Pizy

Why is Ruben not starting and playing the full 90 for every remaining match? Like, wtf?

Mikel at CB! Nice youthful lineup in this highly meaningful match...

If, IF we sell Courtois (which I can't possibly see us doing) then I hope we bring in a keeper in the De Gea/Lloris/Neuer mould who's very comfortable passing it out from the back. Painful watching Courtois hoof the ball up to Ivanovic and fail over and over again for two seasons now. He basically gives the opposition free possession of the ball time and time again. Doesn't have to be a sweeper who takes dumb risks, but someone who doesn't flap and panic like Courtois does with the ball at his feet.

If we're playing 4 at the back then sure. I just cannot see JT in a back 3 playing a high line. It's also imperative that we get Nainggolan and another new CM to protect them.

Problem is with targeting Stones is who is going to play beside him in defense? It made perfect sense when we were after him last summer because we all had hoped learning under Mou and beside JT every day for a season or two would be hugely beneficial. If he came here now he'd what, start the season partnering Cahill? Having Baba next to him who's awful defensively? That could be as shambolic as Everton's defense. Or ours this season. Even if Zouma were fully fit and ready on match day 1 I'm not sure having two inexperienced and tactically naive CB's is too wise. Neither have so far shown that they're the JT style general and organizer but rather need that sort next to them to bring their best out. I wouldn't complain if we signed him of course and I've been one of his biggest advocates, but I think it would be more wise to target an experienced, still somewhat young, and top class CB like Bonucci or Hummels. We've displayed as a club that we're willing to spend an enormous fee on a top CB by bidding £35-40m for Stones last summer. Surely that sort of money will sign one of those two? Convincing them to come is another thing, mind.

I think it was pretty clear that he wanted him. He seemed pretty annoyed at Martinez and Everton when they kept rejecting our bids. You're right that an experienced, proven CB would make more sense for them but I think José and his ego would relish the opportunity to take credit for "fixing" Stones and making him the next great England CB. With Stones, Smalling, and Shaw you'd have your back line sorted for the next 10 years or more and have the bonus of them all being English.

Let's be real, their fans would riot if they keep Van Gaal around after this season. Mou is nailed on to be their next manager.

Think we've almost certainly lost the chance we had of signing him. Don't think there's any way he'll be able to say no when Mourinho personally calls him and asks him to come to United. He'll get to stay in the north which is apparently a thing he'd prefer, he'll get to play under Mourinho at the biggest club in the country, and he'll be playing with 3/4ths of the future England back 4.

The goal Sanchez just scored is exactly the sort that Hazard should be scoring about 15 times per season if he'd just try his luck. Spinning his defender around the edge of the box is what Hazard does better than anyone.

Still think he'll go on to become a top player under the right tutilige. Still would've liked us to sign him and see what Mourinho could've done with him. Not helping him at all to be playing for that idiot Martinez. If he gets a summer move to United or City and is coached by a world class manager and surrounded by great players he'll turn out well.

Welp... And yeah, our Liverpool match may get ugly.

Much as I despise Liverpool I want them to win here and soundly. The pressure is really piling up on Martinez and he's saying more and more ridiculously idiotic things in the press. He gets smoked here and gets knocked out of the cup hell hopefully get sacked. Arrogant prick.

He desperately wants to go to a club with huge history, prestige, and are globally iconic. It's always been romantic to him. He has the largest ego known to man and wants what Fergie had. To go down as a legend for the biggest club there is and be known as someone who put their stamp and left a legacy. They're the only club left that he can go to that can satisfy his ego. PSG can't offer him any of what he apparently seeks. They're a nothing club and are basically irrelevant outside of Europe. To be honest, I bet if Fergie phoned him straight away after retiring and asked Josè to be his direct successor he'd have jumped at the chance and never have come back here. He's always had a hard-on for that club and it's his only possible destination. The cringey, over the top love in this summer and beyond will be unbearable. All of that shit he talked about being "one of us," and how he loved Chelsea and us supporters will be trampled on when he's talking about how he loves Man United and how he's always wanted to be there and blah, blah, blah. What will be even more infuriating is if he does the things there he always said he'd do here but never did. Play youth, rotate the squad, play attacking football, etc. Also watch him turn into an absolute Saint on the touchline and in press conferences now because he'll want to appear professional and respectful of Manchester United, the darling of the football world. Makes me ill just thinking of it all. My favorite manager and football personality ever going to a club I despise. Fuck off.

Okay, I'll rephrase what I said. If he has no other options he'll go to PSG.

No chance he goes to PSG. I think this is Mendes and José getting highly annoyed that both City and Chelsea have announced their next manager already and United have been silent. He admitted that he was bored as hell in Spain because of the quality of the other teams outside the top 3. There's no way he'd go to an even more uncompetitive league where he'd walk to the title by 40 points. He'll then feel like he's wasted an entire year of his life if he doesn't win the CL.

Minus the attacking football bit, surely we had a manager that was "always on their backs and pushing" them? The ultimate version of that type of manager in fact. Maybe Mou just takes it too far? Just bizarre and incomprehensible to think how our whole team bought into José's methods and message last season and won a title by miles, yet this season just decided not to.

True, I suppose. Without Henderson and Can, though, which I forgot about we actually should be beating them.

I think we'll fare slightly better against Liverpool than against Spuds because at least they have significant weaknesses and don't have an elite finisher like Kane. We'll still lose, mind. If only Real Madrid or Barca were in need of a manager. They could be the only ones who could steal away Poch from Spuds I'd think.

Might be worse than that City match. City just sat off us and countered us, Spuds will press us all game which our team simply cannot handle and blitz us over and over again.

They'll win the league. Only us beating them (no chance) and then playing the under 19's against Leicester can stop them. Think Liecester will be shitting it seeing this Spuds side coming and bottle it without Vardy.

Phrase I never, ever thought I'd utter: Spurs are so much better than us as a footballing side. It's embarrassing. Just a year ago we finished 23 points ahead of them. Twenty three points! Now they now look light years better than us. That is absolutely insane to think about. Our players should think about that and feel ashamed.

This is true and is the reason I would avoid players like Vardy at all costs because he'd join a new club with the expectation that he'll score 20+ goals. With Kanté it's different because he isn't a goal scorer and wouldn't be expected to be this world class force. Hed come here and essentially be a Ramires on steroids. Endless running and energy, and covers every blade of grass each match. Unlike Ramires, Kanté can actually pass a football too. Kanté & and another class CM and we go from a terrible midfield to one of the best in the league.

It's inevitable that he'll improve significantly for a new club in a new league. Any other league will be easier for him than the PL. Unlike Kevin De Bruyne, Oscar doesn't have near that ability. He can't singlehandedly run games and carry teams with magical skill like Kev. He's just not on that level. Just can't see him coming back to haunt us in a couple of years like Lukaku and Kev have. Well quickly move past Oscar if we get someone who actually puts up numbers and doesn't go missing for weeks at a time. We need production and consistency.

Tibo learned from the best!

In a year when literally all of the big clubs are having terrible seasons and they still bottle it and can't win a title ahead of Leicester and Spuds. It's as if the football Gods set it all up for Wenger to finally get another trophy and he still couldn't do it.