Copenhagen v Manchester United - CL 08/11/23 8pm KO - Official Match Thread

if we did one of those online quizzes, we would come out 100% robbed, 100% shit, 100% unlucky with injuries, monster raving loony (hint of libdem prepare for victory).

Originally Posted by Weekend Hussler

No time for training and tactics.

Probs for the best…

Originally Posted by Weekend Hussler

Agree with this.

Think the cup runs last year didn't actual help us.

Was just game after game after game.

No time for training and tactics.

One game a week from January will give ETH time to mold and shape the team as he wants and will help us kick on next season.

I don't really disagree but every season is written off before Christmas. 'If we can just play fewer matches, we'll be fine'.

Originally Posted by Patty_b

It must be affecting the players as well. It's no wonder they have no confidence in anything they do.

Against City we were well in the game until Rohdri throws himself to the ground in the box, nothing happens and the game carries on then all of a sudden the games pulled back 2 minutes and a penalty given out of nowhere.

Against Fulham we go 1 up inside 10 minutes and they spend five minutes trying to find a reason to scratch it off, creating new terminology in the process to justify it.

Then last night Rashford steps on someones ankle by accident while trying to protect the ball, the 4 officials that are actually on the pitch see nothing wrong with it, but a bunch of football virgins sitting in a caravan somewhere decide that the referee needs to take a long look at a still picture which makes it look 100x worse than it actually was and get him sent off. Then a player kicks the ball against the top of Maguires arm from 10 inches away and it's a penalty.

What the £#%&! are the players meant to do at this point? Might as well play walking football with no physical contact and no ball over head height if this is how they're going to enforce the rules.

100% spot on.

imo the flaw at the heart of VAR is that unless it's an absolute, like ball over/not over the line or player offside/onside (and even those can be unclear), then watching an incident back on video clouds the referee's judgement and actually makes it worse.

Because the game has stopped and he's standing there watching a freeze frame image, or a few frames going back and forth, the random, unpredictable, purely accidental contact of players moving quickly during the flow of the game has been forgotten and things are seen which just aren't there.
Everyone knows watching clips like that isn't the same as watching in real time, yet we've delegated responsibility to someone with a screen and a mouse.

It's not how the game is meant to be officiated and it's ruined it.

Originally Posted by Stickman

Pipe dream.

We are £#%&!ing clueless.

Is it though?

Look at Spurs.

One of the reasons Big Ange is doing so well is that they are playing one game a week, and gets time to get his systems and way of playing through to his players.

I think it’s a reach yeah. We’re going backwards, kills me to say it as I thought ETH could be the one but I’ve lost faith.

I wouldn’t even sack him either, just takes the spotlight off the glazers.

I thought we were very good before the sending-off. Bruno, in his proper position, made a big difference. Antony not playing helped too.

One thing I couldn't believe was how far Varane has fallen. He needs to get to Saudi asap.

Nailed on for these #@&%!s to pull a couple of worldie performances out of the bag to qualify us for Europa

Originally Posted by Zorg

I don't really disagree but every season is written off before Christmas. 'If we can just play fewer matches, we'll be fine'.



100% spot on.

imo the flaw at the heart of VAR is that unless it's an absolute, like ball over/not over the line or player offside/onside (and even those can be unclear), then watching an incident back on video clouds the referee's judgement and actually makes it worse.

Because the game has stopped and he's standing there watching a freeze frame image, or a few frames going back and forth, the random, unpredictable, purely accidental contact of players moving quickly during the flow of the game has been forgotten and things are seen which just aren't there.
Everyone knows watching clips like that isn't the same as watching in real time, yet we've delegated responsibility to someone with a screen and a mouse.

It's not how the game is meant to be officiated and it's ruined it.

Yep. Also someone saying in the ear of the referee 'You might want to take another look at that' must immediately put a huge doubt in the referees mind that all is not OK and some sort of action now needs to be taken. Maybe not all of them, but most referees now look like little dweebs who could barely play any sport at school, but would carry the kit bag for the teacher to curry favour. As Jim Cornette would say, if they were walking through the players locker room they'd be whistling 'stranger in paradise'.

The games severely lacking in the big confident man mountain characters like Collina and Webb who'd have the balls to referee a game their own way without the nonsense input of some @#%&!s cramped into a van somewhere.

Originally Posted by Stickman

If it went 360 we’d have continued in the same direction.

180 then ffs

When you go to the screen to check a possible red card you either give a red or not, you cannot just give a yellow, is that right?

Originally Posted by armchair

I thought we were very good before the sending-off. Bruno, in his proper position, made a big difference. Antony not playing helped too.

One thing I couldn't believe was how far Varane has fallen. He needs to get to Saudi asap.

This. My biggest issue with last night is not that we will get bounced out of the CL, is that we needed to build on the few positives we have - we played well until the sending off - a better set up, greater threat down both wings, some service to Rasmus and then it gets destroyed by some bad luck and ridiculous decisions. Then the brain farts start to happen and ETH subs Rasmus for Mount and we go into the weekend destroyed and on the floor once again….

This season is one of the least enjoyable on record for loads of reasons.

Originally Posted by magic_cantona

180 then ffs

come ere you!

Originally Posted by armchair

. Antony not playing helped too.
.

Most impact he’s made in weeks.

It looked a lot more tactically coherent, too. It was not my absolute favourite style of football but it did look like we had a plan and it was working.

hate to go against the grain here but we are not unlucky.

we are shit.

we don’t score enough goals, we conceded to many goals, we play well for about 20 minutes a game.
we have a negative goal difference in both the league and ecl group table.

we’ve yet to beat a good team.

Blame VAR all you want but we seem to be the only team to not win routine games in a routine fashion.

Highlights of the game…

https://x.com/projectfootball/status/1722364950507663669?s=46&t=GmThxTwvA3dB-7-ot5Dfuw

Originally Posted by Patty_b

Yep. Also someone saying in the ear of the referee 'You might want to take another look at that' must immediately put a huge doubt in the referees mind that all is not OK

But its not 'You might want to take another look at that'

It's a live coaching session for the ref. The VAR is telling them they made a clear and obvious error and the screen watching is to show them why. It's not 'Why don't you take another look to double check'

Its 'You've made a mistake and here is why' The whole screen watching serves two purposes. One is to give immediate visual feedback to the ref and to 'sell' the crowd that the ref on the pitch has any choice at all. It's all theatre. As soon as the ref is called over, it's done.

Originally Posted by marlo

hate to go against the grain here.

Originally Posted by marlo

hate to go against the grain here but we are not unlucky.

we are shit.

we don’t score enough goals, we conceded to many goals, we play well for about 20 minutes a game.
we have a negative goal difference in both the league and ecl group table.

we’ve yet to beat a good team.

Blame VAR all you want but we seem to be the only team to not win routine games in a routine fashion.

I’d be amazed if anyone doesn’t know this deep down.

Originally Posted by Stickman

I’d be amazed if anyone doesn’t know this deep down.

In general, 100%.

Last night though, we were desperately unlucky and were anything but shit until the referee changed things.

Rashford was reckless and Maguire handled the ball as he tried to foul the attacker by grabbing him.

Harsh decisions but you'd get them without var too.