28 Sep 2021 11:20:58
So Villarreal have made a speciality out of drawing away from home this year. If it ends up as a draw tomorrow, it that a good or bad result for us?

1.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 11:31:55
Awful result if it ends as a draw tomorrow for us and fantastic result for Villareal…. but I do expect Ronny and Bruno to be the difference tomorrow regardless of how Ole sets up and with whom.

2.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 12:34:14
It'd be a terrible result mainly because we lost the first game. They are exactly the type of side we struggle against though, well coached, organised and willing to allow us to try to break them down.

3.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 13:07:19
I think we all know how he's going to set up. Fred and Mctominay as the two holding midfielders. Same old shi*te different game.
Pathetic!

4.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 13:24:12
He hasn’t got much choice to do anything else:

Matic can only do one half

Van de beek not a defensive midfielder

McTominay neither - more box to box

Should’ve bought a DM instead of Sancho in tbe summer: Greenwood decent enough there.

5.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 13:44:17
He’s been in position for 6 transfer windows.

When he got the job, we lacked a top quality holding midfielder.

He has never made a clear attempt to bring in holding midfielder.

The perceived lack of choice is the result of choices he made in every transfer window.

So either Ole has no control over transfers or he thinks that Fred and McTominay are good enough to be United’s central midfield.

I think people are deluded if they think this is something Ole hasn’t chosen. This is the midfield he has gone for every time. 2 and a half seasons, with no real shift. He wants to play Fred and McTominay as the midfield two because they fit his tactics - sit deep and move the ball to the forward players to create.

6.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 13:47:57
We need to win…anything else and we are heading for Thursday night football once again!

7.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 15:14:01
Ole just said in press conf saying McFred gives energy and that's why they are his preferred two.
He just needs players to run around rather than ones with footballing brain.

8.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 15:42:41
TRD,

Don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone, McFred is his go to midfield and more often than not when playing together they don’t let him down.

Unfortunately there are many games when we don’t need both of them to play and he doesn’t seem to have found the balance as to when to play them and when not to play them.

9.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 16:02:33
"They don't let him down"

I strongly disagree with that GDS2.

10.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 16:18:47
Fred has been absolutely pathetic going on 12 months. Can't control a football and can't pass a ball to save his life. His positioning is terrible as well.
Why does he (Ole) need to play both?
You look at the top sides like Liverpool (Fabinho) Chelsea (Kante) and Man City (Fernandinho) and they only play the one because the managers have trust in there more talented forward thinking players that are able to keep hold of the ball and create chances.
I was all for giving Ole a chance but enough is enough.
He's making the same mistakes week after week and doesn't seem to be learning.
I can see Thursday night football on the horizon AGAIN.

11.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 16:19:33
They don’t let him down Mumbles, by his standards. If they were letting him down, Ole would have replaced one or both of them.

Personally I thinking that picking central midfielders on the basis of their on the ball ability is best, as a club that aspires to win trophies needs to have players in the middle that want to get on the ball and dictate play.

Ole just has different standards for judging midfield players.

12.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 16:35:11
Fred and McTominay can tackle but cannot pass.
Matic and VDB can pass but cannot tackle.

We have seven world class attacking players and zero world class midfielders.

How has the club not addressed this?

{Ed014's Note - 7, really?

13.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 17:15:44
I don’t think we have 7 world class players overall let alone 7 World class attackers
Zidaniel out of interest who are your 7 world class attackers?

Clearly Ole Is happy with McFred no ifs or buts all the speculation about buyer replacements is just that speculation.

Wallace… I don’t think it’s fair to say that any professional footballer can only last 45 mins, maybe he just don’t like what he is being ask to do!

14.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 17:43:56
I can't imagine any new manager walking into O. T. tomorrow and not ditching McFred before they even took their coat off. McT to possibly stay as a squad player utilised over 55 games a season .

How anyone defends them - "well Fred can do this and mcT is good at blah blah blah " forget it, they aren't good enough to be in a midfield of a team wanting to win PL and CL.

15.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 17:57:00
John McGinn bullied both of them the other day on his own. Says it all really.

16.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 18:22:38
Who said they don’t let him down
They let everyone down virtually every time they play
There both not good enough for this once great club.

17.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 18:44:09
You all surely got my point - Ronaldo, Cavani, Greenwood, Sancho, Rashford, Pogba, Bruno - are all attacking players with great ability. Yes, seven players.

None of our best players play in the midfield and help us control games. Bruno and Pogba are attacking midfielders who do all their best work in the final third, not in the middle third.

18.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 19:39:20
ZIN But 7 of them are not world class or anywhere near
Ronaldo yes
Cavani yes
Bruno yes
Pogba when he wants
Others can't no way be classed as world class by anyones standard.

19.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 20:27:44
Blackpool,

That’s the thing though, they don’t. I’d say we have played really well in one game this season, against Leeds, who was our midfield 2 out of interest? More often than not when McFred play we get decent results, that’s just a fact, whether that’s more luck than judgment I’m not sure but when played together they rarely let him down.

I totally agree they aren’t good enough for a team wanting to challenge by the way, but the other options we have aren’t either.

20.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 20:59:07
Is a draw at home ever considered a good result for us? Certainly not against a decent, but hardly top-class Villareal side.

21.) 28 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 21:09:04
I would say Rashford is world class. Clearly his injury has been an issue but hopefully when he comes back next month we get the Marcus of 2019/ 20.

{Ed014's Note - he’s not

22.) 29 Sep 2021
29 Sep 2021 02:40:30
We’ve lost 3 of our last 4 games including our last 2 home games despite not having played anyone of any real note. Anything less than a win is not good enough. Sadly, I’m sure Ole would settle for a point like he did in the final last year.

23.) 29 Sep 2021
29 Sep 2021 07:54:16
World class gets banded about too easily I’m afraid….

Grim…. Rashford needs to add a hell of a lot IMO to his game, to be anything near world class!

24.) 29 Sep 2021
28 Sep 2021 23:26:05
In your opinion Ed, you state your opinion as fact, who do you think you are, Shappy?

{Ed014's Note - well I can’t possibly be Shappy as I found 2 words sufficed as opposed to 2 sides of A4 ?‍♂️

Are you of the opposite opinion, that he is world class?

25.) 29 Sep 2021
29 Sep 2021 13:40:58
I am not, I don’t think he is, I can see why people think some of his attributes are though and that he could be, but at the moment he isn’t. I was just having a bit of banter about Shappy Ed, trying to take the site a little less seriously,

{Ed014's Note - hey likewise, maybe I should have used a laughing emoji instead of the one I used. My bad ?

He has the potential for sure but he needs a full season of games to get him to his full potential and take that big step up. I like him.

26.) 29 Sep 2021
29 Sep 2021 14:37:53
I don’t think any of the emoji’s are working properly anymore, certainly not on my device, it’s probably changing the context of all the messages ??‍♂️?

I think it’s hard not like to Rashford as a person and quite often as a player, it’s hard to know if his injuries have hampered him in the last year as he seems to have regressed at a time he could / should have kicked on, hopefully he comes back fresh and fit and becomes the player many of us hope he can.

{Ed014's Note - that has to have been a big factor, injuries just ruin all of a players momentum when trying to progress.

If he applies himself and isn’t too distracted by things outside of football he’s got a good chance of taking the step.

27.) 29 Sep 2021
29 Sep 2021 15:56:12
Totally agree Ed ?.

{Ed014's Note - ? do you need to lie down ?