Very disappointed last night, and I think it's symptom of how Ole has raised the expectation levels.
We didn't play our normal game. Started off the first few minutes pressing, and forced them into a few mistakes. After that we seemed to sit off them a little bit and tried to counter. I can't imagine after seeing how rushed they were in possession that Ole told them to sit back and let them have the ball. Can't help but feel we froze a little bit. The two injuries mid game were very disruptive, but we have to learn to deal with that type of set back.
On the positive side, Ole will have learned a lot about some of his players last night. And if he is to get the job he will have seen some of the weak links in our defence. I hate saying it, because I know he gives his all, but Ashley Young is constantly caught out of position and infuriates me every time I see him try to defend. It's not his position. At one stage he was played as a no. 10 for Villa. Absolutely needs replacing. Shaw wasn't much better but at least it's not a consistent thing with him.
Sanchez is another one that needs to leave. Runs about a lot but doesn't have the pace to beat a man anymore, doesn't offer enough. Paying that wage for a sub doesn't make sense anyway.
Pogba was quiet, though he was effectively man marked throughout the game. The positive to take from this is that for the first time in a long a team feared the influence of one of our players so much that hey felt the need to man mark him. Stupid second yellow born out of frustration.
The CL was always a long shot, but we will learn a lot from this game about our players and what we need to do to be at that level. On to Chelsea.
Ole will have learned alot
posted on 13/2/19
Phil Neville sums it up very well here.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47217600
posted on 13/2/19
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 4 minutes ago
Phil Neville sums it up very well here.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47217600
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While most of it is correct, he needs to hold Ole accountable for the half time changes. If we have spent all week working on a formation with pace, then bringing in two slow attacking players was not wise and PSG very quickly smelt blood.
Whatever you think of him, Lukaku on the right instead of Mata would have probably eased the onslaught in that first 20 minutes of the second half.
posted on 13/2/19
I did not know that Lingard was playing. We stood no chance when he went off injured though.
posted on 13/2/19
It was a pretty poor night for us.
Losing Martial and Lingard wasn't ideal but even with them we weren't really looking a threat. Once we lost them and Mata and Sanchez came on, I knew we were going to offer nothing from then on in. We became as predictable and devoid of ideas as we were under Mourinho and inevitably resulted to hopeful balls into the box.
PSG didn't even play that well. They were as sloppy as we were in the first half. They went up a gear in the 2nd and started to connect with their passes but they dominated from then on in because we pretty much lost any ability we had to pin them back and counter quickly. I'm not Lukaku's biggest fan but he'd have helped a bit in that regard. That was Ole's first real mistake for me not bringing him on at HT.
We have come a long way under Ole but last night just shows how far we are away in terms quality personnel and squad depth and it isn't going to sort itself in one window because there are arguably at least 8 players that we need rid of.
posted on 13/2/19
Whatever you think of him, Lukaku on the right instead of Mata would have probably eased the onslaught in that first 20 minutes of the second half.
.............
Ji
That is exactly what I would have done.
As much as I like Mata he just doesn't add any energy to us at all. Lukaku, for all his faults actually looks more interested when he is out on the right.
posted on 13/2/19
Yep, his performance against Arsenal showed what he can do on that side, though PSG were never going to be bullied as easily (and the ref didn't seem interested in what they were up to on that wing!).
As TRS said, Ole's first real mistake.
What compounded it was that, when Mata and Sanchez inevitably made no impact... There was no way Ole would bring one of them back off in exchange for Lukaku.
posted on 13/2/19
Unfortunately his hand was forced with the injuries. He had half time but no players to impact the game in midfield or up front where he needed to.
posted on 13/2/19
We lack so much variety in attack.
Losing two key attackers doesn't obviously help but given they were pretty ineffectual anyway and with Pogba being completely shut down, we basically had nothing.
We didn't have anybody among our full-backs, our other midfielders or substitutes who could get us up the pitch.
posted on 13/2/19
The way Paris switched the play and used the whole width of the pitch in the second half was class. Shaw and Young didn't learn and were never even close to either winger every time they did
posted on 13/2/19
Did anyone else notice that huge chasm the in middle of the park? We seemed to have the midfield 4 parked in front of the back 4 on the edge of the box and then 2.7 miles between the midfield and the forwards. It happened so many times. Maybe we have become so obsessed with playing on the counter that we have forgotten how to be a football team.