Back of the Net Grrrrrrrr
On this week’s show, United’s defeat to, but victory over, Ajax in the Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday night. The Reds will now meet Athletic Bilbao in the round of 16 after the Spaniards’ away goals win over Lokomotiv Moscow. We ask what Paul Pogba’s omission from the squad means for the youngster’s future. We preview United’s visit to Norfolk this Sunday to play Norwich City for the first time since since a 2-0 loss in April 2005. Can Sir Alex Ferguson’s side maintain its Premier League challenge against Paul Lambert’s high flying Canaries? We ponder Ferguson – what kind of role should the legendary United manager have post retirement and what affect will he have on the new man, and who should that new man be? And, finally, we talk football finance after United published half year results.
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Come on Ed, the Wurzels are from Zummerzet not Norwich.
It’s all the country to me 🙂
United’s style of play is becoming outdated for European success, hence the terrible run of performances in Europe.
We rely on tempo and getting the ball wide, Ajax played us off the park with their short passing possession game.
We only got a grip of the midfield when Scholes came on and De Boer inexplicably took off Christian Eriksen.
Rubbish, last season’s CL results showed that Fergie had perfected the tactics for success in Europe. With an uncompetitive team in pure quality terms, we broke continental defensive records, only conceding four goals until we reached the final, and two of those goals were in dead rubber situations. Yeah Barca embarrassed us, but that’s because we were shite. Getting to Barca so impressively with a shite team is damn fine work.
This season, an awful lot has gone wrong, and it’s been the most obviously “transitional” season for us I can remember in a long time, even if Fergie is making a decent stab at the PL title. It will be worth it if some of our young players come good – and our defenders in particular look like a set of future world-beaters. The young lads in midfield and forward positions I’m less sure of — very talented yes, top class? Not so sure.
You explain it then? Properly. We are missing Quieroz as assistant who could help us negotiate the tougher European ties with more sophisticated tactics and a proper game plan.
We were lucky to get to last years final. We didn’t play a really decent side en route to the final.
Bill, we weren’t lucky to get to the final and played some nice football in the CL last season. We were just unlucky to be playing the best footballing side I’ve seen in my lifetime in the final and tbh we’d likely have 2 more CL trophies if Barca hadn’t been in our way.
Having said that, our European form this season has been disastrous and I have to admit I fear for our future in the CL if we don’t add some quality in our central MF. I want to win the league but I also want United to be playing at the highest level in Europe. Close to Barca and Real? Not at the rate we’re going!
In light of Barcelona’s style of play being so successful, lots of teams will be playing this way. It relies on keeping possession with lots of short passes, less dribbling and fewer high crosses. Norwich and Swansea have used this style of play/philosophy successfully with lesser players. United’s style of play has relied on pace and crossing, however in Europe we will have to alter our approach to succeed. In the future going with 3 in the middle will be essential and at least two would have to be pass first players i.e. Scholes, Carrick.
There is no such thing as a bad formation, only bad players. 4-4-2 would be fine if we had two midfielders who were top class.
And 19 and counting is right… if not for Barca we would have 2 CL trophies in the last 3 years.
I don’t like this rewriting of history when people say ‘we would have been knocked out by a better side’. United were easily the 2nd/3rd best side in the competition. It’s all relative.
The CL elimination this season was a one off – we were in bad form with lots of injuries. Either side of the CL period this season we have played decent –> excellent football.
Even with just Clev fit and firing all season we would still be in the CL and top of the league.
I think way too many United supporters have unrealistic expectations of Cleverley. He’s only played a handful of games for us and seems to be injury-prone at a young age. I hope he can be the next great United central MF but sticking with the current central MF would be a dangerous ploy next season.
Notihng to do with expectation, he has already shown his class.
Do you actually disagree re: Clev and the CL / PL? I think the minimum we would have got from having him fit all season is 6 points in the league and progression into the CL last 16.
Hey guys looks like you both got your predictions spot on this week… A 1-1 banana-skin and a 2-1… 🙂
Heh, thanks for the shout out
The money stuff is really interesting. It’s probably one of the reasons why the Rantcast is popular. You and Andersred are the only real sources of ‘truth’ behind United’s finances. So more money stuff is welcome.
Enough of the compliments though… FFS