Should be a good game tomorrow. Think there will be a few goals.
Surprised how poor United were Vs Wolves, bit worried about a reaction tomorrow.
I don't see enough of United but I'd be quite happy with that front 3.... Rashford better on the left than centrally, Mount better as 10 centrally & Anthony (Still looks an expensive show pony to me) I Think Udogie will be quite happy playing against him ?
You guys have "Kane shaped hole" up front.. would have been title challengers if Levy wasn't such a pain in the balls !!!
Hope it's a great game & spurs win a close one
Cheers
Personally I’d go with a front 3 of Sancho Martial Rashford.
Don’t mind McT coming in for some extra legs in the middle.
Didn’t see Spurs at Brentford, were they pretty good despite not getting all 3 points?
comment by JonVeron (U6514)
posted 3 minutes ago
Personally I’d go with a front 3 of Sancho Martial Rashford.
Don’t mind McT coming in for some extra legs in the middle.
Didn’t see Spurs at Brentford, were they pretty good despite not getting all 3 points?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spurs are a tricky team to face right now as nobody (Including us fans) have any clue what we are under Ange (super attacking) but no Kane. All I can tell you is that we are nothing like the Spurs of the past 3 years under Conte/ Jose..... Honestly have no clue what to expect other than a good game & goals
I don't think ETH will abandon the Casemiro-Mount-Bruno idea so quickly, though obviously some structural tweaks will be needed.
The front 3 will probably see Sancho come in for Garnacho. Martial played in a BCD friendly against Everton on Tuesday so hopefully can give us 30 mins or so before starting against Forest and Arsenal. Hopefully his glass legs hold until Hojlund is back.
Heard Martinez might be a doubt for tomorrow also?
comment by Diamondlights (U20501)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by JonVeron (U6514)
posted 3 minutes ago
Personally I’d go with a front 3 of Sancho Martial Rashford.
Don’t mind McT coming in for some extra legs in the middle.
Didn’t see Spurs at Brentford, were they pretty good despite not getting all 3 points?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spurs are a tricky team to face right now as nobody (Including us fans) have any clue what we are under Ange (super attacking) but no Kane. All I can tell you is that we are nothing like the Spurs of the past 3 years under Conte/ Jose..... Honestly have no clue what to expect other than a good game & goals
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cool thanks. Will be interesting to see what happens.
I would say it’s going to be 4-4 then! But we still can’t score goals so my pessimism wins here and predicts a 2-0 home win 😞
I hope Rashford is upfront for you again. Rico Henry absolutely destroyed us down the left on Sunday, with our fullbacks moving inside there is so much space out wide in transition. Rashford on the left would be a big problem for us
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
comment by -bloodred- (U1222)
posted 9 minutes ago
I don't think ETH will abandon the Casemiro-Mount-Bruno idea so quickly, though obviously some structural tweaks will be needed.
The front 3 will probably see Sancho come in for Garnacho. Martial played in a BCD friendly against Everton on Tuesday so hopefully can give us 30 mins or so before starting against Forest and Arsenal. Hopefully his glass legs hold until Hojlund is back.
Heard Martinez might be a doubt for tomorrow also?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree with this. McT is down ETH's pecking order*. And I think the weaknesses against Wolves were as much about poor execution of the new, higher-pressing system as they were about fundamental mistakes in the plan itself. From what we know about ETH, he's a believer in giving first choice players as much time together as possible so that making the correct decisions in coordination with each other becomes automatic.
I think there's an argument for bringing in Sancho over Garnacho. Sancho was significantly better than Garnacho in possession vs Wolves. Question is whether Sancho goes to false 9 as in pre-season, enabling Rashford to move to the left, where he's much more effective.
* Caveat: the one thing I'd say about potential tweaks to the midfield is Casemiro was pretty awful on Monday. Both in terms of positioning and lack of pace. Positioning within the new system should sort itself out with practice. But if the manager sees Casemiro doesn't currently have the legs for the role, then there could be a role for McT at his expense in the line-up (rather than Garnacho's) as he did in the early weeks of last season.
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
He'll put Bruno on the right. It's the only way we can accommodate Mount.
McTomaney - Cassemero
---Mount---
Bruno ---------Sancho-----------Rashford
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 25 seconds ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nope, we're acting like they're a team who press. And even a fully fit United don't deal well with pressing, let alone the half cooked version we saw on Monday night
comment by Ralf's Shrugging Shoulders (U13341)
posted 38 seconds ago
He'll put Bruno on the right. It's the only way we can accommodate Mount.
McTomaney - Cassemero
---Mount---
Bruno ---------Sancho-----------Rashford
----------------------------------------------------------------------
No chance Antony doesn't start. He's ETH's favourite. Not even saying that to criticise, all managers have "undroppables" and Antony falls into that category at United. I just wish he'd justify it more often
Man United should win this. Spurs back 4 is still pretty poor.
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should have lost comfortably to Wolves. Play anything like that this weekend and we will lose to Spurs, probably by a couple. They don't have to be prime Barca, just fit and competent.
I'd certainly be glad to see McT back, if only as a stop gap
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should have lost comfortably to Wolves. Play anything like that this weekend and we will lose to Spurs, probably by a couple. They don't have to be prime Barca, just fit and competent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last season we got exactly what we deserved from our opening two matches, and went on to beat Liverpool and Arsenal. The Wolves performance was concerning, but we should be open to the possibility that tactical tweaks and improvements in execution of the new system can result in significant upturns, week to week.
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should have lost comfortably to Wolves. Play anything like that this weekend and we will lose to Spurs, probably by a couple. They don't have to be prime Barca, just fit and competent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last season we got exactly what we deserved from our opening two matches, and went on to beat Liverpool and Arsenal. The Wolves performance was concerning, but we should be open to the possibility that tactical tweaks and improvements in execution of the new system can result in significant upturns, week to week.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I was expecting us to start quite slowly, in the sense of having teething problems with Onana, still not having a focal point up front while Højlund is out and still struggling to turn dominance into goals. I was a bit concerned about Mount's role. I wasn't expecting us to look so unfit and to be completely, embarrassingly overrun in midfield by a team many have tipped to go down.
Let's hope Wolves was a wake up call and that it was a bit of complacency, as well as rustiness, that made us look bad.
I think the plan was to press high and get goals from there. We did the first part OK but our forwards were just poor in execution. We also probably thought we could get away with it v Wolves but they showed ambition themselves when they won it.
Away from home, after last year's struggles, I'd expect us to be far more compact and perhaps be the side countering.
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 1 minute ago
Let's hope Wolves was a wake up call and that it was a bit of complacency, as well as rustiness, that made us look bad.
I think the plan was to press high and get goals from there. We did the first part OK but our forwards were just poor in execution. We also probably thought we could get away with it v Wolves but they showed ambition themselves when they won it.
Away from home, after last year's struggles, I'd expect us to be far more compact and perhaps be the side countering.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Like I've said, I'll wait until the international break (so after Arsenal away, I think) before being too critical. Even then, Højlund will still have to settle and Onana will still be getting acclimatised. But two home and two away games should give us a pretty decent sense of where we are (as well as a potential 12 points) in terms of readiness.
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should have lost comfortably to Wolves. Play anything like that this weekend and we will lose to Spurs, probably by a couple. They don't have to be prime Barca, just fit and competent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last season we got exactly what we deserved from our opening two matches, and went on to beat Liverpool and Arsenal. The Wolves performance was concerning, but we should be open to the possibility that tactical tweaks and improvements in execution of the new system can result in significant upturns, week to week.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I was expecting us to start quite slowly, in the sense of having teething problems with Onana, still not having a focal point up front while Højlund is out and still struggling to turn dominance into goals. I was a bit concerned about Mount's role. I wasn't expecting us to look so unfit and to be completely, embarrassingly overrun in midfield by a team many have tipped to go down.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If they play like that all season, I don't see Wolves going down. There were elements of our new tactical scheme that worked: we did win the ball high up the pitch, and with better decision making/execution could have been a couple of goals up at half-time and cruising. In retrospect, I think the ease with which Wolves cut through our midfield comes down to naivety and rectifiable mistakes as much as fitness. I also think a Spurs side trying to play progressive football could be more vulnerable on the transition than Wolves.
I do have concerns, and I'm not 100% convinced by apparently going all-in on high press and transitional excellence in this summer's transfers, while so far failing to reinforce the midfield and defence with players who can improve our build-up play and ability to dominate possession. However, I also think one game isn't enough to draw conclusions from. And if you look back over the last few seasons, performance on the first match day has rarely been a good indicator of how well we'll fare in the ensuing season.
Yes, I wouldn't draw any conclusions from one game, other than that we're not fit enough yet, which is pretty bad in itself.
It'll be interesting to see how Wolves get on at home to Brighton this weekend. Was it that they played especially well, or that we were predictable and disjointed going forward and wide-open in midfield thus making them look great?
It’ll be interesting if we play terrible again and win against Spurs. As things could only get better performance-wise and we’d already be 6 points up on last seasons start.
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 26 minutes ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 1 minute ago
Let's hope Wolves was a wake up call and that it was a bit of complacency, as well as rustiness, that made us look bad.
I think the plan was to press high and get goals from there. We did the first part OK but our forwards were just poor in execution. We also probably thought we could get away with it v Wolves but they showed ambition themselves when they won it.
Away from home, after last year's struggles, I'd expect us to be far more compact and perhaps be the side countering.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Like I've said, I'll wait until the international break (so after Arsenal away, I think) before being too critical. Even then, Højlund will still have to settle and Onana will still be getting acclimatised. But two home and two away games should give us a pretty decent sense of where we are (as well as a potential 12 points) in terms of readiness.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It'd be unfair to judge after one game of course so let's hope we see improvements week on week now.
On fitness I wonder what the plan is all through the season? I'm not an expert in that field of course but could it be that we're looking to peak later on in the season and that the players haven't been flogged that hard. Last season we seemed knackered for the run in.
comment by Christoglou (U20930)
posted 2 hours, 10 minutes ago
I hope Rashford is upfront for you again. Rico Henry absolutely destroyed us down the left on Sunday, with our fullbacks moving inside there is so much space out wide in transition. Rashford on the left would be a big problem for us
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Defo first half but we stopped that supply in the second half with a very controlled, slightly more circumspect performance.
But that is the big threat to us for sure, pace on the counter. And Diamond is 100% right, we have no idea what to expect, which i suppose is a good thing as neither do the opposition.
Diafol, I'm a stranger to all things fitness (which you could tell if you saw me playing football). That said, I'm a bit sceptical about the idea that aiming to not be fit until 3-4 games into the season in order to be more fit at the end of the season would be a credible plan. I mean, either way there's a finite amount of physical output you can expect from your players in a season, and similarly a finite amount of stress you can put on their bodies before they succumb to fatigue. You probably want to max out on what you can get from them, and I'd be surprised if by starting the season badly from a fitness point of view, you get more physical output over the whole season. So at best you might have players fresher for cup finals and semi finals, but would it be worth gambling on being in those matches on the assumption that you're more likely to drop points at the start of the season?
Maybe I'm wrong. My gut feeling is that the commercial obligations over the summer (which ETH has pushed to reduce) are more likely to have set back the pre-season training regime. The other factor is that a lot of our players needed longer rest before returning to training, due to the mammoth season they had just completed and the international matches at the end.
Sign in if you want to comment
This side for Spurs?
Page 1 of 2
posted on 18/8/23
Should be a good game tomorrow. Think there will be a few goals.
Surprised how poor United were Vs Wolves, bit worried about a reaction tomorrow.
I don't see enough of United but I'd be quite happy with that front 3.... Rashford better on the left than centrally, Mount better as 10 centrally & Anthony (Still looks an expensive show pony to me) I Think Udogie will be quite happy playing against him ?
You guys have "Kane shaped hole" up front.. would have been title challengers if Levy wasn't such a pain in the balls !!!
Hope it's a great game & spurs win a close one
Cheers
posted on 18/8/23
Personally I’d go with a front 3 of Sancho Martial Rashford.
Don’t mind McT coming in for some extra legs in the middle.
Didn’t see Spurs at Brentford, were they pretty good despite not getting all 3 points?
posted on 18/8/23
comment by JonVeron (U6514)
posted 3 minutes ago
Personally I’d go with a front 3 of Sancho Martial Rashford.
Don’t mind McT coming in for some extra legs in the middle.
Didn’t see Spurs at Brentford, were they pretty good despite not getting all 3 points?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spurs are a tricky team to face right now as nobody (Including us fans) have any clue what we are under Ange (super attacking) but no Kane. All I can tell you is that we are nothing like the Spurs of the past 3 years under Conte/ Jose..... Honestly have no clue what to expect other than a good game & goals
posted on 18/8/23
I don't think ETH will abandon the Casemiro-Mount-Bruno idea so quickly, though obviously some structural tweaks will be needed.
The front 3 will probably see Sancho come in for Garnacho. Martial played in a BCD friendly against Everton on Tuesday so hopefully can give us 30 mins or so before starting against Forest and Arsenal. Hopefully his glass legs hold until Hojlund is back.
Heard Martinez might be a doubt for tomorrow also?
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Diamondlights (U20501)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by JonVeron (U6514)
posted 3 minutes ago
Personally I’d go with a front 3 of Sancho Martial Rashford.
Don’t mind McT coming in for some extra legs in the middle.
Didn’t see Spurs at Brentford, were they pretty good despite not getting all 3 points?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spurs are a tricky team to face right now as nobody (Including us fans) have any clue what we are under Ange (super attacking) but no Kane. All I can tell you is that we are nothing like the Spurs of the past 3 years under Conte/ Jose..... Honestly have no clue what to expect other than a good game & goals
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cool thanks. Will be interesting to see what happens.
I would say it’s going to be 4-4 then! But we still can’t score goals so my pessimism wins here and predicts a 2-0 home win 😞
posted on 18/8/23
I hope Rashford is upfront for you again. Rico Henry absolutely destroyed us down the left on Sunday, with our fullbacks moving inside there is so much space out wide in transition. Rashford on the left would be a big problem for us
posted on 18/8/23
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
posted on 18/8/23
comment by -bloodred- (U1222)
posted 9 minutes ago
I don't think ETH will abandon the Casemiro-Mount-Bruno idea so quickly, though obviously some structural tweaks will be needed.
The front 3 will probably see Sancho come in for Garnacho. Martial played in a BCD friendly against Everton on Tuesday so hopefully can give us 30 mins or so before starting against Forest and Arsenal. Hopefully his glass legs hold until Hojlund is back.
Heard Martinez might be a doubt for tomorrow also?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree with this. McT is down ETH's pecking order*. And I think the weaknesses against Wolves were as much about poor execution of the new, higher-pressing system as they were about fundamental mistakes in the plan itself. From what we know about ETH, he's a believer in giving first choice players as much time together as possible so that making the correct decisions in coordination with each other becomes automatic.
I think there's an argument for bringing in Sancho over Garnacho. Sancho was significantly better than Garnacho in possession vs Wolves. Question is whether Sancho goes to false 9 as in pre-season, enabling Rashford to move to the left, where he's much more effective.
* Caveat: the one thing I'd say about potential tweaks to the midfield is Casemiro was pretty awful on Monday. Both in terms of positioning and lack of pace. Positioning within the new system should sort itself out with practice. But if the manager sees Casemiro doesn't currently have the legs for the role, then there could be a role for McT at his expense in the line-up (rather than Garnacho's) as he did in the early weeks of last season.
posted on 18/8/23
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
posted on 18/8/23
He'll put Bruno on the right. It's the only way we can accommodate Mount.
McTomaney - Cassemero
---Mount---
Bruno ---------Sancho-----------Rashford
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 25 seconds ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nope, we're acting like they're a team who press. And even a fully fit United don't deal well with pressing, let alone the half cooked version we saw on Monday night
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Ralf's Shrugging Shoulders (U13341)
posted 38 seconds ago
He'll put Bruno on the right. It's the only way we can accommodate Mount.
McTomaney - Cassemero
---Mount---
Bruno ---------Sancho-----------Rashford
----------------------------------------------------------------------
No chance Antony doesn't start. He's ETH's favourite. Not even saying that to criticise, all managers have "undroppables" and Antony falls into that category at United. I just wish he'd justify it more often
posted on 18/8/23
Man United should win this. Spurs back 4 is still pretty poor.
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should have lost comfortably to Wolves. Play anything like that this weekend and we will lose to Spurs, probably by a couple. They don't have to be prime Barca, just fit and competent.
posted on 18/8/23
I'd certainly be glad to see McT back, if only as a stop gap
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should have lost comfortably to Wolves. Play anything like that this weekend and we will lose to Spurs, probably by a couple. They don't have to be prime Barca, just fit and competent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last season we got exactly what we deserved from our opening two matches, and went on to beat Liverpool and Arsenal. The Wolves performance was concerning, but we should be open to the possibility that tactical tweaks and improvements in execution of the new system can result in significant upturns, week to week.
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should have lost comfortably to Wolves. Play anything like that this weekend and we will lose to Spurs, probably by a couple. They don't have to be prime Barca, just fit and competent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last season we got exactly what we deserved from our opening two matches, and went on to beat Liverpool and Arsenal. The Wolves performance was concerning, but we should be open to the possibility that tactical tweaks and improvements in execution of the new system can result in significant upturns, week to week.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I was expecting us to start quite slowly, in the sense of having teething problems with Onana, still not having a focal point up front while Højlund is out and still struggling to turn dominance into goals. I was a bit concerned about Mount's role. I wasn't expecting us to look so unfit and to be completely, embarrassingly overrun in midfield by a team many have tipped to go down.
posted on 18/8/23
Let's hope Wolves was a wake up call and that it was a bit of complacency, as well as rustiness, that made us look bad.
I think the plan was to press high and get goals from there. We did the first part OK but our forwards were just poor in execution. We also probably thought we could get away with it v Wolves but they showed ambition themselves when they won it.
Away from home, after last year's struggles, I'd expect us to be far more compact and perhaps be the side countering.
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 1 minute ago
Let's hope Wolves was a wake up call and that it was a bit of complacency, as well as rustiness, that made us look bad.
I think the plan was to press high and get goals from there. We did the first part OK but our forwards were just poor in execution. We also probably thought we could get away with it v Wolves but they showed ambition themselves when they won it.
Away from home, after last year's struggles, I'd expect us to be far more compact and perhaps be the side countering.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Like I've said, I'll wait until the international break (so after Arsenal away, I think) before being too critical. Even then, Højlund will still have to settle and Onana will still be getting acclimatised. But two home and two away games should give us a pretty decent sense of where we are (as well as a potential 12 points) in terms of readiness.
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by Castor Troy (U8700)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (relaxed about the situation) (U1132)
posted 7 minutes ago
I think we'll get hammered tbh. It reminds me of last season where we're miles off the pace early on. That won't have changed in 5 days and Spurs will rip us apart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are acting like spurs have turned into prime Barca overnight
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should have lost comfortably to Wolves. Play anything like that this weekend and we will lose to Spurs, probably by a couple. They don't have to be prime Barca, just fit and competent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last season we got exactly what we deserved from our opening two matches, and went on to beat Liverpool and Arsenal. The Wolves performance was concerning, but we should be open to the possibility that tactical tweaks and improvements in execution of the new system can result in significant upturns, week to week.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I was expecting us to start quite slowly, in the sense of having teething problems with Onana, still not having a focal point up front while Højlund is out and still struggling to turn dominance into goals. I was a bit concerned about Mount's role. I wasn't expecting us to look so unfit and to be completely, embarrassingly overrun in midfield by a team many have tipped to go down.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If they play like that all season, I don't see Wolves going down. There were elements of our new tactical scheme that worked: we did win the ball high up the pitch, and with better decision making/execution could have been a couple of goals up at half-time and cruising. In retrospect, I think the ease with which Wolves cut through our midfield comes down to naivety and rectifiable mistakes as much as fitness. I also think a Spurs side trying to play progressive football could be more vulnerable on the transition than Wolves.
I do have concerns, and I'm not 100% convinced by apparently going all-in on high press and transitional excellence in this summer's transfers, while so far failing to reinforce the midfield and defence with players who can improve our build-up play and ability to dominate possession. However, I also think one game isn't enough to draw conclusions from. And if you look back over the last few seasons, performance on the first match day has rarely been a good indicator of how well we'll fare in the ensuing season.
posted on 18/8/23
Yes, I wouldn't draw any conclusions from one game, other than that we're not fit enough yet, which is pretty bad in itself.
It'll be interesting to see how Wolves get on at home to Brighton this weekend. Was it that they played especially well, or that we were predictable and disjointed going forward and wide-open in midfield thus making them look great?
posted on 18/8/23
It’ll be interesting if we play terrible again and win against Spurs. As things could only get better performance-wise and we’d already be 6 points up on last seasons start.
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Clockwork Red: With or Wout You (U4892)
posted 26 minutes ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 1 minute ago
Let's hope Wolves was a wake up call and that it was a bit of complacency, as well as rustiness, that made us look bad.
I think the plan was to press high and get goals from there. We did the first part OK but our forwards were just poor in execution. We also probably thought we could get away with it v Wolves but they showed ambition themselves when they won it.
Away from home, after last year's struggles, I'd expect us to be far more compact and perhaps be the side countering.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Like I've said, I'll wait until the international break (so after Arsenal away, I think) before being too critical. Even then, Højlund will still have to settle and Onana will still be getting acclimatised. But two home and two away games should give us a pretty decent sense of where we are (as well as a potential 12 points) in terms of readiness.
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It'd be unfair to judge after one game of course so let's hope we see improvements week on week now.
On fitness I wonder what the plan is all through the season? I'm not an expert in that field of course but could it be that we're looking to peak later on in the season and that the players haven't been flogged that hard. Last season we seemed knackered for the run in.
posted on 18/8/23
comment by Christoglou (U20930)
posted 2 hours, 10 minutes ago
I hope Rashford is upfront for you again. Rico Henry absolutely destroyed us down the left on Sunday, with our fullbacks moving inside there is so much space out wide in transition. Rashford on the left would be a big problem for us
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Defo first half but we stopped that supply in the second half with a very controlled, slightly more circumspect performance.
But that is the big threat to us for sure, pace on the counter. And Diamond is 100% right, we have no idea what to expect, which i suppose is a good thing as neither do the opposition.
posted on 18/8/23
Diafol, I'm a stranger to all things fitness (which you could tell if you saw me playing football). That said, I'm a bit sceptical about the idea that aiming to not be fit until 3-4 games into the season in order to be more fit at the end of the season would be a credible plan. I mean, either way there's a finite amount of physical output you can expect from your players in a season, and similarly a finite amount of stress you can put on their bodies before they succumb to fatigue. You probably want to max out on what you can get from them, and I'd be surprised if by starting the season badly from a fitness point of view, you get more physical output over the whole season. So at best you might have players fresher for cup finals and semi finals, but would it be worth gambling on being in those matches on the assumption that you're more likely to drop points at the start of the season?
Maybe I'm wrong. My gut feeling is that the commercial obligations over the summer (which ETH has pushed to reduce) are more likely to have set back the pre-season training regime. The other factor is that a lot of our players needed longer rest before returning to training, due to the mammoth season they had just completed and the international matches at the end.
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