Greenlizard0 Premier League Football Thread ** spoilers ** [31st Aug - 1st September 2024]
- Thread starter explicit4u
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That’ll teach ‘em! Yeah!
Man U got battered today, the only reason they got a few chances towards the end was because Liverpool took their foot off the gas after the game was won and slot subbed off half the first team.
Actually Rashford managed two decent crosses today. I feel sorry for him. He's clearly shot mentally and short on confidence. I suspect he's almost got the footballing equivalent of the "yips" so I understand why ten Hag is playing him in an attempt to play his way out of the slump. However, hes not meriting his place over Amad or Garnacho so i hope Erik chooses to bench him and let him impact from there.
The machinations of the club are complex. I think that the execs can be blamed for not prioritising a CDM over the likes of Zirkzee, Mazraoui and De Ligt. Those signings were made early and therefore Ugarte relied on the confirmed exit of one of our few sale-able assets in McTominay. In essence we knew Casemiro was shot and they didn't bring in cover/replacement until the end of the transfer window leaving ten Hag exposed. The manager is not blameless but he's working with what he has. I still think there are signs that the system is looking slightly more cohesive. We have been pressing better, the back four looks promising and we have some decent players to come back in.
Agree with this entirely.
That entire back four are good players - a match for anyone's outside the top 3 from last season. On paper, the midfield is better balanced than Liverpool's albeit Casemiro's age has obviously caught up with him. Amad is top class, and I think a better manager would get more from him. Rashford also just looks shot from years of playing for such a mess of a club.
Yes, the squad isn't as good as City's, Arsenal's or Liverpool's, but it's as good as everyone else's. That wasn't the case a few years back.
Soldato
Yeah agree. Outplayed for the most part and camped in our own half. Got away with it again although delighted with the result.
While the back 4 are, on paper, good players. Far too often they're overloaded, exposed, and poor under pressure. The latter you can blame on players but surely the former two are formation based? Also, didn't Liverpool play with the same formation? Why didn't United overload them? Because they couldn't be arsed!
Caporegime
Being a Man UTD fan must be absolutely miserable
You must dead every match, you get tonked a fair few times but manage to scrape a few wins (Which led to the Cup wins).
Are those cup wins worth it if you're miserable all the time lol?
You must dead every match, you get tonked a fair few times but manage to scrape a few wins (Which led to the Cup wins).
Are those cup wins worth it if you're miserable all the time lol?
Soldato
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On paper they are good players?! I just don’t see it. I listed the players yesterday. Watching them they aren’t great. Even if we go full and look at stats or even something like FPL they are all 4.5 a few have even dropped! Maguire, Dalot and De Ligt are all 5. You can look at their fifa (still going to call that game fifa) rankings, they’re rubbish too.
No team has a right to win. I support other teams in other sports that don't win big things etc. However, with United the most frustrating thing is the failure is entirely due to mismanagement. And the mindset of the players/coaches/management comes across as elitest ****. That's what makes it tough as a fan to me. You see the results of both on the pitch.
Soldato
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It’s a genuine question/query, where are people seeing that they are good? Where has it come from?
The way they’ve played for this last couple of years, you can’t honestly say they are good.
Look at stats which further just confirm the eye test. Look at expected stats. They aren’t good. Player ratings, performance rating across a broad range whether that be whoscored, fpl, fifa, xref etc etc they aren’t good.
Match analysis, pundits, media which can feed a narrative, they get crucified what seems like every week.
Is it just that they are Man Utd players?
Caporegime
We haven't had a stable back 4 for over a year. Yesterday was the first time De Ligt and Martinez started together. We are still playing a right back at left back. Salah absolutely schooled Dalot yesterday whereas I think Shaw would have faired considerably better.
We are essentially still in pre-season with our squad as we have brought in quite a few players who didn't come in till late.
I can at least see a massive difference from last season as we are at least starting to get a starting eleven to play together. The first 30 minutes was quite promising but in the end Casemiro just couldn't cope. I think at one point we had 60% possession which hasn't been the case with United for years against Liverpool. Yes we have beaten Liverpool last season but not by playing football. It has all been counterattack.
It has just come at a time when we have played two very good teams and were incredibly unlucky to come away with nothing away to Brighton. Now it is all panic stations.
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You were lucky to get the win at fulham
Soldato
Were you watching the same game? Man U still have not got a clue how they want to play. They are so bad it’s unbelievable and quite accomplishment after spending so much money.
If Liverpool had played at full throttle that game would have ended up 4 or 5 nil.
Caporegime
No we wasn't. Xg was 2.72 to 0.48.
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I actually agree with you, I've said time and time again, I don't think the players are top 4 quality. Bruno is the only one. The others could probably fit into a team with other better players around them and be OK.
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I don't think Liverpool, Arsenal or City are teams we should compare our match performance against, not yet, despite the money spent. It's against the other teams we should be judged on, and to be fair Fulham and Brighton matches weren't great either.
Things do need to improve pretty soon though, before the rot sets in (if it hasn't already).
Caporegime
You watch Man Utd games?