25 Aug 2024 10:36:28
I keep seeing words to the effect of "we were never expected to neat Brighton".

Why not?

They finished 11th last season and lost their manager. They had a 38 year old midfielder.

Anything but their complete destruction is a complete and utter failure of a man utd team.

1.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 11:01:56
I said was anyone really surprised at losing to Brighton. Our selection, team tactics, persistence with Rashford saw us struggle to score goals last season and we can see that continuing this season. We just don’t score enough goals, needed a CF, with experience and don’t have one, put the player in Garnacho who causes opposition the most problems on the bench, don’t even play a striker. So why would we be surprised at losing?
We became good at losing last season, brought in RVN and then don’t play a striker. The false 9 tactics worked against City in the cup final, but playing like that against Brighton? One goal per game a continuation of last season, it needs to change.

2.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 11:14:29
Because they have comfortably beaten us 4 out of the last 5 prem meetings (5 out of the last 6 as of yesterday)
They got a talented manager, splashed the cash they raised from their solid transfer business on more decent players and had a bright pre season and a solid start to the prem season playing attacking
exciting football

We on the other hand stuck with the manager who gave us our worst ever prem season. We spent 150m on 4 players of which only 1 can get in our starting 11. Preferring maguire to de ligt and we stumbled out of the blocks at fulham and defeats at brighton and liverpool are expected.

ive not seen ugarte play but he will have to be one hell of a player to improve our performances. if we even get him. Less than a week till the window shuts and we still need to offload dead wood to buy anyone else.

3.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 11:33:30
Brighton didn't play particularly well, we were just awful yet again.

4.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 11:47:49
Utd weren't awful, they were wasteful. Had Amad out his chance away and Zirkzee not made contact with the ball, everyone would have been happy and excited.

The major issue is individual mistakes and poor decision making.
Let's be honest we were very unlucky to lose yesterday.

5.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 12:07:33
We were not awful. Total hyperbole yet again.

We played pretty well and have been unlucky not to have scored more goals in the first two games.

We’ve played some decent stuff too. A little undercooked from pre-season admittedly, but clearly playing better and more organised than last season.

Three disallowed goals and a missed open goal. The result is all that matters, but I swear some fans only watch MOTD and then come on here moaning without seeing the full game.

We were very unlucky not to have 3 points yesterday, which is not what could be said in recent visits to Brighton.

6.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 12:58:22
We had chances that we didn't take and were punished by a side who scored 2 of their 3 chances in the game. We also had opportunities to create chances which we wasted by poor execution or decision making from our attacking players.

On a positive note we actually looked pretty comfortable for the majority of the game and that was a rarity last season. We also put together a few good passages of play. Was it phenomenal, no, but there were improvements compared to most of the games last season.

The negatives come from the fact the manager made a couple of strange subs and ultimately stuck with a few players who if they continue to play will cost us goals due to daft mistakes or misjudgements. I'm still not sure why we seem to insist on playing as slowly as we do at times but hopefully that develops as the season progresses.

7.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 13:01:27
We have the most missed chances in the league after 2 games according to stats from top 6 clubs. We are buying younger players and wages within a bracket as a strategy and that rules out many players that may be available but don't fit the age or wage profile and there will be some growing pains.

Listened to Orstein the other day talking about its not transfer fees that are killing clubs its the wage structure of some clubs.

This is a typical reaction by some people who throw their toys out based on weekly results and then also want to talk about a reset and rebuild, culture blah blah blah, which is more lip service. They have zero patients and want it all immediately.

We gave away two terrible goals and that's player mistakes and not related to strategy or team set up.

Very young team, one striker crooked, the other new team, league and not even maybe match fit. Marquee signing broken foot and Deligt also getting eased in. if it does not meet your timelines of throwing them all in together tough, get used to it, many teams doing the same way.

We have some positions that needs fixing and hopefully will deal with that before the window closes. We will get a lot better as the season goes on.

8.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 13:24:01
I don't see it so much as unlucky as we aren't street wise, we don't close out games.

Thought we saw good and bad from Amad, good finished missed one and a couple of times he should have put Rashy in but didn't.

I thought assessing Rashy was interesting, there were quite a few times he had beaten the trap only for the man on the ball not to even look never mind see him and so didn't even play what on at least three occasions an easy ball which would have left him running at the keeper.

The frustrating thing here though is as we are playing with a false nine, Rashy with his pace and power is doing exactly what his manager is designing, to look to get in behind the defence, had those balls been played not only would the result very possibly have been different, but so would Brightons tactics and going forward others too, you would fubd teams being very reluctant to play so high knowing that we were always looking to release Marcus, many people including me have mixed feelings about him but he can be devastating running beyond defenders and our tactics were supposed to take advantage of that and create those moments and we did, just players didn't see it.

Yes there was a few times Rashy was guilty of being offside when he should have been a bit cuter but assuming he will understand when to go and others understand to look for that run sooner it changes a lot of how you play us.

The moment teams start to fear this ball it starts to free up space in the middle, it makes playing with a false 9 even more dangerous.

9.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 13:24:18
Not related to team set-up? Quite clearly on both goals at least 2 or 3 players had no clue where to be.

10.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 13:39:55
The manager picks the team Ahmad, the buck stops with him. I could understand if we had injuries to cb but we don’t. Barring left back we can pick a first back 5 yet we don’t again.

Throwing toys out of the pram with the manager weekly was an occurrence last season, but many still voted for him to stay based on a flukey win against a City team still asleep from their midweek piss up.

There is a handful, me included which expect these results based on the manager, and the favourites he picks, once that's eradicated then things will improve, until then get used to the same as last season.

Brighton rightfully so went into the game as favourites, why shouldn’t they? We proved the odds correct by losing. We should earn the right to go into games as favourites. I cannot understand what changed over the summer to think we should be challenging more than 6th again.

11.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 14:14:30
Ahmad

You say we gave away two terrible goals and that's player mistakes and not related to strategy or team set up. Surely the defence is coached in the team set up?

Then what about scoring goals? Two rookie strikers, one injured and Rashford treated as a favourite is a real issue.

12.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 14:29:57
Gnev

Personally had no issues with set up and team selection. When you don't take your chances and turn a simple pass into pass and miss opportunities to score, you are asking for trouble. We were the better team both games but making hard work. First half i thought Brighton offered nothing and we had control, Amad misses a golden chance and a simple pass to rash and its slim margins at this level.

On another day we are in a comfortable place. Its a game of moments, the ball glance off zirksee on the line whilst its going in and we get a call to nullify going ahead. The idea we were rubbish or poor is just not true or reflective of the game. We are very clumsy/ rusty in the final third I accept that.

13.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 16:02:13
Redman

I don't buy into fav thing with eth. he has shown he has no issues dropping players. There seems to be a section of the fans that when we get a bad result, full attention is on eth and rash and one has to be at fault. its a team game. The next argument is the players are coached badly, we have mistakes in our back 4 and have had it for Yonkers.

Its hard to explain why 4 guys went to the ball and left 3 guys unmarked at the far corner, even with eth saying before the game he told them not to let that winger come on to his right foot and show him the outside.

14.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 18:13:22
Ahmad you are right. The favourite thing was quickly disproved but it’s still a stick for people to use.

Worse thing about losing on a weekend is it’s like Groundhog Day on here for a few days afterwards.

Garnacho hasn’t had a pre-season, he’s being eased back in.

Likewise people are questioning the formation and defensive changes.

De Ligt and Zirkzee didn’t kick a ball in pre season. They need easing in.

It’s all there to see if people can be bothered to look.

15.) 25 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 18:35:40
Ahmad. I think the first half hour we had more of the ball. I commented on live chat i thought they were there for the taking today. So i do agree to a certain extent. However once their goal went in the game changed.

I don’t get the sentiment on a different day we could have had a comfortable win, i haven’t felt that way about a Utd side in a long long time. This season i am not holding my breath will be any different.

16.) 26 Aug 2024
25 Aug 2024 19:50:55
I'm just resigned to another poor season. nothing has or will change. The players are just brain dead, as bad as passing it forwards than defending. Just plain thick. easy passes not made, clearing lines not done. just basics are not done. that's just plain rank bad coaching. yesterday was same old rubbish.