Man Utd (H) - Premier League -17/1/21 - 16:30

[Guest Alex_K]

11 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

It's both. The injuries at the back are making it even worse, but this is the classic regression of a title winning side after a couple dominant seasons. If you were as adamant that Man City were cooked last season, you can't possibly argue there isn't a mental issue going on here as well. It's pretty obvious. 

 

Like it was obvious when we put 7 past Palace less than a month ago with Matip at the back? Or sat top of the league as recently as a fortnight ago? Or despite still being the top scorers in the division even having moved our best midfielders to the back in the period since we smashed Palace because we basically only have semi-pro centre backs at the club fit at the moment? "Mental issue" - you're having a laugh.

[s(k)aturation]

5 minutes ago, torahboy said:

........  try the ice cream?

 

Or the Spaghetti Carbonara, or the pasta with salmon and vodka.  Or the porchetta.

 

Or the old buildings and stuff.

 

It's actually a pretty decent place, come to think of it.

 

 

[Redder Lurtz]

This is just like the good old days now. Playing for the top 4 cup. Our own worst enemies, so utterly wasteful. Infuriating. 

[Butch]

We've been shit since we were crowned champions, no hunger or desire to retain it. 

[joe_fishfish]

I'd have Minamino starting in the middle of the front three next match.

[Red Shift]

Just now, Butch said:

We've been shit since we were crowned champions, no hunger or desire to retain it. 

I dont think its that simple

[an tha]

Two key midfielders in the centre half spots has

basically left our whole structure is fucked.

 

The holes at centre half have totally broken our whole style of play.

 

Someone said earlier arguably our two best midfielders, crucial in there are reduced to being spectators as we toil.

 

Our centre halves were crucial in getting us pushed up park with good progressive passing into midfield and to advancing full backs which helped us open teams up more, and stretch teams...VVD carrying ball to centre circle and then firing a ball out wide or into Hendo 40 yards from goal who then plays a ball into front men against stretched defenders.

 

Now it is all short and midfielders fetching ball off the midfielders playing centre half and us starting inside own half as opposition settle into shape easily behind ball.

 

VVD was good for scoring 5 goals a season off corners, and probably helping us score another 3 from them too with his presence..something we have stopped scoring from or even threatening from.

 

Another thing with passing too short, taking too many touches playing out is we are afraid to squeeze up in same way because don't have the superb recovery pace when teams counter and some teams (Sorton did it well) are now realising you can get joy by pressing us....and we are getting less quality possession in a less threatening way and creating far less - teams can sit in their shape and just wait against slow possession.

 

Yeah we have loads of the ball, but we have it in much less threatening areas, in a much slower less threatening manner and we seem afraid of over committing at times because we are afraid of our defence being exposed.

 

We control games mostly yes, but its just all slow, predictable and the verve has gone out of our play and it is all down to the holes at centre half and the knock on effect into our midfield our full backs and ultimately the sharp end who need what is behind them to be working properly.

 

Their confidence is suffering as a result and their decision making is suffering with it.

 

Whole teams style of play is broken at mo.

 

Klopp has a major challenge on his hands to fix it.

 

 

 

 

[s(k)aturation]

6 minutes ago, AngryofTuebrook said:

Any normal season, I'd be quite happy to be three points off the top with 20 games to go.  It's definitely not a position from which to start surrendering or shitting the bed.

 

Having said that, we really could do with a CB or two, so we can start playing our midfielders in midfield. 

 

Palace would have to get a result at City later, for me to keep my chin up.

 

 

[VladimirIlyich]

I'm gutted that I only put my £10 free bet on a draw and not 0-0. It was so easy to see that result coming from the first few minutes,absolutely awful viewing. Half of our players look barely interested and we look like a mid table team than reigning champions. Without Alisson and Firmino(both brilliant again) we'd have lost to a bang average Man U team. If we are to have any chance of retaining the title(looking less likely by the game) then a deal for a CH has to be done. I hope Klopp forces the owners into action.

[Anubis]

Glad I decided to work today and not watch it! Saves me the bother of MotD as well.

[torahboy]

2 minutes ago, skaro said:

 

Or the Spaghetti Carbonara, or the pasta with salmon and vodka.  Or the porchetta.

 

Or the old buildings and stuff.

 

It's actually a pretty decent place, come to think of it.

 

 

I tried the sea food spaghetti, the wine, the beer, went to a football match and came home on a train with right shower of cunts.

[s(k)aturation]

2 minutes ago, joe_fishfish said:

I'd have Minamino starting in the middle of the front three next match.

 

Has he even got on the pitch since he scored that lovely opener against Palace in the good old days?

 

[Section_31]

You forget what a slick PR operation the mancs are, all of a sudden they're Bayern Munich on a shoestring, even though they are in fact total shite. Wimbledon with three decent players and a simpleton for a manager.

[3 Stacks]

7 minutes ago, Alex_K said:

 

Like it was obvious when we put 7 past Palace less than a month ago with Matip at the back? Or sat top of the league as recently as a fortnight ago? Or despite still being the top scorers in the division even having moved our best midfielders to the back in the period since we smashed Palace because we basically only have semi-pro centre backs at the club fit at the moment? "Mental issue" - you're having a laugh.

You're right, we were simply outclassed by Villa to the tune of 5 goals with van Dijk and Gomez at the back. Or getting outplayed by Fulham with Matip at the back. No mental issue, though. Those were very normal results. 

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

I’m normally a moaning cunt in the match threads.

 

But reading today makes me laugh. We need to rebuild, we’ve been found out, we’re past our peak and so on. Well, good news, that’s all bollocks.

 

We’re a great team, with plenty of great players and the best manager in world football. We have some obvious and major injury problems, and we’re off form at the moment. We’ve stopped scoring and it’s clearly affected our confidence.

 

We’re making it harder for ourselves with the CB situation, it should have been addressed in the summer and we should address it now. But we’ll work our way through it, and we’ll get back to a completely different level. 

[Butch]

1 minute ago, an tha said:

Two key midfielders in the centre half spots has

basically left our whole structure is fucked.

 

The holes at centre half have totally broken our whole style of play.

 

Someone said earlier arguably our two best midfielders, crucial in there are reduced to being spectators as we toil.

 

Our centre halves were crucial in getting us pushed up park with good progressive passing into midfield and to advancing full backs which helped us open teams up more, and stretch teams...VVD carrying ball to centre circle and then firing a ball out wide or into Hendo 40 yards from goal who then plays a ball into front men against stretched defenders.

 

Now it is all short and midfielders fetching ball off the midfielders playing centre half and us starting inside own half as opposition settle into shape easily behind ball.

 

VVD was good for scoring 5 goals a season off corners, and probably helping us score another 3 from them too with his presence..something we have stopped scoring from or even threatening from.

 

Another thing with passinh too short, taking too many touches playing out is we are afraid to squeeze up in same way because don't have the superb recovery pace when teams counter and we are getting less quality possession in a less threatening way and creating far less - teams can sit in their shape and just wait against slow possession.

 

Yeah we have loads of the ball, but we have it in much less threatening areas, in a much slower less threatening manner and we seem afraid of over committing at times because we are afraid of our defence being exposed.

 

We control games mostly yes, but its just all slow, predictable and the verve has gone out of our play and it is all down to the holes at centre half and the knock on effect into our midfield our full backs and ultimately the sharp end who need what is behind them to be working properly.

 

Their confidence is suffering as a result and their decision making is suffering with it.

 

Whole teams style of play is broken at mo.

 

Klopp has a major challenge on his hands to fix it.

 

 

 

 

This is spot on. 

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

3 minutes ago, VladimirIlyich said:

I'm gutted that I only put my £10 free bet on a draw and not 0-0. It was so easy to see that result coming from the first few minutes,absolutely awful viewing. Half of our players look barely interested and we look like a mid table team than reigning champions. Without Alisson and Firmino(both brilliant again) we'd have lost to a bang average Man U team. If we are to have any chance of retaining the title(looking less likely by the game) then a deal for a CH has to be done. I hope Klopp forces the owners into action.

I put £50 on 0-0 and cashed out at half time.

[Preston Red]

Thank fuck that's done with for now. Coming up is a team that bends over for every cunt and puts in a shift against us.

 

On the goalscoring front, Jota can't come back soon enough.

[Butch]

2 minutes ago, Joey8FrogsLegs said:

I’m normally a moaning cunt in the match threads.

 

But reading today makes me laugh. We need to rebuild, we’ve been found out, we’re past our peak and so on. Well, good news, that’s all bollocks.

 

We’re a great team, with plenty of great players and the best manager in world football. We have some obvious and major injury problems, and we’re off form at the moment. We’ve stopped scoring and it’s clearly affected our confidence.

 

We’re making it harder for ourselves with the CB situation, it should have been addressed in the summer and we should address it now. But we’ll work our way through it, and we’ll get back to a completely different level. 

 

[s(k)aturation]

1 minute ago, Preston Red said:

Thank fuck that's done with for now. Coming up is a team that bends over for every cunt and puts in a shift against us.

 

On the goalscoring front, Jota can't come back soon enough.

 

Another blank wouldn't surprise.

 

[Redder Lurtz]

Glad it's out of the way and that shower of cunts didn't bring our home record to an end. 

 

Regroup, we go again. Smash Burnley on Thursday. We're fucking shite. 

[Guest Alex_K]

7 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

You're right, we were simply outclassed by Villa to the tune of 5 goals with van Dijk and Gomez at the back. Or getting outplayed by Fulham with Matip at the back. No mental issue, though. Those were very normal results. 

The team was top of the league before Matip's recent injury - 2 weeks ago. They were (are) the top scorers in the division now struggling to fashion chances since while - surprise, surprise - we're hardly conceding a goal either with the 2nd best defensive record in the league since the Villa game in part because we're playing so deep to ward off this new defensive fragility.

 

If you think this is mental over personnel/system, and that we've suddenly become a world class defensive team without any professional centre backs playing while simultaneously becoming an awful attacking outfit with the top scorer in the division out of some mental oddity since the recent injuries, have at it.

[Rushies tash]

6 minutes ago, Joey8FrogsLegs said:

I’m normally a moaning cunt in the match threads.

 

But reading today makes me laugh. We need to rebuild, we’ve been found out, we’re past our peak and so on. Well, good news, that’s all bollocks.

 

We’re a great team, with plenty of great players and the best manager in world football. We have some obvious and major injury problems, and we’re off form at the moment. We’ve stopped scoring and it’s clearly affected our confidence.

 

We’re making it harder for ourselves with the CB situation, it should have been addressed in the summer and we should address it now. But we’ll work our way through it, and we’ll get back to a completely different level. 

This. We only get it back through hard work. And maybe catching the occasional break from officials who seem determined to shaft us at every opportunity.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

16 minutes ago, Captain Howdy said:

Amazing how shit we’ve become in such a short time. Honestly think getting CL is going to be difficult

Same. Top four and maybe a half decent FA Cup run would be a successful season considering our current state.

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

43 minutes ago, Rushies tash said:

Utd came for 0-0 and we were only too happy to give them it

 

Fixed