Closed Man United 0-0 Chelsea

[Mouri_Matic 560]

No matter how you look at it, Jose set out to get a low scoring draw yesterday and he succeeded. Actually did De Gea even have to make a good save or just catching the ball shooting straight at him from Oscar?

MU also created fuck all either, some OK crosses into the box and Rooney with 1-2 efforts. Welbecks miss was the only dangerous situation in this whole match. I expect the team to improve when playing other big teams, if this is what we set out to do against any half decent team then we are gonna be in trouble. I am sure we will use this approach against Bayern next week though.

[bushman 2,043]

i wanna see that dynamics and intensity Mou keeps talking about. Well said. That´s what I was hoping for.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Looking back at the recorded game once again yes 'parked the bus' is the wrong term for people to use. We got forward much more times than we did against Bayern but we maybe could of shown just a little more bit to win. We got forward a few times and had some nearly moments but ultimately not one team done enough to win the game and in our case just feel we could have won if we pressed them more and kept going at them consistently.

We went to Old Trafford with a young, new team and got a point. We kept Van Persie quiet for most of the game and we showed some good things but were ultimately let down by some inaccurate passing which isn't that surprising this early in the season.

Some of the reactions in this thread are thoroughly embarrassing.....which might be a bad thing if it wasn't so utterly predictable nowadays.

Lets check Redcafé for some non-blue perspective ...

From just the first two pages post match. Not pessisimism, but we did have a negative game-plan and it doesn't look really pretty (except Hull first time).

Im hoping for better - i wanna see that dynamics and intensity Mou keeps talking about.

3 games.

THREE GAMES.

Jose himself said it would take time. You don't just click a few buttons on a mouse and all of a sudden your team can play in a different style. It takes time.

Now the Premier League isn't known for being patient so whilst you're working on these new things it's important not to lose games and we haven't. Against Hull we showed flashes of brilliance and against Villa and United we've shown grit and determination. It might not have looked pretty but you don't get points for playing beautiful football.

We got a point away to the Champions. That's a good result right now.

Oh and if you want to see 'dynamics and intensity' then look at our defensive performance - that's how football works. If it was just about how you do with the ball at your feet then they'd give each team a ball and mark them out of 10 for 'style' and 'prettiness'.

This isn't fucking gymnastics - it's football.

[Mouri_Matic 560]

If you think this is packing the bus wait until next week against Bayern hahahah, Munich all over again because Jose will not allow us to be raped.

[didierforever 7,349]

good result, brilliant tactics, poor team selection and and awful match.

cant understand why people are crying over the game. united are unsure of themselves and today could have been a make or break day for them. jose did the right thing by making united take the onus and take the bait rather than going all guns blazing. united's next match is POOL away and 2 weeks later city away. if they had won today, it would have gone a long long way in calming their nerves.

while jose's tactics were good, his team selection was poor. there is no point of playing rambo if you are not going to use his running. rambo played a very mikel game, barely out of our own half and just for winning the ball back/marking rooney. mikel would and should have been a better choice. lukaku should have started as a striker. with cech pinting the ball from the goalkicks, there was no way schurrle was beating vidic to it. lukaku would have been a much much greater threat.

here is my player analysis -

cech - good game. dint put a foot wrong and barely had anything to do. the rooney stop was brillaint. 8/10

ivanovic - solid. dint let evra/welbeck run behind him and also covered the cbs well. 7/10

cahill - good performance. but again instead of putting tackles, he prefers putting in blocks (rooney just at the edge of box). will cost us big. 7/10

JT - WALL. what a performance. brilliant in the air. dint let rvp turn if he received the ball with his back to the goal. simply flawless performance. 10/10

cole - good performance. covered hazard really well. dint let valencia cross the ball rather play it back to jones. tried to do something in the attack (unlike iva) but could not

make a difference. 7.5/10

ramires - this has to be one of his worst performances in the chelsea blue. dont think any of his forward passes were correct in the 1st half. let rooney run the game easily. missed marking late runs on a number of occasions and even let people run around him instead of putting a tackle. very unlike RAMBO. 4/10

lampard - slow on the ball. got closed down by cleverly on a number of occasions. dint do much for the attack but was much better defensively than rambo. 6/10

hazard - what is wrong with this guy. among every1 who was been a part of the team in this season's 3 matches, he has definitely had the worst start to this season. valencia OWNED him. the number of times he lost the ball to a valencia tackle was simply countless. the only time he got into the game was in the last 15 minutes when valencia got subbed. very poor decision making too, when choosing to single-handedly taken on jones and valencia rather than pass the ball. 5/10

oscar - good game. man-marked carrick out of the game. had to play cam as well as a deep lying playmaker. could have done more in some of the counters we had. without our best attacking player on the pitch. 7/10

kdb - simply could not assert himself. covered evra's runs very well. was good defensively but gave nothing in our attacks. also playing him on the wings is equivalent to playing mata on the wings. there is no width. 6/10

schurrle - he might not have won any headers, or taken any shot on the goal, or even provided any threat but his workrate is commendable. full of running and closing down, be it on the wing or as a striker. provided some width to us deep in the 2nd half which sometimes did stretch united but simply could not take on evra twice. good performance overall. 7/10

torres - started well, with his run but then lost the ball, many times. his performance was characterised by the last move of the day for us when he mind bogglingly chose to cut in and try to pass in the center at 92 minuted 20 seconds rather than just pass the ball to iva who could have crossed in or got a corner or something. his loosing the ball and then not even trying the fall back for the last move of the game, should tell us exactly of his comitement to the team. he is past it, the sooner we accept it, the better. 5/10

mikel,azpilicueta - not enough time to write about.

[TrippingStep 336]

If you think this is packing the bus wait until next week against Bayern hahahah, Munich all over again because Jose will not allow us to be raped.

It's this friday, the supercup I think.

[Stingray 9,441]

We went to Old Trafford with a young, new team and got a point. We kept Van Persie quiet for most of the game and we showed some good things but were ultimately let down by some inaccurate passing which isn't that surprising this early in the season.

Some of the reactions in this thread are thoroughly embarrassing.....which might be a bad thing if it wasn't so utterly predictable nowadays.

3 games.

THREE GAMES.

Jose himself said it would take time. You don't just click a few buttons on a mouse and all of a sudden your team can play in a different style. It takes time.

We got a point away to the Champions. That's a good result right now.

I know that, mate. Still, why is there a taboo on saying we were really defensive? It was a very physical game, both teams really defended well. It looked like the first match on a world cup where nobody wants to lose. Games don't need goals to be entertaining, but that was hardly a spectacle, both sides cancelled each other out. Is it still allowed to say this, or do I break the Blue Omerta?

[bushman 2,043]

If you think this is packing the bus wait until next week against Bayern hahahah, Munich all over again because Jose will not allow us to be raped.

Well, I can´t wait till Friday to see Jose´s bombastic tactics again. I bet, he will play all the kids, then.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I know that, mate. Still, why is there a taboo on saying we were really defensive? It was a very physical game, both teams really defended well. It looked like the first match on a world cup where nobody wants to lose. Games don't need goals to be entertaining, but that was hardly a spectacle, both sides cancelled each other out. Is it still allowed to say this, or do I break the Blue Omerta?

It's not taboo, but it's just inaccurate to say we parked the bus. We simply worked hard and kept things tighter than usual.

We still attacked with numbers, we still had possession in their half for stretches of the game and we created some nice chances. This early in the season players struggle with basic passes sometimes, so you have to legislate for that and not go hell for leather.

United are a good team, they're the champions.

[Mouri_Matic 560]

It's this friday, the supercup I think.

Yeah I know hehe just some how imagine yesterday was like Sunday

Well, I can´t wait till Friday to see Jose´s bombastic tactics again. I bet, he will play all the kids, then.

Probably gonna play exact same line up today apart from a striker instead of Schurrle, judging by his sub today it will probably be Torres starting. Hope Willian is in the squad though.

[bushman 2,043]

Chelsea attacked with numbers ?

It must be that one corner, then.

[TrippingStep 336]

Spot on but I don't agree with dominating possession or even creating chances for that matter, one thing we couldn't do is keep the ball. The likes of Ramires and De Bruyne certainly weren't helping in that department. But i think i was the 10 percent who was really chuffed with the point.

People are expecting big things from us already.

Look I'm optimistic, and I do think we can challenge, win the title? Yes I think we have a good shot at it, but I don't expect it from Mourinho straight away. I think this time we actually need time, it was different 8 year ago, because it was our time then and we pretty much already had a team built from Ranieri. The team we have now is a very young team, so we just need time, and people are getting mad at a result like this it's just stupid. We should be happy for the point, there were a lot of positives from that game, although we have more quality than United they are still winners whether we like it or not, we can't just expect to bully them at there own ground and get a comfortable win.

It could not happen but I'm sure that if we had Benitez, two midfield reinforcements, a striker, the loanees back that we would be champion this year.

In the last 3 months, with a team playing every three days, we were the best team of the league, playing some good football.

What worries me now is the fact that Mata Luiz Azpi ( the more vocal supporters of Benitez) have not played.

And Hazard Ramires are not being used very good in those first matches.

[nachikethas 1,149]

Of course, we all should be happy to get a point, last night.

However, to be satisfied with the game plan & performance it is totally clueless in my opinion.

If I remember correctly, Di Mateo was fired because of this fucking park the bus tactics. So, why should I be pleased & praise Jose for it ?

that wasnt parking bus for sure. but yes it was frustrating for us.

[bushman 2,043]

Yeah I know hehe just some how imagine yesterday was like Sunday

Probably gonna play exact same line up today apart from a striker instead of Schurrle, judging by his sub today it will probably be Torres starting. Hope Willian is in the squad though.

I doubt, Jose will field the same squad on Friday. Most likely, the likes of Mikel, Essien, Lukaku, Azpi...get to play. I just hope, Chelsea won´t get creamed because Bayern is looking for revenge.

[Stingray 9,441]

It's not taboo, but it's just inaccurate to say we parked the bus. We simply worked hard and kept things tighter than usual.

We still attacked with numbers, we still had possession in their half for stretches of the game and we created some nice chances. This early in the season players struggle with basic passes sometimes, so you have to legislate for that and not go hell for leather.

United are a good team, they're the champions.

I never said we parked the bus :-)

[Stats 6,982]

Good to see Cahill have another strong game. So much people feared he would be skinned by RVP but was solid alongside Terry.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I never said we parked the bus :-)

i know you didn't.

Anyway....3 games, 7 points, Old Trafford ticked off. I expect us to give the players who need a run-out a go on Friday. Super Cup is nice but we need to get players fit, which means I wouldn't be surprised to see Mata, Luiz, Azpi, Mikel, Bertrand and maybe a couple of other surprises in there before getting back to the real matches,

[1chelsea 864]

It seems no one noticed that the mention of RVP is 2-3 time in the game did anybody see the striker. Come on Jose made all the RVP look like he is still in the bench....,wow