Man United Vs Tottenham: Match Thread

[Gaz_Gammon]

MOM for us, frankly it's a straight choice between our fans and the bus driver ! At least they executed their duties well and deserve credit, as for the rest the less said the better......

It's a pity the bus driver didn't park somewhere in front of Walker or Rose then.

 

[yusrisafri]

It's really difficult to judge how good Utd were today, were they really that good or were we really that bad ?

Depends on which team you support. We would say the latter whereas their fans would say the former.

When we convincingly beat arsenal recently we would say the former while the goons would say the latter.

So my point is there's no point doing the quiz

 

[rossdapep]

Would stamboli capoue dembele offered any better protection? I seriously doubt it

Maybe if dembele had started. But I do agree with most when ppl say we need a deep lying midfielder who is disciplined in the role because that area is an easy target

 

[NEVILLEB]

Jaysus bluddy wept!

Look, that was our hardest game on paper. The general opinion was that we would lose it. Most of the predictor thingies have us pushing for the top four even after losing this game. That is the best United have played in a long time, spurred on by their capitulation against the Goons, and that is probably the worst we have played all season (or, at least, for several months). We have 27 points to play forward, will probably play out of our skin for the rest of the season as a reaction to this performance, and have a good chance of winning every remaining game. United, the Goons and Liverpool all have to play one another, United also play Citeh, and all three have to play Chelsea, two of them at Stamford Bridge.

And you want to throw the towel in?

It may be slightly hardest for is than if we'd won today - wow, really, I'd never have guessed. But all of our rivals will drop at least some points - it is impossible for at least most of them to not drop some, and I will be utterly gobsmacked if even won of them doesn't drop another point all season, whereas we actually could go on an extended run.

 

[spursfan77]

I am surprised we are 7th... we are still being flattered. IMO.

Have a look at the league table though and it's probably about right. If we finished there this season I'll be pissed off but it's what I expected at the start of the season. I just thought we were too weak all over the pitch except in goal.

 

[ethanedwards]

Totally agree.

It is a learning process and we've still made immense strides under Pochettino and this young group of players so far.

I really hope that Poch has learned from that today though and I hope he shows it by reverting back to the side that blitzed Arsenal that day.

If he wants us to press high and aggressively don't pick the likes of Townsend and Chadli, pick the players who've already proved it.

What immense strides would they be, assuming we finish 6th/7th ?

 

[bill]

poor poor poor today. Rose was our best player on the pitch - fair play to him for putting in the effort when nobody else was Walker ... where did he go? Dier needs a pace and to work on his positioning, not good at all. I give up today.

 

[1882andallthat]

Whilst the appointment of Pochettino represents a positive I was always concerned at his record with the Saints defence, I said this at the time before his appointment when he was linked with us and immediately after he was appointed. As good and attractive as the Saints were going forward they were very fragile at the back, nothing has changed that view since his appointment with us. Playing a high pressing game and a high line does not mean that it should inevitably be accompanied with basic errors and fragilities that 5yr olds would struggle to outdo.

Whist there is no doubt that Lloris is a great keeper, our defence consistently seems as determined as ever give him as many opportunities to showcase his skills as it possibly can. If we are to progress this has to be addressed now without further delay. No one can perform as badly as a defensive unit than we do at the back even if they tried to !!

 

[ohtottenham!]

They had pace on both flanks today, and that pretty well nullified our own threats on the wings. Mason and Bentaleb with Eriksen floating around our midfield was just too easily bypassed, especially as we had no Fazio to take the Fellaini factor out of the game. Damage was done early. Our players had an off day today, but the mistake was Poch's, and with how we set up against their threats away from home. Love Poch, but he wasn't ready for Utd today. It'll help Poch and us going forward.

 

[Greenspur]

And I've NEVER seen Fellani, Jones or Smalling put in performances like that. Typical they'd save them for today. On to the next game and plenty of points still to be had.

On another thread I suggested that Fazio might be needed. Many disagreed with me.
If you have a big elbow using, 6 foot 4 animal playing against you, surely you need a big 6 foot 5 animal in defence.

 

[Gib14]

Here you go:

Goals conceded over last three months in the PL only: 3,0,1,1,1,0,3,2,1,0,1,3,3,2,2,1,3,

That's not really inconsistent at all. I't common knowledge that we simply cannot defend.

For a coach who played in defence for club and country it's not really acceptable. And for all those saying that this is not his team, nor are the teams that Pulis, Pardew and Sherwood inherited and in half the time that Poch has had, have made inroads into reducing the number of goals conceded.

It is no longer an excuse to use players inherited as the reason for piss poor defending as far as i am concerned. Like i said in an earlier posting, this side is playing very much like it was under Ardiles, and we all know how that ended up. Any team purposing to be of CL making has a defence worth a shit, and we have a chicken headed right back, failed left winger at left back and two centre half's who at times play like it's there first game together. Lloris must top up on fucking Valium before every game.

Yep. Forwards win you games. Defence wins you championships

 

[Jamturk]

I agree about him not sorting the defence out but Fazio and Chiriches are not the answer. The former has played more suicide passes than I care to remember this season.

:

Todays Spurs defence:

Tackles won by Kyle Walker, Eric Dier & Jan Vertonghen vs Man Utd = 0. Tackles won by Danny Rose vs Man Utd = 7.

 

[mpickard2087]

It's not the formation it's that neither Bentaleb or Mason think like defensive midfielders.

Not their natural game.

I think it is the formation first and foremost. We basically play a 4-2-4 and when your front four don't click, both with the ball and then either closing down effectively and pressing, or instead dropping in and making two banks of four, then you will have real problems.

'Plan A' hasn't been good enough, or more accurately been consistently put into practice this season, to stick with it absolutely week in, week out.

 

[Teddy Klinsmann]

Shocking...

@Squawka: Tackles won by Kyle Walker, Eric Dier & Jan Vertonghen vs Man Utd = 0.

Tackles won by Danny Rose vs Man Utd = 7. http://t.co/x5GL6WzBOd

 

[beats1]

Totally agree.

It is a learning process and we've still made immense strides under Pochettino and this young group of players so far.

I really hope that Poch has learned from that today though and I hope he shows it by reverting back to the side that blitzed Arsenal that day.

If he wants us to press high and aggressively don't pick the likes of Townsend and Chadli, pick the players who've already proved it.

The issue I have with the great performance against arsenal, they created more chances than us and had Giroud not missed two sitters iirc we would of lost

I agree we were the better team however I think our rivals have figured us out by always playing deep and compact to stop Kane, Eriksen and etc finding space and putting pressure on the CB's and CM

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

poch is showing himself to be stubbornly unadaptable and it just felt like a return to our wilting days. however disappointing that game was though,

There is a word in hindi which I like. Jugaar. It has various meanings in English, "Ad hoc", "improvising", "thinking on your feet" what have you. It is an approach to problem solving. The point of jugaar is not to follow the rules, but to act in way which produces results on the spot. It's the same as when a chef has cooked a bad sauce, and then smothers it in butter to make it palatable to the clients. Used carefully, it could be the weapon Pochettino is now lacking.

 

[Gib14]

To be honest, we were sucker punched today. I don't think anyone realised United had a performance like that in their locker, and by the time we worked it out it was too late.

There shouldn't have been anything to work out. United at Old Trafford!!

 

[Kendall]

What immense strides would they be, assuming we finish 6th/7th ?

This.

I remember when Sherwood replaced AVB and there was a lot of animosity on here due to Sherwood being perceived to be undoing all of AVB's hard work in making us solid (something that I thought was contentious anyway). Sherwood got us scoring goals but people weren't happy with the gung ho approach. Contrast that with this year and Pochettino who for me is being given a hell of a lot of slack. We actually look worse defensively than we did under Sherwood and we've sacrificed the attacking football too. Too much possession and nothing done with it and too much shitting of the pants when we don't have it. Pochettino, for me, has given us the worst of football in a team and his fortunate we are where we are because we deserved to get beat at Swansea, Hull and Villa where red cards and late goals have spared his blushes and masked his failings.

 

[tony0379]

Didn't expect much from this, so onwards and upwards.

 

[Gib14]

Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial · 2 min
"@ericdier: There's nothing else to do now but put it behind us and put it right next weekend."

There is plenty to do