Manchester United post match 4-1

[Merging Cultures]

Vardy was not chasing anyone down and with no pressure on their backs United were free to play the ball out from the back.

We stopped pressuring teams sometime near the middle of last season. At the beginning of the season, we pressed but that left us exposed and we couldn't keep clean sheets. Then Kante provided cover, we pressed, scored and kept clean sheets. Then for some reason we decided to stop pressing and just rely on counterattacking loose balls. Then we started winning 1-0.

This season we don't have Kante convering the defence, intercepting loose balls and starting our counterattack. We are also not pressing. So, we are sitting back, hoping that the opposition will pass the ball loosely so we can counter. Against the top sides, that's not going to happen, so we need to press and force them to make mistakes.

I think most of us really liked the pressing approach. It looked like we were trying and not capitulating. Sitting back, letting teams come on to us looks like we give up way too easily.

[STUHILL]

44 minutes ago, erlee said:

rANIERI should try something new instead of sticking with more or less the same starting XI

He tried something new for the Chelsea game and it just showed how weak we are when we don't play our best 11. I agree that perhaps Gray should start if he continues his form and perhaps Mendy should come in when fit, but otherwise, we are very limited in what we have and changes we can make without weakening the side. I'm all for a formation change though if we continue to ship goals.

 

 

[st albans fox]

4 minutes ago, STUHILL said:

He tried something new for the Chelsea game and it just showed how weak we are when we don't play our best 11. I agree that perhaps Gray should start if he continues his form and perhaps Mendy should come in when fit, but otherwise, we are very limited in what we have and changes we can make without weakening the side. I'm all for a formation change though if we continue to ship goals.

 

 

 

Chelsea (even with a few non regulars) is a decent test for any side. We drew 2-2 and should never have let that lead slip. 

 

The problem at the moment is he doesn't trust a 'weakened team' in the current run of tough away fixtures which means he can't play a 'weakened team' in the easier home ones because a win becomes too important. look at Spurs yesterday - no dier, Kane and three of their front six were new signings. they were trusted to get the result. Claudio needs to be braver with his selections when we are playing the less difficult outfits. 

 

Think he message in these away fixtures is clearly to try and win but once things seem to have gone too far the other way, to take your foot off the gas. IMO, at this level, that is not a mental approach likely to deliver.

[Callabinho]

7 hours ago, suffolk fox said:

Callabinho are you for real?  You cannot possibly blame a manager for a team switching off three times from a corner?  Maybe you and others can.

 

Ranieri knew the game had gone at half time so he changed it quite rightly to prevent further damage and a cricket score.  He made us more narrower, making it more difficult for United to attack us.  It worked we actually won the second half one nil.

 

We were never going to replicate what we did last season this.  Let's be honest we are a small team when it comes to the big guns of the premier league.  As it stands tonight we are eleventh in the premier league having already played, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

 

I like you am not overly joyed about travelling to Liverpool or Manchester United and watch my beloved team ship a total of eight goals but why blame the manager.  I am sure Ranieri in his pre match talk didn't tell the defence to switch off three times from corners and go to sleep and equally I am sure he didn't tell Vardy not to bother running for any ball and to remain static for the first 45 minutes as he did.

 

I would suggest you and others on this board go and support Man City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona if you expect us to win every week.  Last season was a one off.  It was bloody marvellous and little old Leicester won the premier leagua and are playing Champions league football.

 

I dont bloody care what you or others think who criticise Ranieri, yes he makes mistakes humans do but for what he achieved last season he is beyond criticism end of.

 

Comments like Pearsons team won the league last season, is absolute crap and yourself should realise what we achieved last season was Wonderful and Spectacular but it was a one off.

 

We will finish mid table this season and maybe make the last sixteen of the Champions league but for Leicester that is a bloody good season.

 

I will be there on Tuesday cheering the boys on in the Champions league against Porto and for that alone I am grateful to Mr Ranieri the greatest ever Leicester manager.

At what point did I suggest last season was Pearsons doing? Ranieri did a brilliant job last season, but you have to ask what is he playing at this season? 

 

Can you blame the manager for switching off at set plays? Of course you can, because it's happening regularly. Our whole approach has changed and not in a good way, we're trying to retain possession a bit more and in doing so have sacrificed some of our attacking qualities. I'm not happy with what Ranieri is doing this season so far and I don't think it's unreasonable to think this way at all. Last season is last season, this season we're a laughing stock...4-0 down at half time against anyone in this league as reigning champions is unacceptable. 

[WigstonWanderer]

3 minutes ago, Callabinho said:

At what point did I suggest last season was Pearsons doing? Ranieri did a brilliant job last season, but you have to ask what is he playing at this season? 

 

Can you blame the manager for switching off at set plays? Of course you can, because it's happening regularly. Our whole approach has changed and not in a good way, we're trying to retain possession a bit more and in doing so have sacrificed some of our attacking qualities. I'm not happy with what Ranieri is doing this season so far and I don't think it's unreasonable to think this way at all. Last season is last season, this season we're a laughing stock...4-0 down at half time against anyone in this league as reigning champions is unacceptable. 

If that's us trying to retain possession, then God knows what would happen if we didn't! Some of the passing was laughably bad.

[Reg Vardy]

There seems to be a reluctance to accept we aren't going to win the league this year (we aren't), and a belief that we should win the league (we won't).

when was the last time we won at Old Trafford? Business as usual then, and that's what this season will be as in every other top flight season in our history other than last season....oh except we are in the Champions league......get over it, get behind the team.....one thing you couldn't accuse them of was giving up......I felt physically ill at half time thinking we'd get done seven or eight......we worked our socks off not to let that happen.....

finally get off Amartey's back.....in three years he will be great.....at 21/22 he is work in progress.

Danny Drinkwater awesome yesterday, need to see a bit more of Gray ( only 22)'and if Kasper had been in goal, would he have saved the first? Probably....we were well in the game at that point.

Come on you blues......

[dannythefox]

Every decent team stops the supply to our strikers that why they never got a kick yesterday. And now there targeting Simpson because he's not good when playing against pace. Really think it's time to change away from home 4-5-1 or will we still be moaning about this come may. 

[Almo-Fox]

It  hurts really to be beaten twice by  the same result against Liverpool and now against man united 4-1,

And it was obvious that the 442 doesn't fit against big and possession teams

And the good news is that ranieri thought he might try the 433 and he did it in the second half when he was sure thee match was gone and replace mahRez and vardy by  gray and shlupp so this is positive and a good strategy ahead 

So I am very eager to see the formation for the match against Porto , but the only fear the outcome of a possible defeat if  Porto outclass Leicester hope not 

[NeilLCFC]

7 hours ago, Itsthejoeker said:

 

Because you're a fickle **** whose posted the same thing in three threads within the last 10 minutes.

 

Ranieri won us the league, won us champions league football, has made this club more successful in one year than it has ever been before. And yet convincing you is impossible. 

 

Pathetic really.

A lot of people on here that are either dazzled by a manager in a suit, or clearly just unable to see things from a bigger picture perspective. CR came in and picked up where NP left off. during the great escape run of games, we were one of the best teams in Europe, we continued that form last season. Let's try and look at things from a different angle, rather then 'errm we won the league under CR, and he's so good at press conferences, so errm every bit of this is all down to him'.

 

Think about this for a second, our recent success didn't start when the Thais took over, it started when they brought NP back. Had CR been brought in, in the championship instead of NP, I'm almost certain things would have turned out as they did with Sven. Our owners came in with a similar strategy to that of the owners of teams like QPR, look at how that worked out. It was cos of NP we did things differently, and have a solid infrastructure and strategy in place. 

 

Let's fast forward to last season, the most successful in our history. There is no doubt that CR did an amazing job, but to say 'has made this club more successful in one year than it has ever been before' is a bit of a joke. A key factor that seems to be forgotten a lot, is how good we played during the great escape - NP had found the formula. If we'd played like that all season, we could have won the league instead of finishing 14th. When CR came in, that is excatly what we did - play the way we had during the great escape for the whole season! It's not a case of us looking like shite all season, and CR coming in and transforming us, NP had already found what worked. It was NP's team, the infrastructure he had put in place and the formula he had found. Clearly there were changes to the way we played under CR last season, but then again, we also know how well planned and organised NP was. The change in tactics etc under CR might already have been planned out before he joined. 

 

For all of you who will now come out with intelligent replies such as 'well if you love NP, go support Derby', this isn't about wether I love NP or CR. This is about under who's leadership I believe our great club has and will progress most, both in the long and short term. There is no doubt, I love Rachel Riley's vagina more than the love I have for CR and NP combined, but I wouldn't want it running our club. 

 

The main point that I'm trying to make here is that the more we move away from the NP way and more so to the CR way, we seem to be going from #fearless to #clueless. Another thing that causes corncern is our new head of recruitment was seemingly chosen by CR. When you consider things like; the signings CR has wanted and personally identifed have all been crap, him not wanting to sign Kantè, plus rumours that Walsh left due to CR getting too involved with transfers, do you hold much confidence moving forward we will be making the kind of signings that made us so successful?

 

I really do hope I am wrong and hope that we go on to see loads more success under CR. I do agree with people that say last season was a one off, however if we finish anywhere below 6th this season, we will have under performed. We finished 14th in our first season back in the PL, we've kept the same players so should be much stronger as a team, broken our transfer record 3 times this summer. Oh and we have a much better manager now so should be top 6. 

 

Up the City!

 

 

[NotTheMarketLeader]

16 hours ago, MattCan said:

Trying to find players to blame shows how clueless some people are.

It is very clear that the midfield is the big hole. It doesn't provide enough defensive protection nor creative football going forward. A decent midfielder in January is a must if the team still wants to fight for the 4th position or do OK in CL.

Fighting for top 4? 

 

4th from bottom much more likely unless things change.

 

Transfer window - at the time most people were asking for centre back, centre mid, and a right back and we have none at present.

 

The other issue is that of desire. That 100% effort of last season is now 90% or less, and these players cannot expect to win PL games at anything less that 100% - individually they are not good enough, 

[Guest Col city fan]

Last season will remain in the memory, hopefully forever. It was amazing, it was brilliant, it was..serendipity.

But then is then and now is now. Football is an unforgiving business. Personally, I felt kind of wrong watching our first half performance against United, thinking...'we're in the Champions League on Tuesday'. It didn't feel right. That a club playing in the most competitive league on the planet can be playing as bad as we were felt strange.

I think we'll win on Tuesday. Mahrez and Vardy will turn it on I reckon and we'll win. But away from home in the league worries me. We just don't seem to have progressed.

[Cityfox60]

Woeful, inept, pathetic, embarrassing

[Itsthejoeker]

27 minutes ago, NeilLCFC said:

A lot of people on here that are either dazzled by a manager in a suit, or clearly just unable to see things from a bigger picture perspective. CR came in and picked up where NP left off. during the great escape run of games, we were one of the best teams in Europe, we continued that form last season. Let's try and look at things from a different angle, rather then 'errm we won the league under CR, and he's so good at press conferences, so errm every bit of this is all down to him'.

 

Think about this for a second, our recent success didn't start when the Thais took over, it started when they brought NP back. Had CR been brought in, in the championship instead of NP, I'm almost certain things would have turned out as they did with Sven. Our owners came in with a similar strategy to that of the owners of teams like QPR, look at how that worked out. It was cos of NP we did things differently, and have a solid infrastructure and strategy in place. 

 

Let's fast forward to last season, the most successful in our history. There is no doubt that CR did an amazing job, but to say 'has made this club more successful in one year than it has ever been before' is a bit of a joke. A key factor that seems to be forgotten a lot, is how good we played during the great escape - NP had found the formula. If we'd played like that all season, we could have won the league instead of finishing 14th. When CR came in, that is excatly what we did - play the way we had during the great escape for the whole season! It's not a case of us looking like shite all season, and CR coming in and transforming us, NP had already found what worked. It was NP's team, the infrastructure he had put in place and the formula he had found. Clearly there were changes to the way we played under CR last season, but then again, we also know how well planned and organised NP was. The change in tactics etc under CR might already have been planned out before he joined. 

 

For all of you who will now come out with intelligent replies such as 'well if you love NP, go support Derby', this isn't about wether I love NP or CR. This is about under who's leadership I believe our great club has and will progress most, both in the long and short term. There is no doubt, I love Rachel Riley's vagina more than the love I have for CR and NP combined, but I wouldn't want it running our club. 

 

The main point that I'm trying to make here is that the more we move away from the NP way and more so to the CR way, we seem to be going from #fearless to #clueless. Another thing that causes corncern is our new head of recruitment was seemingly chosen by CR. When you consider things like; the signings CR has wanted and personally identifed have all been crap, him not wanting to sign Kantè, plus rumours that Walsh left due to CR getting too involved with transfers, do you hold much confidence moving forward we will be making the kind of signings that made us so successful?

 

I really do hope I am wrong and hope that we go on to see loads more success under CR. I do agree with people that say last season was a one off, however if we finish anywhere below 6th this season, we will have under performed. We finished 14th in our first season back in the PL, we've kept the same players so should be much stronger as a team, broken our transfer record 3 times this summer. Oh and we have a much better manager now so should be top 6. 

 

Up the City!

 

 

I can't be bothered to read that, sorry mate

[NotTheMarketLeader]

59 minutes ago, Reg Vardy said:

There seems to be a reluctance to accept we aren't going to win the league this year (we aren't), and a belief that we should win the league (we won't).

when was the last time we won at Old Trafford? Business as usual then, and that's what this season will be as in every other top flight season in our history other than last season....oh except we are in the Champions league......get over it, get behind the team.....one thing you couldn't accuse them of was giving up......I felt physically ill at half time thinking we'd get done seven or eight......we worked our socks off not to let that happen.....

finally get off Amartey's back.....in three years he will be great.....at 21/22 he is work in progress.

Danny Drinkwater awesome yesterday, need to see a bit more of Gray ( only 22)'and if Kasper had been in goal, would he have saved the first? Probably....we were well in the game at that point.

Come on you blues......

Blaming Zieler is plain daft - it was a downwards header from virtually point blank range.

 

I understand that there are a good few in our side who are not performing - the whole of the defence yesterday for example. However, your defending Amartey I don't get it. I'm not on his back at games, but there is no way he should be playing again, and other than we have no one to replace him I can't why he should continue in the side. He barely gets a tackle in at all and is completely clueless with the ball at his feet. King is too lightweight to play there also but at least he can pass the ball.

 

Amartey is clearly not good enough NOW. This season is NOW. If he needs three years to get up to speed as you say then you are admitting as much yourself.

 

Get him him out the team until he's tearing things up in the under 23s and then we can have another look.

 

[jammie82uk]

14 minutes ago, Itsthejoeker said:

I can't be bothered to read that, sorry mate

Unfortunately I did 

 

quick round up of the post 

 

it was Pearson's formula that won us the league 

 

All the signings that Ranieri wanted/signed are crap 

 

he loves Rachel Rileys vagina 

 

And the team are #clueless 

 

[st albans fox]

19 minutes ago, jammie82uk said:

Unfortunately I did 

 

quick round up of the post 

 

it was Pearson's formula that won us the league 

 

All the signings that Ranieri wanted/signed are crap 

 

he loves Rachel Rileys vagina 

 

And the team are #clueless 

 

You're being kind to him with that assessment 

 

pearson is, I'm afraid, tactically inept at PL level  (which is currently being illustrated in the championship) 

 

great at at team building and creating stability but Claudio has many years of tactical prowess about him. 

 

to quote the great escape as evidence we would win the league last season .......   teams with nothing to play for are not a great test of anything. 

 

i would absilutley praise pearson for the mental strength of the group but no way would he have managed us to win the PL last season. 

[dedlock]

The 3 goals from corners were avoidable,sloppy defending and a lack of concentration. Rashford's was particularly poor,half the team appeared to be day-dreaming.

Against the top teams away we will need to play 3 in midfield, most have 3 in midfield and we have been easily overcome. It's worth remembering though that Anfield and Old Trafford are never easy places to get a result.Claudio needs to work on the defence and rethink how to counter the opposition midfield before our next 2 away games in London.

[fuchsntf]

10 hours ago, Donut said:

well youre a berk then.

Dont insult Berks...we have worked hard for our reputation...

NEILLCFC just is not understanding...

"We know what we are..."

Hes a sunny day supporter, from rent a troll.

[daddylonglegs]

I said exactly the same thing after Liverpool - although it wasn't so much mental defending that gave Liverpool the game against us - Liverpool won the game through very good attacking play, whereas 10 mins of forgetting to defend cost us here.

 

442 away from home, without Kante, doesn't work.

 

442 away from home, against a big team, without Kante AND without Shinji is ****ing mental. 

 

Drinkwater was doing it all on his own yesterday. The game completely passed Amartey (and others in fairness) by. Same goes for Slimani - Vardy doesn't tend to press as well unless he has someone doing it with him (effectively) - and Shinji never stops for 60 mins. I'm very confident the scoreline wouldve been very different if we had Shinji not allowing Pogba to play. 

 

[fuchsntf]

K I N G  D I C K has  A B D I C A T E D.....simples..

[TheSomersetFox]

Yesterday has killed a little bit of my excitement for Tuesday which is annoying. We were an absolute joke yesterday really and after Hull and Liverpool it shows we have a serious problem that needs addressing rather than us just having a bad one-off performance. Nowhere near good enough atm. Our end sounded really good yesterday though 

[Bayfox]

I love the idea of Rachel's lady bits running our football club  

[foxy boxing]

Defensively weare really poor especially at set pieces and maybe as much as I hate to say it against the top teams we will get hammered. It might be a season too far for huth and Morgan and we should have brought in some defenders in the transfer market

[MrSpaM]

Don't really understand these people that fully expected us to finish in the top 4 this season. We're probably not going to see a season like the last one again in our lifetime

[Grewks]

11 minutes ago, MrSpaM said:

Don't really understand these people that fully expected us to finish in the top 4 this season. We're probably not going to see a season like the last one again in our lifetime

We were 10 points better than anyside in the league. We had recognition on the world stage, world class current and ex players were talking about us worldwide. Our stock was the highest it has ever been, our finances were as secure as at any point in history. Then....We lost and were totally outplayed at Hull. We don't expect another title challenge, but we do expect progression. So far our starting XI is weaker, we have more depth, unfortunately focused on quantity not quality. We've gone out at the first stage of the cup, and likely to lose more key players in Jan unless we show more ambition. Our only positive result this season, was a 3-0 win away at a side Birmingham City, in the championship, did the double over.