Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours 2018/2019 warning in OP 24/2/19

Kerrydude1981 · 03-01-2019 01:27PM

Was edgy enough sitting down to watch the game last night,Newcastle away is one of those games that makes me uncomfortable every season for some reason West Ham away when they played at Upton Park was another,Stoke would have been another when they were in PL,these clubs just seem to raise their game and are capable of pulling off a result and then do nothing for the rest of the season,

There was signs of this in the first half when Newcastle had a few chances and Utd were slow to get going and looked very uneasy at the back,but there was some lovely link up play at times in that first half,

Second half I thought things were away more comfortable,team settled down and controlled the game better, Lindelof I thought was outstanding and he dealt with Rondon very well,Shaw defended well too,

Rashford though is really coming into his own since the change in management and playing style and its great to see it as he is a class act

Spurs is going to be a big test but its a game Im looking forward to now as its going to be interesting to see how Solskjaer approaches he's first big test as Utd caretaker manager

NaiveMelodies · 03-01-2019 01:36PM

Spurs will easily exploit us on the break unless a few tweaks are made. Newcastle got into very dangerous positions very easily last night as soon as the ball was turned over.

Valencia obviously can't play with that in mind and Sanchez for Mata for me. Matic to play a bit deeper and leave the pressing to the front five.

Rossi IRL · 03-01-2019 01:45PM

NaiveMelodies wrote: »

Spurs will easily exploit us on the break unless a few tweaks are made. Newcastle got into very dangerous positions very easily last night as soon as the ball was turned over.

Valencia obviously can't play with that in mind and Sanchez for Mata for me. Matic to play a bit deeper and leave the pressing to the front five.

Atsu got in far too much down our right side. Reckon Young and Lingard will play down the right vs Spurs

beakerjoe · 03-01-2019 01:48PM

NaiveMelodies wrote: »

Spurs will easily exploit us on the break unless a few tweaks are made. Newcastle got into very dangerous positions very easily last night as soon as the ball was turned over.

Valencia obviously can't play with that in mind and Sanchez for Mata for me. Matic to play a bit deeper and leave the pressing to the front five.

On the flip side, looking at Spurs against Wolves and Bournemouth recently, we could easily exploit them with our attacking play too.

Wolves dominated them in the second half of their game and Bournemouth just didnt take their chances. I think both sides will score.

VW 1 · 03-01-2019 01:48PM

Kerrydude1981 wrote: »

West Ham away when they played at Upton Park was another,

Surely you mean the Boleyn ground? :P

I really don't like West Ham.....

bangkok · 03-01-2019 01:49PM

Rashford is currently one of the best young players in the world right now and def one of the most exciting to watch

jayo26 · 03-01-2019 01:55PM

bangkok wrote: »

Rashford is currently one of the best young players in the world right now and def one of the most exciting to watch

You really don't do any middle ground do you... Rashford is on form but it takes alot more then a few good games to be considered one of the best young players in the world.

Edit: actually you know what he might actually make top ten under 22s so your right ok.

Rossi IRL · 03-01-2019 01:55PM

beakerjoe wrote: »

On the flip side, looking at Spurs against Wolves and Bournemouth recently, we could easily exploit them with our attacking play too.

Wolves dominated them in the second half of their game and Bournemouth just didnt take their chances. I think both sides will score.

Spurs looked absolutely dead on their feet in the 2nd half and just invited them on.

I doubt we would catch them on such an off day but it would be great if we did.

I wouldn't be surprised if we won and I wouldn't be surprised if we lose, its a game that could go either way.

Mitch Connor · 03-01-2019 02:01PM

Rossi IRL wrote: »

Atsu got in far too much down our right side. Reckon Young and Lingard will play down the right vs Spurs

Part of that is on the tactics, imo.

We didn't have a right winger (Mata came in a lot) and had no one tracking Richie - so Richie ran forward freely, hugging the line - so Valencia was out that side keeping an eye on him. Atsu would then position himself between Valencia and the CB, and the Defensive Line and Midfield, with no one really picking him up.

Playing without a right side attacking gave their full back freedom and ours no protection. Lingard positioned himself similarly (centrally) in previous games so it isn't just a mata thing.

I also think Valencia was hampered offensively for similar reasons - isolated and commonly up against two players with no forward movement possible.

DM_7 · 03-01-2019 02:21PM

Rossi IRL wrote: »

Spurs looked absolutely dead on their feet in the 2nd half and just invited them on.

I doubt we would catch them on such an off day but it would be great if we did.

I wouldn't be surprised if we won and I wouldn't be surprised if we lose, its a game that could go either way.

Spurs have an extra game which is good for United. Spurs are fortunate with the fixture lay out, Tranmere is Friday, League Cup on the Tuesday then play United on the Sunday. Chelsea by contrast have Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday.

I know a day here or there is not huge but just after the busy Christmas and New Year it is a help to them.

03-01-2019 02:31PM

As fond as I am of Mata, as much as he is gifted with a football and is such a likeable pro-footballer, I'm not sure where he's going to fit into this faster paced game Ole's United are trying to adapt to. The couple of times he has started so far (Huddersfield and Newcastle*) he is one of the players who has concerned me as to where his future lies in a faster United team.

What's more, I thought he had one of his poorer seasons for us last year and although he was effective in some games under Jose this season, his goal scoring has all but come to a halt this past 18 months or so.

His contract is up in the Summer, and we have no option to extend for a year. I admire Mata greatly and love having him at United, but if both he and United were to decide to move on next Summer I would understand and not be too disappointed for the team's prospects without him. Also, he is 31 in April.

*They were the two toughest games out of Ole's 4 so far, and Mata featured in a winning team for both of them. Maybe in the games where we can attack fast and freely, Mata is not ideal, but maybe he is necessary for the games where the opposition are defensively dogged and sit deep in numbers like Huddersfield and Newcastle. That said though, we didn't score against Newcastle until after Mata went off.

paulbok · 03-01-2019 02:39PM

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble

Loads of different charts and numbers - note none of the ones posted are concerned with revenue generated by player sales or spent on same, what they do show is that Man Utd is a money making machine and Man City would be nowhere without Abu Dubai - but then we knew that!

Taken from the main PL thread.

Most interesting on that to me is that over the 20 years, between the loan repayment s, interest and dividends, an average of 85m a year is taken out of the club.

No wonder we are stuck with Valencia at RB for the last few years

Drumpot · 03-01-2019 02:44PM

Rossi IRL wrote: »

Spurs looked absolutely dead on their feet in the 2nd half and just invited them on.

I doubt we would catch them on such an off day but it would be great if we did.

I wouldn't be surprised if we won and I wouldn't be surprised if we lose, its a game that could go either way.

I found that spurs game interesting. I didn't see it and only heard bits of it (while spurs were leading) on the radio.

What was interesting was that at 1-0 up the commentators were gushing about how in control Spurs looked and that while they weren't creating chances they were looking comfortable. I remember thinking "I wonder if theres a chance wolves can get back into this or are spurs as in control as they make out?!". .

When wolves ultimately won, it made me think of the kind of things being thrown at United when we sat back on leads. One of the things that drove fans mad was that when we went 1-0 up we would sit back and sort of take it easy. It was also something that commentators and pundits ridiculed, sitting back on a lead. That sounded exactly like what Spurs did against Wolves. Now it was only one game and it could of been because they were tired (why are they tired , why is that ok ?) but it was interesting listening to commentators make spurs taking foot off pedal at 1-0 ok, when I know there would be very different things said about a United team doing the same thing . .

Drumpot · 03-01-2019 02:49PM

paulbok wrote: »

Taken from the main PL thread.

Most interesting on that to me is that over the 20 years, between the loan repayment s, interest and dividends, an average of 85m a year is taken out of the club.

No wonder we are stuck with Valencia at RB for the last few years

United is valued at the same of Chelsea and Liverpool combined and yet some people will claim that our spending is good comparable with our financial stature ! ! There were some people arguing that we have to be careful on who we buy cause of budget prudency! . . More like, we have to be careful because we have to first service massive debt, keep shareholders happy, sell the club to Asian noodle companies and pay the owners a cut of profits before investing in the first team . .

eagle eye · 03-01-2019 02:58PM

If Jones can get a run of games and stay fit he will get very good. He is very good, just needs a run of games. Lindelof needs to beef up a bit, just not physically strong enough to do himself justice but it is clear he is very talented.
I think a fit Sanchez along with Rashford and Martial is a terrifying proposition for any opposing defense.
Imo you need a right full back, Wan-Bissaka is the guy I'd go after, looks like a superstar in the making. You'll have Fosu-Mensah back in the summer to back him up.

yabadabado · 03-01-2019 03:04PM

No need to buy a right back.Give the spot to Dalot for the rest of the season and see can he make the position his own.

From the few appearances he's had ,he looked to have a lot of potential.

NaiveMelodies · 03-01-2019 03:11PM

yabadabado wrote: »

No need to buy a right back.Give the spot to Dalot for the rest of the season and see can he make the position his own.

From the few appearances he's had ,he looked to have a lot of potential.

But we are playing for and now have a great chance of getting into the top 4.

Don't think I could justify playing him ahead of even Valencia for the Spurs game, for example!

Was it the Arsenal game in which he got roasted about 7 or 8 times? Looks fine going forward but we definitely aren't a team that can allow a defender to forgo his defensive duties right now!
All for giving younger fellas a run but a head for positioning is a minimum requirement for allowing them that opportunity imo.

Econ__ · 03-01-2019 03:43PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

As fond as I am of Mata, as much as he is gifted with a football and is such a likeable pro-footballer, I'm not sure where he's going to fit into this faster paced game Ole's United are trying to adapt to. The couple of times he has started so far (Huddersfield and Newcastle*) he is one of the players who has concerned me as to where his future lies in a faster United team

You don’t need a team full of fast attackers to play with a fast-paced style. This is a false dichotomy.

In the right position & in the right role, a player like Mata can brilliantly compliment a primarily fast-paced system with his composure & creativity. The key is having the managerial ability to successfully integrate such a player into such a system.

DM_7 · 03-01-2019 03:50PM

Young is the best to play RB v Spurs.

clubberlang12 · 03-01-2019 03:52PM

Econ__ wrote: »

You don’t need a team full of fast attackers to play with a fast-paced style. This is a false dichotomy.

In the right position & in the right role, a player like Mata can brilliantly compliment a primarily fast-paced system with his composure & creativity. The key is having the managerial ability to successfully integrate such a player into such a system.

Mata needs to play more centrally, not specifically as a no.10 as such, but he is only fractionally as effective out wide. His lack of pace and strength also hinders his ability to track runners and help his full back more effectively defensively. His drifting in from wide isn't as much an issue for me as we see Lingard do so as well. But i feel Lingards energy aids the full back more.

The question isn't whether he can work in a pacey, transitional system, but whether he can work in this one. Since we play with 3 central midfielders and currently Pogba seeming to be the most offensive positionally, if Pogba plays I don't think we see Mata central. Should Pogba be rotated or out injured i would like to see Mata in that central role.

beakerjoe · 03-01-2019 03:58PM

DM_7 wrote: »

Young is the best to play RB v Spurs.

I agree.

Mitch Connor · 03-01-2019 04:06PM

NaiveMelodies wrote: »

But we are playing for and now have a great chance of getting into the top 4.

Don't think I could justify playing him ahead of even Valencia for the Spurs game, for example!

Was it the Arsenal game in which he got roasted about 7 or 8 times? Looks fine going forward but we definitely aren't a team that can allow a defender to forgo his defensive duties right now!
All for giving younger fellas a run but a head for positioning is a minimum requirement for allowing them that opportunity imo.

So you think we need to be buying a right back this week?

As for Dalot vs Arsenal - he clearly showed he doesn't know how to play wing back - which can be a tough position to learn with respect to when to stay/go. At full back the distinction and requirement is clearer. When he has played as a full back I don't think we have seen anywhere near the same issues as we saw vs Arsenal.

Adamocovic · 03-01-2019 04:18PM

Something that we've all seen brought up is the fact that Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Cardiff aren't big challenges and games we are expected to win.

Truth is we were expected to win games against the likes of Derby, Brighton, Wolves, West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Southampton this season but we didn't. Yes Ole has big tests coming his way but it's been a great start, even if people question the level of opposition. We're closing the gap ahead of us and if we can keep the run going the momentum could be a big factor. So Reading is a big game in my eyes, not taking it for granted.

Nothing wrong with expecting wins against lesser teams but my god we haven't been consistently doing that in a long time. Even thinking of teams who have bet us since Ferguson left, how many times were there "upsets" or historic days for teams finally getting one over on us. Ever since Mk Dons put 4 past us it's always been in the back of my head.

So while I understand people who are limiting expectations, and saying we're only beating teams we should be, to me the difference is we're actually doing just that and winning them comfortably enough. Just hope we continue against Reading and whatever happens with Spurs happens.

NaiveMelodies · 03-01-2019 04:27PM

Mitch Connor wrote: »

So you think we need to be buying a right back this week?

As for Dalot vs Arsenal - he clearly showed he doesn't know how to play wing back - which can be a tough position to learn with respect to when to stay/go. At full back the distinction and requirement is clearer. When he has played as a full back I don't think we have seen anywhere near the same issues as we saw vs Arsenal.

Nah, I don't think that.
I just think Dalot is vulnerable and in my opinion not ready for a long run in a team that doesn't really possess the leaders or quality when defending to make up for his shortcomings.
Young is fine and Valencia will hopefully be easier to trust when match fit.

That's fair re the differences with wing back / full back. Hopefully that's the issue.

tinofapples · 03-01-2019 04:46PM

It may already have been mentioned here but wasn't Valencia noticeably "rounder" last night !!

beakerjoe · 03-01-2019 04:47PM

Adamocovic wrote: »

Something that we've all seen brought up is the fact that Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Cardiff aren't big challenges and games we are expected to win.

Truth is we were expected to win games against the likes of Derby, Brighton, Wolves, West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Southampton this season but we didn't. Yes Ole has big tests coming his way but it's been a great start, even if people question the level of opposition. We're closing the gap ahead of us and if we can keep the run going the momentum could be a big factor. So Reading is a big game in my eyes, not taking it for granted.

Nothing wrong with expecting wins against lesser teams but my god we haven't been consistently doing that in a long time. Even thinking of teams who have bet us since Ferguson left, how many times were there "upsets" or historic days for teams finally getting one over on us. Ever since Mk Dons put 4 past us it's always been in the back of my head.

So while I understand people who are limiting expectations, and saying we're only beating teams we should be, to me the difference is we're actually doing just that and winning them comfortably enough. Just hope we continue against Reading and whatever happens with Spurs happens.

Ole has won us 12 points in 4 games, max return over a busy xmas period. Currently we will be the only team who will achieve this unless the league leaders win tonight.

As said above its been a welcome change to struggling against the like of Brighton, West Ham and Derby.

Its also good results against teams we failed to beat last term.

Not only that but we have been playing with a spring in our step.

Yes there is room for improvement, no doubt, but we have improved in the last 4 games.

Ive enjoyed watching Utd for the first time in ages.....Ive been placing players in my Fantasy team, something I havent been doing all season.

While I will admit I can see negatives in last nights game and the others, the positives out weight them.

A good performance against Spurs, even if it ends in a defeat, will do the club the world of good.

Im much more optimistic about the game now than I was when we lost to Valencia. Spurs will be up for it but they will fear us much more now than they did 1 month ago and judging by the Wolves game a few days ago, Spurs defence is there for the taking if we play well.

beakerjoe · 03-01-2019 04:48PM

tinofapples wrote: »

It may already have been mentioned here but wasn't Valencia noticeably "rounder" last night !!

I cant judge after the Christmas dinners

wanderer100 · 03-01-2019 04:55PM

Rather see him at RB than Valencia tbh

https://twitter.com/utdreport/status/1080841141816344576

Headshot · 03-01-2019 04:58PM

wanderer100 wrote: »

Rather see him at RB than Valencia tbh

https://twitter.com/utdreport/status/1080841141816344576

Must of been a very poor loan

Mitch Connor · 03-01-2019 05:00PM

Wonder if we are looking to loan him elsewhere - not been watching him, has he been injured? Arsenal on New Years day was the first game since the start of November.

Could be getting brought back due to injuries/sales at United, or simply to sell/loan him elsewhere.

Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours 2018/2019 **warning in OP 24/2/19**

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Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours 2018/2019 warning in OP 24/2/19