Man Utd Thread:

[Tony Baloney]

Stuffed PSG and Leipzig and still can't qualify needing 4 points from 12? Impressive as I thought they had been awarded the trophy after the second match

[BennyCake]

De Gea actually turns his back on the shot for the last goal - Criminal!

Hard to disagree with that commentary on De Gea. Depends on what was said between the two but Maguire had the chance to clear out an De Gea was shockingly slow off the line.

[NAG1]

Disappointing result and performance last night but as we knew not wholly unexpected with the way the team go up and down even within a single game.

Let's not get anything twisted Leipzig are a decent side and with the extra man in MF in the first period it was men against boys in there.

I am confused with the 5 at the back though, is that not meant to make the team more solid at the back and give the ability to the wing back to get out wider and defend crosses. AWB was atrocious from minute one, have rarely seen a player at this level have less of a clue positionally. We know he can tackle, but positionally is so poor, attacking none existent.

Attacking options limited and does not help when Greenwood and Rashford continually give the ball away in promising areas against teams who want to hit on the break.

I wouldn't usually be one for listening too much to the pundits or ex-pros, however I thought the three on BT sport pretty much had it nailed on last night. There is no identity to the team, we dont know if they want to be a possession based side or if they want to hit on the counter, 5 at the back 4 at the back 3 at the back? Until there is a definitive system or style how do you sort recruitment?

More questions than answers again and unfortunately while it doesnt all come down to Ole, I am not sure that he is strong enough to answer them all and demand it from other sections in the club.

[Milltown Row2]

Leipzig are known to come at you from the very start, at home they haven't lost this year I don't think, drew 3-3 with Bayern at the weekend and needed a result against Utd, didn't watch the game but you'd have went for 4 at the back 5 midfield and one up front and played on the counter?

The main thing going out on the pitch would have been, get it to half time scoreless ffs

What was the formation?

[NAG1]

Leipzig are known to come at you from the very start, at home they haven't lost this year I don't think, drew 3-3 with Bayern at the weekend and needed a result against Utd, didn't watch the game but you'd have went for 4 at the back 5 midfield and one up front and played on the counter?

The main thing going out on the pitch would have been, get it to half time scoreless ffs

What was the formation?

3 CB's - Maguire Lindelof & Shaw
2 Wing Backs - AWB and Telles
2 Holding CM - Matic McTominay
Fernandes given a free ish role with Rashford and Greenwood up front

[Bord na Mona man]

For such a defensive set up (on paper anyway) some of the positional play was woeful. AWB being too narrow and miles off Angelino caused big problems early on.
I suspect that him, Shaw and Maguire are not adaptable enough to be easily switch defensive formations easily.

I also doubt that Ferguson would have stuck with De Gea for so long with him clearly out of sorts. He made the big call with Jim Leighton in 1990 and Ole should have promoted Henderson by now.
The Pogba saga is another that will cause problems. The bigger problem for the player, club and a hungry agent is that there won't be a queue of suitors willing to pay big money.

[nrico2006]

De Gea wasn't shockingly slow at all, maybe could slabber at him for turning his face when he was expecting contact but if you look at the goal again you would be expecting Maguire to clear it.  There wasn't much time for De Gea to react from the moment Maguire inexplicably decided to let it run, and the ball was closer to the attacker than De Gea yet De Gea got near it but wasn't big enough.

[Maroon Manc]

Another diabolical performance and they've been pretty much weekly since the season started, if we'd started the seasons with the same squad that started last season we'd be in the bottom 6.

Ole wasn't backed enough in the summer to make a title challenge, we don't have the squad to challenge City, Liverpool & Chelsea but we should be doing better then we are. The league form has been appalling, moments of brilliance due to the number of top attacking players we've got has got us out of trouble.

I was all up for giving him time, he's done well in the transfer market, has paid far too much for Maguire & Wan Bisaka but you can balance that out with getting Cavani, Fernandes, VDB & Telles for £90m. This seasons form isn't good enough though, we made excuses for him in the Palace game with the fitness levels but Brighton gave us a chasing for long periods of the game and they should have won. We downed tools against Spurs, were extremely negative at home to Chelsea & Arsenal and barely created a chance in either games and weren't much better against West Brom. Then there was the calamity against West Ham and we've only played 10 league games, we've only played well in 2 league games. We've conceded 27 goals in 16 league and CL matches too, so many poor goals in there.

I'm sure there's a few saying give him time which would be fine if he had a track record to back him up but he doesn't, blind faith is the only logical reason for backing Ole as there can be no justification for it.

[J70]

Yes, but he will now go out and beat City at the weekend, and all will be well in the world again.

[johnnycool]

Utd's propensity for going behind away from home and then hoping to turn it around has caught up with them.

Five premiership games in a row they've done that and have gotten away with it up until last night.

Surely they've looked at that before now.

[brokencrossbar1]

Utd's propensity for going behind away from home and then hoping to turn it around has caught up with them.

Five premiership games in a row they've done that and have gotten away with it up until last night.

Surely they've looked at that before now.

I was listening to the radio last night before the game and there was a woman on who played for Uniteds women's team. She said that they me of Oles main strengths was to be able to see the problems and change the game as it was developing. Make an impact with Subs the way he did as a player....like what the actual f**k?!?  A great super sub so he knows how to change a game? 

The team was set up last night not to lose. 5 defenders and 2 defensive midfielders. There was no pace around the middle and they were pulled apart. AWB may be a great last ditch tackler but hasn't a brain from what I can see. He was lost in a new system and was badly exposed as a consequence

[Farrandeelin]

Yes, but he will now go out and beat City at the weekend, and all will be well in the world again.

More than likely. It wouldn't surprise me one bit.

[Denn Forever]

The players didn't seem to know how to play the system.  Wing back reveted  to center back mode leaving their left back  score a rehearsed move.

[gallsman]

De Gea wasn't shockingly slow at all, maybe could slabber at him for turning his face when he was expecting contact but if you look at the goal again you would be expecting Maguire to clear it.  There wasn't much time for De Gea to react from the moment Maguire inexplicably decided to let it run, and the ball was closer to the attacker than De Gea yet De Gea got near it but wasn't big enough.

Keeper HAS to second guess defender in event of f**k ups. De Gea was rooted to his line when he shouldn't have been. Exact same way Maguire shouldn't have been taking any chances if he got a shout from Dr Gea and should have hoofed it. Fun as it is to criticise Maguire given how shite he is, the way he left it suggests to me he got a shout from De Gea.

[nrico2006]

De Gea wasn't shockingly slow at all, maybe could slabber at him for turning his face when he was expecting contact but if you look at the goal again you would be expecting Maguire to clear it.  There wasn't much time for De Gea to react from the moment Maguire inexplicably decided to let it run, and the ball was closer to the attacker than De Gea yet De Gea got near it but wasn't big enough.

Keeper HAS to second guess defender in event of f**k ups. De Gea was rooted to his line when he shouldn't have been. Exact same way Maguire shouldn't have been taking any chances if he got a shout from Dr Gea and should have hoofed it. Fun as it is to criticise Maguire given how shite he is, the way he left it suggests to me he got a shout from De Gea.

A keeper should be prepared to second guess but in last nights scenario where a ball was rolling in the path of his CB, there really shouldn't be any other outcome other than a clearance there.  The only reason I can see for Maguire doing that is due to what you mentioned regarding De Gea giving a shout.  If tht has happened, the fault is all De Geas.