Leicester v Manchester United : Official Match Thread 12:30pm 26/12/20

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

OK. Lets hope the ones they sign deliver.

Fred does more for the team than a lot of players. Hopefully they can replace that.

It's really easy to just say "buy better players" but it isn't as simple as that, is it?

I sometimes think we underestimate United and their players. Obviously its because we watch them week in week out and other fans are probably the same with their team but it may also be because we have been blessed to have some top players over the years. It doesn't mean the current ones are shite.

No one is saying he’s shite but he’s not good enough if we want to win a title which I assume is the goal

Of course signings can help just look at Bruno

Neither Fred or The Scottish Player are a holding midfielder and certainly neither can control a game
We badly need a player like that so we can avoid coming under pressure after taking the lead like we did today

Originally Posted by Coracao

The current ones are not good enough to get us back to challenging for the top honours. We do not control games suffiently and a lot of that is down to the quality of our central midfielders. We should not be focused upon being a good counter attacking side. That should be a string to our bow, not our key quality. We should be looking to dominate games. I don't think we can do that with the current midfielders we have.

Originally Posted by ZiggyStardust

No one is saying he’s shite but he’s not good enough if we want to win a title which I assume is the goal

Of course signings can help just look at Bruno

Neither Fred or The Scottish Player are a holding midfielder and certainly neither can control a game
We badly need a player like that so we can avoid coming under pressure after taking the lead like we did today

I agree (although he is being described as shite) regarding challenging for top honours but let's be honest, from where we were just even discussing challenging is progress.

We have the basis of a good squad and it needs tweaks. Yes, in midfield but look at full back. Luke Shaw will not help win is a league title and Wan-Bissaka needs to do more going forward. If we had a top left back maybe we would get away with it.

Look at Tierney at Arsenal, very good full back.

My point is we are quick to criticise our players (like every set of fans do at their clubs tbf) but we hear how good Chelsea are. Great signings etc. They are 2-0 down at Arsenal, and playing badly.

Yes we need a new midfielder but you can't just find them easily. We are signing a young one in Jan aren't we? He might be the one. Who knows?

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

Let's drop Fred and The Scottish Player then aye.

Then we can all moan again when we get shit results whilst Matic and Pogba do £#%&! all.

Yup

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

I agree (although he is being described as shite) regarding challenging for top honours but let's be honest, from where we were just even discussing challenging is progress.

We have the basis of a good squad and it needs tweaks. Yes, in midfield but look at full back. Luke Shaw will not help win is a league title and Wan-Bissaka needs to do more going forward. If we had a top left back maybe we would get away with it.

Look at Tierney at Arsenal, very good full back.

My point is we are quick to criticise our players (like every set of fans do at their clubs tbf) but we hear how good Chelsea are. Great signings etc. They are 2-0 down at Arsenal, and playing badly.

Yes we need a new midfielder but you can't just find them easily. We are signing a young one in Jan aren't we? He might be the one. Who knows?

We need 4 or 5 starters.

it's quite baffling that you guys want to drop Fred and The Scottish Player or question their roles in the squad....ffs just look at the results when those two guys have played in the big matches.

those 2 guys do all the dirty work which allows the front 4 the ability to just bomb forward and really focus on being available for the counters and attacking teams

are fred and scott the most gifted on the ball? No but they understand their jobs to be done

could we improve in that area? Absolutely...a replacement for Matic which may allow us to play just one holding and play Donny and Bruno together against lesser teams

Originally Posted by Coracao

We need 4 or 5 starters.

Happy memories of going for a curry with the lads.

Originally Posted by Coracao

We need 4 or 5 starters.

don't think we need 4 or 5 starters.....2 at best

a class left center back would be ideal
a top class holding mid to replace Matic


other areas??? a true CF? a right winger? this to me is one or the other not both

a right back? AWB is good defensively, just needs to be slightly better going forward

Originally Posted by My Name is Heath

Happy memories of going for a curry with the lads.

Tier 3 is here to stay.

Originally Posted by Vida_15

don't think we need 4 or 5 starters.....2 at best

a class left center back would be ideal
a top class holding mid to replace Matic


other areas??? a true CF? a right winger? this to me is one or the other not both

a right back? AWB is good defensively, just needs to be slightly better going forward

You seem to love a bit of mediocrity pal.

Originally Posted by Coracao

Tier 3 is here to stay.



You seem to love a bit of mediocrity pal.

wrong....you bring in both a CF and Right winger than you are going to slow the development of Greenwood unless you sell Martial because James is shit

you guys live in fantasy world and think we are Madrid bringing in a bunch of galaticos.

woodward under no circumstances will bring in that many players given the current financial climate

Originally Posted by Vida_15

wrong....you bring in both a CF and Right winger than you are going to slow the development of Greenwood unless you sell Martial because James is shit

you guys live in fantasy world and think we are Madrid bringing in a bunch of galaticos.

woodward under no circumstances will bring in that many players given the current financial climate

I live in a world where Utd are supposed to be one of the biggest clubs in the World.

To start competing for the big trophies, I think we need 4 or 5 players.

Whether you think Woodward / the Glazers will sanction it, is irrelevant to what I think we need

Originally Posted by Coracao

I live in a world where Utd are supposed to be one of the biggest clubs in the World.

To start competing for the big trophies, I think we need 4 or 5 players.

Whether you think Woodward / the Glazers will sanction it, is irrelevant to what I think we need

agree with both these statements that United needs to get back to being one of the biggest clubs in the world and i agree that we need 3-4 player upgrades but i don't think they have to be starters who walk right into the starting XI.

Some right reactionary shite posted above. In context today's result is a decent one against a side who are second in the league and capable of beating anybody. Have people missed them totally dominating Tottenham in the last few weeks and scoring 5 at the Etihad. They are a well coached, nicely balanced team with 4 or 5 really good players.

We can all disagree with Ole on team selection and tactics; but we have a raft of games to navigate during this period. I would have started Cavani today against a back three which generally leaves space behind the full backs. Get the delivery right from wide areas and he will do what he has done for the last 15 years.

That said broader context we have Wolves at home on Tuesday; who will defend deep and look to counter attack. We will probably see an 11 closer to the team against Everton for that game. You would imagine Pogba, Cavani and Telles will play.

We have spent most years out of the last decade out of the league picture by this time. We are now in the mix with a team that is developing a decent consistency. That is not even opinion... stats over the last 12 months tell us all where this team is. I have watched United for over 40 years and my gut tells this squad is not far short of challenging again. That is all we can ask for; given the level of competition now. No side is going to dominate in the way the vermin did in the 70's and 80's and we did in the 20 years after that.

We have a manager who puts Manchester United first. Not his own ego or place in history. He f***ing "gets it". He has to win something this season and I think he will. It may not be the league; but if we are in the mix with this team come Feb / March then that would be massive progress given the garbage that has largely served up since the great man retired.

Beat Wolves and Villa and we are sitting pretty for a real go at the title. Surely that is enough as things stand?

Point away to them is fine because we're fighting for top 4. Only maniacs think this defence could win the league.

Our next signing won't be a £#%&!ing defender, which is why we're shit.

Originally Posted by Chavez

Some right reactionary shite posted above. In context today's result is a decent one against a side who are second in the league and capable of beating anybody. Have people missed them totally dominating Tottenham in the last few weeks and scoring 5 at the Etihad. They are a well coached, nicely balanced team with 4 or 5 really good players.

We can all disagree with Ole on team selection and tactics; but we have a raft of games to navigate during this period. I would have started Cavani today against a back three which generally leaves space behind the full backs. Get the delivery right from wide areas and he will do what he has done for the last 15 years.

That said broader context we have Wolves at home on Tuesday; who will defend deep and look to counter attack. We will probably see an 11 closer to the team against Everton for that game. You would imagine Pogba, Cavani and Telles will play.

We have spent most years out of the last decade out of the league picture by this time. We are now in the mix with a team that is developing a decent consistency. That is not even opinion... stats over the last 12 months tell us all where this team is. I have watched United for over 40 years and my gut tells this squad is not far short of challenging again. That is all we can ask for; given the level of competition now. No side is going to dominate in the way the vermin did in the 70's and 80's and we did in the 20 years after that.

We have a manager who puts Manchester United first. Not his own ego or place in history. He £#%&!ing "gets it". He has to win something this season and I think he will. It may not be the league; but if we are in the mix with this team come Feb / March then that would be massive progress given the garbage that has largely served up since the great man retired.

Beat Wolves and Villa and we are sitting pretty for a real go at the title. Surely that is enough as things stand?

Helluva first post in 3+ years

Originally Posted by Chavez

Some right reactionary shite posted above. In context today's result is a decent one against a side who are second in the league and capable of beating anybody. Have people missed them totally dominating Tottenham in the last few weeks and scoring 5 at the Etihad. They are a well coached, nicely balanced team with 4 or 5 really good players.

We can all disagree with Ole on team selection and tactics; but we have a raft of games to navigate during this period. I would have started Cavani today against a back three which generally leaves space behind the full backs. Get the delivery right from wide areas and he will do what he has done for the last 15 years.

That said broader context we have Wolves at home on Tuesday; who will defend deep and look to counter attack. We will probably see an 11 closer to the team against Everton for that game. You would imagine Pogba, Cavani and Telles will play.

We have spent most years out of the last decade out of the league picture by this time. We are now in the mix with a team that is developing a decent consistency. That is not even opinion... stats over the last 12 months tell us all where this team is. I have watched United for over 40 years and my gut tells this squad is not far short of challenging again. That is all we can ask for; given the level of competition now. No side is going to dominate in the way the vermin did in the 70's and 80's and we did in the 20 years after that.

We have a manager who puts Manchester United first. Not his own ego or place in history. He £#%&!ing "gets it". He has to win something this season and I think he will. It may not be the league; but if we are in the mix with this team come Feb / March then that would be massive progress given the garbage that has largely served up since the great man retired.

Beat Wolves and Villa and we are sitting pretty for a real go at the title. Surely that is enough as things stand?

that's reasonable (if not unarguable). but there is absolutely no £#%&!ing excuse for the way our defence concedes most of their goals. it's not about picking the team or needing wonderfully skillful players that can pick a pass or take on a man. it's about basic £#%&!ing discipline and positioning. our defence is a £#%&!ing shambles and we will not achieve any kind of consistency until that changes.

Originally Posted by Tronics

Martial was terrible all game tbh, his touch was poor and he generally didn't look up for it but he does a lot more for our team shape than scoring goals.

Even on a bad day Martial is a better finisher than Rashford, yes he scored a goal but doesn't offer much outside of that and today i think any of the two could have been subbed but i would always opt to keep Martial on as long as possible for team shape.

I'm splitting straws but those fine margins are what separate good from great. And i don't think we have whats needed to win the league anytime soon from our manager to our players, we're always going to come up short.

Shape? Any chance that you could explain what that actually means? And as a supplementary then explain why it is preferable to goals?

Originally Posted by Chavez

Some right reactionary shite posted above. In context today's result is a decent one against a side who are second in the league and capable of beating anybody. Have people missed them totally dominating Tottenham in the last few weeks and scoring 5 at the Etihad. They are a well coached, nicely balanced team with 4 or 5 really good players.

We can all disagree with Ole on team selection and tactics; but we have a raft of games to navigate during this period. I would have started Cavani today against a back three which generally leaves space behind the full backs. Get the delivery right from wide areas and he will do what he has done for the last 15 years.

That said broader context we have Wolves at home on Tuesday; who will defend deep and look to counter attack. We will probably see an 11 closer to the team against Everton for that game. You would imagine Pogba, Cavani and Telles will play.

We have spent most years out of the last decade out of the league picture by this time. We are now in the mix with a team that is developing a decent consistency. That is not even opinion... stats over the last 12 months tell us all where this team is. I have watched United for over 40 years and my gut tells this squad is not far short of challenging again. That is all we can ask for; given the level of competition now. No side is going to dominate in the way the vermin did in the 70's and 80's and we did in the 20 years after that.

We have a manager who puts Manchester United first. Not his own ego or place in history. He £#%&!ing "gets it". He has to win something this season and I think he will. It may not be the league; but if we are in the mix with this team come Feb / March then that would be massive progress given the garbage that has largely served up since the great man retired.

Beat Wolves and Villa and we are sitting pretty for a real go at the title. Surely that is enough as things stand?

Originally Posted by Chavez

Some right reactionary shite posted above. In context today's result is a decent one against a side who are second in the league and capable of beating anybody. Have people missed them totally dominating Tottenham in the last few weeks and scoring 5 at the Etihad. They are a well coached, nicely balanced team with 4 or 5 really good players.

We can all disagree with Ole on team selection and tactics; but we have a raft of games to navigate during this period. I would have started Cavani today against a back three which generally leaves space behind the full backs. Get the delivery right from wide areas and he will do what he has done for the last 15 years.

That said broader context we have Wolves at home on Tuesday; who will defend deep and look to counter attack. We will probably see an 11 closer to the team against Everton for that game. You would imagine Pogba, Cavani and Telles will play.

We have spent most years out of the last decade out of the league picture by this time. We are now in the mix with a team that is developing a decent consistency. That is not even opinion... stats over the last 12 months tell us all where this team is. I have watched United for over 40 years and my gut tells this squad is not far short of challenging again. That is all we can ask for; given the level of competition now. No side is going to dominate in the way the vermin did in the 70's and 80's and we did in the 20 years after that.

We have a manager who puts Manchester United first. Not his own ego or place in history. He £#%&!ing "gets it". He has to win something this season and I think he will. It may not be the league; but if we are in the mix with this team come Feb / March then that would be massive progress given the garbage that has largely served up since the great man retired.

Beat Wolves and Villa and we are sitting pretty for a real go at the title. Surely that is enough as things stand?

Absolutely bang on.

People are blind to the improvement as they live game to game.

Shit to drop the points, but a decent result to start the run of games into the new year

Originally Posted by Ethers

You were bang on about him from the start tbf

A broken clock is right twice a day etc...

Originally Posted by jem

that's reasonable (if not unarguable). but there is absolutely no f***ing excuse for the way our defence concedes most of their goals. it's not about picking the team or needing wonderfully skillful players that can pick a pass or take on a man. it's about basic f***ing discipline and positioning. our defence is a f***ing shambles and we will not achieve any kind of consistency until that changes.

Agreed. Sorting the back 4 and the goalkeeper has to be the priority for me. That includes the RW position and the inevitable replacement for the walking excuse that is Pogba. I don't think anybody watches our defence these days with anything approaching a sense of calm. There are technical faults in all of them and they will always serve you up a stupid mistake.

What galls me the most is the apparent lack of planning or thought. Presumably when we spent £85 million on Maguire it was to fit into this high intensity pressing style that we all want to see. The problem is when you pair him with a similarly paceless Lindelof in a high line. You are going to get exposed. They are both just a bit too "nice" for my liking as well. We spent £55 million on AWB and immediately we are talking about his inability on the ball. I guess the hope is he can do what Gary Neville did many years ago and work to make himself better in that area. Shaw is never going to be good enough and we have nearly 10 years of evidence to back that up. Our cover options are barely adequate and that is being generous. Bottom line is we have a back 4 and keeper that cost £240 million combined that still need two shielding midfield players. Trying swinging that by Big Jaap in the dressing room 20 years ago. He would take personal afront and rightly so. We are entitled to see more desire and responsibility being taken by individuals. Simple concentration and basic pride should be the minimum surely.

Solving that is going to be a big problem. I would spend big on Oblak to begin. Arguably the best his position and we saw the difference Edwin made when we finally filled the void left by Schmeichel.

From there I am struggling when I think about world class centre backs. 20 years ago we could probably all name a dozen or more CB's who we could buy; aside from our own. The fact is now there is one stand out player in that position and he plays for the vermin.

People raved to me about Upacemeno. I have watched him half a dozen times since and he is far from the finished article IMO. He would definitely require patience which is not a virtue our support is overly imbued with at the moment. The injured centre half at Leicester looks a good player; who has both pace and aggression. Varane?

Is there any argument for replacing Mickey the shorts with a defensive coach. Rio for example?

There is work to be done; but we are a lot closer to having a team to be proud of that at any time since Fergie left.