Premier League 2023/2024

[Marty]

Genuinely seem to play Sheffield Utd every week. Either way, this is going to be 10-0

Their run since mid Jan has been Palace, Forest, Liverpool, West Ham, Burnley, Newcastle, and now Sheff U.

As West Ham were in a rubbish patch without Paqueta the Liverpool win is the only impressive result there. The amount of goals they've scored in that time is annoying though, so when they have a tougher run in April let's hope it dries up then.

 

[Marty]

Certainly won’t catch Villa. It’s 11pts now. In 2 weeks time the last 8 will be sorted for the 3 euro comps. We will know then what chance of a 5th champ lge place. Go to Villa and win next week and Utd won’t catch us either.

Yeah if Brighton knock out Roma and West Ham do Freiburg then the PL will be massively odds on to get that fifth CL spot, assuming the other favourites do their jobs.

 

[Cambridge Spur]

The bias of Neville and Keane is unbelievable. Apparently that performance gives United hope! That was like watching Palace against us yesterday, no ambition, 10 behind the ball and nick a wonder goal. If that was us today they’d have ripped us apart….’Spurs had no ambition, hanging on, blah, blah, blah’ but apparently United showed a structure and it was a good defensive performance. Absolute rubbish!

 

[talkshowhost86]

The bias of Neville and Keane is unbelievable. Apparently that performance gives United hope! That was like watching Palace against us yesterday, no ambition, 10 behind the ball and nick a wonder goal. If that was us today they’d have ripped us apart….’Spurs had no ambition, hanging on, blah, blah, blah’ but apparently United showed a structure and it was a good defensive performance. Absolute rubbish!

The only reason it can have given them any hope is that at least ETH went into this game with a plan.

It wasn't ambitious.

And it didn't work.

But it was a plan.

And for United that is a step forward.

 

[philll]

A momentum chart of the Manchester derby...

 

[Cambridge Spur]

The only reason it can have given them any hope is that at least ETH went into this game with a plan.

It wasn't ambitious.

And it didn't work.

But it was a plan.

And for United that is a step forward.

And that's

For a club the size of Man Utd their ‘plan’ should be more than just stick 10 men behind the ball and smash long balls up the pitch. ETH has been there 2 years, that performance was what you’d expect to see from a team battling relegation.

 

[UncleBuck]

Untied were awful but then they have been pretty much all season, I still can’t get my head around how they are 6th and only six points off us!

 

[ajspurs]

The bias of Neville and Keane is unbelievable. Apparently that performance gives United hope! That was like watching Palace against us yesterday, no ambition, 10 behind the ball and nick a wonder goal. If that was us today they’d have ripped us apart….’Spurs had no ambition, hanging on, blah, blah, blah’ but apparently United showed a structure and it was a good defensive performance. Absolute rubbish!

The problem is that irrespective of what they achieved today or how they did it, they can still easily go and drop points to Everton at home next and I don't think anyone would be massively surprised.

They were compact today and played well on the counter, but this is nothing new. They also got a draw at Anfield, won at Villa Park and were unlucky to lose the game at The Emirates. I really don't think this game proved all that match from United's perspective.

 

[dontcallme]

The problem is that irrespective of what they achieved today or how they did it, they can still easily go and drop points to Everton at home next and I don't think anyone would be massively surprised.

They were compact today and played well on the counter, but this is nothing new. They also got a draw at Anfield, won at Villa Park and were unlucky to lose the game at The Emirates. I really don't think this game proved all that match from United's perspective.

This is the thing for me. In the last 2 seasons Utd have spent very big on Hojlund, Mount, Onana, Antony, Casemiro and Martinez. £50m+ on each player. Aside from Mount, I've no idea, I'm firmly of the understanding these were all ETH's players of choice.

But despite that there is no sign of a playing style being developed.

Outside of hoping a star player emerges, I don't see where the hope is for Utd in getting to the top with the current setup.

 

[Styopa]

Untied we’re awful but then they have been pretty much all season, I still can’t get my head around how they are 6th and only six points off us!

Well, six points plus we have a game in hand. But I suppose to put it in perspective we’re “just” eight points behind title challengers Arsenal. So the distance from us to Arsenal is pretty similar to the distance from us to Man U. Potentially the gap could be even smaller to Arsenal.

 

[talkshowhost86]

For a club the size of Man Utd their ‘plan’ should be more than just stick 10 men behind the ball and smash long balls up the pitch. ETH has been there 2 years, that performance was what you’d expect to see from a team battling relegation.

Completely agree.

They are a complete shambles.

But a shambles with a plan for once!

 

[Styopa]

For a club the size of Man Utd their ‘plan’ should be more than just stick 10 men behind the ball and smash long balls up the pitch. ETH has been there 2 years, that performance was what you’d expect to see from a team battling relegation.

I agree, it should be, but they’re so far behind Man C that sticking ten men behind the ball was probably their best chance today. It almost worked.

 

[spurs mental]

 

[Misfit]

Robbed in the sense that Palace were robbed yesterday. The smash and grab approach against a better team failed.

 

[rossdapep]

He's Allardyve but without any of the innovations in trainings/ sports science.

He's awful. A product of an Ajax machine when it was still functioning at its best.

He's not from the Ajax machine to be fair.

I'd be pissed off if I was a United fan though. Sold the football Ajax played under him but now he's saying he didn't come to play that way.

Hidls Ajax team were genuinely fantastic and a lot of that was down to him but I am wondering if he is one of those coaches (like AVB) who struggles to keep principles and changes the minute there is pressure.

 

[rossdapep]

The bias of Neville and Keane is unbelievable. Apparently that performance gives United hope! That was like watching Palace against us yesterday, no ambition, 10 behind the ball and nick a wonder goal. If that was us today they’d have ripped us apart….’Spurs had no ambition, hanging on, blah, blah, blah’ but apparently United showed a structure and it was a good defensive performance. Absolute rubbish!

and if Haaland doesn't miss that open goal, City would likely have battered them second half.

United would have become deflated and City would have played lighter.

 

[joey55]

Maybe the head coach role is just massively over hyped and there are number of other factors that are way more important to a clubs success. I'm pretty sure this time last season ETH was being used as an example of the kind of coach we should have got and that he's the reason Utd were above us. Now he's being questioned and we have a different coach, who has massively turned things around for us, to the point where we are now in the same position we were when the last permanent coach left (that isn't a dig at Ange, who I love as our head coach.)

 

[dontcallme]

Maybe the head coach role is just massively over hyped and there are number of other factors that are way more important to a clubs success. I'm pretty sure this time last season ETH was being used as an example of the kind of coach we should have got and that he's the reason Utd were above us. Now he's being questioned and we have a different coach, who has massively turned things around for us, to the point where we are now in the same position we were when the last permanent coach left (that isn't a dig at Ange, who I love as our head coach.)

Seems to me that a lot of head coaches bring in their choice of backroom staff as well. So while there are other more important factors in the success of a club, the head coach is still a very important one.

City have huge money and have all the tools to dominate, but it's only under Pep that they have. Liverpool have had a lot of success in the cups but before Klopp we'd finished above them something like 8 in 9 times in the league.

Ange might not be getting us immediate overall improvement in results but the quality of the football and general feeling around the club is certainly a lot more optimistic than under the 3 managers that came before him.

 

[Frank Blank]

Well, six points plus we have a game in hand. But I suppose to put it in perspective we’re “just” eight points behind title challengers Arsenal. So the distance from us to Arsenal is pretty similar to the distance from us to Man U. Potentially the gap could be even smaller to Arsenal.

The difference in GD (-2 vs 16) is potentially worth another point too.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

The difference in GD (-2 vs 16) is potentially worth another point too.

GD is often the really telling stat in the PL table. It shows you really just how far some clubs are from others.