Lets Talk Football

Agree on Brendan Rodgers. The spell at Celtic has improved him a lot. I see him managing a bigger side in the future, with all due respect Leicester who themselves are a well run club.


As for Ole, I wonder how much of United's good run is down to Bruno Fernandes @honeykid ? He has been an amazing signing.
I see similar example in Suarez who was largely responsible for our title challenge under Rodgers. After his departure, Rodgers really struggled with his tactics.

WHU's lack of pedigree, one could say the same about the 2016 Leicester team.

Man City have got the title in the bag it is the fight for the remaining three positions for UCL spots that is going to go down to the wire if the inconsist form from the rest continues.

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He's the catalyst for it. Finally there was a leader in the pack who was prepared to lead. Allied with the fact that he's a superb player who looks to play forward and can score goals from midfield (something which most of the best United teams have had in common going back to the 50's at least) and you had a perfect United player. We got lucky with him because he was coming in the summer, but Ed (as usual) didn't want to pay the price. If Levy had, we'd have missed out. As usual, I think we ended up paying a little more than we originally declined. There's that Ed Woodward savvy again.

That's not to say Ole's played no part. While I don't think he's a tactical genius and I sometimes question his selections, he has put the foundations down for a traditional United team and bought well so far. If allowed to continue he might develop into someone who deserves the job on merit.

Although I still think Pogba will (and should) go, I think Bruno's desire to take the lead role has lessened the pressure on him. You'd think for a World Cup winner in his late 20's that wouldn't be an issue, but I genuinely believe it is.

I don't think United are tough enough mentally to genuinely challenge for the title. Yet alone win it and that's why a trophy this season of any kind could be so important. A team, especially a team with a lot of young players, needs to prove to themselves that they can win things. I don't know if it's a thing yet in the players minds, but after 4 semi defeats in 2 seasons I'm sure they'll need to do it quickly before the pressure becomes too much and the odds get longer and longer that they'll do it. It also undermines Ole, as he's yet to get to a final yet either.

We really need a proper finisher. I love Rashford, but he's very much 'young Henry' atm. Great coming in from the left, but wants to play through the middle and, on most showings, shows why he shouldn't. The more he learns from Cavani the better, (ditto Greenwood, but he's got years in the bank) but we could do with a real forward there. We should be doing absolutely everything to get Haarland this summer. Pay the moon, promise the stars. Whatever it takes. He reminds me of RVN in front of goal and I can't pay a higher compliment than that. If he decides to go elsewhere (and I think he will) so be it. But don't let it be because the richest club in the world didn't make the offer.

Absolutely. And I did. As I've said many, many times, I think football exists to make fools out of those of us who try to predict it.

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Possibly not against Prem-standard, but nice to see Spurs flowing again. Good to see some Gareth glimpses (2m35s)



The Moura moment was probably the outright highlight, but good to see Dele back-heeling and nutmegging and box-dashing effectively and confidently too

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Well after this latest loss, this time to their neighbours, Liverpool are well and truly out of the running for the title.
I truly think they might struggle to make the top six the way things are going.
Not only missing VVD and Jota they seem to have lost the task of putting the ball in the net.
There might well be some comings and goings during the summer that many wouldn't have thought could happen after last seasons performance.

Liverpool 0-2 Everton

My thoughts on this season.

Just remember the two seasons of almost flawless football you had without any major injuries. Liverpool fans have baulked at being told they'd been lucky with injuries over the last few seasons and that, with just one or two bad ones they could be in a bit of trouble. They got away with it early last season when Adrian came in for a few weeks and made some fantastic saves which won games for them and started the momentum which became unstoppable up until Covid19 interrupted things. Although, looking back, you can see things are just beginning to slow before that enforced break as the effort required and the sated hunger of two fat years started to take their toll. Roll forward to this season and without a proper pre season and some new faces those two things were already showing more and more. Remember VVD was in the side which lost 7-2 to Villa. That was a 'proper' Liverpool team. Still just a one-off I accept, but I never thought Liverpool would win the title this year, just because history shows it's very difficult to win back to back titles. Psychologically most players don't play as hard as they did because they've won something. Achieved their dreams. With a league and a CL title in the bag, what's the little boy inside dreaming of? Players get used to the same voice in the dressing room. That's why I always think the best managers (or at least, the ones I respect the most) are the ones which make and then rebuild a successful side. That's not a slight at Klopp, he hasn't shown whether he can do that or not yet and if, in the next season or two, he manages to do it, I'll respect him even more than I already do.

It's times like this I wish I could write an 18+ post about how Mourinho is a fornicating poop-Cbomb

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@honeykid
Yep, hence I stated couple of weeks ago. Paisley and Fergie were best because they constantly refreshed their squads, even when their teams where on the top.

I dunno if it’s having spent so long with Spurs as a 'top 8 if we’re lucky, let’s have an end to end game' side, but I enjoyed that West Ham game

Granted they just packed the middle after the lucky start, so it wasn’t a back’n forth, but I think it was just the endeavour til the end that I liked. (An assist for Gaz and near-classic crossbar stunner helped too though )


EDIT: I'll almost guarantee Jose's 'My staff are world beaters, but we can't fix this team' comments are 50% about Dele. Because he lost the ball in midfield with a half-trick again . These sins do not get forgiven...

(Honestly the fricking arrogance on this guy though. He'd be topping the table if it weren't for this pesky team of cut-price superstars )

For those who didn't see the game, don't be fooled by the scoreline against Newcastle. The first half was terrible, the goal came against the run of play and Newcastle would've been hard done by to go in anything less than level. They started the second half well too, but did look to tire after an hour or so. The second United goal doing the damage to their confidence I suspect.

That said, that's not unusual for this United team, to look tired/leggy in the first half and have to get that out of their systems for the second. Don't get me wrong, we derserved to win, but we're still not in good form.

Also, Martial has to go this summer, surely? I know I'd lost patience with him by 2019 and would've sold him that summer, only for him to have his best season to date and really show up last season. But he's back to what he was now and I'll go back to what I said so long ago; we can't have a player who has eight good games a season at United. Let alone leading the line which, for reasons only known to himself, is the kind of player he thinks he is, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Looking forward to seeing a bit more of the young subs this Thursday. Maybe a front three of Shoretire/Greenwood/Amad in the second half if things are still good?

Well Leicester going out of the Europa League last night was a bit of a surprise.
Arsenal scraped through thanks to Aubamayang.
Man Utd introduced Shoretire to european football in a 0-0 goalfest!
Rangers seemed to be the only British team wanting to do it in style last night.
The draw should be interesting and we shall have a better idea of who might make it through to the next round after it.

Hey, talking of doing it in style...

Wolfsberger may have been the lowest seed left, but they certainly gave us a much needed confidence boost



Dele in full pomp, and a Roy of the Rovers finish from Gareth? All good

Now if only we could carry some of this Euro momentum into Prem results...

Ok it was only a stunned and out-of-sorts Burnley... but still, that was fun

Bale was outstanding.
Jose spent the second half with a silly grin on his face.
Son, Kane, Bale has to be the best front three in the Premier League at this time.
If he could work it so Alli and Moura play as well then they might just beat Man City in the Carabao Cup.

Yeah seeing that Jose grin just added to the surrealness

Yeah in full swashbuckle mode we do look quality upfront. (Having Ndombele driving the breaks, and 2 fast wing backs in support help loads too though. Really gave them nightmares on who to track.)

I'm not sure there's a world where that 5 could play together (you'd probably have to drop Dele back too far away from his best positions), but having some depth on the bench is all good. Bale still won't be doing 90mins every match (if they're going to start him regularly now), so with Lo Celso coming back too there's good back up for us playing a high tempo breaks game.

But right now, yeah, would love to see a Son - Harry - Bale front 3 for sure

Lloris
Doherty....Alderweireld....Reguilon
Ndombele...Hjobjerg
Bale....Moura....Alli....Son
Kane

I’d like to see it happen, but I can’t see Mouh not having 3 big lumps in a back 3. (Ben Davis tops, and he’d be tasked to stay back still). And I’d still fear Dele not bringing the magic when that deep, and I think he’d have to drop a fair bit.

If we ever decided to go full shock and awe, that’d be the way though

(PS yeah I do think Doherty is more solid at the back, and better for that system. Aurier is still kinda my fave of the two at the mo overall though, purely for his energy up front, and since he got over his red mist first season . Doc has been linking up neatly with Bale recently though, so that has been an interesting partnership. Think they can both complement him in the current system. Aurier drawing players, Doc giving him a safe platform.)

I watched a You Tube vid earlier where Roy Keane upset Jamie Redknapp by calling Spurs average and without Son and Kane they'd be nowhere near the top of the table.
I posted on the vid asking him who beat Man Utd 6-1 earlier in the season, who is playing Man City in the EFL Cup and he was just a thug on the pitch and a bully in the TV studio.
I'd have Ndombele in my team over Keane any day of the week.

Ach yeah, he's just studs up all the time, even in the pundit chair. He got owned by the result

Even then he essentially sat there reciting the "Lads, it's Tottenham" mantra to himself, rocking slightly, insisting we're still just slender showboaters