PBP: EPL - Manchester United FC vs West Ham United FC - Apr 13, 2019 [R]

The worrying bit for me is that our attack across the board has not looked good at all in recent weeks. It's not just Rashford or Lingard, but it's Martial, Lukaku (except for that short spurt he had a while back) as well, all of them.
We completely lack cutting edge in attack at the moment and we need to see an improvement amongst those guys, stat.

 

Lucky and undeserved win. I can't wait for a massive overhaul in the summer. We need at least 4 new players. This team is a toothless paper tiger.

 

Good victory, even if it was kind of ugly.

Rice had an excellent game. Would love to see him on our team..

 

We all know that Lingard is playing to press their 6 but there has to be someone else that can do the role.

Play McT he has proven he can play and push Fred up as a 10/8.

Martial has to do more if he wants to be the man on this team, right now he is one of the men probably the one that you would place on the bench at times in games where you need more tactical awareness.

West Ham deserve the win, their first goal was a goal. Anderson looks exactly on what we missed out on.

Declan Rice is exactly the player we should NOT miss out on.

Top 4 hopes still alive. Barely.

 

It's a combination of things. It's clear there's little to no direction. It's just Ole telling them to get out there and attack. That doesn't cut it at the top level.

Another is that there's some leftover Jose and LvG coaching at work. We're still one of the most static teams in the league off the ball. We stand and stare at whoever has the ball.

But the biggest thing is players are returning to their normal level, combined with a couple in poor form. Rashford was never going to maintain the pace he had under Ole at the start. He's returned to mean and even below that lately. He think pace and power are the answer for everything and it's failing him. Jesse has been miserable as well and Martial has been poor since his injury.

Lukaku is also a big problem. He's being paid to be a star and he just doesn't fit in this system. He's done a decent job adapting but it's not for him. Maybe it'll be better if we bring someone like Sancho in that can widen the team and leave him with more space and 1v1 battles in the middle where he excels. Who knows.

 

Regarding Rice, I just don't get it. He looked good but was exactly who we thought he is...a very good defensive 6. When watching our team, it's clear we lack offense and creativity from our midfield...so how does Rice fix that?

He only makes sense if we sign another very offensive 8 to pair with Pogba and let Rice handle the dirty work.

 

Pogba probably will get the MotM award, but Fred would be my choice. Superb once again today and he's really finding his feet. Would absolutely love to see what he and Herrera can do.
And for those who question what Herrera brings to the team, I hope they've got their answer today. As good as Fred was and Pogs was pretty good himself, there obviously was something missing, especially in terms of desire and just massive workrate, and that precisely what Herrera gives us.
Definitely echoing the sentiment of others regarding Rice: he was superb once again today and he definitely does deserves to be considered by us this summer for the holding role. The guy looks tough not just physically, but mentally as well: something this team can sure as hell use.

 

Rashford played as a No. 9 for 20 minutes and we created our two best chances from play, and his movement created the second penalty. He's the only reason we won.

Martial was woeful today, and he almost ********ed up when he got the penalty. He was lucky that the defender tracking back made such a clumsy tackle. Martial should have squared it two touches earlier.

 

Wow. Just wow.

Martial was bad today, no doubt about it. But Rashford was close to just as bad. He miscontrolled every ball that came his way, made some of his usually head down bad decisions, and missed an absolute sitter of a header. At least Martial won a penalty.

 

We look so exposed in this tactical set up for two reasons:
1- Wasteful passes from players that like risk and take them
2- When the opposition has the ball, there are gaps when your risk takers move up the pitch

Rice solves those two problems without compromising the shape.

 

If Herrera leaves and Pogba stays, I'd be open to Rice and a more offensive 8 than Herrera. That would work. Otherwise I don't see how he makes us better than a DLP with our current misfielders.

 

Lmao. Your dislike and judgment of Rashford is pathetic.

 

It's one thing to be an apologist for a player you like. We're all guilty of that at times. But when it comes to Rashford you are straight up delusional.

"Rashford is the only reason we won today"? Get the ******** outta here lol. If Rash finished his tap in header like most decent forwards we would've been a lot more comfortable today.

 

As previously stated, Rashford was below par, that much is clear. But the fact remains that we still became more dangerous after his introduction. He missed opportunities and lacked sharpness, but he still made an impact nonetheless.
Will not go as far as saying we won because of him. That is simply not true, but he offered more in his time on the pitch, than anyone else upfront for us in that game. Kind of a pity, since I was hoping he wouldn't have to play at all today...

 

I've had limited exposure to Rice this season, and have to say he was better than I expected. Could see him in a United shirt. But, as stated above, we clearly lack creativity. So what do we prioritize?

- RW: Sancho
- CM: Rice
- Creative CM: ???
- CB: ???
- Fullback: ???

 

For me he is replacing Matic. If Matic stays then we are doomed.

 

IMO, Martial and Rashford play best together. Not one for the other or one or another. Each guy’s strengths improve the other. And it balances the team somewhat.

The team looks imbalanced and unsure. We attack mostly from the right when there is no real quality from the right. They sit back to absorb pressure when the defense is not stable at all. The team is dictated primarily in midfield which goes missing more often than not.

I think the side is a little out of shape as well. They are not accustomed to the training that Ole has put upon them since arriving. They started very strong but have gassed at this point. Perhaps with a full preseason with Ole’s methods, things might improve.

Or am I just hoping this is the case? Am I making excuses?

 

Martial and Rashford are very complimentary of one another (probably the 2 most compatible forwards we currently have, in my estimation). And I've always maintained that comparing them or playing them against one another simply does not make sense.
We're fortunate to have them both, thus playing on the same team and that's how they need to be looked at. Looking forward to see how those 2 (along with a genuine option on the right) will grow and develop. Together to become one of the most lethal combos in the game hopefully.

 

DeGea's outballs are getting worse and worse. Twice he put us at serious risk.
We looked for Martial on the back post several times, but he'd moved centrally. Why? One time he could have had a tap in, but he was nowhere to be found.
Seems to be too much GWAC.

 

That's where I'm at. I actually think it's more balanced. That's why I'm not super sad about Herrera.

We need more threat in that position.

 

Ddg hasnt seen right for a month or two imo.

I think the contract might be on his mind. His concentration seems a bit below his usual standards.

 

I believe we need to have a new goalkeeping coach. The current one, Alvarez is the sole holdover from Mourinho's staff. And he may be decent, but Dave's kicking has started regressing since van Gaal and Frans Hoek (the goalkeeping coach then) left. Can't be just mere coincidence.
Not sure if it is something that is no longer worked on as much or something else, but it's something that needs to be fixed, especially since it's clear we are looking more than ever to play out of the back.
An upgrade at CB (since Lindelöf is really the only CB we currently have who is really comfortable on the ball) would be one way to alleviate the issue altogether. It's still something he needs to work and improve upon. Hopefully, it can happen under Emilio Alvarez. His concentration does not appear to be the issue, as evidenced by the world class saves he keeps on pulling on a regular basis.

 

That said, he did make a few incredible saves today.