Crackers
greasy ginfers
he's nailed on to get itWell he needs to make sure he doesn't lose his crown next year.
he's nailed on to get itWell he needs to make sure he doesn't lose his crown next year.
Yeah I think it was complacency after the high of beating Liverpool in the Cup. It's something the coaching team need to sort out and hopefully the players learn from it and approach games like this in the same manner as they do the 'big games' in future.It's no coincidence our two worst results this season (Istanbul (A) and Sheffield United (H)) occurred after big results. Seems to me that the team has a complacency issue at times, thinking they are better than they actually are. I don't think that applies to Bruno, but it does apply to several other players.
Either way, it was clear we'd get a blip in the coming weeks, if we can win our next two games then it's not a bad trade ultimately. Just very frustrating.
Sheff UtdWe weren't playing Wednesday and aren't going to be this season. Nobodies going to bother typing the whole name.
It's not about the score itself for me against SU, but the performance which was to say the least, abject.Haven't been on the forum much since Wednesday's result and just saw this thread.
C'mon, it's not so bad. We just put 3 past Liverpool and knocked them out of the cup, we're in contention to win the league despite a horrible start following a summer where most felt the manager wasn't properly backed and our squad lacked the quality to hit top 4.
And re: the game itself, SHU scored a goal which should've been disallowed. Then the winner came from a huge rogue deflection. We also hit the bar, had a goal disallowed for the same thing, etc. 9 times out of 10, the comments are along the lines of "Not our best performance but glad we got the 3 points."
Absolutely agree with the link to the previous big game. I don’t think the complacency was conscious - this is an honest hard working team - rather a subconscious complacency which is understandable. You will see it in any human endeavour.Yeah I think it was complacency after the high of beating Liverpool in the Cup. It's something the coaching team need to sort out and hopefully the players learn from it and approach games like this in the same manner as they do the 'big games' in future.
The team needs to up their game a little. Quicker passing, more effort all round. If ole could make them do this ,we could finish in 1st/2nd place at the end of the season. Small margins.Good OP and I agree. You cant spend a whole season grinding out results. It's fine having to grind out a result now and again but not every fecking game.
We are sloppy in possession, wasteful in front of goal, strikers who are woefully out of form and a defence that is just a little too prone to errors.
We have to stop with the casual approach to taking chances, retaining possession, winning the midfield battle and a casual approach to games in general. The Leeds game is the only game I can think of where we seemed up to for it from the start.
I hardly ever see a player get a rollicking from a team mate for giving the ball away. We need someone to do that, it should be Maguire as he is the captain and in fairness retains possession very well but is not vocal enough when needs be.
In summary I agree with OP. All title winning teams go through spells where they hockey the opposition, again only the one game this season where we have done it.
Because we’re not good on the ball obviously. We can’t keep possession for more then 3 passes. I think we could dominate games with the players we have if we set up to & worked on ball retention in training. Bruno looks like he’s playing freestyle football most games. We’re clearly being coached to play at an exceptionally quick tempo, which means plenty of turnovers. There’s games to play that way absolutely, but there’s many games where we should play a short passing game on too.I agree, so why do we set up as a counter-attacking team? It's to play to our perceived strengths.
Maybe it's an interim solution while we build a team that can dominate? Or do you think we should dominate with our current players?
Once you resort to name calling you concede the argument.Another rubbish thread by the drama queen that is cartwheel face.
Bad performance. It happens and has already happened to all teams at the top.
I know it's not a concious thing but that's why it needs the coaching team and the players to be aware that they may not be as up for this match and remind each other to focus so that they do battle for every ball and play with intensity.Absolutely agree with the link to the previous big game. I don’t think the complacency was conscious - this is an honest hard working team - rather a subconscious complacency which is understandable. You will see it in any human endeavour.
Coaching may help but ultimately it will only cease to be an issue when the “big win” is expected and is considered a stepping stone rather than a destination. Recent wins for City and Liverpool should help focus minds. Perfect game this weekend.
United's.Haven't been on the forum much since Wednesday's result and just saw this thread.
C'mon, it's not so bad. We just put 3 past Liverpool and knocked them out of the cup, we're in contention to win the league despite a horrible start following a summer where most felt the manager wasn't properly backed and our squad lacked the quality to hit top 4.
And re: the game itself, SHU scored a goal which should've been disallowed. Then the winner came from a huge rogue deflection. We also hit the bar, had a goal disallowed for the same thing, etc. 9 times out of 10, the comments are along the lines of "Not our best performance but glad we got the 3 points."
The strikers and Bruno really need to up their game. I've no real gripe with the rest of the team.The team needs to up their game a little. Quicker passing, more effort all round. If ole could make them do this ,we could finish in 1st/2nd place at the end of the season. Small margins.
Well why shouldnt we be contenders? We have the first or second d most expensively assembled squad in the league, so why not?The idea that it's not sustainable obviously has some merit if we're talking about winning the league - and especially if we're talking about winning the league under normal circumstances (but these are not normal circumstances, lest we forget).
However, I don't agree at all that the last match proves in any way that what has been our normal level and type of performance for many weeks now is a disaster waiting to happen. That does not follow. Last match was shite - it was a shite performance. The problem wasn't that our normal level suddenly wasn't good enough against one of the weaker sides in the league (because we simply ran out of luck, or moments of random individual brilliance, or whatever the idea might be). We didn't play at our normal level - simple as that. There's no reason to think that we would've lost if we had remained at the normal level.
I'm both a believer and a non-believer in stats. But I agree with those who point to both xG and GD as worrying indicators. But - again - this is only truly worrying if we're talking about winning the league. And - surely - we aren't? If that happens it will most likely come about as the result of a generally chaotic, unpredictable season. Not as the result of Manchester United being the superior team in England all things said and done.
I didn't say we were unlucky - I said we were shit.I cant say I agree either with us just being unlucky the other night, we really really shouldn't need to rely on such fine margins against one of the worst teams the PL has seen who were missing about 8 players.
And you are posting this with a straight face? Or is it sarcasm? We have a squad built from three very different managers and a bunch of players we need to get off the books.Well why shouldnt we be contenders? We have the first or second d most expensively assembled squad in the league, so why not?
If super-fast counter-attacking is playing to our strengths and it works, there's no problem. Unfortunately we saw it go wrong against Sheffield Utd because we were too keen to launch a counter, the same as when Rashford was caught offside multiple times recently. We can work on not jumping the gun, but I'm not sure playing pretty passes in front of them when they're defending deep would've helped. Most teams will sit deep against us.Because we’re not good on the ball obviously. We can’t keep possession for more then 3 passes. I think we could dominate games with the players we have if we set up to & worked on ball retention in training. Bruno looks like he’s playing freestyle football most games. We’re clearly being coached to play at an exceptionally quick tempo, which means plenty of turnovers. There’s games to play that way absolutely, but there’s many games where we should play a short passing game on too.
Fair enough.I didn't say we were unlucky - I said we were shit.
The argument seems to be (from some people) that we ran out of luck and thus were "found out". I disagree with that conclusion - we were just a bit shit. And shit...happens.
I didnt realise you had to have a squad built by the one manager in order to win the league? It certainly didnt stop Jose in his first or second Chelsea spell or Conte or Ancelotti or Ranieri or Pellegrini....that's 6 examples. I'm sure there is more if we look at other leagues.And you are posting this with a straight face? Or is it sarcasm? We have a squad built from three very different managers and a bunch of players we need to get off the books.
As for the OP. Ohh the drama
Now you're calling them Sheff
Is that a thing?
What I see us lacking is a game plan for small teams. Our counter-attacking game works well for big teams like Liverpool and City, but we can't play the same when a team sits deep and keeps five behind the line. Solskjaer needs to come up with a way to break up defenses and create chances in the box.Last night was coming. You can’t challenge for a title by edging 50-50 games time & time again. We haven’t played well for ages yet were just about doing enough with individual brilliance from Rashford & Pogba getting winning goals. It’s not sustainable. On another day Bailly doesn’t make that block & Villa equalise, same for Burnley who missed chances, same for Fulham, on another day that deflection off Bailly goes in. We were never going to be able to keep it up, if you want to win a title you need to be convincing. We were edging wins but we were failing the eye test badly.
It is the general consensus.Managers need a set of fitting players to complete their style. Some are even lucky enough being at a club consistent in their style bringing managers to complement.I didnt realise you had to have a squad built by the one manager in order to win the league? It certainly didnt stop Jose in his first or second Chelsea spell or Conte or Ancelotti or Ranieri or Pellegrini....that's 6 examples. I'm sure there is more if we look at other leagues.
Clearly then having players in your squad inherited from previous managers is not an automatic bar to winning the league. In any event, I'm not sure if there are any LVG signings left at this stage? Shaw, not sure if any others so it is really a squad built by two managers not three. Add in the fact that our squad is first or second in terms of transfer value and defo first interms of salaries, there is no reason why we shouldnt challenge.
So no, no sarcasm from me. We are second after all at the half way point.
We have been actually quite lucky Leicester have lost a lot of silly points recently otherwise we would have dropped to 3rd a long time. They had several opportunities to put more pressure on us in 2nd but threw most of them away.2 wins in the last 7 in the league...
Top 4 is a worry, definitely can't take it for granted.
Yup exactly this. We go through some runs of consistent wins and then runs like this one. But over a year, mid 70s points is probably our level. Which is pretty much 3rd place level and thats it. Which is fine, a nice improvement and one that's been roughly our level since Ole took over with consistent improvement (Mourinho in 17/18 being 2nd with 81 points was a massive fluke, especially if you look at our xG. Significant overperformance with finishing and goalkeeping).Funny you should say that because over the last calendar year and this January, we played exactly 38 league games - a whole season's worth of games. And we got... 75 points. Which is a nice robust top 4 total but in the vast majority of seasons it's nowhere near a league title. And that's what we mean when we say it's not sustainable: that it's not sufficient for a title challenge. City, who haven't had a good 2020 at all, are already at 81 from 37 over the same period.
We are a top 4 challenger. That's what the numbers suggest, that's what the performances suggest, everything points to that. We were never going to sustain a title challenge with the way we've been playing.
It's not really lucky. It's just the level of the clubs. You can say they're lucky we threw away results to Sheffield Utd and West Brom or the Everton collapse. All the clubs over time perform roughly to their level... ours is pretty much the 2nd best in the league this season.We have been actually quite lucky Leicester have lost a lot of silly points recently otherwise we would have dropped to 3rd a long time. They had several opportunities to put more pressure on us in 2nd but threw most of them away.
Except I was right though wasn’t I?he's nailed on to get it
You're right, but your near constant melodramatic posting style hinders any kind of agreement from folk who might agree otherwise.Except I was right though wasn’t I?
We need proper coaching and a centre back. The rollercoaster is going to continue unless we get both.
I just want us to be good. Maybe I wouldn’t be so dramatic if we hadn’t been useless for 8 years. In fact, no, we’ve not been useless the entire time, we have periods where I start to believe again; then we turn to shit. It’s almost worse in a way, it’s the hope that truly kills. At least if we were useless all the time I wouldn’t any hope & could just enjoy sweet indifference. This fecking club man..You're right, but your near constant melodramatic posting style hinders any kind of agreement from folk who might agree otherwise.