depressing to watch.
I know it's just the opening game of the season, but I was watching Brentford v Palace yest'day and it was just such an easy game to watch, pretty pleasing on the eye. Nice movement from both teams and a decent entertaining game. Both sides really looked like they were playing as a team, good work-rate and knew what the manager wanted from them.
I don't doubt our effort, but we still look a bit like we are going about at walking pace, we don't seem to have great movement off the ball etc like a lot of other teams. We did look generally a bit more solid but not super-compact and I still feel better teams will play through us quite readily.
Even though Casemiro looks fitter, for me he just hasn't get the legs for EPL to start - we should be using him more like Scholes in his latter years, maybe brininging him on to help punish tired teams with his class. I think the widemen need to offer so much more, in terms of energy and workrate both in attack and defensive duties
I accept it's early days, but it's not just under ETH, we have generally lacked a bit of swagger and real attacking excitement over the past few years. I don't know if we are playing with lead in our boots, but at times it feels like it.
We really are so
posted on 19/8/24
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 hour, 52 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 11 minutes ago
Fulham squandered a couple of really promising positions. 2 on 1 and messed it up.
Utd looked OK, but I kinda agree with the OP that you aren't very entertaining to watch. You're kinda neat and tidy but nothing that would get an impartial thinking wow that's impressive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Devonshire speaking for the impartial observers once again
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh I am sorry. To clarify, I watch utd and so far nothing really impresses me as an impartial. I wasn't meaning to speak for all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Just as you're not actually sorry, I wasn't actually suggesting you were speaking for all impartial observers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So what was the point if your comment?
posted on 19/8/24
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by kinsang (U3346)
posted 1 hour, 24 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 34 seconds ago
It could simply be that regardless, ETH's teams aren't that entertaining. I'm not sure what Ajax looked like under him. Obviously different styles of managers, but Jose wasn't entertaining but during his peak won plenty.
-----------------------------------------------------------
ETH isn't committed to one particular brand of football. His two Ajax teams were quite different from each other, and he has significantly adapted his tactics to try to adapt to the qualities of the players he's had at United. But I'd say the Ajax sides were pretty entertaining: liked to dominate possession but to attack more directly than e.g. a Pep team; and very easy on the eye building from the back. He seems to emphasising counterpressing more at United than he did at Ajax - and as Rosso has elaborated, it looks as though we'll be more effective from that point of view this season. I also believe that as we replace players who are technically limited in possession with those who are better receiving and passing while under pressure (AWB out, Mazraoui in; Varane out, De Ligt and Yoro in), we'll start to look more fluid in progressing the ball from the defensive third into the attacking third.
But ultimately, "entertaining" is subjective. What do you find entertaining?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course entertaining is subjective, but have any of us very often over the past 2 seasons seen us play and thought, wow, we were great to watch today. I think of the 2 games against Everton which I think we won 5-0 on aggregate, but I recall in both games we struggled - of course the result is ultimately the main thing, but I just think it would be nice to see us play attractive football.
Sorry if I can't describe it any better than that, but there are certain teams you watch who look 'nice to watch' - it's early days with this set of new players, so maybe we will look a bit better further down the line and get good results also. Maybe it was easier for Ajax to look good in that league. Just making observatiosn at the end of the day
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For the record, I wasn't attacking you in my previous comment - it was a genuine question as to what you find entertaining. Some people find Pep's football poetic; some find it deadly boring. Some like direct attacking football, some find it one-dimensional. Personally, I like to see a team that can control possession by intelligent passing & moving, but also that is willing to take some risks with creativity and improvisation in the final third. ETH's United hasn't consistently played attractive football as I'd subjectively define it, but there have been many matches that I found entertaining or quite impressive - especially in his first season in charge. From the 22/23 season the home win against Spurs, the away draw against Chelsea (where we were by far the better team), the home and away legs against Barcelona spring to mind as impressive and attractive performances.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
RR - it's all about opinions, so of course we can disagree on things, but some folk on here just make it a bit personal etc or can't debate without getting into slagging matches.
I don't really have a great definition of what is entertaining, but just that in general, we haven't been a great watch - dare I say i would like a bit of everything, good movement, good passing, a bit of freedom to express yourself. I think ETH's first year was a lot more interesting than the second year.
I was perhaps clumsy in using the word depressing, and it was more aimed at not just our opening game, but us over the last few seasons. I'm not saying we should be looking to copy other teams, but if I look at Brighton, Villa, Spurs, just as an example 3, they are all different but entertaining to watch - of course I always support Utd, but watching us maybe doesn't give me a sense of excitement or buzz like I would like it to - maybe that will come later on this season
posted on 19/8/24
I think ETH's first year was a lot more interesting than the second year.
-----------
I don't know... we had some pretty dull games in his first year. Even if we were worse overall last season, we were in some pretty wild games. Villa at home, Brentford at home, Galatasaray away, Wolves away, Liverpool in the FA Cup... A lot of it was due to defensive shortcomings but we were scoring as well.
posted on 19/8/24
comment by Clockwork Red: Amrabats in the Belfry (U4892)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think ETH's first year was a lot more interesting than the second year.
-----------
I don't know... we had some pretty dull games in his first year. Even if we were worse overall last season, we were in some pretty wild games. Villa at home, Brentford at home, Galatasaray away, Wolves away, Liverpool in the FA Cup... A lot of it was due to defensive shortcomings but we were scoring as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For many neutrals, I suspect (in fact, I know for some) we must have been considered pretty damn entertaining last season.
If you wanted end-to-end goalmouth action, you’d have been hard pressed to find any side offering more.
posted on 19/8/24
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 14 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 hour, 52 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 11 minutes ago
Fulham squandered a couple of really promising positions. 2 on 1 and messed it up.
Utd looked OK, but I kinda agree with the OP that you aren't very entertaining to watch. You're kinda neat and tidy but nothing that would get an impartial thinking wow that's impressive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Devonshire speaking for the impartial observers once again
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh I am sorry. To clarify, I watch utd and so far nothing really impresses me as an impartial. I wasn't meaning to speak for all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Just as you're not actually sorry, I wasn't actually suggesting you were speaking for all impartial observers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So what was the point if your comment?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll spell it out. You've earned a reputation for haunting the Manchester United threads and making condescending / disparaging comments about whatever aspect of the club that's under discussion. In that context, your air of "impartial observer, who happens to be passing by" gave me a chuckle.
posted on 19/8/24
comment by Clockwork Red: Amrabats in the Belfry (U4892)
posted 15 minutes ago
I think ETH's first year was a lot more interesting than the second year.
-----------
I don't know... we had some pretty dull games in his first year. Even if we were worse overall last season, we were in some pretty wild games. Villa at home, Brentford at home, Galatasaray away, Wolves away, Liverpool in the FA Cup... A lot of it was due to defensive shortcomings but we were scoring as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Even with the terrible injury record last season, the club did give us some great moments.
I don’t know about others but I celebrated that FA Cup win more than most PLs under Fergie, certainly more so than anything we’ve won since Fergie. Being rubbish, you appreciate the good times more.
posted on 19/8/24
comment by Clockwork Red: Amrabats in the Belfry (U4892)
posted 31 minutes ago
I think ETH's first year was a lot more interesting than the second year.
-----------
I don't know... we had some pretty dull games in his first year. Even if we were worse overall last season, we were in some pretty wild games. Villa at home, Brentford at home, Galatasaray away, Wolves away, Liverpool in the FA Cup... A lot of it was due to defensive shortcomings but we were scoring as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In terms of interesting, I meant as in our team alone was more interesting to watch. I think last year we were involved in a lot of scoring games because we were so open, I guess that's entertaining to the neutral, but i want it in terms of us both showing attacking prowess without being wide open in every game and dominating a game.
We can't dominate every game, but we barely dominated any last season. Even the games we won, we didn't seem to be in total control a lot.
posted on 19/8/24
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 18 minutes ago
comment by Clockwork Red: Amrabats in the Belfry (U4892)
posted 15 minutes ago
I think ETH's first year was a lot more interesting than the second year.
-----------
I don't know... we had some pretty dull games in his first year. Even if we were worse overall last season, we were in some pretty wild games. Villa at home, Brentford at home, Galatasaray away, Wolves away, Liverpool in the FA Cup... A lot of it was due to defensive shortcomings but we were scoring as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Even with the terrible injury record last season, the club did give us some great moments.
I don’t know about others but I celebrated that FA Cup win more than most PLs under Fergie, certainly more so than anything we’ve won since Fergie. Being rubbish, you appreciate the good times more.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think when you are a bit starved of success, or winning against the odds, it is different than when you are the dominant team. It was hard not to feel complacent under SAF, and boy have we felt it since he left.
I guess for some of a certain age, they only knew of success until after SAF left, the rest of us remember early SAF and pre-SAF, as well as more recent times
posted on 19/8/24
Man Utd missed all 4 big chances we created and allowed no big chances against us.
posted on 19/8/24
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 10 hours, 56 minutes ago
Fulham squandered a couple of really promising positions. 2 on 1 and messed it up.
Utd looked OK, but I kinda agree with the OP that you aren't very entertaining to watch. You're kinda neat and tidy but nothing that would get an impartial thinking wow that's impressive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sounds just like the team I watched play Leicester.....