https://x.com/thisisanfield/status/2051222349194944952
Do they really believe that they’ve controlled the game? Are they brainwashed or something? I don’t get it tbh
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I don’t feel angry. My feelings are a bit mixed.
Firstly we have to bear in mind that we are going to Old Trafford - which is always hard - in a really patched up state. It’s a brutal injury list, and you only have to look at the subs bench for that.
And then you look at our wretched form this season, and the context we’ve been playing in this season. And despite this we’re still only a couple of points of securing CL football, which was always the minimum expectation.
We got pretty much what I expected, which was that we’d lose narrowly in a game between two teams with glaring imperfections (anyone thinking they are ‘back’ can look at how they allowed Szoboszlai to carry the ball half the length of the field for his goal).
In the game itself, the following things really pissed me off.
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When we’re having to fill out the bench with U12s, it’s really absurd that Gomez doesn’t get on the pitch. Same argument can be made about Nyoni.
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In reverse, how Mac Allister finishes 90mins is absolutely baffling. He looked fucked on 15mins, was second to every ball, scene of the crime on two of their goals, and didn’t even have the engine to get hold of one of their shirts. Absolutely awful performance, and if I see him starting games next season I’ll be very, very concerned.
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The first twenty minutes and a killer, and the team should understand that the way to deal with Old Trafford is you cannot afford to give them any encouragement early in a game.
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That said, it’s fucking handball, and I do not understand how VAR can look at a slow mo of Sesko fingers being flicked back by the ball and decide it’s inconclusive. In a game that is settled by a single goal, we need better than this.
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Having found ourselves level, and looking far more likely to get the winner, why the fuck is Szobozslai and Mac Allister telling everyone to calm down and continually recycle the ball back through the thirds - that must be under instruction. It’s incredible frustrating football, totally ignorant to the fact that Man Utd were rocking at that point and would have certainly conceded again had we pushed for a winner. Good football teams smell blood in the water. We couldn’t smell blood in a fucking abattoir.
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I had the Arsenal approach to league titles, or Everton measuring success in DVD’s rather than points
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VAR was Stuart Attwell who famously thought Doku kicking Mac Allister in the chest wasn’t a penalty (let alone a red card). Some officials just see what they want to.
This is one of those offences that pisses people off when there is a slight, involuntary contact with an arm or hand that makes no difference to the goal. It happened to Mac Allister earlier this season. But it is a specific rule that is not open to interpretation. If people don’t like the rule then it is up to the FA /UEFA/FIFA to change it, not for individual officials to overlook it because they feel sorry for a striker.
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The Sesko goal should be disallowed. That’s the rules. We were cheated (again) by VAR.
We are struck by injuries, the bench reflects that.
We are unfit, puffing after an hour.
We deserved fuck all from the match, because we didn’t play. Tactics, firness, passion were all missing.
At 2-2 we had them, from two soft goals. We failed to put our foot in and win the match. That part is perplexing.
All of the above can be true at the same time.
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I just can’t fathom what type of team we are, there seems to be no tactical direction.
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One touch and rondos, its all we seem to do
No killer instinct at 2 all, just poor mentality from all involved.
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Yesterday was shit. Again.
I just wanted to say that I’m happy for Mainoo. He was treated like shit by Amorim but since being restored to the team he’s shown what he’s about and is a major factor in United’s changed fortunes.
He seems like a good kid and I really like seeing young players come through, irrespective of their club.
Plus, it wasn’t Fernandes.
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yeah i think he would have.
honestly, they are just kicking the ball in some downtime…
now if they were dancing or some shit, maybe…but litterally kicking a ball…surely that passes the smell test.
i get all the other shit smells off, the photos in rome, the faux model poses, the mad bantz…but kicking a ball in the tunnel before a game… its part of the sport.
maybe i havent seen the full video? maybe im missing something? but who hasnt played a bit of keepy uppy before a game? its touches before the game…fundamental.
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Funnily enough I saw against Manure that all our players do the same thing when we have possession.
If we pass they are soft useless passes which just give the opposition time to intercept or get into position to defend (are we scared?).
On recieving the ball our players look to dribble forward, midfielders keep the ball until they end up in a cult de sac then look for the pass, that doesn’t exist anymore, so either lose the ball or pass back to Konaté 
. All this so slowly the opposition has had time to set the trap and all our players are gormlessly standing at the edge of the opposition box hoping against hope.
Wirtz receives the ball with noone Infront of him yet sets off dribbling forward faster than anyone else can be bothered to catch up ends up with no solutions and loses ball. He either needs to pass and move or hold onto the ball.
It’s all far too predictable.
The worst are Gravenberch, Macca and Szoboszlai in that order.
The only player who got on the pitch to actually inject pace beat a defender and create danger was Rio. Still the same pattern but that acceleration, fearless skill and enthusiasm just adds a whole new dimension. He does need to be on the left though, so why does the coach insist he start on the right?
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It shows how poor the EPL is this season as these two teams lay in third and fourth positions. Both teams make schoolboy errors consistently. Match of the day showed different clips of our defending and it was diabolical. Their goals were all so easily to defend against but errors from Robbo for the first two and Macca for their winning goal were a shambles once again. These guys all get paid millions of pounds every year but they perform like Sunday league players.
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VVD and Konaté looked completely headless practically the whole match.
Its attitude, in my opinion. It smells of arrogance. Do the warm up routines on the pitch, the flicks and tricks as well. This stuff in the tunnel is for the camera, like training and the comedy questionnaires and the coffee dock.
To me, its grand when winning. It looks relaxed. When producing the shit they are at the moment, well that’s white suit territory.
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The problem is that this summer is not the summer to be able to completely overhaul the fitness standards as most of our players and our targets will be at the World Cup, so time on the training ground before the season is going to be very limited.
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Normally, it’s staggered returns based on when they have finished playing for their national teams. It does mean that those players who were involved longer will have been training with their international squads, so it does even out.
I’d say it’s more an issue with team training and tactics rather than fitness as such as most of those players should be returning in a decent condition.
That would only work if you are looking to continue the fitness level and work from this season.
If you are looking to expand the fitness levels and improve the teams ability to last more than 10 minutes before we have 11 players blowing out their arses, then you really need a full preseason to increase the work levels in stages
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Probably. Finishing in the top 5 and thereby qualifying for the Champions League is the lifeline Hughes needs to avoid firing Slot. Don’t forget, firing Slot would mean admitting that he, too, has failed—and is he man enough to admit that? I don’t think so.
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If he runs a club like that then he needs to go. He has get out with the title. He can say the manager I appointed won the title however after large amounts of spending the manager hasn’t delivered what we expect and we feel this is a time when we can part amicably in a different direction.
Wasn’t the other option Amorim at the time, we wouldn’t even have the title with him.
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However much time..would sort out the wheat from the chaff…