[AltiUn]

Hang on is the OP not a real poster??

Can't believe I've only just worked that out

Brilliant

He isn't?

 

[johanovic]

Think he kisses ass Teacher's pet our Fellaini

Seriously though, you can barely blame him. He really tries, but he just doesn't have the tools. More fool all our managers for playing him anyway. Felli can hardly say no eh?

You are right but when I look at this midfield and wingers and think back to the old days of Beckham-Keane-Scholes-Giggs or Ronaldo-Carrick-Scholes-Giggs you just see how much the standard has slipped and we are just dreadful in attacking play, the defense is not the problem. Fellaini is also in the wrong line of job, he should either be a basketball player or a hairdresser.

 

[BigDunc9]

You lay down to die in the wrong game. As usual!

Was an entertaining game tonight.

Be good if you could put half the effort into your derby though.

Todays team selection was much better than against Liverpools to be fair. Its not that i don't think we don't try, it's just that the players let the pressure get to them. Look at Barkley for example , excellent for months then rocks up at anfield and visibly not playing his natural game and starts to panick and then tonight he goes back to being very composed.

 

[Dumbstar]

You lay down to die in the wrong game. As usual!

Was an entertaining game tonight.

Be good if you could put half the effort into your derby though.

When they're up against clever, quick players like Mane and Coutinho then their height and weight looks cumbersome. When you play the ball in the air, out sideways, then it's no surprise the same team will look better, stronger and more organised.

It takes two to tango.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Todays team selection was much better than against Liverpools to be fair. Its not that i don't think we don't try, it's just that the players let the pressure get to them. Look at Barkley for example , excellent for months then rocks up at anfield and visibly not playing his natural game and starts to panick and then tonight he goes back to being very composed.

Be nice if your central defenders decided to put in their season's best performance against the other team in red!

 

[AltiUn]

Well we're in luck. I think 6 out of 9 of them are!

As @Bilbo said yesterday, since the Chelsea game we've dominated pretty much every team we've played. I thought we were crap in the first half but by far the better team overall. Our home record is getting stupid but I'm weirdly unbothered. You can see that we're very close to being a proper team. I'm stlll confident we're capable of turning all these dominance into a shitload of points. Although it may not happen until next season. Ho hum.

Really good post, fully agree with what you're saying.

 

[Massive Spanner]

Be nice if your central defenders decided to put in their season's best performance against the other team in red!

The other team in red were so much better in attack than we were.

 

[GaryLifo]

I hate football.

That's why you are an Everton fan. It's practically self abuse.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

Poor today for an hour or more. Very ponderous in our passing and decision-making with too much dallying on the ball. Blind as our main outlet was painful to watch at times, and for the entire first half Rashford was underused with balls into his feet when he was marked with his back to goal or else not being found when making good runs. I sounded like a dick in the crowd but I actually whooped with joy when he got the chance to run up the wing with the ball in the second half. There was nothing going on through the middle and our wide players couldn't use the time and space to any effect. It wouldn't have looked out of place last season under Van Gaal which is a sad sad indictment.

Second half was better with some good positive subs made. Some of the balls from Pogba were still errant but you could see a few new ideas in the mix. We were camped in their half getting countered every time we lost the ball, which was dealt with brilliantly by Rojo and particularly Bailly, and it was good to see us fighting to get back on terms even when it looked hopeless.

 

[Kraftwerker]

When they're up against clever, quick players like Mane and Coutinho then their height and weight looks cumbersome. When you play the ball in the air, out sideways, then it's no surprise the same team will look better, stronger and more organised.

It takes two to tango.

Nah, Robles was practically chucking it in the net against Liverpool and the defenders were clueless. Coutinho has been shut down by fairly average defenders this season, yet Everton wilfully invited him to do his one-trick shimmy to right foot and shoot.

They were much savvier tonight. Mind you they had some players back and got a big call their way.

 

[Catt]

Both Bailly and Rojo were good.

 

[BigDunc9]

Be nice if your central defenders decided to put in their season's best performance against the other team in red!

The formation on saturday didn't help. Today we never had Pennington playing and we had the extra protection from Barry.

Also the truth may hurt but Liverpools attack is much harder to deal with. All that pace and movement from Liverpools front 3 is a nightmare for our slow defenders whereas you lot lumping and crossing it in is playing into Jagielka's and Williams hands.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

The other team in red were so much better in attack than we were.

I was talking about the team in blue. Who were crap against Liverpool and decent against us. Defensively, anyway.

 

[Kraftwerker]

Todays team selection was much better than against Liverpools to be fair. Its not that i don't think we don't try, it's just that the players let the pressure get to them. Look at Barkley for example , excellent for months then rocks up at anfield and visibly not playing his natural game and starts to panick and then tonight he goes back to being very composed.

Yeah, the bottle job is an overused term (especially on here) but Everton clearly bottle the derby.

 

[Mihai]

I know but after the derby defeat and then to concede a 94th minute equaliser. Shits hard to take.

Williams , Barry and especially Jagielka where great.

You conceded 20 minutes before that.

 

[Catt]

Hang on is the OP not a real poster??

Can't believe I've only just worked that out

Brilliant

Lucky is Neill. You didn't know that?
Ask @Maradona10 as it's his doing.

 

[Dumbstar]

Nah, Robles was practically chucking it in the net against Liverpool and the defenders were clueless. Coutinho has been shut down my fairly average defenders this season, yet Everton wilfully invited him to do his one-trick shimmy to right foot and shoot.

They were much savvier tonight. Mind you they had some players back and got a big call their way.

Not arguing they weren't shit against us but we had red card stampings and leg breaking challenges that should have seen them down to 9 players. Decisions happen in games. Point is Everton were still shit tonight but it was less evident and that wasn't anything to do with Everton themselves.

 

[BigDunc9]

You conceded 20 minutes before that.

And you lot are on 56 points and on course for 4th place.

No wait, that never happened.

 

[Kag]

The other team in red were so much better in attack than we were.

Indeed. Pumping balls into the box is food and drink for Jagielka and Williams. I thought they were fairly comfortable all night.

 

[Chorley1974]

Both Bailly and Rojo were good.

Apart from the goal, expected him to attack that

 

[Catt]

Apart from the goal, expected him to attack that

The goal was very soft but for the most part it felt comfortable when Everton players had a run at them.

 

[Born2Lose]

I think it's more than coincidence that so many teams seem to come to Old Trafford with their defences performing well above their average level. I think three in midfield against some of these teams is overkill, we really should be playing 2 in midfield and a no 10 behind the main striker.

Koeman must have known, like all of us, that it would be the same formation as it's been most of the season.

 

[Mike Oxard]

I dread to think what is going to happen against Chelsea, Spurs and City, I really do.

 

[Jazz]

You are right but when I look at this midfield and wingers and think back to the old days of Beckham-Keane-Scholes-Giggs or Ronaldo-Carrick-Scholes-Giggs you just see how much the standard has slipped and we are just dreadful in attacking play, the defense is not the problem. Fellaini is also in the wrong line of job, he should either be a basketball player or a hairdresser.

No not a basketball player - have you seen the state of his 'jumping' skills?

 

[Kraftwerker]

Not arguing they weren't shit against us but we had red card stampings and leg breaking challenges that should have seen them down to 9 players. Decisions happen in games. Point is Everton were still shit tonight but it was less evident and that wasn't anything to do with Everton themselves.

They were much less shit. That is obvious.

United need another top class forward too. That is also obvious.

 

[Rawls]

This has been a real issue all season long.

 

[Chorley1974]

The goal was very soft but for the most part it felt comfortable when Everton players had a run at them.

Yep, and Rojo one of our most improved players this season IMO

 

[Manchester Dan]

I was talking about the team in blue. Who were crap against Liverpool and decent against us. Defensively, anyway.

I think you make it easier than Liverpool do for defenders though. I'd be intrigued to see your goals scored distribution down the league table (compared with the other top 6). That would be a @Damien chart though, and I don't want to step on his toes.

 

[Tosicsleftpeg]

Positives : Bailly has a good game. We scored a goal and we didn't lose. Shaw came on and did well.

Negatives: we've regressed back to playing slow predictable football especially in our favoured formation which has been well and truly sussed out.

We don't create clear cut chances, the only chances we get are percentage balls into the box which drop luckily.

Pogba came on and did a couple of nice passes but his attempts to beat multiple players in dodgy positions kept leading to us losing the ball.

Rashford is totally wasted on the left.

We're shite.

 

[Klopper76]

Not arguing they weren't shit against us but we had red card stampings and leg breaking challenges that should have seen them down to 9 players. Decisions happen in games. Point is Everton were still shit tonight but it was less evident and that wasn't anything to do with Everton themselves.

I thought they were useless in possession throughout the second half. The amount of times they got the ball back then gifted it to United within seconds was ridiculous. United pressed them fairly well to get it back but Everton could've slowed the game down, instead of inviting United onto them.

Lukaku can be infuriating to watch at times as well. He had Miralles completely free to his right in the first half but decided to go the other way and shoot straight into a defender. He then wasted another counter in the second half when he had someone free to the left.

United's problem converting chances at home must be frustrating. Definitely the better team in all of their draws at Old Trafford but very few points to show for it.

 

[Mihai]

And you lot are on 56 points and on course for 4th place.

No wait, that never happened.

We are not on 56, but you conceded a valid goal that was disallowed. Bias aside, I don't think you must be frustrated with one point from this game.

 

[TMDaines]

This has been a real issue all season long.

That's insane.

 

[Klopper76]

I don't know if it's been mentioned but I'm sure the keeper was going to save Shaw's show had Williams not intervened.

Did Williams needlessly handball that?

 

[Acole9]

Like I said in the match day forum I could barely celebrate the penalty, we was so bad and all the home draws is just too much. This unbeaten run is more of a hindrance than anything, nine home draws now I believe and most of those teams we should've won against comfortably, this is no longer bad luck in front of goal, it's poor/toothless play in front of goal, most of them just aren't brave enough.

 

[Manny]

I've got mixed feelings on the game.

I missed the first 30 minutes but I thought we looked tactically better in the first half from what I saw. Carrick sitting, Herrera and Fellaini ahead of him, some quick passing and one-two's between the front 6.

We were good in the second half but just ran out of ideas in the last 10-15.

 

[sammsky1]

Pish. But jesus, even a shit proper full back makes such a difference. Width. Attacking width. We need two new fullbacks in the summer. Attacking fullbacks. It's so fecking frustrating as it is.

Where can we purchase genuine wingers in world football today? We currently need 4

Baffles me how Rashford keeps getting starts. Mkhi played as in a coma. Pogba wank. Non-existent midfield and attack. De Gea/Rojo up in the clouds.

We need WINGERS ffs. Lingard and Rashford aren't wingers to begin with but they played terrible anyway. Can't blame any of this on Zlatan! You know what type of player he is. He waits for the right moment to strike, don't expect him to be a sanchez type. It wasn't offside so he would have made 2 in a otherwise terrible match.

Also, start Shaw the next match. He might not be fully fit or whatever but atleast he adds some width.

So with DDG and Ibra possibly leaving, we need an entire new squad in the summer, according to this thread. This place.

We have one specific problem. Just one problem that needs to be solved:

Manchester United’s 9 home draws in the league:
Shots - 172
Shots on target - 55
Goals - 6
3.48% shot conversion rate.

IF we just convert more chances at home, we will win the league. Thats all this squad needs to tweak.

In terms of team development and tactical identity, this is the best condition we have been in since SAF left. Maybe it shouldn't have taken as long but here we are. So long as Mourinho gets the attacking players he wants in the summer, Im convinced we'll convert our dominance into loads of points. We'll also hammer some unfortunate teams once in a while.

Whether we like it or not, need to forget about getting out of league this year, as this problem wont be solved with this squad, hope like crazy we win Europa, and genuinely gear up for full on assault next year.

Next year will be our year - and God save RAWK too.

 

[Rawls]

That's insane.

https://t.co/tj52hloxcV
https://t.co/OwUf5us0EE
https://t.co/NXcI6zvm39
https://t.co/nM2hAA19H1
https://t.co/RK6ma8m121
https://t.co/7YSySwJ6pJ
https://t.co/oYb9Bw4TZX

7 matches, 14 points dropped.

 

[Manny]

Like I said in the match day forum I could barely celebrate the penalty, we was so bad and all the home draws is just too much. This unbeaten run is more of a hindrance than anything, nine home draws now I believe and most of those teams we should've won against comfortably, this is no longer bad luck in front of goal, it's poor/toothless play in front of goal, most of them just aren't brave enough.

I was thinking earlier today that I wouldn't mind us losing the unbeaten streak just to shake things up and get a reaction ahead of the run in and important EL games.

This unbeaten streak feels like a bit of comfort blanket for the club.

 

[snk123]

Throwback to the Moyes days when all we could do was lump it to Fellani.

 

[Morpheus 7]

Another poor performance, only got going in the past 25 minutes. The lack of urgency was shocking. The last two games have a feel of a end of season match with nothing to play for. I don't think we deserve to get top 4 honestly. You can't draw as many times as we have and say we do. We need an edge and better quality on the pitch. Young shouldn't be starting for United anymore, his delivery is awful. Fellaini and Carrick are too slow as a pair. Jesse is a squad player and should be a sub and for certain games.

I want to see our best lineup again. I think Bailly, Valencia, Rojo, pogba, herrera, zlatan, miki, martial need to play. We need a mix of creativity and speed. Tempo,drive and most importantly, risk needs to be reintroduced. It's Europa league or bust now, we have messed up. No more he's got a good attitude, lesson time. It's a cohesive unit and spine that's needed of our best players. You can't expect miracles of players that don't have the ability. It's crunch time and we have to get our rhythm back soon or the season will be a disaster. Zlatan, herrera, pogba and miki are key going forward.