[Bastian]

The sooner Louis can gather the courage to drop Rooney and go with Martial as the first choice #9 the better. The first half was screaming for that change as Rooney couldn’t make any decent runs or hold the ball up. He was hardly an option. Whereas Martial has shown that he can shield the ball really well and link up, freeing up others to make runs.

It might be a human principle decision to keep playing Rooney, as in morale and dressing room, but it’s not a football decision.

Louis did manage to completely change the game in the 2nd half though, to his credit. We looked clueless before HT but he managed to change the course of the game.

Hoping for Martial up front on Sunday with Herrera behind, with Rooney on the left (he won’t drop the captain before a Manchester derby).

Not a bad result tonight though.

 

[Catt]

I don't mind posession football but you want some urgency to mix it up a bit and be less predictable. Caan't even say the word philosophy with a straight face at work any more.

 

[Sylar]

Draw is not the worst result. The first half was toothless and we again gave ourselves a deficit to turn around. Second half was much better. LVG made the right subs imo.

Rooney plays like he has no motivation, like he knows he will get into the team regardless. Or like hes a 40 year old (not Giggs 40 either). Not sure wtf Rojo was doing with regards to the lead up to their first goal, Martial was mad to put his hand up. Jones switched off / was ball watching when they scored the rebound.

Second half we were much better. Fellaini sub helped us a lot and put us on the front foot. Morgan protected our defence well, Herrera also created a few good chances (the slide through for Tonys cross and of course his own cross for Rooneys header). Lingard did well too and hope he gets more games this season. De Gea, again, let down by others but basically kept us in the match first half with a top save. (in fact he pulled off two really good saves, one didnt count as it was pulled back for the penalty, and one was a penalty stop and he wasnt helped by his defence).

Rooney needs to get the feck away from our set pieces. And to have a last minute free kick, Fellaini on the pitch (along with targets like Jones and Smalling) and to not put it into the box was madness.

Anyway, decent point given we were losing (our first half in general) and away from home in europe. Just need to win our home games.

 

[Borys]

Decent game, I enjoyed it in bits. Half the time we were a little meh but I wouldn’t say it was a bad performance. Certainly an improvement over what we played in first games of the season.

We were quite unlucky to concede but CSKA were good in first half. They are a decent team after all. I think their defensive cohesion deserves more credit than it gets to be honest.

In the second half we were much better and should’ve won, but in the end I suppose both managers are happy with a point today. Moscow away, I’m happy with a draw.

Like somebody said, I would rather see Rooney waste his energy on chasing fullback than Martial. If those two swapped, maybe we wouldn’t lose that goal, and maybe we would’ve scored more than one.

Special credits to their right back, fantastic performance. So many last ditch tackles to stop Martial (who wasn’t at his best tonight but still, on the other day Anthony would’ve beaten him a few times more).

Herrera and Schneiderlin in the midfield is clearly working. Next step is to deal with fullbacks, Rojo doesn’t overlap while Valencia messes up to much (today he got about million chances to cross, but we can’t expect that to happen every game).

 

[Offside]

I come on expecting opinions like ''good result in a tough away game with 2 home games coming up'' and the first thread I see is ''Anyone sick of watching this boring rubbish?''

That's the Caf for you.

Decent result. Nothing memorable but win our next two (at home) and we will be through.

Good to see Martial score. Let's go and do City on the weekend.

 

[DeafMUFC]

Good result bearing in mind the circumstances and puts us in a good position to progress.

Tactics for the second half were spot on, substitution 2 & 3 a bit debatable but overall a good point.

Martial, Lingaard, Herrera, Morgan & Tony V all solid.

Bring on the blue noses!!

 

[Offside]

Well firstly let's pick up on the positives because there were some for sure.

Positives:

There were a couple of good performances tonight! Martial looked a threat and kept going despite being doubled up on. Lingard looked lively as well and Herrera pulled the strings. Overall as well a point away in Russia is an OK result. I would like to add though that actually this is a pretty average CSKA side so on the balance I'd have hoped for more. Schneiderlin was another positive for me as he looked good on the ball and dominated midfield! He snuffed out a number of attacks and I thought was key in us controlling the game.

Negatives:

It was another pretty dull attacking performance. It was the same sequence on bloody repeat with very little variation. There was such a lack of movement at times and that wasn't helped by Rooney. Which brings me to another huge negative... Rooney once again was carried. Never looked a threat, never looked to get in behind really yet can't be trusted to play the ball to him for him then to play others in. Plus his continued inclusion means marital ends up out wide where he's not getting as many opportunities. I know he's captain so LVG won't drop him but that shouldn't mean we as fans have to accept that.

The substitutions were so negative tonight and once again LVG gets away with it because we got a decent result. Neither really had an affect on the game though to be fair Rojo needed to go off as he was terrible. But chasing a game those aren't the changes you make and LVG needs to be criticised for that.

The defense didn't convince but then with Jones and Rojo that's hardly surprising is it? Jones did OK but you know he's got a mistake in him and his distribution is awful. And as a result of playing Jones you then end up moving Smalling to the left where he doesn't look as comfortable in possession which was previously a positive of our game.

How can you give it that with us regularly putting three past teams this season? In European away games you expect to be more conservative - especially in light of our game v PSV where we were too all out and got done on the break.

 

[Moriarty]

Did you really expect them to publish that?

I've seen all manner of stuff published on the Guardian website. I don't usually respond to hacks but I couldn't resist having a dig.

 

[Mockney]

There was me coming back from the pub, relatively pleased with a fairly standard good CL point away in Russia, only to find we were apparently actually diabolically shit...

Then again, this is from the forum who bemoaned our loss at Arsenal for betraying the brilliant counter attacking set up we employed (but actually didn't) last season...so it's all relative I suppose.

 

[Cathy Ferguson]

We were in total control when they got the penalty out of nowhere, that changed the game and we were poor for the rest of the half.

Rooney is not a top class striker any more, Martial is our best attacking option.

 

[Moriarty]

No. This lad was really sticking up for Wayne. There has to come a time when that stops.

He's really off the pace. Now and again, you see a glimpse of the old Wayne but I think Scholes nailed it when he said Rooney peaked a few years ago.

 

[iammemphis]

If Martial is fit, he plays up top. No where else. Ever again.

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

If Martial is fit, he plays up top. No where else. Ever again.

LvG reads this and thinks … "Aah-ha! that's exactly what they'll be expecting! So, having seen his miserable display in defence tonight, I have no choice … DdG was due a rest anyway!"

 

[Siorac]

There was me coming back from the pub, relatively pleased with a fairly standard good CL point away in Russia, only to find we were apparently actually diabolically shit...

Then again, this is from the forum who bemoaned our loss at Arsenal for betraying the brilliant counter attacking set up we employed (but actually didn't) last season...so it's all relative I suppose.

In the first half we were diabolical, no getting around that. Second half was a marked improvement so it depends on your mindset which will stick more.

The Arsenal revisionism was hilarious though, I agree. Our game at the Emirates last season was almost identical, except that time we somehow survived their initial onslaught, hanging on for dear life. This time they actually took their chances.

 

[GloryHunter07]

Clearly under instructions in the first half to not over commit our fullbacks, which was maddening. Several times when the ball was out wide we couldve attacked the space but instead either the fullback stayed at home or Lingard dropped back to cover.

Still, a point away from home is perfectly OK as long as we win our remaining home games.

 

[Kag]

He seems to be obsessed with second guessing opposing managers by playing his best players out of position as if that will trouble them more than playing people where they are most efficient. He never plays the same squad or formation twice in a row even if it's available and was successful last time out – he's cutting off his (busted) nose to spite his face.

SAF played his best team every match whenever he could. We ALL knew who the players on the team sheet would be week-in week-out … including the opposing manager but that doesn't matter if you want the team to take the credit not the manager.

Ferguson rotated and played players out of position moreso than any manager in the whole of European football. Managers would lose their jobs for some of the stunts the big man pulled. They often worked and we often won, but they were impossible to predict nonetheless.

Van Gaal plays Martial slightly wider in a role he has played for all of his professional career and you react like this? Just wait until he plays him at centre back in the second half of our next League Cup game. That would never happen under Ferguson, of course...

 

[Kakeru]

Boring football, but a point away from home is the standard CL way to get through the group.

Valencia was great.

There is at least one season ticket holder at Old Trafford (and not just anybody) who would disagree with the mantra of going for draws in the CL based on the last 6-7 seaons where we featured in the CL. The objective should be to top the group.

Anyway, Van Gaal better come up with a different plan because how we play in the Premier League is certainly not applicable to the CL. I don't give a shit if we had 74% ball possession or not; we need to bombard the fecking net, especially with a goalkeeper who is not in the elite level.

 

[Hit It]

So much pessimism on here. A point away in Europe has always been a good result. First half we looked comfortable before the goal, but then they sat back and could counter. Team didn't give up and got back into it.
And Owen Hargreaves is an utter tosspot.

You forgot to mention Micheal Owen as well. An irritating little nit.

 

[Kylar Stern]

There is at least one season ticket holder at Old Trafford (and not just anybody) who would disagree with the mantra of going for draws in the CL based on the last 6-7 seaons where we featured in the CL. The objective should be to top the group.

Anyway, Van Gaal better come up with a different plan because how we play in the Premier League is certainly not applicable to the CL. I don't give a shit if we had 74% ball possession or not; we need to bombard the fecking net, especially with a goalkeeper who is not in the elite level.

CSKA looked dangerous on the counter for most of the game, I'm not sure bombarding the net and potentially giving them plenty of chances to break after going behind so early would have been the best course of action to be fair - especially after seeing our weakness at handling counters this season.

 

[Mockney]

In the first half we were diabolical, no getting around that. Second half was a marked improvement so it depends on your mindset which will stick more.

The Arsenal revisionism was hilarious though, I agree. Our game at the Emirates last season was almost identical, except that time we somehow survived their initial onslaught, hanging on for dear life. This time they actually took their chances.

We were poor in the first half, for sure. But we were poor in a lot of difficult far flung CL always under Fergie too. Back in the days when we used to play O Shea, or (going old skool) Ronny Johnsen in central midfield.

One of the great truisms of football is that the way you end games is usually the abiding memory of your performance. Fergie's legacy is built on so-so performances that turned into great comebacks. And the Arsenal game is a great example in LVG's tenure, as only a severely selective memory could see that as anything but a jammy smash and grab.

Tonight I thought we ended that game the dominant team, so I'm a bit surprised to find so many bitching about the first half.

There are many faults with the performance, sure, but we weren't shit. Anyone with any middling experience of CL always surely can't think this was anything below satisfactory? Unless they've only watched DVD highlights of 99 and 08?

 

[Deleted member 78215]

One team from Manchester plays like shit in Europe, the other has exciting attacking players who score injury time winners.
How the roles have reversed.

City were shite, too. Don't let their result fool you.

 

[Feedingseagulls]

I had to miss the game. Just quickly watched the 2nd half. What a bunch of total drama queens there are on the cafe nowadays. No real problems with that display tbh.

One criticism: the Memphis sub would have made more sense if we were looking to counter with them pressing forward; as it was, I thought Mata might have been a better choice to create a chance against an organised defence. Having said that, Memphis and Martial almost set up Fellaini.

 

[MZX7]

I actually dozed off...should've watched the City game...

Decent result but our football is boring as shite!

 

[Shark]

I had to miss the game. Just quickly watched the 2nd half. What a bunch of total drama queens there are on the cafe nowadays. No real problems with that display tbh.

One criticism: the Memphis sub would have made more sense if we were looking to counter with them pressing forward; as it was, I thought Mata might have been a better choice to create a chance against an organised defence. Having said that, Memphis and Martial almost set up Fellaini.

The first half was God awful, but our 2nd half display would have won us the game on another night. Drama Queens indeed.

 

[711]

I had to miss the game. Just quickly watched the 2nd half. What a bunch of total drama queens there are on the cafe nowadays. No real problems with that display tbh.

One criticism: the Memphis sub would have made more sense if we were looking to counter with them pressing forward; as it was, I thought Mata might have been a better choice to create a chance against an organised defence. Having said that, Memphis and Martial almost set up Fellaini.

That's a very good plan actually. Whenever we have a completely shit 45 minutes then just don't watch it, and all will be well.

 

[stu_1992]

Didn't see the game because of work. Doesn't exactly sound like vintage football. I would have taken a point away if it was offered before the game though. I think it's a decent result on paper.

 

[Feedingseagulls]

That's a very good plan actually. Whenever we have a completely shit 45 minutes then just don't watch it, and all will be well.

If I could know in advance, it would be a possibility.

It seemed that people were incensed with a lack of urgency in the 2nd half though, whereas, as a previous respondent noted, on another day it might well have won us the game.

So we played shit in the first half, and with a substitution, played much better in the second... So let's crucify the manager? Seriously?

 

[Mockney]

I had to miss the game. Just quickly watched the 2nd half. What a bunch of total drama queens there are on the cafe nowadays. No real problems with that display tbh.

Indeed. If that had been a knock out first leg tie, we'd be fairly pleased with such a performance, and probably only annoyed we conceded a penalty in an otherwise fairly comfortable game.

You'd think we'd been steam rolling these kind of games for 20 years the way some are going on.

 

[GimmeAKitKat]

Result is OK to be fair. Performance on the whole was poor though.

Easy to see why though in my opinion. CSKA played very deep with little to no gap between their defence and midfield. They also seemed very disciplined defending wide to me. Every time the ball came near Martial or Lingard they were doubled up.

That being the case, your going to have to rely on your Striker doing a job, holding the ball up and playing in runners, running the channels himself, trying to run in behind, anything to stretch the defence and pull people out of position to create space. But no, once again Rooney might as well have not been on the pitch.

I really dont understand it, its so obvious he's a liability. Even his team mates dont want to pass to him. Stick Martial up front and they'll fire balls at him left right and centre knowing he'll control it and do what's needed. Rooney....they dont even bother any more, anything sent his way is going straight back to the opposition.

I really dont get it, my only conclusion is that he either had a first team selection clause put in his last contract or he's blackmailing LvG. Nothing else makes sense. If i were Rooney id have been shamed enough to drop myself by now and feign injury.

Defensively, worried that game might confirm a weakness for certain teams. Any time Doumbia and Musa got the ball our defence looked like rabbit's in headlights. "Oh shit, he's pretty quick......run away!!". I wouldn't mind but Doumbia isn't anywhere near as fast as he once was, and theres a reason he never stepped up into a better league.

 

[711]

If I could know in advance, it would be a possibility.

It seemed that people were incensed with a lack of urgency in the 2nd half though, whereas, as a previous respondent noted, on another day it might well have won us the game.

So we played shit in the first half, and with a substitution, played much better in the second... So let's crucify the manager? Seriously?

That sums it up. If he changes his first-choice centre-mids then watch me clap.

 

[Mockney]

That sums it up.

Isn't that, like, just football?

 

[Amethyst]

We were poor in the first half, for sure. But we were poor in a lot of difficult far flung CL always under Fergie too. Back in the days when we used to play O Shea, or (going old skool) Ronny Johnsen in central midfield.

One of the great truisms of football is that the way you end games is usually the abiding memory of your performance. Fergie's legacy is built on so-so performances that turned into great comebacks. And the Arsenal game is a great example in LVG's tenure, as only a severely selective memory could see that as anything but a jammy smash and grab.

Tonight I thought we ended that game the dominant team, so I'm a bit surprised to find so many bitching about the first half.

There are many faults with the performance, sure, but we weren't shit. Anyone with any middling experience of CL always surely can't think this was anything below satisfactory? Unless they've only watched DVD highlights of 99 and 08?

It's hard for people to separate the result and what it means from the performance sometimes. You're right that we were much better towards the end and whilst is was frustrating that we couldn't create one big chance to nick it in the closing moments we didn't even trouble their keeper in the first half. It's a cliche to say it but nothing is won in the group stage, it's all about qualifying top to boost your chances of an easier last 16 draw. With two home games to CSKA and PSV the bare minimum I expect is that we'll have it in our own hands to finish first going into the final round of games (even if that means we need to beat Wolfsburg in Germany).

 

[711]

Isn't that, like, just football?

It is. So's talking about it.

 

[Feedingseagulls]

Nice assist on the overlap by Tony V btw.

 

[711]

Valencia got steadily better throughout the game, and for me overall was one of our best players. Great for his confidence, hopefully.

 

[Mark_GrumpyLion]

Wish we played like that the whole game instead of just the second half. Could/should have won it then. But still, a point is a point.

 

[Siorac]

We were poor in the first half, for sure. But we were poor in a lot of difficult far flung CL always under Fergie too. Back in the days when we used to play O Shea, or (going old skool) Ronny Johnsen in central midfield.

One of the great truisms of football is that the way you end games is usually the abiding memory of your performance. Fergie's legacy is built on so-so performances that turned into great comebacks. And the Arsenal game is a great example in LVG's tenure, as only a severely selective memory could see that as anything but a jammy smash and grab.

Tonight I thought we ended that game the dominant team, so I'm a bit surprised to find so many bitching about the first half.

There are many faults with the performance, sure, but we weren't shit. Anyone with any middling experience of CL always surely can't think this was anything below satisfactory? Unless they've only watched DVD highlights of 99 and 08?

It was ok, in the end. But I'm not sure what the past has to do with it. Yes, we did play shite sometimes in the past but that shouldn't be a reason not to call a shite performance shite in the present day.

I realise context matters, as in most things in life, but the larger context here isn't that we had underwhelming CL displays in the past; it's that we're generally boring to watch. It's not much fun, most of the time.

 

[Tyrion]

Its a shame, because i get how we are trying to play and the reasons for that, but we lack the players to really make it happen. we're trying to control the tempo of games like Barca/bayern/spain but to do it well, every player in your team needs to be adept at quick close quarter passing, with an abundance of penetration in the final third. it feels like half the players we put out on a weekly basis dont really have it in their skillset, although still being decent players.

I definitely thought that last season. There was so much deadwood. SAF seemed to be able to get great performances from an average squad so the squad was let stagnate. If memory serves, the year we sold Ronaldo we got Valencia, Owens and Obertan ffs. Other managers can't do that. Now we need genuinely good players.
But the squad has been completely changed and we still struggle to be convincing. Almost a year and a half and at least a hundred million and our Plan B is still Fellaini's head and chest. I'm beginning to doubt LVG tbh after sticking up for him for most of last year.

 

[Rezyuz]

Valencia got steadily better throughout the game, and for me overall was one of our best players. Great for his confidence, hopefully.

I bet you were really drunk while watching this game.

 

[Rezyuz]

You cannot properly judge this team or play style with Rooney at 10 or 9. Hes deadweight being carried around.

if hes 10: you rely on his chance creation which is a joke
if hes 9: you rely on his hold up play, beating defenders and finish which is beyond laughable.

The team is a circus till hes out.