[Barney Bubbles]

Is it me or do we look like the best team in the world and then look like we couldn’t win an elementary school match?

There’s some players that shouldn’t be here.

 

[WR10]

This team hums without Pogba dragging his feet

 

[Get In Scholesy]

Did what we needed to do, 3 points and the group is in our hands. A shame it wasn't wrapped up tonight. It is what it is.

For those slagging the performance in the second half, take a look at the amount of young lads that were on the pitch today going against a side who are Turkish Champions and have tonnes of experience, especially in the Premier League.

Also, I have yet to see a team perform well when using all 5 substitutes since they initiated that rule. So lets try not to over scrutinize what we saw.

Overall good performance, let's bring that first half energy into the weekend.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Have we given Bruno a raise yet?

 

[The Brown Bull]

Decent win. Top quality first half. Bruno is a gem. I think Vsn de Beek could be another. Thought Cavani worked hard for the team without getting any reward. Rashford was class. Fred was good.
For those unimpressed I remind you that our first home defeat in Europe was against Fenerbache, from Istanbul, under SAF. 0 - 1.

 

[McTerminator]

Didn’t see the game due to work, but
as long as we finish it off in the last two games and progress I am happy.

 

[alexthelion]

Only 5 pages?

We must have won.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

Important win.

But really, wow, Ole is so scared in his boots against the mighty Istanbul B, he had to play all his best available 11.

So we're going to throwaway or park the bus in the next two CL games?
Doesn't sound like United.

We didn't play like a United team after minute 40 onwards anyway in this game.

 

[NewGlory]

Important win.

But really, wow, Ole is so scared in his boots against the mighty Istanbul B, he had to play all his best available 11.

So we're going to throwaway or park the bus in the next two CL games?
Doesn't sound like United.

We didn't play like a United team after minute 40 onwards anyway in this game.

Champions League group stage is not a place where you play with your subs. Istanbul Basaksehir, on their good day, is likely stronger than half of EPL teams. Even today, their manager made a devastating mistake of starting with high press on United and paid price for it. Very few teams can play us with high press and open game, even modern Liverpool, City and PSG struggle, let alone lesser teams. Had Basaksehir sat back, packed their half and scored on a counter-attack this could have been a very hard game for us. I cannot in million years understand why they didn't, especially on Old Trafford, but well they didn't so we won 4:1. Doesn't mean it was a joke game or against a weak team.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Important win.

Important. What a compliment for a 4-1 result. You can tell already that @Web of Bissaka doesn't enjoy the fact that we won, probably because it means Ole keeps his job.

But really, wow, Ole is so scared in his boots against the mighty Istanbul B, he had to play all his best available 11.

The team that beat us the last time we played them? Basaksehir is fecking impossible to spell but just putting B has added negative effect since we're discussing football where everyone knows what a B team is. Clever. Also, "available" because you knew you couldn't say best 11,

So we're going to throwaway or park the bus in the next two CL games?
Doesn't sound like United.

Playing smart and doing what it takes to advance in the Champions League? I guess you weren't around for that 1-0 against Barcelona in 2008 where we absorbed so much pressure the earth's crust should have cracked underneath Old Trafford and we advanced 1-0 on aggregate.

We didn't play like a United team after minute 40 onwards anyway in this game.

After we were 3-0 up and crusing? ok

 

[lee82gx]

Not sure what you guys see in Cavani, I'm not seeing anything great so far. A 6/10 kind of shift if I have to put in something. No EPL Centre Back will quake in their boots yet.

That does not take away from a good team performance overall. To quote a certain French no.6 we are a breath of fresh air, without him. I'm not really tracking but I believe we must be winning and playing better without him. Covid or not, please take a look in the mirror, sir. Telles has his own Covid and is back before Shaw can say hamstring.

My MOM goes to Donny. Such a simple performance that shows you the anti-thesis of a Pogba. No need for extra touch, no need to draw an opponent in to tackle you before releasing the ball, just looking easy. Defends when he has to, supports the attack with discipline. Directs the ball correctly, and quickly too. His partnership with Fred makes me excited in ways I have not felt for a long time. Juices are flowing.

Of course its hard to snatch the MOM from Bruno, maybe you have to just give him one for every game he starts and give another vice-MOM award too.

There's a thread on about our left wing, it looks much better with Telles on it than Shaw, but we have to not get overly excited because Shaw sometimes also carries the entire attack on the left to good effect. Its those times when it doesn't work out that we have no avenue on the right wing.

I'm happy with Ole for once, he's trying his best without the right wing thing. It worked mildly with Rashford on the right, but I'm not super convinced because we did not see a good example of pure bred wing play from him today, on the right.

On the left, Martial right between a mess and a good performance. If he keeps this up, we'll be looking for a new left winger too. But I'd much rather have Rashford there with a new right winger. So this can only mean he's out by January if Cavani improves.

 

[Charlie Foley]

Important. What a compliment for a 4-1 result. You can tell already that @Web of Bissaka doesn't enjoy the fact that we won, probably because it means Ole keeps his job.



The team that beat us the last time we played them? Basaksehir is fecking impossible to spell but just putting B has added negative effect since we're discussing football where everyone knows what a B team is. Clever. Also, "available" because you knew you couldn't say best 11,



Playing smart and doing what it takes to advance in the Champions League? I guess you weren't around for that 1-0 against Barcelona in 2008 where we absorbed so much pressure the earth's crust should have cracked underneath Old Trafford and we advanced 1-0 on aggregate.



After we were 3-0 up and crusing? ok

Stop, stop, he’s already dead.

 

[Okey]

I really enjoyed that, especially the glorious first half when we actually started with high intensity. The second half drop off is excusable. Well done lads. Get a point against PSG and we're through. Can be done! Looks like shedding Pogba and getting a proper dominating DM in the Partey (oops!) or Zakaria model is our midfield future next season. DVB and Bruno ahead of him. Already looking forward to it...

 

[devil99]

No one is pointing out the biggest difference between Cavani and Martial. One of the we were able to move the ball around when we had possession in that first half had to do with Cavani's willingness to come deep in situations where our defenders and deeper midfielders were looking for passing options. Martial comes deep only in situations where he may be required to hold up the ball or when the ball is in the final third ( ironically).

That movement alone helped bridge the gape between midfield and attack. In addition Van De Beek's positioning when we were on the ball was fantastic.

Cavani did more pressing in this match than Martial did in his entire United career.

 

[IronTulip]

Cant we just all be a bit more positive? We have an excellent chance of going through and maybe even topping the group and a good run in Europe will do us a world of good.

I didn't mean to be negative. Was trying to do the math's for a member that thought we didn't need any more points to go through.

 

[treble_winner]

Have we given Bruno a raise yet?

Wonder if Real Madrid or Barcelona would try to get him next summer.

 

[croadyman]

I really enjoyed that, especially the glorious first half when we actually started with high intensity. The second half drop off is excusable. Well done lads. Get a point against PSG and we're through. Can be done! Looks like shedding Pogba and getting a proper dominating DM in the Partey (oops!) or Zakaria model is our midfield future next season. DVB and Bruno ahead of him. Already looking forward to it...

Yeah no doubt CB, DM and RW have to be brought in,would be ideal if we could sign one of them in January but looks unlikely the targets will be available

 

[zenith]

I'm glad we stepped off in the second half. Given how easily we tire as a team, we really needed the subs and the lowering of intensity.

Let's hope we have enough left for Southampton.

Great show by Cavani, telles, bruno and vdb

 

[croadyman]

I'm glad we stepped off in the second half. Given how easily we tire as a team, we really needed the subs and the lowering of intensity.

Let's hope we have enough left for Southampton.

Great show by Cavani, telles, bruno and vdb

Yeah I am glad we made changes second half but wish we had made two at the same time rather than three

 

[Rossa]

We defended poorly throughout though.

True

 

[Strelok]

Have we given Bruno a raise yet?

We definitely should.

He's on about £100k a week I think. Imo that's quite criminal when you think about how much we're paying the likes of Jones, Rojo, Lingard, Mata, Pogba, etc.

 

[mitchmouse]

Very good in the first half - showing that Donny and Cavani must start games, but what the hell did Ole say at half time" "that was too exciting, stop it"? Second half was a return to the joyless, soulless crap we saw against Wes Brom.

Performances wise, the obvious stars were Bruno, Donny and Cavani. I thought the defence looked dodgy again, especially Maguire who was all over the place (not in a good way) and Lndelof still looks a better CB to me.

Cavani's movement off the ball was so good to see - and shows how far Martial, in particular, and Rashford are from top class forwards and I still think we may com to regret that awful result in Turkey

 

[RedDevil@84]

We definitely should.

He's on about £100k a week I think. Imo that's quite criminal when you think about how much we're paying the likes of Jones, Rojo, Lingard, Mata, Pogba, etc.

No. We don't do the mistake of increasing wages way too early in contract. He deserves it, but still a bad habit

 

[Strelok]

No. We don't do the mistake of increasing wages way too early in contract. He deserves it, but still a bad habit

We regularly make the mistake of giving obscene wages to underserved players. Now giving a raise to someone well deserved is a mistake too. Especially when there are so many underserved players still around. What would he think? what would the other players think?

 

[Wilt]

We definitely should.

He's on about £100k a week I think. Imo that's quite criminal when you think about how much we're paying the likes of Jones, Rojo, Lingard, Mata, Pogba, etc.

Unlikely, being less than a year into a four and a half year contract.

However all thing being well, when Utd come to renegotiate his contract, Bruno will be wanting a serious raise.

 

[R'hllor]

Just finished watching a replay. Really good first half, we started properly, their GK did us a favour, 2nd half not big fan of it, we tried to coast it, didnt work that well. Overall important 3pts.

 

[90 + 5min]

Really? What is that?
Seroius question because I actually saw different issues today.

Decision making from some players.

 

[fps]

Lovely to see that flowing quick one and two touch football in the first half.

My only concern is it seems VDB Fernandes and Cavani have basically chosen to do that themselves. Once the subs came on some simply didn’t even know where to stand on the pitch and they weren’t trying to play that same style. This suggests United remain reliant on individuals more than most big clubs, in the sense that when certain players went off the entire style of play changed. I don’t think it’s fair to say this was simply because the team changed to trying to kill on the counter.

Some delightful play. Martial the winger and deep provider looked good, Cavani is a proper centre forward and if he stays fit we’re laughing, even if he is a stopgap.

That starting lineup would be blitzed against PSG for goals.

 

[Strelok]

Unlikely, being less than a year into a four and a half year contract.

However all thing being well, when Utd come to renegotiate his contract, Bruno will be wanting a serious raise.

Agreed it's a bit too early now but imo we shouldn't wait more than the end of this season to give him a new contract. Of course only if he'd still deserve it by then.

 

[Borys]

Decision making from some players.

I guess that's right.

 

[Mr Anderson]

Was a good win. First half showed if we allow our best players play, we have a higher tempo and get in behind. Try out score the opposition more rather than worry about our fragile defence.

second half - some lads tuned out, happens with some of these players. First few subs then killed it a little, but Matic coming on settled us again.

just play a similar team to first half and tell Fred to ONLY pass short to Donny or Bruno.

 

[Falcow]

Only 5 pages?

We must have won.

 

[Volumiza]

Bruno will be wanting a serious raise.

We should be sorting this at the very earliest opportunity. He’s a gem and contributes so much to this team and currently he’s surrounded by players earning much more for much less.

I have no doubt eyes will be on him. There’s big teams that are in a state of transition just as we have been.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

Only 5 pages?

We must have won.

This

 

[RoyH1]

Best half hour in ages. Bruno and Van de Beek in midfield is something else.

 

[RaddyRed]

Was a great watch (1st half anyway) and delighted to see Ole shake off this two dm against everyone tactic. That was the type of line up I expected to start against WBA.

I think if we bring in McTominay for Fred on Sunday who offers more defensive protection, then he might keep VDB in, but wouldn't be surprised to see him revert back to two dm against Southampton and City.

Cavani gives the team a real cf who offers proper movement, which in turn gives the wide players more space. He needs to stay in the team.

Maguire is a real worry, he is very poor at the minute, and tbh has never really looked any better than Smalling.

Lots of positives though, Bruno Cavani, VDB, Greenwood, James goal, Telles so hopefully we carry this on into a tough run of games.

 

[Tom Cato]

Important win.

But really, wow, Ole is so scared in his boots against the mighty Istanbul B, he had to play all his best available 11.

So we're going to throwaway or park the bus in the next two CL games?
Doesn't sound like United.

We didn't play like a United team after minute 40 onwards anyway in this game.

This entire CL campaign has been one big party outside of the away game in Istanbul and this is the opinion you come up with. Reflect on that for a few minutes before you reply with the expected "whatabout"

 

[sammsky1]

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Rafael da Silva: "He’s just one of those players with @ManUtd DNA so he knows what we feel about him and what I feel about him. We’ll have a good conversation after the game."

Rafael Da Silva: “Ole was starting his career as a coach here when I started and he helped me a lot, he helped my brother a lot, so I just thank Ole for everything and I hope he can have a great career at Manchester United.” [mutv] #mufc

Rafael Da Silva: “I received a lot of messages on Twitter and Instagram [from fans]. I am very happy and glad about all of the messages I have received, and I thank all of the #mufc supporters. I am a United supporter, I always say this, and it is a very good thing.” [mutv] #mufc

 

[wolvored]

Just seen that Bruno had 2nd most chances created (3). Anyone know who had the most?

That winger for Istanbul cant recall his name. He had a good game.

 

[big rons sovereign]

Only 5 pages?

We must have won.

Was thinking that myself.