot of deadwood for clearing, a lot of work for Mourinho.
I'm so over over-reacting to pre-season friendlies. I spent LVGs first pre-season wanking at the magnificent 3-5-2 we were playing as we slayed every other big team over in the US of A. Pre-season is about getting fit and Jose understanding the quality of the individuals he has to choose from. No doubt some of those individuals will be moved on as he realises they are gash but the results of these friendlies have zero influence on the season ahead.
In summary, stop being a bunch of girls and move one
In summary, stop being a bunch of girls and move one
People need to calm down about us losing. Yes, it was bad. Yes, there were some daft errors. We beat Barcelona in pre-season last year, and Madrid even more convincingly the year before. It meant sweet F.A. both times. I will only worry if we lose the Shield game embarrassingly.
I recorded it but I couldn't avoid seeing the score on FB. Worth watching?
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Until we surpass the dreadful effects that they've left behind, particularly Van Gaal last season then we'll look clueless and awkward. Not to mention the lost luggage they've left behind like Depay, Rojo and Blind.
It's what comes of a year of Moyes and 2 years of Van Gaal isn't it.
Until we surpass the dreadful effects that they've left behind, particularly Van Gaal last season then we'll look clueless and awkward. Not to mention the lost luggage they've left behind like Depay, Rojo and Blind.
They make astute signings, which unfortunately for them they seem to sell on. We always have to pay top dollar for players because of who we are. If we had signed some of their players we would never have got them for 80m. I would not take too much notice of the price tags. They also seem to have a smooth transition from Klopp to Tuchel, where we have messed up with two managers. Players for Dortmund might be playing closer to the same system as Klopp, not entirely but close. Our team has spent the last three seasons being told to play different ways. Jose is now trying to undo all the bad habits our players have picked up. We are now going to pay 100m for a midfielder. I just hope he works out.
Some nice goals, Shaw’s & Bailly’s form good to see. Rashford was good. Not much more to see.
Well clearly one of us is going to have to change......
Don't really care much about this. We were winning left and right against top clubs in friendlies under Van Gaal, yet we failed miserably in the league.
Don't think Jose cares about these games, they are to get the players fit. All he cares about is winning when the season starts. Some would have an open top bus parade for winning pre-season.
Is he? He could have been sent off today. He also messes around with the ball too much for my liking. I definitely think he has potential but I'm not convinced that he's ready to be a starter for us from what I've seen. Think we're still weak in that position, especially since Rojo will likely be gone if any club comes in for him.
They do make good signings and credit to them for that, while the market is a bit different over there, I do feel they've signed some of the best young talent in Europe this Summer and have a very exciting few years in store.
Back to us, I think the actual value of that starting team today could be around €150m-€160m but def not the cost of €287m we paid for them. If we're saying there's only 3 or 4 first team players in that starting line up then these hugely expensive backup players need to be shown the door.
They have had a clear system in place for years now. Same with Bayern, Barcelona or us under Fergie. There was continuity and everyone working and pulling in the same direction. When you have that, it is easier for signings to do well as they just compliment what's already there. The fact they get hailed as astute signings is not necessarily wrong but misleading as it implies they're only doing well because they keep getting the right players. We are still confused with no clear identity of how to play which is very natural since the changes at the club, not to mention the seemingly random selection of managers after Fergie. Until we do that, all the signings in the world won't change how awkward we look, they might provide individual pieces of brilliance but that's all we can hope for.
Only a friendly but still disappointing to lose by a 3 goal margin, dont mind losing these games but its not good for anyone when we start to go down heavily.
Now is "blame LVG" time isn't it?
Did Shaw play?
Depends - if it's just to get a fill of having not watched United play for a couple months, sure but, as a spectacle it was nothing to rewatch. 2 of the Dortmund goals were class and well ours was a bit of beauty as well in how Rashford was so smart with his dummy that it left us 2 on 1 with their keeper.
Also as much as I really want Memphis to get a chance, I just don't know what's going to happen. Watching him play in this game, he's certainly not a striker, there were a couple balls where you'd think a player like him would be favored but, showed his lack of acceleration and pace - something he needs to be able to play in the only place he has a chance, which is out wide.
Also, little bits like Bailly is not going to be hurting for pace - one play where a ball was over the top for Auba and had a yard or two but, Bailly had enough on him to not let him have a sniff that he might have had against a bit slower defender.
There are a few other things that you can possibly gleam by watching the match but, definitely nothing to get you excited about..
Wonder what Mkhi made of that.
We've lost to worst teams in previous pre-seasons. Nothing at all to be concerned about
Thanks for that. I probably will watch it then if there are some positives to take from the game.
I got the impression that Memphis wasn't doing so well and Phil Jones either. I can't say I expected too much else, despite wanting both to push on this season.
Those games in Moyes pre-season were worrying, not worried about losing to Dortmund.
I was at work and therefore didn't see the match. I guess all I would ask is, despite it clearly (or at least seemingly) being a very poor performance and result, did our overall approach the game and style of play appear different at all to how it was under LvG's tenure?
I remember the Dutch National team was left in a shambles after LVG too, the philosophy does not last.
Was the fitness level really that different? Dortmund started July 3rd - and as much as I recognized here is that you started way before Bayern (July11th), too.
I only saw the second half but it looked fairly equal. It is in sorts about getting minutes for players but also a certain amount of politics. Selling Blind wouldn't look as ridiculous after seeing him struggle in CM or Rojo at CB. You could argue about it lowering fees but I'm not so sure.
Terribly depleted squad and we won't know much until Leicester and even after that changes will be made
Terribly depleted squad and we won't know much until Leicester and even after that changes will be made
Where's the sack-watch thread?
4-1ce I feel sorry for a United manager.
4-1ce I feel sorry for a United manager.
We were brilliant in pre-season not too long ago and then lost the first game of the season. It was a pre-season game, we just started and are still in the LVG-groove. Once all the players are back and up to speed, it will look different
I think it is more that they have played games to get their fitness while we have trained.
That's the thing that worries me as well. I know it's pre-season and this loss does not matter, but some of these players are international players and look clueless on the pitch.