CHOULO19

Obviously the players shoulder a big part of the responsibility in addition to Jose and the board, but you can't fire the squad, can you? And the lack of transfers as well was a hit.

True. His hamstring is still a problem. I think we all expected him to undergo surgery in the summer but he didn't. Maybe that was one of the reasons that Jose was upset with the medical team..

I've said this before, but I think it's just the nature of his motivation and man-management techniques that they will always be short-term and have a tendency to blow back after winning major silverware. But even that, I think, was just one factor at the start of this season. Another is the awful post/preseason format we did that left the players well behind everyone else fitness wise, then there was the bad publicity and the effect it had on moral, and the fact that some key players returned from vacation a bit overweight and others started the season in a very nonchalant taking-it-for-granted attitude and whole other bunch of factors but I think the motivation was probably the biggest one.

Bamford will not feature because if he does he won't be able to get loaned out again.

I don't think anyone can rationally say that we've missed Jose. We are clearly improving substantially since his departure in both performances and more importantly results. That said, I do agree with something he said before he left: He did do an incredible job last season, particularly in the first half, to get these players playing WAY above their standards and winning the title. I genuinely doubt any other manager would have managed it because this squad is simply not good enough.

That's obviously the hard bit. Cavani has been mentioned. Kane? Doubt Levy would sell to us. My fantasy is Benzema but that's near impossible. We could go for either Morata or Mandzukic from Juve. Higuian? Griezman can play striker as well. There are options if we want to consider it seriously. Yeah but for how many matches in the season? How often will Diego be more concerned about scoring than starting a fight? If Costa can play like he did against Arsenal for just 70% of the time, then we would not need to buy another top striker.

Yeah, I'm sure this thread will be flooded by all those people who watch the Chinese league on a weekly basis!

Ramires' and RLC's minutes this season combined can very easily be filled by a single player. That said, I do believe we will actually go for a replacement, but probably in the summer given that it's already the 25/26th.

There was also a handball inside the are (stopping a Cesc shot) in the first half that looked like a pen to me. Clattenberg actually had an awful game, but thankfully his mistakes did not change the outcome.

I'm his biggest fan, but even I have to admit that his mistakes are becoming considerably more frequent. Even in the second minute of the game yesterday, he made a positional error that he simply doesn't have the pace to recover from and that lead to the Campbell chance. If Campbell hadn't fluffed it, it could have been a very different match. I don't think we can rely on him as a nailed on starter and still compete for trophies for much longer.

Tbf, Skip, I agree with all the above. I think Cesc needs to be sold. I don't think we need to sell Costa but I do think we need to get a striker who is on par with Costa but more consistent. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing him sold if we do get a top striker.

I still want him sold, btw. But why I want him sold never had anything with his ability to produces excellent performances, but rather our desperate reliance on his moody performances. We undoubtedly have great individuals in this team, but our performances as a team, and largely our results, are VERY reliant on the performances of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa. And that's not particularly a good thing, imo.

Thought he was anonymous at intervals and generally needed to get more involved, but overall he was good in my book. Definitely his best performance of late.

He's by FAR the most talented player in the team and it's easier to remember that when he's been out for a while. Absolutely delighted to have him back.

He was awful but I can't put too much blame on him. His confidence is shot and his form is off and neither are really his fault.

He did impede him by sliding between his legs and not getting the ball he forces him to jump and breaks his sprint so that the other defender has a better chance of catching up to him. You can't make a challenge at a player and not get the ball. Even if you miss the player, it is still a foul. That is literally the rule. The referee made the right call as 2 international refs just confirmed in the post match analysis in the beIN studio. Yes, Costa dived, but that irrelevant to the call.

YOU CAN IMPEDE A PLAYER WITHOUT TOUCHING HIM. WHAT PART OF THAT IS HARD TO GRASP?!

No because he would not have stopped a clear cut chance then, would he? The ref would have played advantage. Yes, if a player slides at an opposition player's feet, between his legs, without getting the ball, then that's a foul. It sounds fairly obvious to me...

Not having any nonsense about the red card. Yes, there was no contact, but there doesn't need to be contact for it to be a foul. Mertsacker was never going to get the ball and the rule is it's a foul if he 'trips or attempts to trip an opponent' and he clearly was attempting to trip Costa. Also, that was almost literally the only decision we got all game. In the first 5 minutes Clattenburg let Flamini off for a late tackle on Azpi then booked Oscar a minute later. We had two penalties not given, not to mention that every 50-50 went they way. So the arse wankers can sod off!

Never been happier to be proven wrong! Get IN!!!! Diego was excellent and Cesc was magic! Oh, and the ref was a w**ker!

Yeah, but I was always the one telling people to have faith. First time I don't genuinely believe we can win. I just can't see how we can tactically out do them with the way we've set up. Would be very happy to be proven wrong, though.

This has to be the least confident I've been before an Arsenal match probably in the last decade!

Jesus, every time you think United can't get any more boring... Also, Bertarnd is doing well against Martial so far.

Devastated he won't be retiring here!

Literally the same for me. Watched about half a dozen games of his at the start of the season, but he was always so anonymous that I stopped following.