Manchester United Banter Archive November 09 2018

09 Nov 2018 18:22:19
So Sanchez unhappy and wants to leave. Ed002 did mention this, spot on again. Perhaps would be best for all parties if he did go. Massive wages off the books and we can look to invest properly in a rw. I for one have a soft spot for Alexis and do hope it does work out. But sometimes in life it isn’t meant to be. I can see him going to PSG to replace either Neymar or mbappe if they leave.

09 Nov 2018 20:38:06
Rumour has it that Martial and DDG won’t sign due to the ridiculous salary Sanchez is on. His signing has been a disaster all round, the sooner he is shipped out the better.

10 Nov 2018 02:03:26
Agree with both and of course Ed002.
On the other hand if he can come back to his best days why not stick with him? If he really is not keen to stay then answer is obvious.
We have a reasonably good team give and take a few players who are not putting i. Their fair share of effort. Otherwise if all do then we can be quite strong.

10 Nov 2018 09:40:37
sanchez been one of our better players of late, we are in good momentum, let’s just get behind him and the team for the season, he’s been on whatever wage since day 1 and tbh finances and behind the scenes none of us really understand so let’s just concentrate on what we do understand, the football.

10 Nov 2018 11:18:56
We look much better with him up top. Finally some competition for Lukaku. I think if he starts playing and scoring he’ll be fine and a fine addition to our squad.

Of course if he wants to leave then so be it - that’s his choice and he is free to go wherever he likes. I’d much rather see us play Rash and Martial and let them be a success.

Perhaps we should just retire the 7 shirt - seems to be a jinx.

10 Nov 2018 12:19:45
It’s like Ronaldo put a curse on it when he left!

10 Nov 2018 12:38:19
Even if he goes its not going to affect wage demands from other players its still set the precedent that we will pay that amount.

10 Nov 2018 19:32:21
WRD, ‘of late ‘. 2 games? Whoopee doo.

09 Nov 2018 14:05:09
As our thoughts turn to the Derby my question is can we beat City at their own game?

Whilst results have been great against Bournemouth and Juventus we can't ignore the fact that we've conceded too many chances and I just can't imagine City being as wasteful.

It hasn't escaped my attention that we rarely build from the back and every goal kick goes long. De Gea predominantly kicks long from his hands rather than playing short throws or passes to his defenders. This must be an instruction from Mourinho and until we replace Smalling I don't expect this to change.

The problem with this tactic is we often just give possession back to the opposition. Despite his size and strength Lukaku hasn't been a successful focal point. He rarely wins headers and his first touch and hold up play has been inconsistent at best.

Sanchez has played up front during the last few games yet we have still gone long from De Gea. His movement and mobility has allowed us to play more football when we have won the ball back in open play and I believe we have looked more threatening as a result. He has been able to hold the ball better and bring others into play.

On Sunday I fully expect City to press us faster and harder than Bournemouth or Juventus did. Do we have enough quality to play through their press and are we brave enough on the ball? Whilst I'd love us to go toe to toe with City do we have enough quality in our team at the moment to allow us to do this?

I shudder to even be thinking this but could Fellaini be our secret weapon? Could we play over their press with direct balls into Fellaini and play our football in their half? If we could somehow get some sustained possession in their half we could cause them trouble with the movement and skill of Martial, Sanchez and Lingard with Pogba joining from midfield. I don't expect Kompany to play and City are a relatively small team. We have come a long way in recent weeks. We are almost back within touching distance of the top 4 but because of our poor early season form I think we still need something from this game.

If ever we were in need of a Mourinho masterclass it's now. After our run of good results I'd love us to maintain the momentum. Sunday for me is all about the result and not necessarily the performance. I think we must look at the bigger picture and if a more direct or defensive performance allows us to get something from the game then I think we should support this approach.

Maybe I've blinked too soon, maybe I'm demonstrating the same cowardly attitude that has defined us now under three different managers, maybe I'm condoning the very thing most despise, but I fully expected pragmatism in the big games under Mourinho what I didn't expect was that it would extend beyond this.

Our approach will be fascinating and I can't wait. Food for thought I suppose!

09 Nov 2018 14:31:48
If we give City as many soft chances as we have given away in the last couple of games we will be destroyed and humiliated. They could rack up a big score before half time.

However, derby games have a habit of ripping up the form book.

Hopefully, all our players pull together, put in maximum effort and we can come away with a win.

If a couple of players have a bad day at the office and we don't put in maximum effort we could be on the end of a whooping.

09 Nov 2018 16:05:31
The last whopping we got against City was a 6-1 defeat i believe.

09 Nov 2018 16:09:41
Dlib. In response be to your question in paragraph 1. The answer us No.

Can we win of course we can. But we will need everything to go our way.

09 Nov 2018 16:14:40
Sometimes in football you have you realise and accept the in deficiencies in your team and that sometimes you cannot go toe to toe with the opposition. Simply put, city are a better drilled and more talented football team than us. If we try and play them at their own game it may be a cricket score. Now that’s not to say we can’t beat them. There are many ways to skin a cat. And perhaps in Jose we have the master of winning the one off game any way possible.

We all want to see beautiful free flowing football but Sunday is all about getting the win. I have no issue us using fellaini’s attributes and looking to go long so we can by pass city’s press and build out attacks. But that doesn’t mean That we play aimlessly. Against Liverpool at home last year we had a plan to isolate Trent Alexander Arnold by going long to Lukaku and getting flick ons. A few years back when we heat city 4-2 at home under LVG we used fellaini to bring the ball down and bring out forwards into the game. I would still play a front 3 of Sanchez martial Lingard and order them to pressure city’s defence. But then I would play pogba Herrera and fellaini in midfield. Herrera sitting deep using his dynamism to sweep up any danger. And fellaini furtther forwatd forcing the two silva’s to push back. It may not be the prettiest or most desirable football, but we are unfortunately up against the best side in Europe for me.

09 Nov 2018 18:02:07
Agree with what you say Park.

I would add a point will do nicely whether we have 90% possession or 10%. If we don't lose its a good result for us Sunday.

09 Nov 2018 19:56:27
I agree fzz.

09 Nov 2018 21:02:17
Regrettably l have to say we are likely to get a tough lesson in reality of how long the road to recovery is ahead of us.
We get outplayed but manage to keep it to a reasonable scoreline we might just about keep on a fairly even keel. If, God forbid, we get trounced then everything will be up in the air again. I wonder whether Jose would survive that, not that I want him to leave at this juncture. I think that will come at the end of the season angway.

09 Nov 2018 21:04:34
Park, I am sure we will see free flowing football. The real question is will our team be playing it or watching in stunned amazement?

10 Nov 2018 05:58:15
Of course we can beat them, despite all the negativity on her. If we push high up the pitch and pressurise, play with energy and purpose, anything is possible. Against the big teams we’ve done ok so far, let’s get at them.

10 Nov 2018 10:00:39
We have to remember that though we CAN beat them and in spite some encouraging improvement recently this is a Jose "just don't lose" type of fixture. If I were a betting man, the only thing that I would put money on is that Jose will park the bus with wheel clamps on)

10 Nov 2018 11:40:21
DW20 - Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. City are playing the best football in Europe at the moment and they are at home. Big games should be hard fought wars of attrition. To think we can take on City toe to toe at at this moment in time would be naive at best. We have to find a balance between being defensively solid and a threat going forward. I think a draw would be a good result and keep the momentum going. My criticism of Jose is that he's been unnecessarily pragmatic against the lower half Clubs where a more expansive and braver approach is required. Against teams like City, Liverpool, Chelsea etc I think we can all forgive a more tactical approach especially if we pose a threat going the other way. It was in these games which Jose built his reputation after all and it wasn't for his gung-ho philosophy.

There should only be two positions in the team up for grabs. Do we retain Herrera in midfield or utilise the less mobile but more physical Fellaini? Does Lingard retain his position on the right or do we play the more direct Rashford?

I wouldn't start Rashford, I don't like him on the right. He runs up too
many blind alleys and doesn't retain the ball well enough. I think he's a brilliant option off the bench just like at Bournemouth and Juventus when his pace on the counter can be so dangerous.

I'm torn on Fellaini, I worry about his mobility but I fully expect us to sit deep, play narrow and defend our penalty box. I think we have a fluid, mobile front 3 in Sanchez, Martial and Lingard so I expect us to try and break quickly in the transitions with Pogba joining from midfield, Fellaini holding providing the stability and defensive shield with Matic. I think if we go long from De Gea (as we always do) we need someone to get hold of the ball rather than just constantly surrendering possession. If we could hit Fellaini and retain possession high in their half we could be in business. They will probably have the two Silva's in midfield and neither Laporte or Stones are commanding in the air, I think Fellaini could pose be a real problem for them. If all our goal kicks, dead balls etc are aimed at Fellaini and we then press and suffocate City competing for the knock on's, second balls and retaining the ball high in their half then we have the mobility and quality with the likes of Sanchez, Martial, Lingard and Pogba to cause them all kinds of problems.

10 Nov 2018 11:42:44
It's a derby any thing could happen .

Let's be honest juve performance was pretty poor but we got a result.

09 Nov 2018 07:29:01
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 9th November 2018

09 Nov 2018 08:23:31
As always, good stuff Ed 👍.
I like especially the one on the French team. What a very talented team with really good player in all departments. Would be nice if we can sell some of our current players and buy a few to complement Pogba and Martial. 🤣.

{Ed001's Note - the problem is that Pogba doesn't need players to complement him, he just needs to put in more effort over 90 minutes and anyone would work well alongside him. Otherwise you are just putting in people to do the work for him and that is no way to build a team around a midfielder.}

09 Nov 2018 09:14:10
Yes and no Ed.
I feel if we have the right MF Pogba can be released to play more advance and if we have a more consistent and reliable defense I feel we can be much better.
I am not slagging the current crop. Just that we can always improve.
Matic is good but slowing down. We have not gotten a strong midfield to enable Pogba playing higher and more attacking. Wishful thinking but if all the players play with more passion we might need only a couple more players.

{Ed001's Note - Pogba is not an attacking mid, he does not have the skills to play off a striker. His best seasons at Juve he played in central midfield in the same role as say Milner plays at Liverpool, except he never worked anything like as hard. He has never been able to produce consistently and anything you do with regards to midfield should not be needed. The players are there, he just has to step up. Until he does, you will always be searching for someone to help him, when he is perfectly capable of helping himself. It was different at Juve because he was a kid and that is something he needs to understand, that he is not a youngster any more, he is a senior player and has to be responsible for driving the midfield, rather than being a passenger who does the odd moment of brilliance.}

09 Nov 2018 11:41:16
Exactly Ed. He isn’t a number 10, but he wants a free role in midfield because it absolves him of responsibility. He genuinely has everything in his locker to become a complete midfielder, the only thing lacking is the working rate and willingness to accept responsibility.

You can see it every time he plays, he’s always looking for someone to put in the hard yards and cover for him.

{Ed001's Note - what frustrates me most is that he can do and when he does he is brilliant at it.}

09 Nov 2018 11:53:08
the trouble is, he already thinks he is at ronaldo and messis level and with that attitude he will never get any better.

09 Nov 2018 12:27:43
That I agree with you that Pogba would be great if he steps up. He’ll grow up someday I’m sure. Someday.

09 Nov 2018 14:34:04
Pogba has the talents to be the best midfielder in the world. Maybe the best since Zidane. However, he needs to sort his head out and focus on the game and give his maximum at all times.

Great players don't need other players to play well. They take control of their own performance.

10 Nov 2018 02:11:52
Agree Shaps. Hope the players are getting the act together and Jose also becomes the manager we want and expect him to be. We have all the potential to make new records but hope not negative ones 🤣.
Like the guys said as long as we don’t lose at the Ethihad we’re ok. A draw is certainly a good results given the way Citeh is playing. A win for us will be orgasmic 🤣🤣🤣.