My views on the game after a decent sleep and a weird Spanish buffet breakfast of eggs, chicken and potato. Nice though!
1) As bad as we played I’m convinced that early goal knocked the stuffing out of us and had that not happened the game may have gone a different way. Similar to what happened at Chelsea last season the game plan went out the window. That is on the players and the manager though. Showed a lack of fight in that second half.
2) With hindsight perhaps Sanchez should have started on the bench. He hasn’t had any real time to form an understanding with the players and starting him against a very good side like Spurs was asking for trouble. Would probably have benched him last night and given him an (on paper) easier game like Huddersfield at home on Saturday a legate debut.
3) Smalling really isn’t good enough for us. This summer I’d imagine Jose will cut his losses and if it looks like Bailly is going to be one of those CBs who spends half his time on the treatment table will invest in as good a CB as he can find. Umtiti at Barca could be that guy. Has a reasonable buy out clause.
4) As big a Jose fan as I am, objectively speaking last night was for me, his worst game for us from a tactical standpoint. I’m sure managers are allowed off nights just as players are but that was just a shiiiit show that even us jaHalfwits could see coming. Hopefully he absorbs the lesson and fixes it quickly before Sevilla.
5) My final point and something that I’m surprised hasn’t been made more of - Pogba being subbed. I didn’t think I’d ever see that for anything other than an injury/resting related matter. That was a message from Jose. Pogbas honeymoon period is over. He really needs to step up or else he loses support from previously smitten people like me.
On to Huddersfield. We have one tough top 6 away game left but we most certainly have it within us, even with our flaws to finish second. And this summer work on finding a way to improve that next season.
The day after the night before...
posted on 2/2/18
comment by Robb Sanchez 🎬⚽️⭐️ (U21234)
posted 22 hours, 2 minutes ago
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 15 seconds ago
Robb
Now that you have watched Lukaku properly instead of Match of the Day highlights and youtube clips, do you understand why he is never going to be a top drawer striker?
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Andy Cole wasn’t ever a top drawer striker but he did well for us. My point is that we don’t need a world class striker. We need a team of players who are well balanced and provide chances for a guy like Lukaku who for whatever his faults will more often than not finish what is created for him.
He’s an easy target today but the set up yesterday did him no favours. Our midfield battle was lost so what chance did a a lone striker have? Rashford would have been just the same up top, Martial too. But because they’re not easy targets I’m certain had they started last night no one would be slating them. They’d have rightfully blamed the midfield
Last night Matic and Lukaku were easy targets from the fans but they both got no help from the tactics and players like Pogba and to a lesser extent Martial who were in it for themselves
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I'm not sure we've had a 'top five in the world' striker since Mark Hughes.
Maybe a couple of seasons of RVN and a couple of seasons of Rooney.
But we don't tend to have the world's best strikers at United.
posted on 2/2/18
Football's changed since the 90s though. Today's top players are hoovered up by an increasingly smaller number of clubs.
Also, rosso, saying "a couple of seasons" of RVN & Rooney is a bit mendacious imo.
Both were widely considered amonsgt the world's top strikers for most of their United careers.
In fact, I'd say you've had 'world class' strikers for most of this century.
posted on 2/2/18
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 31 minutes ago
Football's changed since the 90s though. Today's top players are hoovered up by an increasingly smaller number of clubs.
Also, rosso, saying "a couple of seasons" of RVN & Rooney is a bit mendacious imo.
Both were widely considered amonsgt the world's top strikers for most of their United careers.
In fact, I'd say you've had 'world class' strikers for most of this century.
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'World class' wasn't the measure (thankfully, because it's a stupid term I'd happily never hear or read again). The measure was 'top five striker in the world'.
RVN in 2004 and 2005, would be fair.
Rooney only on maybe one or two occasions appeared amongst the top five strikers in the Ballon d'Or voting. Early in his career he was always behind the likes of Ronaldinho, Shevchenko, Henry, Drogba, Eto'o, Torres and Villa.
And then Messi appeared, Ronaldo switched to playing up front when he moved to Real, and Falcao, Forlan, Suarez and Aguero hit their primes. Then Neymar appeared.
I'd say he was among the top ten strikers in the world through a good chunk of his early to mid-twenties. But very rarely amongst the top five. 2009 and 2011?
posted on 2/2/18
Sorry rosso, hadn't realised you'd answered.
Yeah, the quotation marks were there for a reason, glad you noticed.
I do get what you're saying, but I don't really agree on several counts.
First, the reference to Lukaku was as regards actual no.9 strikers, whereby Ronaldinho, Ronaldo or Messi do not really belong in that list.
Secondly, you've addressed a number of players as coming into their primes at the same time but were in fact quite some years apart, e.g. Forlan and Suarez.
Others, like Sheva or Henry, were both arguably on the wane by the time they got to Chelsea or Barça, Imo, they're more RvN contemporaries than Rooney's.
Thirdly, Ballon d'Or lists aren't really that good a guideline because, as you are well aware, they lean heavily on team achievements.
I also disagree with the notion of being top 5 one year and not the next, because you can't really hire and fire on that basis. It makes more sense to look at their level sustained over a number of years. I think it would be pretty fair to put RvN in the top bracket of strikers for the first half of the decade and Rooney in the second.
The gist of the comment was that Lukaku probably isn't, nor does he look likely to be, in that top bracket of strikers that you'd hope to find at the world's elite clubs nowadays. Whether it's 5, 4, 6 or 7 players is not really the main issue.
posted on 2/2/18
"Lukaku probably isn't, nor does he look likely to be, in that top bracket of strikers that you'd hope to find at the world's elite clubs nowadays."
I'd agree that he isn't now, of course. I think you probably already know how I feel about speculating too much about the future.
My point was only about United never really enjoying or relying on top, top talent up top.
I think we'll have to agree to disagree on that, because I stand by my view that other than relatively short spells from RVN and Rooney, we haven't had since Fergie joined number nines and tens at the club that would be widely considered amongst the very best in the world.
Goalkeepers, yes. Centrebacks, yes. Central midfielders and wingers, yes. Strikers, no.
posted on 2/2/18
Ok rosso. Bear in mind I lived all those years in Spain, away from the massive UK media hype. It's from that perspective that imo both players mentioned were broadly considered among the world's elite strikers.
But yeah, we can agree to disagree.
posted on 2/2/18
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 6 minutes ago
Ok rosso. Bear in mind I lived all those years in Spain, away from the massive UK media hype. It's from that perspective that imo both players mentioned were broadly considered among the world's elite strikers.
But yeah, I can accept I was wrong all along
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Glad you've come around
posted on 2/2/18
comment by rossobianchi (U17054)
posted 29 minutes ago
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 6 minutes ago
Ok rosso. Bear in mind I lived all those years in Spain, away from the massive UK media hype. It's from that perspective that imo both players mentioned were broadly considered among the world's elite strikers.
But yeah, I can accept I was wrong all along
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Glad you've come around, I was afraid I'd have to miss my Trump blow·job time.
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No sweat dudes!
posted on 2/2/18
wow get a room you two
posted on 2/2/18
comment by Nostraduncus (U11713)
posted 58 minutes ago
can I get in on a bit of three-way action?
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Sorry duncus, this is strictly a traditional two pennis affair.