Manchester United banter 6

19 Jan 2026 18:30:52
Marc Guehi:
'I am now at the best club in England'
Mate, you aren’t even in the best club in Manchester. ?.

19 Jan 2026 19:17:35
Spot on Fizz.

{Ed025's Note - yeah..Stockport are doing very well.. :)

19 Jan 2026 19:39:32
Right, so you're saying City not even 2nd best team in Manchester now, but down to third place! Have to say Ed I totally agree with you, although a good argument could be made to push them down to 4th behind Salford City.

{Ed025's Note - i would love it if you finished above City IWOTB, i dont like to see cheats prosper mate..

19 Jan 2026 17:22:10
After watching the game back today and seeing how well our midfield played what's everyone's thoughts on what we need to do in the summer to transform it
For me if we could I'd love baleba and Wharton FIFA stuff I know.


I like Anderson but I think he would be a kobbie replacement don't see where both fit and they both be too good to warm the bench.

19 Jan 2026 17:50:12
Why don't we just figure out who Brighton will replace Baleba with and cut out the middle man.

All joking aside, I see no reason why Anderson and Kobbie can't play together. Anderson is ridiculously mobile, maybe not defensively minded as someone like Baleba, but he's solid. Plus rotation is key.

Kobbie still looks a little undercooked in terms of fitness. He looked dead on his feet the last 20 minutes on Saturday, and he's someone who can't actually ping a ball far. Maybe he'll evolve and get fitter, but he strikes me as someone who youncouldnt rely on for 90 minutes, 50 games a season.

Also, strength in depth is something we really need. I wouldn't worry about signing a player that may potentially block a path for someone else. You overcome and adapt and get better to get your place back.

Anderson, Wharton and Baleba who improve our squad no end. Need to finish the season strong though because we're no longer top of the food chain when it comes to buying players.

19 Jan 2026 19:37:32
I’d take Wharton if he’s available in the summer. He’s a class act. We’ve not had a proper controlling midfielder since probably Carrick.

Baleba is explosive box to box and can cover ground better than most in the prem but I think we need someone who can dictate the game from the middle.

19 Jan 2026 21:09:47
Surely Anderson would slot into midfield next to Mainoo in place of Casemiro?

19 Jan 2026 21:50:03
I would stay clear of Baleba. He’s been shocking most of this season. Maybe if he was £30m, but not at the over inflated price Brighton will want. i'm sure there’s far better out there for that kind of money.

20 Jan 2026 04:47:49
I don’t get all this love for Baleba… based on what one decent break out season is supposed to make him a world beater 80m plus player, I don’t see it at all plus not exactly pulled up any trees this season as he….


People seem to get fixated on a player weather he any better than what we have, that was done when Antony come, Sancho come, Onana come, Rasmus come and even Sesko, none of them turned out good enough, not sure Baleba would either.

20 Jan 2026 11:21:34
I think we need Athleticism in CM. I guess depending how Mainoo finishes the season will dictate the profile of CM. I was very critical of Baleba and his start to the season, questioning his mentality but it seems there have been a number of reasons for his poor form I think I read.

I saw a bit of him yesterday when he came on and his profile could be exactly what we need and compliment Mainoo. If we could get two in, Anderson would be my first choice followed my Baleba based off of Mainoo staying. Wharton and Anderson if Mainoo was to move on.

20 Jan 2026 13:07:06
Of the 3 we're linked mostly with (Anderson, Wharton, Baleba) I think Wharton is the most suited to what Utd needs. I think we'll be in for two mids, can't see both being from this top tier though so the other maybe under the radar from the continent.

20 Jan 2026 14:38:35
With our current midfield we are best suited to midblock which doesn't serve us well in games we'll want to/have to control the possession in. Athleticism in there is essential. Anderson is the clear top target. Wharton is good but he's less dynamic.

Baleba could be very good. If Mainoo is to establish himself as a starter I think the important thing is to get someone that complements him. That points more strongly towards Anderson. And actually towards Ederson for that matter.

19 Jan 2026 11:22:51
So how's everyone feeling for the Arsenal game and what do we realistically believe they can do?

I think, it's going to be a great game and our tails will be up. I think we can nick this one. I'm saying 2-1.

19 Jan 2026 11:44:33
Caught up in the emotion of the City game, new manager bounce and Carrick has solved all our issues I am going for a 3-0 win.

In all seriousness, I expect that we go for a similar approach especially being away at the Emirates. Other than maybe Mazraoui as replacememt for Dalot if he is back and ready to play.

With Cunha/Sesko/Mount we have a threat from the bench to keep momentum up as the game tires.

Likely will be a close one and if we can be clinical then a draw or tight win is very possible. Just hope we maintain the intensity.

19 Jan 2026 12:08:20
I think the Gooners are streets ahead of us, we struggle there consistently, and it’s a step too far.

If we can nick a draw I’ll be euphoric.

19 Jan 2026 12:43:45
I doubt we will dismantle arsenal's defence like city's but I'm confident of a really good match.
Think if we take our chances we will win we've been guilt of missing too many good ones this year.

19 Jan 2026 13:21:00
City didn't have 1 of their preferred back 4 available.
Arsenal are a better team than city i don't expext it to be as easy as the city game was always going to be.
I still browns we can win.
Arsenal have been struggling to score goals from pen play and they have a game midweek.


Hopeful of a win. Carrick really needs to keep us in the european places we were in when amorim left. Perhaps move us up 1 place to a cl. That's what we are all hoping for. Fingers crossed.

19 Jan 2026 13:30:22
If we could get a draw there, that will be fantastic, anything else a huge bonus it’s another free pass for Carrick
Dalot will be in front of Maz that’s for sure
It’s the following games we have to win.

19 Jan 2026 13:44:03
Well we were only 2 points above 9th place when Amorim was sacked, so we were on the edge of being outside of European qualification. Results leading up to his sacking, specifically our inability to beat the bottom teams in a run was very poor and had us very close to that.

Carrick has a free shot this week v Arsenal but then he has a run of fixtures where we could really pick up some points, points we had failed to pick up in the last couple of months when we had a similar run of fixtures against the bottom teams

Let's see where we are in 6 games. I'm optimistic that we can get into the Top 4.

19 Jan 2026 15:14:39
More chance now of getting in the top 4 then there ever was under RA…that’s nothing to do with Carrick we would have had more chance with any competent manager/coach rather than the very naive out of his depth RA.

19 Jan 2026 15:28:39
I'd be delighted if we take anything against them.
Even though I think Cunha adds a lot to the team I imagine a similar line-up with Dorgu keeping his spot to help nullify the Saka threat, assuming he plays. For me Doku and Semenyo are far better wingers but out of sorts.

19 Jan 2026 16:13:34
Cunha is a good player not a great one, he needs to develop from that hold the ball too long and roll around on the floor wolves player to a proper player he lacks pace but does have ability he just needs a new mind set….

He not shown he developed that yet at all
Holding the ball too long just slows the game.
Sesko is just a poor striker, far too early for him as it was Rasmus, they nowhere near ready, so Carrick goes with same team against Arsenal.

19 Jan 2026 16:34:21
We have a chance if we play compact and deep and play fast on the break. Could be any result, tight or large score in either direction. Can arsenal thread the needle or score from set pieces? Can we take our chances when they come along?

19 Jan 2026 17:30:46
I'll get behind the boys irrespective of ownership and all that jazz.
I'm going 4-0 UTD. Arsenal, whilst hard to unlock, I think they are starting to falter from being at the top. Time to go for the title as I predicted earlier in the season. 16 wins from 16 games from here is not impossible.
Dream lads dream!

19 Jan 2026 17:55:23
DB, I don't think there will be many ops, never is against this arsenal team. But I think confidence will be sky high and they'll get a couple and I think they'll put them away!

Jimbo, big shout that ?

Je suis, Sesko is far from a poor striker. Jury is very much out on him, but far and away from being a poor striker. I have much more hope no, there's a good team here with some strong individual players, Cunha being one of them. With more confidence, runners off of him and aggression, this team could suprise a few on here.

19 Jan 2026 17:58:40
There are dreams and then there is pure insanity
Those sort of dreams can get you put in a padded cell.

19 Jan 2026 18:52:57
To be realistic if Arsenal play to their potential then they will run out easy winners. They have a very strong defence decent midfield and good attacking options. Apart from last week we concede nearly every game.

On the optimistic side if we can get the first goal and then not allow them to push us back they will get very very nervy. Their supporters often transmit their tension to the players when they can't seem to score.

All in all it depends which Utd turns up. And there is the problem consistency.

19 Jan 2026 19:07:28
Arsenal have nerves, they show openly at times. If the game is close then we can use the nerves to our advantage. Nothing is impossible but I think we can get a draw.

19 Jan 2026 20:57:33
Momentum breeds confidence. We aren't looking over our shoulder. Top 4 should be a formality from here. 16 cup finals. 16 must wins.
All opponents are beatable, we just need to show up, home and away.
World cup year, those vying for a spot in their respective nations squad have 16 more auditions (probably less) to force their national managers hand.

19 Jan 2026 21:55:16
Arsenal are sadly an excellent team. They very rarely lose.

They will be far better than city. Wont leave acres of space at the back and will likely have 65%+ possession.

It will take a lot of luck and hard work to get away with anything.

But you never know. There’s always hope.

20 Jan 2026 12:47:53
All comes down to whether they over commit or not. If they get ahead, they control the game I think. If they need a goal they could over commit.

They will do a better job than city did getting in between the lines, so it will not be as easy I am sure.

19 Jan 2026 09:48:35
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Burnley - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

19 Jan 2026 15:47:28
Ed001,

You make Slot sound like Southgate .

19 Jan 2026 15:47:28
Ed001,

You make Slot sound like Southgate .

{Ed001's Note - so many of the new wave of coaches are similar. Wedded to a style that is boring to watch and talk absolute kack.}

19 Jan 2026 17:49:11
ED001,

It's hard to disagree with you on that. I do miss those end to end games, which have you on the end of your seat.

{Ed001's Note - I enjoy going to the local team here, Paulo Sousa has them playing a lot like a Klopp team, though it does make me misty-eyed at times missing him! Especially tonight watching them win 7-0 with some excellent high pressing attacking football which was fun to watch.}

19 Jan 2026 17:49:12
Ed001, I seem to remember a good while ago you referred to Southgate as a 'clipboard manager'.

Totally get it. I use that phrase a lot now to make myself sound smarter ?.

{Ed001's Note - if a phrase I used makes you sound smarter, you should probably be very worried!!}

19 Jan 2026 21:29:02
ED001,

I'm visiting Dubai in August, hopefully i get to see a match whilst I'm out there. I don't think the other half will be happy though.

How are you finding the life out their?

{Ed001's Note - August? It will be a bit hot for footie then mate. I love it out here, you have all the tourist trap places but also so much other stuff as well. I am quite lucky though, I live overlooking a football stadium and the team's training pitches. But August is usually incredibly hot, so be prepared.

Whereabouts are you staying? Half the Premier League players will be in town over the summer break, mostly staying places like Atlantis. Is that why you are in town? Are you secretly a Premier League player?}

20 Jan 2026 08:48:56
Ed001,

Is my grammar that poor?

No, unfortunately not. We got a really good deal, which was similar price to a holiday to Europe. We are staying near the Palm, so we already creating an itinerary list of things to do.

Is there any places you would recommend eating or visiting out there?

{Ed001's Note - near the palm? That is wayyyy out of my budget! I would recommend eating outside malls etc, there are some really good cheap cafes everywhere. But ground rent is their biggest cost, so outside of the mall and areas like the Palm and Marina is so much cheaper.

Places to visit would be a huge list, there are places like Al Seef, Al Serkal Avenue that are good. You are near the palm so Atlantis is very worth a visit, good chance if you can take the heat that you will bump into some footballers or other celebs, particularly in the water park Aquaventure there. Marina is lovely, as is JBR. Bluewaters as well. You are outside tourist season so you can't do stuff like Magic Garden or Global Village unfortunately. Soukh Madinat Jumeirah is really nice, though a bit confusing to find your way around.

If you are shopping there are 3 outlet malls - Outlet Village, Outlet Mall and Al Ghurair Centre (which is the first mall in Dubai) and AGC has some good food in the Flayva food court as well. Dragon Mart is a big Chinese market, can find all sorts there.

I am not sure what you are looking for or what kind of things you enjoy, so difficult to recommend really. I mean Al Seef has a couple of museums and is lovely and you can catch the old Abras across to the Gold and Spice Soukhs from there for about 20p. You have to go right up to the top end of it though, past the museums and market.

Al Serkal Avenue is all artsy and stuff, so can be a nice day out if you like that kind of thing. Actually, I don't really like that kind of thing but still quite like going there. Problem with both of these two is that it will be 40c+ most likely and they are outdoors. During the summer most people tend to stay in during the day!

One thing you won't be short of is choice of food though. There are so many restaurants and cafes everywhere you go.}

20 Jan 2026 11:01:16
ED001,

Thanks, i really appreciate your recommendations. We plan to do abit of everything.

We did get a very good deal. A week later, the price went up by alot!

{Ed001's Note - you can get some great deals in the summer. It is good for residents as well as we get big discounts anyway on touristy stuff, usually around 30%.}

19 Jan 2026 07:39:06
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Manchester United's Dominance Over City Offers Hope

18 Jan 2026 14:33:59
All round super result yesterday. From the team selection, tactics, subs, Carrick got it all spot on and the players did their part too.

But we've been here before, many many times.

This team is like a deadbeat dad who 3 times a year brings you out for a fantastic day, but then ghosts you for the rest of year. It means nothing in the grand scheme of things if we revert to way we have been playing.

We've a free swing at Arsenal next, but the proof will be over the following 5 games, tough but winnable. What i am excited about is that they've set the bar high now. Nothing else will suffice.

One game a week, finish the season strong and evaluate at the end.

Best complete United performance I've see in a long time. Feels good!

18 Jan 2026 15:13:39
Thumbs up for a great metaphor.

18 Jan 2026 16:23:09
Agreed - bar the FA Cup win there's been very little to cheer about in recent apart from the odd good result here and there. Yesterday felt good, it was an excellent performance. I was a bit surprised to see Cunha dropped but Carrick got it spot on, with Dorgu's tracking and energy more beneficial against Semenyo.


Hoping for more of the same, but praying that whatever kind of run Carrick can put together, they don't go crazy and start dishing out contracts. Wait until the end of the season before any more kneejerk reactions.

19 Jan 2026 00:05:39
Perfectly set up to defend and counter attack against a pretty weak City defense. Arsenal will most likely not be so easy.

As Gary Neville pointed out the difference between Dalot yesterday sprinting out to mark Doku when the ball went wide, and ambling back to try and deal with Rogers when we played AV was like night and day. But this was also a factor of him playing RB rather than wing back, all too often leaving Yoro the responsibility of marking a speedy winger, which he is not equipped to do. Clearly 4 at the back suits us against teams that actually attack.

The question remains whether we will have the capacity to beat the lesser teams that come to defend. We have an extremely light schedule for the rest of the season. There are no excuses for not giving 110% every match. Getting into Europe next year is now the only goal left. Tighten up the defense and we should have the tools to go on a run.

19 Jan 2026 09:34:04
Spenno,

Absolutely spot on there.

Mumbles,

Spot on aswell. The pressure is on Arsenal to win. They were lucky against Utd on the first day of the season.

19 Jan 2026 13:03:26
Love the metaphor, Mumbles ?.

18 Jan 2026 14:14:25


Shappy has written an article entitled, Manchester United's Dominance Over City Offers Hope

18 Jan 2026 15:59:25
Good post Shappy.

18 Jan 2026 19:35:46
"I was sad to see Amorim go the way he did. I could genuinely see progress under him. That said, yesterday's game was by far the best performance we have seen from a United side in years. "

If you want to understand what an oxymoron is, look no further.

We were making progess umder RA apparently, but as soon as we lose him, we see the best performance for years ?‍♂️. The absurdity is staggering.

In one game, Carrick has shown what is possible. I should add that I am very relaxed via Senor Malbec, but it needs saying. RA was full of hot air but delivered very little. There was no new Manager bounce when he joined, there was the odd good result, the occasional whiff of progress before reverting to mediocriry, but generally it was awful.

In 3 days, Carrick has shown what is possible. I'm not suggesting he is the answer, but he has shown in 1 game thst RA was definitely not the answer.

18 Jan 2026 20:01:20
The thing I’ll say is that it didn’t look fun to play for Amorim. Where was the joy? The players didn’t understand his technical instructions, or simply didn’t want to follow them.

18 Jan 2026 20:09:04
That is ridiculous AJH. You are suggesting that somehow Amorim was impeding the squad and you have strongly suggested in other posts that he was flawed in multiple areas. So you then think that Carrick has undone in 3 days what RA was doing over 14 months. That's the absurdity. You ignore the stats pointing towards the strong improvement. You ignore the multiple really good performances this season. That is absurd.
If you instead spoke that yesterday showed Amorim was too stubborn in not giving Mainoo a chance and thereby releasing Bruno to a more advanced role then I'd agree.

If you spoke that the subtle difference in formation that meant that instead of a defensive shape with back 5 where one player bolts up, that instead Carrick left it to one of the wingers to perform that role, and that this tweak clearly gave Dorgu more confidence, then I'd agree. But you are making absurd points here. This black and white way of looking at things is silly.

18 Jan 2026 21:01:57
Don, you and I see different things mate.

There was no 'subtle' difference in formation, we moved to a pretty standard 442, something RA has refused to do since he joined.

Yesterday was joyful, and yes, Carrick seems to have undone in 3 days what Amorim did in12 months, but it was only 1 game.

RTFP, most people are seeing yesterday as our best performance for over 12 months, our best 90 minutes since before RA joined.

It was only 1 game, so who knows what will happen next, but yesterday was soooo different to anything I have seen under RA's reign.

18 Jan 2026 21:43:22
AJH, which term is it that you don't understand, oxymoron or progress?

Oxymoron means the combining of two contradictory terms.

Progress means a development towards an improved position.

Amorim making progress and Carrick building on that is not an oxymoron.

There was clear and obvious progress under Amorim.

The shifting out of players with poor attitudes and the dismantling of a poorly constructed squad.

The development of a clear and obvious style of play with repeatable patterns of play.

An improvement in the quality of the playing squad.

Clear improvement in performances (if not always results) .

The fact that he took a very poor side from last season and had us up competing in and around the UCL spots at the time of his dismissal is another clear sign of progress.

Don't let your obvious dislike of the man cloud your judgement, if you can't seriously see that the team was in a much better position when Amorim left to what it was when he took over then maybe football isn't for you.

Now was he ultimately going to be able to take us back to where we want to be? I think it would be fair to be skeptical of that. But ultimately we'll never know.

I think it is fair to say that of all the post Sir Alex Ferguson managers he's probably the only one who can leave knowing he left the club in a better position than he found it.

18 Jan 2026 21:53:41
I did rtfp. It was absurd.

19 Jan 2026 00:27:59
Shappy, no he didn't, he set us back over 12 months. Hopefully we can now kick on and actually get serious again. It's unfortunate that it took this long.

19 Jan 2026 00:30:46
Took over a team, 4 points from the top 4, finished the season on relegation form. His last run of results were horrendous, failing to beat 6 teams into the bottom 7 positions, 3 wins in 11, had a premier league win rate of 32%, but left us in a better position, Jesus wept lads. He was horrendous for the club and set us back.

It's a results business and his were worse than shocking.

19 Jan 2026 03:27:16
And yet amorims utd created the third most chances in the epl after city and arsenal, and we're in a European spot when he was fired.

I am happy to see 442 back. I am happy to see a change from Bruno in at number 6, but after 12 months the disaster that was amorim has been spun like crazy by the club. The same club that couldn't afford to back him.

19 Jan 2026 05:29:11
Totally disagree Shappy, he dismantled a squad and started to rebuild it with poorer players, the patterns of play were slow and predictable, hardly coaching at a high level, he made good players worse. In game management was atrocious, the calling out of players hardly the way to go.
When he took over United were what 5/6/7 in league he took us to 15th and this year back to hovering around 5th 6th 7th.

Hardly much better
He assembled a team of number 10s and did not address a poor defence or midfield in even playing to there strengths with what he had.
In my book we trod water for all the time he was here and the football was awful.

19 Jan 2026 07:48:22
The oxymoron is that you could see progress, but as soon as he goes we get the best performance for 2 years. I don't want to fall out with long standing respected posters, and I realise I feel more strongly about RA than most, so I'm going to take a break and have a reset, put myself on the naughty step for a couple of weeks.

19 Jan 2026 07:49:49
There is a reason why we went 26 years and now 13 years without a title, just read some of the lack of understanding above.

19 Jan 2026 08:40:43
AJH you're perfectly entitled to your opinion. TBF I am guilty of lumping in some of what you are saying with angel. Angel I think you deal with absolutes in a way that is incredibly unhealthy. Your way of looking at things to not see grey but only deal in binary outcomes is the same comfort path that led to Brexit, voting for Trump and all these self defeating things that people do because of not recognising trends and underlying causes and search for simple solutions that the rest of us see as being self defeating.

That you really think that Amorim could be completely dreadful and another coach comes in and in 3 days undo 12 months of damage, basically through a few people talks is extraordinary. Do you actually believe that?!

19 Jan 2026 12:18:23
All I’ll say is I’m glad he’s gone. I don’t think the players understood his tactics, philosophy or approach.

His man management seemed questionable to many, and his substitutions were quite baffling.

19 Jan 2026 13:36:01
I think RA confused himself! Let alone the players
Some of the in game decisions were baffling
The media talks were naive bordering on stupid
He got complete lack of knowledge in leading a big club with players with even bigger ego’s, I not seen no other club racing to sign him up now or even before, in fact the ones before rejected him
Every player went backwards under him
Win rate atrocious
Good riddance he gone.

18 Jan 2026 12:08:29
Shootout to the one who shows what it means to be a Utd player, and that is Amad. Unbelievable, genuinely the perfect man utd player, the desire, effort, he doesn't stop running; technically brilliant. 11 Amads is all we need.

18 Jan 2026 13:04:14
Might be a bit short for a keeper ?.

18 Jan 2026 15:41:42
Cant be worse than Onana?.

18 Jan 2026 20:01:36
Who we still own ?.

18 Jan 2026 10:42:14
I watched the match and then watched the highlights this morning. I don't remember any team giving City that sort of battering, it was a proper shellacking.

We won at Anfield in dramatic fashion but on another day, that result could have gone the other way. Whereas yesterday, we were completely on top throughout. Yes we had players back giving us a stronger first 11 and stronger bench, and yes it is just one game, but what a game.

442, playing with pace and urgency, you do wonder where this passion has been so far this season. Too often in the past, we were aimlessly passing it across the back 3, yesterday we were very direct.

Its mystifying how we can pull that kind of performance out of nowhere, but as Carrick said, we need to do it consistently.

And finally, was that third goal offside? It looked onside to me and I didn't see any graphics confirming it was off which is unusual. Just me?

18 Jan 2026 11:25:49
Thought the same and the only graphic I've seen of the 3rd was showing the defender next to him, not the one in the middle who would've been the one playing him onside. It was weird watching how long it went on for to decide without really any explanation.

18 Jan 2026 11:26:53
That’s it ajh, the result was brilliant but it was the performance that was even more impressive. No smash and grab, we battered them. If we repeat that next week no matter the result then I’ll be very happy.

{Ed025's Note - you were excellent Tim, i dont think City were great but im taking nothing away from that performance mate, best of the season i would say..

18 Jan 2026 11:40:21
New manager bounce and a derby game. Agree that came from nowhere. It was a battering that could easily have been 5. Let’s see in two or three games time if the bounce is still there.

On the third goal, I was mystified, it wasn’t shown. I have looked at the picture and the graphic now. Looks like the graphic is a few frames later than the photo. Cunhas body position on the graphic doesn't look the same as in the frozen still picture. I think there should be questions to referees body about the timing of the still graphic frame. Didn’t look right.

18 Jan 2026 12:31:11
AJH we played brilliantly yesterday. Best of the season. I don't like this rewriting of history to suggest it was dour under Amorim. We'd multiple excellent performances this year like Chelsea, Brighton, Sunderland, Liverpool. It was refreshing to see Carrick be his own man and to not blindly do one formation but actually transition between formations already depending on defence and attack phases.

Hopefully this pragmatism continues because Fletch went straight to an alternative and rigid set up and it definitely didn't work.
I cannot understand why that 3rd goal was disallowed. Only thing I can think is Mount was offside on the original pass but he wasn't interfering so not shouldn't have mattered. Bizarre.

18 Jan 2026 13:32:56
You’re right ed City weren’t great but I have to laugh as I’ve seen a few city fans online saying that they’re in a rebuild and pep needs 3-4 more players. Seriously?! Everyone had city easily yesterday but now they lost then they’re short.

Yes they’re defence was weakened but I think pep’s selections were more of an issue than who was available. Hopefully we can continue in this vein as now we’ve set a standard we shouldn’t be falling below it.

{Ed025's Note - it was a top top performance Tim, but you have to build on that now mate and keep up the intensity of yesterday and top 4 could well be in your grasp..

18 Jan 2026 14:33:52
Can't judge where we are based on a game against city. We have always been able to turn up in the big games. We live to sit back and counter. It is very effective. We cannot do that against 90% of the league, so let's see how we do against the mid table and lower table before we start booking our tickets to Europe next season.

Having our afcon players back made a big difference. New manager bounce made a big difference. We should be happy we won, but our failings have not been against the bigger teams.

18 Jan 2026 10:27:18
Best premier league performance I've seen since we beat Tottenham under ETH in 22/23 season.

We won the game on both expected goals and more importantly actual goals.

Important context is having the Afcon duo back (Amad and Bryan) which was a huge blow for Ruben and having two experienced centre backs (especially Martinez which was a huge blow for ETH) .