OneMoSalah

Yeah that is true. I think as well whilst City are playing well they have a lot of games still like us and have to play 5 times in 2 weeks basically as we do. They also have Leicester, Leeds, Dortmund twice in 4 of those games and also a cup final a week after they play us, so undoubtedly they will utilise their squad at times (we all know its strong but there’s definitely some players I would rather see not start, ie. Aguero, De Bruyne, Joao Cancelo and Phil Foden - although probably end up starting all four v us 🤣). They’ve definitely got a tougher run in than we do in those fixtures prior to the cup but I hope those 4 games throw up a few issues for them.

Slightly concerning but at the same time, I think if we can put in a performance like we did v Liverpool or in the Atletico games, we have every chance. I mean United managed to beat them and comfortably also. Records are there to be broken and I would hope this may give him extra motivation also. Although I dont know if coaches are hugely bothered about their head to head records v certain managers as opposed to their teams standings. Also re Kepa; I would be surprised if he plays in the cup semi or final if we get there. Even though Kepa has to play sometimes to try drum up some potential interest and for Tuchel, to manage the squad well I do think we will see Mendy if hes fit and available. Although, who knows, maybe he will stick with him for the cups? I think it would be a second sink or swim moment though for Kepa, if he got that opportunity he would have to play well. If he cost us in another big game in front of a hugely improved defence, there will be more serious questions. Saying that today he did his job well. Long way to convince people obviously and understandably so but easy to ignore praise where its due.

Probably because he was a big part of that run they went on alongside the more obvious candidates Fernandes and Rashford. Hes not flashy or particularly outstanding in the more creative aspects so its easy to see why people dont value that sort of player but hes the sort of player thats handy to have around and for United, who lacked that more defensively minded midfielder it made sense. McTominay has made him more redundant to them now though as has Fred’s improvement so I think he will be gone in the summer if they can move him. If we didnt have Ngolo Kante or signed Bakayoko he would of remained here as Antonio Conte initially wanted, although even with Bakayoko’s arrival he still wanted to keep him, which I think based on how well he and Kante played the previous season, it was a move that although it turned out well in terms of him not replicating those levels for United that season, wasnt exactly a huge win for us either as Drinkwater and Bakayoko were terrible buys. United dont have a similar approach to renewing older players like as we do. In fact not a lot do. We are one of a few who are extremely strict with regards to this although we renewed David Luiz for 2 seasons and offered Willian 2.

No but again, your half missing the point. Good strikers/attackers can take half chances or limited service or next to nothing and do something to affect the game. I am not expecting him to recreate that Costa goal or a goal like Morata’s third in that hattrick v Stoke, I have no doubts that he isn’t particularly capable of those sort of goals but the opportunities he has had that he hasn't really taken advantage of, where he finds himself in scenarios which if he was more decisive or confident or generally better technically at times, he should be doing much better. I agree our chance creation rate isn’t amazing leaving a lot to he desired and that he is perhaps a volume shooter but a lot of teams also create scenarios in which the goalscorers individual quality makes more of the difference than the actual approach play. Liverpool with Mane and Salah at times are key examples of this also, a lot of Salah’s goals involve him fashioning a shooting chance himself. They get the space also but they still have to actually fashion the chance or do something to create the space/opportunity to shoot. I dont see how he can have gone from being so clinical in Germany to being what he is now. He is 25 years old so saying hopefully he can develop his composure with experience is simply something I don’t think should he applied to him, in fact I think if he lacked composure he wouldn’t have reached the goal total he did last season because some of them were tough finishes in which hes found himself in similar situations this season but its just not worked out be it through being inefficient infront of goal, getting his positioning wrong or just suffering from a huge confidence dip. He’s been around for long enough and scored enough goals where we should be able to expect more. If he was 20, 21 I could see the point.

Ziyech top finish. Not the best performance but with us playing poorly and still winning after a big midweek game plus making several changes, its not the end of the world. Results are more important in this stage of the cup. We are in the last 4 now, lets see what the draw holds.

Wow what a miss as well. Even Timo, Torres, Falcao and Pato would of scored that fucking hell, lucky as fuck.

What are those subs about? 2 defenders on? Very strange.

Its not but thats were good players are able to fashion out chances from those positions. Werner is clearly a good player who can do better in this aspect particularly on the right side at times. For example, Costa v West Brom from that near impossible angle few seasons ago where he managed to hit the top corner highlights how good players are capable of creating goals/chances out of very little. Or his goal in the cup final v Spurs, its not exactly a hugely promising position but he managed to set himself to shoot and although it was deflected, he had made the chance to shoot. Harry Kane is another who has managed to score a number of goals from more difficult positions. Jamie Vardy also over the seasons. Werner has got the pedigree and has the ability to be more proficient in these areas, if he can only score goals on one side or relies on balls that get him in only from one side then he’s not going to have much chance of being a top top player is he? Or score as many goals as we would want him to... Other players are spurring chances, is correct but Werner scored 30+ goals last season. You would think he would be more proficient or able to get more goals from the positions he gets in but for various reasons he isnt. Thats the point and the general concern, we are not talking about Mount or Havertz etc, although Havertz could have scored v Leeds easily. No point in deflecting away from this every time its mentioned and saying what about player X or Y when Havertz, Pulisic, Mount are as you said yourself, are different types of players. Werner may be a different type of player but thats not going to save him or give him luxuries of playing every week because he is different to Callum or Christian, particularly under Tuchel who is notoriously demanding and has shown before he isn’t exactly afraid to turn around and change his 11 or change his system. The position Morata arrived from isn’t particularly vital, the point is more how he is able to set himself and buys himself an extra second to set himself with that touch because if he lets it run to his left the ball is a bit wider out and it also might have given the defender more of a chance to get back. Its the same with players receiving the ball on the half turn or how they position their bodies so they dont need to take extra touches and can play quicker, it seems a basic skill but its also hugely effective and thats why people are so focused on how players position themselves to get onto passes/create shooting positions etc. City’s forwards are a massive example of this.

Personally, for me, having watched a few highlight reels of games with Tuchel, Timo has found himself in good positions sometimes in the channel but he doesn’t always seem to know how to position his body or take the right touch in which it takes the ball across defenders/be in a position where he can set himself to shoot better. A good example of what I am talking about is Morata’s first goal v Stoke in our 4-0 win with Conte. He takes what would be seen as a more difficult touch from Azpi’s ball in behind as opposed to controlling it with his left foot which means he has bought himself extra time to set himself and shoot on his best side. If he lets it slide across to his left and he controls it he doesn’t have as much time to set himself and gives the defender a better opportunity to get back. Jason, what is the point here? Lets be real, he is not going to get them put on a plate to the point where he doesn’t have to do anything bar tap them in every week, is he? No striker is going to consistently get every through ball played only from central areas over the course of a season. Thats why attackers have the hardest positions in football, because some days you get good service some days you don’t but at the end of the day their job is for them to score/assist/affect the game in a positive manner. He's had a collection of moments where he’s ended up in some okay positions but just hasn’t been making the most of them for various reasons and as mentioned above, its probably something that isn’t necessarily a huge issue in terms of him not being a good player but its also something that is frustrating because we know he is a good player and has good pedigree. Even the times the ball gets trapped under his feet etc, which happens a lot, these aren’t necessarily complex things in the grand scale of it, its more the basics. This may also stem from his confidence in this period though which I wouldn’t be surprised with but some of it undoubtedly also comes from his attributes as a footballer. Sometimes he might only end up getting one or two half chances in a game. Sometimes he will get five or six. Either way, he has to become more efficient in every aspect, from taking the ball/controlling it to setting himself to shoot. Its getting to the point where the rest of the team are playing at a high level and making half chances so sooner or later he has to put them away or we will look for other solutions. Which is why I think Havertz as a false 9 is going to be more of a reoccurring theme towards the end of the season. The luxury he has right now is that perhaps Pulisic hasn’t really arrived this season due to a reoccurrence of injuries which has hampered him playing 4 or 5 weeks from the beginning in a row to get some match rhythm but he has to be wary because Hudson Odoi is more than capable of being a prominent feature in that front 3. Mount will also continue to be prominent.

Bit contradictory considering midfield is arguably our strongest area for the NT. But again I suppose TT isn’t to know that. I really dont see why Steve Clarke should pick someone not playing ahead of the guys he picks. Plus Steve Clarke has just spoken about moving McTominay back into MF on a podcast - who has made a huge improvement under OGS and plays virtually every week - due to other centre backs doing well. I hope Billy makes the euros squad but its highly unlikely right now considering his lack of minutes and the likes of John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Callum McGregor, Stuart Armstrong and John Fleck all playing regularly. Theres still a slim chance if there are injuries or if he plays virtually every week but he wont at this rate.

Knew someone would suggest it at some point. He’s always been a decent all round player but lets see what like his return is next season, could be a one season wonder in terms of his goals, might not be. He has impressed me but at the same time I always think it is easy to get carried away with these sort of players, look at Teemu Pukki, Amir Zaki, Michu, Roque Santa-Cruz... all one season wonders in terms of their goal returns in their first PL season, yet people probably thought they could play for a higher team yet they never did or were never at the level. Plus why would he come here when he is effectively one of the first names on the Leeds team sheet and was really close to getting in the England team? Would be the stupidest move out there. Everyone always think players want to be back ups and maybe there is a percentage who do but guys who are inching towards their NT squad don’t want to be backups realistically. Which is why Abraham is also probably unhappy with his situation this season since Tuchel’s came in.

Tbf though this is the first season in his 10 seasons in England where it looks like he may struggle to reach 25 appearances in the PL, which even then I think theres still 10 games or so left so he will break 20 appearances surely unless Pep continues with his false 9 system a lot. It appears he has missed 51 games in all competitions in the last 3 seasons according to this (https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sergio-aguero/verletzungen/spieler/26399) but considering he had a knee injury last season which he was out for 115 days - which equals to 17 of those games and then missed 10 due to contracting covid (which is a one off and hopefully be an avoidable issue for next season with these vaccines and procedures clubs set), only missing 24 games across the last 3 seasons (averaging 7 per season across all competitions in seasons which there are easily 50+ games) due to smaller injuries, its not that bad. It’s actually probably pretty routine to miss a handful of games each season. That knee injury last season is the only big sort of injury that has kept him out for a significant period of time. Would say for someone who is 32 (I think 32 anyway, maybe 33 at a push?) and has been playing most weeks for the best part of 15 years, as well as regularly with his national team at friends, qualifiers and then repeating tournaments like the World Cups and Copa Americas, that is hardly that bad at injury record at club level. It was effectively the same argument when we were linked with Cavani last season. Aguero usually gets around 10-15 PL goals every season as a minimum if he plays in 20-25 games either as a starter/sub. Even then, managed correctly, he would still do the business. 100%. I do think City would be fools to let him go as well in all honesty. Its like PSG with Thiago in the summer also, which was our gain. For me, Aguero is still an elite player, I think it would be mad to not consider him if he is available for a season or two at least on a free. Obviously as well if Haaland goes elsewhere as most imagine, again, top CFs will be hard to come by and if City don’t get Haaland they will in all likelihood try and retain Aguero you would think. But we will see.

No praise tonight? He really really, didnt put a foot wrong, looked more than competent with the ball also despite not having the composure of Silva or Christensen. The competition for our defence is looking very strong if Kurt can play at this level consistently, plus throw in Andreas, Azpi and Rudiger all experiencing huge upturns in performance under Tuchel and throw in Thiago Silva’s class and experience also. Might be harder to pick the defenders than the attackers when everyone’s available.

Regardless, not in his prime or whatever, it would not be a bad move, it would be a very shrewd move for a season or two. He would still be one of the first names on City’s team sheet and in all likelihood would of been more often this season if not for the injuries he’s pocked up this season which has led to Pep experimenting and finding huge success with utilising a false 9. Tend to remember people scoffed at United getting Cavani, due to his age, fitness issues at PSG the season before, the speed and physicality of the PL etc but he has contributed 8 goal involvements in the PL in 925 minutes. For guys like Aguero, Cavani, Ibrahimovich amongst a collective group, which Thiago Silva is also in, the age is irrelevant really because they are still more than capable of delivering the goods.

Its the best system we have at the moment. We changed to a 4 v Leeds and it didn’t work out as well. I think the back three is going to be pretty persistent until the pre-season for the next year, the big games we have played so far have shown that it suits the players and Tuchel’s philosophy.

Did we not go longer with Sarri? Or was that PL only?

Will take Porto or Dortmund. 100%. Weakest teams left. Likely get Bayern or Real Madrid. Although Real hardly the power they were. Also someone said Pulisic’s pass was a bad one for the goal? Looked fine to me, more so Emersons finish 😄

Alonso been great. Again. Get over the line. Love Thiago Silva in the stand as well what a man haha

18 goals this season. Marshalled well last 2 games against us but still plenty life in him. On a unrelated note, Werner, will he ever learn to not get the ball stuck under his feet....ever?

Great counter goal. Oblak surprisingly poor.

Azpilicueta. Lucky as fuck because that is a blatant penalty. Thought the Rudiger one with Suarez had not a lot in it though, looked shoulder to shoulder.

Fuck sake Werner leave that for Ziyech there....positioning was perfect for him to get a shot off.

Have to disagree, whilst he did get fouled a lot the notion that he was booted up and down the park a lot in the period of time he was here and it was an absolute miracle he didn’t sustain any major injuries is simply incorrect. Because thats not football now a days and it never will be ever again. Its not as if he was playing up against the Wimbledon crazy gang every week. Or some of the other teams full of absolute mad cunts. There was a few games which maybe crossed the line in the sand but that happens as we seen in the Spurs game it was a very intense night. V PSG also Verratti could have gone another day. It wasnt every week or every 2/3/4/5th week. Yes Mourinho made a few post match comments saying about protecting Eden, its no different from any other manager wanting protection for their best player. As well as this, all the good wingers accumulate a large collection of fouls. Because it becomes the only way to stop them. It simply doesnt mean they’ve been on the end of a doing every week or season if they have a high foul count. The Spurs and PSG games are two bad ones that stick out but for a world class wide player he probably got the level of treatment they all get. Doubled up on. The odd mistimed tackles. Some 50/50s with guys a good 6 or 7 inches taller and 10kilos heaver than him. All of the above. Sure. He was constantly in top fouled in the PL and Europe. Sure. Does that mean he was unfairly on the end of a couple of horror tackles? Probably. Went through hell? Absolutely not. He didnt fight in a war mate. Hes played in arguably the softest editions of the top division of English football in terms of physicality. Its the same with any other players and winning fouls today, the guys get so much protection now its as if you put your arm out to shield the ball maybe brush your arm on someone and they get a foul. But again football is so much less purely physically orientated than it was 25+ years ago. Maybe he did receive a lot of fouls but in a period where tactical fouls to stop transitioning has been a huge part of world football for the last 10-15 years as teams looked to stifle the whole possession philosophy, that seems to be the norm and we spent a large period of his time here as a team that played on transitions also. Ronaldo for the first few seasons in the PL he was decent but its no secret he was effectively a showboating wee arsehole at times, so he got the living shit kicked out of him. As he did in training apparently also as some ex team mates have said in interviews. People tend to forget it was really only after the 2006 world cup that he fine tuned his game and really started on the huge upward trajectory which has taken him to the heights he has.

Who didnt get kicked that night though? People act as if his career was threatened every week with such comments 😂 he got it a few times in other games but wouldnt say its half as bad as your making out.

Messi and Ronaldo have spent the best part of 20 years getting kicked and booted up and down pitches. You make out as if the PL is some sort of WWE esque league saying he got “slaughtered” but would say that players like this, who compete in a lot of one v ones regardless of the league, get kicked more than others. Wouldn't say it was any different for Eden. Or go as far and say he got slaughtered. The worst game I can actually remember seeing him get kicked a lot was actually a CL game v PSG a few seasons ago. His injury problems are due to bad habits for me, poor trainer then poor trainer now... without working too hard and looking after yourself as you get older, you always risk that happening in elite sports.