Pre/Post Match Discussion: Premier League vs Fulham (a)

[DaveMart]

I hope we are not overplaying Herrera,
I thought we would rest him today.

[Goku]

Review:

We played well within ourselves and and came away with a 0-3 victory, as predicted by me Hussain.

Martial reminds me of Thierry Henry with that second goal he can develop into a World Class Player.

Pogba was fantastic and just what the doctor ordered.

On to the Champions League

Thanks

[ArizonaRed]

I hope we are not overplaying Herrera,
I thought we would rest him today.

I saw an interview with Giggs about how he managed to play in the premier league for so long. His response was that he had to learn to pace hisself, not just through the season but also within the game. Today Herrera did exactly that, in the second half he played well within hisself - not his usual “all ahead flank”.

[DaveMart]

What did you think of Dalot?
The commentators were saying he got a bit sloppy in the second half.

[DaveMart]

Ole when we went 2-0 up was clear that the team had a different job to do, and could sit back more rather than pressing.
So he may have specifically have made it clear to Herrera as well as others that he could stay back more.

I'm encouraged that Herrera was managing his energy, in any case.

[raycreative]

Excellent win against a very poor team who I believe will be going down
That said you can do no more than beat what is in front of you
The usual suspects won the game for us.
Pogba and Marial are unstoppable at the moment.
DDG and Shaw are here for many years as indeed is Matic who has a pnenomenal football brain
Herrera is now showing what we know he can do
Mata is not getting any faster but with his experience I would give him another year

The faults are still clear for everybody to see
Even a shit team like Fulham had two glorious chances to score in the first 5 minutes
On both occasions the two centre halves were at fault
Neither were in site for the first opportunity in the first minute
On minute 4 Shirley Temple Smalling was more intent on grabbing a shirt than winning the ball
Lukaku or as the wag next to me,declared at half time Looknotu might as well not be on the field.He told his mate that if he went on the field instead of Looknotu nobody would notice,provided the lad did not move around too much which would give the game away that a swap had been made as Looknotu never moved
Dalit has his good and his bad moments.As described by another forum member he was patchy.You would worry about him playing against a top winger where defensive play would be more important than his att king play,which he seems pretty confident at doing

For me you cannot get away with two centre halves,a right back and a centre forward
I just hope that Jones and Smalling have been given long contracts to get more of a sell on fee

[DaveMart]

I'm watching the match on MUTV and I was shocked.

When our first attack broke down ( nice offensive play by Dalot ) and Fulham came at us, all that we had between them and the goal was DDG!

Herrera was the first back, with our central defenders nowhere to be seen!

There is offensive play and there is insanity, if one went, one should have stayed.

What is Ole playing at, allowing that sort of thing?

PSG would murder us.

[DaveMart]

Well, we seem to do the same for every corner we have too.
Throw everyone forward, with Matic and Herrera usually furthest back, and hope we can get back in time.

I suppose I should stop whinging, as I hated Jose's defensive football.

They are going to give me a heart attack though.

[ArizonaRed]

My computer went TU just before the start of the game, and I spent most of the day, after the game, getting it up and running, what a friggin mess.

This was the type of game that at the end of the season no one will remember, just another 3 points that should be picking up with little or no fuss. However; since Sir Alex left it’s the type of game that has driven most of us up a tree because as often as not it’s been a banana skin and we have dropped points. In early December Mourinho is widely quoted as saying

United will need “almost a miracle” to finish in the top four this season

Well Jose let me introduce you to Ole Gunner Solskjaer, who know a thing or two about miracles at United. Keeping hold of 4th place will be at least as difficult as getting there but I believe the way Ole has the team playing they will accomplish it, and if Tottenham have a wobble, they should watch out too. Speculation is a football fans favorite pastime so imagine where we could be if Ole had replace Mourinho when he first made that quote (Dec 3rd).

A very, very professional performance, it appeared to me that both teams came out with very similar strategies, to get an early first goal and get the opposition on the back foot. Even with a couple of gilt-edge chances in the first 5 minutes I never believed that Fulham would be able to make that work for them and after Pogba’s goal (hard to believe anyone would have the gonads to even attempt that shot) the game was over and done with. When Martial scored, what a wonderful example of run into the green space until someone stops you, both teams looked like they were ready for the game to be over and done with. While the energy levels of both teams dropped United never reverted to “coasting” or “park the bus”, instead they went into “control the game” mode - another thing we haven’t seen in a while.

Random thoughts on the game
• Going forward Dalot did well and got off some good crosses, the mistake he did make I think can be coached out of him.

• We are going to have a difficult time off-loading Lukaku, he is on a high salary, a big transfer fee and shows every time he plays that he doesn’t fit into the way Ole (United) want to play.

• I am so happy that Martial will be at United for the next five years, he is monstrously talented, the type of talent that many clubs would build the team around.

• If Fosu-Mensah cannot make the starting lineup for Fulham what chance does he stand at United?

• Pogba is the player we all hoped he would be.

• China or the MLS beckons for Sanchez.

[DaveMart]

Another interesting write up, Arizona.

Dalot impressed me
He is 19, and at that age they learn fast.
His youth did not stop him on throw ins complaining when the others did not open any angles for him - he is not shy.
On the mistake, I must have seen Young do the same thing 100 times, but Dalot is more improvable.

As Young is not getting any younger, I think that this is ideal to have him coming through now, and am happy with the position,

We need another to go with Lindelof at CB, whose name is not Smalling or Jones, albeit now having seem the game I thought they did pretty well.
Bailly may be coachable to be that one, or we may need someone else.

I thought Sanchez did OK when he came on, and on another day would have been as much of a threat as Martial.
McTominay was a whisker away from heading in his cross.

I am not sure what we would do if Pogba can't play a game though, as just about everything goes through him and he drives us on.

That is why I would love to see us getting David Brooks, as he has the ability to be the playmaker as well as being able to take up a Mata type role when Pogba is on the pitch.

The second half was more like a training match, as we knocked the ball around at will, bar a couple of scares.