[Alexit]

Sanchez is horrid isn't he. Best thing about him was that intro on the piano when he signed.

Ref was really bad too. Talk about tactics and Ole getting schooled all you like, the man in black had a lot more to say about how this one turned out.

 

[pierrethesnack]

So to be clear, you aren’t actually complaining about the atmosphere based on empirical evidence, but you’re perception of the atmosphere based solely on the TV production team’s capturing, mixing and broadcasting of the atmosphere.

Whatever noise you receive via TV is more down to the placement of microphones and sound mixing than any objective representation of the noise produced by various elements of the crowd.

If the sound mix was ever true to what people experience in the stadium, you would never be able to hear the commentators or the managers pitchside.

By all means, lament the atmosphere if you ever any evidence that it was poor, but don’t pretend for a second that the sound mix of the TV broadcast is an accurate representation of what the players would hear.

I thought this was a known problem at Old Trafford, something with the microphones and acoustics making it sound like the oppo fans are much more vocal than they are in reality?

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

So to be clear, you aren’t actually complaining about the atmosphere based on empirical evidence, but you’re perception of the atmosphere based solely on the TV production team’s capturing, mixing and broadcasting of the atmosphere.

Whatever noise you receive via TV is more down to the placement of microphones and sound mixing than any objective representation of the noise produced by various elements of the crowd.

If the sound mix was ever true to what people experience in the stadium, you would never be able to hear the commentators or the managers pitchside.

By all means, lament the atmosphere if you ever any evidence that it was poor, but don’t pretend for a second that the sound mix of the TV broadcast is an accurate representation of what the players would hear.

There goes the typical argument of 'non-match going fans have no business criticising the atmosphere'.

I agree the TV noise is down to positioning of microphones, but I have watched enough football to discern different types of atmospheres based on that evidence alone. I know which chant I'm listening to, and I know when there is none. I know the general direction from which the noise is coming, and I sure as heck feel the difference when I'm listening to commentary from Anfield as compared to that at Old Trafford. I remember looking up if it was down to the broadcast, and getting confirmation of my observation with reports from match-goers. One of my closest friends holds a season ticket in E138, and I just had a messenger chat with him where he talked about the dead atmosphere among other things.

Apologies if I'm not top red enough for you, but I think I know what I'm talking about when I criticize the atmosphere.

 

[Sayros]

Why not show a bit of class though instead of coming with snide and bitter remarks directed towards United fans because some booed him (he kind of deserved that to be honest after his spell at the club). One guy threw a bottle, everyone else cannot be held accountable for that. Strange timing attempting what you call ‘banter’ after one of the most frustrating defeats in years. And for the record, it was clearly not banter. It seems like you were «offended» by the overconfidence among United fans, delighted when PSG won and just had to rub it in. I was quite far down (and still am) after the loss, mostly due to the feeling that if the ref was doing his job properly United would’ve been playing 11 against 10 for the majority of the game. Therefore it’s quite provocative reading posts like yours saying United fans got what they deserved etc.

Anyway, we’re derailing this thread. This belongs in the post match thread so if you want to reply to this please quote me and copy/paste it in that thread instead.

It's banter, I didn't say anything that was bitter. Sorry if you feel I was being snide and bitter. It was not my intention, but I was delighted for Di Maria to perform in such an environment.

 

[Pscholes18]

How much of this was on Ole? Should we be worries tactically going forward?

 

[RK]

There goes the typical argument of 'non-match going fans have no business criticising the atmosphere'.

I agree the TV noise is down to positioning of microphones, but I have watched enough football to discern different types of atmospheres based on that evidence alone. I know which chant I'm listening to, and I know when there is none. I know the general direction from which the noise is coming, and I sure as heck feel the difference when I'm listening to commentary from Anfield as compared to that at Old Trafford. I remember looking up if it was down to the broadcast, and getting confirmation of my observation with reports from match-goers. One of my closest friends holds a season ticket in E138, and I just had a messenger chat with him where he talked about the dead atmosphere among other things.

Apologies if I'm not top red enough for you, but I think I know what I'm talking about when I criticize the atmosphere.

I just had a chat with a match-goer who claimed the atmosphere was good with plenty of singing for Ole. To me, the TV "atmosphere" didn't make sense and I was sceptical to believe it, so reached out to a few that went. It would've been very unusual for our home crowd to be so flat for a game like this, at least before the second goal.

Also, I think you were too quick to take offense here and fire back with "top red" to what was a very reasonable post about how TV broadcasts aren't a true representation of the crowd.

 

[Cockney Phil]

Well the Ole bubble has finally burst. I think Tuchel was showing United fan cams to his players to get them fired up and then did a classic job on us by blunting the midfield and forwards. They smothered our width, which meant we had few options and no guile to unlock them. Fair enough but some of our players also appeared to shrink. Martial disappeared after 10 minutes and then Pogba faded and then by 30 minutes we looked in trouble which led to the injuries. Ole was under pressure and threw in the only hand he could effectively play - Sanchez and Mata but they were overwhelmed by PSG’s smothering tactics. I still think we can beat them in Paris.

The game brought a positive, like the Spurs game. Against Spurs we saw what the squad can do and tonight we saw what this squad can’t do. The greater part of the problem is squad depth. Lukaku and Sanchez are done, nothing can recover their failure. Matic, Herrera and Pogba are good by Prem standards but their eleoquence doesn’t stretch. The defence is OK but it wobbles. I think we need five players in the summer.

I hope we learn from this game and yes, I hope Ole still gets the job.

 

[Macern]

It's banter, I didn't say anything that was bitter. Sorry if you feel I was being snide and bitter. It was not my intention, but I was delighted for Di Maria to perform in such an environment.

Fair enough. Di Maria didn’t deserve that cheering when he fell into that fence. Some of the fans were embarrassing.

How much of this was on Ole? Should we be worries tactically going forward?

Doesn’t seem like the loss was due to tactics. No flow in the game because of the ref blowing the whistle on everything. A lucky 0-1 goal from a player who should’ve been sent off disrupted the game and the complete lack of quality from Mata and Alexis made it too difficult against a fantastic defense.

We should worry about the depth in the squad rather than the manager. We have got a very good XI (except for Young), but our alternatives are no where near the quality required to compete against teams like PSG.

 

[AndyMUFC]

Beaten by a better team. It’s a testament to how well Solskjaer has done that we thought we had a chance really but they’re better than us without a doubt.

Tihht first half and then we didn’t get much luck with the injuries to be fair. Lingard and Martial going off killed any potential attacking threat we had, because Mata and Sánchez (who is fecking awful) are not good enough against this calibre of opposition.

Isn’t the first time we’ve lost this sort of game in Europe and won’t be the last so let’s give it a go in the second leg and then try and focus domestically.

 

[K2K]

Also how much must Mbappe be worth? Quiet in the first half but they could just step up a couple of gears. Scarily I see City going after him, they are one of the few that could afford him.

PSG aren't in the business of selling their best players.

Bigger clubs than City have tried.

 

[SteveJ]

I could've done without Tuchel's bloody annoying Freddie Mercury/Klopp tribute act on the sidelines...

 

[Reiver]

The ref was awful, no doubt. But we got what we deserved from the match, which was nothing.

Their key players turned up. Thiago Silva was good. Marquinhos marked Pogba out the game. And they utilised Mbappe well. Collectively, we were extremely disappointing.

Tuchel has had longer with his players and got them playing the way he wants. They can afford to miss 2 of their big name players. OGS doesn't seem to have developed a Plan B yet and perhaps he was found out, at least to some extent, tactically. But he's not had the time with the squad Tuchel has and it definitely has it's limitations. Won't judge OGS on this game alone. The ECL knockout stage is a big step for him and it seems unfair to judge him on this competition at present.

Hopefully this gives everyone at the club a bit of a reality check- the board in that investment us needed and the whole coaching team in that there is still work to he done to get the team to the required standard.

 

[Paxi]

 

[TMDaines]

There goes the typical argument of 'non-match going fans have no business criticising the atmosphere'.

But you generally don’t. You can’t assess the atmosphere as you weren’t there. You’re trying to assess something based on an inadequate proxy. The sound of a TV broadcast is not trying to be a accurate document of the noise experienced by those on the pitch.

 

[VeevaVee]

We never looked like scoring and we never look like a proper unit. Pathetic display whatever way you spin it. Very worrying that if you mark Pogba out of the game you basically nullify most of our creativity.
Martial and Sanchez were exceptionally rubbish.

Yeah, it just shows that we need more outlets. A real outlet on the right (Lingard is our best, because he's a spark, but not good enough), plus good fullbacks. And good backup.

 

[TMDaines]

Just realised that we only scored in one CL home game this season out of the four... so far.

 

[parkthebuslads]

I thought the match highlighted our need for a top class playmaker. The first half was fairly even and I thought our composure and passing was actually decent (compared to recent games against the better teams). But we didn't look like scoring.

Pogba is a great player when he's afforded time and space but in the genuine contests without such luxuries he almost always struggles.

 

[staniswin]

Jose Mourinho was right about us. He said this team has no real quality compared to the team he has coached before. His porto chasing every ball like a madman , his Inter could defend for 5 hours and not conceded , his Madrid has the fastest counter attack ever.We have nothing , not a title challenger team for both epl and ucl , not in light years. Battering shite team every weak isn't gonna make us win anything. Solksjaer must be back up next summer.

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

I just had a chat with a match-goer who claimed the atmosphere was good with plenty of singing for Ole. To me, the TV "atmosphere" didn't make sense and I was sceptical to believe it, so reached out to a few that went. It would've been very unusual for our home crowd to be so flat for a game like this, at least before the second goal.

Did that persist in the second half when we were chasing? I asked my friend about the atmosphere because I was surprised, too - he said that bar the first 15-20 minutes when we looked like we had a chance, the away end was the noisier section throughout.

This is not the first time you've heard the criticism of Old Trafford not being loud enough for a European game, though, is it? I remember talking to my colleagues who managed to get tickets in the red army at N1401 (?) last season for the Sevilla game - they were absolutely appalled by the lack of atmosphere when we were chasing a result.

Also, I think you were too quick to take offense here and fire back with "top red" to what was a very reasonable post about how TV broadcasts aren't a true representation of the crowd.

If you think it was reasonable, fair enough. His/her post in the other OT atmosphere thread stating that TV watching fans commenting on the atmosphere are 'hypocrites' makes me believe otherwise.

But you generally don’t. You can’t assess the atmosphere as you weren’t there. You’re trying to assess something based on an inadequate proxy. The sound of a TV broadcast is not trying to be a accurate document of the noise experienced by those on the pitch.

My opinion, as stated earlier, is based on more than just my observation sitting in front of a screen. It is based on reports I've read and my conversations with match goers, many of whom have said the same thing on the caf in the last hour. I'm also not talking about 'general' observations, either. My concern is limited specifically to how quiet things get when we're under pressure in big games. Those are when I notice, when I read and when I ask. It is not based on just a proxy.

I could continue arguing about how it is possible to judge the ends of the spectrum based on just the proxy, too, but I see it is pointless to pick that up here. I don't think I have any further need to defend myself on this.

 

[OsloRed]

First half was not bad, with a bit more presicion from Lingard and Rashford on the break we could've had a goal. The injuries killed us, together with an awfule refereeing performance.

No shame in losing to PSG though. Tuchel has got them playing well, and they are more tactically solid than they have been since the money.

Being able to rely on Draxler and di Maria when two of your first choice players are out is a luxury. One we don't have at the moment, illustrated by the drop in performance after Mata and Sanchez came in.

All in all a learning experience for Ole and the boys. We've had some night like this in Europe before, even under Fergie. The question is, how do we respond? Will be interesting to find out.

 

[beedoubleyou]

Missed the game. Got mugged on the way home and have been in hospital getting my head glued back together.

Seen the result, not shocked and 100% behind Ole.

Off-topic, but the scrote who kicked me in the face and stamped on my head three times deserves death. That's what he tried to give me.

Roll on the next game.

 

[Camilo]

That was shit. Expected, because we're not very good and we've an inexperienced coach in charge, but still shit. I guess we were playing one of the best teams in the world, but I thought that second half was extremely poor. Honestly, I think we should've done better.. Did we have a proper chance?

 

[Pscholes18]

Missed the game. Got mugged on the way home and have been in hospital getting my head glued back together.

Seen the result, not shocked and 100% behind Ole.

Off-topic, but the scrote who kicked me in the face and stamped on my head three times deserves death. That's what he tried to give me.

Roll on the next game.

WTH? How many were there?

 

[Frank Grimes]

How much of this was on Ole? Should we be worries tactically going forward?

I find it hard to be too critical of Solskjaer tonight, especially considering the injuries before half time limited his options. Having said that I have always been a Pochettino admirer and he would be still my preferred option if I had the choice, nothing against Ole.

 

[MrBest]

Had time to think about this, im happy! 3 months ago this would of been a dead game, i would of gone into this thinking a 5 0 defeat. I went into this game with hope, and that is something i have not had in ages. Lingard and martial going off changed things and what it really comes down to is squad depth. We do not have what PsG have, we cannot replace a neymar with a di maria. Even if we lose the second leg, i think the players should be proud of the turn around we have done in the last few months. From now it is how we move forward and build from bad results. Defeats are expected and this has been coming. We have not beenn perfect under Ole, there are so many holes in our play but the improvement from Jose time is 2 fold already. Top 4 is priority, beat chelsea in FA cup, and give PSG a run for there money in leg 2, that is all i want. React in the summer and blow some money in summer on improvements we need, we are 3 world class players behind where we should be. A centre back, right wing and centre midfielder.

 

[Frank Grimes]

Just realised that we only scored in one CL home game this season out of the four... so far.

Wow, that's pathetic. We actually play far better away from home than Old Trafford lately for some weird reason. Apart from wins against the dross we have been rubbish in Old Trafford this season.

 

[RAVred]

Of course we needed Fellaini in this type of match. We’ve had about 7 or 8 players that should’ve been sold before him.
You need to give teams like PSG something to worry about, hoofing it to Felli worked plenty of times in Europe.

I think the decision for Fellaini to leave was partially his own, although I agree with you and said previously it will probably hurt us in cup tournaments especially for the remainder of the season.


I just hope that we actually go and spend big on a world class centreback and a fullback in the summer

 

[Giggs86]

It’s fecking disgraceful that Man Utd fans were outsung by PSG fans all game. How did the crowd allow the oles at the end? Disgraceful performance from the fans

Not a rare sight at home on a CL night. Except those nights when Old Trafford was rocking (Roma 7-1, Barca 1-0), our fans always get out-sung by the continental traveling fans.

 

[Majima]

The fact that we had no answer for Marquinhos man-marking Pogba out of the game is very worrying.

It's widely accepted that if you nullify Pogba, we're completely impotent.

Would have expected Ole to have an answer to that particular strategy.

Still, PSG are a top, top team who simply were better than us all around the pitch. Thiago Silva, Mbappe, Di Maria, Veratti, Dani Alves, Marquinhos. These are top players. Even players like Kimpembe & Draxler are high quality too.

I guess there's only so much you can do with inferior players.

 

[vivaronaldo]

not even close.....we are 4 or 5 key players away from that level

 

[dave1956]

If a player is being marked out of the game surely it is up to that player whilst playing to out think his opponent and change his game, use his experience an skill to overcome the problem during play and not wait for his manager to come up with a solution.

 

[tentan]

The better team won. And two of their best players weren't even playing. The tie is over no doubt, put a weak team out in Paris and concentrate on top four and the FA Cup.

 

[RedMilo]

Back from the game, absolutely knackered. Rushed from work to get to OT tonight in time, and have to say it was all rather disappointing.

Firstly, a dig at the fans first off, which wont go down well but European nights in front of the floodlights, should be bouncing, it wasn't.. It was flat.

I thought we gave PSG too much respect in the first half, which gave them encouragement to come out and play better in the second half, the tempo to our play wasn't there and we didn't seize the initiative.

Matic for me was our best player tonight closely followed by Herrera, who worked hard. Pogba played for himself and was reckless throughout the match. Bailly should never have started. Young armed with a new deal, still cant put in a decent cross in and cant defend movement by attackers unless its in a straight line, I suppose he is not a defender by trade but he shouldn't be playing there for Utd. Luke Shaw had probably his worst game this season as well.

Im a big Martial fan but thought he bottled it tonight, his head clearly wasn't in the game, then got injured.

Sanchez should be sold in the summer, he is literally stealing £500,000 a week from this club.

Ole's decision to bring Mata on for Martial was just baffling, he should have gone Lukaku-Sanchez-Rahsford and have Sanchez playing as a false 9, with Lukaku from the right, and moved Rashford left, Im not being funny but Mata offers nothing out of possession and very little nowadays in possession.

All in all, one to forget. Hope Martial is back for Chelsea game, otherwise without Lingard & Martial we look bang average, and could end up with two cup exits in space of a week.

 

[Alemar]

PSG was simply much faster and with more stamina to press in numbers. We don't have such physical conditions now, and this is not OGS' fault, right pre-season is needed.

Still, gap in quality was frightening.

 

[SER19]

It's hard for us to take as we were so optimistic with attacking players coming into the game on form. Cant be harsh on team though, they've rallied well under ole and this was too big a step up from where we were in december

 

[SteveJ]

I've never seen a footballer run as fast as Mbappé did on occasion tonight.

 

[el3mel]

Missed the game. Got mugged on the way home and have been in hospital getting my head glued back together.

Seen the result, not shocked and 100% behind Ole.

Off-topic, but the scrote who kicked me in the face and stamped on my head three times deserves death. That's what he tried to give me.

Roll on the next game.

Hopefully you're OK and nothing serious happened.

 

[dwd]

I've never seen a footballer run as fast as Mbappé did on occasion tonight.

He’s the fastest I’ve ever seen live. Rapid.

 

[PepsiCola]

I refuse to believe the tie is 100% over.

Would love to blitz PSG in their back yard.

Would need a masterclass from Herrera and Matic. But they're bottlers, historically, at this stage.

A goal at OT would have been ideal. But Marcus, Tony and Jesse on the pitch for 90 minutes would have me more confident.

 

[RK]

Did that persist in the second half when we were chasing? I asked my friend about the atmosphere because I was surprised, too - he said that bar the first 15-20 minutes when we looked like we had a chance, the away end was the noisier section throughout.

This is not the first time you've heard the criticism of Old Trafford not being loud enough for a European game, though, is it? I remember talking to my colleagues who managed to get tickets in the red army at N1401 (?) last season for the Sevilla game - they were absolutely appalled by the lack of atmosphere when we were chasing a result.

If you think it was reasonable, fair enough. His/her post in the other OT atmosphere thread stating that TV watching fans commenting on the atmosphere are 'hypocrites' makes me believe otherwise.

After getting some more responses it does seem like our atmosphere was a bit flat in areas, so perhaps you were closer to the mark than I gave credit for. That said, I know what it's like to go to our games with great atmospheres without it properly translating to TV when watching it back.

Missed the game. Got mugged on the way home and have been in hospital getting my head glued back together.

Seen the result, not shocked and 100% behind Ole.

Off-topic, but the scrote who kicked me in the face and stamped on my head three times deserves death. That's what he tried to give me.

Roll on the next game.

That's terrible, all the best for your recovery.