Positives from yesterday

Originally Posted by Albert Tatlock

Fixed it for you.

iirc, we beat Liverpool at home and then got beat by Sunderland away... Can't remember if it was late Atkinson or early Fergie. I suspect the latter as Robbins came on in the Liverpool game

Yep.

We were game raising crooks sometimes. Are you thinking of New Year's Day 1989? The glorious 3-1 win over Liverpool - then we went straight up to Middlesborough and lost to Peter Davenport's goal just after he'd joined them.

Plenty of positives from yesterday, but let's smack Norwich and then I might crack a smile.

Decent performances from quite a few players
Rashford scored and looked revitalised
Ole got his initial tactics spot on
Stopped them winning 18 in a row and equaling a record at OT
First side to take points off them this season

Originally Posted by AK14

Decent performances from quite a few players
Rashford scored and looked revitalised
Ole got his initial tactics spot on
Stopped them winning 18 in a row and equaling a record at OT
First side to take points off them this season

Yeah, but we won the treble 20 years ago.

Originally Posted by Lazlo Panaflex

can't really use a game like yesterday as a barometer. we upped our game just like they would have done when we were far better.

normal service will resume next round of fixtures

We didn’t though, that much. Some players played better than they have been, like rashford, but the story of the game yesterday has been pretty much the same as every other league game.

Originally Posted by Zorg

Yep.

We were game raising crooks sometimes. Are you thinking of New Year's Day 1989? The glorious 3-1 win over Liverpool - then we went straight up to Middlesborough and lost to Peter Davenport's goal just after he'd joined them.

Plenty of positives from yesterday, but let's smack Norwich and then I might crack a smile.

incredible 24 hours that never been as cold in a ground at boro and we should have lost 6-0

Originally Posted by Jammy Dodger

We didn’t though, that much. Some players played better than they have been, like rashford, but the story of the game yesterday has been pretty much the same as every other league game.

This is true.

I think we were a bit better, but every game we've played this season has been about fine margins. Even the Chelsea game was flattering. We could have won or lost every game we've played this season if things had 10% either way.

A lot of those games have been with players out and low confidence.

If we can improve, we can start increasing the margin for error and the need for fortune.

Originally Posted by Zorg

Plenty of positives from yesterday, but let's smack Norwich and then I might crack a smile.

But we might lose the game after Norwich.

Daniel James.

Tactics from Ole were good in the first half.

Made Liverpool look like total trash

The biggest positive for us was Liverpool didn't turn up so we managed to grab a point.

Originally Posted by Cream

Much like Paris, it showed that we can put in a performance without snakes.

I think Ole might just know a thing or two about setting up a football team.

He had Klopp fuming pre/during/post match.

The formation was based on the personnel available, no?

Originally Posted by Billy Redface

Rashford goal
Rashford performance after the goal
Work rate
Tactics
Fred improving
Pererra improving
We actually created decent chances and openings against a tight defence
We defended well
Out playing the current best side in the league for the majority of the match
Doing something nobody has done since April - take points off liverpool
'Turning up'. We could have shrunk.


Some might say this is faint praise, but a lot of it is stuff we haven't seen much of this season, so it's an improvement.

A lot of people seem to want their cake and eat it. Dissenting voices that are insisting we are in a relegation battle, then proclaim how low our standards have dropped when we match the best side in the league.

Which is it? Are we shite now? Relegation fodder? If so, shouldn't we be pleased with this?

Liverpool are better than us in every department. We see this every week, so to match them in all departments is encouraging. It's something to build on. And achieved at a low ebb with players missing and others breaking down in the warm up

Liverpool were happy to get out with a point.

IMO, we need to stop talking about United sides of the past. It isnt ten years ago. This isnt a top united side.

Right now, we need to see some basic signs of improvement under a manager we're committed to in the long run.

Given the woeful run and general mood around the club this week, contrasted with Liverpool's form and fortune, I think it would be pretty one-sided to suggest a draw wouldn't indicate an improvement on what we've seen and encouraging given the opposition.

Every game we have played this season has been tight. Even the Chelsea game was flattering. We've played chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. We haven't just folded in any game . The will is there. They're working hard. They just need that confidence.

If we can improve on this at Norwich this weekend, we can start turning these narrow games in our favour.

Preach.

as mentioned when the line-up was given, ole picked the best team available and used sensible tactics. would probably have looked even better with tuanzers.

so, maybe our tactics contributed to liverpool looking shit (plus, the way they defend suited our style) - but they have not played as well as their results suggest in their last few games. they're really not all that.

we should have won, but we weren't really better than them... not sure how our black hole of midfield didn't see them bossing the middle, but they never did (until the oc and lallana came on, anyway, but we were back-pedalling by then).

positive is we can fool ourselves we were competitive with the champions of europe / premier league champions elect (october competition) and use it as more of a springboard than a 5-0 defeat. obvs, we still need to buy a couple of dynamic deeper midfielders. fred is still a no from me.

it could have been a lot worse. for once, international week actually helped us. confident rashers, martial fit.... play a back four and slip matic and garner into midfield.... we'll be safe from relegation before you know it.

I think Fred is going to turn out more of a frustration than Anderson did, he just seems to panic whenever he is near the ball.

Originally Posted by Hector

The formation was based on the personnel available, no?

That is usually the case, yes.

Originally Posted by believe

I think Fred is going to turn out more of a frustration than Anderson did, he just seems to panic whenever he is near the ball.

He's a weird one, can definitely play, is tenacious and gets stuck in, but appears to be utterly brainless in his movement and has no awareness of what's going on behind him. Should play every week at the moment, purely because there is nobody else, but unless he settles and grows into it a bit, I can't see him being here long.

Originally Posted by dunk

He's a weird one, can definitely play, is tenacious and gets stuck in, but appears to be utterly brainless in his movement and has no awareness of what's going on behind him. Should play every week at the moment, purely because there is nobody else, but unless he settles and grows into it a bit, I can't see him being here long.

Based on what exactly?

He's utterly useless and was again yesterday.

Originally Posted by dunk

He's a weird one, can definitely play, is tenacious and gets stuck in, but appears to be utterly brainless in his movement and has no awareness of what's going on behind him. Should play every week at the moment, purely because there is nobody else, but unless he settles and grows into it a bit, I can't see him being here long.

Yeah I think that sums him up pretty well. He played well yesterday, but he never looked like he had a clue what was going on around him when he was on the ball. Would be lovely to see him kick on from yesterday going forward, but it was probably a one off where things mostly went right for him on the day.

Originally Posted by Patty_b

Yeah I think that sums him up pretty well. He played well yesterday, but he never looked like he had a clue what was going on around him when he was on the ball. Would be lovely to see him kick on from yesterday going forward, but it was probably a one off where things mostly went right for him on the day.

He was good for 3-4 games in and around PSG away last season as well. He's far from the worst of our midfield options. Quite what that says about the rest of them though...

Originally Posted by windy waffles

Based on what exactly?

He's utterly useless and was again yesterday.

wibble

Originally Posted by dunk

He was good for 3-4 games in and around PSG away last season as well. He's far from the worst of our midfield options. Quite what that says about the rest of them though...



wibble

Maybe you just have very low standards if you think there is a player there and he played well. No drama, it happens.