But Casemiro is nothing like Scholes and has never been technically strong, how's he going to 'punish' teams?

Don't read too much into the first game of the season, we won and hopefully we can build on that when the players get back to full fitness and training routines become more familiar with the squad.

Didn't think Friday was that bad. It was by no means swashbuckling or anything, but we has some good periods and importantly looked a lot better out of possession than we did at pretty much any point last season.

As said above, it's silly to read anything too much into a game where 4 or 5 of the players who started have not played more than 1 pre season game.

I actually don't think we were that bad on Friday. We made 3 guilt edge chances that were all missed and obviously scored from a half chance at best.

What is worrying is we've been here before with missed chances. It's a common theme for this group of players. None of them are clinical so we are going to carry on seeing it.

If Bruno takes those two chances we probably would have had a much more comfortable night. Garnacho really should have sealed it with a 2nd too.

Brighton away and Liverpool home up next will give us a much better idea about where this season is going.

I actually don't think we were that bad on Friday.

................

We were not.

The OP either did not watch the game or has not got a clue what he is watching.

Think Fulham are better than you are perhaps giving them credit for, I thought they played well against you and made life difficult. I like their manager Silva, underrated in my opinion.

You got the win and I reckon Fulham will finish around 9/10th and cause a few sides issues - they battered us last season and we finished above you lot.

I thought Fulham were tactically inept the whole game. Man Utd absolutely battered them and better finishing and it would have been 5-0. We missed all 4 big chances we created and they were near open goals. Fulham are one of the worst sides tactically in the premierleague so it was a walk in the park for Man Utd. Leno is main reason they haven’t got relegated. What is funny is Arsenal best goalkeeper in last decade was Leno and they got rid of him.

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.

Fulham gameplan was pass the ball around the back get dispossessed and Man Utd are in multiple times oonly for us to screw up.😂 I don’t think our defence will have an easier game all season personally.

comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 23 minutes ago
But Casemiro is nothing like Scholes and has never been technically strong, how's he going to 'punish' teams?

Don't read too much into the first game of the season, we won and hopefully we can build on that when the players get back to full fitness and training routines become more familiar with the squad.
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I know Casemiro is not Scholes, but I mean more in terms of coming on and help control a game etc, and he has a goal threat in him as well.

Of course it's early days and we need time for players to settle in etc, but I guess I am not sold on Casemiro starting for us and hope we get someone else in

comment by -bloodred- (U1222)
posted 23 minutes ago
Didn't think Friday was that bad. It was by no means swashbuckling or anything, but we has some good periods and importantly looked a lot better out of possession than we did at pretty much any point last season.

As said above, it's silly to read anything too much into a game where 4 or 5 of the players who started have not played more than 1 pre season game.
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I have no doubt we will improve on last season (it would really be depressing if we didn't), I'm just not sure by how much. I accept it's early days, we'll see how it goes

comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 11 minutes ago
I actually don't think we were that bad on Friday.

................

We were not.

The OP either did not watch the game or has not got a clue what he is watching.
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We weren't terrible, but i think we have almost got so used to what we have been like over the past 18 mnths - 2 years, that our standards seem to be set at a very low bar. Yes, I know it's the first game etc, but I can barely remember a game in recent times where I have thought wow, we were absolutely amazing to watch.
We were ok and got 3 points and that was it for me - if you saw something else, then yes, we weren't watching the same game. I'm not just talking about the win, but the entertainment value also

There was a lot to like about Friday.

The press and counterpress continue to improve and are at a different level to what we saw at the start of last season. The 4-2-4 shape is better, the commitment to the press is more determined, the players look more in sync, and the shape of the runs of those players who have struggled a little with cover shadowing historically (Rashford, in particular) looks better.

When Amad went down early on, more interesting than the penalty shout was the fact that Casemiro and Mainoo were both there in the box immediately counterpressing the Fulham defence.

Then our first big chance of the game (Bruno’s best and our highest xG chance) came from a team press, led by Rashford (who forced the error), Bruno and Mount.

Hopefully we see much more that, but the signs are good. If we can get Rashford, Amad and Garnacho up to the standards of Bruno and Mount, we’re going to turn a lot of balls over high up the pitch, and hopefully create a lot of quality chances that way.

The variation in the chances we created yesterday was also promising for me. We created four big chances aside from the goal, and they came from concerted build up play, one counterattack, a high press turnover and a corner (and how often does that happen? ).

I expect we’ll stick with the 4-2-4 with Mount, Bruno and Amad in the next couple of games, using Zirkzee and Garnacho from the bench (or in place of Rashford). It worked well against City, worked well once we got going and until the subs yesterday, and is a very good answer to team which like to dominate possession and build play.

The higher line is a positive too. We need to be more compact, are becoming more compact, and it’ll continue to reduce the number of chances we’re conceding.

comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 9 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.
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That's it for me really - of course we want to win, but would be nice to play attractively also - it's only the opening game, but we have been like that for ages. so many other teams seem more pleasing on the eye than us

Maybe I'm too easily pleased. I can watch trashy films, knowing they are bad, that the dialogue is full of clichés and the plot development is obvious, and still get engrossed. If I'm watching United, I'm absorbed by the match even if the football is bad. I guess it's partly because of the tribal investment. Partly because there's always the possibility (even if it's sometimes remote) that things will get better, or something extraordinary will happen.

So I'm not quite on the same page subjectively. But I'd also take issue objectively to some extent. I thought there was a lot more coherence about the performance against Fulham than we saw last season. Add to that the fact that it's early in the season, that new players haven't bedded in (and probably one or two are still to arrive), and that we have more players than most missing pre-seasons due to international duty. And finally, it's undeniable that United are still a team in transition, both in terms of squad building and tactical identity, whereas Brentford and Palace are much more stable in identity and composition. Of course a it's a disgrace that a club of United's resources and stature have spent a decade drifting in flux in the absence of leadership. But it's where we are. For me, watching how the new leadership grapples with this state of affairs and attempts to build a better, more fit-for-purpose squad and how ETH works to create a more fluid tactical structure are (to return to the film analogy) interesting plotlines in themselves.

Friday there were clearly lots of tactical changes that United were doing, plus a couple of new faces in the squad. Will need to give time to let these factors bed in. I'll give it to Christmas before judgements are made.

Shame the Lpool game comes around so soon. A bad result in that one will be very hard to let go.

To add, some of our movement in possession yesterday was pretty good.

The first half chance we had with Bruno on the edge of the box was a good example. All of Amad, Bruno, Mount and Mainoo in motion ahead of the ball, and the build up to the chance will be being shown back to the players this week.

Zirkzee will also help with this when he’s playing. Dropping deep, as he did to start the move for the goal, he’ll help make space for Bruno and the wingers to move into by dragging CBs about and working combinations with the midfield.

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.
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Devonshire speaking for the impartial observers once again

comment by rosso says the time has come to unlock the unlimited Pote-ntial of the Fernçalvenoo triumvirate (U17054)
posted 6 minutes ago
There was a lot to like about Friday.

The press and counterpress continue to improve and are at a different level to what we saw at the start of last season. The 4-2-4 shape is better, the commitment to the press is more determined, the players look more in sync, and the shape of the runs of those players who have struggled a little with cover shadowing historically (Rashford, in particular) looks better.

When Amad went down early on, more interesting than the penalty shout was the fact that Casemiro and Mainoo were both there in the box immediately counterpressing the Fulham defence.

Then our first big chance of the game (Bruno’s best and our highest xG chance) came from a team press, led by Rashford (who forced the error), Bruno and Mount.

Hopefully we see much more that, but the signs are good. If we can get Rashford, Amad and Garnacho up to the standards of Bruno and Mount, we’re going to turn a lot of balls over high up the pitch, and hopefully create a lot of quality chances that way.

The variation in the chances we created yesterday was also promising for me. We created four big chances aside from the goal, and they came from concerted build up play, one counterattack, a high press turnover and a corner (and how often does that happen?).

I expect we’ll stick with the 4-2-4 with Mount, Bruno and Amad in the next couple of games, using Zirkzee and Garnacho from the bench (or in place of Rashford). It worked well against City, worked well once we got going and until the subs yesterday, and is a very good answer to team which like to dominate possession and build play.

The higher line is a positive too. We need to be more compact, are becoming more compact, and it’ll continue to reduce the number of chances we’re conceding.
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Rosso

I’m going to make a rare prediction (the success of which will never be verified ) and say that Zirkzee’s movement is going to create us minimum five transition goals this season.

Balls into him dropping deep, laid off to Mainoo/Casemiro to play in Bruno or one of the wingers, or more or less a carbon copy of what we saw for the goal on Friday.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 minute ago
Maybe I'm too easily pleased. I can watch trashy films, knowing they are bad, that the dialogue is full of clichés and the plot development is obvious, and still get engrossed. If I'm watching United, I'm absorbed by the match even if the football is bad. I guess it's partly because of the tribal investment. Partly because there's always the possibility (even if it's sometimes remote) that things will get better, or something extraordinary will happen.

So I'm not quite on the same page subjectively. But I'd also take issue objectively to some extent. I thought there was a lot more coherence about the performance against Fulham than we saw last season. Add to that the fact that it's early in the season, that new players haven't bedded in (and probably one or two are still to arrive), and that we have more players than most missing pre-seasons due to international duty. And finally, it's undeniable that United are still a team in transition, both in terms of squad building and tactical identity, whereas Brentford and Palace are much more stable in identity and composition. Of course a it's a disgrace that a club of United's resources and stature have spent a decade drifting in flux in the absence of leadership. But it's where we are. For me, watching how the new leadership grapples with this state of affairs and attempts to build a better, more fit-for-purpose squad and how ETH works to create a more fluid tactical structure are (to return to the film analogy) interesting plotlines in themselves.
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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.

I agree we looked better than in a lot of games previously, but then the bar is not too high for that. We will no doubt improve also - but sometimes you look at other teams, with way less resources, and whilst it's not always that simple, I wonder, would be nice to play in that attractive style.
We all support the club through thick and thin, and obviously the Cup final result was great, but I mean more of a case of, wow, we were amazing to watch that day (dare I say like a neutral would think) - not sure I remember if we had a day like that last season.

I'm not really sure what you were expecting OP? It's the first game of the season with a few key players out, no striker and a LB that has had maybe 1 training session after joining 3 days before the game.

As others have said, even with all that we showed some good signs of improvement and should have won comfortably...... Very early for negative articles.

I think that although we scored without him, we looked better when Mount was on the pitch.

Russian

Tbf there’s no reason why Palace should be any more stable than us considering their manager has been at the club less than a year and they often lose their best players every summer.

comment by RB&W - He kicked lumps out of them (U21434)
posted 9 minutes ago
Friday there were clearly lots of tactical changes that United were doing, plus a couple of new faces in the squad. Will need to give time to let these factors bed in. I'll give it to Christmas before judgements are made.

Shame the Lpool game comes around so soon. A bad result in that one will be very hard to let go.
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I think we might be ok against Liverpool - I can see Liverpool being a bit inconsistent this season, as they get used to Slot etc, although they do of course have a good squad of players to work with. But there's hopefully a bit more confidence within our squad, so hopefully we can show that

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.

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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?