Match Day Thread Southampton v Manchester United

You’re right, Glazerfodder. Let’s be patient with horrible and unwarranted team selection on the back of a great win. Let’s be patient on £250m of unused talents sitting on the bench quivering in their boots because Southampton is too much of a deep end to throw them in.

Let’s be patient!

 

So apart from Martial who would you have changed from that selection given that McT has a knock, Varane has only just met the players and has not had time to sus their weaknesses and strengths?
Sancho for Martial would be a good start, who else would you have changed?


Oh, and how would you have stopped Maguire, Lindeloff and Fred from having complete nightmares (players from last weeks great win), even Shaw and Obi Wan were piss poor.
Not the managers tactics or team selection just piss poor play from the team.

 

For one, don’t start Matic in a match going forward. He should be a squad player now and not a starter regardless of the knock on McTominay.

Two, stop playing Martial as a main striker. He is absolutely wasted in that position. Especially when he’s playing alone up front. We struggled in so many matches last season with Martial as number 9. It is just plain madness to keep staring him there.

Three, we spent £73m on a player and we can’t find a starting place for him. Please explain the logic. It certainly isn’t because of Euro 2020 because he barely played. If we think he’s not good enough to start, why the hell did we spend all year chasing him? Stick him in and let him find his feet.

Four, Varane should have started this match. Like Sancho, we need to see what the new additions have to offer on days like today, for better or for worse. Players do not get better sitting on the bench!

Five, we spent £37m on Diallo and I haven’t seen the man play enough for the club to know why we spent that much on him. There’s DvB for £40m who is also sitting pretty on the bench completely void of identity.

All these points are down to Ole’s style of management. Amazing squad, yet no one has any confidence in what we can produce because of our execution strategy and tactical play which are both just below expectations based on the last three years.

I’ll leave it as that… we’ll see if Ole can really become a Manchester United manager before his next contract comes up.

 

I can see Cytrax answered with his own thoughts but, personally, Greenwood would be striker, Sancho would be on the right, Donny VDB would be instead of Matic.

Going forward, Varane replaces Lindelof every single day.

Easy to say in hindsight I suppose but he picked the wrong team.

Again.

 

I can remember 12 months ago ppl saying let's wait to the end of the season. We heard this all season. When we got to the end it was a damp squib and we were told ah we need new players. Funny thing was we heard the same 24 months ago and I remember quoting it last year at the start of the season and saying we do this every season. And here we are, doing the same again.

Sorry, bollox, no. We're not doing that **** again. Every fcking game, every player and YES the manager will be judged on the performance and result. If ppl don't like it because it doesn't suit the agenda, I couldn't give a fck anymore.

 

Game two of the season. 1-1 draw... No big deal! No one wins the league after week 2. And you certainly don't lose the league because you got an away draw on match day week 2 to have four points on the board.

However, what I am absolutely mad about is that team selection which just seemed stupid even with my first post on the thread and now in hindsight completely inexcusable. To have both of our summer signings sitting on the bench is beyond my comprehension. To have Martial as a striker when Greenwood is on the pitch is outrageous. And to have Greenwood starting in the right position with Sancho on the bench, well... It goes on and one...

McTominay then got substituted for Fred with Matic staying on for another 10 minutes when it is clear that Mctominay and Fred play better together than apart. I simply can't figure out the preferred line-up.

On a lighter note which I still blame Ole for -
Don't laugh! Here is the last reason why I was absolutely going berserk this weekend when I saw that team sheet... I had Sancho down in my fantasy team having paid £9.5m for him before the season started. He has now net me mighty 2 points from two matches. I could have had Pogba for £7.5m and grab 20points. I am p!ssed!!! lol

 

Just chill, Messi can't get a game at PSG yet. Varane and Sancho might be a yard or two off the pace just now so keep them back and play them when they are fit and ready, the same with Cavani. So much negativity already - jeeez

 

Never ever expected Varane to get any game time this week, the man hasn't even trained with his potential partners yet.
Was surprised Sancho didn't get more minutes since he got a few last game.
My only complaint was playing Martial as striker when we know he can't play there, Martial on the left (if anywhere), James on the right and Greenwood in the middle.

Wouldn't have stopped Maguire, Lindeloff, Matic, Fred (and in truth both fullbacks) being **** though.

 

Messi just had a very emotional and public breakup. Please don’t use him as an example. Further, PSG weren’t exactly a bad team going for goals without Messi. They can afford to not play him for the whole season and tie Mbappe to a chair all season and still win that amazing French league by ten points.

United on the other hand, we can’t afford to have new players siting on the bench to get fit.

 

I’m sure Lukaku had a full year to train with his potential teammates to have an impact yesterday.

This is why we are forever a team in transition. We always have to wait for the stars to align.

 

Bit different running up front and making your own space to have attempts at goal and working as a partnership to stop an opposition attack but nice try anyway.

Have you ever played football or watched it to any degree?

 

This is ridiculous! You’re essentially making up excuses at this point.

When most teams spend £40m to buy a player, they stick them in right away in most cases. They don’t leave them on the bench to learn about their teammates.

Like I said, you don’t learn about your teammates by sitting tight on the bench. That assertion is counterintuitive.

 

You also wouldn't throw a centre half straight into a game either, to be honest.

Can see why Varane is being phased in but Sancho now needs to be in the side, on the right.

Dan James can go left, it's not like Sancho actually needs to play there.

 

I'm pleased that Ole is easing the new signings into the squad set up. Varane in particular is having to adapt to a new style of play, a new intensity of play, the language and all the other things that come with moving to a new country/culture and getting his family settled. Imagine if he was rushed into the side and, for whatever reason, had a mare of a game then his confidence could be hit and might take more than two games to recover. Less so in the case of Sancho, but he too has to adapt to the intensity and physicality of the PL (despite his time with England - club football is different.) We'll see more of them both when they and the boss are ready.

If we need to know what can happen to a world class player who doesn't settle then just think about Di Maria.......

 

So hard to adapt it's taken over a year to ease in Van De Beek lol

 

RVDB doesn't play simply because he's crap

 

I just love the way whatever decision Ole makes you seem to be able to read his mind. It would be great if you could do that before a game rather than after it.

Oh and so are Fred, Matic and Martial. Doesn't seem to stop them playing.

He can pick the under 18's as far as I'm concerned as long as both the performance and the result proves it to be correct btw.

 

I don't think Fred is as bad as you make out but it's patently obvious Matic is no longer a feasible option and his selection smacked of "Southampton are ****e, let's give Matic a run" to me. Which is arrogant and misfired.

Although it didn't necessarily misfire with his selection itself, it misfired by leaving him on the ****ing pitch when there were more mobile and less ****ed options sat on the bench who could have been used sooner instead.


We've got the squad, the stumbling block to our success will be the manager. Just like it was last season.

He needs to get over this ridiculous pig headedness. Although one thing I do admire in a way is his **** it, I'm right, stance. Even though he very often isn't!

 

Each time VDB has had a chance he's blown it.

 

And I still believe that there are more signings to come this window which should hopefully strengthen our midfield options.