18 Jan 2021 14:04:22
Something’s been bugging me, a bit like an itch you can’t scratch and I think I’ve realised what it is.

It’s great to be top, it’s great to be unbeaten for so long, but we just aren’t convincing. There have been short spells in many games, the odd very solid half, but generally we seem to stumble through games and don’t look like League leaders.

Perhaps this is part of the development, of the learning process but it feels a bit fragile right now. It’s not helped by the front four from last year all seeming to be out of form. Martial has been shocking, Rashford too, and Bruno had been quiet before yesterday’s horror show. Greenwood can’t get a look in either so other than Cavani who looks lively we have nothing up front.

Yet here we are at the top of the League. I guess there are two ways of looking at this.

1. We’re very fortunate and will shortly get found out, and will then have to struggle to make top 4.
2. The forwards form will pick up and we’ll start scoring for fun and properly compete.

Take your pick.

{Ed025's Note - its how you set up for me AJH, playing with a holding negative midfield consisting of fred and Mc will make you solid for sure but that leaves bruno and an inconsistant pogba to provide the bullets, if one or both of them dont produce the goods it looks very magnolia and is hard on the eye.
Man utd have a reputation for being a great team to watch and its a balancing act that i feel ole is struggling with, this counter attacking style is effective against a lot of teams but it has its flaws, not only is it tedious and hard to watch but if you go behind its difficult to adjust the team especially if its late in the proceedings, I prefer the one holding midfielder myself and a bit more creativity which would hopefully see united steamroller the lesser lights but still scare the big boys.
Of course this is just the opinion of an outsider who was brought up on football when united were a joy to watch and its purely a selfish view on my part mate..

1.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 14:54:05
I'm not enjoying many games Ed, it's a tough watch at times. Something has to change as we can't keep riding our luck as we have in so many games.

{Ed025's Note - i know mate, i dont think you are that far off and i would say you are up there with city in terms of squad depth, its a balancing act for OGS and imo he is being too cautious...but hey what do i know..

2.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 15:10:30
Tony, we are halfway through the season and I have seen very few great performances from any sides.

Most have been good in spells, but either are making silly defensive errors or are inconsistent up front.

Maybe it's because for the past 2-3 years we have seen one or two absolutely dominant teams who just blew everyone away every week. Maybe the bar is a little too high atm. Or maybe everyone is struggling under the current circumstances.

Little to no summer break, no pre-season, congested season with no breaks or let up, no fans in stadiums, players having to live their lives in bubbles, games and training interrupted by C.V. outbreaks.

It seems no side is particularly well prepared or able to cope without a certain amount of drop off.

I posted yesterday that our current points total would have us 4th last year and 6th the year before, yet here we sit top of the pile at the halfway point.

If both City and Everton win their game in hand that puts City top on 38, us in 2nd with 37, both Leicester and Everton on 35, Liverpool on 34 and Spurs on 33.

6 teams within 5 points near the top. This is going to be the closest title race possibly ever, personally I think City have the advantage. They have the deepest squad with quality everywhere.

It won't all be pretty football and glory, it will be a rollercoaster. And swinging from highs to lows in the space of a few days with games twice a week.

I think we are in the unusual position of actually being able to seriously challenge for the title. However, I don't think we have the quality in depth to do so on all fronts. I think we should focus on the league and hope the other competitions distract our opposition enough to tempt them into trying to do too much and hopefully slip up in the league.

While everyone talks about Liverpool's injury problems, the reality is that they lined up with maybe 2 of their strongest 11 not on the field yesterday. They got beat 7-2 by Villa with their best 11 fit and on the field. I wonder if the high intensity style of play, and a loss of drive has caught up with them. They look disjointed and jaded.

Spurs look great, but are heavily reliant on Son and Kane.

Leicester are up and down, they have a good squad but maybe lack star quality.

Everton have more star quality, but are more inconsistent.

City have an unbelievable squad, Laporte who was their best defender can't get a game. Has Ake even played for them? They if they can keep Aguero fit then they can go on a run probably winning 15 of their final 18 games. If they do that then no one will keep pace with them.

When we look at United we see a weird sort of mix. Little top class quality, and some questionable players in most areas of the pitch.

We can challenge this year, but we will need to prioritise the league to do so.

3.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 15:35:27
AJH- I completely agree it’s really difficult to decipher if this Utd team is over achieving and simply on a good run of form or genuine title contenders.

I think it’s our style that perhaps makes us question our credentials the most. There is no doubt we play better in transition or on the counter attack and whilst Fernandes has been brilliant he does give the ball away a lot meaning we often surrender possession and rarely sustain our attacks.

Lindelof and Maguire lack pace and struggle in 1v1 situations therefore we defend deeper and try not to leave them exposed. This means we can’t press effectively and struggle to win the ball back in dangerous areas higher up the pitch.

We still haven’t addressed the RW position and in midfield Mctominay and Fred can lack quality on the ball.

I think Ole has the players to change the narrative but being more progressive can also make us more vulnerable at the back. He hasn’t yet found the right balance but at the moment we find ourselves top of the league so there is little incentive to change.

Ole could have played Bailly yesterday and pushed us higher up the pitch. Pogba could have partnered Fred in midfield with Rashford, Martial and Cavani upfront, with Bruno at No 10. That front 6 are all capable of playing on the front foot and pressing the opposition. I think that team would have scored and been better equipped to expose Liverpool’s inexperience at CB but maybe we’d have been more vulnerable at the back.

In my opinion I’d love to see us play higher up the pitch and aggressively press the opposition. I’d like us to win the ball back higher where I think we’d be dangerous playing in the transitions. It would also help us to dominate games and sustain attacks by not conceding territory to the opposition and allowing them comfortable possession of the ball.

I think Ole can be too cautious and pragmatic on occasions but I think it mainly stems from over protecting a very slow CB pairing and not trusting Pogba to play in the midfield pivot especially against the better teams. Our forwards can still be inconsistent and frustrating at times although this is gradually improving.

It will be interesting to see how the team evolves and if the style of play changes as new players arrive.

4.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 16:07:52
Shappy,

Maybe but I enjoy watching a lot of other teams more than I enjoy our games right now, we’re just so slow and turgid most of the time. I can think of at least 12 teams who move the ball quicker and more effectively than we do. I want to win but I also want us to reflect our traditions, or at least give the impression that we are trying to do that.

It’s better than it was, we are racking up a lot more points and we are competing but it doesn’t fill me with confidence.

I think starting by picking players who are playing well, and dropping those who aren’t would be a good start. Right now, Shaw, Maguire, Cavani, Pogba, and Bailly should start, all are playing well. Playing one of Scott and Fred would also help. The forwards have been abysmal yet they get picked every game. How Martial, and even Rashford are still getting picked is beyond me. Bruno is out of sorts yet DVB doesn’t get a look in. Grid knows what’s happened with a Greenwood, rumours abound but it’s up to the manager to fix that and get his head screwed back on.

Mata has also played well when called upon yet we keep picking the same players, several of whom are stinking the place out right now.

Square pegs into round holes, moving people around to accommodate others, none of this is sensible. Ole has made huge progress in freshening things up and clearing our some players but he’s still floundering around at times.

he said he was disappointed yesterday so that’s also progress, but I’m not clear on how things improve,

5.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 16:32:28
I have read a few things today which I'm not sure about .
If we had of Bailey we would of played 15 yards further up the pitch? Why would you want to do that against Liverpool and there front 3 who love space and are probably the best counter attacking team about?
Liverpool had a makeshift defence? Allison is the best GK in the league maybe the world, Robertson is a fantastic player, trent is a top player, fabhino has been great at cb gomes and matip haven't looked any better .
Henderson isn't a cb but honestly I thought he played OK.
A couple of week ago everyone was saying Liverpool would win the league, now it seems there not that good and there for the taking? VVD has been injured for months so what's suddenly changed?

C.V. has had an effect on all teams this season but people seem to think our team and players should be exempt from that?
We had a poor start to the season but if we beat Fulham midweek we would sit on 40 points at the half way point .
Can we do better in the second half of the season than first?

6.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 17:28:14
I’m not denying we are more competitive and I’m as pleased as anyone to be top, I just would have expected us to be a little more reassuring. My point was not about yesterday, more an observation of where we are. We aren’t inspiring confidence right now. I really hope we play a second string in the Europa, this year feels like an opportunity, a bit of a Leicester year, and resting the first team mid week is the sensible approach.

7.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 17:29:52
My overriding thought about the Liverpool United game was, We were about as good as we will probably get but Liverpool will get better.

8.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 18:20:03
But we’ve been much better this season already Scooby, just not often enough.

9.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 18:41:22
For sure AJH but we are good as often as we are poor. Liverpool WILL get better. Can we? At this moment in time and without additions I’m not convinced we can.

10.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 19:10:09
Tony, I think its always less stressful to watch other teams play. There's nothing riding on the game emotionally for you. I don't think other teams have been either objectively better or objectively worse than us this season.

I think for the most part fans watch all or as much of their own team and only the highlights of most other games. That can skew a persons impression that their own team is far more "patchy" than other sides, as they see all the stuff that cuts cut out of the highlight reels from their own team.

We are often far harsher critics of our own side compared to others, and hold our own side to higher standards.

Reality is that we sit top because we have been the best side this season so far.

11.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 20:29:32
Its strange I agree our forward line hasn't really clicked this season but we sit top of the table and only the scouse have scored more .
I should maybe stop watching city every time I seem to watch them they look great up top yet we have scored 5 more than them this season.

12.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 21:06:09
There you are AJH, there are no issues, surely you must be convinced because you have been told you are, we are the best side so far this season. Your eyes are deceiving you, all is well.

I watch other games AJH, take in the approach, objectively look at the methods, see what they are trying to do. I use my eyes on our games too and I just don’t see that method. I don’t understand the constant changes, Bailly in, Bailly out. Yesterday was a day to play Bailly, who gives us the option of pushing our line forward, yet we chose deep defence. It isn’t what I was led to believe was acceptable to the people defending it and it certainly bored out of me, but that’s ok in the new order of the wheel.

13.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 21:59:48
Redmam of course there is issue but let's be honest you have been adamant that its all down to an inept manager .
Don't start moving the goal posts etc we are a million miles away from most of the stuff you have been posting .
Answer me 2 questions
Why do you want to play a high line against Liverpool front 3?
How do you think our back 4 played?

14.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 22:00:00
we are top because we have played more games than city.

15.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 22:19:54
Jred

1) I didn’t say I wanted to play a high line, but we were far too deep and I felt needed to play a higher line, higher, got it?
2) our back four were protected by two holding players who sat in, with 11 behind the ball. It wasn’t a back four, it was a back six or seven.

Answer me a question, did you see a team scared of losing, set up not to lose? Or one that was set up positively? Just checking your eyesight. The direction came from the top, the aim for the game came from the top, it was a don’t lose and if we are lucky scratch a goal.

16.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 22:53:58
Redman
I saw a team that set up to stop Liverpool scoring hit them on the break and win the game .
Our back 4 played well yesterday even if you can bring yourself to say it .
I though Bailey would of started but lindelof played well so I don't see what your issue is?

17.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 23:05:30
Redman
At the start of the season what did you expect of us this season?

18.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 23:07:56
Jred

I saw a team set up to stop Liverpool scoring. My issue is that we set up extremely negatively because we were scared to lose. We didn’t so it’s a triumph. It was a game we could have won, yes, sometimes games are draws but the mindset was all wrong.

19.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 23:13:32
Jred

To play to win games.

20.) 18 Jan 2021
18 Jan 2021 23:41:20
Redman
Really that was your target this year 🤔.

21.) 19 Jan 2021
19 Jan 2021 09:10:08
I think our position is a combination of other teams playing poorly and a United side who are still feeling their way. Remember that this is a side who has lacked consistency over several seasons. To compare it to teams of the Fergie era are pointless. My belief is that Ole is that Ole does know what he is doing and success will come, maybe not this season but soon. The more the team play together and get results the better. People need to be patient.