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Some United positivity
That’s 24 games unbeaten, 13 wins and 11 draws. The last time this happened it was 15 wins and 9 draws under Fergie. It really is an impressive record despite the number of frustrating home draws. United’s win against Anderlecht was treated like a defeat in here and from reading todays mailbox its much of the same. What a depressing bunch United fans are and what selective memories they have.
Yes the football last night was extremely defensive and the second half performance was quite frustrating but over the course of the game City had two clear chances (three at a push if you want to include Otamendi’s blocked header). United also had two from Herrera and Mhki (Yes it was courtesy of Bravo’s ineptitude) which is a testament to a well drilled, depleted side limiting a very impressive team full of pace to next to nothing. I don’t think Jose set up to be as negative. If he did he would have picked Lingard and Young over Martial and Mhki as they are better defensively. Jose expected a lot more from the wingers and they didn’t show up.
As for the selective memories and this notion of a ‘United way, Fergie’s approach to United in his last seven or eight seasons was hugely pragmatic. United were not a great team to watch after Ronaldo and Tevez left. They still put in some magnificent attacking performances but Fergie had the team set up similar to last night against the better teams in the league (e.g At the Etihad 5 years ago). Lets not forget some of the battering’s Fergie took of City in those last few years either. I don’t think United had a line up last night that could have handled City on the counter. Carrick, Fellaini, Blind and Darmian are far too slow so squeezing City (who fall into peak LVG when teams park the bus) was the best option.
Pogba on the pitch would have given United’s game plan a different dynamic. There were countless number of times when City lost the ball running straight into the wall of United players only for United to carry the ball out with Fellaini, Carrick or Darmian who are all as slow as Robbie Savage with a pulled hamstring. City’s players had all the time in the world to catch up and stifle any chance of a break. Pogba could have broken forward with pace or played one of his exceptional long balls from deep in behind for Rashford or Martial to chase. Without him Rashford was a spectator all game and United died as an attacking force after 20 minutes.
As for Fellaini’s red, yes he was brainless but surely Aguero’s reaction is worse than leaning down to put your head into a guy squaring up to you? Has football got to the stage where cheating is clever and being stupid and falling for it is the real crime? Fellaini has been guilty (and gotten away) with mindless aggression before but last night was not an example of this. I’d prefer he hadn’t of fallen for it but the reaction against him has been laughable. ‘He will never play for United again’ is one that popped up on twitter more than once. He will almost certainly play next week against Celta.
I’m happy with a point and confident that with a full team and a few better, more experienced attacking players brought in United can use this playing style more effectively.
Dave (Kompany was such a nice guy in the post-match interview) Ireland
…Ok, I’m willing to admit I was expecting a better performance from United considering our form of late plus City losing a demoralising cup semi final after 2 hours of football. Even so, I see the usual meltdown in the Mornings mailbox slamming Jose for the way he set the team up.
Is everyone expecting United to go away from home to a side with City’s attack and go all guns blazing so we get picked off and comfortably lose the game? The personnel in the United team was clearly set up to hit City on the break, and if it were not for Pogba missing who can often thread the ball to begin the counter attack and Martial and Mkhitaryan having poor games- I would wager United would have had better success in the game.
16 Conclusions states that “United needed to win this game” and that “Mourinho has all his eggs in the Europa League basket.” No we didn’t and no he hasn’t. We have a game in hand on Liverpool and if we win that, we go into the top four leaving CL qualification in our own hands going into the final few games of the season. The Swansea game on Sunday is a must win- not winning this has ensured that.
The years gone by in which Arsenal have set up for big away games in being ridiculously open has been rightly lambasted by the media, (including yourself) so when United set up to make things difficult away from home why do we get slaughtered?
I see fans of other clubs chipping in also with “Imagine watching that every week.” Here’s a newsflash- WE DON’T PLAY LIKE THAT EVERY WEEK. I can think of only 1 other game this season in which we have set up in this manner and that was against Liverpool at Anfield. Most other games have consisted of us dominating the opposition playing some of the better football we’ve played in the last 3 years. Only wastefulness has denied us a higher league position.
To put things into perspective- Mourinho will likely end the season with 2 trophies and CL qualification while Pep/Klopp/Poch win absolutely fuck all.
Robert MUFC (“He should do having spent over £100 mil” brigade incoming)
…My four derby conclusions
- It is easy to forget in the heat of the moment that this is a team that has been unbeaten in 24 games and has played 18 games more than the leading two. Comparison to Spurs and Chelsea (who we thumped comprehensively the second-time round after a European tie) is utter nonsense. It is short-sighted to think that United would have been firing on all cylinders.
- No Mata, Pogba, Ibra, Rojo in the squad and we managed a draw against a near full strength City is testament to how far the team has come in its FIRST year under a new manager. The kids will come good their pace is astonishing.
- Atkinson was appalling all round, but this was no Keane vs Viera type of dirty it was just a bunch of ninnies pushing and diving at every chance which was a shame.
- Fellaini was stupid but let’s not overlook Aguero’s ridiculous reaction which is everything wrong with football today.
Manc Fan since the 80’s where winning the FA Cup and beating Liverpool on the odd occasion was all that and a bag of chips
More United negativity
After watching a dreadful 96 minutes of football last night with no f***ing goals, it made me realise two things:
1. The Premier League has been over hyped for a good two or three years now, if Barca, Real or Athletico played in the Prem, they would hammer some teams and be able to beat United, City, Liverpool and Arsenal quite easily. The Spanish league in terms of technique and quality of football is just way better than the Prem now.
2. The standard of United fans being happy with a s**t second half performance like that is truly unacceptable, I accept the 0-0 draw we had with Liverpool at Anfield because it was SO early in the season and Mourinho was still finding his feet, but last night was a joke, we are unbeaten in over 6 months in the league and looked to counter with a 19 year old alone upfront as our only real threat to City.
Although I will give credit for the defense and organisation of the team, it was very disciplined of them. Thought De Gea, Bailly and Rashford were the only decent players for United. I still believe the club can get top 4 and at least beat Arsenal at the Emirates, but fearful for that Spurs game with the form they are in.
Also how the f*** did De Gea catch that Aguero shot? He is half cat, half human. When both of them were talking at the end of the match, they were probably discussing when they are off to Madrid, one of them is definitely off this summer and rightly so. Surprised De Gea hasn’t actually gone now, at least he will be entertained in goal watching some decent attacking play when he goes to Madrid.
Rami, MUFC, Manchester
…First of all, let’s just get this straight. A draw away to City with the available squad they have is a perfectly acceptable result. It puts us in position to leapfrog Liverpool into the top 4 and that’s dandy. It’s not great to see United showing so little attacking intent but that’s Jose for you, and always was. Which brings me on to the point of this letter.
Has Jose ever made effective use of his attacking talents? He’s complained about the attacking resources at his disposal but that’s utter nonsense. He has two of the best attacking talents from last year, and has added further to it (even if they’ve disappointed). The failure of the team to score many goals this season lies firmly at his feet. But really, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
I think you could make a case that Jose underperformed at Real. With the array of incredible players he had at his disposal, I believe he should probably have done better – more league titles, more cups and more success in Europe. The problem for him is that he’s not actually very good at setting up sides to attack, relying on exceptional players like Ronaldo to do all the work for him. Under him, Chelsea defended and counterattacked their way to their league titles. This is why he desperately needed Pogba and needs Griezmann.
Jose made promises about youth and about approach to football when he joined United. I would say both have been broken. I would also say that should be no surprise. A leopard doesn’t change its spots. And he’s far too long in the tooth to change now. But hey, at least we’re well placed for the top 4…
Guy S
#FFSThursday
After #RedMonday and #MerseyMonday produced 2 eye-bleedingly dull games you just couldn’t stop yourself ruining last nights game could you. The only thing throbbing last night was my head from repeatedly hitting it against the wall as punishment for watching the full 96 mins.
I could blame Mourinho since this is what he does but like a young(er) Duncan Castles I’m choosing to shift the blame on to someone else: Sarah
Peter, Glasgow.
Derby no fair comparison
Hello there. Long time lurker, first time mailer. But got to take issue with Paul comparing the Manchester derby to El Clasico.
Why’s he comparing the 4th and 5th best teams in England with the 1st and 2nd in Spain?
When Chelsea and Spurs play it tends to be pretty bloody good.
Sevilla v Villarreal would be a more appropriate comparison. Their last two meetings? Both 0-0.
Matt, London
Terry would be too much
Firstly, United drew against City, at City. If Fergie had managed this in 2012 there would have been no Aguero moment (United didn’t even have a shot in that game). It’s a good point for United with all the injuries we’ve sustained recently and also keeps our fate in our own hands. Kudos to Jose for this one I say.
Secondly, this love in for John Terry from professionals has to stop. Charlie Adam and Danny Mills only need to have a look at the Premier League table and see that United, with a constantly changing back 5, have conceded 5 fewer goals than Chelsea this year. That’ll be the Chelsea for whom John Terry currently plays.
I can just about put up with Mourinho but adding Terry – probably the biggest p***k to have ever played football – is just too much.
Ashley (5th will do) Metcalfe
Fellaini discrimination
Aguero moved his head upwards towards Fellaini. Fellaini moved his head downwards towards Aguero. The downward motion looks worse that than the upward motion. Fellaini basically got sent off for being tall.
Damian, Dublin
The D
Likely not the only mail on this, but to answer Phil, Maidenhead’s question: if goal kicks can be passed to a player standing in the little D outside the area, what is the purpose of the D?
The answer is that it is to ensure players are the correct distance from the penalty spot at the time a penalty kick is taken. Goal kicks can be taken from anywhere inside the 6 yard box to an outfield player outside the 18 yard box (which does not include the D).
And in reply to Paul in the very next mail – surely the correct match to compare to Real v Barca would be the much more exciting prospect of Chelsea v Spurs?
Like it or not, Man City v Man Utd is the equivalent of Sevilla v Villareal.
Happy to help.
Terry Hall, Switzerland
…In response to Phil, Maidenhead, fairly certain the only purpose of the D outside each penalty area comes when a penalty kick is being taken. It enables players to stand centrally on the pitch while remaining the minimum of 10 yards away from the ball.
For another question, during the Crystal Palace v Hotspur game, there were several moments when Christian Eriksen was taking corners where the referee had to check the ball was placed correctly. Given that the laws state the ball must be placed within the quadrant (including the line), how much do players actually gain by placing the ball at the outer extreme?
Is this the same sort of behaviour that means free kicks and throw-ins are rarely taken from the exact correct spot, where players are just so accustomed to pushing the boundaries, or is there a genuine marginal gain to exploit by placing the ball so it only contacts the very outside of the white line as opposed to just anywhere within the quadrant?
Or, to put it another way, do those extra couple of inches make a difference, or is that just what your mum said last night?
Ed Quoththeraven
Poor advert for the Premier League
I’m a big fan on the stance F365 takes with the Gossip column each day. I read it mostly to see in which new way they’re going to take the piss, rather than because I staunchly believe Arsenal’s frontline next season will be Mbappe, Greizmann, Neymar and Messi (although I’m sure Wenger would argue next year that it could’ve been).
What struck me today was that Manchester United are going to spend £280m on Neymar, Griezmann and Morata, in an all new frontline for Jose Mourinho. The hilarity of this coming 12 hours after one of the season’s worst matches – and I sat through Swansea v Middlesbrough – should not be lost. If Neymar was watching that, what do you reckon he’s thinking? “Oooh can’t wait to go and play for Jose,” is probably not near the top of his list of thoughts. As someone else alluded to this morning, El Clasico was on a level about three stations above what we saw last night, and Neymar already plays for one of these teams.
There is simply no way such talents deserve to play in systems with tactics like we saw last night. What an utter waste it would be. If this tripe is actually still selling newspapers, the UK’s issues are deeper than we thought.
While I’m ranting, MJ in LA is clearly completely missing the point on Chelsea’s youth side. Storey is probably upset that in the “modern game”, someone like Izzy Brown made his Premier League debut for West Brom four years ago but got offered money and glamour at Chelsea and wasn’t properly advised at how it would stall his career. Four years on he has just one more appearance in the top division – he would have many more if he’d have stayed at The Hawthorns (disclaimer: probably, although Pulis Ball). The point is, playing for Chelsea’s youth team might be seen by the youngsters as ‘swaggy’ and ‘lit’ and ‘Snapchat g’ but scoring 10 goals for West Brom as a 19 year old would’ve been cooler.
I feel I’ve given my age away by using the word ‘cool’.
Joe, AFC, East Sussex
Stubborn managers
There’s a few articles out today about Stevie G and his philosophy on coaching/getting more out of young players/hating show offs etc etc.
However, I was most struck by his willingness to admit he had loads to learn, was going to make a ton of mistakes and he had a long way to go.
Are there any top flight managers who are ready to do the same? Ready to say they’ve got something wrong , it’s their fault and now they’ll try to fix it?
Arsene – determined to play one way, his way thank you very much and isn’t going anywhere despite blatantly being at least 5 years past his sell by date. The mythical cyclops was less one-eyed than Monsieur Wenger and if he’s ever admitted to making a mistake I must have missed it.
Pep – increasingly the same as above. Pots off Joe Hart for no apparent reason and replaces him with quite possibly the worst keeper in the top flight. But admit this was an error? Not a chance. Has a style that works wonderfully well if the best players in the world are playing it but not so much otherwise. I think his head will explode if someone criticises him much more.
Jose – you must be joking.
Jurgen – cheeses off his best defender to Palace despite many subsequent horror defensive shows. But will he make nice and bring him back this summer? Not likely – unfortunately.
Etc etc.
I just get so fed up of hearing ‘ we were unlucky/robbed/cheated’ blah blah blah every single week. How the hell can you fix something you’ve done wrong if you won’t admit it?
A few less excuses and a lot more self-reflective honesty would go a long way for my money.
Last passing thought. Two out of United, City and Liverpool will be in the Champions League next season.
But on recent displays, are any of them going to get out of the group stages? It seems unlikely.
James, Liverpool
View from a blue
As there was no one in the F365 universe who wrote in from the Blue side of Manchester I felt the need to be “that guy”.
Dave & Paul – sorry guys that was a head butt. That his skull didn’t cave in is not Aguero’s fault. It is not unreasonable to expect to be able to verbally challenge a competitor on the field of play without having to worry about said skull. Let’s not forget Herrera going from paraplegic to full match fitness within 5 seconds only 15 minutes earlier.
EMUFC – did you watch the full post match presser? First question: “were you the only team that wanted to win that?” These are questions designed to elicit a quote that can be endlessly used to first bash Jose, then Pep and then the rest of the league. This on top of the media in the U.K. being so pro- Utd/Liverpool its no wonder he doesn’t want to play their games. It’s quite nice I think, considering he’s talking to publications that regularly slate him, his players and his employers with ZERO regard for manners…
Stoky-Boy – he has poor technique. Watching the silly YouTube channel videos where he did a penalty challenge confirmed it. When he kicks a ball, his technique puts him off balance, no surprise he spends half of each game on the floor. Strange that it hasn’t been coached out of him.
At the end of it though, it was nice that the disallowed goal was in fact offside, it was nice that Jose and Pep had a little cuddle at the end and it was a fair result based on how profligate we were (and have been all season) and how negative United were. Right up until Fellaini got sent off I still saw a goal coming from them – that’s Mourinho’s gift.
Bring on Boro and more importantly, next season!
Alex, Bermuda soon to be Zurich
Jobs for the boys
Reading the thoughts of Charlie Adam and Danny Mills, leads me to question why we continue to allow those people express their views? And by ‘those people’ I don’t mean middle aged, middle class, white men but British ex-pros who only ever express opinions that make them or their British ex-pro buddies sound good, with no evidence of rational thought (or continuity) behind it.
John Terry to Manchester United? Because he knows Mourinho. He’s a winner. He’s a leader (who conveniently forgot to lead and win last year and without winning a trophy since has become a leader and winner again coincidently around the same time Conte took over). He’s doing his coaching badges and totally not because he’s a good mate of mine and is English I swear.
This is John Terry. Not good enough for a team who wants to (and is about to) win the league (and hasn’t been for two years) And he should join Manchester United. The behemoth of English football, current FA Cup holders, a team that even when they turn shit are still the biggest and richest club in history and a team with just five regular members of their first team squad not having won a league title somewhere (Shaw, Rashford, Darmian, Herrera,Bailly).
Snap him up cause he’s good to have about the place eh? He’s top quality bantz and will show loads of pashun’ too. Sure why not snap Phil Thompson up too? He’s won the lot and knows how to wear the armband. Though he might miss those odd 3pm’s on a Saturday
I know this gets covered in Mediawatch regularly (among other features) and the mailbox tend to call it out too (probably more eloquently than I) but I’m just so sick of the ‘jobs for old boys’ attitude that gives these people a mouthpiece and forms the basis of their wonderful insight into the game of football.
Conor ( I do love a good parenthesis), Ireland
All good things must come to an end
An amazing stat which I heard the other day:
Since the day Wenger arrived, Tottenham have finished above every team in England, with the exception of Arsenal. How that must hurt Spurs fans.
Of course, that record will end this season and probably even on Sunday. But it was fun while it lasted.
Joe Rice
Woolwich Week
I agree that the notion of a St Arsenhole’s Day, given it’s the first opportunity in twenty years, is utterly ridiculous.
Clearly the name should be Woolwich Week. After so many years of hurt, I think we Spurs fans deserve seven full days of uninterrupted festivities to celebrate the difficulties faced by our nomadic friends from south of the river.
Rob Davies, THFC
