This is progress!

dogwithabone

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We pick up a lot of points in the big games but we actually went toe to toe with PSG tonight which is something we've not done anough against big teams in recent years. Apart from about 10 minutes in the second half we took the game to PSG.
This is the big difference in my opinion, we actually took the game to them and were the best side in every area. In some other games against top sides we’ve got the result but have been hanging on by our finger nails. Yes, we were indebted to De Gea at times but any club will need their keeper on occasions like last night and up against that striker force.

Would love to see us have the same level of calmness and control against Chelsea at the weekend, that would send out a message.
 

Bilbo

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We were actually able to field a team tactically astute to deal with PSG's strengths and exploit their weakness's without cramming all our "best" players into the 11. It was testament to the improved squad strength and quality.
Yes, agreed, and I think it shows just how far we have come in 2 years. Our squad really did look a mess back then. An enormous wage bill and little to show for it. Now are in a position where we can be flexible, and I think having the 6 midfielders that we have gives us so many options.

Credit to Ole for dropping Pogba and Matic for the last two games. I had some concern that he had become attached to certain players, but he has shown that this isn't the case.
 

Bilbo

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This is the big difference in my opinion, we actually took the game to them and were the best side in every area. In some other games against top sides we’ve got the result but have been hanging on by our finger nails. Yes, we were indebted to De Gea at times but any club will need their keeper on occasions like last night and up against that striker force.

Would love to see us have the same level of calmness and control against Chelsea at the weekend, that would send out a message.
Agreed. We now have some momentum and confidence around the squad, and its easy to imagine us scoring more than once against this Chelsea defence.

However, I hope that we as a fanbase don't go from game to game and make knee-jerk judgements the way that we have been. We could well lose to Chelsea, they are a good team. Does it mean that we haven't come a long way in 2 years? No. I think we have an exciting future the way that this team is coming together.
 

eire-red

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I'm as happy as anyone with that PSG win, it was brilliant. The key now is to go and beat Chelsea at the weekend, and just go on a proper run. If we lose to Chelsea, I feel it just confirms we're still an inconsistent team, and it's another step backwards.

Real progress for me would be consistency of quality performances and results over a long period of time. The league is there for the taking this season. Nobody is quite at it yet, and van Dijk injury blows everything out of the water for me. If we can get a bit of momentum, we have the firepower to cause some major problems to a lot of teams this season.
 

Smores

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i can't be the only one who expected us to win last night. Turning up for the bigger games is what we do.

The progress is in the squad which has progressed undoubtedly. As for results well that will only be shown through consistency of performance and results, winning against the top teams is pointless if you're having off days against lesser teams.

Dropping Pogba is the biggest progress Ole has made in my view. It's a big decision and one that backfired for the last guy so it's a brave call but absolutely the right thing to do.
 

rotherham_red

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I never start threads on here, but feck it, it needs to be said.

THIS is what progress looks like. Its important that all of our fans, the optimists and the doom-mongers and everyone in between, realise and appreciate this.

Yes, its only one result, but its clear and obvious to see. The squad is taking shape, and the confidence they will take from this result is how teams evolve. This wasn't a smash and grab win. This was a measured, controlled and brilliantly executed European performance against one of the best.

This project has always been bigger than one win or one defeat. Its something that has to be measured and appraised over time. If we look back at where we were as a club and as a football team back when Jose left, and look now at the potential and the mentality of this team, I really dont see how anybody can be dissatisfied with the situation.

This is what progress looks like
Spot on my man
 

cyberman

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i can't be the only one who expected us to win last night. Turning up for the bigger games is what we do.

The progress is in the squad which has progressed undoubtedly. As for results well that will only be shown through consistency of performance and results, winning against the top teams is pointless if you're having off days against lesser teams.

Dropping Pogba is the biggest progress Ole has made in my view. It's a big decision and one that backfired for the last guy so it's a brave call but absolutely the right thing to do.
Utd were 4 to1 last night. It was an obscene price
 

dal

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That is why I dont mind Ole as director of football if not head coach.
Ole is as close to director of football that anyone will get to.

He has Phelan, Carrick and McKenna beneath him, hes almost a hybrid DOF just how SAF was.

Seriously, I wouldn’t ever change Ole because he’s doing what LVG and Mourinho couldn’t do which was not just to build a squad but to build a spirit.

Incredible man manager.

He will make us a powerhouse, mark my words.
 

Borys

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Somebody made a good point earlier in this thread about us being actually a better team than PSG in every department. This has rarely been the case, even in last years under Fergie we relied a lot on individual brilliance rather than team effort.

That for me is a huge positive aspect.
 

Mickeza

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As disappointing as the window was you can’t deny we’ve improved the squad immeasurably. To be so comfortable without Pogba, Donny, Mata, Greenwood, Maguire and Cavani starting/involved shows we have so much depth now compared to the squad that started last season. I still maintain we’re far closer to where we want to be than many realise. We’re three signings away from having one of the best squads around - and the reason I know we’re making progress is because those three signings are all players we’ve tried to sign before and will again over the next few windows. Previously I genuinely had no idea why we signed/targeted 3/4 of the players we did but every signing we go after at least makes sense.

You add all that to what we’ve got coming through the youth ranks and how good our attacking football is when it clicks then this is clearly a very exciting time.
 

sammsky1

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As disappointing as the window was you can’t deny we’ve improved the squad immeasurably. To be so comfortable without Pogba, Donny, Mata, Greenwood, Maguire and Cavani starting/involved shows we have so much depth now compared to the squad that started last season. I still maintain we’re far closer to where we want to be than many realise. We’re three signings away from having one of the best squads around - and the reason I know we’re making progress is because those three signings are all players we’ve tried to sign before and will again over the next few windows. Previously I genuinely had no idea why we signed/targeted 3/4 of the players we did but every signing we go after at least makes sense.

You add all that to what we’ve got coming through the youth ranks and how good our attacking football is when it clicks then this is clearly a very exciting time.
If we’d withdrawn our interest in Sancho much earlier and gotten Telles, Cavani and Facundo in before start of season, so they might have helped us not lose two games, then I think every fan would have agreed.

but having Telles male his debut in our 7th match and who knows when Cavani will play makes it an incredibly frustrating window which harmed the team.

if Ole wanted to keep going for Sancho TIL the very end then that’s his fault too.

nothing we can do about lost ground now. I agree with you, last night showed we finally have 17 or 18 players who can perform to a high level dependent on opposition and tactics.
 

Glorio

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New signings wouldn't have helped a team with no warm up. Sharpening you game during pre-season is a thing and all the obvious floccinaucinihilipilification is frankly astounding.

*Mic Drop*
Go on ... Google the crazy word I just learnt and earmarked the Caf as the perfect test lab, you know you want to!
 

The_Midfielder

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Ole is as close to director of football that anyone will get to.

He has Phelan, Carrick and McKenna beneath him, hes almost a hybrid DOF just how SAF was.

Seriously, I wouldn’t ever change Ole because he’s doing what LVG and Mourinho couldn’t do which was not just to build a squad but to build a spirit.

Incredible man manager.

He will make us a powerhouse, mark my words.
Since Maybe he played with Butt , maybe he also listens to Butt when they talk about academy kids ?
 

Snuffkin

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I hope we dont go on a dismal run of form like we did after the last Paris performance.
I think the quality has always been there but we thrive when there is zero expectation and pressure.
 

Pennywise

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It was a superb result and performance. Progress will be beating the teams who regularly sit in against us and try and counter attack us. Once we find a way to regularly open up and beat those teams then there will be progress
 

MoskvaRed

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It was a superb result and performance. Progress will be beating the teams who regularly sit in against us and try and counter attack us. Once we find a way to regularly open up and beat those teams then there will be progress
Fully agree and Rio and Fletcher were saying the same thing on BT last night. If Ole can take that step, then fantastic.
 

Stacks

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I never start threads on here, but feck it, it needs to be said.

THIS is what progress looks like. Its important that all of our fans, the optimists and the doom-mongers and everyone in between, realise and appreciate this.

Yes, its only one result, but its clear and obvious to see. The squad is taking shape, and the confidence they will take from this result is how teams evolve. This wasn't a smash and grab win. This was a measured, controlled and brilliantly executed European performance against one of the best.

This project has always been bigger than one win or one defeat. Its something that has to be measured and appraised over time. If we look back at where we were as a club and as a football team back when Jose left, and look now at the potential and the mentality of this team, I really dont see how anybody can be dissatisfied with the situation.

This is what progress looks like
title challenge next season?
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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It was a superb result and performance. Progress will be beating the teams who regularly sit in against us and try and counter attack us. Once we find a way to regularly open up and beat those teams then there will be progress
Fully agree and Rio and Fletcher were saying the same thing on BT last night. If Ole can take that step, then fantastic.
People seem to have forgotten but we stopped struggling with low blocks last season during the restart. I don't think this will be a problem when the team is back in form which looks likely
 

Stacks

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I remember people calling me mad because I felt we could be a dark horse for the CL this year. I honestly think we're going to cause teams lots of problems, the Tottenham game was a bad day at the office, we're generally a hard team to play against for the big clubs. Pace, technique, grit and we do have a good defense when everyones fit. Going to be a fun ride this year.
That's going to happen to just about any opinion due to the size of the community. Best to just consider yourself lucky if you make it out without too many straw man/whataboutisms.

But that thread did have a lot of people not understanding what 'dark horse' meant.

On our day(s) we can beat anyone over two legs.
couldn't even win the bleetin Europa and now we a champions league threat.
 

MoskvaRed

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People seem to have forgotten but we stopped struggling with low blocks last season during the restart. I don't think this will be a problem when the team is back in form which looks likely
Let’s see. If we can solve that issue then I don’t see why a title challenge is out of the question, particularly with VVD crocked. We looked genuinely like a top side last night.
 

Cantonagotmehere

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This is what champions lesgue is all about. These are the nights we all dream about!! Ok happy we have this tough group because these are the matches i want to watch my club play in. These are the teams i want to beat.

Also i hate dimaria and psg so its really nice to beat them again..
Watching Di Maria after Rashford's penalty last time, followed by a great performance vs PSG where Di Maria did not do much at all..... almost been as fulfilling as the wins. I know I have a problem with how much I cannot stand that prick. Least favourite player to put on the United shirt.
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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Let’s see. If we can solve that issue then I don’t see why a title challenge is out of the question, particularly with VVD crocked. We looked genuinely like a top side last night.
I think this team is capable of a title challenge too. I just think it needs a constant kick in the ass before every game. The team is like Pogba, sometimes unenthusiastic and lacking urgency but when they kick on they can do incredible things
 

Bilbo

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If we can take 7 points out of the next 3 it will start to feel like a potential title challenge
 

SteveW

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We are normally always good in these games. It’s against poor opposition we struggle.

Forget the Spurs game, and we’ve got a really good record vs big sides.
Not quite sure how this myth still lives on. It was true this time last year when we were relying on Lingard and Pereira for creativity.

But we've been putting those teams away pretty routinely since the start of February.
 

Bwuk

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Not quite sure how this myth still lives on. It was true this time last year when we were relying on Lingard and Pereira for creativity.

But we've been putting those teams away pretty routinely since the start of February.
This season alone we’ve struggled past Brighton and got slapped by Crystal Palace.

2 of our 4 league games. The only league game we’ve looked good was vs Newcastle.
 

SteveW

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This season alone we’ve struggled past Brighton and got slapped by Crystal Palace.

2 of our 4 league games. The only league game we’ve looked good was vs Newcastle.
Mate, we had a one week preseason. Both of those teams had a month and 4/5 friendlies behind them.

As soon as we had the extra couple of weeks fitness from the internationals/training we looked back to normal again.

Try to see the full picture, please.
 

James Peril

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Great win, against all odds, we celebrate. However, this is getting proper silly now - it’s like watching Democrats vs. Republicans in terms of threads created and polarizing views. How about staying on the ground? Last week someone literally created a thread stating our possible relegation candidacy, people were bumping the Ole-out by 10-15%, but now we’re seeing obvious progress? Come on, both sides are equally daft.

We beat a much better PSG-side 18 months ago playing this way, we still struggled in the league. We beat a much weaker PSG-side without home supporters yesterday, let’s wait and see how our domestic form is after 10 or so games. Try playing Martial/Rashford in a two vs. a low block from Burnley, that’ll pan out nicely. Literally no team in the Premier League leave this much space for a better team on paper (which we were yesterday), so we cannot play 5-3-2, it’ll be 4-2-3-1 and it’s back to reality. You want Fred and McTominay in front of 11 dogs staying in their own lane, whilst our wing-backs stay high up sacrificing room for counters? Let’s see how that works against Leicester and Villa.

No Verratti or Marquinhos (pinnacles in this team after the two superstars), no Kehrer, Draxler, Bernat, Paredes, Thiago Silva’s gone, a team struck by corona and injuries. A team that lost to Lens and Marseille a few weeks ago. We literally played against Herrera, the workhorse from Everon and Danilo in the middle, none of them are starters for PSG or even Arsenal or Spurs. When needing a goal they couldn’t put on Icardi as he’s injured, they threw on an Everton-reject that wouldn’t find ocean if he jumped off a container ship. People need to calm down and breathe, winning or losing, it’s the big picture that counts - and in my opinion, we are not seeing the full potential of this very expensive squad full of huge investments. A win against an injury-ravaged team won’t change my opinion, just like a loss to Chelsea on Sunday wouldn’t do much either. But put United top two after 10-15 games scoring goals and keeping attacking patterns, then I’ll join the other side.
 

glazed

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The truth is that we're not as bad as the real Ole haters say we are - though some days we can be.

We're also not as good as the stupid brigade would have us believe - we beat a poor PSG and an even poorer Newcastle.

Title challenge though? Wake the fek up. We don't have a good enough coach for that. And we don't have the tactical sophistication to deliver consistent results. What we do have is a few decent players.
 

Glorio

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This season alone we’ve struggled past Brighton and got slapped by Crystal Palace.

2 of our 4 league games. The only league game we’ve looked good was vs Newcastle.
There goes that pre-season floccinaucinihilipilification again. We've been far behind almost everybody else from a preparation stand point.

My vocabulary show off is getting more desperate by the minute! Doesn't mean I didn't mean what I said though.
 

glazed

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There goes that pre-season floccinaucinihilipilification again. We've been far behind almost everybody else from a preparation stand point.

My vocabulary show off is getting more desperate by the minute! Doesn't mean I didn't mean what I said though.
That's not even a word. We were also pants at the end of last season. It's not tiredness.
 

Glorio

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That's not even a word. We were also pants at the end of last season. It's not tiredness.
Yes it is ... Google it.

Also, of course we were tired. We had virtually the same 11 playing multiple games with no breathing space in between
 

glazed

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Yes it is ... Google it.

Also, of course we were tired. We had virtually the same 11 playing multiple games with no breathing space in between
Jeez it is a word. I sit corrected.

Yeah we were tired. But tiredness wasn't the root problem. The root problem was that we couldn't rotate. The real question is why not. Some people blame lack of squad depth. I think it was more a coaching issue.
 
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Green_Red

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If we can do the same job in the return leg we should be in with a shout of winning this group. Great start.

The league is a different story. We need to get a run of wins under our belt and get up the table. With Everton and Villa already leading this season has the feel of the year Leicester won it. Everyone is so inconsistent.
 

Valencia Shin Crosses

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We are normally always good in these games. It’s against poor opposition we struggle.

Forget the Spurs game, and we’ve got a really good record vs big sides.
This isn't really that true. We definitely have had a good record against the big sides, but not many times have had a performance where we actually took it to the other team in terms of creating chance after chance. And we definitely haven't done that against a side of PSG's stature (elite in Europe).

Majority of our great results against big teams have been Mourinho-esque defensive displays coupled with some clinical counter attacks. Last night we were anything but clinical, and I saw many of our players playing comfortably with the ball. It was eye opening and gratifying after all the years of turtling up against top sides post-SAF. I wasn't watching hopeful hoofballs from our midfielders and defense.
 

DSG

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Shout out to @Bilbo for a superb post. We don't have a lot of positivity in the Caf usually and those of us that want to see Ole build something enduring tend to be more soft spoken (metaphorically).

I won't lie, after a disappointing transfer window and the Spurs fiasco, I gave myself a three week "Caf Time Out", knowing that there was nothing I could say that wasn't being said more vociferously or profanely.

Stoked for Ole, the squad, and the captain (Bruno) for handling the adversity with class and putting in a great performance.