₦airaland Forum

Yaya Toure is yet to recover from the energy he burnt playing the AFCON and winning it in Africa weather. This is why City has been struggling since after New Year.

There were several reports in the British media on Wednesday saying that Manchester United had agreed to pay the release clause of Nicolas Otamendi, which currently stands at €50m/£36m.
Deportes Cope (radio station in Valencia) claim that the Spanish club have held talks on the possibility of selling Otamendi to Manchester United and decided that would be the case.
Deporte Valenciano explain that the Spanish club's president Amadeo Salvo and the club's manager Rufete have talked through the scenario, which would be a good financial deal for Valencia. Although the club don't need the cash with the recent investment from Peter Lim, they do need to stay on the right side of FFP and this is one way of doing that and leaving money available for summer purchases.
If Manchester United do put forward the €50m clause, that should make a transfer automatic and there would only need to be talks about personal terms with the player.
United would need the will of the player on their side and it's claimed that Otamendi was tempted during the winter transfer window because he was offered a higher salary by the Old Trafford club. Several Valencia sources, including the one mentioned above, now confirm that Manchester United made a €35m bid during the winter window.
[Source: Deportes Cope, Deporte Valenciano, Sport WItness

coogar:
why don't we stock players like them? only £60m di maria & the media want to bite united's head off. barca paid £75m for suarez & close to £80m for neymar.

Blame Ferguson for ignoring such players with potentials to be the world best. Even many of United fans usually prove to know too much. Always crying about how a player is too expensive or the money put on a players head is too much blablabla.

If SAF had even put 50 million pound on Neymar, our fans in this thread would have crucified him. When I first came here, many felt I was overrating and over hyping Neymar. They said he would flop just like the other Brazilians that were over hyped previously. But I said Mba, Neymar would rule. He immediately responded with Conferedation cup, yet there were still doubters. When he started playing for Barca some said they didnt see anything special even though he was doing magnificently well.

I have always been of the opinion that we should spend and bring in some of the best players. We lost it when we didnt bring in such players like Modric, Bale, Moura, Aguero between 2008 and 2011 when Ronaldo asked to leave. We should have strengthen and strengthen the super squad that won the 2008 UCL.

To think we used to play like this. What a movement by Valencia, skills by Welbeck, trade mark assist by Val and a finish by Chicha.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1070927696264978&set=vb.220832481274508&type=2&theater

Saw an occasion when both Smalling and Rojo just allowed Hazard dribble past them easily to face DDG.

And there more defensive calamities from either of the guys. Just lucky many of them the strikers had just been foolish divisively or DDG was brilliant.

^^^

I saw many mistakes from Rojo and Smalling.

chrisley024:
Where are those two trolls: kekenaelf?

Keke napep

Arsenal just missed an opportunity to advance and fight to win their 3rd UCL title, with a 3rd title they can at least talk when Man United talk. Ukwu!!!

I don't normally like it when an EPL team gets knock out of the UCL. I have never liked it but for the annoying guys here....



































Ayagayagayagayo hei ayagayagayagayo

How did this Swansea beat us home and away sef? They were awful in the second half. Played like female under 17.

Swansea in charge but they have squandered obvious chances. They should hit one jor. Half time.

"I think last night the captain talked to the team about next season for the Champions League. I think it affected the team and I think it was an important speech."

- Fellaini

JayKayMaybachz:
Lol @ The Ref


Rooney's celebration was Epic

The ref's tongue was a separate incidence though. Rooney was protesting a certain ref's decision in the first half where a good move was aborted by the ref's whistle, then the ref pointed at the linesman and told Rooney 'ntor!

Valencia keep having the highest pass accuracy match after match. The ball is safest in his legs and he is rejuvenating under Gaal. We no long see only straight line runs. Val 94%, Herrera 91% Jones 88%.

Opposition half: Valencia 87%, Mata 81%, Herrera 84%, Carrick 82%, Jones.77%, Fellaini 76%, Blind 68%, Young 68%, Rooney 63%, Smalling 46%,

Jones had the most clearances by far and has the best dues won/lost ratio. Don't blame my Jones anymore.





Happy week and the best of luck in our next match.

Moments.

Build up to Fellaini's goal.

WOW! There is plenty of hope for this team. What a performance!

Phil Jones had two bad balls with his first two plays. Almost scored DDG with an over hit pass. Afterwards he gave a commanding performance and acted as the sweeper, even going wide to kill some Tottenham moves in Spurs right flank . He appeared to have won all duels yesterday and he dealt with all one vs one situations well. It was a good pairing performance from Smalling and jones and support for each other was magnificent. However, I think Jones should reduce his passes to DDG.

Fellaini doesn't last beyond first half. He lost concentration in the second half. He needs to build his stamina and speed. But he gave a good performance overall.

Blind and Young did very well. Valencia and Mata did well. Good game from Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Valencia.

Good to see Mata give some quality support to Valencia. Hope Mata is not injured? We need to play exactly this team in the next game and see.

Not happy they wrongly cancelled Rooney's second goal. He can still contest for the Golden boot. Nice dribbling for his goal, more of that. I wonder what he does going to stand on the right side for set-plays where he knows he won't be the one to take it. Short one man in the box. Gaal should address our set-play style where two players stand with the ball, it last worked against Olympiacos.

Generally, we were able to slow Tottenham to our pace and we closed the gaps well. We didn't allow them to have the space to run at us which is their weapon. We were not really fast but our control of the game with good passes and technique made our game dangerous. We also played many men behind the ball once we lost it. You are also not going to see strikers beating Smalling and Jones with speed so easily. When you think Smalling is the last man, you suddenly see Jones behind him. Good combination.

Di Maria will have to learn why accurate passes sometimes matter. He makes us play faster, but when we play so fast and lose the ball carelessly, it comes back to hurt us. And not everyone can play along side his speed. Next season, the team will be on same rhythm. Everyone knowing when to run and when to slow the play. But In Madrid, it was run run run from Di Maria, Ronaldo, Bale, Isco and Benzema. Even Modric sef.

In the first leg, we could have scored four goals against them in the first half but we were too wasteful. In the second half they played better. Good we won this with good 90minutes performance and got a clean sheet.

I pray we continue like this and get all the results we want to finish in the top four.



MOTM: MICHAEL CARRIK with 1 goal, 1 Assist plus a commanding midfield performance.

Karleb:
Ukwu!

Ukwu!!!

Manchester United have reportedly agreed three deals for the summer transfer window already.
United have been linked with a whole host of names, with some reports suggesting the Louis van Gaal could be prepared for another £150 million spending spree.
Daily Mail journalist Mike Keegan has reported via Twitter that Manchester United have agreed deals for 3 players for this summer’s window.
No names have been mentioned as to who the players are, but if the news turns out to be true then it’s clear that there is an obvious plan in place for next season.
If true who do you want the 3 players to be?
[via @MikeKeegan_DM]

chrisley024:
Where?

ok, it's from right to left. I have looked at it properly.

chrisley024:
2nd-4th position is now open.The team should buckle up

Your form chart is wrong.

coogar:
maybe if rooney was in the box, the chances would have fallen to him instead of rojo. it's bizarre not to have fellaini, rooney, RVP in the box. they shouldn't be taking corners - it's a waste of goal threats!

agreed. it will be hard to mark all of them out, plus smalling .

just review David luiz and thiago Silva goals against Chelsea and see how players head ball. ivanovic is another great header , just like Drogba. we have no powerful header like Vidic did for us from set play. smaling did okay once and I was disappointed with his nodding the other time.

there was a day about 5 dangerous crosses we put into the box from corner kick were cleared by one Swansea player. yet Fellaini was in the box while all the croses from left side were cleared by DAT guy unchallenged in d six yard area.

coogar:
in-swingers can be as dangerous as out-swingers. it shouldn't matter which foot.

but Mata has taken some for us. we are generally not as effective as last season and before.

Rojo has wasted two point black headers that even old me should score. that should have been two assists to Rooney.

SailorXY:
I'm not so sure it should matter which side of the pitch it is, a good delivery will cause chaos in the box.

See the pin-point from di Maria for van Persie's equalizer against Chelshit; yes it was from the left side.

side matters. it's d norm now to take from opposite side of ones foot. it makes it more dangerous. why do u think messi and ronaldo don't take all free kicks?

She doesnt like Manchester.

I have no doubt this gairl is far older than DDG.

SailorXY see photo.

Angel Di Maria has admitted the next month of fixtures will make or break Manchester United’s season.
“We are all aware that a number of big games are just around the corner for ourselves and the season will be decided by these fixtures, we know all about these upcoming games and we have been thinking and talking about them for quite some time now.
“Since the time that the fixtures for the second half of the season came out, we’ve known that everything would be at stake over this final period.
“Everyone at the club is 100% confident, we know that we want to get back into the Champions League and that we want to be fighting it out.
“We will battle hard right to the end of the season. From what I know of the club, United always fight right to the end, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Di Maria admitted United remain in a period of transition under boss Louis van Gaal, but claimed they are making progress under the Dutchman and the new arrivals, like him, need time to gel.
“I think that having so many new faces arriving and then playing in the first-team, it’s never easy for them to settle in immediately alongside the established players who have been here a while,
“It takes time for a team to really hit the heights. We’ve picked up some big results along the way, we’re near the top of the league and we shouldn’t be too downbeat because we’ve achieved quite a lot so far.
“I feel really good here, a lot of the players speak Spanish and that was very important for me when I arrived here.
“I’ve chatted to David De Gea about this and he said that when he got here there was no-one who spoke it apart from Antonio Valencia and Rafael.
“Apart from those two, the majority spoke English and that made it difficult. However, I was lucky enough to come here when there were a lot of Spanish speakers and that makes it much, much easier and helps you, at least through the first year.
“I’m genuinely happy to be wearing the No.7 shirt. I know that some really great players have worn it in the past for Manchester United.
“Top, top players if you like. I was really excited to wear that number, as it’s the one I wear for Argentina and things have always gone really well for me.
“That’s one reason I chose the number and also because so many great players have worn it before me. I hope that I can perform well and that the No.7 shirt can keep its privileged place, high in the history of Manchester United.”
[Source: Inside United

coogar:
fellaini got himself into good positions against arsenal & if he had the intelligence of mata, we would have scored more especially in the first half.(

That chance fell on the right foot. Mata wouldn't have scored with his right. But I think Fellaini did not even shoot (if it's same chance we are talking about)

coogar:
rooney is actually very good in the air - it's gross stupïdity to see one of our aerial threats jogging to the corner flag to take corners or indirect freekicks - rooney should be in the box & players like mata should be taking those set-plays. mata is useless aerially but his delivery is world class.....common sense dictates mata(with his aerial weakness) should be taking all our crossed set-plays.

all these things are what LVG should sort out - we don't make enough chances from our set plays because LVG can't even sort out who our best specialist is. it was mata that delivered that set play in allianz arena that drogba scored from to draw parity against bayern in a champions league final - it was mata that delivered the corner than ivanovic scored from to win the europa cup final.....

yet, he rarely gets a sniff at united....

I am sure all the set plays you listed were from the right side of the pitch. Rooney and Young should take from the left side while Di Maria and Mata from the right.



My observation and thought.

Mata, Fellaini, Blind, Herrera, all sluggish players to start together? hmmm till they play first. I think once Young is clipped we will get dominated in midfield....... with pace and power. Ball retrieval will be a problem.

Gaal think we can finish second. lol

No coach will have Rooney, RVP and Mata and play just one of them. It's easier to say such a thing now that Falcao is obviously off form. How many of us would have supported Falcao be sold in January? Even now I still have my doubt whether if he should be allowed to go.

RVP and Rooney played together in 2012/13 and won the league. Lost the UCL Madrid game to controversial red card.

Andy Cole thinks Rooney and Falcao partnership should be tried. Well, till end of season and we see who stays.