The 2016/17 Season - Thus Far...

Discussion in 'Manchester United' started by Deadtigers, Dec 27, 2016.

  1. benni...

    benni... BigSoccer Supporter

    Nov 23, 2004
    Chocolate City
    Considering the last 3 years what I'm about to hope for is highly unlikely, but it would be so nice if this gave the entire team a boost and we close out the season.
     
  2. Teso Dos Bichos

    Teso Dos Bichos Red Card

    Sep 2, 2004
    Purged by RvN
    My issue is it would just be a temporary boost if we immediately revert to type when Ibrahimovic returns to #9. I am also very uneasy with going for both competitions given Mourinho's failures to rotate the squad. Fixture congestion and the associated fatigue and injuries could scupper the entire season. Obviously I would be delighted to get top four and win the Europa League but the chance of that happening is very low.
     
    Deadtigers and Gilma1990 repped this.
  3. United 16

    United 16 Member+

    Manchester United
    Mar 25, 2016
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Lets go back to self and start bickering tomorrow. Today we feast! [emoji8]
     
  4. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When was the last time we finished out of the top four in at least three out of four seasons? I don't want that to happen. We're not in bad enough shape to give up on the top four. If after 37 games we can't finish in the top four, and we make the Europa League Final, then we should rest players in the last Premier League game for the Europa League Final three days later. Manchester City is in the FA Cup Semifinals on Sunday, while we play a Premier League game to make 32 games each. For the last 6 games, we play on the same day as Manchester City three times including playing them, play on two Sundays after they played on Saturday, and play on the last Wednesday after they played on Tuesday. If we lose to them and trail fourth by 7 or more points with 5 games left, then I might give up on the top four. Manchester City and Liverpool have easy remaining schedules.
     
  5. Ashur

    Ashur Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    May 31, 2015
    Riding off into the sunset
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The performance of the team today and especially Rashford upfront should be very encouraging for Jose and ought to push him to actually rotate the team more, whether it's upfront with Zlatan and Rashford or in other positions.
    If he were to revert to type and go game after game with the same stuff (personnel wise and tactically) then you would be then completely justified in going after him. After what we saw today, there's no excuses for him not mixing things up and make much deeper use of the squad, in hopes of genuinely competing on both fronts to the end.
    As mentioned before we embarked into this month, we wanted to see Jose go back to what worked (ie 4-3-3) and dig into the squad. Nothing has changed, nor should it the rest of the way.
     
  6. cr7torossi

    cr7torossi Member+

    May 10, 2007
    We need to win at Burnley and City to get back into the top 4 race.

    Liverpool have done enough to finish ahead of us.

    The biggest benefit of the win is that it showed that we can play dynamic football with no Ibra.
     
  7. JamesA

    JamesA Member+

    Dec 7, 2004
    Victoria
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    It's an awful run we've got here, but it's 100% in our control. That's the silver lining at least.

    I'm surprised more isn't being said about City to be frank. In the negative sense.

    Pep has performed atrociously as of this moment in my opinion. Strongest squad last May, spent as much as anyone, and they are limping into 4th at this rate.

    He needs the fa cup and strong finish into 3rd/4th to salvage some pride.
     
  8. gatekeeper2

    gatekeeper2 Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    It would be an incredible turn of events if we could close out league play with 9 straight wins (Sunderland and Chelsea plus the next 7, just in case you're loading for bear again, "JamesA") after such a long run of disappointing results in midseason.

    I don't think we can maintain the kind of energy in the next seven games that we saw against Chelsea, but you never know.

    On this occasion, Teso is quite right although his insistence on "Mourinho's failures" is pretty hilarious. The Charity Shield and the EFL Cup were hardly a massive failure. Chelsea ("away") defeated us in the FA Cup, but we were the better side before Herrera was unjustly sent off. Our inability to see off lower half clubs has much more to do with poor finishing than it does with Jose's rotation policy.

    Even so, we may just not be good enough to compete at full throttle in two competitions at the same time. The grind of so many games in such a short period of time is going to be tough on the boys. There's no way we can maintain this kind of intensity for the each of the remaining games on the schedule. Fortunately, Mourinho can rest Ibra for EL play but we really don't have good options behind Pogba and Herrera, nor Bailly and Rojo, right now.
     
  9. United 16

    United 16 Member+

    Manchester United
    Mar 25, 2016
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
  10. gatekeeper2

    gatekeeper2 Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    I think they will. Bailly has been immense upon his arrival, but Rojo has been outstanding of late and I can't see any reason why Jose would prefer either Smalling or Jones over either. If Rojo can close out the season in this form we might even be able to forget about bringing in a top CB this summer.

    The only open question on the back line at that point would be left back.
     
  11. Ashur

    Ashur Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    May 31, 2015
    Riding off into the sunset
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Pep and City were very much in my sights as well until Kompany came back. I don't think we can underestimate what a boost his return has been for them, even if he may not be the player and defender he was.
    He's not just another solid option at the back (which they need badly anyhow), he's that team's unquestioned leader as well and that alone is a massive boost for them.
    Pep has been a big time disappointment, but knowing he's the support from the board pretty much no matter what happens and how the look committed to him for the long haul, has helped settle him down as well. Still think that if somehow a team in the current top 4 were to be caught, it still has to be Pool, mainly because of their current injury list and a propensity to struggle against weaker opposition.
     
    Deadtigers repped this.
  12. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Manchester City would need to beat Chelsea or Tottenham to win the FA Cup, so I don't think Pep should be criticized too much for not winning it, but Pep should be criticized if Manchester City misses the Champions League. Being more likely to finish worse than fourth than to finish in the top two is not where Manchester City wants to be. The point distribution is different from last season. The top five clubs all have more points per game than second place Arsenal had last season. Manchester City is on pace to improve by 10 points, but they're in the same place they finished last season.

    Four of the top five clubs play their last game against a club in 15th or worse. The hardest final game for a top five club is Manchester City's trip to Watford.
     
  13. Teso Dos Bichos

    Teso Dos Bichos Red Card

    Sep 2, 2004
    Purged by RvN
    Rojo has done well but he would be exposed in a more expansive system. He is good squad option but we need more bodies and an increase in quality in our backline. It would also provide us with more latitude in what we would require from #6.

    I have argued we are short in defence for 4-5 consecutive seasons which makes the yearly defensive injury crisis even more aggravating. A quality starter to partner Bailly with Tuanzebe used as depth and getting minutes in the cups would be a big improvement.

    I do not consider Rojo, Jones or Smalling to be reliable with their injury issues and I would hope to see the latter duo phased out over the next 2-3 seasons.
     
    Gilma1990 and benni... repped this.
  14. gatekeeper2

    gatekeeper2 Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    It really is curious how benni and Gilma almost always rep your posts. You do know there is a general rule against creating multiple accounts on the same forum, right? It's rigorously enforced elsewhere but it's not clear if that's the case here.

    I would respond by saying that Rojo has done better than merely having "done well". At times his play has been inspired, almost ridiculous. But only at times. Early in the season he was wobbly and then he had that spell where he went in two-footed maybe three or four times in less than a month. But he's knocked that shit out of his game and has been the equal of Bailly on most occasions over the last three months. Remember the partnership with Jones while Bailly out? Yeah, he was pretty impressive during that stretch.

    But if I could get my hands on Laporte I'd have to go for it. He's pure class. So let's agree to agree on that.
     
  15. JamesA

    JamesA Member+

    Dec 7, 2004
    Victoria
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Your calling @benni a sock?

    :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
     
    benni... and Gilma1990 repped this.
  16. United 16

    United 16 Member+

    Manchester United
    Mar 25, 2016
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
  17. gatekeeper2

    gatekeeper2 Member+

    Jun 1, 2015
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    A bit an overrated record, isn't it?

    A shame we couldn't trade for every three draws two wins and a defeat. Say of our 12 draws we actually instead won 8 and lost 4 ...we'd have an extra 12 points in our column.

    We'd be on 72 points, right on the chavs' shoulder.
     
    Deadtigers and Gilma1990 repped this.
  18. Ashur

    Ashur Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    May 31, 2015
    Riding off into the sunset
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The only benefit of this unbeaten streak, as I see it, at this stage, is that is reinforce the idea that we've become a hard to beat. That's important, especially going into next year if we are really looking to challenge.
    Defensive reliability is always the bedrock and starting point of any successful team. Once the team is able to be as ruthless offensively, then they'll truly be in business and winning more games they have so far this year.
     
    jnielsen repped this.
  19. cr7torossi

    cr7torossi Member+

    May 10, 2007
    Nothing was said about City last season either when they had the exact same season as us - 66 points in the league and one domestic cup.

    City doesn't sell, United does.

    Klopp is having a glorious season dumped out of all the cups and on target for 3 points more than Jose who is having a mare.

    It is all expected and nothing to moan about.

    We have a 20% chance to qualify for the CL via the league and 40% via the Europa.

    It will be a failure of a season if neither sticks.
     
    Deadtigers, johno, sdotsom and 1 other person repped this.
  20. J'can

    J'can Member+

    Jul 3, 2007
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    uhm....is it worth un-ignoring to see wtf is going on???
     
  21. United 16

    United 16 Member+

    Manchester United
    Mar 25, 2016
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    :D:D

    [​IMG]
     
  22. Ruud v.Nistelrooy 10

    Staff Member

    Jamaica
    Jun 4, 2006
    Antilla
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Jamaica
  23. Deadtigers

    Deadtigers Member+

    Jul 23, 2015
    Independent Republic of the Bronx, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ghana
    Rojo has played well but he still is not a play it out the back defender. He clears the ball and marks the man in his zone. What we do with him, Jones and Smalling will be interesting. I think Jones goes, Smalling had stays to be part of a second pair with another first class CB brought in. Maybe Axel is used as the 5th CB or sent on loan.
     
  24. Teso Dos Bichos

    Teso Dos Bichos Red Card

    Sep 2, 2004
    Purged by RvN
    Potentially no Rojo or Ibrahimovic leaves an already threadbare squad even weaker. Blind proved in that game he is an awful option in central defence. We will need to throw an untested Fosu-Mensah or Tuanzebe into the mix. In attack it means we will need to use the likes of Martial and Rooney in order to keep Rashford fresh. 120 minutes for the likes of Carrick, Bailly and Valencia is not ideal.
     
    Deadtigers and Gilma1990 repped this.
  25. Ruud v.Nistelrooy 10

    Staff Member

    Jamaica
    Jun 4, 2006
    Antilla
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Jamaica
    Valencia might be OK. the guy has some god mode stamina. Carrick is the real worry.

    anyway if Ibrahimović is done for the season - Rashford or Martial at 9 ftw?
     

Share This Page