Manchester United 2020/21

[Meanmachine]

United have the most of 9 draws in Top 10 team which is causing United many points yet having the least losses of 4 vs City of 3 losses, if we look at Everton and Hammers, both team conceded the least goals 6 & 16 respectively, that say a lot about their defensive ability of the back 4 defenders, stat don't lie  . . . . who're United gunning for CB or attackers up front ?

[Newbie26]

18 hours ago, Locknload said:

ManU 2 (Bruno-pen / Shaw) - ManC 0 (EPL - Away)

A dream start after 33 seconds when Martial was fouled and Bruno converted to make it 1-0 till the end of the 1st half. Hopefully the high-line employed by ManC can be exploited by our fast-paced trio of Rashford, Dan James and Martial with support from the hard-working Bruno, Fred and Mctominay.

Another dream start in the 2nd half when Luke Shaw by-passed their high-line to pass to Rashford who then returned the ball to him to score in the 49th minute. It would have been another goal when Martial was one-on-one but shot directly at their goalie. Subs for the injured Rashford by Greenwood, Matic for Martial to shore-up the defence, and Williams for Bruno were made till the final whistle to cap off a glorius win and return to 2nd in the table, at 54 points over Leicester at 53 and 11 points behind our noisy neighbours. GGMU!

 

HOPE CAN KICK START A GOOD RUN AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND

 

[Locknload]

ManU 1 (Amad)  - Mil 1(Europa League - Home)

With Martial in place for the injured Rashford, Dan James on the left and Greenwood at center, it was AC Milan on the front-foot as they had 2 goals disallowed when one was ruled offside and the other for handball after review by VAR in the first 10 minutes. It was only in the last 15 minutes that we got into gear, with Maguire missing a sitter in the 39th minute and it remained 0-0 in the first half.

The ineffective Martial was replaced by Amad Diallo at the start of the 2nd half and he showed his prowess when he back-headed the ball into goal against the run of play from a perfect pass by Bruno just after 4 minutes. Another sitter went astray when Dan James hit the ball wide in the 72nd minute, which was followed by replacements for Bruno, Wan Bissaka and Dan James by Fred, Luke Shaw and Brendan Williams. A costly error by our defence allowed AC Milan to score the crucial away goal in the dying minutes of extra time and it will be an uphill task when we play them away next Thursday.

 

[Locknload]

ManU 1(Greenwood) - Lei 3 (FA Cup - Away)

The quartet of Martial for the injured Rashford, VBD for Fernandes, Pogba on the left for Mctominay and Telles for Luke Shaw were the changes at the start. It was Leicester City who drew first blood when Fred gifted the ball for them to intercept and score from a poor back-pass to Henderson in the 26th minute. It was Greenwood who equalized in the 38th minute off Pogba's pass to make it 1-1 in the first half.

Another goal by Leicester in the 3rd minute of the second half dampened hopes for a semi-final for Ole, who made substitutions for Telles, Pogba, VDB and Matic with Shaw, Fernandes, Cavani, Mctominay, and later on with Amad for Fred gave some impetus and hope to stem the tide but to no avail. Again it was Iheanacho who made it 3-1 from a defensive lapse, again by Lindelof and Leicester were the deserving winners for the semis against Southampton. There's only now the Europa Cup to play for and Ole should go if we miss that chance for a trophy.

[Meanmachine]

honestly it is the selection gone wrong, if he kept using the same midfielder often, he is not doing himself a favour, by opting usual Fred and McTom, include VDB and Pogba , he is being fair to all parties, Hopefully United can draw strength and learn from the pitfalls. Every team are eyeing FA cup and League , not including Euro Cup, United may left with only one Prestigious Cup , The hiring of Director of Football, Technical Director have been done, what less can thy do, not scoring enough, best to start strategy plan and scoring from set pieces, and forget about getting penalty kick, it is all in the mind to start scoring again.

Yes Leicester are strong contender for the FA challenge, thy were solid too, and thy deserved to win.

[Locknload]

On 3/22/2021 at 12:42 AM, Meanmachine said:

honestly it is the selection gone wrong, if he kept using the same midfielder often, he is not doing himself a favour, by opting usual Fred and McTom, include VDB and Pogba , he is being fair to all parties, Hopefully United can draw strength and learn from the pitfalls. Every team are eyeing FA cup and League , not including Euro Cup, United may left with only one Prestigious Cup , The hiring of Director of Football, Technical Director have been done, what less can thy do, not scoring enough, best to start strategy plan and scoring from set pieces, and forget about getting penalty kick, it is all in the mind to start scoring again.

Yes Leicester are strong contender for the FA challenge, thy were solid too, and thy deserved to win.

Conversely, I think it would have achieved the same objective (by being fair and giving a chance) to all parties if Ole had fielded his strongest available 11 to score and keep a comfortable lead and then sub those that he started in this game with. Players like Martial, VDB, Matic, Telles etc are not those who can be relied to dictate or are game changers but more of maintaining a lead.

[Meanmachine]

8 hours ago, Locknload said:

Conversely, I think it would have achieved the same objective (by being fair and giving a chance) to all parties if Ole had fielded his strongest available 11 to score and keep a comfortable lead and then sub those that he started in this game with. Players like Martial, VDB, Matic, Telles etc are not those who can be relied to dictate or are game changers but more of maintaining a lead.

    Ole claimed its player's fatigue, not all i suppose, sometimes he win,at times the players win for him, that is football and the price to pay for the mistakes of selection can backfires . . .yes I think you're correct to say, keep the team last match that win and relies on the winning mentality, perhaps just change 1 player not 5 at one go . . . I'm sure Ole is a fast learner, he CANNOT afford to be like the past manager/s who'd paid heavily .  Bruno may be unhappy not to play, i guess that why the drama plus the report too much to bear hearing b's hyped up .

[foot2018]

Let it be known that Manchester United’s title charge officially commences on August 14th 2021.

25 /3/2021 which can only mean that Manchester United haven’t won the championship for over 8 years and no trophies at all for over 3 years.

 

[Locknload]

ManU 2 (Rashford / Greenwood) - Bha 1 (EPL - Home)

With Henderson in goal and Cavani in the central role flanked by Rashford and Greenwood, we were on the front-foot which was well-supported by Bruno, Fred and Pogba but it was Brighton Hove Albion who drew first-blood, courtesy of ex-player Danny Welback who headed the ball into the net in the 14th minute. Thereafter, it was Brighton who were the better team, at the expense of the poor passes from Bruno and Pogba and Henderson's poor catch of the ball which almost led to another goal. A change of tactics by Ole will be needed if we are to make any headway in the 2nd half.

 No changes at the start of the 2nd half but it showed promise when Rashford made his first attempt with the only shot on target of the game and it paid dividends when he evened the score in the 62nd minute off a pass from Bruno and was thereafter replaced by Dan James 10 minutes later, followed by Cavani for VDB. It was 2-1 when Greenwood's header found the net in the 81st minute, off a move initiated again by Bruno. A tough match but a good win though.

With 2 games in hand, it would be difficult to catch-up with ManC (even if they falter) at 60 vs 74 points, with Leicester breathing down our necks with just 1 point difference. Onwards to meet Mourino's Spurs next Sunday and hopefully maintain the momentum. GGMU!

[Locknload]

ManU 2 (Rashford / Bruno-pen) - Gra 0 (EPL - Away)

With DDG in goal, the in-form Greenwood was central, flanked by Rashford and Dan James that included Bruno, Pogba and Mctominay in midfield. The back four comprised Maguire, Lindelof, Luke Shaw and AWB. A long ball from Lindelof found Rashford one-on-one with Granada's goalie giving us the lead in the 30th minute.

The 2nd half started with Telles for Shaw followed by Rashford for Cavani in the 65th minute and later Pogba for Matic and Greenwood for VDB. A penalty converted by Bruno after he was elbowed in the face made it a comfortable 2-nil lead for the return leg. The backline trio of Maguire, Mctominay and Shaw will miss the return match for having their second yellow-cards but Ole will have able substitutes come next week, same time.  

[Locknload]

ManU 3 (Fred / Cavani / Greenwood) - Tot 1 (EPL - Away)

It was Bruno, Pogba and Rashford in support of Cavani in the striker's role whose goal in the 34th minute was disallowed after VAR and the ref's touchline review when Mctominay was judged to have taken a swipe at Son's face in the run-up for Pogba's pass to Cavani. A good move by Spurs and a defensive lapse by Lindelof  allowed Son to beat Henderson off the far left post in the 40th minute, for what was a physical match till the end of the 1st half.

Good one-two touches in front of the Spur's goal culminated in Fred's goal in the 57th minute. Replacements for Rashford and Bruno by Greenwood and Matic respectively provided more impetus in the form of sleek passes by our high-pressing backline and Greenwood's pass was headed into goal by Cavani in the 89th minute. At the close of six minutes extra-time, it was the MOTM Pogba who provided a wonderful pass to Greenwood to put the icing on the cake. An entertaining match with a glorius 2nd half display for the comeback kings!

[Locknload]

ManU 2 (Cavani / Mata) - Gra 0 (Europa League 2nd Leg - Home @ 2-0 lead)

With Cavani and Greenwood in front flanked by Bruno, Pogba(C) and Fred, the backline trio consisted of Matic, Lindelof and Tuanzebe with Telles and AWB on the wings and De Gea in goal. It was just after 5 minutes when Cavani volleyed the ball into the net off Pogba's header to make it 1-0 till half-time.

The injured Pogba was replaced by VDB at the start of the 2nd half followed by Dan James for Cavani, and later on with Mata for Bruno, including Amad and Brandon Williams for Greenwood and AWB in the 82nd minute. A header by Mata was deflected into goal br Granada's defender in the dying minutes of the match and it's the semis and a good chance for some silverware at last with this 4-0 aggregate win. GGMU!

 

 

[Locknload]

ManU 3 (Greenwood x 2 / Cavani) - Bur 1 (EPL - Home)

A goal in the opening seconds by Burnley was disallowed when ruled off-side by VAR. Even with more of possession there was not much offense as Burnley resorted to parking the bus with and long balls, save for the miss by Greenwood and it remained scoreless at half-time. 

A change for the ineffective Fred with Cavani at the start of the 2nd half to add fillip to the attack paid dividends when Greenwood scored in the 3rd minute but Burnley equalised a minute later through a header off a corner. The limping Rashford was replaced by VDB in the 83d minute and it was Greenwood again who scored off a deflection and Cavani made it 3-1 towards the end of extra-time. Having 66 points with only 8 points off leaders ManC, and 10 points above Leicester in 3rd position, the hope of usurping the leaders remains hopeful.

 

[Locknload]

ManU 0 - Leeds 0 (EPL - Away)

With Dan james replacing Pogba, the other players were the same ones that played the previous game gainst Brunley, with Leeds employing a physical game with 3 yellow cards. Both Bruno and Fred were off-form with the game ending scoreless in the 1st half.

A misunderstanding between Bruno and Dan James with only the goalie to beat was the best chance early in the 2nd half. Again leaving it too late, Ole made the much anticipated substitution only in the 75th minute when Pogba came on for Dan Janes, followed by Cavani for Rashford ten minutes later with VDB for Fred towards the end.  A poor display today and more fervor has to be injected against AS Roma on Friday morning if we are to be in contention for some silverware. 

[Locknload]

ManU 6 (Bruno x2 /Cavani x2 / Pogba / Greenwood - AS Roma 2 (Europa League Semi-Final First Leg - Home)

With Cavani in the central role, it was Bruno directly behind with Pogba and Rashford on the flanks. It was Bruno who opened the score in the 8th minute off a pass from Cavani that was initiated by Pogba, and who's handball allowed Roma a penalty to level the score in the 14th minute. Another early substitute for Roma's goalie after he injured his shoulder whilst saving Pogba's shot. It was Roma who made it 2-1 due to sloppy defending by Maguire, which was followed by their 3rd substitution for them to take the lead at the end of the 1st half.

It was even-stevens when Cavani levelled the score from Bruno's through pass after 3 minutes into the 2nd half and he scored again off a rebound in the 64th minute. A penalty was awarded for Bruno after Cavani was bundled off the field by Chris Smalling. Goals by Pogba and Greenwood completed the rout towards a great chance for silverware and it's Liverpool next this weekend for the come-back kings!

 

 

[Locknload]

ManU vs Liverpool (EPL - Home : POSTPONED)

Kick-off was delayed after the fans invaded the stadium and pitch in protest against the Glazers, with both teams remaining in their hotels for the all clear to be given to leave for Old Trafford. As a security sweep throughout the stadium would have to be conducted, this match will be postponed till a later date, with ManC having to put the champagne on ice to be crowned EPL champs if Liverpool won.  

[Locknload]

ManU 2 (Cavani x 2) - AS Roma 3 (Europa League Semi-Final Second Leg - Away)

The only changes were De Gea, Bailly and VDB for this away 2nd leg semi where we led 6-2. A through pass from Fred found Cavani who lashed the ball into goal in the 38th minute with De Gea displaying his prowess in goal with a few good saves in the 1st half.

A double change with Telles and Brandon Williams for Shaw and AWB at the start of the 2nd half and it was AS Roma who scored 3 goals, with Cavani scoring his 2nd goal in the 68th minute to make it 8-5 on aggregate and who was replaced by Rashford thereafter. It's Villareal that we will be meeting in the finals in Gdansk on the 26/5 and an excellent chance to lay our hands for silverware at last. GGMU!

[Locknload]

Manu 3 (Bruno-pen / Greenwood / Cavani) - Avl -1 (EPL - Away)

A listless display with Dean Henderson letting a goal in and Rashford in for Cavani and not being able to make any headway to give the lead to Aston Villa in the 1st half.

No changes for both teams at the start of the 2nd half and a penalty was awarded when Pogba was fouled and converted by Bruno in the 3rd minute of play. It was 2-1 when Greenwood scored in the 56th minute, followed by his replacement by Cavani thereafter.  The injured Maguire was subbed by Matic and Cavani then put the game to bed with his trademark header from Rashford. Aston Villa had a player sent-off for simulation (after being yellow-carded earlier) with 6 minutes of stoppage time left to play. It will be a packed schedule next week, starting with Leicester on Tuesday. Glory!