The Man Utd Thread

[Loik V credern]

Even though he's fortunate at how the ball bounces and the defending is Norwich levels of badness as though they're wishing him through, it's still good, being comfortable shooting with his left and not wanting to re figure his feet to get it on his right, he uses his pace to generate the power and knows the quick shot will surprise the keeper. 

 

Rashford doesn't half score some good goals, and surprising ones. Like a quarter of his goals are ones I didn't expect him to score. 

 

remember this

 

 

came out of nowhere. nowhere. like Yaya Toure had temporarily taken control of his body. 

[fatbob]

Just having a little look at the fixture pile up. 

 

If United get to the League Cup final, I believe the final is on the 26th of Feb so would replace the Brentford game.

 

They'll have played a game every 3/4 days since the 21st of December. (18 games in 8 weeks before the potential final!) 

 

It's brutal, if they get to the final they'll be gassed (in a couple of senses!). 

 

For such a thin squad, i'm not sure how Ten Hag is going to be able to manage to keep the consistency going.

 

A key injury or two and fatigue could see a real slump. A big test for Ten Hag to manage this. 

 

[Loik V credern]

Yeah seen that before because of fantasy football. It's as brutal as we've seen. At least Pellistri came on last night, but there's been some criticism of Ten Hag doing what Ole did and not rotating enough to give players playing time so that when the fixture pile up arrives they're not sharp or confident enough to be trusted or able to make an impact. Thankfully Pellistri did but after being frozen out and wanting to leave, it's shitty player management.

 

That film Fighting With My Family..i think with X Factor and other talent shows the public are conditioned to the opinions of judges being the be all and end all, I think most will accept Vince Vaughn's judgement in that film on who has 'it' to be a wrestler and who hasn't, as though he's God Of Wrestling and not just some guy. Different with football like because a manager does have roles for players and things he specifically wants...exactly like Barcelona i'd say where Puig was the young star, Pedri usurped him out of nowhere it seemed. It still seems harsh to me, Ganarcho usurped Pellistri, Ganarcho is the one who comes on for any tired winger, as though there's only one opening for quick direct youngster. I'm convinced if you play for Uruguay and are making things happen you can do it against Nottingham Forest or Crystal Palace. If you're just 21 and despite no club playing time are starting for your country, i think that says a lot. He has tenacity. So does Ganarcho but so did Puig. When it comes to young players no one is asking managers to break up their systems and start them in half the games, but no one will ever convince me they will have such a negative impact being brought on late in games.

 

Quote

"We have seen some physicality, he had some good movements, some good runs in behind, he has speed," Ten Hag said.

 

"So he has to bring that in our game. I think he is a player who can play really good between the lines because he can be ball-secure, that he has to bring in our game.

 

"A little bit different, like a left-footed right winger we have with Antony and he is right-footed and his good chance he created was his cross for Wout Weghorst."

 

Antony has failed to record a single assist this season and Pellistri could be another option on the right wing.

 

you've got this weird United players commenting on his performance like they're judges themselves, as though they're Gods of Football

 

every time Fernandes steps on the pitch he's very good, he doesn't have off games or anything, or off moments, like losing the ball, misplacing passes, blasting it way over. never happens! The crux of it is because Ten Hag has never played him all season except this 20 minutes and another, it being January he wants to leave and clubs like Atletico want to take him on loan. And Ten Hag can't reasonably say 'oh mate we value you'.

 

here is Pellistri against forest. as you can see, he's like a sunday league footballer and falls over every time he receives the ball. that misplaced pass was pretty bad though ngl. and he did nearly give away a penalty. good cross though! and good runs! he's involved! it has to be perculiar though doesn't it, a player 3 years younger than you in the youth system from the neighbouring rival country gets games before you.

 

 

hopefully he gets more games now. not saying he's a genius or anything, but can't we at least see what's he's got before he disappears from the club.

 

Looking at that fixture list, i think Pellistri should be starting the Forest second leg. Depending on being two up, substantial minutes against Reading. 30 minutes Leeds away, 30 minutes Leicester at home. It's not like Antony has even been great.

[feltmonkey]

Pellistri had a mixed evening, with some good play and a couple of bad mistakes, but overall he's an option, and as @fatbob points out, we're going to need some of them. Mainoo is going to be needed as well, and Williams. I think in the last three games we've started to see the effects of this run of fixtures, and it looks set to continue for quite a while. Bruno and Eriksen in particular look knackered. They both need a rest, but we have nobody to replace either of them, especially now that Van De Beek is out for the rest of the season. Amad Diallo has been playing as a number 10 for Sunderland at times, hasn't he? He's been fantastic for them, and I wonder if recalling him to rotate with Bruno a bit would be a possibility.

 

I don't know what the problem with players posting supportive messages on Pellistri's Instagram is. They all do it all the time, and seem to be trying to make a guy who is breaking into the first team. Besides, Licha Martinez IS a god of football, as we all know. Here's another of his Instagram comments after yesterday's match.

 

 

[Loik V credern]

Well they're just generic comments meant to give support i know, but then in the past pundits with needing something to talk about wondered if Fernandes saying this:

 

Quote

Garnacho has burst onto the Manchester United scene in recent weeks, culminating in two sumptuous assists during the midweek Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa.

Erik ten Hag has spoken publicly about getting his attitude right but then Fernandes weighed in himself, saying: “He was good, but he knows that we expect a lot from him.

 

“Obviously he’s still really young, he’s doing really well. He was not at his best at the beginning of the season.

 

“On the tour he didn’t have the best attitude that he should have had, and that’s why he didn’t get his chances until now. He’s getting his chances because he’s training better, having a different attitude and deserving his chances.”

 

It’s since been revealed that Garnacho turned up late to two meetings but he is said to have matured in the intervening months, putting various changes in motion to improve his opportunities at the club.

 

Bent – speaking on Talksport – thinks that Fernandes should have stuck to the positives on Garnacho because he is such a young player.

 

“I didn’t like that one bit,” Bent said. “When you talk to the media and you’re captain, you’ve got to look after the young players.

 

“He’s got a lot of potential around him because he’s playing really well.

 

“You don’t need people making up their mind before he’s had a fair crack at it. Now if he’s left out, or there’s something around him, they’re going to say ‘See. Bruno said he had a bad attitude.’

 

“He’s got to protect the younger players. You can’t be throwing them under the bus as they’ve just started.”

 

was out of line. I mean i don't care, but basically the top players have the benefit of having played so many more games so have produced in terms of goals and assists so their bad games or many bad moments can be overlooked, young players never have the advantage of getting the game time to deliver. Every touch is over analysed.

[ckny]

Gotta imagine there'll be big rotation this weekend. I can imagine something like

 

Butland

Williams - Lindelof - Maguire - Malacia

Fred - Scotty

Antony - Fernandes - Elanga

Weghorst

[Dayman]

Hoping someone can help out here - my dad and I are heading over for the Palace match next Saturday but our tickets have fallen through, anyone know of any good ways of getting tickets these days? (Outside of the tout sites which seem to be charging an absolute fortune). We each have the ticket forwarding memberships if that helps any. Thanks!

[teddymeow]

I'm very glad that Virgin Media upgraded my existing TV package for free the other day as I now get ITV4 HD so I can watch the game tonight without straining my eyes. 😂

[Mr Do 71]

 

[spork]

Who needs rest eh?

[5R7]

Wtf...some rotation needed there!

 

1 D De Gea

29 A Wan-Bissaka 2 V Lindelöf 5 H Maguire (c) 12 T Malacia

18 Casemiro 14 C Eriksen

21 A dos Santos 8 B Fernandes 10 M Rashford

27 W Weghorst

Substitutes

 

6 L Martínez 17 Fred 19 R Varane 22 T Heaton 28 F Pellistri 33 B Williams 36 A Elanga 49 A Garnacho Ferreyra 73 K Mainoo

 

Is scotty injured? and is that IT for our midfield!?! perhaps we should have got a midfielder in on loan too!

[spork]

I’m enjoying free roaming AWB.

[teddymeow]

The sleeves on the Reading shirt remind me Spectrum loading screens!!

[JPL]

10th consecutive goal for Rashford. He’s on fire!

[5R7]

Just now, JPL said:

10th consecutive goal for Rashford. He’s on fire!

nope...

[JPL]

Fuck.

[Gabzy]

He’ll just have to score another

[Gabzy]

These commentators are making my tits drop off. And roll around on the floor.

[feltmonkey]

Why is Lee Dixon so convinced that that challenge on Casemiro that kicks the back of both his ankles and doesn't get the ball isn't a penalty? He's an idiot.

[5R7]

yep, he clearly kicked his left leg first...then maybe got the ball!?

[Ran]

Lee Dick son? 

 

Yes.

[feltmonkey]

I actually think the offside was incorrect as well. You can be offside if the ball deflects off a defender but not if the defender deliberately plays the ball. The defender sticks his foot out a deliberately plays it. It's the same as that one Salah scored against Wolves. 

 

I actually think that it should be offside, as just because a defender deliberately plays the ball doesn't mean they're in control of it, and it's asking too much of defenders for them to judge whether an opponent is offside, and choose not to play the ball if they aren't able to control it. 

 

But as the laws stand, I dunno, I think he's deliberately played it, hasn't he?

[spork]

1 minute ago, feltmonkey said:

I actually think the offside was incorrect as well. You can be offside if the ball deflects off a defender but not if the defender deliberately plays the ball. The defender sticks his foot out a deliberately plays it. It's the same as that one Salah scored against Wolves. 

 

I actually think that it should be offside, as just because a defender deliberately plays the ball doesn't mean they're in control of it, and it's asking too much of defenders for them to judge whether an opponent is offside, and choose not to play the ball if they aren't able to control it. 

 

But as the laws stand, I dunno, I think he's deliberately played it, hasn't he?

Unless deliberately playing the ball means to actually meaningfully kick it in a direction? I’ve no idea what’s going on with various rules these days 

[feltmonkey]

10 minutes ago, spork said:

Unless deliberately playing the ball means to actually meaningfully kick it in a direction? I’ve no idea what’s going on with various rules these days 

 

Yeah, that's why it's a stupid law. That defender was fucked whatever he did - if he left it, it goes into the centre and Weghorst remains active. If he tries to play it and it goes to Weghorst, it's another phase of play. In the end, I kind of think that the decision is fair enough, even though it's technically the wrong decision. 

 

Can a leg flicked out to try and block a cross with the back of your heel be considered a deliberate attempt to play the ball?  Well yeah, of course it can. But it probably shouldn't, or at least it shouldn't have to matter. 

 

Edit - By the way, when is there ever an instance when a defender doesn't make a deliberate attempt to play a ball? These are professional athletes with the reflexes that go along with that, every shot or pass that comes at them they are able to make some attempt to play it. Like even that second Casemiro goal just now, the defender gets his head to it, but it's a deflection isn't it? But he did deliberately move his head towards it. So if it had come back off the post or keeper to a forward who was offside when the shot was hit, what then - is it offside? 

 

The Casemiro non-penalty is an absolute joke, though.

[Gabzy]

THAT finish by mr World class himself 😍

[feltmonkey]

Casemiro! 

 

Great finish, brilliant pass by Antony as well. That should shut the naysayers up for five minutes or so.

[spork]

What a pass from Antony! Will be interesting to see what Reading actually do now after having 11 defenders up until now.

[Gabzy]

I STILL CAN’T BLOODY BELIEVE WE HAVE CASEMIRO AT UNITED 😍 what a goddamn goal

[feltmonkey]

The Casemiro show!  

[5R7]

now just a rashford goal to finish it off!