Weekend Football Thread 21-23 *spoilers*
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Soldato
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Good result for both Chelsea and Man Utd today.
Can't help but think its a two horse race if Chelsea beat Arsenal next week.
Liverpool v City, could the first half get any more boring? At least the second-half improved but clearly both sides were "scared" of losing.
Can't help but think its a two horse race if Chelsea beat Arsenal next week.
Liverpool v City, could the first half get any more boring? At least the second-half improved but clearly both sides were "scared" of losing.
Very disappointing from Arsenal. Result wise and performance wise. Not sure Sunderland deserved 3 points though, they were so so jammy all game, every time the ball bounced off someone it landed at their feet, especially for the goal. Ah well, long as we get a win next week it wont be so bad i guess.
Just watched MotD, penalty against West Ham was...erm....well.... ridiculous to say the least.
Also on a side note, anyone remember a few years ago when Fletcher was quite literally one of the worst players in the premiserhip? Can't believe he's improved so much...
Also on a side note, anyone remember a few years ago when Fletcher was quite literally one of the worst players in the premiserhip? Can't believe he's improved so much...
Caporegime
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He was never that bad, just never looked that good in a very good United side. He's quite easily our most improved player in recent years though. Interesting stat during the game, 7 of our last 9 defeats have been with Fletcher in the team.
If you're lucky Arsenal will do you guys a favour next weekend
for truth!!!
Is a ****
Im glad you got the polite answer in first lol
I would never have guessed that - but sometimes the games do seem to pass him buy a little ( or maybe its the refs lol)
He has improved a huge amount in the last 2 - 3 years
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Caporegime
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Likewise I don't think he was ever as bad as anyone thought he was, but I also don't think he's as good as people make him out to be now. His brilliance and importance, just like Hargreaves, is this made up excuse for why you lose games. I've rarely if ever seen any Utd fans anywhere after a great Utd win going, wow, Fletcher, wow, what a player fantastic. However, lately, like the past 18 months every time you lose you get Utd fans everywhere going, whoa, damn, we really missed Fletcher and Hargreaves. I think Fletcher has been pretty bad in his last 3-4 performances. Hasn't remotely imposed himself in those games, defensively not great, was poor against Chelsea.
Honestly I think its most fans kidding themselves, like with the Barca final, that they would have been far better if he'd been on the pitch, wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference. Even if Fletcher had the best game ever, with everyone else underperforming against a great team you had no chance.
Personally I watched the first half of the Utd game and was almost as bored as the first half of the Pool game, I didn't think Utd were very good, Everton have a smegging awful team right now, they barely created anything, and Utd created very very little, 5 shots on target, same as Everton, who barely have an offense right now? NIce scoreline, couldn't bring myself to watch the second half after all the dull footie I watched. But Fletcher got a nice hit for the goal and didn't do much else first half.
Everton aren't a terrible team, but for me, Arteta is more important to their offence than really any other single player at any other team in the league, except maybe Jimmy Bullard. They don't have anyone else who has anywhere near the creativity, the skill, the ability to generate chances for goals or the passing ability. Likewise right back is a weakness and Jagielka is a huge loss at the back aswell. They'll be almost a completely different team with them back, without them, well, they are 4 points outside of relegation and I'm not surprised.
Utd fans seems/news reporting seem to be over estimating how good a win that was against a pretty poor team.
Shame to see Everton struggle really, they desparately need 2-3 really good quality players to stay top half and cope with a couple injuries.
He is still a player of average ability, but has a good attitude. When he first broke into the team he was replacing either keane or scholes which wasn't an easy task! He would struggle to get a place on the bench in most top sides in europe, but that can be said of all of UTD's current central-midfield.
The league, and possible the champions league, is in chelsea's hands. It's not that they are brilliant, it's just that everyone else is well below par this year. Liverpool should also get into the top 4 with ease. They can't play much worse than they have over the last few months, or have as much bad luck with injuries, so closing that a 2 point gap(maybe 5 if spurs win) won't be much of a challenge.
I much prefer Hargreaves to Fletcher, without a shadow of doubt.
However saying that - with either in the side our defence looks more stable and we are able to exert pressure higher up the pitch, Hargreaves just goes and goes and can play at a decent Premiership rate in three different positions (DM / central midfield , rght winger, right full back)
And yes either of those players (but imo esp OH) would have made a huge difference to Man Utd's performance in Rome. The scoreline may not have been any different but due to the energy each of them have the whole team performance would have been 100% better (at the end of the day Hargreaves performace against Chelsea in the 08 final was MOTM for many people, thats how good he is - and he was effectively playing two positions simultaneously, DM and right winger and he still got into the Chelsea box time and time again)
However saying that - with either in the side our defence looks more stable and we are able to exert pressure higher up the pitch, Hargreaves just goes and goes and can play at a decent Premiership rate in three different positions (DM / central midfield , rght winger, right full back)
And yes either of those players (but imo esp OH) would have made a huge difference to Man Utd's performance in Rome. The scoreline may not have been any different but due to the energy each of them have the whole team performance would have been 100% better (at the end of the day Hargreaves performace against Chelsea in the 08 final was MOTM for many people, thats how good he is - and he was effectively playing two positions simultaneously, DM and right winger and he still got into the Chelsea box time and time again)
Surely that has got to be without. (Barcelona, Burnley, Liverpool at back end of last season and this season all did not include him)
People keep saying he is the most improved player, he is one of the best DM's in Europe - period and has been for the last year and a half.
I hear people rave on about Mascherano but as good as he is defensively, against the weak teams when Liverpool have the ball he becomes a virtual spectator. Essien is the only like for like who I would say was superior to Fletcher at the moment, in terms of the all round package.
All in all just highlights how extremely mediocre the United midfield is when your DM is by far and away your best midfielder
Caporegime
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Hargreaves is (was?) an awesome player who could do the defense work AND then go forward with it. Whether he's the same player when he comes back though, who knows
It's true Fletcher has improved but he hasn't become a world class midfielder over night. His increased value to us reflects as much on the 'quality' of the rest of our midfield as it does him. However, our midfield hasn't had the same quality (centrally at least) as most big teams for a number of years and it hasn't stopped us winning things. Because although it may not be able to live with the best midfields too often, it's more than good enough to beat the rest.
Personally, I still rate an in form Carrick higher than Fletcher and although far less consistant, Anderson has greater ability too.
Personally, I still rate an in form Carrick higher than Fletcher and although far less consistant, Anderson has greater ability too.
ROFL.
You dont surely cant mean DARREN Fletcher, when you say that, you know, the Scottish one, puts himself about a bit and has one decent game in ten?
Darren fletcher used to be one of the worst players ever to pull on a united jersey, now he looks ok in a spectacularly average side.
Caporegime
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Meh, I said the same a while back and EVERY Man U fan jumped on me, claiming he was the real Jesus and this was his second coming.
Nail on head.