₦airaland Forum

Putting my positive cap on. We are " as you were". So not much lost. We need to keep focus on getting our goals back up. Rooney's form has been alarming recently and the less said about Young the better. Im actually pretty pleased we've had Rio playing alot better recently and when Vidic is playing Im usually alot more confident. Carrick seems to have improved alot as well but the injuries to twins separated at birth Anderson and Cleverly is disappointing as they could have done with a run in the side.


Onwards and upwards.

It was an unfortunate result but our finishing let us down. Ref was poor with that decision but it happens and i wont complain too much.

Also credit to Newcastle, that was fantastic backs to wall defending.

Rooney, Ashley young and Hernandez were very poor imo.

That's what people think when they see that midfield pairing.


Carrick has actually been very good. Seems he has remembered how to play again.

montelik:
Question, which of United's central midfielders has d best goal to game ratio over d past 4 seasons. Take a sec and think well, cos d answer isn't what you expect.

Goals to game ratio.

Ravel morrison? he's not really a midfielder is he? isnt he more of a forward in the Rooney mould?

Gibson?!!

Jesu Christi

I live in England and I have never once heard any Nigerian , ever, refer to Nigeria as Africa.

Enter the Pogba

So because Anderson heard Cleverly is out till Christmas, he broke his own knee so he'll be out till Feb now abi?

These looks like our choices,


Barca, Apoel, Real, Inter, Munich


So you might get your wish,

Just read on twitter that SAF stormed out of a press conf saying they would definitely qualify for the next round.

debosky:
The real problem with nateevs is that he sees this as an 'either or' situation  - you either play park the bus footie or you play flair footie.

In reality that distinction is only at an overall philosophical level - from game to game you'll employ differing tactics to win games as required.

This is where the likes of Ancelotti shone in his first season at Chelski - he battered teams when required but 'parked the bus' against Arsenal and won handsomely home and away.

His overall philosophy was attacking play, but he didn't have any qualms switching it up on occasion as required to win a game.

The key is knowing when to go gung-ho and when to park the bus. This 'knowing when' is what Villas Boas appears to be lacking - he seems to think he can force a single strategy to work in all games and we can all see it isn't working.

Even Fergie at his best would adjust his side, playing 5 across midfield to stifle Arsenal for example - any manager unable to adapt accordingly from game to game is sure to fail.

The reason Wenger won his last trophy in 2005 was by 'parking the bus' to beat Utd in the FA Cup finals - so again, all great managers must realise the need to adjust to defeat the opponent.

Good post. You were due one anyways.

Glad you agree.

debosky:
It was a hypothetical situation, hence the use of IF, which implicitly assumes everything else remains the same . Surely you can understand that?

I didnt think you'd want to indulge in that but i guessed wrong and you were actually trolling. If there is any event that can be so unpredictable in what will happen next its football so it makes it a completely meaningless hypothetical. Carry on though,

Maybe what we need is a early knockout stage exit from the CL anyways. This squad isnt going to win the UCL even if Barcelona are banned from the competition.

And I dont want to face the prospect of Europa league football. So early exit and we take our chances with domestic football and Hope City make it through to the next round and further so they have that distraction at the business end of the season. Let's see how they cope with some pressure during the title run in.

debosky:
How is telling it as I see it trolling?

How could you possibly know how the game would have ended if Berba's goal was disallowed?

coogar:
even if we don't go gung ho, triangles will always beat the line.

-------barry------toure-----
young---carrick---fletcher---nani
----milner----aguero----silva---

are you going to tell me our midfield won't be picked apart with the starting position of the city players.
they have better passing angles, better positioning as they have the W shape while united players have a thin line!

Not really, it's the reason Rooney/ Berba drops deep and a quicker Hernendez type player stretches the defence. its never the 2 up to just stay up top. Just like how you include Aguero even though Rooney doesnt more work deep than he does.

coogar:
he wouldn't be. berba gets attracted to the ball, he's not like rooney or hernandez who tend to run towards the goal.
with that formation, there's more stability and the defence won't be overrun by the opponents.

4-4-2 is an obsolete formation. yes, it's the best attacking formation but it's the worst formation defensively.
if the opponents can find an intelligent pass from their own half when being attacked, it leaves 2-3 of their players against 2 centre-halves of man utd.
then we suddenly look outnumbered.

The problem is young and tony V arent the best at running past the front man which is what you need when Berba gets attracted to the ball. Valencia in particular seems scared of getting into the 18 yard box, he likes the touchline which is he's confort zone. We also lack a goalscoring central mid for that to work so it'll be easy for any half decent team. Even easier for Benfica.

r231:
which game did you watch

I thought we played fairly well, Just a few lapses in concentration cost us. They were well under the cosh and its been a while since we've pressured a team like that. We also passed the ball quicker than we have done recently.

coogar:
----------de gea---------
--------back four---------
----------carrick------------
fletcher-------------js park
valencia--berba----young

Berba would be too isolated with that.

For once, midfield wasnt the issue. Total lack of concentration more to blame and also so sloppy finishing didnt help.

Think I just saw Carrick with a busting run into the box!

Improved midfield performance actually.Need defence to keep up standard and our final ball needs to improve abit. really wish Ashley young stuck away that chance immediately after our equaliser. Carrick has been very good to be fair.

Ashley behind Berba. Sort of 4411

De Gea, Fabio, Jones, Ferdinand,Evra, Valencia, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani, Young, Berbatov

confirmed

Team for tonight's match? Vidic still suspended? Evra is a doubt and Evans has a slight knock. Smalling still isnt ready so that's quite a few missing from the defence. Rooney is also a slight doubt so Im not sure if he can be risked considering this is an important match. Im expecting Carrick and Fletcher in the middle. So something like this.

DDG
Valencia
Rio
Jones
Twin

Nani
Carrick
Fletcher
Young

Rooney ( Berbatov, if WR cant make it)
Hernandez

Will be a tight match but we absolutely need to get a win.

I think it's wrong to single anyone of the midfielders at the club out. They are all crap.

Anderson has age on his side, that is the only thing that gives him any respite. Cleverly age and has the fact that he was in the team when were where on a great run but did nothing special. The rest,

If the future of our midfield is Anderson and cleverly then I'm ready to settle for getting a 4th spot every year.

0-1 away win from Home. Cant complain too much about that. Newcastle will be a much tougher test but im happy with the string of clean sheets.

I love it when we wear Red and Black.

DdG

Jones
Vidic
Ferdinand
Evra

Carrick
Giggs

Nani
Rooney
Park

Hernandez

Hmmm, Lightweight midfield as usual.

Cleverley is out injured till atleast Christmas. I guess shouldnt have Anderson anywhere near the first team till the new year.

Happy 25th Birthday Nani