Manchester United Thread 25/26 - Teamtalk/Transfers/Gossip Mod Note in OP 26.09.24

Sand

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016064#Comment_124016064

In fairness, he did get on the end of a few crosses in the second half as you say and forced a good save, but in the first half he was practically playing as a ball winning midfielder for Everton. He hasn't played much for Amorim and I think he is one of those who will be encouraged to find another team in a weaker league in the summer.

But at the end of the day, all the players were bad today. Zirkzee just stood out to me but the rest were terrible too.

BenK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016069#Comment_124016069

This has to be a wind-up surely, Mainoo a combination of prime Keane/Scholes! Deary me.

Nalz

Yoro Shaw Mazrouri and Dorgu stood out to me. So slow and sloppy.

Mainoo too. Overrated. Offered absolutely nothing.

I felt sorry for Bruno, Mount, Amad and Mbuemo, but at the same time they didn't create a lot either.

We created nowhere near enough and the chances we had the finishing was absolutely shîte

adox

Has anyone got confidence this manager can influence a game if things arent going perfectly?

All those shots of three CBs standing with no one to mark at home against a 10 man Everton sums up Amorim perfectly. If it’s not working perfectly it all falls apart and he has no solutions, no ideas…..

A sobering night for the club a low point in a 12 month reign of low points

Amorim has shown time and again over his 12 months that he doesn’t have what it takes to manage the club. Can’t seem to motivate the players, can’t influence a game, seems to have to flexibility and no answers when there is problems and there has been plenty over the last 12 months

An embarrassing night. There comes a time where you have to stop indulging a manager with a hope that it comes good

Conall Cernach

I think I'm the jinx. I work Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays so this is the first match I've watched live since the Grimsby one.

JRant

5 at the back? Where are people getting this from? A single kickout from Everton in the second half that Neville couldn't stop banging on about, christ on a bike.

Yes, we were poor, especially in the first half when Bruno and Casemiro got walked through repeatedly but we did everything bar score in that second half. We lacked that sharpness up.front but in fairness to Zirkzee he warmed into that game and could have scored only for a great save. Our left side is a huge bloody problem though and very little good play comes from that side. Shaw was fine the entire game but Dorgu and Dalot offered absolutely nothing all game.

If we want to progress this season we simply have to spend in January and get a LW and CM in or we'll co tinge to see more of these up and down displays.

Just to level set here, we had 1, just 1, senior attacking player on the bench tonight in Mount, that was it. To those calling for RA to be sacked, what exactly can a new manager do to solve this lack of options on the bench?

Iseedeadpixels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016116#Comment_124016116

+1 on Mainoo, don't see the hype, never have and doubt I will, too slow, weak and no stamina.

Whatsisname

10th after 12 games. The good times are coming he said. Shame we’re not an ambitious club anymore.

pjohnson

I guess we knew we were awfully light upfront and in midfield.

Sesko and Cunha out killed us. Theres fùck all depth in either position. Sesko is the only striker so take him out theres no focal point, taking Cunha out forces Amad up the pitch killing his excellent link-up with Mbeumo and killing the fairly decent creativity down the right we have with them - when its feckin Maz filling in RWB.

After Bruno and Cas there is incredibly little options on the bench even with all midfielders fit. Need to add Garner and/or Joao Gomes to try and give us some midfield depth until summer.

The performance was awful but we did already know we have fùck all options outside of the first choice 15 or so players.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016092#Comment_124016092

if you honestly cannot see the problem football isn’t your game. We somehow managed to get outnumbered in midfield against 10 on 50 50s because of a rigid adherence to a back 5. How many times did you see it tonight, at least 10.
And 5 accross the middle when attacking? What were you watching. It was Everton happy to have Yoro or shaw as the extra man because they knew they would never pick out a pass while they could defend deel against the rest. A competent coach would recognise you needed your extra man in the middle where someone with passing ability could actually maintain positive possession and be the extra man to help win second balls against fewer players while wide men pushed on to stretch them. As soon as the went to 10 it should have gone to 3 in midfield with Bruno more advanced, the actual position where he is world class, not as the holding midfield taking the ball from the cb where he is a pale imitation of a cdm.

But yay. We won the possession stats and shots on goal at home for 80 minutes against 10 men.

Caustic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016092#Comment_124016092

I'd say I've been one of the most optimistic posters on here during Amorims time but there is just nothing good that can be said about tonight.

We started off asleep, no intensity, poor pressing, awful passing. We get a lucky break in the red card but go a goal down after but the rest of the 2nd half was wasted we needed changes.

Now I don't necessarily agree the formation is a problem in isolation but the wing backs we had on offered nothing out wide, Amad should have been moved earlier at the very least but if we don't have the wing backs to attack properly then maybe it is time to change things up even if it's down to injuries.

I'm not sure it's all on the manger as the players were so **** bad all of them except Amad in the first half and maybe delight the whole game wasn't bad, but even that is no positive to take.

We move on of course but this was one absolutely diabolical performance and the next game needs at least a fighting performance.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016099#Comment_124016099

You have lost it son.

ngunners

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016086#Comment_124016086

Spot on.

Absolutely fuming after that performance so forgive any slight hyperbole below. I actually think the red card was a blessing in disguise for Everton.

It was as if the United players assumed they could coast to victory and maybe they could have had they scored first. Once Everton got the lead the writing was on the wall. Nowhere near enough intensity.

Yoro, Bruno and Amad dropped zero out of ten performances. Just unfathomably bad. Almost everyone else was a non-entity. Especially disappointed in Mbeumo, not least because I capped him in fantasy football. Zirkzee and Mainoo showing exactly why they are barely used.

Amorim needs to shoulder some of the blame but ultimately any team of United’s calibre should be able to score a goal when playing the majority of the match with an extra man. Simple as.

billyhead

Need to win against Palace otherwise it will just support my belief that Amorim isn't the right man for the job. Should have been sacked after Grimsby.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016141#Comment_124016141

They were eternally on a flat back 5 out of possession with an empty midfield. That it took Neville pointing only out in about the 80th minute for you to notice it is instructive

ngunners

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016107#Comment_124016107

No, he was definitely being 100% serious.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016145#Comment_124016145

it was against a game but very limited Everton team down to 10 for 80 minutes. The players available while severely lacking in certain positions, with a functional setup should but more than good enough in that scenario.

bucketybuck

Zirkzee will take plenty of criticism after that, but yet again the player tasked with that role/position is looking poor in this United side. Hojlund, Sesko, Cunha, Zirkzee, whoever plays up top looks like crap, disjointed from the rest of the team. How long is that going to continue?

NITRO95

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016141#Comment_124016141

Best post you're likely to see over the next week about the match. Nailed it perfectly.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016172#Comment_124016172

Zirkzees problem in the first half was he kept dropping deep and getting in the way and breaking down attacks. He actually did alright (relatively speaking to the abject mess around him. 3/10 as opposed to 1) as a more orthodox centre forward in the second half. If he could be a disciplined player up top and not give in to his inspects to be a 10 he is possibly as serviceable backup in case of emergencies player until the squad is improved. That is all

randd1

It was calling out for a switch to 4-3-3 against 10 men with Bruno pushed up behind Zirkzee and the Max and Shaw overlapping on the wings.

Instead, flat back 3, everyone hold the formation that saw us out-muscled and out-manned in the middle of the park.

A tactical sh!tshow if I ever saw one. Again. After a year of the same scutter. Amorim is clueless, and clearly out of his depth, he can’t seem to make subs to the team and formation to counter teams. It’s a year, we shouldn’t be seeing performances like this.

The players themselves, no intensity, no belief, beating physically because of a lack of desire. There’s something wrong in a club when that’s the attitude in home games.

A depressing night.

DellyBelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016143#Comment_124016143

I think realistically most people thought we'd finish between 7 and 10th so we are probably where we should be. I think we will improve and get higher than 10 even might sneak into the top 6. Tonight's performance though was truly shocking...I didn't see that coming especially when they went down to 10

Nalz

Bizarre folks calling out Amad and Bruno as one of our worst performers when Dorgu, Dalot, Shaw, Yoro and Mainoo were shite and Zirksee wasn't much better.

DrPhilG

So deflated right now. 

After finally looking like a top half team, 3 wins on the bounce, 5 unbeaten, showing some fight and spirit in the comebacks for the 2 draws, then we produce that absolute dirt.

There are no excuses. We can complain about the lack of midfielders, the absence of a competent LWB, the single striker with no competition or backup, but that doesn't change the fact that tonight was utterly embarrassing.

None of those deficiencies I just mentioned are a valid excuse for what we saw tonight.

Palace away next, zero expectations of anything from that. And West Ham have been improving. We could end up losing 3 on the bounce not long after finally winning 3.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016199#Comment_124016199

Bruno was abysmal in the position he was picked in. He got a couple of shots away which is why some can’t, or refuse to see that though. Mainoo wasn’t great along with everyone else but nothing in his performance set him behind Bruno or Cas as a midfielder. But same as all our midfielders, he functions best in a 3.
Amad mixed the pure shite with some good interplay at times so may qualify for a 4/10 just behind Lammens who was really motm by default. Could have had a stronger arm on goal but ok besides.

Lammens 5 ok

Yoro 2 poor in possession. Weak in contact. Looked lost

De ligt 4 lost possession under no pressure a few times but otherwise ok

Shaw 2 played like he signed a new contract this week

Dorgu 1 Awful

Maz 1 Did he actually play the first half?

Cas 3 age is again looking a factor.

Bruno 3 too deep for his strengths

Amad 4 mixed shite with a few moments

Mbeuno 3 worst game for Still looked like he could be a threat us yet.

Zirkzee 3 non player first half but was slightly less than woeful when he played as orthodox 9 in second half

Mount 3 did nothing

Mainoo 3 did nothing

Dalot 1 never does anything

Amorim 0 did nothing worthwhile

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016158#Comment_124016158

We just weren't playing 5 at the back out of possession despite what aul Gary was on about. And the midfield was empty because Bruno just can't help himself jumping on the press and leaving huge bloody holes that Concrete Casemiro couldn't fill tonight.

Caustic

Manager at least said all the right things after the game, and calling out all the things that were bad which was a lot, and in a nice way saying the players lack the game intelligence in that game to control it properly but I feel like this happens always.

Bruno wasn't our worst player but again infuriating at times, the goal chance should have been hit with his left had no chance finishing it the way he had, sloppy on the ball especially first half, his poor pass cost mebeumo a card which meant he couldn't press effectively in the second half and him constantly standing on top of players on the 2nd half negated the extra man we had, just stay in the middle and keep switching it back and forth quickly, but Bruno goes left stands on shaw goes right stands on yoro and then there is no one to pass to in the middle because it should be him. He is a huge part of the reason we can't control games, for a system manager it must infuriate Amorim what he does but also that he has to always play he because despite all his faults he is still our best midfielder.

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016260#Comment_124016260

Surely the Bruno experiment in midfield has to come to an end soon. In the first half he was jumping into the space that Zirkzee was dropping into, which is how an Amorim team is supposed to play, and crowding out the middle instead of just being patient and letting the team build up play properly. One of two things needs to happen, either Bruno gets moved up to 10, where he's best, or he's on the bench. Nobody will convince me he's a better midfielder than either Mainoo or Ugarte in the 2 man role to just keep the ball moving. At least with him pushed up we can keep Amad at RWB.

Caustic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016292#Comment_124016292

I think we generally both agree about a lot of brunos faults but I dont think I agree we would be a better team with mainoo and ugarte playing ahead of him.

I do think the manager would have been happy to get rid of him in the summer mind, we have no real ball progressors in the middle 5 if Bruno doesnt play, mainoo can of course do that job and probably do it better but mainoo hasnt shown anything like it in his cameos this season and him being paired with casamerio would leave us heavily exposed on transitions worse then Bruno.

I thought casamerio was a disgrace tonight also, a number of times he just stood in the cover of other midfielders instead of running to open up an easy passing lane and then gets his booking so he knows he will be taken off, I'm surprised people are so happy with him this season, the lad is paid a fortune and managed to turn up fit this season because it was a world cup year.

I just don't see a solution to our midfield problems with the four we have

The_Kew_Tour

Not upgrading in CM will hurt us. About 1000 reasons we lost tonight but fact we can't play through middle was going come back haunt us.

That felt like two steps back tonight

So so poor..no player could walk away with head held high.

Lose to Palace and thats 2 points from 4 games. Back to poor stuff after a decent return from previous 5.