Man United Verdict Thread

[Slothmonkey]

How many times have our players rushed in and won the ball resulting in chances ourselves? We are at our best closing down, winning the ball and breaking forward, kilman has done this many times this season resulting in winning the ball and us breaking, didn't work tonight and we got punished.

They have pressed and won the ball. This time it did not work. This time it was not needed. He did not need to press as aggressively as he did. He got done. It does happen but it was preventable and in the circumstance poor defending. At the time he did not win the ball to launch a counter attack, he needed to defend properly.

 

[lostwolf]

Full credit to the boys for giving it a real go in those last 20 minutes. But that really glosses over what was a fairly shocking all-round performance. Actually gave a passable impression of Newport at times.

Was worried when I saw the respective line-ups and formations and it was obvious right from the start that we would be overloaded in midfield and down the flanks.

Bringing on RAN at least gave Garnacho something to worry about defensively and Sarabia had a positive impact from the bench but we should have made those changes much earlier. All three centre-halves individually and collectively very poor.

Would have been ridiculous if we had taken something from the game as we should have been 4 or 5 down but still absolutely gutting to lose in that manner.

Sa 5
Kilman 3
Dawson 4
Toti 4
Semedo 5
Lemina 5
Doyle 6
Doherty 5
Cunha 6
Bellegarde 5
Neto 7

RAN 7
Sarabia 7
Gomes N/A
Fraser N/A

I guess we were due an off-day but I didn’t think we would be quite that bad tonight.

At least it was exciting and the boys showed real heart to keep going.

Fair enough.

I usually take your analysis as pretty much gospel even when I've been at the game @Tring Wolf but tonight I'm not sure. Yes, it was a very loose performance, there were times when we were overrun in midfield and out wide but our play on the ball, under heavy pressure from the Jekyll Utd side, was, in my opinion, really classy at times. Semedo linking up with Cunha, Neto etc and we created a few decent chances.

I like Toti, and love his work ethic, but he's an easy target when we're playing out because he's pretty clumsy on the ball and I'd like to see us upgrade there in the summer. Bellegarde wasn't awful and has potential played elsewhere but we're crying out for a seasoned front man, even one like Costa (I know... but I mean someone with some of his qualities) to give us another option going forwards.

For me, when fit, Cunha, Neto and RAN have to start. They're the lads you give the ball to knowing they'll probably shake things up.

 

[Bryce]

Well, despite a ‘thrilling’ last 15 minutes, let’s not gloss over the obvious. We were absolute dog **** first half and we should’ve been six nil down by halftime. Showed enough fight for me to brush the defeat off but **** me, clown defending from start to finish.

You are correct
But last year we would have lost 6 0 neves Moutinho and all
At least this year we show fight, guile and an ability to score .
That’s amazing given how we balanced the books . GON has been a revelation even if he gets it wrong sometimes. He appears open honest and respected by his squad. We could be onto something really special over the next few seasons if he continues to develop and grow

 

[Sir Ron]

We were garbage for 60 mins then we decided to have a go.
They could have scored 6 in the first half.
Sa looked like he was stoned barring one good save.
We looked vulnerable tonight every time they attacked and our midfield power was missing.
Fair play to us for playing ourselves back into it but soul destroying to lose it at the death like that.
Got to ride the lows as well as the highs, that’s football

 

[Wolfman jack]

Great spirit, terrible defending, game of two halves. RAN must start. Changed the game. Bueno slotted into defense ? .

 

[Big Saft Kid]

I am sorry to say I left at 1-3. Heard the 2nd goal go in as I passed the S Bank walking up Waterloo Road. By the time I reached the car and turned on the radio it was 3-3!! Literally 5 seconds of euphoria before I heard Pierce screaming that Utd had scored the winner. Still I missed the traffic! The 5Live mob, led by Pierce said the game would go down in history as one of the greatest PL games ever played! I kid you not. They are just a bunch of **** licking Man U fans.

 

[MrJamez]

I hate the plastic ****s.

 

[Dorbelflunk]

I am sorry to say I left at 1-3. Heard the 2nd goal go in as I passed the S Bank walking up Waterloo Road. By the time I reached the car and turned on the radio it was 3-3!! Literally 5 seconds of euphoria before I heard Pierce screaming that Utd had scored the winner. Still I missed the traffic! The 5Live mob, led by Pierce said the game would go down in history as one of the greatest PL games ever played! I kid you not. They are just a bunch of **** licking Man U fans.

TalkSport were saying we were unlucky, which I'm not sure is true either. Just naive.

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

I’m a big GON supporter but he got that one wrong tonight. RAN and Sarabia should have started.

You have to give the opposition credit sometimes as well though. We often focus solely on our team and the way we played and completely forget there was another team out there trying to win the game. Tactically I thought Man Utd were excellent that first half. They clearly learned from the first game and didn’t leave any gaps in the midfield. They also didn’t overcommit going forward so they weren’t as vulnerable to our quick transition play and counter attack. Finally they never allowed themselves to get caught 1 on 1 with Neto or Cunha.

It was only after bringing on the subs we managed to change the dynamic of the game enough to start creating the spaces down the flanks and getting the interplay going.

 

[Wolf 82]

You have to give the opposition credit sometimes as well though. We often focus solely on our team and the way we played and completely forget there was another team out there trying to win the game. Tactically I thought Man Utd were excellent that first half. They clearly learned from the first game and didn’t leave any gaps in the midfield. They also didn’t overcommit going forward so they weren’t as vulnerable to our quick transition play and counter attack. Finally they never allowed themselves to get caught 1 on 1 with Neto or Cunha.

It was only after bringing on the subs we managed to change the dynamic of the game enough to start creating the spaces down the flanks and getting the interplay going.

Gomes should have started too..

I think we’ve forgotten the team that won 3 Prem games over Christmas, in favour of the team that ground out results at Brentford and West Brom in the cup.. and got a point against an off-form Brighton.

Doyle did a great job against those lesser opposition.. but Gomes was pivotal in our wins over Christmas. Shame we’ve forgotten that.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Start with a number 9 tonight and we win that game! Well done Hobbs and team! Well done!!!

I don’t see how a number 9 helps the fact Kilman, Toti and Doherty were absolutely woeful defensively

 

[Golden_Wolf]

I don’t see how a number 9 helps the fact Kilman, Toti and Doherty were absolutely woeful defensively

This, really weird to choose tonight to moan about the attack when the defence cost us.

All 4 goals conceded were **** poor.

 

[MotorWoden]

We have ridden our luck a bit in the recent run, with quite poor defensive performances that went unpunished. Sunday a case in point. This time we didn't get away with it.
I thought Lemina looked off the pace and Doyle wad probably the better of our midfielders but the way we seem to set up leaves a lot of room for the opposition around the edge of our box. Too easy to get a run at our defenders .
Anyway we scored three and I enjoyed the game so I won't complain. Hopefully RAN and Sarabia start next time out. Gomes for Doyle would be tough on Doyle.

 

[S G Wolves]

Let's be fair 3-3 would have flattered us. We got what we deserved.

In my opinion we were still stuck from the BCD first half and not focussed enough on this game. But got to give credit for the fight and spirit. GON has to pick them up ready for Sunday. No point dwelling on this.

Just have to defend better and better game management. Very disappointing performance all round.

 

[Willywolf]

Gomes should have started too..

I think we’ve forgotten the team that won 3 Prem games over Christmas, in favour of the team that ground out results at Brentford and West Brom in the cup.. and got a point against an off-form Brighton.

Doyle did a great job against those lesser opposition.. but Gomes was pivotal in our wins over Christmas. Shame we’ve forgotten that.

‘We’ haven’t. Most called it before the game when they saw Bellegarde as striker again. Shame for Doyle as he’s been good, but Joao is just better.

 

[Fenrir_]

Defensive horror show. Man U have really struggled to score this season and they could have easily had seven or eight tonight. We showed some fight getting three of our own to somehow draw level but we deserved nothing from that game

We might have been after a striker but we need some organisation and grit at the back. Showed none of it tonight

 

[bigbadwolftoo]

Blimey, what a ****e performance first half! Looked half paced in comparison to Manure, luck to be only 2 down. We looked deadbeat at times.

Improved second half but the defence needs some serious work.

Why oh why do we mess about at the back creating pressure on us for teams that have a high press.

Think GON got the team selection wrong for this one and certainly didn't get them at the bit from the go.

 

[stevev53]

I love Lemina but he was awful tonight right from the off . Thought Doyle was left on his own and if anyone should have been replaced it was Lemina

 

[Wolf of Wall Heath]

Well I’ve just got to bed after a miserable drive home from the match. A point would’ve been robbery (which I would have gratefully accepted) but I thought we were off it almost to a man tonight. Sa is a liability at times, the defence was awful - doc a stand out waste of time -, midfield mostly absent. However, we have flattered to deceive recently in my opinion. We limped through the cup replay, got a point at Brighton who then went on to get done four by Luton and, easy win or not, demonstrated some naive defending against the **** last weekend so tonight has been coming for a while.

Great fight in the team for the last half an hour but we can’t rely on late game heroics.

 

[Bryce]

I am sorry to say I left at 1-3. Heard the 2nd goal go in as I passed the S Bank walking up Waterloo Road. By the time I reached the car and turned on the radio it was 3-3!! Literally 5 seconds of euphoria before I heard Pierce screaming that Utd had scored the winner. Still I missed the traffic! The 5Live mob, led by Pierce said the game would go down in history as one of the greatest PL games ever played! I kid you not. They are just a bunch of **** licking Man U fans.

Did we deserve to win?
No
Did we fight like ****?
Yes
Am I a proud wolf after this?
Yes
Will we make Europe?
No we don’t have the depth
Will we go down?
Unlikely
I would have taken where we are after 5 games?
Absolutely
Are we a better watch?
Absolutely, better than anything post Nuno. We will get around 50 points this season and who knows what can happen after the cup
Going to bed in a philosophical mood and nowhere near as despondent as I have been after some defeats

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

A striker changes things considerably because you give something back.

Whilst we defended terribly, it also needs pointing out that we gave nothing back. Onana didn't make a save of note.

Our lack of a striker meant United could push up. It meant we couldn't retain possession and it contributed to wave after wave of attack.

Fraser didn't really do anything, but we scored two goals in 15 minutes when he's on the pitch. In the 81 without him, we scored from a penalty that was a dive.

Our defence deserve pelters, no doubt. However, if we had a striker on the pitch the balance of that game would be so different. They were vulnerable when we had a go in the second half.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Did we deserve to win?
No
Did we fight like ****?
Yes
Am I a proud wolf after this?
Yes
Will we make Europe?
No we don’t have the depth
Will we go down?
Unlikely
I would have taken where we are after 5 games?
Absolutely
Are we a better watch?
Absolutely, better than anything post Nuno. We will get around 50 points this season and who knows what can happen after the cup
Going to bed in a philosophical mood and nowhere near as despondent as I have been after some defeats

A fair summary of how I feel too.

 

[Dorbelflunk]

We're all depressed, so one tiny bit of optimism : we've scored more goals than in the entirety of last season already

 

[Golden_Wolf]

Going to bed in a philosophical mood and nowhere near as despondent as I have been after some defeats

Genuinely where I'm at tonight. So much better than I thought we'd be when we kicked off against United on the opening.

Let's see what Gaz and these lads can do for the rest of the season. **** it, absolutely loads better & actually getting value for money now. Scoring goals, winning games, beating the ****.

We've basically given United a free hit first half, defended like **** all game, got a knackered squad & they've still gone to the death.

 

[Wolfman jack]

I am sorry to say I left at 1-3. Heard the 2nd goal go in as I passed the S Bank walking up Waterloo Road. By the time I reached the car and turned on the radio it was 3-3!! Literally 5 seconds of euphoria before I heard Pierce screaming that Utd had scored the winner. Still I missed the traffic! The 5Live mob, led by Pierce said the game would go down in history as one of the greatest PL games ever played! I kid you not. They are just a bunch of **** licking Man U fans.

You left 20 mins early?. Ye gods.

 

[Adrian_Monk]

I love Lemina but he was awful tonight right from the off . Thought Doyle was left on his own and if anyone should have been replaced it was Lemina

Not sure about awful but he has definitely lost some of that momentum due to his enforced break

 

[thommo1984]

The more I think about it the crazier it seems to not freshen things up after what must have been an incredibly overwhelming and mentally taxing experience last weekend.

Madness to just send the exact same lads out there again when we had fresh senior players available again.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

A striker changes things considerably because you give something back.

Whilst we defended terribly, it also needs pointing out that we gave nothing back. Onana didn't make a save of note.

Our lack of a striker meant United could push up. It meant we couldn't retain possession and it contributed to wave after wave of attack.

Fraser didn't really do anything, but we scored two goals in 12 minutes when he's on the pitch. In the 81 without him, we scored from a penalty that was a dive.

Our defence deserve pelters, no doubt. However, if we had a striker on the pitch the balance of that game would be so different. They were vulnerable when we had a go in the second half.

I think you should also consider how we were playing late on. The whole team was pushing up the pitch. It wasn’t just that we had a striker, but to be fair Fraser definitely helped, it’s that Gary decided to throw everything at getting back in the game. Made for exciting attacking play, but left us vulnerable at the back, just as we were playing with a more conventional back four early in the season.

 

[bod101]

Dreadful, but whereas the midfield and forwards picked up their game around 60mins in, the defence didn't.

See how much better we were with 4 at back only conceded the one.

Done over for the final goal there was a clear foul on Neto but not given so the final defensive calamity wouldn't have taken place. Also on refereeing if casamiro's challenge is a penalty should it not have been a second yellow? And this his immediate replacement doesn't come on and score.

 

[Matt]

Usually I’d be absolutely gutted/fuming after losing in those circumstances but we were so poor for so much of that game I’m really not.

 

[bigbadwolftoo]

I don’t see how a number 9 helps the fact Kilman, Toti and Doherty were absolutely woeful defensively

I think you missed out Dawson too...... Semedo did well going forward and not too bad in defence.

The poor coverage by the midfielders at half pace in the first half didn't help either.

 

[Aimless Balls]

We underestimated Manure like we did West Ham and got shredded for it. Some poor performances, plus some poor moments in otherwise decent performances. Pulled it from the fire and then dropped it again.

 

[bod101]

I love Lemina but he was awful tonight right from the off . Thought Doyle was left on his own and if anyone should have been replaced it was Lemina

Not for me I thought Doyle was just getting ran past all the time and looked jaded. Yes he played some good balls but was simply done too many times

 

[Pseudonym]

I understand why the following didn't start

RAN - Still coming back off AFCON and his physical load would be in the red
Sarabia - Coming off an injury
Gomes - Doyle deserved to start based on his momentum

However, we are intrinsically weaker without them with the current players we have available.

I rate Kilman as a ball playing defender but he's incredibly passive physically. Plays like he is shy which I believe is his wider personality

 

[Dorbelflunk]

A lot of talk about Neto's dive and how we can't call ourselves hard done by by VAR any more.

 

[cannockwolves]

I think some are being a bit harsh on our defence to be honest. United were always going to have too much pace for us out wide. Both Rashford and the lads winner were really good goals, OK we didn't get tight enough but both were high quality strikes.

United also got very lucky with the 2nd goal. Pace again did us, but Kilman's block took the ball under Sa on to the United player - Jacksy is a bit of an understatement. 99 times out of a 100 Sa stops the goal because of Kilman's block.

Having said all if this United could, perhaps should, have been 2 or 3 goals clear if the had taken all their chances. Just too much pace and quality all over the pitch.

After selling £140m of talent in the summer we should not be in the same league as United with all their resources. It just goes to show the Job GON has done to get the team playing this well.

Disappointed, yes. But good entertainment and gives them more belief in how we play.

 

[JadeWolf]

I understand why the following didn't start

RAN - Still coming back off AFCON and his physical load would be in the red
Sarabia - Coming off an injury
Gomes - Doyle deserved to start based on his momentum

However, we are intrinsically weaker without them with the current players we have available.

I rate Kilman as a ball playing defender but he's incredibly passive physically. Plays like he is shy which I believe is his wider personality

We’ll be much stronger on Sunday I think.

 

[Bryce]

Still got to say

Their winner was a thing of beauty. Dribble, nutmeg, curl, goal.
What a winner.

 

[Kebab Warrior]

Been at a work conference. What did I miss?

 

[Netherton Wolf]

Bottles n coin thrown up to us in bully tonight, hit a guy infront of me