The Football Thread.

mikeyrob73 · February 2023

bloodandtears said:

guitars4you said:

Man U certainly getting some mojo back - But Carthorse and Sancho offered nothing yesterday (again)

Do you think Weghorst is out of his depth?

i dont think this is the case at all, he gives them a focal point upfront, he occupies defenders which gives Rashford etc more space to work. he is a specific type of striker that ETH wanted so i think Carthorse is a bit unfair on the guy.

TeleMaster · February 2023

RaymondLin said:

Weghorst is doing the thing that he was brought in to do, which is to implement ETH's method of playing, pressing from the front, linking up play. As a striker, he does need to score though but as long as he is doing the work in helping the team, especially when the team keeps winning, that part can be forgiven somewhat.

Plus, the alternatives may score more, but doesn't offer the other aspects of the game that ETH wanted first and foremost.

Yea exactly. He had some of the highest pressing stats of any forward this year, and if that relentless pressing forces more turnovers and more goals, then he's doing what he was brought in for. Any extra goals that come from him are a bonus.

guitars4you · February 2023

mikeyrob73 said:

bloodandtears said:

guitars4you said:

Man U certainly getting some mojo back - But Carthorse and Sancho offered nothing yesterday (again)

Do you think Weghorst is out of his depth?

i dont think this is the case at all, he gives them a focal point upfront, he occupies defenders which gives Rashford etc more space to work. he is a specific type of striker that ETH wanted so i think Carthorse is a bit unfair on the guy.

My Carthorse comment is part aimed at his pace, plus his work horse/grafting roll (so some kind of pun in there) - And part as I can't recall his name and how to spell it - But either way I don't see him as a Man U player, after another transfer window when they can bring in a true #9

RaymondLin · February 2023

I agree that he probably won't be there after the summer when his loan spells ends, and even if he signs permanently. He will be 3rd or 4th choice. He isn't young and he isn't going to get better. He is exactly who you think he is right now.

However, he is doing the job he is brought in to do, with no money to spend like Chelsea, given the circumstances, he is doing a good job.

One thing is obvious to me is that ETH is really good at using his players for their skill sets, maximising his tactics that way, either fitting his tactics to the players that he has or using the best players for those tactics. Whether using Luke Shaw in Center Back or putting Marcus up front in the centre at some games. He seems to be a lot more tactically astute than more recent United Managers. So the argument can be made that Weghorst is maximising his way of playing.

They might bring in a true No.9 in the summer, however, that player will certainly changes the way the team plays somewhat and his tactics will tweaked to suit. My 2 cents.

edit - If Weghorst helps the team to win even 1 trophy this season, I'd love to keep him for 1 more season just for that. Certainly getting more from him than Phil Jones.

axisus · February 2023

As a Man U fan, it's felt like a long wait to get the right manager. Glad to see that we are finally there, 10 years has been a long wait! All we need now is for the Glazers to shove off ...

joneve · February 2023

axisus said:

As a Man U fan, it's felt like a long wait to get the right manager. Glad to see that we are finally there, 10 years has been a long wait! All we need now is for the Glazers to shove off ...

10 years? That’s cute. Haha

CHRISB50 · February 2023

joneve said:

axisus said:

As a Man U fan, it's felt like a long wait to get the right manager. Glad to see that we are finally there, 10 years has been a long wait! All we need now is for the Glazers to shove off ...

10 years? That’s cute. Haha

Lestratcaster · February 2023

Just watching the SkySports news update on their YT channel, Partey i'n contention' to play vs Leicester tomorrow. What I can't get my head round is how he is injured every few games, at Atletico Madrid he was hardly ever injured and rarely missed a game. It is reassuring to know we have Jorginho though who can step in if he can't play but he is so key to how we setup.

And hopefully Saka signs that new contract. He's our future.

RaymondLin · February 2023

Lestratcaster said:

Just watching the SkySports news update on their YT channel, Partey i'n contention' to play vs Leicester tomorrow. What I can't get my head round is how he is injured every few games, at Atletico Madrid he was hardly ever injured and rarely missed a game. It is reassuring to know we have Jorginho though who can step in if he can't play but he is so key to how we setup.

And hopefully Saka signs that new contract. He's our future.

Spanish games are slower.
He is now older.

Lestratcaster · February 2023

Seems to be thigh/hamstring muscle injuries with him, presumably cos of more intense sprinting.

axisus · February 2023

joneve said:

axisus said:

As a Man U fan, it's felt like a long wait to get the right manager. Glad to see that we are finally there, 10 years has been a long wait! All we need now is for the Glazers to shove off ...

10 years? That’s cute. Haha

Ah, yeah. I take your point

Bidley · February 2023

thecolourbox said:

@Bidley as the resident Fulham fan, what are your thoughts on Chalobah? He seems to have a good past record but has been a bit mixed for us so far

Pretty much the same as that @thecolourbox ;, a bit mixed but you always felt there was a good player in there somewhere. Sadly others shone brighter and he never really got going. Hope he does well for you, and your fortunes start to change. Sounds like you have a promising manager so next season might be more enjoyable!

Lestratcaster · February 2023

Just seen starting lineup vs Leicester. Nketiah out so it means either Martinelli or Trossard will be the no.9. Interested to see how this goes. Neither are natural strikers so it might be one of those rotating fluent false-9 things. City won the league last year without a natural striker but then they had the likes of De Bruyne supplying and scoring.

Kittyfrisk · February 2023

joneve · February 2023

@TeleMaster ;;

told you haha. Took Shelvey off and it all went to shit. Think Cooper got a bit greedy thinking he could sneak a win with another striker on the field…then flattered you with a ridiculous scoreline .

We MUST continue with our home form if we are to stay up. Just don’t see where the points will come from away from home.

thecolourbox · February 2023

Interesting game at the Hawthorns today, back to our usual fairly drab but effective style of play but some good signs that things might continue well for us now we have an easier run of games. Our striker Dike managed to actually look like he might have some mobility and a bit more fitness in him today which was good, should have had a hat trick really.

@boromedic a bad day at the office for your team I think, didn't look very threatening at all really. I think we must have worked out to put two midfielders in the gap between your strikers and midfield which seemed to cut them off a bit. You had a lot of possession but ultimately it seemed like you were playing left to right most of the time and not forwards. Also, like us, you definitely need a new keeper - he looked very shaky.

Hope your defender who went off is alright - I sit by the goal there and he looked in a big bloody mess and then I think he basically fainted as he just lay flat out. Medics seemed to take a flipping age to get to him as well, we were all trying to tell them to hurry the hell up as he looked in a bad way. I didn't quite see what happened but I suspect it must just have been an accidental elbow in the face or something. Speedy recovery hopefully, we have him a good ovation and applause as they carried him off

TeleMaster · February 2023

joneve said:

@TeleMaster ;;

told you haha. Took Shelvey off and it all went to shit. Think Cooper got a bit greedy thinking he could sneak a win with another striker on the field…then flattered you with a ridiculous scoreline .

We MUST continue with our home form if we are to stay up. Just don’t see where the points will come from away from home.

Amazing second half. Maybe we can use that to launch our season. There's enough time to finish somewhere respectable.

Sorry about that.

Poboy · February 2023

TTBAWA!!!

usedtobe · February 2023

Good win for Barnsley. COYR!

Boromedic · February 2023

thecolourbox said:

Interesting game at the Hawthorns today, back to our usual fairly drab but effective style of play but some good signs that things might continue well for us now we have an easier run of games. Our striker Dike managed to actually look like he might have some mobility and a bit more fitness in him today which was good, should have had a hat trick really.

@boromedic a bad day at the office for your team I think, didn't look very threatening at all really. I think we must have worked out to put two midfielders in the gap between your strikers and midfield which seemed to cut them off a bit. You had a lot of possession but ultimately it seemed like you were playing left to right most of the time and not forwards. Also, like us, you definitely need a new keeper - he looked very shaky.

Hope your defender who went off is alright - I sit by the goal there and he looked in a big bloody mess and then I think he basically fainted as he just lay flat out. Medics seemed to take a flipping age to get to him as well, we were all trying to tell them to hurry the hell up as he looked in a bad way. I didn't quite see what happened but I suspect it must just have been an accidental elbow in the face or something. Speedy recovery hopefully, we have him a good ovation and applause as they carried him off

I had a sneaking suspicion we'd lose one soon, we've done well to protect Steffen in goal during previous games but he is a bit of a liability. Dominating possession is one thing but not scoring is another, and very unlike Boro we've been hitting the net loads since Carrick arrived courtesy of Akpom among others. Fair play to you guys, well deserved win against a form team is no small feat.

McNair is fine apparently but that sounds bad!! Here's hoping it's our last defeat of the season!

thecolourbox · February 2023

Boromedic said:

thecolourbox said:

Interesting game at the Hawthorns today, back to our usual fairly drab but effective style of play but some good signs that things might continue well for us now we have an easier run of games. Our striker Dike managed to actually look like he might have some mobility and a bit more fitness in him today which was good, should have had a hat trick really.

@boromedic a bad day at the office for your team I think, didn't look very threatening at all really. I think we must have worked out to put two midfielders in the gap between your strikers and midfield which seemed to cut them off a bit. You had a lot of possession but ultimately it seemed like you were playing left to right most of the time and not forwards. Also, like us, you definitely need a new keeper - he looked very shaky.

Hope your defender who went off is alright - I sit by the goal there and he looked in a big bloody mess and then I think he basically fainted as he just lay flat out. Medics seemed to take a flipping age to get to him as well, we were all trying to tell them to hurry the hell up as he looked in a bad way. I didn't quite see what happened but I suspect it must just have been an accidental elbow in the face or something. Speedy recovery hopefully, we have him a good ovation and applause as they carried him off

I had a sneaking suspicion we'd lose one soon, we've done well to protect Steffen in goal during previous games but he is a bit of a liability. Dominating possession is one thing but not scoring is another, and very unlike Boro we've been hitting the net loads since Carrick arrived courtesy of Akpom among others. Fair play to you guys, well deserved win against a form team is no small feat.

McNair is fine apparently but that sounds bad!! Here's hoping it's our last defeat of the season!

I think we did well but had it not been for the quick fire double (nice moves, but keeper at fault for the second) I think we would also have struggled with creativity as we are quite a boring team. We killed a lot of time in the first half by just doing precisely nothing with the ball, that might have been tactics or if might just have been because we didn't know what to do with the ball haha

Glad McNair is fine, never nice to see. They didn't show that bit on the Sky Sports highlights so couldn't actually check what happened (or indeed see Dike suddenly becoming Messi in the box, he's not normally got that in him). Good luck to you guys, your transformation as been similar to ours in some ways as we were both in Relegation places until we got managers who know how to coach. I suspect despite yesterday's performance, your are normally the more interesting team to watch though and you've certainly kept your firm going longer than we did.

menamestom · February 2023

Great to win our first trophy since 2017. The league cup used to be a bonus or nice-to-have but I felt it was massive today. Two teams who really wanted it and both on the up. Newcastle were great, but lacked the cutting edge. Excellent in possession and controlled the game for large periods, but just needed a bit more in front of goal.
United were dogged and although not at our best, had the game management and winning experience with Verane and Casemiro.

I wonder if sitting back was a tactic after a hard game against Barcelona 2 days ago, or were Newcastle just that much better holding the ball?

scrumhalf · February 2023

All that money spent and Chel$ea look like a pile of poo.

I was convinced that it wouldn't end up 11 v 11 at the end, but mainly I'm happy that it was 2 v 0.

Emerson continues to be a revelation, this time popping up quite a lot in the middle of the park. Harry seemed to drop a bit deeper, possibly to give Richarlison a chance up front. As for Skippy's goal, what a beauty.

What gets me is that a team that has beaten City, West Ham and now Chelsea without conceding a goal played so bloody awfullt against Leicester.

TTony · February 2023

scrumhalf said:

What gets me is that a team that has beaten City, West Ham and now Chelsea without conceding a goal played so bloody awfullt against Leicester.

The life of a Spurs fan. Twas ever thus.

Great to see Skippy get some games, and the goal was a beauty.

And great to see Chelsea's latest band of mercenaries playing like strangers. I fear for Potter though, looks like another potentially good manager is about to crash and burn.

axisus · February 2023

Yay! A trophy for Man U! Feels good!

I thought that this was interesting about Ten Hag (off the BBC website):

.... the embarrassing 4-0 thrashing at Brentford in United's second league game looks increasingly like a pivotal moment.

Ten Hag cancelled his players' day off after that loss, in which United shipped four first-half goals, to order them on a 13.8km run - the distance by which Brentford had out-run his side the previous day.

The 53-year-old joined his players on the run, sending a clear message that, while the failings at Brentford would not be tolerated, this would also be a managerial reign in which responsibility would be collective and the team ethic would be key. Everyone was in it together, an instant correction to the flaws that had been allowed to grow before his arrival.

RaymondLin · February 2023

axisus said:

Yay! A trophy for Man U! Feels good!

I thought that this was interesting about Ten Hag (off the BBC website):

.... the embarrassing 4-0 thrashing at Brentford in United's second league game looks increasingly like a pivotal moment.
Ten Hag cancelled his players' day off after that loss, in which United shipped four first-half goals, to order them on a 13.8km run - the distance by which Brentford had out-run his side the previous day.
The 53-year-old joined his players on the run, sending a clear message that, while the failings at Brentford would not be tolerated, this would also be a managerial reign in which responsibility would be collective and the team ethic would be key. Everyone was in it together, an instant correction to the flaws that had been allowed to grow before his arrival.

Yes, I remember that but they forgot to mention that day was like 35c or something! it was the height of summer.

guitars4you · March 2023

Come on Grimsby - Don't think I've ever said that before, but they are still my mum's home town and I have a host of cousin's etc that still live there and a couple of them will be going down to Soton tonight

TeleMaster · March 2023

West Ham played well. The scoreline flattered Man UTD in my opinion and the whistle should have gone a minute before their third goal.

In any case, there was a lot of improvement and things are starting to look up.

menamestom · March 2023

West Ham did play pretty well. Daft defensive errors. The game was scrappy in the first half and West Ham were more than a match for the changed United side, but the substitutions swung it back in the 2nd half towards United.

Not sure the West Ham goal should have stood but can see how VAR couldn’t rule it out either.
But looking at the photos this morning it looked out. United should have played to the whistle regardless.

guitars4you · March 2023

TeleMaster said:

West Ham played well. The scoreline flattered Man UTD in my opinion and the whistle should have gone a minute before their third goal.

In any case, there was a lot of improvement and things are starting to look up.

I was watching and hoping for you - You had a couple of good chances as well when 0-0

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