Yeh I can't really comment without seeing the game. No point reading the commentary on the likes of Sky or BBC as we could've put in a decent performance but they'd revel in making out it was the end of the world. As you say though, TH should be getting a win at home against these with the team he put out.
Shame really as this was the 2nd league game in a run of fixtures where we should be picking up a decent points return.
Garnacho should start ahead of Pellistri, even on the right. He is the one player who makes things happen.
Had to check but confirmed that in Fergies first full season, we finished second in the league. Season after that, we finished eleventh. There were plenty rumblings in the press about getting rid of him but it didn't happen. Point is, United stuck with the manager, not the media and players, and he was allowed time to properly build his squad. Appreciate in these times of social media the pressure is higher as any ****wit can trend Ten Hag out and such like, and the sheep will follow. But, he has to be supported and all the rats and the wasters need to be out of the club, not him. Otherwise, it all just starts again and we'll get ****ing nowhere. In the meantime, Ten Hag needs to find himself a Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Steve Bruce, Roy Keane etc. etc....... !!!
It's a start to the season blighted by injuries and off-field bollox. I still think it's early days and not a true reflection of where we are or what we're capable of this season. The problem is it can do enough damage early on to make any turnaround difficult. We have the next CL game on Tuesday and cannot afford to lose that.
No point or pretending we're title contenders, because we aren't. Top four and the cups is still on though. City and (sadly) Liverpool look good, but I've not been remotely impressed by Spurs or Arsenal despite all the hype.
I think it's about progress in terms of how we play and how the team is gelling and seeing Ten Hag's style and intent working. If we are to finish top 4 and do well in the cup comps, it's about how we get there. We have to end with clear direction and something to build on. We can't keep getting to the end of a season thinking we should kick on to the next level, then start the next season back to square one again ffs
Time is not the issue! The system is! @Chief the problem with drawing parallels is that we will naturally ignore a lot of other factors in between, especially when we start look as far back as when Sir Alex took over. We will quickly come to the conclusion that more time will naturally bring success. But this is certainly not the 90s, for one! Two, where the argument starts to break down further with regards to more time is that we have had inordinate investments in players that ETH wanted. This is effectively his team. We should invariably be seeing a good measure of maturity in the second full season. This is not the season to tank the season and patting ourselves on the back that we just need more time. Progress has to be made and anything else is an excuse to excuse the manager. Injuries are also not the problem in my opinion. Injuries should never stop us scoring goals with the team that started yesterday. The insistence to keep starting certain players shows stubbornness of the manager. The inflexible in the approach is also there to see. Very predictable! Limited width too. Whenever Antony is fit, persistence to keep starting him on the right when he is utterly useless with his right foot is another example of why we lose production in the midfield. He works hard, but we need players that can do more than simply work hard. We need players that are inventive and I wouldn’t call Antony that on the right. Yet we have never seen him play on the left because again we are into pleasing players than actually finding what works best for the team. It is pathetic! Mount continues to start as well in what is perhaps not his optimum position. We have seen enough by now to know that when Bruno plays alongside Mount, there simply is no magic there. If the manager can’t solve that’s problem quickly, he needs to be decisive and use what works best for the team. ETH is currently not doing that. Before we got Hojlund, the excuse for one of our performances was that we needed a striker. Well, there are a number of teams without a recognized striker but still getting goals. Clearly the system, again, is not optimized to create clear cut chances that invariably ends in goals. It is stifling to always trying to go through the middle. I’m certainly not asking for the manager to be sacked, but we should not make excuses thinking this is a problem of time. What we have is a definitively a problem of system that is laced with resources but no clear leadership of what to do with it and that starts with the manager.
I did read one line that said "this is his team", but it isn't really as he signed fewer than half of them. When the DVDB, Lindelof and Martial's of the squad are still getting a game, it definitely isn't yet his team. Once the injured players are all back, we'll have a better idea.
He could with dropping Rashford but you just know that Rashford is a snake, and would be whispering away in the background. Pretty obvious he's one who will be backing Sancho too. No way does he have anything but self interest on his mind, he's a million miles from being a team player.
Manager puts the players on the field. He trains them! He picks the mode of play. He’s invested heavily! What is the problem, please? The problem with your statement or assertion is if ETH is to come good, then it will be all about how great the manager is. Seriously, wtf is up with the lazy excuses?
Last season was great for you guys, finishing 3rd and winning a trophy, but also sets up a false narrative whereby some fans and media pundits start then suggesting you should be now competing with Man City - that's a few transfer windows away at the very least just to get the players in and then extra time needed to get them used to systems and convince them they can win. Lots of people outside the club will try and pounce on the season being a failure if you finish outside the top 4 but realistically progression simply isn't linear in that manner.
Progression is certainly not linear. However, what I do not agree with is the notion that we need even more transfer windows. The problem with that suggestion is it implies that we need to go out there and buy even more players. That somehow, the players in the squad are the problem as they are just not good enough. I do not respect that! The team is good enough to compete for the top 3 at the very least! We almost beat Arsenal, and it wasn't a fluke. We had 77% of the ball and 967 passes in yesterday's game, but we ended the match with four shots on goal. Terrible teams don't dominate in that respect, but inefficient systems can result in good possessions and lengthy passes that yield no results. That is a troubling sign because we have been there before with LvG. Perhaps it will take time for the players to get used to the system. But if that is the case, then the system itself must be questioned. Ultimately, there is only one man who can change this - ETH! Not transfers, not even more players! If he doesn't change his methods, tactics, and overall strategy, time will not be kind to this team.
I still haven't seen the game (and I probably won't now) so it's still hard to comment. I did see MOTD and it looked like they scored a good goal with their one shot on target and the rest of the match we were all over them and just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. But I don't base anything one way or the other on a 10 min highlight either. I do think we need all our players back with everyone playing in their preferred positions before judging anything. The off-field stuff and phantom club sale has just added to the problems on the pitch.
Btw Galatasary (who we play Tuesday in the CL) are undefeated this season. In fact they haven't lost a game in 19 matches, the last competitive loss coming back in April. So errrm yeh good luck with that
