When was the last time we played really well?

[abelhevel]

Last night.

 

[Squeaky Bumtime]

Last night we hit the bar 4 times, their keeper had like 13 saves. Sure it wasn't pretty but we made enough to punish them, ball just wouldn't go in. We can't play every game like 1970 Brasil.

 

[charlenefan]

We've been on an incredible run and still only lost 1 game in like 24 matches or something daft like that. It's been a seriously big improvement in the second half of the season but I feel we are now paying the price for this. We look absolutely physically and mentally shattered.

It's been a good while since I watched us play and thought "yes we were very good today". I think it was probably Villa away where we last looked good where we won 3-0 and totally bossed it.

Since Villa it's been very nervy, cagey and often lethargic:

Saints 2-2 (Tired legs and lots of errors)
Palace 2-0 (but it wasn't as comfortable as the result suggests)
Chelsea 1 -3 (horrow show at Wembley)
Westham 1-1 (nervy, slow, error prone performance
Leicester 2-0 (a huge win but a very unconvincing performance
LASK 2-1 (largely second string tbf but still not great)
Copenhagen 1-0 (tumescent but got over the line)

We really need to get into gear again as the way we've been playing won't be enough to win the Europa League for me.

So by your own admission we last played well 1 month ago? Hardly the length of time that warranted a thread is it?

 

[TheReligion]

We've been on an incredible run and still only lost 1 game in like 24 matches or something daft like that. It's been a seriously big improvement in the second half of the season but I feel we are now paying the price for this. We look absolutely physically and mentally shattered.

It's been a good while since I watched us play and thought "yes we were very good today". I think it was probably Villa away where we last looked good where we won 3-0 and totally bossed it.

Since Villa it's been very nervy, cagey and often lethargic:

Saints 2-2 (Tired legs and lots of errors)
Palace 2-0 (but it wasn't as comfortable as the result suggests)
Chelsea 1 -3 (horrow show at Wembley)
Westham 1-1 (nervy, slow, error prone performance
Leicester 2-0 (a huge win but a very unconvincing performance
LASK 2-1 (largely second string tbf but still not great)
Copenhagen 1-0 (tumescent but got over the line)

We really need to get into gear again as the way we've been playing won't be enough to win the Europa League for me.

Sheff United and Brighton.

Next question?

 

[Mainoldo]

Brighton.

When they have a month off before pre season. I don’t see clubs saying their players are tired in September.

 

[Leethal]

Brighton.

When they have a month off before pre season. I don’t see clubs saying their players are tired in September.

I don't see our club saying it either. Don't be fooled by some of the idiots posting here, giving you the illusion of something that isn't there.

In fact, I distinctly remember our manager saying tiredness isn't an excuse during the run in? And that they have plenty of rest between games? The *ONLY* complaint I remember, is before/after the Chelsea game, stating that they have had longer recovery time than us due to scheduling. That's not a complaint, it's a fact.

Every game has been a final for us since Covid restart. We had to run the risk of tiredness, as we couldn't afford to rest players, like other teams with nothing to play for. We had to win bloody every single game, and we still do. I think, in the shit circumstances, we've done very well. Our main goal was achieved, now we're chasing a secondary goal.

 

[Chief123]

Last night.

I think the scoreline and the keepers heroics are detracting from what was a decent performance in awkward conditions.

Agreed. That could quite easily have been a 5-0 stroll. Greenwood and Bruno hitting the inside of the post. On another day they go in and we are cruising that match.

 

[Chief123]

Liverpool at home was probably one of our best performances this season yet it gets forgotten about because it was 1-1 and Liverpool stole a point.

We were brilliant that night and made Liverpool look very average.

 

[Leethal]

Liverpool at home was probably one of our best performances this season yet it gets forgotten about because it was 1-1 and Liverpool stole a point.

We were brilliant that night and made Liverpool look very average.

Yup. People here seem to judge a game based entirely off of the scoreline. It's like they don't even watch the game. Just flick on Sky Sports news, see the score, then moan if we haven't battered a team by a load of goals.

 

[mariachi-19]

I don't get when people say the players need a holiday and an extended break. They've literally had one in the form of a lockdown.

Except they didnt, which is why we came back and were the best team in the league. Our players made sure they didn't drop to the same level as other over the "break" and then we played every 3 days for over a month. That is alot of football in any book.

I also dont think we were that tired last night. It was hot as hell and when the team decided to put their foot down, they did. Their instructions last night would have been to play smarter not harder. Dont overly press because the conditions didnt allow for it and let the game come to us.

 

[el3mel]

The 5-2 against Bournemouth was our last top performance.

We needed a dodgy pen against Villa to get into the game and all the following games were playing with very tired legs and minds.

 

[always_hoping]

Was many times under Ferguson that United didn't play really well and won, Liverpool especially this season in league made a habit out of not playing well in loads of their games but still found a way to win the majority of them.

I'd be more concerned about this current United team if they could only win by playing well. One hopefully two games to play in this season with the opportunity to win a trophy, i don't think anyone should really care about the performance levels in knock out football after a long draining season.

 

[Lentwood]

Bit of a weird thread really when we've played really well a few times since the restart (Sheff Utd, Villa, Brighton, Bournemouth) and the game prior to the restart we where excellent in deservedly beating City 2-0 at OT

 

[bsCallout]

I think we are all in agreement then that we are still a long long way off the top 2.

I worry for us next season tbh. We're going to be starting the season late if we reach the final so having to play catch up and will be playing teams in our first few leagues games who will be ahead of us match sharpness wise. Come April/May 2021 we might pay for it even more too. Hopefully Ole can give the players a week off somewhere in the season, maybe in 2 phases and we can somehow get through the fxitures with half our first team and then the other half.

Don't buy it.

Liverpool were more often underwhelming than they were good this season.

My friend who is a Liverpool fan was commenting on how they didnt play well but got the win pretty much every other game. He ran out of excuses for the performamces and ended up with 'as long as we get the title, I don't care'. Mane saved them a lot.

There are obvious improvements to be made but getting the job done really is all that matters. There will be spells we look unstoppable but when we don't we must still get the job done. We aren't so free flowing at the moment but we cant be written off.