all in all no complaints with the results today really
I'm basically thrilled. Spurs win, Arsenal plays their worst of the season and watching the Man United circus is fun as well. Monday is going to be interested with some big games.
And you base that statement speculation on what exactly?
It's a good group of individuals with zero intensity, passion, self belief and direction. You have no idea how they would perform under decent leadership.
Well I mean even Chelsea were still scoring goals after they had quit on Mourinho, they just couldn't stop any either. United can't even score it seems. Simply put, who is there up front to create anything?
Martial - Great talent but very young, being played out of position, and getting poor service from everyone else. Rarely gets the ball in dangerous positions.
Rooney - Should be a backup at this point. Father time is undefeated.
Memphis - Probably still too early to call him a total flop, but very underwhelming and constantly looks lost.
Mata+Herrera - All I ever hear is how great they are from United supporters, yet I don't really see it, and yesterday both were dreadful.
Fellaini - At least he's great with long balls in...
I mean there's just nothing there to me. You could bring in Ancelotti or Guardiola and I don't see it making any difference with this roster. United should be closer to competing at the top with how much has been spent, yet they're still going to need several more pieces at least before they are a true title threat.
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and that's entirely on van Gaal and that's why he deserves the sack. He thought he didn't need Chicharito, van Persie etc and sold them. It's pathetic that United have to rely on a 19-year-old to be the main threat, but this situation was completely avoidable.
and honestly, you're missing the point about why United fans are desperate for the sacking. It's not aboutwhat Guardiola or anybody else could or couldn't do with this squad ... it's about the obvious downward spiral and the apparent loss of the locker room. If they hang on to van Gaal, then United will continue to slide. If they sack him, then there's still a chance to make top 4 this season.
It's pretty funny if you dig out old articles from when van Gaal was sacked by Bayern. Lots of statements from Hoeneß and Rummenigge feel oddly familiar, it's pretty much the same situation at United right now.
Quote:
"These are not pleasant times we're experiencing but we really have been playing out of tune for the whole season," Rummenigge told Bild. "I don't know. We really wanted to end the season with Van Gaal. But we also said if Champions League qualification is in danger, we must act as we did on Saturday."
Rummenigge explained that Van Gaal's egoistical and authoritarian attitude proved to be his downfall. "Van Gaal's failure is clearly in his attitude, if that mentality is customary - as it is with [Felix] Magath - you have to have success. If it fails, you lose your friends. And the look of the league table and the other competitors is sobering."
[...]
Club president Uli Honess was also very harsh in his criticism of Van Gaal. "Saying the players still backed the coach is a fairytale. You get the feeling one or two of the players were paralysed by fear in recent weeks."
The board members are now expecting an emphatic turnaround against Bayer Leverkusen this weekend. As Honess put it, he foresees an explosion. "The players have worn a mental straitjacket for months, and that will be torn off."
Well I mean even Chelsea were still scoring goals after they had quit on Mourinho, they just couldn't stop any either. United can't even score it seems. Simply put, who is there up front to create anything?
Martial - Great talent but very young, being played out of position, and getting poor service from everyone else. Rarely gets the ball in dangerous positions.
Rooney - Should be a backup at this point. Father time is undefeated.
Memphis - Probably still too early to call him a total flop, but very underwhelming and constantly looks lost.
Mata+Herrera - All I ever hear is how great they are from United supporters, yet I don't really see it, and yesterday both were dreadful.
Fellaini - At least he's great with long balls in...
I mean there's just nothing there to me. You could bring in Ancelotti or Guardiola and I don't see it making any difference with this roster. United should be closer to competing at the top with how much has been spent, yet they're still going to need several more pieces at least before they are a true title threat.
I'll give you Rooney and Fellaini but that's it. And as for the former, that is all on van Gaal. Great managers are ruthless. Rooney should have been benched months ago. Even sold in the offseason whilst there was still some value in his stock. Instead others were offloaded.
The other points you make about being lost and playing out of position, well isn't that on the manager? Do you ever see him directing these 'lost' players?
There's just nothing there? That's a pretty conclusive statement. Far to early to say that. This is a team with zero intensity and commintmment to attack. Sure, when you are coached to play safe conservative football the outcome will be minimal chances let alone goals. I can recall multiple times this season when the ball has been played across the six yard box and nobody was anywhere close to it for a simple tap in. It's just a team not coached towards attacking and taking risks so that when goals go in they simply don't know what to do.
I remember in the SAF days watching games in England when 2-0 down at halftime meant running to the bookies to get a bet on for them to win in FT, because that's what they did ..... attack and score goals. 2-0 down yesterday and it was still the same slow methodical build up. Let the other team get settled in.
Answer me this then saying as you make reference to Chelsea. The squad that is hovering above the relegation zone is very similar to the one that won the title last year. Is that a case of a squad that overachieved, reached their sell by date, lost their desire or simply gave up on their manager? For me it is a combination of the last two.
There is zero self belief, zero willingness to attack, zero urgency and will to take risks and more a fear of failure. That ALL is on van Gaal. The man is passionless, emotionless and that is reflected in his team. Hererra? All I can say is watch him closely, he is probably one of the best midfielders there.
Disjointed, disorganized, all over the place reply but, it's Xmas.
some great points there by Henry. Claims Van Gaal and Guardiola teams are pretty much the same for 2/3 of the field in terms of style and organization, but the final third is completely different.
Yeah, that is one thing about LvG that used to drive me crazy when he was at Bayern. He fills out his team sheet and might have some input as to eventual subs but he doesnt alter tactics or formations much as the game wears on.
He just sits in his seat and takes notes.
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It's because it was a lot of two teams trying not to lose. Who wants to see that? Granted, I didn't watch the entire game, so there could have been more exciting parts I missed.
We'll see if Chelsea has actually righted the ship here though. They play Crystal Palace away to start a tough string of games here, and while this point gets them a little further from relegation, if they haven't turned things around it could get ugly fast.
It's because it was a lot of two teams trying not to lose. Who wants to see that?
Not what I was watching. As far a 0-0 draws go, that one was entertaining. And United fans should know having sat through their fair share of them this season.
There was a lot of chances, posts, great saves and missed penalties calls in that game. Not entirely representative of teams not going for it.
What I am is saying is yes they're not a good team, but today was a strange day to be calling them awful given it was one of their more positive performances hence my questioning whether she actually watched the game.
Anyways ... I keep google newsing van Gaal in the hope that he has been canned.
