The Footie Thread

[HomerJSimpson]

United have won one in 10 of their last 10 European matches.... That's frankly pathetic.

Only going by the report on Sky. Is that correct anyway looking at the CL results for 2023/24. Didn't Sevilla beat them in a Europa quarter final (or was that the year before) https://www.manutd.com/en/matches/first-team/2023-24/champions-league

 

[Bdill93]

Only going by the report on Sky. Is that correct anyway looking at the CL results for 2023/24. Didn't Sevilla beat them in a Europa quarter final (or was that the year before) https://www.manutd.com/en/matches/first-team/2023-24/champions-league

Year before, they bowed out in the CL group stage last year having won one game.

Literal laughing stock of a club, their midfield and forward options wouldn't even get into this Villa side let along Liverpool, City or Arsenal... Long may it continue!

 

[Arthur Wedge]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1839046771462516818

 

[Swango1980]

United have won 1 in 10 of their last 10 European matches.... That's frankly pathetic.

It is. Of course, nobody claimed their performances in Champions League last season was good.

But, not sure what good it does cherry picking a set of fixtures to come to a set conclusion? Season before it was disappointing to go out in QF of Europa League, a competition we had done well in up to that point.

A shocker the next season in Champions League.

We are in a new season now. Champions League last year doesn't count for much. Had we won last night, handsomely, it still means little if you group last years results in as well.

 

[Bdill93]

It is. Of course, nobody claimed their performances in Champions League last season was good.

But, not sure what good it does cherry picking a set of fixtures to come to a set conclusion? Season before it was disappointing to go out in QF of Europa League, a competition we had done well in up to that point.

A shocker the next season in Champions League.

We are in a new season now. Champions League last year doesn't count for much. Had we won last night, handsomely, it still means little if you group last years results in as well.

It proves that come the important games, your players step back rather than up - and Ten Hag still hasn't addressed it.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It proves that come the important games, your players step back rather than up - and Ten Hag still hasn't addressed it.

Not sure that is entirely fair and it is important not to take one game out of complete context. I was only asking the question based on the Sky report. I would argue it is the PL form that is the bigger worry certainly in terms of European football next season

 

[Swango1980]

It proves that come the important games, your players step back rather than up - and Ten Hag still hasn't addressed it.

Most games are important, so not sure which games you mean? FA Cup Final was important last year, won that. Beat Liverpool on the way as well. League Cup final was important year before, won that.

Last season was generally a disaster. So if we still want to judge Utd in September of this season, based on what happened past season, then there won't be much positive to say. Although this side looks very different to last year.

5 games into league, on the side of disappointing but lost to Liverpool and Brighton away, which can happen. Easy start to EFL Cup. Flat start to Europa League. Early days still though.

 

[Bdill93]

Most games are important, so not sure which games you mean? FA Cup Final was important last year, won that. Beat Liverpool on the way as well. League Cup final was important year before, won that.

Last season was generally a disaster. So if we still want to judge Utd in September of this season, based on what happened past season, then there won't be much positive to say. Although this side looks very different to last year.

5 games into league, on the side of disappointing but lost to Liverpool and Brighton away, which can happen. Easy start to EFL Cup. Flat start to Europa League. Early days still though.

Mate you're blinkered by 2 cups, good luck to United, you need all you can get. No way on this earth you kick off the 2025/26 season with ETH as manager of United.

 

[Swango1980]

Mate you're blinkered by 2 cups, good luck to United, you need all you can get. No way on this earth you kick off the 2025/26 season with ETH as manager of United.

Blinkered by 2 cups? Not like they were 2 individual games. But I was responding to your point about coming short in the important games. It seems if anyone is blinkered on this, it may be yourself? Because you'll happily ignore any big games Utd do well in, so you can make a point about Utd falling short in big games.

Literally nobody is saying the final league position or Champions League were good last season. But it isn't like 100% of everything to do with Utd has been bad either.

 

[Bdill93]

Blinkered by 2 cups? Not like they were 2 individual games. But I was responding to your point about coming short in the important games. It seems if anyone is blinkered on this, it may be yourself? Because you'll happily ignore any big games Utd do well in, so you can make a point about Utd falling short in big games.

Literally nobody is saying the final league position or Champions League were good last season. But it isn't like 100% of everything to do with Utd has been bad either.

Pretty much is...

Honestly don't understand the mentality of defending a club that's in regression (which after 2 years is long enough to have turned around), you crack on but the 2 cups have papered over some very very large cracks. Your runs to the finals were also easy which is quickly forgotten..

If you'd have lost the cup final, ETH probably would have been sacked at the end of the season.

Questions for you -

What is your style of football under ETH?
What is your strongest 11? Have they played together?
Whats good about United at the moment?

 

[Swango1980]

Not sure the runs were that straight forward. Beating clubs like City, Liverpool and Forest in FA Cup last season. Think we had clubs like Forest, Villa and Newcastle in League Cup 2 seasons ago.

Style of football is an obsession in pundits, pretty much since Pep arrived. Never remember it being a huge thing beforehand, style of football could be adaptable from game to game. The style we have generally seen, last season especially, is clearly not what ETH wants. But, when any club had a poor season, is any manager content with what he had seen on the pitch? Probably not.

Strongest 11, probably, is Onana, Dalot, DeLigt, Martinez, Shaw, Ugarte, Mainoo, Bruno, Amad, Garnacho, Hojlund. But, we need a lot more than 11 to be ready to start, come off bench. So, Rashford showed some positive signs. Zirkzee had started a few, and looks to link up well. Ugarte only just joined. Eriksen showed some positive signs. Mazraoui been very promising.

If there are positives to be had, defence looks much more settled. Look to have more control in games. New signings settling in reasonably. Look stronger on the bench. Concerns, still struggle to see enough, or any players, with enough confidence to score a good number of goals. Can't point to anyone that I'd have confidence will get 20+ goals. Some sides have a striker who just scores for fun, others have 6 or 7 players who smack in a good number of goals each. Rashford is the only one that has ever really done it, but of course he is inconsistent. Hoping working with Ruud will make Hojlund and Zirkzee more confident in front of goal, of course Hojlund only just returned from injury so not seen much from him yet

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Pretty much is...

Honestly don't understand the mentality of defending a club that's in regression (which after 2 years is long enough to have turned around), you crack on but the 2 cups have papered over some very very large cracks. Your runs to the finals were also easy which is quickly forgotten..

If you'd have lost the cup final, ETH probably would have been sacked at the end of the season.

Questions for you -

What is your style of football under ETH?
What is your strongest 11? Have they played together?
Whats good about United at the moment?

The same point that was made in the summer

Rival fans were happy that ETH stayed as manager at United


Man Utd went to multiple managers to take the job and were left stuck with ETH

He is not good enough and won’t ever be good enough imo

 

[Bdill93]

The same point that was made in the summer

Rival fans were happy that ETH stayed as manager at United


Man Utd went to multiple managers to take the job and were left stuck with ETH

He is not good enough and won’t ever be good enough imo

I think you're bang on!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The same point that was made in the summer

Rival fans were happy that ETH stayed as manager at United


Man Utd went to multiple managers to take the job and were left stuck with ETH

He is not good enough and won’t ever be good enough imo

I think he's doing as well as he can under the pressures of the takeover and the policies introduced and the players he has/wants. United have had a number of high profile managers and since Ferguson who had a win % of 59.67% only Mourinho with his Europa cup and league cup win has a % even close at 58.33% and EtH has two cup wins - FA and league cup and he is on 56.56% so you could argue if he gets more time and the players he wants in the windows that win percentage will be close to both Mourinho and Ferguson

 

[Swango1980]

I think he's doing as well as he can under the pressures of the takeover and the policies introduced and the players he has/wants. United have had a number of high profile managers and since Ferguson who had a win % of 59.67 on Mourinho with his Europa cup and league cup win has a % even close at 58.33% and EtH has two cup wins - FA and league cup and he is on 56.56% so you could argue if he gets more time and the players he wants in the wondows that win percentage will be close to both Mourinho and Ferguson

Plus, we've literally just heard that one opposing fan wouldnt take ANY of Man Utd's midfielders or forwards in their side, let alone a side like City, Arsenal or Liverpool

Yet they then blame ETH for not getting such poor players to play a pleasing style of football and getting into the mix with these superior squads.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Plus, we've literally just heard that one opposing fan wouldnt take ANY of Man Utd's midfielders or forwards in their side, let alone a side like City, Arsenal or Liverpool

Yet they then blame ETH for not getting such poor players to play a pleasing style of football and getting into the mix with these superior squads.

How many of those “poor players” did ETH have a hand in getting ? Or was it just pure coincidence the level that he used to manage

 

[HampshireHog]

Plus, we've literally just heard that one opposing fan wouldnt take ANY of Man Utd's midfielders or forwards in their side, let alone a side like City, Arsenal or Liverpool

Yet they then blame ETH for not getting such poor players to play a pleasing style of football and getting into the mix with these superior squads.

I reckon they’d all take Kobbie Mainoo, but the rest a hard pass.

Equally, ETH should be able to have system with that squad that can create a performance against over 50% of teams. GD -1 last season embarrassing.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Players signed by EtH

Erik ten Hag's Man United signings​

Including add-ons

• Antony - £85million (£80.75m and another £4.25m)
• Rasmus Hojlund - £72m (£64m, with £8m in add-ons)
• Casemiro - £70m (£60m plus £10m in add-ons)
• Mason Mount - £60m (£55m plus £5m)
• Lisandro Martinez - £57m (£48.5m plus £8.5m - Further £2.2m in solidarity payments to Martinez's former clubs)
• Leny Yoro - £52m (plus £6m in add-ons)
• Andre Onana - £47.2m
• Matthijs de Ligt - £43m (£38m plus £4.5m)
• Joshua Zirkzee - £36m
• Noussair Mazraoui - £17m
• Tyrell Malacia - £14.6m
• Altay Bayindir - £4.3million
• Christian Eriksen - Free
• Jonny Evans - Free
• Sofyan Amrabat - Loan (£8.5m)
• Sergio Reguilon - Loan (No fee)
• Marcel Sabitzer - Loan (Undisclosed or No fee)
• Wout Weghorst - Loan (£2.5m compensation to cancel Besiktas loan, £2.6m fee to Burnley)
• Martin Dubravka - Loan (£2m)
• Jack Butland - Loan (Undisclosed or No fee)

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I reckon they’d all take Kobbie Mainoo, but the rest a hard pass.

Equally, ETH should be able to have system with that squad that can create a performance against over 50% of teams. GD -1 last season embarrassing.

I don’t tbink many Utd fans know what the style of play is that ETH is looking to play

 

[Pin-seeker]

The same point that was made in the summer

Rival fans were happy that ETH stayed as manager at United


Man Utd went to multiple managers to take the job and were left stuck with ETH

He is not good enough and won’t ever be good enough imo

The same points that are being made over & over & over again

At what point does it become obsessive?