Football Season 2014/2015

[Ellmeister]

Well Chelsea and Spurs didn't do much better against weaker opponents! Watching Drogba on Wed was disappointing, he stalled runs and had a poor first touch for most of the game I thought.

 

Hyped for tomorrow though, we in strong position at the moment if everyone fit.

[dazzybee]

Spurs played their reserve team!

 

On another note, how come no one slags sterling off for being the most disgraceful diver in the league? He goes down under no contact half a dozen times again. Makes me sick. If he was foreign I think people would be more disgusted by it!

[Ramar]

Welé and Özil doing the business yesterday. Pleased either the performance and clean sheet.

 

 

One off or Liverpool finding two games a week a struggle?

[Hero-of-Time]

We were awful yesterday. Zero creativity and our defence was an absolute shambles. Both that game and the Villa one should have produced some points. It's baffling that we could play so well against Spurs and then completely fall apart in the next two games.

[Happenstance]

One off or Liverpool finding two games a week a struggle?

 

I dont think its the two matches a week thats the struggle, I just think the team itself are still having issues. Too many new people in too soon I think. Just gonna have to hope it gets sorted as the season goes on.

[pratty]

One off or Liverpool finding two games a week a struggle?

 

I don't think it's two games in a week. Basically we can't win games that we go behind in. Both Villa and West Ham scored early goals, which gives them every reason to do what they'd most like to do, sit back and make us have to break them down for the rest of the game and try to pick us off on the counter and on set pieces.

 

On our end we don't help ourselves making mistakes defensively. We also shoot ourselves in the foot with our team selections against Villa dropping Sterling, not giving enough respect to Villa. And if we're playing Lucas, as we did yesterday, he should be the holder. He's a more natural holder than Gerrard and we're basically flushing all Gerrard's attacking creativity in the final third down the toilet.

 

It also feels like Rodger sends us out to play some "nice stuff", meanwhile it feels like our opponents are sent out to war and we get bullied, Mario was kicked all over Anfield Villa, clearly they wanted to get him wound up. Also Balotelli needs time to settle in, he had no pre-season so he's gone right into the deep end trying to fit in with the news surroundings and way we play.

 

It might all click together eventually but the damage is already done, we can probably forget trophies this season, realistically our goal now is top 4 and not be this crap again.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Hmm, let's analyse this bollocks then, shall we?

 

De Laet should have been sent off twice. Once in the first half for two yellow card offences yet only received one. Should have received another yellow in the second. Bad call/s by the referee.

 

Rafael is fouled in the build up to the penalty when we are winning 3-1. Should have been a free-kick to us. Then, the player dives in the box and receives a penalty. Should have been a yellow for a dive and a free kick to us.

 

Then, to top it all, De Laet (who shouldn't be on the pitch) assists the goal to bring it to 4-3. (there's also the argument that Blackett was fouled in the build up to him being sent off before the penalty was given to take it to 5-3, but that's nowhere near as strong a call as the others...although it is technically a foul. More of a foul than the one Rafael apparently committed for the penalty)

 

We defended badly throughout and Leicester played well, but the fact is that the referee gave them several gifts throughout the match and through his actions has given Leicester the platform to get back into the match when they should have been 3-1 down and reduced to 10 men. They could have brought the score back to 3-2 somewhere (given that our defence was poor) but the way that this has been handled is terrible. It would have been unlikely given that they most likely would have shut up shop and tightened things up after going down to 10.

 

Well done to Leicester for a spirited performance. But (and as much as I hate people who blame the referee for things), the ref has won you this game. I don't like it when a referee's bad calls gives us an advantage, neither do I like it when it gives the opposition an advantage, or even when I'm a neutral watching two other teams play. I hate bad refereeing and this was terrible.

 

(also, Jonny Evans is injured again. Him, Smalling and Jones spend more time in the sick bay than they do on the field)

[Ramar]

What a glorious day.

[Emerald Emblem]

Well United should defend better then they did then, at least 3 of Leicester's goals were down to poor defending from United.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Well United should defend better then they did then, at least 3 of Leicester's goals were down to poor defending from United.

 

Thank you for that Captain Obvious.

The goals that they conceded were poor, but that doesn't change the fact that the referee made a huge mess of things. We were 3-1 up and no amount of defending or team work will prevent a referee from giving a shit decision. The more I see of it, the more I can't believe he gave them the penalty.

 

I'm also now annoyed that Blackett won't be available for our next game. Would rather he started when he's looked decent compared to Smalling, Evans and Jones.

 

Anyway, well done, Leicester. I should point out that I did mention earlier that they played well. Won't be a surprise if they finish in the top 12 this season.

[Ramar]

So the ref gave Leicester one penalty. What's the excuse for the other 4 goals?

[Goron_3]

Blackett is bloody terrible. Why did he jump away from the ball in the build up to the penalty?

 

Rafael is also an idiot but we all knew that already.

 

United were poor last season and lacked creativity but they've gone so far backwards under LvG it's unbelievable. He didn't leave Bayern and Barca on good terms and I won't be surprised if it happened again at United. Who would have thought that they wouldn't have at least 12 points from their opening 5 fixtures? I dread to think what's going to happen when they play a top team.

[Wii]

Manchester United. That is all. :laughing::laughing:

[Fierce_LiNk]

So the ref gave Leicester one penalty. What's the excuse for the other 4 goals?

 

Shit defending, like I said.

 

However, you're talking about one event in isolation which you certainly cannot do in football. It doesn't work that way. It's not one event but rather a combination of events. Like I have already said, De Laet should have been sent off when the score was 2-1. So, that affects things. He should also have been sent off before the game turned to 3-1, so that changes things again. He is the player who ASSISTS the fourth goal. Tell me, if a player is sent off, can he assist a goal, a winning goal? Obviously not.

 

So, the fact is that we should have been 3-1 up with eleven players versus their ten. The referee doesn't make one bad call in isolation, he actually makes numerous bad calls.

 

The defending was bad, like I already said. But, we were 3-1 up at that point and my point is that the penalty should never have been given and he has then given them the platform to get something out of a game where they were losing. There's hard work and dedication and I commend Leicester for that. But, by not sending a player off and by giving a penalty that is not a penalty, he makes it much easier for them than what should have been in reality. Goals 3, 4 and 5 would not exist if the referee had done his job properly.

 

That being said, we already know that the defence is bad. I hope that Luke Shaw starts the next game and Rojo moves to centre-back. He's ok at left back but I think he plays better at centre-half. Who partners him is a proper fucking mess. That's another thing, if the penalty isn't given, then we don't go 4-3 down and Blackett doesn't get sent off, which impacts on the next game. Smalling will probably play now, I expect.

 

 

United were poor last season and lacked creativity but they've gone so far backwards under LvG it's unbelievable. He didn't leave Bayern and Barca on good terms and I won't be surprised if it happened again at United. Who would have thought that they wouldn't have at least 12 points from their opening 5 fixtures? I dread to think what's going to happen when they play a top team.

 

You are wrong on this one.

 

If you watched many of our games last season, you will notice that nothing EVER happened. Even in this game, we still created loads of chances and looked dangerous going forward. At least that's something that we have now. We are miles better creatively than last season. We are defensively worse due to Vidic, Rio and Evra going, as well as injuries to certain players. Evans, Smalling and Jones spend too much time out injured, Shaw hasn't started yet due to not being fully fit and Rojo has only just started playing due to his visa issues. Also, it's worth noting that De Gea played out of his skin last season to keep certain score-lines respectable, even when we were already losing.

 

Even the signing of Herrera has improved things. He was a bright spark today and he was somebody that Moyes passed up on in favour of Fellaini. LVG may have left certain places in bad terms, but he has also done a lot of good in those places which is often overlooked. The attacking players that he has brought in are of a high quality and not only improve United, they improve the league as a brand. Defensively is where we fall short and many of us expected that already. The other side of the coin is that Smalling, Blackett and Jones are all English, so if you don't give them game-time, you bring trouble on yourself for not giving young English players a chance.

[Goron_3]

Shit defending, like I said.

 

However, you're talking about one event in isolation which you certainly cannot do in football. It doesn't work that way. It's not one event but rather a combination of events. Like I have already said, De Laet should have been sent off when the score was 2-1. So, that affects things. He should also have been sent off before the game turned to 3-1, so that changes things again. He is the player who ASSISTS the fourth goal. Tell me, if a player is sent off, can he assist a goal, a winning goal? Obviously not.

 

So, the fact is that we should have been 3-1 up with eleven players versus their ten. The referee doesn't make one bad call in isolation, he actually makes numerous bad calls.

 

The defending was bad, like I already said. But, we were 3-1 up at that point and my point is that the penalty should never have been given and he has then given them the platform to get something out of a game where they were losing. There's hard work and dedication and I commend Leicester for that. But, by not sending a player off and by giving a penalty that is not a penalty, he makes it much easier for them than what should have been in reality. Goals 3, 4 and 5 would not exist if the referee had done his job properly.

 

That being said, we already know that the defence is bad. I hope that Luke Shaw starts the next game and Rojo moves to centre-back. He's ok at left back but I think he plays better at centre-half. Who partners him is a proper fucking mess. That's another thing, if the penalty isn't given, then we don't go 4-3 down and Blackett doesn't get sent off, which impacts on the next game. Smalling will probably play now, I expect.

 

 

 

You are wrong on this one.

 

If you watched many of our games last season, you will notice that nothing EVER happened. Even in this game, we still created loads of chances and looked dangerous going forward. At least that's something that we have now. We are miles better creatively than last season. We are defensively worse due to Vidic, Rio and Evra going, as well as injuries to certain players. Evans, Smalling and Jones spend too much time out injured, Shaw hasn't started yet due to not being fully fit and Rojo has only just started playing due to his visa issues. Also, it's worth noting that De Gea played out of his skin last season to keep certain score-lines respectable, even when we were already losing.

 

Even the signing of Herrera has improved things. He was a bright spark today and he was somebody that Moyes passed up on in favour of Fellaini. LVG may have left certain places in bad terms, but he has also done a lot of good in those places which is often overlooked. The attacking players that he has brought in are of a high quality and not only improve United, they improve the league as a brand. Defensively is where we fall short and many of us expected that already. The other side of the coin is that Smalling, Blackett and Jones are all English, so if you don't give them game-time, you bring trouble on yourself for not giving young English players a chance.

 

Like I said, United lacked any sort of creativity last season and paid the price, but this year United have got so much worse defensively. LvG knew they weren't going to have players like Vidic and Rio; I don't get why he didn't plan for that.

 

Di Maria and Falcao keep United in the papers and prove they are willing to spend but why not sort out the problems first? He said the team is unbalanced before the season started and it still is. Eventually they are going to have to play the top teams and they are nowhere near ready, especially mentally.

 

That said, it's great to see him acknowledge that it was the players fault. Fergie would've just blamed the ref but it's good to see him give a honest answer.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Like I said, United lacked any sort of creativity last season and paid the price, but this year United have got so much worse defensively. LvG knew they weren't going to have players like Vidic and Rio; I don't get why he didn't plan for that.

 

Di Maria and Falcao keep United in the papers and prove they are willing to spend but why not sort out the problems first? He said the team is unbalanced before the season started and it still is. Eventually they are going to have to play the top teams and they are nowhere near ready, especially mentally.

 

That said, it's great to see him acknowledge that it was the players fault. Fergie would've just blamed the ref but it's good to see him give a honest answer.

 

He wanted Hummells in the summer but Dortmund wouldn't let him go, at least not for cheap. Benatia went to Bayern. They were the top two targets.

 

It all hinged on the system. He wanted to play 4-3-3 to start off with but couldn't because of the midfield. So, bringing Herrera in was a way to go about readdressing that. There's not one area of the team that needed working on in isolation, the entirety of it needed changing. The only two spaces that didn't really need an awful lot of touching were in goal and up front. The defence was shit, Evra was aging, the central midfield was bad and the wingers were poor...namely Valencia and Nani. Young could occasionally do alright and looked quite decent in preseason. We had four strikers, but one was never being played (Hernandez) and one did quite well but didn't put away enough chances or was ruthless enough (Welbeck)

 

The midfield and wingers look better now. Shaw and Rojo have also come into the team and they will strengthen the defence, so he has addressed it to some extent. We're missing a commanding centre-back in the ilk of Vidic or Stam and it's probably high on the list of priorities. I can forgive him for not buying one because:

 

1. He did go after targets, so was looking.

2. It's one of about 5 areas that needed sorting.

3. We had options already at the club who did deserve a chance. Evans deserves his chance as a first choice centre-back, as does Jones and Smalling. Jones was touted as a future captain and needed to have time in his preferred position. It reminds me of the situation when Pique was the club. He didn't get a look in because Vidic and Rio were there, so had to leave to get football elsewhere. Now that they've gone, it is up to one of those three (four if you count Blackett) to come in and take their chance. At the moment, none of them are proving that they are capable of it, so it wouldn't surprise me if somebody does come in next summer.

[yesteryeargames]

Why the hell did they let rio go :S I know he was getting on a little but he has much to offer.

 

 

Possibly the worst defence in premier league history right now

 

Will take a couple of years to mount a serious challenge again .

Edited September 21, 2014 by yesteryeargames

[Emerald Emblem]

Down to 10 men, a goal down, who should come and potentially save Manchester City from defeat to Chelsea? Frank Lampard, how does he feel now I wonder.

[Phube]

BOOOOOM!!!!!

[Kav]

Well if anyone was going to equalise, I'm glad it was Lampard!

[Wii]

Some crazy results this weekend. If you could have predicted them, you'd be a rich man.

[Phube]

Man U fans moaning about refereeing decisions... The circle is now complete!

[Ramar]

Why the hell did they let rio go :S I know he was getting on a little but he has much to offer.

 

 

Possibly the worst defence in premier league history right now

 

Will take a couple of years to mount a serious challenge again .

 

Behave. Worst Man Utd defence. But there's been far worse in the league.

[Emerald Emblem]

Shame about tonight, Southampton were worthy of their win, our inexperienced defense wasn't great but despite the ref's bias towards us we weren't very effective with the final pass, as you'd expect making 10 changes.

 

Worst moment of the game was Joel Campbell's dive, utterly disgraceful and didn't even get booked. Positive was Diaby, great to see him playing again and he did his job well, still rusty but hopefully he'll keep getting better.

 

Well the League Cup is out of the way now, time to focus on the other 3 opportunities.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Emerald Emblem

[Hero-of-Time]

Surprised there isn't much banter in here considering how crazy the results were last night.

 

We were very lucky. I honestly thought Boro were the better team and have a huge amount of respect for them due to the effort they put in. Obviously i'm glad we got through to the next round but I have a lot of concerns with the team at the moment.