Match Day Thread Time to look at our defence 2023/2024

They didn't have to do anything

 

I think I mentioned pre match the set piece thing and how last year I expected West Brom to Tonk us but they came and never delivered a single decent ball... well utd didnt deliver one set piece to beat the first man.

I thought lovren did ok v lukaku but he had it easy and I felt the rb union commentating for sky gave motm to Gomez cos Mourinho put martial and then lingers or Rashford up against him.

Salah and coutiho played quite well... Moreno played at least as well as he had to actually head the ballcos Mourinho lumped l9ng balls at his channel.

We should acknowledge Moreno getting up in the air and winning headers. A lot of teams have targeted him so far.

 

United full backs barely crossed the halfway line.

Lukaku was completely isolated, it was an easy afternoon for your backline

 

Most teams see Moreno as the weakest link, however Moreno is learning fast

 

More or less. We still isolated or cms a lot but really we were given the ball and if you add in how bloody awfulmutds set piece was... 30% possession and no set piece = a light day.

There were still two chance for Utd they missed. That's the way it goes.

We missed two good chances too.

 

He is timing the leap and getting a really good leap as well.

Hoffenheim started it and he was a mess. He has improved there ever the 5/6 games.

 

Jose Mourinho is the happiest manager, he came for a draw.

 

Individual error cost us again. Though before the ball was kicked I would have taken a draw.

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Honestly Moreno made some excellent clearances yesterday. The penalty was a dive

 

Come on. We keep making excuses for him. Moreno was and is a mistake waiting to happen. he was the reason why we didn't win yesterday.

The primary job of a defender is to defend and to avoid making catastrophic mistakes that cost goals. If we play him and we are sure to concede 1-2 goals through his failures, what's the point of playing him even if he makes great clearances? A bit like having a great goalkeeper who can make miraculous saves but guaranteed to let one in through a mistake. Would you play him? no.

As for the "dive", it may have been exagerated but it was 100% a pen. When you flick a leg and catches the foot of the attacker, it is a foul.

 

moreno is a disaster waiting to happen and has rightly had this reputation for being a clamity.

I think you are being a little harsh on him this year as i wouldn't say there's been any goals let in that have been directly his fault (maybe against hoffenheim and at best diving in at watford). He's just been your standard run of the mill defender.

Where i think he's being overrated by the likes of Jimmy is his attacking strengths. You could argue he runs and "makes" space by offering that energy and an outlet, but in terms of what he does with the ball, he might as well be djimi traore. I have no idea why Robertson doesn't get a look in

 

He stood on the guy and he decided to go down.

it's a pen cos Moreno gave the ref a decision to make.

I don't even rate him as a run off the mill defender as 90% of run of the mill journeymen you see doing the job week in and week out are limited on the ball but don't get out of position like this guy does

Literally we watched him yesterday decide for some reason his position was no danger and he could just run out of it into a central area chasing the ball then one pass exposes the whole team in that left channel. He did it first half leading directly to a goal chance which seville missed. In the second half he repeated the trick then chansed back and barged a guy in the back giving a free away.

He then having given the free jumps poort at near stick letting guy have free header for a goal.

form then his head is gone. His head could have been gone in the first half i don't know.

He dived in on half way line and got beaten so pulled a guy down. i felt it was a good foul but he must have lost the head then.

Its the indiscipline of just haring off into someone else's area for no good reason that just blows all his good work.


I agree btw on he might as well be traore. Djimi was under rated going forward. he was a **** player but he could run.



All we need is someone who will hold the shape.

 

To be fair, he has a horror 20 mins spell but was actually ok either side.

Having said that, he did gift momentum and goals to Sevilla.

It shouldn’t take away from the fact that he has been our best defender this season and has improved considerably.

 

@Jimmy Squarefoot .Maybe Moreno have a soft spot for his own town club.

 

I think best defender is pushing it a bit but he's been much better and people are just being quick to jump back on the bandwagon.

 

Yes, stretching it to say that he was our BEST defender this season. Having said that, it is like identifying which is the best free newspaper in North Korea.

As to saying he had a nightmare 20 minutes but was ok either side Is it like saying the goal keeper dropped the ball into net twice from corners and two balls went under his body and had a nightmare few minutes. But apart from that he had a sound match

 

First half he had a howler and they failed to score. He got done completely on the half way line and had to foul for the yellow.

Tbh they were more focused on our right side than left first half.

Second half he had only nine headed clearance and otherwise was a complete nightmare

 

I think he has been our best defender - now that’s not saying a lot and I’m not saying he’s been Maldini.

But who else has been better than him? ..

 

Gomez and TAA. Klavan's even done well when caked upon. Can't recall any of them having a nightmare like Moreno did against Sevilla.