Manchester United (H) pre match, 16 Oct, 3pm

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Honestly feel it's as simple as this. If Evans is fit we win, if we don't we get a pasting.

[jet64]

5-3 to us is 200/1 - just saying ;-)

[filbertway]

A small part of me hopes that the start to this season has finally snapped Rodgers out of this mindset of playing god awful football that somehow makes us more vulnerable at the back and more impotent in the final 3rd.

[HighPeakFox]

1 minute ago, filbertway said:

A small part of me hopes that the start to this season has finally snapped Rodgers out of this mindset of playing god awful football that somehow makes us more vulnerable at the back and more impotent in the final 3rd.

Part of me hopes that people will start to see that how he wants it implemented might not be what we are actually seeing. 

[filbertway]

Just now, HighPeakFox said:

Part of me hopes that people will start to see that how he wants it implemented might not be what we are actually seeing. 

I've been seeing the same stuff for 10 months now HPF. So it's either what he's implemented it, or he's watching the players fail to carry out his tactics and thinks something will eventually change.

[HighPeakFox]

Just now, filbertway said:

I've been seeing the same stuff for 10 months now HPF. So it's either what he's implemented it, or he's watching the players fail to carry out his tactics and thinks something will eventually change.

I think it's the latter. He's not happy but he doesn't hang the players out to dry. He's having to handle apathy, complacency and loss of confidence and form after countless injuries. 

[Ric Flair]

42 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

The Spartak game is on Wednesday.

Even less chance of him playing both then! Thanks for the heads up. Good job I'm not going hahaha

[Pliskin]

Starting to get a feeling, that we might sneak a little tinker of a win…..

[Ric Flair]

4 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

Starting to get a feeling, that we might sneak a little tinker of a win…..

That would mean 3 wins on the spin vs them and unbeaten in 4 against them. 

[Pliskin]

Just now, Ric Flair said:

That would mean 3 wins on the spin vs them and unbeaten in 4 against them. 

#ollieatthewheel

[filbertway]

32 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

I think it's the latter. He's not happy but he doesn't hang the players out to dry. He's having to handle apathy, complacency and loss of confidence and form after countless injuries. 

Which is what he's paid handsomely well to do, there's absolutely no way our players should be playing with apathy or complacency. At the minute I genuinely think we could have a fresh big sam on 500k a week   (whoops...I meant a year ) and he'd be getting more out of the squad.

 

I do wonder if Rodgers himself is a little jaded as well, it's the only thing I can think. He seems to be well and truely out of ideas, he might change the XI or the formation, but the way we are playing is fundamentally the same. It's so easy to predict the flow of our games at the minute.

 

He's proven already that he's a good manager and can get his teams playing some incredible football, it feels like he's almost powered down into safety mode the past year or so and is struggling to shake that off. It's why I'm hoping that the break and the start to the season has maybe put a bit of fire in his belly again and we'll start to see the team being sent out to make a statement rather than try to "control" the first half, which I think is a different way of saying don't concede.

 

The football we played under him previously was incredibly successful and we looked unbelievable at time. Teams were beaten before the game had kicked off. We need that back and despite the injuries, the players available to him are more than capable of playing that way. We've already seen that.

 

Edited 14 October 2021 by filbertway

[st albans fox]

26 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

That would mean 3 wins on the spin vs them and unbeaten in 4 against them. 

is that stat likely given the fifty years that preceded it ??

[Ric Flair]

16 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

is that stat likely given the fifty years that preceded it ??

Even though it should have no bearing on it, I'd say very unlikely!! Just the way it is, can't see us beating them.

[sacreblueits442]

20 minutes ago, filbertway said:

I do wonder if Rodgers himself is a little jaded as well, it's the only thing I can think. He seems to be well and truely out of ideas, he might change the XI or the formation, but the way we are playing is fundamentally the same. It's so easy to predict the flow of our games at the minute.

.....it is a possibility that this could be the case, but moreover, who picks Rodgers up, when he is down!!!

He has a team around him that does not appear to have solutions, to problems we encounter on the pitch. He needs to have someone who views the game in a totally different way, to give him options he may choose to ignore, but has them clearly laid out on the table.

  He needs to be bouncing ideas off people, someone who challenges him as opposed to people agreeing with him. He keeps on hitting a buffer, he needs to understand how to go around it.

[HighPeakFox]

47 minutes ago, filbertway said:

Which is what he's paid handsomely well to do, there's absolutely no way our players should be playing with apathy or complacency. At the minute I genuinely think we could have a fresh big sam on 500k a week   (whoops...I meant a year ) and he'd be getting more out of the squad.

 

I do wonder if Rodgers himself is a little jaded as well, it's the only thing I can think. He seems to be well and truely out of ideas, he might change the XI or the formation, but the way we are playing is fundamentally the same. It's so easy to predict the flow of our games at the minute.

 

He's proven already that he's a good manager and can get his teams playing some incredible football, it feels like he's almost powered down into safety mode the past year or so and is struggling to shake that off. It's why I'm hoping that the break and the start to the season has maybe put a bit of fire in his belly again and we'll start to see the team being sent out to make a statement rather than try to "control" the first half, which I think is a different way of saying don't concede.

 

The football we played under him previously was incredibly successful and we looked unbelievable at time. Teams were beaten before the game had kicked off. We need that back and despite the injuries, the players available to him are more than capable of playing that way. We've already seen that.

 

On the face of it, what you say is completely fair. But I'd argue that you're treating it all like a computer simulation, where things like rhythm, feel and confidence don't get lost.

 

Given that my profession absolutely relies upon those three factors, I feel like I have some justification for pointing this out. 

[evil jack]

In training today:

 

 

[StanSP]

1 minute ago, evil jack said:

In training today:

 

 

Looks like he's running away from the group. Maybe heading in a North-easterly direction? 

[SemperEadem]

Not feeling it this week. Think Man United will win it pretty comfortably 2.0

[turlo]

40 minutes ago, evil jack said:

In training today:

 

 

If he's been in full training over the international break then he might be risked, if he's only just back then its too bigger gamble. It sounds like he was fit to play before the international break but came down with an illness, so its an unknown to us whether he's been injury free since then. Can see us going with a back 3 (or 5) against Man Utd  if Jonny is back. 

[AKCJ]

1 hour ago, evil jack said:

In training today:

 

 

[VLC86]

36 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

The end is when he gets subbed off on 9 minutes.

[adejo92]

This is just the kind of match we would usually turn up differently to and end up with something. I feel it's a bit different this time. We are drastically bad, have shown no slight sign of improvement and Manchester United are a force to be reckoned with. They will be massively disappointed about their result against Villa, and that against Everton, and i think they will come at us all guns blazing.

 

The thought of Ronaldo, or any of their attacking players for that matter, against Soyunchu or Vestergaard, is horrific. I would be tempted with Armatey. He's sh1t on the ball but often gets the basics right unlike the other two.

[Brenfox]

I think this game is going to kickstart our season.  We might get tonked though!

[fazzyfox]

                                  Schmeichel

              Castagne         Evans            Soyuncu

Ricardo                                                                  Thomas

                                                Choudhury

                           Soumare

                                      Tielemans

                         Nacho                      Vardy

 

With this line up I could see it being similar to a couple of years ago where everything was tight and we held them until the f-up. I can see a 0-0 or who knows a 1-0 playing like this. I resent leaving Harvey out but would consider him to come on for one of the CF's in the same formation or LW if we switch to 4-3-3. Castagne ahead of Amartey and Vestergard as he has less mistakes in him. Tielemans more advanced than usual in the Madison #10 role.If we don't have faith in playing Hamza as a DM in a home game what's he doing at the club, at some point he needs to be ready and not a passenger maybe the time is now. And we need to get at those CB's, Maguire and Varane missing is a gift let's not fail to take advantage. A big day and some big opportunities for players to finally arrive or return to form. 

 

S**t, haven't factored in their token penalty though....wasn't there a dispute in their last game between King Rat and Ronaldo? Puts a bit of pressure on if, sorry, when they do get it. Maybe 1-1 then?

[Stadt]

They're on their longest run without a clean sheet in 50 years apparently (only via MikeLUHG on twitter though )