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Match Day Thread Liverpool v Manchester United

Discussion in 'Manchester United' started by Chief, Jan 15, 2021.

  1. glazerfodder

    glazerfodder Well-Known Member

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    We're top of the PL. Today's game wasn't a defining game, but it was telling. We can go toes to toe with the best of them and, as often happens, the best cancel each other out. If the tactic is not to lose to any of the top sides but to take enough points off those below the top 4 to win the PL, then I'm fine with that. SAF was fine with that. There are games in which we can go hell for leather for a win, but this wasn't one of them - pragmatism was the name of the game. We could have won, but we didn't. The important thing was not to lose. Once we get back to our stroppy best we can piss on Liverpool, but for now we are building confidence, building spirit - a loss today would have made a huge dent in that.
     
    #41
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  2. Treble

    Treble Keyser Söze

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    Mate you're a good poster and I think a lot of what you say is bang on, but last week you were saying if we beat Livpl then we'd be in contention for the title. We didn't beat them today and you're still talking of title contention.

    Ole is going for Top 4, that's it. And if a title challenge "falls into his lap" it'll be a bonus. Maybe some United fans are happy with that attitude but personally I think it's piss poor in a season when it really is an achievable target. I mean, seriously we'd have to be utter dogshit not to finish Top 4 in the position we're in and the squad we have and yet this is what the bloke genuinely worries about when we go out to face the likes of Livpl and City <doh>

    We should have gone out there to beat that shower of **** today. We should've broken that home record and broken them in the process.
     
    #42
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  3. Treble

    Treble Keyser Söze

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    Bloody hell.
     
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  4. Treble

    Treble Keyser Söze

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    It's ok, we're top of the league now <ok>

    When we drop to second and then third playing "not to lose" football we'll still be in contention... trust. Eventually we'll finish 3rd or 4th and the tune will change again and we'll have achieved exactly what everyone had wanted all along... apparently, demonstrating great progress. Come the summer we'll talk about challenging and winning a trophy and we can spin the record again <laugh>
     
    #44
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  5. Christiansmith

    Christiansmith Well-Known Member

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    There is a big difference between in contention atm and being title favourites. Of course we remain in contention because we are top although City have a game in hand. Being in contention now does not mean that we will by the end of the season be fighting for that title. No one can argue that City are favourites. Even if we had won the match today, they would still be. It would be silly to say that atm we are not in contention. Obviously that may change by round 30.

    By week 18 you cannot have won it although you can be out of it. We clearly are not out of it as there are another 20 matches to play and we are still in the mix. When we had that awful start and after we got thrashed by Spurs and narrowly beaten later by Arsenal I said I feel we could have a good season (without having any rational reason). Most pundits didn’t give us a chance even of top 4 never mind being 3 points in front of the RS at this point. Not many here too if we are honest, especially those who were clamouring for Solskjaer’s head ;)
     
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    Last edited: Jan 17, 2021
  6. cytrax

    cytrax Well-Known Member

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    Not every criticism is simply about Solskjaer. Conversely, regardless of the manager, the talents in this team should have gone to Liverpool today playing to nail them. That is the end of argument. If that touches a nerve on Solskjaer’s deficiencies, so be it!
    I can’t believe Glazer just said that Sir Alex was okay with getting draws against Top 5 teams and smashing the rest. That couldn’t be far from the reality of Sir Alex era. There is no way in hell that Sir Alex would set up today’s team to get a draw against a Liverpool team in bad form. They were absolutely there for the taking today, yet we went in there as though we didn’t deserve to be there there.

    Fascinatingly, with ten minutes to go, we started showing qualities. Why would a quality team not go out there today with the sole aim to smash Liverpool? What would have come out of such drive to win is that it would have reinforced the believe that we are indeed contenders.

    As I mentioned in a post before the game, we had absolutely nothing to lose today given our position in front. Instead, we played like cowards until it was too late. That is fkin annoying and it has now becoming a trend this season as I noted few weeks ago.

    I don’t know about you all, but besides winning the league, these are the games that I want to see... us smashing league rivals at every opportunity. Sure, you can’t win them all, but all least give a 100% to match the talents and not act like bunch of second rate team that is too afraid of taking a chance.
     
    #46
  7. Christiansmith

    Christiansmith Well-Known Member

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    That was a throwaway comment about how few had expected at that time the position we are now in. Of course we haven’t done it yet. Far from it. As to criticisms I am as quick to criticise the manager or the players as the next fan but I also try to see the big picture. By the way in case there is any doubt I have said that at the end of the season if there has been no progress towards a real title challenge, CL place or not, we should review the position of the manager.

    On to the point about having nothing to lose today. that’s incorrect. If we had lost today, we would have lost top place and the RS overtake us on GD. To lose top place after just a few days would have attracted both criticism from our fans and derision from others and those anti United pundits.

    As to the match, we got into the game as the game progressed. Yes, the RS were not on their usual form but they are the current champions and not been beaten at their ground for nearly three years. I understand that pragmatism and that caution from the team. I am not sure they played like cowards. They gave too much respect to the opposition and in the second half they certainly could and should have won the game with two amazing chances. Smashing the opposition is great if you can do it but if not then do not get smashed yourself. It would have been a travesty if in trying to attack in freestyle at the end we had come away from that ground with nothing.

    The next matches will be key. If we drop points by drawing or worse then we will slide down the table like all the previous table toppers. We now have to win these games. Otherwise our position at the top would have been very brief.
     
    #47
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  8. Treble

    Treble Keyser Söze

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    Nobody ever has mentioned being favourites. Nobody's calling for Ole's head either. Just calling out his fck ups.

    You don't win titles playing to finish Top 4. Much like you don't win games playing for a draw
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    ;)
     
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  9. Treble

    Treble Keyser Söze

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    As for the anti-United pundits. I listened to pretty much every fcker on the radio and TV for days leading up to the match giving us zero chance of winning the game.

    I wanted us to go out there and prove them wrong, put them in their box... unfortunately Ole proved them right.
     
    #49
  10. Christiansmith

    Christiansmith Well-Known Member

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    Could have if one of those 2 great chances had gone in ;)
     
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  11. Chief

    Chief Northern Simpleton
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    They didn't though mate, so........
     
    #51
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  12. Christiansmith

    Christiansmith Well-Known Member

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    But on the other hand if you take that route then there was no guarantee that the outcome would have been better if we had gone on all attack from the outset. Yes less likely to be draw but more likely to be win and more likely to be loss too. The evidence from the match played was that we COULD/SHOULD have won with the tactics we adopted ;)
     
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  13. Treble

    Treble Keyser Söze

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    That last sentence. You must've watched a different match to the majority. The tactics we adopted were to play for a draw against a side that was severely weakened and with the players we had we should've gone out to beat.

    I cannot believe we have to apologise for Ole to the extent that someone can say we better not go out to win a match because we might lose it. Against our biggest rivals ffs. Bloody hell.
     
    #53
  14. Christiansmith

    Christiansmith Well-Known Member

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    i think you misread the post or more likely I didn’t express myself clearly.

    My last sentence: We definitely played for the draw or at least we played not to lose. Yet we had 2 clear cut chances on those very tactics that could/should have given us the win and the 3 points. That’s what I meant by the evidence from our own eyes not some theoritical outcome should we have done this or that. I like you predicted that OGS was going for those tactics. I for one understand why he went for those. He cannot account for Bruno and pogba missing 2 clear cut chances to win. Once we weathered the first 30 -40 United should have realised that the RS were there for the taking. A Ferguson team would have gone for the throat straightaway after the storm but the current players and OGS do not have that confidence yet.

    I don’t think we are very far apart in our views. I personally think that there is some method in the madness and I can see the progress and I can see what he is trying to achieve despite all the criticisms he is getting from all quarters.
     
    #54
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