I didn’t really want to talk about the Chelsea game for obvious reasons, but I don’t think I can avoid it because it’s totally relevant to our upcoming game.
Yet again, the team looked leggy and also mentally slow. It’s literally like we’ve run out of ideas in every area. We’ve gone from being one of the most feared attacking teams with loads of pace to now offering Ollie Watkins barely a sniff of the ball and even less chances.
Whenever we’re attacked, the defence immediately seems to go into panic mode and we look likely to concede. There is of course a fair excuse here and it doesn’t help when most of your first choice defence is missing.
Even the midfield have been poor and players who have been fantastic, including Luiz and McGinn have been performing a lot worse than we know they can and it’s the Scot in particular who concerns me.
I’m sure we all remember McGinn’s time under Gerrard, where he was so consistently poor and it got so bad that fans were seriously questioning if he should remain at the club. Well, I suspect that is an indicator of how long it might take him to get back to his “A” game. I’m not suggesting that he’s disillusioned or anything like that, but I do think it’s a mental tiredness that won’t be sorted quickly.
Of course, Unai Emery will know if I’m talking rubbish or not, as there seem to be dozens of people nowadays studying all the metrics of when the lads play or train, but it’s my guess that the numbers will be down and peak anything will be lower than it was earlier in the season.
Anyway, team news.
There are no new injuries and the main news is that we may have Lucas Digne back. Further good news is that Pau Torres might actually be fit enough to start and that’s a big plus because I think it’s more than coincidence that we’ve looked a poorer team for the last few weeks.
Nicolo Zaniolo came off the bench on Wednesday and I’d expect him to possibly start, even if it’s only for fresh legs, as he’s not quite turned out to be the player I thought he was. Still, some need time to adjust, I suppose.
We no doubt all know who’s missing as we’ve missed them massively and it’s what most of any discussion involves lately.
Man Utd face eight weeks without Lisandro Martinez, who has suffered knee ligament damage.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has suffered a setback in training and Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial are all out.
Prediction time then and it’s bad news I’m afraid.
I don’t think United are a good side by any sense of the imagination, but they do seem to be playing with the consistency that we’ve known them for over the years. Certainly more than us anyway, having won 3 drawn 1 and lost 1 in their last five games.
Then again, it’s perspective time and while I’m thinking that things look desperately bad, we’ve won 2 drawn 1 and lost 2, which is only two points worse than Spurs, who I thought were catching us at a rate of knots. Not quite so, but they are catching us. I think it’s what’s at stake that has given everything an increased sense of urgency and probably in my case even a bit of panic, when things aren’t going well.
Which all means that we need to get our act together sharpish if we want to maintain our position.
Sadly, I don’t think this is the game for that and I totally expect Man Utd to simply have too much for us. I’m expecting a big contrast to our recent game against them, where they were lucky to win after we threw it away and I fully expect them to just outplay us particularly in the middle.
A 3-1 loss it is then.
UTV!
It looks like Kamara has done a knee ligament there. Shit.
Luiz, get in!
1-1 and we can now win this.
COYL!
Luiz’s celebration, class!
Yyyeeessssss!!!!!!!°°°
This is bloody painful!!!!!
This really is the poorest, most biased refereeing performance I’ve ever seen.
Load of crap again
Unbelievable. We’ve been the better side too.
FFS
You are £@£@%%^@ kidding!!!!
We’ve played quite well but this ref gave us jack and we’ve squandered chances
The commentary is so pro Utd it’s shameful.
Congratulations Sky and Neville. You got your wish and now Keane can enjoy the post match waffle too. Not for me though because I’m not watching. I hate Man Ure more than any club and now they look like they will go above us.
Stupid Emery decision to take Bailey off FWIW.
There was a stat that Utd hadn’t beaten a top 9 club away from home in the previous 13 games! Step up you know who to save the day!
So now we have Kamara out presumably for a while alongside Konsa and I’m not convinced Torres is going to be ready to start anytime soon.
Fucking sick as a dog how did we lose that
Surley we can’t blow top 5 ,we were looking at top spot recently ffs
Ref today simply shocking.
Fernandes, gives him absolute dogs abuse -nothing,
Goes in studs up on Bailey – nothing.
Kicks the ball away from a free kick -nothing.
Varane stop a breakaway attack by coming through the back of Watkins – nothing.
McGuire pulls MCGinn stopping an attack – nothing.
Jones you and your SS haircut are a disgrace.
RSS I agree add to the fact the McQuire. Goal was off side the ref gave a corner from which they scored, why no VAR ? Think they was all on the coach to Villa Park now going home laughing. Pissed off ..
I really do dislike Manure.
I thought today if we had taken our chances we would have been out of sight.
A much better performance than Chelsea. It gives hope for the remainder of the season.
All I keep coming back to is we have been in the rough end of j juries this season:
Buendia – all season
Mings – all season
Ramsey- significant chunk of season
Moreni – as above
Torres – 6 weeks and rising
Digne
Konsa – expected out for month
6 of those players helps us to 7th last year. The defence has been decimated and Lenglet / Carlos / cash defence is the reserve team.
I believe Ransey was expecting to have a season where he would become international class. Now he is trying to get through the season and start again next year.
Let’s keep going and see what happens. We will finish higher than last year and that’s an improvement. It’s always about what it could have been!
Manure were lucky – on another day we would have had four.
What’s really galling is that this is so often the case when we play them – everything goes their way time after time. We are really cursed when it comes to playing them.
Still it was a much better performance than of late which gives hope. It’s clear that Torres is till not fit enough and is only on the bench in case of emergencies – because we have run out of experienced defenders. That was evidenced by two games where he has not appeared yet Digne was given a few minutes at the end of the game – good to see him back.
Also thought Ramsey was starting to get back to his best form.
The big challenge for Emery is to lift the team for the game at Craven Cottage which won’t be easy.
Still a long way to go – UTMV
We take our chances we win comfortably . I’d worry if weren’t creating them
Back to the Referee .
Wow he was embarrassing . How on earth Varane , Goofy and Square Head ain’t booked is bewildering
Am I the only one who thinks the ref is a Billy big toes , look at me big headed T@@@ ?
He was bad .
On to the next and as super John Maginn said play like that we will win more than we lose
This is starting to feel like the worst Christmas ever…Totally fed up. 🙁