Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2017

Sand

If Smalling is played against Chelsea again, it will be another hiding again.

Asleep for the Blackburn goal today.

kona

Great to see some more John Terry tears.

RobertKK

Sand wrote: »

If Smalling is played against Chelsea again, it will be another hiding again.

Asleep for the Blackburn goal today.

I think Smalling's days are numbered at United.

Sand

Sand wrote: »

If Smalling is played against Chelsea again, it will be another hiding again.

Asleep for the Blackburn goal today.

Would love Jones back with rojo

GSPfan

The only comfort we can take from that draw is that our fixture congestion might ease up if we lose, or we'll have knocked out the favourite if we win.

Cantona's Collars

A real Conte of a draw but we'd probably have to face them at some stage if we want to retain the cup.

Lord TSC

Couldn't have gotten a worse draw imo. Chelsea will probably be able to focus on it more than us, given they have such a comfortable lead in the league. And while we aren't the same team as last time, we'll still be big underdogs. Not looking forward to it at all

madcabbage

Stamford Bridge though...

Cookiemunster

GSPfan wrote: »

The only comfort we can take from that draw is that our fixture congestion might ease up if we lose, or we'll have knocked out the favourite if we win.

There are no more replays for the 6th round onwards, so only one more game would need to be postponed.

Cookiemunster

Lord TSC wrote: »

Couldn't have gotten a worse draw imo. Chelsea will probably be able to focus on it more than us, given they have such a comfortable lead in the league. And while we aren't the same team as last time, we'll still be big underdogs. Not looking forward to it at all

Plus its between the two legs of the next round of the EL.

brinty

Have we seen bailly and rojo together yet??

Lithium93_

Cautious of the draw with Chelsea, hopefully a repeat of the hiding a few months ago can be avoided.

Trigger

RobertKK wrote: »

I think Smalling's days are numbered at United.

I think it was the Mirror reporting today that there is going to be a swap deal of Oxaide-Chamberlain and Smalling.. Its not even silly season

Love the draw tbh, you have to play against the bigger teams and beat them if you want to win the cups.. we did it with City in the league Cup we can do it again against Chelsea, we are a totally different team mentally and play wise since the hiding.

Chelsea have also started to slow down a bit lately.

spiralism

limnam wrote: »

nonsense.

We're a 100 miles away from the team we were that got battered.

We're also 100 miles away from being able to win at Stamford Bridge though. They've the title in the bag and will be fresh and gunning for a double. We'll be seriously burnt out with fixture pile up. Even some of the best united sides to ever take to a field have been pumped out there.

I'd play a weakened side, we'll need fresher legs instead of wasting them on a snipe hunt.

bucketybuck

spiralism wrote: »

We're also 100 miles away from being able to win at Stamford Bridge though. They've the title in the bag and will be fresh and gunning for a double. We'll be seriously burnt out with fixture pile up. Even some of the best united sides to ever take to a field have been pumped out there.

I'd play a weakened side, we'll need fresher legs instead of wasting them on a snipe hunt.

Weakened side my hole, you would think we were playing Xavi's Barcelona or something. Chelsea will win the league but they are not a patch on some of the great sides of the past and we can easily beat them in a cup tie.

0gac3yjefb5sv7

bucketybuck wrote: »

Weakened side my hole, you would think we were playing Xavi's Barcelona or something. Chelsea will win the league but they are not a patch on some of the great sides of the past and we can easily beat them in a cup tie.

I'm hoping we can do the hiding this time. Revenge is needed.

Dave0301

spiralism wrote: »

We're also 100 miles away from being able to win at Stamford Bridge though. They've the title in the bag and will be fresh and gunning for a double. We'll be seriously burnt out with fixture pile up. Even some of the best united sides to ever take to a field have been pumped out there.

I'd play a weakened side, we'll need fresher legs instead of wasting them on a snipe hunt.

Thank fook you aren't the manager so.

Sand

RobertKK wrote: »

I think Smalling's days are numbered at United.

That depends on his own ambitions tbh. I think hes a decent player to have in the squad, at least until a better option emerges. Inertia may keep him happy with a minor role. But he does stupid things too often to be trusted as a first XI player.

Today at Blackburn he was asleep, keeping Graham onside in the buildup. He could have stepped up to hold the line with the rest of the defence at any time. He didn't, then got turned easily. At Chelsea he was primarily at fault for the first, third and fourth goals - he got turned inside out by Kante for number 4. Kante. The second he was asleep for. I think Mourinho gave up on him at that point and does not trust him.

I've given up on him as a first team player since the end of last season - his last five games he got sent off twice, and scored an own goal and overall played poorly. That for me demonstrated he actually hadn't significantly improved since his sending off at City the season before which was the stupidest two quick yellows I've ever seen.

Johner

I can't imagine it will be a full strength side for United? I guess it all depends on the Europa League draw.

Flint Fredstone

M!Ck^ wrote: »

Would love Jones back with rojo

Get up the yard Michael. Bailly partners A. N. Other every time he's available for a big game like that.

spiralism

Just to clarify, the game at stamford bridge would go to extra time and not a replay?

sReq | uTeK

We've not lost a game since October....sorry except the league cup semi to Hull and people are saying we are going to get a hiding

Chelsea were pushed hard by Wolves yesterday and whilst winning Wolves were very much a match for them for 60 minutes until they slowed down.

We should not be fearing anyone, least of all a Chelsea side who have not been great shapes the past few weeks.

S.M.B.

Still think that Chelsea game should be bottom of our list of priorities.

The_Kew_Tour

Lets go for it!!

I know im being hypocritical a little cause I would not have been gutted to lose today(hate myself a little for that) but we always seem be better with more games.

Squad rotation is a good headache to have.

Cookiemunster

spiralism wrote: »

We're also 100 miles away from being able to win at Stamford Bridge though. They've the title in the bag and will be fresh and gunning for a double. We'll be seriously burnt out with fixture pile up. Even some of the best united sides to ever take to a field have been pumped out there.

I'd play a weakened side, we'll need fresher legs instead of wasting them on a snipe hunt.

We'll be seriously burnt out in 3 weeks? Hardly. I don't expect fixture pile up to affect Utd that much due to the size of the squad.

Cookiemunster

spiralism wrote: »

Just to clarify, the game at stamford bridge would go to extra time and not a replay?

Correct. Has to be decided on the day.

adox

Yes Smalling was ball watching for the goal and at fault but not a word about Rojo part in it?

Smalling and Bailly is the way to go of the current CBs at the club imo.

Anyway decent performance today, moreso with the ball than without. Thought we were very timid when we didn't have the ball. Blackburn were given free reign to out in crosses from our left. On the other side I actually thought Young defended really well, out a real shift in and was positionally sound in his defending.

Although for both goals there was huge wide open spaces, they were two sexy balls played through. Ibras finish really was sublime.

Cantona's Collars

adox wrote: »

Yes Smalling was ball watching for the goal and at fault but not a word about Rojo part in it?

Smalling and Bailly is the way to go of the current CBs at the club imo.

Decent skill by Emnes,not much Rojo could have done bar rugby tackle him and get an early booking.Smalling was daydreaming, it was Danny Graham he was meant to be marking not Messi or Ronaldo.

adox

zerks wrote: »

Decent skill by Emnes,not much Rojo could have done bar rugby tackle him and get an early booking.Smalling was daydreaming, it was Danny Graham he was meant to be marking not Messi or Ronaldo.

Meh and it was Emnes Rojo was defending against and poorly. Got sucked in and beaten too easily. I already said Smalling was at fault and ball watching.

BenK

I'd actually like to see Jones and Bailly as a partnership, think they'd be very solid.

Thought Darmian was poor again today, don't think he looks near good enough for left or right back.

aperture_nuig

BenK wrote: »

I'd actually like to see Jones and Bailly as a partnership, think they'd be very solid.

Thought Darmian was poor again today, don't think he looks near good enough for left or right back.

Pretty sure Darmians regressed tbh, I remember thinking when him and Shaw came in that that was the 2 fullback spots sorted for years.

Panthro

sReq | uTeK wrote: »

We've not lost a game since October....sorry except the league cup semi to Hull and people are saying we are going to get a hiding

Chelsea were pushed hard by Wolves yesterday and whilst winning Wolves were very much a match for them for 60 minutes until they slowed down.

We should not be fearing anyone, least of all a Chelsea side who have not been great shapes the past few weeks.

Id expect to see a hape of the Chelsea players who were rested against Wolves be back in the first team for the united match up.

Sand

aperture_nuig wrote: »

Pretty sure Darmians regressed tbh, I remember thinking when him and Shaw came in that that was the 2 fullback spots sorted for years.

Yeah, Darmian is not playing all that well after a very good start to his United career. I liked the mindgames he played with Micah Richards in one of his first games. Looked like the real deal but hasn't for a while.

The only thing that can be said in his defence is that he was voted into the Serie A team of the year for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at right back. Whereas he now seems to be getting most of his games at left back.

Flint Fredstone

Flint Fredstone wrote: »

Get up the yard Michael. Bailly partners A. N. Other every time he's available for a big game like that.

Fair point! But I'm still not sure who plays beside Baily them.
I admit I have a soft spot for Jonsey!

Mad to think that the team have only lost one game since the hammering at Chelsea in October. That's some going in fairness.

I have no major worries about Chelsea away in the cup. That's not to say we'll get past them, just that I've no fear of a repeat of the 4-0. This group of players are looking more like a cohesive team and one far less likely to outright collapse in a match like the 4-0, or the first half of the 1-2 against City. If Chelsea are to win and dump us out, I would be confident of this United team still putting up a fight in the process.

As for fixture congestion, Jose has a strong squad to choose from and the likes of Young putting in a good shift in the cup gives me faith in the squad. I thought Young started off a bit laboured and rigid in his play, but soon he found his place in the game and certainly did not carry the appearance of a player severely lacking in match-time. Stuff like that, overlooked players stepping up when they're finally called, is very important in order to compete on all fronts.

I am slightly wary of our players getting run into the ground with too many games and/or our league form suffering. But until that happens, I want us to stay in each competition as long as possible and try to win them. As well as liking when the team win trophies, I think each one further cements the team in a winning mentality which is vital to many of these players. Jose seems to be doing what's required with adjusting the mentality of players who needed it, Mkhitaryan, Martial, hopefully Shaw, but a tournament win would do wonders to galvanise that mentality throughout the squad.

Yes, many of these players recently experienced an FA Cup trophy win with United. However, that was set against the backdrop of a far greyer, less certain Man United. We didn't know what was happening with the team, what players were leaving, who was coming in. That FA Cup win seemed far more like a win for the outgoing manager than for a group of players who needed/deserved to see a return for a season of hard work and good results. In other words, LVG went off into the sunset with a crown of '4 major trophies in 4 different countries', but the players still played for what had become a club in decline and an FA Cup win didn't change that.

Now though, I think an EFL, FA Cup and/or Europa win would reward this group of players with a real acknowledgment of "Yes, you have improved and worked hard, you deserve this. There is more work to be done, but this gives you a taste of what can be achieved once you do it". Any trophies for this team in restoration would benefit their mentality a lot more than the nice-on-the-day but pretty meaningless FA Cup win of 2016.

Confidence and the injection of a winning mentality, which are both badly needed - That's why I want to see United continue to advance in the competitions. My desire for that greatly outweighs my fear of 'What if the players get tired?'. SAF's teams often thrived in situations where they had busy periods, and I think that a first season of 50+ games will do wonders for embedding Mourinho and his mindset into the players and the club.

Finally, two things which made me smile while watching the cup game (apart from the speed of Mkhi and Martial) were...

1) That team hug, the "this does not slip" moment Zlatan formed with the players after his goal. I would love to know what he was saying. I'm imagining a call to arms like "We are Manchester United, we win every game from now until the end!" or something cinematic. With Zlatan though, who knows? "Guys...guys, come in. Now you see, this is all we must do, now you see, you give the ball to Zlatan and we score. On 3...Go Zlatan!".

2) At the final whistle, immediately after shaking hands with the few necessaries on the touchline, Jose went to the pitch to instruct the players to go and acknowledge the away fans. Nice touch from Jose, because the away fans had their shít turned up to 11 in Ewood. They're the best.

FatherTed

We have only 2 Prem games between Feb 11 and Apr 1:


Wed 22 Feb Saint-Étienne v Man Utd(EL)
Sun 26 Feb Man Utd v Southampton(EFL Cup Final)
Sat 4 Mar Man Utd v Bournemouth
Thu 9 Mar EL Round of 16, first leg **
Sat 11 Mar Chelsea v Man Utd(FA Cup)
Thu Mar 16 EL Round of 16, second leg **
Sun 19 Mar Middlesbrough v Man Utd
Sat 1 Apr Man Utd v West Bromwich Albion
Tue 4 Apr Man Utd v Everton
Sat 8 Apr Sunderland v Man Utd
Thu 13 Apr EL Quarter-finals, first leg **
Sat 15 Apr Man Utd v Chelsea
Thu 13 Apr EL Quarter-finals, second leg **
Sat 22 Apr Burnley v Man Utd**
Sat 22 Apr FA Cup Semi**
Sat 29 Apr Man Utd v Swansea City
Thu 4 May EL Semi-finals, first leg **
Sat 6 May Arsenal v Man Utd
Thu 11 May EL Semi-finals, second leg **
Sat 13 May Tottenham Hotspur v Man Utd
Sun 21 May Man Utd v Crystal Palace
Wed 24 May EL Final
Sat 27 May FA Cup Final


To be rescheduled:
Man City v Man Utd
Southampton v Man Utd

ShaneU

Thu 9 Mar EL Round of 16, first leg **
Sat 11 Mar Chelsea v Man Utd(FA Cup)

One day between these games? Why is it not on the Sunday?

KaiserGunner

ShaneU wrote: »

Thu 9 Mar EL Round of 16, first leg **
Sat 11 Mar Chelsea v Man Utd(FA Cup)

One day between these games? Why is it not on the Sunday?

The tv schedule hasn't been announced yet. The tie will definitely be on the Sunday or Monday I'd say.

S.M.B.

stankratz wrote: »

1) That team hug, the "this does not slip" moment Zlatan formed with the players after his goal. I would love to know what he was saying. I'm imagining a call to arms like "We are Manchester United, we win every game from now until the end!" or something cinematic. With Zlatan though, who knows? "Guys...guys, come in. Now you see, this is all we must do, now you see, you give the ball to Zlatan and we score. On 3...Go Zlatan!".

This. I was so happy to see Ibra step up and gather everyone for that huddle. Whatever was said it's great to see some leadership on or off the pitch.

FutureGuy

Dunno about ye, but I'm fcuking itching to get another shot at Chelsea.

Kerrydude1981

FutureGuy wrote: »

Dunno about ye, but I'm fcuking itching to get another shot at Chelsea.

Same here,the way we are playing now is away different to the way we were playing back in October,

Really think we can cause them a few problems this time around

The_Kew_Tour

FutureGuy wrote: »

Dunno about ye, but I'm fcuking itching to get another shot at Chelsea.

Thats my man!!!

On Lingard:
Another utterly frustrating performance from him and he was rightly subbed by Jose.
Wondering what the plans are for him come summer time..
He seems to have more of an impact from the bench but he should never be in the first 11 IMO
Handy to have with his pace towards the end of a game which can stretch defenses and make space but when he starts more than likely he's wasteful in posession

Mitch Connor

Pereira is having a quality season in spain and it seems obvious he would be a better more creative option in the squad in the same role Lingard is playing.

https://twitter.com/AdamMcKola/status/833635631817437184

The_Kew_Tour

M!Ck^ wrote: »

https://twitter.com/AdamMcKola/status/833635631817437184

Never had balls to do it, but nearly ran on to pitch when Chico got his 2nd against Stoke back on October 2010.

S.M.B.

Ibra was not one bit happy with the guy who ran on and grabbed him around the neck.

Kerrydude1981

Always get a good laugh when a few fans run on celebrating

bangkok

M!Ck^ wrote: »

https://twitter.com/AdamMcKola/status/833635631817437184

surely not, they are on midterm break

brinty

Lingers is an English player and we'll keep him to stay onside re rules. With Rooney and Cara's potential leaving this summer we'd have
Jones
Stalling
Shaw
Lingers
Rashers
As English players

Am I missing anyone??





Pereira would count towards homegrown players I believe as he's been with us for ages

Edit Young of course