Frustrating watching United at OT today. Posted this as a comment earlier, but think its worth an article (with amendments) after listening to phone ins and reading sites like JA606
We didn't not win today because of 1 goalkeeping error. DDG is still the best in the world and needs a new contract
There is no movement whatsoever in this team in midfield and up-top. Herrera makes a big difference in CM carrying the luxury called Pogba but on his own it ain't enough. Herrera needs a new contract. Pogba needs a lift to Madrid. Any takers.
Lukaku just stands there centrally between the 2 centre halves. He literally doesn't move or make himself available whatsoever. He must be the easiest CF to mark in the PL. Welbeck (and Bellion) used to run that line tirelessly back and forth and turn them 2 markers inside out. (Basic stuff you are taught at school). Yet Welbeck wasn't deemed good enough for United. Lukaku needs to go.
As a consequence in the 2nd half we were pushed back on numerous occasionsand the only outlet was DDG on countless occasions. Ashley young is a joke. Just seen Kyle Walker vs Burnley on MOTD. Its not even comparable. Young needs to go. Tony Valencia is a better option.
McT gave effort when he came on. Keep him. There might be a player in there somewhere.
Rashy is injured quite obs and should be rested from now to the new pre- season. Feck England.
Bailly is a sick note. He needs to go.
Pathetic
Observations from Chelsea game
posted on 29/4/19
comment by Kamikaze Blue (U7450)
posted 10 minutes ago
I'm baffled by this fitness thing. Players like Lukaku you can see some of it is down to physique. But all they have to do is train and play football. wtf wouldn't they be fit? tbh I think fitness is a straw that people clutch at when the team is playing crap. It's also a new manager thing. New manager enters implies old manager didn't make them train hard enough and he will drill them into super fitness. Didn't that happen with OGS too - stepping up training cause it was all wrong before?
==========
There's a reason that we've been outran by teams season after season.
The problem is that when Ole first came to the club, we started registering much, much higher sprinting stats per game than we had previously. Evidently, the players haven't been conditioned to play in that manner, and we don't have the right players in key positions to pull that off. Lukaku is way too heavy, Martial doesn't bother running, Lingard picked up a hamstring injury, Mata is brilliant but not exactly a runner... That leaves Rashford, who's a young player that we're overly reliant on and Sanchez, who's legs have gone and he also had a bad injury in March.
We've been unable to maintain a high intensity throughout games for a years now, and another part of that is having a mish-mash of players from different managers with different styles.
I think there's a pretty good case the fitness issue is perfectly legitimate.
posted on 29/4/19
comment by BerbaKing11 (U6256)
posted 5 minutes ago
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spot on post. That shift to a high(er) intensity style of play showed up our biggest flaw, imho.
Thankfully, it is a fixable problem.
posted on 29/4/19
comment by Kamikaze Blue (U7450)
posted 27 minutes ago
I'm baffled by this fitness thing. Players like Lukaku you can see some of it is down to physique. But all they have to do is train and play football. wtf wouldn't they be fit? tbh I think fitness is a straw that people clutch at when the team is playing crap. It's also a new manager thing. New manager enters implies old manager didn't make them train hard enough and he will drill them into super fitness. Didn't that happen with OGS too - stepping up training cause it was all wrong before?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Kamikaze. You'd like to think they'd all be fit but it's clearly the case they're not fit enough to last a full 90 at the moment.
Clubs wouldn't invest in sports science if there wasn't anything to this. The conditioning of the City and Liverpool teams is fantastic and that very much to their credit. Not saying it's everything of course but it must surely count towards something?
As Berba says we were OK with a much more energetic game during the early Ole days as the players still had plenty in the tank. But, like a 1L car with the foot down when the foot's constantly on the gas it uses far too much fuel and the tank it empty.
posted on 29/4/19
Also, an observation from yesterday was that we played much better when our centre forward was up for it and bringing others into play. I know he tired after the first 40 minutes or so but that was encouraging.
Now, this may not be a universally popular shout but, if Pogba or DDG do go to Real would anyone on here be against getting Benzema in? I know he's not prolific but he did play a big part as Ronaldo's foil for Real and he could be a good short-term solution for our CF position with Martial and Rashford either side? Martial on the LW and Rashford as an inside right forward.
posted on 29/4/19
The fitness issue were further compounded by the injuries.
Again, I am not here to make excuses for the results and performances... It's not all fitness based, but it is certainly something that should be taken into account.
posted on 29/4/19
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 22 seconds ago
Also, an observation from yesterday was that we played much better when our centre forward was up for it and bringing others into play. I know he tired after the first 40 minutes or so but that was encouraging.
Now, this may not be a universally popular shout but, if Pogba or DDG do go to Real would anyone on here be against getting Benzema in? I know he's not prolific but he did play a big part as Ronaldo's foil for Real and he could be a good short-term solution for our CF position with Martial and Rashford either side? Martial on the LW and Rashford as an inside right forward.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If we were to go short term, I'd look at Vardy. Might be costly though.
posted on 29/4/19
comment by Steve Beaglehole (U15867)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 22 seconds ago
Also, an observation from yesterday was that we played much better when our centre forward was up for it and bringing others into play. I know he tired after the first 40 minutes or so but that was encouraging.
Now, this may not be a universally popular shout but, if Pogba or DDG do go to Real would anyone on here be against getting Benzema in? I know he's not prolific but he did play a big part as Ronaldo's foil for Real and he could be a good short-term solution for our CF position with Martial and Rashford either side? Martial on the LW and Rashford as an inside right forward.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If we were to go short term, I'd look at Vardy. Might be costly though.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I did think that watching Leicester yesterday too. Still full of running and can score against the big teams. Would probably be costly though unless we included someone in the deal. Would they take Phil Jones or Rojo maybe!
posted on 29/4/19
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 12 seconds ago
comment by Steve Beaglehole (U15867)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 22 seconds ago
Also, an observation from yesterday was that we played much better when our centre forward was up for it and bringing others into play. I know he tired after the first 40 minutes or so but that was encouraging.
Now, this may not be a universally popular shout but, if Pogba or DDG do go to Real would anyone on here be against getting Benzema in? I know he's not prolific but he did play a big part as Ronaldo's foil for Real and he could be a good short-term solution for our CF position with Martial and Rashford either side? Martial on the LW and Rashford as an inside right forward.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If we were to go short term, I'd look at Vardy. Might be costly though.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I did think that watching Leicester yesterday too. Still full of running and can score against the big teams. Would probably be costly though unless we included someone in the deal. Would they take Phil Jones or Rojo maybe!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vardy for Rojo, Jones, Valencia, Young, Darmian. Seems a fair swap.
posted on 29/4/19
Around £30 to £40m worth there.
posted on 29/4/19
comment by Ji Sung Park's Cousin - Ole's joy squids (U2958)
posted 1 hour, 33 minutes ago
The fitness issue were further compounded by the injuries.
Again, I am not here to make excuses for the results and performances... It's not all fitness based, but it is certainly something that should be taken into account.
--------------------------
Not just the injuries either. What seems to have been completely forgotten in our recent poor form is that the games we've lost have been against:
- PSG (who we also beat with half a team in the return leg)
- Arsenal (we did enough to at least draw this game)
- Wolves (terrible performance, but Wolves are a very tough side, especially at their place)
- Wolves (Again! Missed 3 sitters, had a man sent off and gave away a goal through a big Fred error)
- Barcelona
- Barcelona
- Everton
- Man City
When you look at it rationally, we probably should have lost twice, not once to PSG, and most would have expected that. Most would have expected us to lose against Barca and to lose against City. Four of those loses in the list above were entirely expected given they were against superior teams.
That leaves two away games against Wolves, who are directly below us in the league, one against Arsenal who are directly above us, and Everton.
Given that teams will always drop points or lose games against so-called 'lesser' teams at some point (and we'd been on a phenomenal winning run prior!), you could probably make an allowance for one loss against Wolves or Everton. How many of those games would we therefore be expected to win? Maybe two at most.
The fact that Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea have all, in recent weeks, drops points but without such a difficult run of fixtures should put our own form into some sort of perspective.