UEFA Champions League/Europa League 5/6/7 November *** Spoilers ***

That game was dreadful, and my Sky died after about 20 mins, so couldnt switch games. I think I watched as much of the Iceland programme on BBC2 as I did that match. :/
 
**** game made even worse by the midfield selection forced on by injury.



edit - was it a coincidence that Utd suddenly livened up infront of goal just when Kagawa got his natural position (assisted by RvP coming on no doubt). Probably helped a little by tired legs too

Can't argue with the basis of this point but you can't wait 70 minutes for a player to decide that he can be bothered to influence the game. At that point the game was becoming stretched and therefore afforded an opportunity for an attacking midfielder to get in amongst things. Kagawa has seldom looked like is capable of influencing a big game (or any game for that matter). For me Kagawa looks physically and mentally weak. I am no massive fan of Rooney but his position is not under any threat from the Japanese player.

If Kagawa was better player he would have adapted his play to show how he could play in CM as the creative player. Tonight was a great opportunity with Carrick absent yet Moyes too comfort in playing a 39 year old alongside Fellaini instead of Kagawa. That tells you something.

ie that Moyes doesnt see him as up to it.

United should easily have won tonight and I fear they will regret not taking those chances. Sunday will be interesting.
 
That Ashley Young dive is awful! Bet the Spanish loved it ;)

I genuinely didn't notice the spanish crowd getting onto young after that dive so they thought he we perfectly entitled to go down it would seem.
 
Can't argue with the basis of this point but you can't wait 70 minutes for a player to decide that he can be bothered to influence the game. At that point the game was becoming stretched and therefore afforded an opportunity for an attacking midfielder to get in amongst things. Kagawa has seldom looked like is capable of influencing a big game (or any game for that matter). For me Kagawa looks physically and mentally weak. I am no massive fan of Rooney but his position is not under any threat from the Japanese player.

If Kagawa was better player he would have adapted his play to show how he could play in CM as the creative player. Tonight was a great opportunity with Carrick absent yet Moyes too comfort in playing a 39 year old alongside Fellaini instead of Kagawa. That tells you something.

ie that Moyes doesnt see him as up to it.

United should easily have won tonight and I fear they will regret not taking those chances. Sunday will be interesting.

Did you not see how much better he was once he was moved to a role behind the sole striker. It was night an day. Its not that he is too weak its that when he is put out on the wing and assisted by Fellaini and Giggs in the middle he would have to be Messi to look anything but average. That was just god awful team selection. Valencia as usual was garbage, Giggs was useless and the only times we really looked half dangerous was once Kagawa was moved into the role behind the striker.

Thats considering Rooney had just been taken off. I really hope that we played that team to protect players for the weekend because I despair if not.
 
Now that Bale is gone the spotlight is on Ashley now for all that diving. It really was a terrible dive and how the hell can a ref give a penalty when he couldn't see what happened because his view was being blocked by a player is just unvelievable how he gave it.
 
Did you not see how much better he was once he was moved to a role behind the sole striker. It was night an day. Its not that he is too weak its that when he is put out on the wing and assisted by Fellaini and Giggs in the middle he would have to be Messi to look anything but average. That was just god awful team selection. Valencia as usual was garbage, Giggs was useless and the only times we really looked half dangerous was once Kagawa was moved into the role behind the striker.

Thats considering Rooney had just been taken off. I really hope that we played that team to protect players for the weekend because I despair if not.
Sorry but I don't agree.
There is no way that Giggs should be getting picked ahead of a player of Kagawa's age, repute and experience. However the manager obviously does not see him as reliable in that position and he has done nothing in 16 months to suggest he should usurp Rooney for the more advanced role.

With regard to Valencia. I can see why he plays regularly, especially away from home. He offers very solid defensive cover not only for the full back but also in midfield. He is a physically very capable player that brings great utility albeit at the expense of more penetrating attacking play.

That team was set not to lose and shoudl have been good enough to win comfortably. My only criticism of the manager would be that he allowed Fellaini to become victim of the ref. For me MF had a good game tonight aside from some ill advised niggly fouls that you just can get away with in Europe.
 
Giggs wasnt being played in the position Kagawa should have been in, so your point is bizarre to say the least.

If anything Giggs and MF were both more holding players (Giggs barely did anything either way) , certianly nothing as advanced as Kagawa was moved into once Rooney got taken off - the latter was who Kagawa "replaced"

United should easily have won tonight and I fear they will regret not taking those chances. Sunday will be interesting.

Im guessing you missed the commentary which stated RS were 3rd in La Liga last season. Not a bad team by any means. A draw away from home isnt a bad result, although without present injuries it should have been better (I think Rafael especially, although Smalling did ok, and Carrick would have made that an away win if they could have played)

Who have Arsenal bought that was garbage? .

The majority of the players Arsenal have bought over the last 4- 5 years are questionable to say the least
 
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Giggs wasnt being played in the position Kagawa should have been in, so your point is bizarre to say the least.

If anything Giggs and MF were both more holding players (Giggs barely did anything either way) , certianly nothing as advanced as Kagawa was moved into once Rooney got taken off - the latter was who Kagawa "replaced"

How is my point bizarre when I state that he quite clearly does not offer more than Rooney and therefore cannot have claim on the second striker position. I am no Rooney apologist particularly given his propensity to waste possession needlessly, however he generally offers a goal/assist threat greater than Kagawa.

My point is that Kagawa should not allow his preference for the no10 role to prevent him from influencing matches from another position and dropping back into central midfield would seem an obvious choice. After all its exactly what Scholes did when it was apparent that he wasnt a good enough striker to displace Cole, Yorke, Sheringham or Solskjaer.
 
You can't put Kagawa, a attacker, in CM along with Fellaini. We did attack more when RvP came on and Kagawa went in CAM, we need to find a decent LW who actually wants to play for United and not money.
 
Im guessing you missed the commentary which stated RS were 3rd in La Liga last season. Not a bad team by any means. A draw away from home isnt a bad result, although without present injuries it should have been better

Look, obviously teams that are in the Champions League are no pushovers but Sociedad showed nothing in either game to suggest that their position in the table in unmerited. United had pretty much complete control of that match from the start and had the best chances to score. I am not being churlish about the draw but in the context of group it would not be unprecedented for United to lose in Germany and require a win at home vs Shaktar. 3 points tonight would have made that scenario less worrying.
 
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Just seen this. Absolutely disgusting.

Hope he gets a lengthy ban.
 
Watched most of the first half of the MU game, and it was literally (C) JR the most boring Champions League match I've ever seen. As the ref was equally as enthralled he took pity on us and didn't bother adding any injury time at the end of the half so switched over to MC game and saw a goal within 30s :)
 
I watched the Juventus v Real Madrid game :) enjoyed it! Thought Juve were really good in the first half and Real looked much better in the second, they seemed very flat in the first half.

That dive from Young was poor.
 
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