The Ongoing Serie A, La Liga, All English Football, Champions League Thread - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Part 55

[HarveyHarris]

Right I say this as a fan of a club I include in this bracket.... but bugger me there's so much dross in the Premier League this year isn't there?

 

[Zantera]

Norwich now has a goal difference of 2-23 in 7 games...

 

[BlackFox]

Chelsea and City laying down the afterburners on the league now, the rest are just farmers in the field planting dead crops.

MASSIVE game today as Liverpool could join those two in leaving the rest in a muddy field 5 points behind in the dust.

Ole in desperate need of a win in the league having not won a game in over a MONTH. Otherwise 8 points off the top in our title winning charge of a season after 9 games.....

 

[HammerDown]

I’ve seen the assessment online that Ole’s MU manages to get victories/points at crucial moments due to world class/talented payers and individual moments of brilliance and I have to agree.

Even when a team doesn’t seem to have an identity and struggles in several departments, individual inspiration can save games and MU has plenty of quality in their ranks, players like Bruno, Pogba, CR… can all show up when you least expect and change the tide of a game. CR in particular is someone that regardless of what’s going on he has his own individual agenda which drives him to score no matter what and continue to cement his legacy.

MU has enough quality in their ranks to perform better and not be reliant on individual flashes of brilliance or “fortuitous” goals. Maybe not quite enough to win big titles just yet but they are getting there. It’s a process that takes its time and I think they are on the right track.

Ole is just a wobbly stepping block in MU’s successfully return to the top of world football.

 

[Zantera]

It's a weird game today because the only 2 potentially good outcomes would be:

1. Win comfortably at least by 2 goals, play brilliant football and play Liverpool off the park and show a lot of good signs that maybe things can turn good
2. Get battered by at least 2 goals and be outplayed by Liverpool to the point where you see the difference in class and quality between the teams

Any other outcome such as a defensive counter-attack draw, winning 1-0 on a dodgy goal or losing 1-0 from a penalty (or something similar) will just continue the misery. I don't think Ole's getting sacked even if we lose 7-0 today but at least that might get the ball rolling, unlike a narrow defeat where Ole gets to blame the referee or the wind.

 

[Iceman]

West Ham Spurs 0-0 at half time (I’m not there, mates going on my tickets), and Leicester beating Brentford away.

 

[Iceman]

It's a weird game today because the only 2 potentially good outcomes would be:

1. Win comfortably at least by 2 goals, play brilliant football and play Liverpool off the park and show a lot of good signs that maybe things can turn good
2. Get battered by at least 2 goals and be outplayed by Liverpool to the point where you see the difference in class and quality between the teams

Any other outcome such as a defensive counter-attack draw, winning 1-0 on a dodgy goal or losing 1-0 from a penalty (or something similar) will just continue the misery. I don't think Ole's getting sacked even if we lose 7-0 today but at least that might get the ball rolling, unlike a narrow defeat where Ole gets to blame the referee or the wind.

If they haven’t realised Ole needs to go by now it’s probably going to take 6 consecutive 7-0 defeats to get the message through.

 

[Zantera]

If they haven’t realised Ole needs to go by now it’s probably going to take 6 consecutive 7-0 defeats to get the message through.

I think from the owner's perspective, they're thinking "we're 1 point from top4 and we're top of the CL table". I don't think the dreadful football we've been playing is even a blip on their radar as to why they should fire him.

 

[Iceman]

Chelsea and City laying down the afterburners on the league now, the rest are just farmers in the field planting dead crops.

MASSIVE game today as Liverpool could join those two in leaving the rest in a muddy field 5 points behind in the dust.

Ole in desperate need of a win in the league having not won a game in over a MONTH. Otherwise 8 points off the top in our title winning charge of a season after 9 games.....

Salah’s form might keep Liverpool up with them. Today will be a good test for them. If they don’t get 3 points then it could be tough for them to maintain pace with those 2.

If Utd lose today (and West Ham at least draw) they will be 7th and level on points with 10th, with hard games upcoming.

 

[Iceman]

I think from the owner's perspective, they're thinking "we're 1 point from top4 and we're top of the CL table". I don't think the dreadful football we've been playing is even a blip on their radar as to why they should fire him.

They probably aren’t aware of the low quality of the football as they aren’t watching the matches and have barely watched much football ever lol.

 

[Iceman]

I’ve seen the assessment online that Ole’s MU manages to get victories/points at crucial moments due to world class/talented payers and individual moments of brilliance and I have to agree.

Even when a team doesn’t seem to have an identity and struggles in several departments, individual inspiration can save games and MU has plenty of quality in their ranks, players like Bruno, Pogba, CR… can all show up when you least expect and change the tide of a game. CR in particular is someone that regardless of what’s going on he has his own individual agenda which drives him to score no matter what and continue to cement his legacy.

MU has enough quality in their ranks to perform better and not be reliant on individual flashes of brilliance or “fortuitous” goals. Maybe not quite enough to win big titles just yet but they are getting there. It’s a process that takes its time and I think they are on the right track.

Ole is just a wobbly stepping block in MU’s successfully return to the top of world football.

Yeah that’s what Ole relies on. Who knows what he would do without his star players rescuing him with moments that are little to do with his strategic setup. The manager is more important than any one player, and looking at the ones you named, 2 (Pogba and Ronaldo) aren’t likely to have a long future at the club. They still have a squad that should be a nailed on 4th by some distance, and in the hands of a top coach should be aiming higher.

 

[Iceman]

West Ham take the lead through Antonio! This would take them into the top 4 if they hold out.

 

[HammerDown]

Yeah that’s what Ole relies on. Who knows what he would do without his star players rescuing him with moments that are little to do with his strategic setup. The manager is more important than any one player, and looking at the ones you named, 2 (Pogba and Ronaldo) aren’t likely to have a long future at the club. They still have a squad that should be a nailed on 4th by some distance, and in the hands of a top coach should be aiming higher.

For the most part I agree with what you said here.

The only thing I don’t agree is that idea that CR won’t have a long future at the club or that he won’t want to stay. At this stage of his career CR is basically at the best place he could ever want to be and I see him staying for the full duration of the contract plus the 1 year extension.

Ole will leave before CR does. CR will weather this storm, keep on doing what he does and hoping that whoever comes next can help propel MU and himself into bigger heights.

 

[Iceman]

West Ham and Leicester both win. The pressure will start building on Ole now that some of the clubs outside the top 4 have started putting some results together.

 

[Iceman]

For the most part I agree with what you said here.

The only thing I don’t agree is that idea that CR won’t have a long future at the club or that he won’t want to stay. At this stage of his career CR is basically at the best place he could ever want to be and I see him staying for the full duration of the contract plus the 1 year extension.

Ole will leave before CR does. CR will weather this storm, keep on doing what he does and hoping that whoever comes next can help propel MU and himself into bigger heights.

With Ronaldo it’s just his age. He is still great but not quite comparable to his RM peak IMO and his effectiveness will surely reduce if he stays any more than 2 years (which is short term to me). His performances so far are amazing due to his age rather than amazing for regular Ronaldo. Peak Ronaldo is better than peak Salah but this Ronaldo at the moment isn’t above him.

 

[HammerDown]

I also see some pundits moving the blame away from Ole into CR, almost like he’s the one to blame for complicating Ole’s job. Talk about bending backwards not to address the root of the problem.

CR is almost 37 and has been playing this type of football for years now, even before he joined Juventus, what do people expect of him? Specially at the twilight years of his career. He’s a poacher, someone that uses his instinct, small bursts of power/speed, positioning, anticipation game and drive to score.

They expect him to be pressing the adversary or running like a 20 year old all over the pitch. That’s just absurd. People should know by now who CR is and what he can and cannot do. He’s a 36/37 year old winger turned second forward. He put the bar so damn high to the point that people seem to just take increasingly hard stuff for granted.

Last but not least, for those pundits that undermine CR, you might as well brace yourselves because that just fuels him even further and an old lion is still a lion nonetheless.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

I can’t shake the feeling we’re gonna get fkn destroyed

the game during the week was an amazing comeback but all it did was hide the problems united have and are constantly ignoring.

looking at that line up I’m convinced he’s playing for a draw or to try and catch on the break.

 

[Iceman]

There you go. Liverpool already 1-0 up through Keita from a Salah pass.

 

[HammerDown]

MU 0 - 1 Liverpool
Keita

This could be a crazy game. Very open for starters.

 

[HarveyHarris]

This is embarrassing

 

[Iceman]

I can’t shake the feeling we’re gonna get fkn destroyed

the game during the week was an amazing comeback but all it did was hide the problems united have and are constantly ignoring.

looking at that line up I’m convinced he’s playing for a draw or to try and catch on the break.

Yeah, I don’t like the look of this lineup. The 2 CDMs who can’t do the job (even against lower level opposition) and then just Bruno as a regular midfielder.

 

[HammerDown]

MU 0 - 2 Liverpool
Jota

Maguire and Shaw shining today.

 

[Iceman]

Oh damn 2-0 now. Only 14 mins gone.

 

[BatmanBeyond]

How can Ole and his staff be so crap at structuring a defense?

We truly are 'Vibes FC' at this point.

Maguire and Shaw clattering into each other before the 2nd Liverpool goal was some Monthy Python ****e.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Structure is terrible, but it amazes me how we can start so poorly, so often. Is it just that our opponent's let their foot off the gas, that we get back into games? God, Ole's terrible in game.