Manchester United Banter Archive November 23 2017

 

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23 Nov 2017 23:18:40
Is jose trying to force zlatan into the starting 11 at the detriment to lukaku?

Work vommitments stop me watching as much as a a few months ago butthe last 2 games is being reported as zlatan is main man and rom is out wide?

Believable1 Unbelievable0

23 Nov 2017 23:39:39
Pushing lukaku wide will not work for a zillion reasons imo.
Sure if we are chasing a goal with 15 mins to go I see the benefit of having both on but last night was not the time imo.
For me it's one or the other.

At the moment I think lukaku looks a little off the pace he is carrying a couple of knocks and has played 90mins in nearly every game for club and country this season. He just lacks a tiny bit of sharpness and I think now with ibra available he will get more rest to keep him sharp and fresh. He is not a robot and can't play as often as he has and play at his best.
Both score goals and i'd be happy going into any match with either of them playing as cf as long as they are fit and fresh and Jose now has that option. It's hard to see them playing in the same team in our current preferred formation.

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24 Nov 2017 00:01:28
Lukaku is 24 years old why can't he play week in week out .
Zlatan at 35 did last season .
Ibra scored 17 league goals last season compared to lukaku 25, lukaku has 8 in 12 this season all from open play .
Why play a 100% 9 on the wing?
Pogba won't get rested when fit, last year ibra never why should lukaku.

Worse part is watching martial having to sit on the bench for ibra while sane and sterling rip it up for city.

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24 Nov 2017 03:04:27
I agree with all of that Jred.

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24 Nov 2017 06:55:39
EZRS, I made that point the first time it happened and it worries me. The only way I see them in the same team is with Ibra at 10, any other formation doesn’t work for me. Given our solid start is would be horrible if Ibra gets shoehorned in to the detriment of our current style.

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24 Nov 2017 08:29:49
I fully agree Jred but I can also see Kens point of view. Lukaku has looked a little sluggish recently and maybe a night off might have done him some good or being replaced by Ibra for the last 10-15 mins keeping him a little fresher for the weekend.

Anyway I think we're all in agreement that no way should he be pushed out wide and introducing Ibra upset the balance of the team, rather than making us more dangerous it had the opposite effect.

I agree with AJH rather than Ibra's return giving us more options at the moment it looks like it could give us a massive selection dilemma and actually be at the detriment to the team especially considering the form of Lukaku, Rashford and Martial. Miki can't even get a place on the bench!

It's early days yet and the games he's been introduced have been dead rubbers so let's hope Jose can see what everybody else can and he comes up with a better solution.

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24 Nov 2017 09:06:24
Ibra will play at the 10 behind lukaku when he is fit.

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24 Nov 2017 10:08:54
Genuinely hope ibra isn't pushing rom out wide.

I stand by jose and his decosions but IF that's the case then its madness IMO.

Zlat at no.10 is an interesting point.

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23 Nov 2017 20:49:00
An observation not a dissection of last night. First half we all saw the total control and focus then second half a lack of control and getting caught out of position. Easy to spot the full backs issue, yet to me I also saw a midfield that was caught upfield and didn't work hard enough to get back in position. Herrera, Fellaini and Lingard looked like they came out second half believing the work was done. A team tends to run further without the ball so given they chased first half, we chased second, you would think the overall distance covered would be similar. Stats can lie yet Basel ran 7km more than us and that seemed to resemble what I saw in the second half. I also remembered the video from a couple of weeks ago where the ref sprinted past Lingard. If they were not running hard enough then maybe they lost focus and it would perhaps explain a perceived lack of professionalism.
Maybe there are players who are too cosy. Under SAF, he was secure and if the players didn't work they went, not the manager, now there is that subtle difference that needs to be ironed out. The players need to know the manager is in control, has the support and it was interesting that the ones who looked to me like their level dropped were not Jose purchases. It is wake up time for some.

Believable3 Unbelievable0

23 Nov 2017 22:57:47
Good post Redman I think the attitude was questionable in the second half. I think we got complacent then struggled to find any kind of rhythm when they improved in the second half and maybe caught us off guard. I think that's two defeats now that can be directly attributed to the attitude or desire of the team. Considering we went well over 20 games undefeated last season to have lost 3 of the last 7 (in all competitions) is maybe indicative of a bigger issue.
Fingers crossed for a better result on Saturday and hopefully we can take some form and confidence into the Arsenal and City games. I think come December 10th we'll have a pretty good idea of how our season will pan out.

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24 Nov 2017 00:02:29
Redman
You missed pogba and matic out?

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24 Nov 2017 06:40:15
Jred

Why do you think I did that? And it was meant.

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23 Nov 2017 23:23:53
Agree RedMan. We are bottom of the PL when it comes to distance covered. Some talented teams can create a lot without over exerting themselves, however, we're nowhere near a good team, so we need to work harder to achieve results. Sadly, I do not see this happening anytime soon. We play narrowly with no width, and width requires a lot of running with and without the ball. Under Mourinho, he wants the team to stay compact and not commit and that's not going to change.
Our play is so predictable that it is mind numbingly boring.

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24 Nov 2017 08:13:21
Matic done nothing when he come on pal.

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24 Nov 2017 08:30:02
Attack
It's awful it's as bad as you say .

On the other hand second in the league.

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24 Nov 2017 10:54:28
Jred

Exactly on Matic and Pogba did fine having just returned.

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24 Nov 2017 23:35:09
What has matic just returned from?
The wig was out for 2 month with a knee injury.

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25 Nov 2017 09:48:40
Jred

You do know Matic only came on after 66 mins don’t you? We lost momentum from the start of the second half.

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23 Nov 2017 16:46:57
Oh what a shock the rich man's Pullis tactics cost you again last night, time and time again I am right.

Believable0 Unbelievable4

23 Nov 2017 17:49:00
Is he a troll or is he just very sick?

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23 Nov 2017 18:36:28
Oh there he is, mighty white the gift that keeps on giving 🤣🤣.

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23 Nov 2017 18:40:12
I love it Mighty Red if time and time again you are proved right then you must surely know yr beloved scousers would not win a league title last year or the year before nor will they this year. What's it like to support a team who year in year out crush their own supporters dreams and routinely snatch a draw or defeat from the Jaws of victory.

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22 Nov 2017 23:32:21
Must be coming up on the time of year again for, Ronnies transfer window. Get ready ed002.

Believable3 Unbelievable1

23 Nov 2017 06:44:33
Well I think that was a perfect example of what happens if you don't take your chances 😑

Very good 1st half which we should have ended out of sight, then out for the 2nd strolling around like a training match.

Rojo was good played very well and pogba was good til he came off .

Defensively I thought darmian was solid but never really offers much going forward blind had a poor game as did lukaku .

So the cska game has something to it now I can't remember the last time a team with 12 points needed to get something from the last game .

Believable0 Unbelievable1

23 Nov 2017 07:28:17
Rojo was very good especially after being out for so long.

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23 Nov 2017 12:20:28
I like the way Rojo actually plays the ball forwards into the feet of our midfielders. Whereas Jones and Smalling just constantly pass it side to side.

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23 Nov 2017 12:43:45
Rojo has played well since Mourinho has taken over. He seems to suit Mourinho's tactics.

Glad he's back. Along with Jones finding form and dare I say it fitness and Bailly. We have some solid options in defence.
Hopefully Lindelof settles and comes good, he has the ability now he just needs to show he has the mentality.

However my biggest hope is Tuanzebe, the lad looks ready to be a regular part of the match day squad. I can't remember him putting a foot wrong in all his games for us. Bare in mind he has played in some pretty tough games too. He kept Sanchez quiet. I think he has a real chance to become a top player at our club. Hopefully he get the chances.

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23 Nov 2017 13:44:01
Totally agree about Tuanzebe Shappy, he's really impressed me whenever I've seen him play!

I posted last week after the Newcastle game where I was critical of Lindelof (maybe unfairly)! I think we've got some really good CB's at the Club and with the emergence of Tuanzebe I don't think we needed Lindelof the money could have been better spent elsewhere. Hopefully he'll prove me wrong and become a great player but I think given the chance Tuanzebe could be equally as good. His path to the first team looks congested now.

I think we need to be careful about buying up foreign players that only block the emerging talent from the youth team. The core of our great sides over the years have been made up from British and homegrown players along with the best foreign talent. If we're buying the best then fine but if we're just filling out the squad I'd rather see the likes of Tuanzebe, Mctominay, Perrera even Angel Gomes given a chance.

I suppose it's about getting the right balance and letting the young lads develop in the correct environment.

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23 Nov 2017 14:10:11
I don't think Mourinho is particularly happy with the options at centre back and this is proven because of mourinhos continous search for a top class centre half.

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