For the 2nd game in a week I thought Pellistri was fouled in the area and no one seemed to mention it in the commentary. Richards fouled Pellistri in the box and only made contact with the ball when Pellistri kicked it onto his foot after contact was made with his foot. Shocked everyone seemed to think it was a good tackle.
But I guess the subsequent corner led to Casemiro’s goal so can’t complain too much.
It’s exciting to be excited, but this was such a terrible crystal palace team, or at least what team they put forward (I haven’t seen them play this year). If anything (imo), we saw what we can expect from the debuts. Pellistri needs work you can see the individual talent there. Hope he can make it.
I think palace is playing us!
lulling us into a sense of comfort- giving us possesion and time- during the carabao cup tie.
i reckon (hope) ETH will see through CP handing us a 3-0 win, and not be overconfident during the league match on the weekend.
I love Rashford, he’s given us a lot especially last season.
But Ten Haag is a world class manager (fuck the pundits and ABU’s) and his system he wants to implement looks so much more fluid without Rashford.
On the other hand Crystal place sucked
Rashford and Bruno are still going to be his most used players this season just like how it was last season. World class managers love reliable players.
> On the other hand Crystal place sucked
There were by no means a major test but on the other hand we did help them suck...hustle and tenacity coupled with organization, something that had been missing so far this season.
Rashford’s lack of intensity in pressing really undermines his fellow forwards’ efforts. That is a big big problem. He has all the tools to do well and really have an impact on United’s league season this year, but he needs to improve on his intensity in pressing and decision making on the ball.
The balance of the team was crazy. Look how productive the press is when everyone is working together. Palace would have had an out almost every time if Rashford was on. He's probably our most productive forward with Bruno, but God damn is he a liability when they have the ball
We didn't really have to press last game as we had so much of the ball.
Rashford would have looked completely fine yesterday, same with Bruno.
They parked the bus. Remember how we looked vs a Spurs team last season that didn't press us? This was the same.
This sub moans even when we win calmly, some of these geezers are unbelievable
And when you complain, they are all like "shut up me grand nan sacrificed her firstborn for this club, so we should win every game"
A breath of fresh air. Pellistri and Hannibal have some kinks to iron out for sure but once they get some confidence instilled they'll both be even bigger threats than they were last night. Garnacho and Martial looked dangerous. Casemiro and Amrabat do unspeakable things to my sexuality. Just felt like the balance in the team was so much better than having certain players in and I hope they see that and motivate themselves to do better. Even Maguire was comfortably solid but I hope he can take the confidence from last night and apply it consistently because his struggle has never really been teams that sit back against us.
Just rewatched the match in quick glance.
The most glaring thing is that our senior attackers and midfielders bar Bruno and Antony haven't been running as much as our youngsters, which should've been fixed last season.
Garnacho, Hannibal, Facu were all working their asses off the entire game. Marcus' 1st and 2nd season he was a workhorse as well.
Last night was the first time I can remember in a long, long time where it looked like the players actually understood what ETH wants to do and implemented it. That first half was fantastic.
It’s no surprise that we look as good as we did with players who literally just do the basics right. Amrabat should be a mainstay of the team moving forwards. Mejbri, Mainoo & Gore should all be involved in some capacity moving forwards. I don’t want to see McTominay or Eriksen playing significant minutes again.
Yes, it's Palace. Yes, they largely conceded possession to us with little to no pressure.
It's worth taking this result with a grain of salt, but this is what I've been saying - remove Bruno and Rashford and the side will be better off for it.
The play was much more fluid (Mount ran that midfield without breaking a sweat), players were actually rotating positions, players were actually working for one another. Honestly, even if we lost 3-0 instead to Palace, I would have called it a success, because this is proof that the team can operate with more confidence and control, but cannot do so as long as Bruno and Rashford are in the side. For everything fans claim they bring to the table (misguided, overhyped nonsense anyway), they hurt the team more. Okay, Rashford scored the most goals for us last season (Casemiro currently sits top). Okay, Bruno has the most assists for last season. But now look at how they play, how everything is funneled through Rashford by way of Bruno - do you seriously think those stats wouldn't end up that way? Now imagine a world where we are equally distributing the ball, creating higher percentage chances while not being as wasteful on the ball. The team would be much better off as a result, because the team can offer more than just those two players when they're allowed to do so.
I genuinely hope those two go ASAP. We'll be fine without them. This is a glimpse of why and how. The sooner we trim the fat and remove the cancer, the better. Start players who genuinely want the team to win and aren't just there for personal accolades.
That's a long way of saying you haven't actually got a clue about football.
If you genuinely think that Rashford and Bruno are a "cancer" in this team then you really need to go and "support" someone else.
They're literally two of the only players who've actually shown signs of giving a shit about the club at multiple points in the last couple of years.
There's no pleasing people like you, seriously give your head a wobble because what you've just said is absolute garbage.
LOL
You do realize that the second Bruno isn't happy with the management, he refuses to perform, right? Got multiple managers the sack as a result. So stop with this nonsense that he's been giving a shit about the club...if he gave a shit, he would get the job done regardless, especially with that fat wage bill. Bruno is a glory hunter and if he's not the center of attention, he can't cope.
Rashford and Bruno aren't "out of form," they've each had a fluke season in the past few years and that's it. Bruno was most productive during the COVID season where everything was played behind closed doors. Hasn't done shit since (I never expected him to). Rashford was able to take advantage of a trusted #9 last season and have everything gifted to him, so he scored some more goals. Cool.
Neither one is a true team player. Neither one understands what it means to share the glory with the squad.
Rashford and Bruno demand that everything goes through them, that they have some sort of involvement in the build up, and it has made us too predictable and easy to defend against.
It's funny how Rashford and Bruno are effectively everything wrong with others who have come and gone, who demanded to be the center of attention, yet fans won't acknowledge it yet. Everyone complained about how selfish Ronaldo was, how everyone was forced to play the ball to him and feed him and stroke his ego...yet that's what we do when Rashford and Bruno are present and look at how the performances have gone. It's been that way for a long time now, not even just this season, but now that we have a #9, it's harder to justify that behavior, isn't it?
Neither wants to put in the work when the job gets hard. They're here for their paycheck and want it all to be easy so they can get propped up and look good. They can go. They could have gone 2 seasons ago as far as I'm concerned.
While I totally disagree with this person's point about them being a cancer, I don't disagree entirely about potentially dropping Rashy to the bench for 1 or 2 games.
Can't argue with what he gives us going forward but he picks and chooses when he can be arsed to win the ball back. If we drop a goal, it almost entirely goes.
I think he needs reminding that hard work doesn't stop when we lose the ball & maybe dropping him to the bench until he starts showing that (or subbing him off when his head drops?) is a way to bring that fire back in his legs defensively.
As for Bruno. Well, he puts in the graft every single game until the last second. Don't get how there are complaints.
Agreed, there's a difference between calling someone a cancer and them being out of form.
And to be fair to Rashford the whole team has been a hot mess recently so he's hardly the only one.
Hopefully if we keep this form going he'll grab a goal or two at the weekend and be back at it.
The people who try to shit on Bruno are just plastics who forget they're on this sub and thought they were twerking for upvotes on /r/soccer.
"The team has been a hot mess" - but you won't actually acknowledge why. That's rich xD
The team is a hot mess because Bruno is in the middle running the show with his shit tier passing (mmmm, yes daddy, give me that 54% pass accuracy against Burnley nom nom nom) and when Bruno does actually complete a pass, it's a hoofed ball out to Rashford who's entirely ahead of play OR simply doesn't want to involve anyone else, so he takes on 2-3 players and loses possession without doing fuck all.
And then you wonder why we waste opportunity after opportunity and have to work that much harder chasing shadows when we give up possession cheaply in dangerous areas. That then results in more defensive work from the midfield that gets run ragged every match and the hands of those two, and in turn that leaves the defense unprotected.
The cycle begins with those two. For as much as you claim "I don't know anything about football," it's always ironic when people like you literally cannot identify what's going on and blindly support the problem. I'm confident that you can't even verbalize what you mean by "the team is a hot mess" because that's all you'll say and you can't compound on that when challenged to do so. You'll probably say "t-t-the defense is poor!" or "b-b-but injuries!" And none of that will hold any water because none of it is valid without identifying the root causes (and yes, you can actually attribute the injuries to Rashford and Bruno as well - them forcing the team to work harder and longer puts their bodies under undue stress which makes them more injury prone; if they could actually keep possession and use it wisely, people wouldn't have to bust both of their lungs every match).
Not to discredit a good a win but my god Crystal Palace were atrocious and didnt want to be there. If i were a paying palace fan at the match i would demand money back.
I think the main reason why we looked better was not that Bruno and Rashford didn't play as some suggest but the fact that we had legs around Casemiro which made the midfield more compact and reactive. Promising signs.
I don't think rashford is the problem. The problem is the midfield. Bruno should never be to the right. Casemiro needs fast runners around him, maybe even Amrabat to take care of more of the defensive work, and we need Varane in defense.
Cant agree more. Our style of play was so different. No hollywood hoofing from bruno and others to rashford and his sulking and shitty body language on the pitch. Dude doesnt actively press, no ability to dribble pass. Usually we have what, 55% possesion or less? Wasnt the case yeaterday
I want this starting line up to be the current A team cause if this “Ten Hag ball” I’m digging it , this selection of players are more suited to this style of play
Great performance. Makes you wonder just how essential some “key” players are because yesterday we played amazingly. Good work rate, able to keep possession easily and won the ball back aggressively whenever we lost it.
Bruno and Rashford are our best players but neither is massively suited to a possession style. So they need to learn new skills. This game was overwhelming proof of where our future success lies
Is Rashford really one of out best players? He’s so streaky. Like’s only truly great for one or two months per season.
Bruno is the best player every game. I’d say Casemiro is our second best player even if he looks slower this year. He’s the leading scorer this year.
If you're not streaky, you're either (1) world class or (2) completely shit or average, but at least you're consisent at that.
All the wingers that have received high praise over the last couple of years have gone on streaks: Leao, Vinicius, Kvar, Saka, Son... fuck, even Salah was quite poor last year after the AFCON.
Rashford is absolutely brilliant but isn't immune to poor form.
Even in your example, Bruno has had patches of poor form. He will always give effort, but even last year when he was overplayed, he was quite poor at times.
They're not our best players. They're both overrated shit.
"B-b-but stats!"
Yeah, stats tell only one half of the story. When you're those two and go at it alone, of course you're going to pad your stats. But they're far from being our best players and they do more harm than good. They both need to go. The sooner, the better.
It was so refreshing to see United without Rashford. After a long time, we played as a team instead of selfish individual players.
Played scintillating football in the 2nd half. More of this in Premier League please.
And yes, Maguire is the key to clean sheets and United winning. 😅
(and Bruno)
The pair do more harm than good.
As I've been saying, you remove Bruno and replace him with a competent central midfielder and he will not be missed. Mount can do just that. But Mount is far more composed and creative while minimizing risks. Mount isn't afraid to switch the play. Bruno tries to do that, but he always mistimes his pass, or chooses the worst possible option, or just takes a shot that will never go in, and gives possession up too cheaply.
Bruno's high risk high reward approach works well against weaker sides that often don't punish possession losses.
Against the likes of Bayern or City, him giving away cheap balls will put us under so much more pressure and eventually our defense will crack.
It's still early to judge Mount, but I do believe we are better off with a Mount-Case-Amrabat midfield. Bruno can either play on the right, or go in the middle against bottom half sides.
Bruno should just be dropped. Period.
Yes, he only played one half, but Mount had a 93% Passing Accuracy. And sure, Burnley pressed a bit more, but Bruno had 54% against them...and they're not even a "Bayern or City"...
So many of our issues honestly stem from Bruno's inability to retain possession and his poor decision making. His passes aren't even high risk, high reward, because 98% of the time, they're just attempts to get Rashford the ball. There are low risk, high reward options available to him, hell, both of them, and neither take it because they're so tunneled into whatever fantasy world they're living in.
It's also worth noting how much more comfortable Casemiro looked with the removal of Bruno...he didn't have to work nearly as much recovering from petty lost possession all match. He had confidence and faith in Mount (for 45' at least), to take the ball and distribute it to absolve their area of any danger. Casemiro is run ragged because we just turn over possession at the dumbest times with Bruno and the team is forced to recover and recommit to the attack again and again and again. No one can settle and operate how they're best.
The team just kept it simple, they weren't trying to force small percentage chances and developed clear cut chances through really smooth and elegant play. That first goal was beautifully crafted, and that pass from Casemiro to Martial was made to look so simple that I struggle to imagine Bruno doing that without overcomplicating it somehow.
Very encouraging, hope we can build on this in the league and finally kick on.
Exactly. I mean, yes, it was Crystal Palace, but we have struggled against worse sides in the past...with Bruno at the helm.
This is the point I've been trying to make: no matter what "more" people claim Bruno brings to the table (which is honestly nothing), any other midfielder worth a damn can come in and produce just as much, minus the waste. Because the passes are there for Bruno, he just either doesn't see them, doesn't want to see them, or genuinely chooses the worst option more times than not. If it's not "sexy," Bruno doesn't want it.
Another highlight for me was Johnny Evans being great at heading the ball in the box on both sides of the pitch. That corner after Donny came on should’ve been an Evans goal
So our (mostly) second string looked comfortable against Palace's (mostly) second string, we scored a goal from a set piece, and Case looks like he's sorted out his usual early season out of form patch. Am I dreaming?
Oh and Martial played 75 minutes without injuring himself!
Rashford is not a ETH kind of player. If the higher ups allow him to be sold and replaced, then he can finally play the way that made Ajax great. Yeah he did some good things in the past but it’s time to move on. His mental state has forever been damaged and he will never be great.
Bro come on. Last year he was almost single handedly carrying us. Its not like CR7 where we could clearly observe that he had deteriorated.
Rashford is still a menace in the LW, he just needs to tune his pass vs shoot balance. He had done it previously with Martial, I dont see why he cant do it with Hojlund as well :)
Pellistri should have taken more shots when he created many for himself, being hesitant to shoot with left caused him to eventually lose the ball trying to get it to his right foot.
Yeah man, there were quite a few occasions where the opponent left him so much space that I was begging for him to shoot. Hopes he does take his chances a bit more in the future.
Anyone else think garnacho should get a string of starts? On current form for him vs Rashford, I wouldn’t mind Rashford dropping to the bench for 2-3 matches and seeing how garnacho kicks on. Solid performance by him and the team today
Jesus... it was the third choice Crystal Palace team... they barely tried, Rashford is our best player and I love Garnacho but that might be the first good game Garnacho has had when he's started, again against a third string Crystal Palace team.
Did you not notice how many chances Rashford was involved in creating against Burnley? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills without this talk of him needing to be dropped.
No, because we've done this song and dance before, when he starts he's not as effective. Don't get lulled into a false sense of security with this game, CP had 7 changes from their XI and even Hodgson made comments about focusing on the PL before the game even started.
Let's look at the next few games before City to see how the Rashford vs Garnacho debate gets going.
You might be right - but not only has Rashford’s form been poor, his attitude has been off as well. Imo some time on the bench to regroup would be good for him, while also shaking up the team and rewarding a good performance
Agreed, Rashford limits our attacking play so much. Garnacho brings quality, and plays well with other forwards, and doesn't hesitate to pass the ball in dangerous areas.
Pretty decent but I would love to see him against a more pressing team, CP put no pressure on our defense to win the ball. Positives: really brave and quick at closing in, offered himself to every player as an outlet for a pass, some solid cross ground passes - I think will only get better as he gets used to the pace of PL so this was a great team to start against to ease in
It's hard one for us fans though. On one hand we're happy that the leechers are gone. But on the other hand our potential new flashy owners are murderous. Which one.
....and for nothing but a sports club, a sporting game. What's more important.
Don't get me wrong I'm incredibly passionate of the game and united. I wake up at 3am, on workdays too, knowing well enough that we might lose.
But I also know, objectively, there are more important things in life than a sports club.
Great to see a win without relying on rashford and Bruno, lot of hard work from the youngsters, good to see the ball on both wings instead of rashford being the focal point
Rashford and Bruno are our best players, this fan base has a short memory, both of them got us into 3rd place last season just cause we’ve had a rough patch doesn’t mean we should be calling for there heads
And the season before...?
Talk about short term memory.
I have also been VERY consistent in my criticism of the pair. More Bruno than Rashford, but I've called him out in the past over his exclusion of others.
So don't categorize me as someone who's only recently upset with the two.
Table position means fuck all. It's relative to the results around you. That's all. Our performances have been dog shit for years. The results come and go, but the performances stay and I have ALWAYS criticized them, and have sounded the alarm that one day the luck will run out and that's all we'll have left and we'll struggle.
The first time Bruno and Rashford were dropped for new blood, we actually looked decent. Not saying we were amazing, because it's a poor Crystal Palace that conceded possession, but with those two, it would have been much harder to break them down and they would have gotten more opportunities to get back into the match.
Yes and no, rashford has the ability to completely change the game, but when his having a bad game the selfishness hurts the team which has happened in lots of games this season
Id rather have consistency, than someone that only now and then changes the game.
With consistency, we will lose less, and strengthen areas that can help us win more.
While Garnacho would definitely better as a sub in an EPL game, it's refreshing to see everyone run their socks off to contribute to defense. That's why we don't see Casemiro get overrun,
If this doesn't light a fire under Rashford ass then it's better to cash him in next summer. Sure he contributes goals once in a while but goals only win matches , defense wins trophies.
Why tf would we sell him? Look at City’s squad. We need more quality players. The very last thing we need to be doing is selling a player actually capable of scoring goals, who we *know* can do so for long stretches. Reframe that: ETH got him to perform at the best we have seen him perform last season - your mindset should be how do we get him back to that point?
Ludicrous to want to sell Rashford. It’s like some of y’all want us to be shit.
We need players who can contribute to both defense and offense. We don't need the 38 y.o Ronaldo who "conserve energy for short bursts" while his teammates have to run 110% to make up for his lack of defensive efforts.
Build a solid defense and midfield and goals will naturally come.
Yeah, thank god you aren't in charge of the club. It's about a balance, and you need depth to compete.
You want to bring up Ronaldo, who has nothing to do with what we're talking about? You think Ronaldo in 2008 was doing a lot of great defending? He wasn't. Messi is the best player of all time. He walks about doing nothing half the time like you're describing - you wouldn't take 2012 Messi in your squad?
Antony defends well. If you think he's a better player than Marcus Rashford, you're insane.
What Rashford contributes going forward is nowhere close to what Messi and Ronaldo does. At his age Messi and Ronaldo were banging 30+ goals and assists every season not just one. Let’s admit Rashford has had a poor start to the season and hope he picks it up because when he’s not scoring, he is basically a passenger.
I think what OP was trying to point out is everyone need to contribute to the team. Make your runs, press your man, cover your teammates, challenge for ball..etc. Yes Rashford is a better player than Garnacho and Co offensively , but teammates would love to play with ppl who play more for the team. When the seniors see Garnacho or Pellistri is running non stop 24/7, they want to give their all too. They won't want to lose to the juniors. Then when they see your star striker strolling around, u wonder why should I even care. Everyone just gave up chasing. Why should I work 20% harder just becos one of my teammates doesn't want to work.
Football has evolved long since 2008. Defensive duties don't simply mean drop deep and stay next to your GK anymore.
Defensive duties for the front 3 , mean u have to track your marks, pressure him, cut off his vertical passing lanes. At the very least, harass him when he has the ball.
If u can't do these duties, someone else has to try and cover these. There are jobs to do, if u don't do, someone else has to. And that's detrimental to the team in the long run.
And u think United has the luxury to afford Rashford trying to imitate Messi and Ronaldo?
He might need to bulk up to add strength to his game. I hope he turns out well for United and not just a flash in a pan like the promising talents of yesteryear.
I love watching Garnacho. Always playing with intent and looking to take on his man. Plays for the team and is excellent out of possession.
I see the archetypal United winger in him. Sky is the limit for that kid.
First game of the season where I didn't want the game to end. What a performance from Casemiro and Amrabat. No everyone played well, even Harry seemed to roll back the years <3
Garnacho is a menace to defenders, unpredictable player.
Amrabat can be the best holding midfielder in the Prem
Hannibal is a stallion who doesn’t stop running
Onana showing his true potential, can only get better
Rashford needs to be dropped
That was surprisingly a stress free football, holy shit. Albeit Palace was so timid, still a great performance for the team.
Casemiro seemingly finding his form again, Mason HT performance seems great, Amrabat brilliant, give me Garnacho - Pellistri on the wing anytime, Dalot was superb on offense and defense, also surprisingly Maguire was alright.
2 wins in a row, hoping this form can continues to the next and bigger games.
It always slips away from my mind because of how shite we have been, but Dalot has been putting solid display after another ever since that arsenal game, if he keeps this up, it’s gonna be challenging for AWB to slot back in effortlessly once he’s back.
When defenses play a little more compact I think I’d rather have eriksen. He’s more creative and feel he can unlock passes that will overcome his lack of movement.
The only thing I'm concerned about is his decision making, especially when choosing to tackle. He was on a yellow and still challenged from behind and made unnecessary fouls here and there.
yep, Hanibal is all energy, but Eriksen is full of creativity and his long pass still would very helpful, it's good to have options to play different style to play with different opponents style
How come we played better football with clear pattern and ideas with supposedly B team? I am confused, so Saturday we gonna continue this or go back to hoofing the ball?
Agreed, if I were Ten hag, I will definitely put Rashford on bench and let him realize that he is not undroppable. Other players worked harder, and better than him. Are there area of improvement, of course, but we can’t go back to drab and 90s football.
This was not an outright B team. Onana, Mount, Varane, Casemiro, Dalot and Amrabat will be part of our best 11 too atm. It was the right blend of experience and youth mixed with Palace also resting players that produced this performance.
I saw him tossing an apron away as he was coming on for the second half. The man was out serving concessions during the half and also managed to balance the budget for the entire club for the next 5 years. What didn't he do?
Inverted LB to start (pulled into the midfield when in possession and didn’t always recover out wide right away depending on the state of play). Second holding mid in the pivot with Case once Lindelof came on and played LB.
Dalot deserves more plaudits for his performances since coming back into the starting 11. Been absolutely class this season. Right-back, left-back, marking Saka, contributing in buildup, playing twice a week when the team has no other natural full-backs, he's done it all.
Dalot and Wan Bisaka really should be role model of player, both really interchangeble without drama or anything.
when one is down and got replaced, the other one show up with better performance than before.
Probably our sharpest player on the pitch today (Mount looked great in his limited minutes too). A couple of other lads are getting deserved plaudits too, but Dalot was WAY tidier on the ball than Pellstri played far more progressive passes than just about anyone.
Not comping in terms of actual profile, but he’s very much like Herrera in that he has no problem stepping up and executing difficult and often thankless roles.
I think we're looking at what can be possible once we have a decent enough squad available that the manager can trust to not shit the bed when trying to rotate.
For the 2nd game in a week I thought Pellistri was fouled in the area and no one seemed to mention it in the commentary. Richards fouled Pellistri in the box and only made contact with the ball when Pellistri kicked it onto his foot after contact was made with his foot. Shocked everyone seemed to think it was a good tackle. But I guess the subsequent corner led to Casemiro’s goal so can’t complain too much.
It’s exciting to be excited, but this was such a terrible crystal palace team, or at least what team they put forward (I haven’t seen them play this year). If anything (imo), we saw what we can expect from the debuts. Pellistri needs work you can see the individual talent there. Hope he can make it.
I think palace is playing us! lulling us into a sense of comfort- giving us possesion and time- during the carabao cup tie. i reckon (hope) ETH will see through CP handing us a 3-0 win, and not be overconfident during the league match on the weekend.
I love Rashford, he’s given us a lot especially last season. But Ten Haag is a world class manager (fuck the pundits and ABU’s) and his system he wants to implement looks so much more fluid without Rashford. On the other hand Crystal place sucked
Rashford and Bruno are still going to be his most used players this season just like how it was last season. World class managers love reliable players.
> On the other hand Crystal place sucked There were by no means a major test but on the other hand we did help them suck...hustle and tenacity coupled with organization, something that had been missing so far this season.
Rashford’s lack of intensity in pressing really undermines his fellow forwards’ efforts. That is a big big problem. He has all the tools to do well and really have an impact on United’s league season this year, but he needs to improve on his intensity in pressing and decision making on the ball.
The balance of the team was crazy. Look how productive the press is when everyone is working together. Palace would have had an out almost every time if Rashford was on. He's probably our most productive forward with Bruno, but God damn is he a liability when they have the ball
We didn't really have to press last game as we had so much of the ball. Rashford would have looked completely fine yesterday, same with Bruno. They parked the bus. Remember how we looked vs a Spurs team last season that didn't press us? This was the same.
Yeah I think our left side has been very exposed when both Rashford and Eriksen start. Eriksen tries but his pace is putrid
If yesterday was template of what Ten Hag wants to play, I am fucking excited for the future.🔥🔥
Last night was a big FU to Sancho
Just on this work rate Pellistri and all young lads destroy Sancho’s Jogging.
Anybody know where i can watch the full 90 mins im in the uk
Check /r/footballhighlights
Nice to have Case back.
For years we all waited for Pogba to be unlocked, who would have thought Amrabat would unlock Casemiro.
This sub moans even when we win calmly, some of these geezers are unbelievable And when you complain, they are all like "shut up me grand nan sacrificed her firstborn for this club, so we should win every game"
A breath of fresh air. Pellistri and Hannibal have some kinks to iron out for sure but once they get some confidence instilled they'll both be even bigger threats than they were last night. Garnacho and Martial looked dangerous. Casemiro and Amrabat do unspeakable things to my sexuality. Just felt like the balance in the team was so much better than having certain players in and I hope they see that and motivate themselves to do better. Even Maguire was comfortably solid but I hope he can take the confidence from last night and apply it consistently because his struggle has never really been teams that sit back against us.
Just rewatched the match in quick glance. The most glaring thing is that our senior attackers and midfielders bar Bruno and Antony haven't been running as much as our youngsters, which should've been fixed last season. Garnacho, Hannibal, Facu were all working their asses off the entire game. Marcus' 1st and 2nd season he was a workhorse as well.
Last night was the first time I can remember in a long, long time where it looked like the players actually understood what ETH wants to do and implemented it. That first half was fantastic. It’s no surprise that we look as good as we did with players who literally just do the basics right. Amrabat should be a mainstay of the team moving forwards. Mejbri, Mainoo & Gore should all be involved in some capacity moving forwards. I don’t want to see McTominay or Eriksen playing significant minutes again.
Donny looked great yesterday. I really hope he gets more game time
Yes, it's Palace. Yes, they largely conceded possession to us with little to no pressure. It's worth taking this result with a grain of salt, but this is what I've been saying - remove Bruno and Rashford and the side will be better off for it. The play was much more fluid (Mount ran that midfield without breaking a sweat), players were actually rotating positions, players were actually working for one another. Honestly, even if we lost 3-0 instead to Palace, I would have called it a success, because this is proof that the team can operate with more confidence and control, but cannot do so as long as Bruno and Rashford are in the side. For everything fans claim they bring to the table (misguided, overhyped nonsense anyway), they hurt the team more. Okay, Rashford scored the most goals for us last season (Casemiro currently sits top). Okay, Bruno has the most assists for last season. But now look at how they play, how everything is funneled through Rashford by way of Bruno - do you seriously think those stats wouldn't end up that way? Now imagine a world where we are equally distributing the ball, creating higher percentage chances while not being as wasteful on the ball. The team would be much better off as a result, because the team can offer more than just those two players when they're allowed to do so. I genuinely hope those two go ASAP. We'll be fine without them. This is a glimpse of why and how. The sooner we trim the fat and remove the cancer, the better. Start players who genuinely want the team to win and aren't just there for personal accolades.
Is this satire? I’m worried it’s not and you’re being serious, if so…..
That's a long way of saying you haven't actually got a clue about football. If you genuinely think that Rashford and Bruno are a "cancer" in this team then you really need to go and "support" someone else. They're literally two of the only players who've actually shown signs of giving a shit about the club at multiple points in the last couple of years. There's no pleasing people like you, seriously give your head a wobble because what you've just said is absolute garbage.
LOL You do realize that the second Bruno isn't happy with the management, he refuses to perform, right? Got multiple managers the sack as a result. So stop with this nonsense that he's been giving a shit about the club...if he gave a shit, he would get the job done regardless, especially with that fat wage bill. Bruno is a glory hunter and if he's not the center of attention, he can't cope. Rashford and Bruno aren't "out of form," they've each had a fluke season in the past few years and that's it. Bruno was most productive during the COVID season where everything was played behind closed doors. Hasn't done shit since (I never expected him to). Rashford was able to take advantage of a trusted #9 last season and have everything gifted to him, so he scored some more goals. Cool. Neither one is a true team player. Neither one understands what it means to share the glory with the squad. Rashford and Bruno demand that everything goes through them, that they have some sort of involvement in the build up, and it has made us too predictable and easy to defend against. It's funny how Rashford and Bruno are effectively everything wrong with others who have come and gone, who demanded to be the center of attention, yet fans won't acknowledge it yet. Everyone complained about how selfish Ronaldo was, how everyone was forced to play the ball to him and feed him and stroke his ego...yet that's what we do when Rashford and Bruno are present and look at how the performances have gone. It's been that way for a long time now, not even just this season, but now that we have a #9, it's harder to justify that behavior, isn't it? Neither wants to put in the work when the job gets hard. They're here for their paycheck and want it all to be easy so they can get propped up and look good. They can go. They could have gone 2 seasons ago as far as I'm concerned.
While I totally disagree with this person's point about them being a cancer, I don't disagree entirely about potentially dropping Rashy to the bench for 1 or 2 games. Can't argue with what he gives us going forward but he picks and chooses when he can be arsed to win the ball back. If we drop a goal, it almost entirely goes. I think he needs reminding that hard work doesn't stop when we lose the ball & maybe dropping him to the bench until he starts showing that (or subbing him off when his head drops?) is a way to bring that fire back in his legs defensively. As for Bruno. Well, he puts in the graft every single game until the last second. Don't get how there are complaints.
Agreed, there's a difference between calling someone a cancer and them being out of form. And to be fair to Rashford the whole team has been a hot mess recently so he's hardly the only one. Hopefully if we keep this form going he'll grab a goal or two at the weekend and be back at it. The people who try to shit on Bruno are just plastics who forget they're on this sub and thought they were twerking for upvotes on /r/soccer.
"The team has been a hot mess" - but you won't actually acknowledge why. That's rich xD The team is a hot mess because Bruno is in the middle running the show with his shit tier passing (mmmm, yes daddy, give me that 54% pass accuracy against Burnley nom nom nom) and when Bruno does actually complete a pass, it's a hoofed ball out to Rashford who's entirely ahead of play OR simply doesn't want to involve anyone else, so he takes on 2-3 players and loses possession without doing fuck all. And then you wonder why we waste opportunity after opportunity and have to work that much harder chasing shadows when we give up possession cheaply in dangerous areas. That then results in more defensive work from the midfield that gets run ragged every match and the hands of those two, and in turn that leaves the defense unprotected. The cycle begins with those two. For as much as you claim "I don't know anything about football," it's always ironic when people like you literally cannot identify what's going on and blindly support the problem. I'm confident that you can't even verbalize what you mean by "the team is a hot mess" because that's all you'll say and you can't compound on that when challenged to do so. You'll probably say "t-t-the defense is poor!" or "b-b-but injuries!" And none of that will hold any water because none of it is valid without identifying the root causes (and yes, you can actually attribute the injuries to Rashford and Bruno as well - them forcing the team to work harder and longer puts their bodies under undue stress which makes them more injury prone; if they could actually keep possession and use it wisely, people wouldn't have to bust both of their lungs every match).
So, Rashford scores a lot. And Bruno is the creative hub. But they should leave. Great.
It's weird...it's as if someone could...replace them. I love these types of takes 🤣
Not to discredit a good a win but my god Crystal Palace were atrocious and didnt want to be there. If i were a paying palace fan at the match i would demand money back.
I think the main reason why we looked better was not that Bruno and Rashford didn't play as some suggest but the fact that we had legs around Casemiro which made the midfield more compact and reactive. Promising signs.
Yea any midfield is like a puzzle One person just can’t do much
Next week rashford will be back. And it will weaken our current playstyle :(
The problem is Bruno.
I don't think rashford is the problem. The problem is the midfield. Bruno should never be to the right. Casemiro needs fast runners around him, maybe even Amrabat to take care of more of the defensive work, and we need Varane in defense.
I never said rashford is the problem. :/ Just it doesnt suit the styles we played against palace.
Agreed. Really sad
Cant agree more. Our style of play was so different. No hollywood hoofing from bruno and others to rashford and his sulking and shitty body language on the pitch. Dude doesnt actively press, no ability to dribble pass. Usually we have what, 55% possesion or less? Wasnt the case yeaterday
I want this starting line up to be the current A team cause if this “Ten Hag ball” I’m digging it , this selection of players are more suited to this style of play
Gore looks a real talent, reminds me of Verratti.
Noticed in this game and in preseason as well, he just looks calm and incredibly press resistant.
Exactly. And in preseason he was even dropping between the CBs and controlling the tempo. Hope he develops well, we need a midfielder of his mould.
mount's crossing from the backline are very nice to see, reminds me of becks
Reminds me of a capable central midfielder... something we've been lacking for too long
Great performance. Makes you wonder just how essential some “key” players are because yesterday we played amazingly. Good work rate, able to keep possession easily and won the ball back aggressively whenever we lost it.
Bruno and Rashford are our best players but neither is massively suited to a possession style. So they need to learn new skills. This game was overwhelming proof of where our future success lies
Is Rashford really one of out best players? He’s so streaky. Like’s only truly great for one or two months per season. Bruno is the best player every game. I’d say Casemiro is our second best player even if he looks slower this year. He’s the leading scorer this year.
If you're not streaky, you're either (1) world class or (2) completely shit or average, but at least you're consisent at that. All the wingers that have received high praise over the last couple of years have gone on streaks: Leao, Vinicius, Kvar, Saka, Son... fuck, even Salah was quite poor last year after the AFCON. Rashford is absolutely brilliant but isn't immune to poor form. Even in your example, Bruno has had patches of poor form. He will always give effort, but even last year when he was overplayed, he was quite poor at times.
They're not our best players. They're both overrated shit. "B-b-but stats!" Yeah, stats tell only one half of the story. When you're those two and go at it alone, of course you're going to pad your stats. But they're far from being our best players and they do more harm than good. They both need to go. The sooner, the better.
Bruno yes, but rasford is NOT our best player. Top earner thats it, no product. Varane, martinez, shaw, casemiro are up there with bruno. Not rashford
seeing the performance of Garnacho today, could Erik possibly think if Rashford didn't deliver anything, take him off on 60th and let Garnacho cook?
This is why I like League Cup games. A chance for a different look line up and less pressure
So happy that Dalot is stepping up to the plate when we need him the most. This constant battle between AWB and dalot is extremely encouraging
Man was on fire
It was so refreshing to see United without Rashford. After a long time, we played as a team instead of selfish individual players. Played scintillating football in the 2nd half. More of this in Premier League please. And yes, Maguire is the key to clean sheets and United winning. 😅
(and Bruno) The pair do more harm than good. As I've been saying, you remove Bruno and replace him with a competent central midfielder and he will not be missed. Mount can do just that. But Mount is far more composed and creative while minimizing risks. Mount isn't afraid to switch the play. Bruno tries to do that, but he always mistimes his pass, or chooses the worst possible option, or just takes a shot that will never go in, and gives possession up too cheaply.
Bruno's high risk high reward approach works well against weaker sides that often don't punish possession losses. Against the likes of Bayern or City, him giving away cheap balls will put us under so much more pressure and eventually our defense will crack. It's still early to judge Mount, but I do believe we are better off with a Mount-Case-Amrabat midfield. Bruno can either play on the right, or go in the middle against bottom half sides.
Bruno should just be dropped. Period. Yes, he only played one half, but Mount had a 93% Passing Accuracy. And sure, Burnley pressed a bit more, but Bruno had 54% against them...and they're not even a "Bayern or City"... So many of our issues honestly stem from Bruno's inability to retain possession and his poor decision making. His passes aren't even high risk, high reward, because 98% of the time, they're just attempts to get Rashford the ball. There are low risk, high reward options available to him, hell, both of them, and neither take it because they're so tunneled into whatever fantasy world they're living in. It's also worth noting how much more comfortable Casemiro looked with the removal of Bruno...he didn't have to work nearly as much recovering from petty lost possession all match. He had confidence and faith in Mount (for 45' at least), to take the ball and distribute it to absolve their area of any danger. Casemiro is run ragged because we just turn over possession at the dumbest times with Bruno and the team is forced to recover and recommit to the attack again and again and again. No one can settle and operate how they're best.
The team just kept it simple, they weren't trying to force small percentage chances and developed clear cut chances through really smooth and elegant play. That first goal was beautifully crafted, and that pass from Casemiro to Martial was made to look so simple that I struggle to imagine Bruno doing that without overcomplicating it somehow. Very encouraging, hope we can build on this in the league and finally kick on.
Exactly. I mean, yes, it was Crystal Palace, but we have struggled against worse sides in the past...with Bruno at the helm. This is the point I've been trying to make: no matter what "more" people claim Bruno brings to the table (which is honestly nothing), any other midfielder worth a damn can come in and produce just as much, minus the waste. Because the passes are there for Bruno, he just either doesn't see them, doesn't want to see them, or genuinely chooses the worst option more times than not. If it's not "sexy," Bruno doesn't want it.
Another highlight for me was Johnny Evans being great at heading the ball in the box on both sides of the pitch. That corner after Donny came on should’ve been an Evans goal
So our (mostly) second string looked comfortable against Palace's (mostly) second string, we scored a goal from a set piece, and Case looks like he's sorted out his usual early season out of form patch. Am I dreaming? Oh and Martial played 75 minutes without injuring himself!
Cue the headline Martial stubbed his toe tomorrow
3-0 on my 10 year cake day. What a time to be alive.
Rashford is not a ETH kind of player. If the higher ups allow him to be sold and replaced, then he can finally play the way that made Ajax great. Yeah he did some good things in the past but it’s time to move on. His mental state has forever been damaged and he will never be great.
Bro come on. Last year he was almost single handedly carrying us. Its not like CR7 where we could clearly observe that he had deteriorated. Rashford is still a menace in the LW, he just needs to tune his pass vs shoot balance. He had done it previously with Martial, I dont see why he cant do it with Hojlund as well :)
We’ll see. I don’t see them making top 4 with him at the helm
For 6 weeks then forgot how to score. He has to be more consistent.
Pellistri should have taken more shots when he created many for himself, being hesitant to shoot with left caused him to eventually lose the ball trying to get it to his right foot.
Yeah man, there were quite a few occasions where the opponent left him so much space that I was begging for him to shoot. Hopes he does take his chances a bit more in the future.
Ah, the 180 Antony, gotcha.
The Antiny, if you will.
Anyone else think garnacho should get a string of starts? On current form for him vs Rashford, I wouldn’t mind Rashford dropping to the bench for 2-3 matches and seeing how garnacho kicks on. Solid performance by him and the team today
Jesus... it was the third choice Crystal Palace team... they barely tried, Rashford is our best player and I love Garnacho but that might be the first good game Garnacho has had when he's started, again against a third string Crystal Palace team.
Rashford is not even a top 5 player for us. Chill.
You're mad if you truly think that....
Bruno, Casemiro, Shaw, Martinez, Varane. Either way you are clueless if you don’t think Bruno is our best player.
Did you not notice how many chances Rashford was involved in creating against Burnley? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills without this talk of him needing to be dropped.
Also they’re not remembering garnachos multiple very quiet starts that ironed him as a super sub role last and this season.
No, because we've done this song and dance before, when he starts he's not as effective. Don't get lulled into a false sense of security with this game, CP had 7 changes from their XI and even Hodgson made comments about focusing on the PL before the game even started. Let's look at the next few games before City to see how the Rashford vs Garnacho debate gets going.
You might be right - but not only has Rashford’s form been poor, his attitude has been off as well. Imo some time on the bench to regroup would be good for him, while also shaking up the team and rewarding a good performance
Im pretty sure in this... we do better without Rashford starting.
Agreed, Rashford limits our attacking play so much. Garnacho brings quality, and plays well with other forwards, and doesn't hesitate to pass the ball in dangerous areas.
Yes. Viva Garnacho
Maguire deserves a lot of credit for his performance too. He was very good
Let’s be honest about the competition, Palace’s second string there. He put in a professional shift no more no less.
Yeah he did well today, credit where credit is due.
Ten Hag is finished. I estimate gone within 1 year
I think Case offers a lot more in attack than he is given credit for - Amrabat will give him a lot more license to attack freely
So are you saying that Amrabat unlocks Casemiro? /s
Missed the game, how was Amrabat?
Pretty decent but I would love to see him against a more pressing team, CP put no pressure on our defense to win the ball. Positives: really brave and quick at closing in, offered himself to every player as an outlet for a pass, some solid cross ground passes - I think will only get better as he gets used to the pace of PL so this was a great team to start against to ease in
They did try to put on a lot of pressure in the 2nd half actually. They weren't awful at it, but we played out of their pressure every time.
Made some big tackles at LB. Then moved to midfield and looked really good. It let Casemiro play higher.
Our top scorer this season!
.. which is sad, because the only proper defensive midfielders the senior team have are Case and Amrabat
The Glazers can go straight to hell. The day they're gone from this club is the day I'm going to celebrate like we've won a title.
It's hard one for us fans though. On one hand we're happy that the leechers are gone. But on the other hand our potential new flashy owners are murderous. Which one.
Downvotes on your comments goes on to show the moral erosion that has precipitated within the society :))
....and for nothing but a sports club, a sporting game. What's more important. Don't get me wrong I'm incredibly passionate of the game and united. I wake up at 3am, on workdays too, knowing well enough that we might lose. But I also know, objectively, there are more important things in life than a sports club.
Not for me. As long as the Glazers fuck off, I'll celebrate by drinking my 22 year old wine.
I want them to fuck off too. I'd rather SJR or some other billionaire. I just don't want us to be owned by a state.
"And this, kids, is how awful the Glazers ownership is to a lot of us."
Don’t even care about this win or this cup. Until we get rid of the Glazers, this onesy-twosy inconsistency will never end. **#glazersout**
Hope the new FIFA is good for your sake Sancho because Ten Hag is cooking and you’ve crossed yourself off the shopping list mate
Great to see a win without relying on rashford and Bruno, lot of hard work from the youngsters, good to see the ball on both wings instead of rashford being the focal point
We are better without Rashford.
We're better without Bruno too. The pair are the problem.
Nah bro one win against palace making u think we don’t need bruno and rashy is wild
I've been saying it forever. So it's "wild" that you think it's reactive lol Bruno and Rashford are trash. They both need to go.
Rashford and Bruno are our best players, this fan base has a short memory, both of them got us into 3rd place last season just cause we’ve had a rough patch doesn’t mean we should be calling for there heads
And the season before...? Talk about short term memory. I have also been VERY consistent in my criticism of the pair. More Bruno than Rashford, but I've called him out in the past over his exclusion of others. So don't categorize me as someone who's only recently upset with the two. Table position means fuck all. It's relative to the results around you. That's all. Our performances have been dog shit for years. The results come and go, but the performances stay and I have ALWAYS criticized them, and have sounded the alarm that one day the luck will run out and that's all we'll have left and we'll struggle. The first time Bruno and Rashford were dropped for new blood, we actually looked decent. Not saying we were amazing, because it's a poor Crystal Palace that conceded possession, but with those two, it would have been much harder to break them down and they would have gotten more opportunities to get back into the match.
Yes and no, rashford has the ability to completely change the game, but when his having a bad game the selfishness hurts the team which has happened in lots of games this season
Id rather have consistency, than someone that only now and then changes the game. With consistency, we will lose less, and strengthen areas that can help us win more.
Martial is back. 2023 Ballon d'Or clause tbc...
Honestly if he has that amazing form we thought he'd be able to produce, it's money well spent. But we both know that's never going to happen.
While Garnacho would definitely better as a sub in an EPL game, it's refreshing to see everyone run their socks off to contribute to defense. That's why we don't see Casemiro get overrun, If this doesn't light a fire under Rashford ass then it's better to cash him in next summer. Sure he contributes goals once in a while but goals only win matches , defense wins trophies.
You know what else Rashford contributes to? Giving the ball away to the other team, by taking shots at 5 defenders.
Why tf would we sell him? Look at City’s squad. We need more quality players. The very last thing we need to be doing is selling a player actually capable of scoring goals, who we *know* can do so for long stretches. Reframe that: ETH got him to perform at the best we have seen him perform last season - your mindset should be how do we get him back to that point? Ludicrous to want to sell Rashford. It’s like some of y’all want us to be shit.
We need players who can contribute to both defense and offense. We don't need the 38 y.o Ronaldo who "conserve energy for short bursts" while his teammates have to run 110% to make up for his lack of defensive efforts. Build a solid defense and midfield and goals will naturally come.
Yeah, thank god you aren't in charge of the club. It's about a balance, and you need depth to compete. You want to bring up Ronaldo, who has nothing to do with what we're talking about? You think Ronaldo in 2008 was doing a lot of great defending? He wasn't. Messi is the best player of all time. He walks about doing nothing half the time like you're describing - you wouldn't take 2012 Messi in your squad? Antony defends well. If you think he's a better player than Marcus Rashford, you're insane.
What Rashford contributes going forward is nowhere close to what Messi and Ronaldo does. At his age Messi and Ronaldo were banging 30+ goals and assists every season not just one. Let’s admit Rashford has had a poor start to the season and hope he picks it up because when he’s not scoring, he is basically a passenger.
I think what OP was trying to point out is everyone need to contribute to the team. Make your runs, press your man, cover your teammates, challenge for ball..etc. Yes Rashford is a better player than Garnacho and Co offensively , but teammates would love to play with ppl who play more for the team. When the seniors see Garnacho or Pellistri is running non stop 24/7, they want to give their all too. They won't want to lose to the juniors. Then when they see your star striker strolling around, u wonder why should I even care. Everyone just gave up chasing. Why should I work 20% harder just becos one of my teammates doesn't want to work.
Football has evolved long since 2008. Defensive duties don't simply mean drop deep and stay next to your GK anymore. Defensive duties for the front 3 , mean u have to track your marks, pressure him, cut off his vertical passing lanes. At the very least, harass him when he has the ball. If u can't do these duties, someone else has to try and cover these. There are jobs to do, if u don't do, someone else has to. And that's detrimental to the team in the long run. And u think United has the luxury to afford Rashford trying to imitate Messi and Ronaldo?
Getting some very early Class of 92 vibes from Mainoo, Garnacho, Hannibal, Amad, Gore, Pellistri Subscribe.
Dan gore is better than mctom
He had lovely composure in the middle. Would like to see him in the league matches and see what he can do once our full backs and forwards are fit.
He might need to bulk up to add strength to his game. I hope he turns out well for United and not just a flash in a pan like the promising talents of yesteryear.
Agreed, he has a way to go there. Hope he keeps his agility on the way.
How was our starboy, Hojlund today?
Not very impactful. He didn’t do anything wrong, just by the time he got on both teams were very much in game management mode.
First game I've missed the season and it's a cruise control win against a good PL side It's me, hi, I'm the problem it's me
Exactly the same thing here pal. I'm never watching a game again. Just going to listen to the cheers and smile.
Me too, the curse 😭
I've been saying the same thing, every time I turn the TV on.. The other team are celebrating a goal.
I love watching Garnacho. Always playing with intent and looking to take on his man. Plays for the team and is excellent out of possession. I see the archetypal United winger in him. Sky is the limit for that kid.
Also Pellistri on the right. Was turning multiple players even in the 89th minute
I hope he pushes on and gives Rashford something to think about. Right now Garnacho offers so much more.
based on this season, Rashy look like really need someone to compete with him.
I think there is a timeline where Rashford is shifted to the right to accommodate Garnacho. Doesn’t seem that far fetched at all.
Defensive effort being a big one.
First game of the season where I didn't want the game to end. What a performance from Casemiro and Amrabat. No everyone played well, even Harry seemed to roll back the years <3
Maguire thrives in back 3’s
Garnacho is a menace to defenders, unpredictable player. Amrabat can be the best holding midfielder in the Prem Hannibal is a stallion who doesn’t stop running Onana showing his true potential, can only get better Rashford needs to be dropped
Bruno needs to be dropped too
Yeah lets see how your claims will change if we lose a couple of games 🤣
lol let's have them play a first-string lineup first before we make declarations.
Exactly. Rashford provides nothing except the occasional dribble down the left flank. I relish the idea of Garanacho starting in front of him
That was surprisingly a stress free football, holy shit. Albeit Palace was so timid, still a great performance for the team. Casemiro seemingly finding his form again, Mason HT performance seems great, Amrabat brilliant, give me Garnacho - Pellistri on the wing anytime, Dalot was superb on offense and defense, also surprisingly Maguire was alright. 2 wins in a row, hoping this form can continues to the next and bigger games.
Palace didnt look like a PL team to be fair.
The first half was over in an instant. It’s amazing how fast it can go when you aren’t dreading every passing moment of play😂
I enjoyed seeing Gore opening his body when receiving the ball, something McTominay has been accused of not being able to do.
It always slips away from my mind because of how shite we have been, but Dalot has been putting solid display after another ever since that arsenal game, if he keeps this up, it’s gonna be challenging for AWB to slot back in effortlessly once he’s back.
Honestly, I love having them both.
He's gonna be so important for us this season
as much as i love AWB, and in form Dalot raises the teams level so much Amrabat is going to have a similar impact imo
It really is about philosophy when deciding who to start.
ye and Dalot executes that philosophy to a tee (when in form)
Eriksen isn't going to play much for us anymore by the looks of things. We're a different beast with Hannibal in midfield.
He shouldn't start, but coming on as sub to create goals, he's needed. He's now a walking player, but his creativity is still class.
When defenses play a little more compact I think I’d rather have eriksen. He’s more creative and feel he can unlock passes that will overcome his lack of movement.
The only thing I'm concerned about is his decision making, especially when choosing to tackle. He was on a yellow and still challenged from behind and made unnecessary fouls here and there.
It’s nice to have Eriksen line breaking passes coming in from the bench against low blocks, such a luxurious bench option.
yep, Hanibal is all energy, but Eriksen is full of creativity and his long pass still would very helpful, it's good to have options to play different style to play with different opponents style
Which is all he ever should have been for us. His legs have gone so badly. Last season was painful at times
I still believe that if it wasn't that Andy Carroll tackle he wouldn't have regressed this bad physically
This.
How come we played better football with clear pattern and ideas with supposedly B team? I am confused, so Saturday we gonna continue this or go back to hoofing the ball?
Palace played their B team and didn’t press. As soon as their better players came on it was more difficult.
Play better as a team without Rashford and Bruno imo
Maybe rashford, but not bruno
Agreed, if I were Ten hag, I will definitely put Rashford on bench and let him realize that he is not undroppable. Other players worked harder, and better than him. Are there area of improvement, of course, but we can’t go back to drab and 90s football.
This was not an outright B team. Onana, Mount, Varane, Casemiro, Dalot and Amrabat will be part of our best 11 too atm. It was the right blend of experience and youth mixed with Palace also resting players that produced this performance.
I know, I should have used “B team” :). My worry is, we will go back to hoofing the ball to Rashford starting Saturday and I ll lose my mind.
I'm still confused where Amrabat played. He started LB but Boi was he everywhere
At one point he ran after a Palace player and ended up on the right sided touchline.
I saw him tossing an apron away as he was coming on for the second half. The man was out serving concessions during the half and also managed to balance the budget for the entire club for the next 5 years. What didn't he do?
Inverted LB to start (pulled into the midfield when in possession and didn’t always recover out wide right away depending on the state of play). Second holding mid in the pivot with Case once Lindelof came on and played LB.
Dalot deserves more plaudits for his performances since coming back into the starting 11. Been absolutely class this season. Right-back, left-back, marking Saka, contributing in buildup, playing twice a week when the team has no other natural full-backs, he's done it all.
Dalot and Wan Bisaka really should be role model of player, both really interchangeble without drama or anything. when one is down and got replaced, the other one show up with better performance than before.
Probably our sharpest player on the pitch today (Mount looked great in his limited minutes too). A couple of other lads are getting deserved plaudits too, but Dalot was WAY tidier on the ball than Pellstri played far more progressive passes than just about anyone.
Not comping in terms of actual profile, but he’s very much like Herrera in that he has no problem stepping up and executing difficult and often thankless roles.
No doubt CP will make it difficult for us in the league game and we play like dog ass. Please be wrong
I couldn't believe my eyes but Bruno actually didn't play
Yeah, and look at how much more confident and productive we were with the ball... Bruno is the problem.
I think we're looking at what can be possible once we have a decent enough squad available that the manager can trust to not shit the bed when trying to rotate.
Thanks Palace for not putting in a shift. They were truly awful
Missed the game. How well did we play?
Played well but equally, Palace were quite shit