Manchester United Banter Archive April 16 2018

16 Apr 2018 20:43:41
{Ed's Note - Danny Lancs has posted a new article entitled, Manchester United v West Brom 15 April 2018 Review

16 Apr 2018 21:51:47
Good post Danny sums up yesterday very well. I too am not so certain that when we strengthen in the summer we will play more attractive football. I think our defence is weak and Jose is compensating by protecting it. But our attacking players has been woeful all season. There is no style of play or identity and we are constantly relying on bits of magic to win us games. The players look like strangers when they attack. There are some very talented footballers in our team but if they are not being coached properly then it doesn’t matter how much talent you have got.

Jose needs to find a system and style and stick with it. Constantly changing is creating unrest and we are in the position where we still don’t have an understanding between the players on the pitch. Sidelining martial and rashford for Sanchez has proven to be a bad decision. However, martial was a joke when he was introduced yesterday. For a player with a point to prove he was languid and passive. If he doesn’t want to be here then he can be shown the door because I sick of these mentally weak snowflakes who pick and choose when they decide to turn it on.

I’m prepared to give Jose another year but I think we need to be looking for a suitable replacement. We need to find a way of getting the best out of the squad with a system. Finally we need to invest sensibly. It’s so bad but I come to expect these lacklustre performances from us these days. It’s become the norm and that’s the sad thing.

16 Apr 2018 22:59:35
Thanks Park, I blame the players more than the manager for y'days debacle but accept that he must also take some of the responsibility. It's his job to keep them hungry and motivated and most of them looked anything but!

These type of performances need to eradicated if we're to have any chance of challenging for the title next season. There's no doubt we've improved immeasurably in terms of points gained, goals scored and goals conceded but even I must admit that it's felt like a hard slog for the most part. Just as I think we're slowly getting it together they throw in another curve ball like y'day. It's just all so Infuriating!

17 Apr 2018 11:18:38
That’s issue Danny that when we have a great result we follow it up with a shocking performance. Liverpool and then Sevilla spring to mind. We are terrible inconsistent and as Gary Neville said last night that is difficult to coach out of certain players. Right when we seem to be turning a corner we loss in such a terrible way that it feels like doom and gloom. Like many have mentioned we really lack leaders and I can’t see any players in there that are like Rio, vidic, evra or Neville. We lost a whole host of leaders in one go and have never replaced them. Valencia being captain says it all. I’ve never heard him speak or do an interview and am pretty sure he can’t speak English! So in a way I can see jose’s Frustration. But he himself is not inspiring the team. It’s a very strange feeling being a united fan at the moment.

16 Apr 2018 13:18:51
Thanks ed002 for the update.
Very interesting.
Im surprised they're are no right backs on the list its an area that needs a change imo.
Lets hope we can get the right players in and for me its More important that the right players leave nobody on your list of outs causes me any surprise or disappointment. But i'd like to see fellaini and mata possibly join that list of outs.
I suppose a lot can change between now and the end of the window. Intersecting summer ahead.

{Ed002's Note - I would expect Fellaini to go.

16 Apr 2018 14:54:20
Ken, I'd have liked to see a RB come in as well. However, we have Valencia, Young, TFM, Tuanzebe, Lindelof and even Bailly who can cover RB with varying degrees of success and different styles. So I can see why it might be behind LB, CM and possibly even CB in the pecking order. With several midfielders leaving/ retiring this summer we will likely need at least two midfielders as well.

16 Apr 2018 14:56:34
Sounds like a cb cm and lb.

16 Apr 2018 15:31:48
I agree jred, maybe two CM's. We will likely lose Fellaini, Carrick and Andreas Pereira, leaving just Matic, Pogba, McTominay and Herrera who may well leave as well if he doesn't extend his contract.

16 Apr 2018 14:10:08
Hi Ed002 sorry but is Sahrkopod #18 the latest?
Many thanks.

{Ed002's Note - I really don't know, sorry.}

16 Apr 2018 16:56:46
Go to the rumours page 666red, ed2 has a brilliant summary.

16 Apr 2018 17:04:49
Thanks Deep. Just saw that and many thanks Ed002.

16 Apr 2018 18:44:17
Why do you think we are looking at the attackers then jred? I suppose its in case we have to sell ine that wants to leave which makes sense.
I agree it looks like lb cb and 2x cm . Possibly an attacker if we sell one but maybe martial will have a change of heart and sign a new deal if that's the case we are well stocked but i suspect we will see another attacker come in.

16 Apr 2018 19:30:24
Ken
I don't think we will buy a lw .

16 Apr 2018 06:49:14
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Premier League Match Preview Monday 16th April 2018

15 Apr 2018 22:27:50
Some serious issues now for the club,1 Pogba will they push to sell, he is too inconsistent, ( Martial and Sanchez too) 2. Jose's style of play, it tough to watch the fans are getting tired of it. 3 we need to strengthen in a number of areas, full backs, Centre back, midfield so how much can we afford. 4 with all our attacking players we can't create chances against weak opposition, so do we need another play maker? It's going to be a long summer l just hope the board have made a decision on Jose so the business can start before many players go to the world cup.

16 Apr 2018 04:38:11
We have no width at all.

Tony should be perfect for what we need as a right back, but somewhere in the LVG years he completely lost the ability to go down the outside and cross a ball. It is so painful to watch the team draw the opposition to our left, quickly switch play to Tony in acres of space only for him to turn inside and keep possession - or worse still drive the ball really hard and low into the first defender.

If only Young was left footed, or could cross with his left on the outside.

We have strikers or playmakers (Mata and sanchez) for wingers.


The biggest difference for Liverpool is that the two young full backs add width and half decent crosses. I don't even think they assist that many, but they stretch the play out creating space.

16 Apr 2018 08:09:07
But aren't all these things simply down to tactics? Every game I watch the commentators tear José's tactics apart, yesterday as an example, they pointed out that we had to narrow players on the wings against a team heavily congested in the middle, meaning more traffic there instead of stretching. Look at the balls played by Pogba, Matic, Herrera, even when there are players on the wings (Young, Valencia), they look to put in down the center. Even when Young, or Valencia as you say, get the ball, they look to cut into the park, rather than look for an overlap and cross, again probably tactics.

The commentators also mentioned yesterday that during half time at City, the players are the ones who took the initiative, rather than Mourinho, did they merely disregard his tactics for the second half? The players just look confused, always second guessing as to whether they are playing the José way, taking two or three touches to pass a simple ball to someone who seconds before was unmarked and now is surrounded. José talked of players over trying, too complicated, yesterday, yet the major culprit, Sanchez who just seems to chip balls hoping they'll land, remained on the pitch till the end. I don't think pointing fingers at the players is as justified as some believe, the squad is better than some believe. I mean Liverpool and City are attack orientated with questionable defences, as instead much more so.

16 Apr 2018 09:21:24
Sell Sanchez? he was the only one out there yesterday in a red shirt with any urgency and looked like he cared, I only wish the rest of the outfield players would show the same energy levels and maybe then we wouldn't struggle against the bottom feeders.

16 Apr 2018 12:55:52
georgieworst - Sanchez was absolutely awful yesterday, he can't seem to let go of the ball and make the simple pass. He's always wants to take that extra touch and he's constantly loosing the ball. Pogba can go tomorrow for me. I don't care what anyone says on this site, he is not in the slightest interested, he's lazy and arrogant and he's absolutely taking the p*ss out of Manchester United.
To many individual players not enough team players.

16 Apr 2018 13:17:07
Agree with Georgie Sanchez was the only one trying to make something happen. I would like to put yesterday down to a bad day in the office but it’s happening far too much for it to be just that. These small games are the bread and butter and they are what wins league titles. Until we start blowing these teams away the we won’t be anywhere near winning the title. We are not ruthless enough. Pathetic quite frankly.

16 Apr 2018 14:56:50
Simo1975
Maybe if other players moved for one of Sanchez's passes instead of remaining static and waiting for a pass instead of moving for one then Sanchez's stats might look a little more Impressive. There are a few players that are more deserving of condemnation imho.

17 Apr 2018 09:47:06
Play the match back again and watch how many times Sanchez loses the ball, instead of laying the ball off with an easy pass he chooses to take an extra touch and gets the ball taken off him. Even his passing was dreadful yesterday. Mourinho eluded to it in his after match interview.
I am still trying to work out why Mourinho bought him, we have 2 perfectly good players in that position that were happy to fight it out between them.
The Money could be put to good use buying someone else like a midfielder which we are desperate for.