[Shimo]

Not surprising that Madrid were a class above for good portions of the game. However, we showed some signs of troubling them. A few bright spots like Matic and Smalling performance but, not so much from Pogba - he needs to step up big time for us this season.

Overall not too fussed about the result except for one thing - 2-1 down and we don't risk bringing Martial to just go for it. Makes absolute no sense.

 

[Suedesi]

Spending alone guarantees nothing. Real.madrid took 5 or 6 years before getting it right. City have been spending big and yet after almost 8 years they have just won 2 league title and a semi final appearance in ucl. We need to bring stability and slowly we are attaining that.

Do you think we are attaining stability with Mourinho? Serious question, how long do you think he will last?

 

[Pyro19]

I'm okay with starting Rashford on the left side and keep Martial as a sub to be used later on as Rashford does deserve his chance a bit more.

However , Jesse Lingard should never ever be starting for us if we have both Martial and Rashford available to pick.

Overall a good game , they're still the best side in Europe and we gave a decent account of ourselves.

 

[ricky-romeo]

matic is a great addition to our midfield.

martial has a right to be annoyed. one of our better performer during pre season and didn't even get a minute today.

attack still a big worry imo. lukaku will score and will miss chances, he'll probably equal or better zlatan's tally of 28 goals but others need to step up big time.

 

[shabadu84]

Do you think we are attaining stability with Mourinho? Serious question, how long do you think he will last?

What were your thoughts on this, say, at the time of the EL final? Did you want him gone immediately at the end of that match? Or, more likely even if you really hate the guy, you figured he'd at least earned the chance to show. Do you think that chance is over after 1 match vs Real Madrid? Is that really what you'll be judging him after we just added 3 new players?

 

[Freak]

Our finishing remains poor. Which is worrying since we only seem to have addressed it by buying Lukaku which is not enough.

 

[Suedesi]

What were your thoughts on this, say, at the time of the EL final? Did you want him gone immediately at the end of that match? Or, more likely even if you really hate the guy, you figured he'd at least earned the chance to show. Do you think that chance is over after 1 match vs Real Madrid? Is that really what you'll be judging him after we just added 3 new players?

I was just curious why the prior poster thought we are attaining stability with Mourinho when in his entire career he hasn't stayed longer than 3 full seasons in the same club.
My thoughts are that, despite past performance not being an indicator of future results, Mourinho will be gone after next season. His negative brand of football will not endear him to many United fans, and as soon as success on the field stops (or is not attained) he will be gone.

 

[SouthPredators4]

A few thoughts.

1) This game once again exposed a serious need for 2 ball player fullbacks cos when Real Madrid pushed up, our midfield is completely overwhelmed. LB is completely non existent though i think Darmian defended quite decently.

2) Our midfield trio was okay and Matic was outstanding as a DM. However, in the highest level, i think Herrera isn't good enough. We need somebody to keep the midfield ticking and correct tempo, while Pogba plays the free role like Isco. Somebody like Verrati or Kovacic would be ideal.

3) Lingard is a waste of space but Mkhitaryan offers no width as he likes to drift central. An attacking RB is crucial given Valencia isnt the greatest at that.

 

[Sagittarius13]

Mata and Martial should've played, I have to recognize that when Fellaini came on we looked more dangerous in attack, when he's on the pitch he offers a good aereal control and threat. Lukaku is my main concern, childish errors. We still need another top signing.

 

[Nighteyes]

Madrid's first goal summed up where we need to improve. You had their Right Back playing a through ball to their holding midfielder. Jose needs to be more aggressive. We can't be starting games with Darmian who gets a nose bleed every time he crosses the half way line. I'd rather play Mitchell there even if he's half the defender.

 

[sglowrider]

We are a young team both in terms of average age but also European experience and it showed last night. As a result, we lacked composure and the smarts to play at the very highest level.

Like the Fergie years/teams they had to build up their experience and eventually had the composure to play different teams with varying styles and we were consistently challenging for the EC for a decade or so.

RM played like a team that had been together a few years, knowing where each other will be and how each other will play/move.

We are a few years behind RM in that aspect. We will need time and more experience to develop that composure and then the ability to execute the different strategies at the highest levels.

Patience is required.

 

[Earthquake]

Not an end of the world game, but we could have done better.

Pogba needs to cop on and learn about teamwork, rather than trying to take the glory.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

We showed signs of being a threat in transition counters. We just need to clean up decision making. Anyone who expected us to be playing swash buckling attacking football vs this Madrid is a naive clown. Last nights games was a fantastic learning experience.

 

[Hamadovich86]

If your granny had balls....

If you had any ...

 

[MuranoLover]

On the bright side :

- Matic is a great player , his aura is class and he will greatly improve us , but I don't know putting Herrera on the right will be good for Ander

- Marcus and Fellaini have proved again they live for the idea to play for Man United and really get into it showing desire to win and going on and on and on

- Miki made some great passes and if he only improves his stamina he will make lots of assists this season

On the dark side :

- Pogba showed once more that vs a great side , the tension gets onto him and he made a list of mistakes , some really annoying ones

- Lukaku was far too isolated , we need wingers

- Marcus is no winger , please , don't play him there , play him besides Romelu

- Awful defending performance , we need Rojo and Bailly as fast as we can

 

[Lam]

Could have been 4-1 for RM or 3-2 for us...that sort of a game....Rashford, Martial & Pogba generally get into good goal scoring positions but are inconsistent whereas Mkhi and Mata are very consistent with their finishing but don't get into such positions frequently like the other 3. I hope we improve on this or this could be a major issue.

 

[gica_7]

I am not as pessimistic as most. I think we played good enough. There were a bunch of positions which could have gone our way if our players were more used to this stage. Madrid is a finished product and we managed to give them a fight at least.

We have seen that we need another creator who can score. I don't know why Martial was not used but one way or another we should buy that player.

 

[stygg]

Reminds me of the CL final 2011 at Wembley. We play a far superior team who we manage to put pressure on the first 15 minutes (and score!) and after that the opponents is just to good. We get a couple of chances in the second half but it's not enough.

 

[fredriti]

The one RM player that was the difference maker to me was Marcelo. He is the kind of Left Back that Utd really needs. His attacking play wrought havic on Utd's left side. I don't know who is out there but Utd needs someone who can do what Marcelo does. Hope Shaw when healthy can be Utd's Marcelo

 

[Loon]

BBC Sports report almost gleefully reporting our loss. Talking about us not even deserving our goal.

 

[RooneyLegend]

Ronaldo left United years ago fella

Guess i should have said even though Madrid were without Ronaldo, we didn't look like winning at any point.

You need to give up football, or football forums.

Deary me, we were outclassed for the vast majority of that match and couldn't string passes together for large periods.

Not terrible. They had that spell where we couldnt catch them but overall it was decent. Not to mention we had 2 good chances to score and the same amount of shots in the end.

How is it not terrible when a team can't 'catch' another team? when a team opens a team time and time again?

 

[MUFAN79]

Feck me, If there's any team we should play defensive against it is Madrid.

Agreed but with more aggression. We are to passive defensively.
Hopefully it will get better.

 

[ijc]

Can't complain. Gave a good game to the current best team in the world. The mighty Juve defence condeded 4 against this lot. And we could've drawn if Rashford had finished the chance. But then again we could've been 3-0 down and finished.

NB: Attitude wise, Fellaini is right up there as one of our best players. An unsung hero. He really should be appreciated more. Not the first name on the teamsheet but he's a game changer in his own, unique way.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Its laughable that many are moaning about being out classed. What did you freaking expect? Real Madrid are by far the best club side in the making with an 3 year experience of gelling behind them. Last nights games was learning exam. Instead of moaning about outclassing we should be happy they didn't take us to the cleaners since we gave a decent enough fight for ourselves. Given the gulf in class between us.

 

[Nytram Shakes]

On the bright side :

- Matic is a great player , his aura is class and he will greatly improves us , but I don't know putting Herrera on the right will be good for Ander

- Marcus and Fellaini have proved again they live for the idea to play for Man United and really get into it showing desire to win and going on and on and on

- Miki made some great passes and if he only improves his stamina he will make lots of assists this season

On the dark side :

- Pogba showed once more that vs a great side , the tension gets onto him and he made a list of mistakes , some really annoying ones

- Lukaku was far too isolated , we need wingers

- Marcus is no winger , please , don't play him there , play him besides Romelu

- Awful defending performance , we need Rojo and Bailly as fast as we can

im not sure just buying wingers is the answer, it was very obvious players had been told to stay back and defend, so while i agree buying players who are more comfortable in wide roles will help the balance of the team, unless they are allowed to attack Lukaku is still going to be isolated.

 

[iportman]

Its laughable that many are moaning about being out classed. What did you freaking expect? Real Madrid are by far the best club side in the making with an 3 year experience of gelling behind them. Last nights games was learning exam. Instead of moaning about outclassing we should be happy they didn't take us to the cleaners since we gave a decent enough fight for ourselves. Given the gulf in class between us.

why is their a such a gulf in class ? , why has that been allowed to happen ?, we are the richest club in the world yet we field a team with the likes of lingard and fellani .The glaizers are and always have been a cancer in the club , that team needs a 500 million to 1 billion rebuild to compete with Europes best

 

[2 man midfield]

We'll learn from this and knock them out of the CL later on this season. You heard it here first.

 

[RoyH1]

Not a bad effort against currently the best side in the world. We troubled them a couple of times. We need another signing or two. I'd love us to get a more technical midfielder in there to give us better quality in possession.

 

[Listar]

One concern I have from today's game is that the players misunderstand that it is a 3-5-2, not 5-3-2. one long red line at the back being stationary does nothing since one diagonal ball cuts us right through. Boy oh boy there is a lot of work needs to be done on this formation, and the next game is 4 days away.

 

[ants7]

Predicted 3:1 win to Real Madrid so can't say I'm too surprised nor disappointed. Real showed their quality (even though the first goal was apparently offside) but they were all over us anyway. I was a bit sad not to see Martial coming on.

I definitely won't be losing any sleep over this result.

Let's see how we get the things off in OT on Sunday. Can't wait!

 

[manichester]

Another concern is without Valencia we have little down the right of the pitch he can't play every game. Jose has Martial and Rashford both right footers but rarely uses them on the right transferring Darmien to right back and we have no threat on that side.

 

[Cnaiür urs Skiötha]

Overall an entertaining game. In the first half the gap in quality was obvious.
We showed some spirit and instead of getting smashed after the second goal we came pretty close to equalize.
Modric was immense but Matic looked great too. It will take some time but I believe he will form a great partnership with Pogba.
Defense was shaky on both sides.
We really could do with an additional attacker/winger.

I have not been a fan of going for Perisic but I think he could have made a difference yesterday.
Mkhi showed some glimpses of what he can do. I hope he can nail down a starting place.
Lingard useless like most of the time.
No idea how he is able to get his name in the team sheet.

 

[AgentP]

During the match I thought Lindelof was to blame for the Isco goal, but looking back at it, I don't really see how we could have stopped that goal. No one could have stopped it really without conceding a penalty. Our players were not positioned well to do anything about it. Another thing I find strange is when Rashford was through on goal, he could have easily taken the shot with this right foot but he opted for his left. Even the angle would have been better if he had gone with his right foot. I guess he is still not confident one on one and tends to panic.

 

[Treble]

We didn't look like a top team for most of the game - neither in defence nor in attack. Madrid were creating chances with easy and if they had Ronaldo in good form, it could have got ugly.

 

[Siorac]

We have learnt nothing new from this. It will likely be the same old: we will struggle to break down teams who park the bus because we lack the creativity and finesse and we will struggle against intelligent and technical sides who press high and have the quality to pull it off. In those games our best hope is to park the bus and try to pull off a smash and grab with aiming balls over the top to Lukaku or even Fellaini.

Lingard is useless, Martial is pretty much gone. Pogba needs to pull his head out of his arse.

 

[Crimson King]

During the match I thought Lindelof was to blame for the Isco goal, but looking back at it, I don't really see how we could have stopped that goal. No one could have stopped it really without conceding a penalty. Our players were not positioned well to do anything about it. Another thing I find strange is when Rashford was through on goal, he could have easily taken the shot with this right foot but he opted for his left. Even the angle would have been better if he had gone with his right foot. I guess he is still not confident one on one and tends to panic.

I know Madrid were the better team and deserved the win, but we were a bit unlucky with both the goals...

First one was offside and although the second was a good move you can see that Isco actually trips Matic in the build up. I don't think he meant to, and I'm not sure Matic would have intercepted the pass anyway. Still, when was it okay to trip people from behind, accidentally or otherwise?

Small gripe. On to West Ham!

 

[red4ever 79]

For me it was no different to last season and that failure falls firmly with the manager. Last season we failed to score enough goals and we have not upgraded in that area. We struggle to retain possession, again was a factor last night, we set up too cowardly at the beginning of matches, again apparant last night

We are in for a rude awakening this season. Top 4 would be a bonus for me. How can a club like us not have a winger!

 

[GM K]

Never thought I would say it but Fellaini has grown on me. He and Rashford changed the game.

Pogba and Herrera worried me. I will go as far as saying they both cost us the game. They were completely outclassed in the midfield and they took a number of shocking decisions when they had the ball.

Matic is a beast. What a steal.

I am also beginning to like Dermian.

Jose is way too cautious in the big games. He used to win them a lot before so no complaints then but now, he loses or draws game after game whenever he meets the top teams. Rashford and Martial should have started. The Real Madrid defence was waiting to be stretched.

 

[GM K]

We can't compete at that level with Fellaini, Smalling and Lingard on our books. We will do well in the PL that's about it.

Can we pls stop mentioning Fellaini in posts like this? It's as if we have a fixed mindset about him but the evidences in recent times, show otherwise. I am beginning to struggle to remember the last game he underperformed. He did not put a foot wrong yesterday. He and Rashford, offered a new dimension for the team, his ball distribution was excellent and he made the Madrid defence very uncomfortable.

Pogba and Herrera were the worst culprits yesterday. Admittedly, Lingard was also useless.

 

[Connolly]

I wouldn't be anyway surprised at the result. If you strip this back, it's the reigning Champions League holders against a side that is still trying to find its feet. It's one thing to beat Ajax in a Europa League final and a completely different task in playing Madrid, with or without Ronaldo, in any sort of half - competitive affair.

For me though, one of the largest attributing facts to the rapid downturn in performance, was the sweltering height. They stated it was above 30° for the entire match. In no way, shape or form are we anyway used to that. I was watching on RTE (an Irish channel) and after 9 minutes, Ray Houghton (commentator on regular ocassions) stated that 'I know we're only 8/9 minutes into this but I reckon Man Utd will be half decent this season'. Then, like the click of fingers, it changed. It's easy attribute that to Madrid using the intensity but it also has to be factored into the heat. Anytime you need water breaks during a game, it speaks for itself.

It's not that I'm trying to take away from a poor performance, I'm simply trying to take the obvious positives out of this. Before the heat/humidity and Madrid's intensity took over, we were controlled and counter attacking with real pose. Lingard, regardless of what he can do, should.not be starting. Martial, regardless of what he can not do, should be there 100% of the time instead of him. Lukaku, as I've stated on several occasions, will absolutely benefit from a strike partner. Playing himself and Rashford together will reap reward, Mark my words.