Greenlizard0 Premier League Football Thread ** spoilers ** [31st Aug - 1st September 2024]
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Soldato
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Excellent stuff.
Liverpool were completely clinical. The 7-0 was the same - they had like 8 shots and scored 7. Jota, Diaz, Salah is a very strong front three, backed up by Gakpo, Nunez
cry, Chiesa. As good there is in the league.Zirkzee had a weak game but still had four shots/headers. Had he been as clinical as Diaz and Salah then we are talking a much closer game. The fact he got those chances is positive because last season Hojlund played a lot of games without a single shot on or off target. Not saying Liverpool didn't deserve the win but I don't think it was a completely dominant performance as it has been in the recent past. They battered us in fixture last season and ended up drawing the match because they were not clinical. For sure ten Hag is under pressure but I think we will be better this season, not top 4 better necessarily but better than 8th!
Carragher is just daft.
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Caporegime
From watching the match, we still have the same issues. We're not a team. Liverpool moved up and down the pitch as a team. We didn't we got caught out getting overexcited when attacking and Casemiro gets caught out twice and thats 2 goals because Liverpool are facing down our defence with greater numbers. Salah is still absolute quality as well. 2 nice finishes from Diaz as well.
Liverpool took their foot off the brake in the second half after the third and we had a little more joy but that wasn't massively our doing.
Rashford was largely anonymous but so were all our forwards. He put in two wonderful balls that Zirkzee should have put away however. EtH still doesn't know what his best team is and Zirkzee looks very much like a super sub currently. Really hoping that Ugarte can give our midfield some bite and energy or it will be a long season.
The core problem remains, we are far far too easy to play through and this is on the manager. As Neville said at one point, he will get a few more months, likely until Christmas to sort things out but he will be gone if he doesn't. We have a good set of players. We just don't play well.
I know that modern pundetry is as much about creating controversy but the ******** about Liverpool having a new manager and him getting across his ideas so quickly is just rubbish. He inherited a very well coached, settled and drilled side. Slot has changed the way Liverpool play a bit but its fundamentally very similar. We will see how he does in 2-3 years when a few star players are gone or fading and he has to do some real hard work on the team.
Liverpool took their foot off the brake in the second half after the third and we had a little more joy but that wasn't massively our doing.
Rashford was largely anonymous but so were all our forwards. He put in two wonderful balls that Zirkzee should have put away however. EtH still doesn't know what his best team is and Zirkzee looks very much like a super sub currently. Really hoping that Ugarte can give our midfield some bite and energy or it will be a long season.
The core problem remains, we are far far too easy to play through and this is on the manager. As Neville said at one point, he will get a few more months, likely until Christmas to sort things out but he will be gone if he doesn't. We have a good set of players. We just don't play well.
I know that modern pundetry is as much about creating controversy but the ******** about Liverpool having a new manager and him getting across his ideas so quickly is just rubbish. He inherited a very well coached, settled and drilled side. Slot has changed the way Liverpool play a bit but its fundamentally very similar. We will see how he does in 2-3 years when a few star players are gone or fading and he has to do some real hard work on the team.
Caporegime
We were outplayed for most of the match but Liverpool were absolutely clinical for the most part. Same thing happened in the 7-0 thrashing. Their xG that day was something silly like 2.6. We architected our own downfall with suicidal defending today and a complete lack of finishing from our forwards. I think Liverpool could have scored more if they wanted though so I don't know how much difference it would have made anyway.
I'm sorry but this is nonsense. Carragher even made the point that there's no guarantee that he'll be successful with the changes made however the point he was making is that coaches can come into sides and within a short space of time put their mark on a side and yet after 2+ years ETH hasn't. Utd are just a collection of players on the pitch with no system or style of play.
I'm also not sure how you can use the fact that Slots come into a well coached, settled side as an excuse. Who's fault is it that Utd aren't a well coached, settled side. ETH's been there for over 2 years, spent a **** load of money signing almost every player he's ever coached. When you've been given absolutely everything and had 2 years to create something but have nothing to show for it, that's on you.
Soldato
ETH has demonstrated that he isn’t good enough for the job.
For neutrals it is just funny to watch Man Utd floundering under him
For neutrals it is just funny to watch Man Utd floundering under him
Caporegime
Arteta finished 8th two seasons running and 5th before on his 4th season getting second.
United still has massive gaps in their squad but it is getting better. We were without our first choice centre back, our new DM signing and our starting centre forward. Liverpool were a full strength squad that have played together since pre season. We are essentially still in pre season.
Last year under ETH was injury ridden we were a massive mess because of that. TBH we have still not recovered from it really as plenty of players have had no pre season. De Ligt going forward will be our starting CB and it was only his first start and has yet to complete 90 minutes.
Our performance today was better than most of the times we beat you last season as we played football instead of playing on the counter. We are still miles behind the top 3 but it is something that will get better as the squad starts to play together more. We are essentially still in pre season.
I prefer optimistic Adam to doom and gloom Adam but I think you're kidding yourself there. You can bang on about injuries last season all you like, Utd were **** well before the injuries kicked in.
But anyway, I'm all for giving ETH more time. Let's see how things work out once Martial and Shaw are back fit.
But anyway, I'm all for giving ETH more time. Let's see how things work out once Martial and Shaw are back fit.
I'm feeling positive as well, it was only 3-0, that's better than 7-0!
Soldato
You could see what arteta wanted to do on the pitch, you can't with ten hag, over 600 million and if anything you are going backwards the more time he has with the players. Don't get me wrong i Iove it and your blind optimistim that things will get better.
Soldato
I was thinking the same thing, takes his standing leg to get the ball
Caporegime
We have had most possession in all three games this season. Even against City we were 44% to 56%.
Go back to last season and those games were 30% with United being jammy and winning games on the counter. At least now we are trying to play football and for the first thirty minutes we did but we fell apart because we are just not there yet with a settled team with many players essentially still in pre season.
I personally am seeing a difference but it has been hampered by playing two very good teams in the first three games.
If we continue the same after the international break then it will be a worry but I have a good feeling that it will not.
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Soldato
We lost both games to Palace last season that fixture coming up away wont be easy I know they lost a lot of players but still.
Is 'we', MUFC? As Roy Keane said, there are no easy games for United these days. That's reality currently, unfortunately.
Soldato
It is indeed and he totally correct I go in every week dreading it at the moment as said earlier after Brighton today was always an uphill struggle.
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I feel like we're just having the same conversations as last season. Excuses and delusional hope that the manager will come good, when that rarely happens.
ETH has mostly signed players he's previously worked with, most of whom have not worked out, some have been catastrophic (Antony). He's failed to impose any sort of playing style on the team, nobody really has a clue what he wants, people start going on about his Ajax team which is almost irrelevant now. We've had some decent results against aggressive teams when we can counter attack, but that's it. Solskjaer was better at this. He doesn't seem at all clear when he's speaking, which must have an effect day to day. Slot, in comparison, is far easier to understand.
In addition, INEOS spent the start of the summer actively trying to replace him. He was on holiday with no idea what was going on. This destroyed any credibility he had left.
The only positives he can ever point to are one-off performances, like the FA Cup final, what about the rest of the season? What about playing some good football? We can lose to Brighton and Liverpool any time, not a big deal in isolation, but against the backdrop of last season's misery, it just confirms nothing is changing.
In light of all of the above, do people seriously think he's going to suddenly fix things? You're clinging to the hope that if he can put out the strongest and most ideal XI every week, things might get a bit better. We keep adding in more ETH players who know what he wants (De Ligt for Maguire), but nothing ever changes.
I genuinely think I must be missing something... I don't see any positives here? Short of a miracle, he's pretty much toast and nothing is going to change that.
ETH has mostly signed players he's previously worked with, most of whom have not worked out, some have been catastrophic (Antony). He's failed to impose any sort of playing style on the team, nobody really has a clue what he wants, people start going on about his Ajax team which is almost irrelevant now. We've had some decent results against aggressive teams when we can counter attack, but that's it. Solskjaer was better at this. He doesn't seem at all clear when he's speaking, which must have an effect day to day. Slot, in comparison, is far easier to understand.
In addition, INEOS spent the start of the summer actively trying to replace him. He was on holiday with no idea what was going on. This destroyed any credibility he had left.
The only positives he can ever point to are one-off performances, like the FA Cup final, what about the rest of the season? What about playing some good football? We can lose to Brighton and Liverpool any time, not a big deal in isolation, but against the backdrop of last season's misery, it just confirms nothing is changing.
In light of all of the above, do people seriously think he's going to suddenly fix things? You're clinging to the hope that if he can put out the strongest and most ideal XI every week, things might get a bit better. We keep adding in more ETH players who know what he wants (De Ligt for Maguire), but nothing ever changes.
I genuinely think I must be missing something... I don't see any positives here? Short of a miracle, he's pretty much toast and nothing is going to change that.
One of United's biggest issues is still there....
Rashford.
Once again - totally useless - plays wide, doesn't take a player on, doesn't shoot, doesn't cross. What's he there for? Why ETH continues to play him is beyond me. Body language, attitude etc - awful.
Casemiro is done - he was on shaky ground last season after some very poor performances and getting yanked at half time is the end of him now at United.
Mainoo continues to look excellent but needs help in the midfield - Lets hope Ugarte brings that.
Still feel there is no balance to the team up top - either play Amad / Garnacho wide and balls into the box OR play narrow and let Bruno play the ball more. It's very much all over the show at the moment.
ETH was on thin ice before the summer and only the lack of any other decent managerial targets kept him there - I think he's got 6-8 weeks to sort it or they will pull the plug on him
Rashford.
Once again - totally useless - plays wide, doesn't take a player on, doesn't shoot, doesn't cross. What's he there for? Why ETH continues to play him is beyond me. Body language, attitude etc - awful.
Casemiro is done - he was on shaky ground last season after some very poor performances and getting yanked at half time is the end of him now at United.
Mainoo continues to look excellent but needs help in the midfield - Lets hope Ugarte brings that.
Still feel there is no balance to the team up top - either play Amad / Garnacho wide and balls into the box OR play narrow and let Bruno play the ball more. It's very much all over the show at the moment.
ETH was on thin ice before the summer and only the lack of any other decent managerial targets kept him there - I think he's got 6-8 weeks to sort it or they will pull the plug on him
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