vs Competition: English Premier League Venue: Amex Stadium Time: 1230 BST 730 EST US TV: NBCSN Manchester United injuries: Jones (Phil Jones), Smalling (poss transfer), Tuanzebe (fitness) BHA injuries: Andone, Izquierdo, Bissouma (red card) Last League Encounter: 0-3 Away win at Amex Stadium Form: United LW BHA LWW
I expect a tough test against Brighton especially on current form, however if the right personnel are picked we should win this one. Going by the praise Baily received from Ole this should be his game to stamp the CB position as his. I hope we go with the below team. -----------------De Gea---------------- AWB----Baily---Maguire---Shaw --------------Matic----------------------- -------------------------Pogba--------- -------------------Bruno------------------ Greenwood--Martial--Rashford It's unfair Donny is not included going by his immediate impact to the team, but we need to get Pogba on top form as quick as possible. Score prediction: Man United 3 - 1 Brighton
Not much to argue with here. I'd like to see Fred get the nod at DM. He's got more energy and since Matic played midweek, I'd rather he not start this one. Fred also started midweek so I think we may be stuck with Scott as the deepest CM. I'd like to see Donny introduced at the hour mark for Bruno just to change things up a bit. It couldn't hurt honestly to just start both Bruno and Pogba in every game and alternate who comes off at the hour with VDB as the sub. Give him a start ever so often, but we have to remember that Paul and Bruno haven't really played together a lot and building that relationship can only help. I think the attack picks itself. I don't hold out any hope we will sell Dan James to Leeds as rumoured but I certainly don't want him starting. We need to take care with Lamptey, he's electric and could be a problem.
Lindelof and Mag together: why with a fit Bailly? Brighton XI: Ryan, Lamptey, White, Webster, Dunk, Connolly, March, Alzate, Lallana, Trossard, Maupay
Any sane person would see this as Lindelof's last chance (though you know it never would be) You'd want an impressive performance, not just one without mistakes, but a good performance. Otherwise what hope is there
Better so far from the team today but our play is still lacking the freshness and incisiveness from just after the restart. Brighton with the first real chance of the game and almost score as they hit the post. Pogba's passing is still clearly off though: that much has been pretty evident thus far...
Harry Maguire needs to give Bruno a bollocking. He's hit 3 passes directly into BHA players when not under pressure. At this stage, he's shown no composure or quality at all. ********ing annoying.
I ended up having to make the thread twice because I accidentally navigated away. I was done by a long way by the time I got it done the 2nd time. My standard is certainly no where near our ever present match thread starter @Ruud v.Nistelrooy 10 for whom we should all be immensely grateful.
The start appeared relatively bright from the boys but things are getting sloppier and sloppier, with the passing very wayward from almost everybody. Good teasing cross from Bruno for Martial but Brighton's backline had it well covered. Another excellent chance from Brighton (Trossard again who has started very well): the ball shaves the post (again). Brighton should have been ahead...
One of the (many) reasons I hate it when Matic plays is because he plays with the assuredness and confidence of a much better passer. He almost NEVER takes the easy 1 or 2 touch option. Bruno is really ********ing ticking me off now. For a creative player who is suppose to have vision, he gets caught when there are comfortable progressive options available and that is inexcusable. It is a different thing entirely when there are no progressive options or even a decent square pass that is on, but that situation where he picked up a yellow was annoying. Matic dwelled, but had drawn so much of the focus, if Bruno took 1 touch to kill it right on him and then laid it back or even better across to whomever was near the middle of the pitch in acres of space, we'd have been away. BHA absolutely bossing the game, not only looking more likely, but more possession, better possession, shots and set piece opportunities as well. Bruno/Matic/Pogba is fine if we're getting everyone forward or everyone back and breaking, but against a team that is dangerous in possession who wants to be on the ball, we are short of energy and are very one paced. Fred would have been a much better option.
Nice move started by Martial on the counter and finished in cool fashion by Mase but Rashford was offside when he got the ball unfortunately. Best play from United in the game so far.
And we concede a penalty. Started by AWB losing possession pretty cheaply. Lamptey fouled by Bruno: clear foul... Maupay with the panenka and United go behind. Deservedly if we're being honest. What looked like a hopeful display in the first 10mins has completely devolved to shit.
Shaw, our player of the half. He's got so many options, it is difficult to prevent him beating the press. He's a decent passer up the line, he will knock it round if you are late closing down, he's capable of the 1 touch 1-2 play to find space up the wing and if you sleep on all those options, he can roll the ball across you and dribble inside to good effect. Hopefully going behind and then getting the equalizer straight away will spur us on to playing better in the 2nd half. We've been flat apart from Shaw and Greenwood. He's a player that takes a lot of risks and has oddly inconsistent technique for someone so skilled but even so, I've screamed at him or shaken my head at his play more times this season than last. Absolutely diabolical form of late.
Shaw keeps making really good overlaps and Rashford has ignored him multiple times. It's annoying me a bit because it's the sort of thing that leads to Shaw going "why bother"
HT: 1-1. Good reaction after going behind but it's more than we deserve. Been pretty poor overall and need to do much better in the 2nd half in what is a must win game for us.
We suck. Obviously we need reinforcements but the fact that this current squad has been dominated my Palace and now Brighton is ********ing embarrassing. Ole better get this shit turned around quick or we'll be looking at another new manager before the seasons over.
Rashford has annoyed me today. In general we've been bad for players standing in each other's space, or dropping so they are literally standing in a horizontal line 5 yards from each other. But Rash in particular has been occupying all the wrong spaces. He's not offering high width, he keeps dropping deeper and moving more centrally. He did this well post-restart but he was much better at picking his moments, staying wider, at creating space for angled passes. Today he's been really poor with it. He's not used Shaw effectively, he's in the wrong positions for our defensive shape, he's standing in Shaw's space far too often. Lots of players have been poor again tbh, and the vast majority of it is down to our shape. If we don't come out for the 2nd half with much more respect for our and Brighton's structure, we will lose. It really isn't much more complicated than that. I still don't know what it is McKenna and Carrick do.
Bruno's challenge was dumb and his reaction after getting nothing but feet was even worst than the challenge.