Another performance which left a lot to be desired

Against lower league opposition we should be doing a lot better, sorry but we should.

Gibson had another shocker, did absoulutley nothing in the middle. Obertan was horrific aswell. Lost the ball too much. Defence wasnt great. What do these two bring to the plate? They are awful footballers. Awful.

Fergie has got to start taking games against lesser opposition more seriously, we could have put a strong team out from the start and battered them. Rooney should have played. Perfect chance for him score had the team been good.

Credit to soton they were good. But am I wrong to expect a lot more?

 

a lot of it is to do with fergies insistence on playing that ****ing awful 4-3-3 formation when theres absolutely no need to.

both against blackpool and southampton, we started with this dire formation. we then changed it, and also changed the personel so that we could play a 4-4-2 (not just sticking gibson out to the left, but bringing giggs on to play there) and look at the difference it makes.

 

Too true and Ive always liked malteasers too!

 

It does seem that the 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation isn't working for us in recent games – maybe it's partly down to Park's absence?

 

Nothing to do with the formation this time imo. Fergie had never lost an FA Cup tie against lower leaqgue opposition before last season. Unfortunately, he has treated the competition more and more in Carling Cup terms in recent years and when you throw out a team that have never played together before, you will get performances like our first half yesterday. There are some of those squad players who are getting games but consistently let the side down and it's not just the much maligned Gibson who falls into that category. Thank God for Ryan Giggs who I thought couldn't produce it any more but has played some great stuff when we really need it.

 

Ah come on.
Not ONE regular defender, not one regular forward. Make-shift midfield and we still end up winning.

You can't expect players who don't play alongside each other all the time to be able to read each other's movement.

 

Which makes the selction all the more baffling, particularly when every time we play such a weak team, we wind up trailing and needing to bring the big guns on. This time it was successful. On other occasions it wasn't unfortunately. The one common trend is that we have always needed to bring the big guns in though.

 

He has got to stop putting these two bob teams out. Yestetday rooney should have played, he needs a goal and would have been a perfect chance with a strong team out.

 

We initially set up with a midfield diamond leaving us with no width. When was the last time a United team playing without any wingers?

As for the team selection, we won. We have some tough fixtures coming up with Villa on tuesday and Man City on Saturday. Give the first team a rest to play in those tough fixtures.

 

It's all down to the formation. Gibson has put in good performances for us in the past, so has Obertan. Didn't you notice how much more dangerous Obertan looked when he was shifted out to the right? A diamond indicates 2 wingers, we had one winger starting- Obertan- and we played 4-3-3 with Ando, Scholes and Gibson in midfield and a 3 up front of Obertan, Owen and Hernandez. Ridiculous.

 

Actually I always thought a Diamond indicated a narrow midfield with an attacking midfielder behind the two strikers and the full backs providing the width. Obertan and Hernandez were clearly further forward than Owen and neither worked the channels to provide any width.

 

when you throw out a team that have never played together before, you will get performances like our first half yesterday.


Spot on supermerrystevie

10 changes didn't work against West Ham earlier in the season (lost 4-0), it didnt work when Leeds beat us 0-1 last year and it barely worked yesterday. How many players that started yesterday - were in good form?



TheStrettyEnd

Gibson did not play in the middle. He was deployed on the right of an experimental diamond shape midfield. He was shunted out to the left vs Blackpool. I really feel sorry for the guy. He clearly is not a wide player and lacks pace to cause problems in those areas. His confidence must be completely shot and who can blame him.

It seems he is expected to be selected once in a blue moon, play out of position, and play a blinder.