Man U 3- Leices 1 post match thread.

[Raj]

After all this though we are STILL only 3 points adrift!!!....amazing

[LCCFox96]

Belated post and I'm sure much similar has been said but I think the team selection killed us before we'd kicked off. 

 

Defence: - The defence was ok-ish yesterday and Schwarzer's distribution was good. Unlucky with the OG (although poor marking) and on another day the first goal might have been given offside so not too bad. De Laet looked better defensively than Konchesky at left back but we severly limited our attacking capabilities on the left flank with a full back that can't cross. Highlights our desperate, crying need for a new left back. Needs sorting!

 

Midfield: - King and Drinkwater are shite in CM together. Its far too lightweight. If Cambiasso was fit for 45 minutes, then he could have done 65 and then made a change and I still think Hammond would have been key in the midfield tying up all the loose ends. Drinkwater was better than King but thats hardly an accolade. And as for Vardy on the right wing, whats that about? Albrighton did more in a sub appearance and showed why he should have started. If we'd have gone with a midfield of Albrighton, Cambiasso, Hammond, Schlupp I genuinely believe we would have had a decent chance of getting something.

 

Strikers: - Both looked largely ineffective but again, no service = no goals. Don't want to criticise him to soon but Kramaric needs to work on his strength on the ball and quickly. Nugent again looked decent coming off the bench and ran the channels well. 

 

Not done yet but defeats are starting to hurt more and more. 3 points from safety is very do able. We need to keep the faith, use the last day or so of the window, avoid another disastrous run like September-December. Crystal Palace is a massive game though and a defeat there will be a massive blow.

[Monsell1976]

After all this though we are STILL only 3 points adrift!!!....amazing

It is amazing but we just cannot seem to get out of the bottom 3, even though the sides around us aren't doing well

[Dan]

I agree with this, Dan. Big Pearson fan as you know but it's absolutely ridiculous to think you could go to Old Trafford with King and Drinkwater in the midfield without Cambiasso or Hammond to give them some support. Vardy out wide is embarrassing. Looked like a case of favourites from Pearson yesterday. He's been accused of this before but I've never really agreed. I do with yesterday's team though. I actually think he's got too many forwards all of a similar level too, and doesn't know what to do with them. For example, he can't leave Ulloa out because he's top scorer, he can't leave Kramaric out because he's the big signing, he won't leave Vardy out because he's one of his favourites, and we almost always look better balanced when Nugent plays but he just doesn't score enough goals. He doesn't know how to fit them all in.

Only one positive for me is he's finally dropped Konchesky.

 

I thought the exact same. Some of the accusations that have (in my opinion, incorrectly) been aimed at him in the past were true yesterday. Does he have something against Albrighton? MOTM against Newcastle, good game against Villa, dropped for Stoke in order to play a half-fit Schlupp, benched for the last two games in order to play an out of form striker out there instead? No surprise that all three goals in the last two games came when he was on the pitch. He's actually very decent in my opinion.

 

Drinkwater and King aren't bad players, but they don't work together, they never have done and never will, it's one or the other for me.

 

I'm glad he's dropped Konchesky but De Laet at left back still isn't what we need. Did Palace not have Neil Taylor lined up for three million? Why did that never go through? We have got to sign one. It' a glaring weakness. De Laet looked absolutely clueless going forward yesterday.

 

For me he's got to work with Ulloa & Kramaric, Nugent third choice, Vardy fourth. Kramaric was poor yesterday but you can't really put it all down to him, same with Ulloa, who, whilst he's a bit of a lump, does have a knack of scoring goals.

 

Nugent is inconsistent but we do tend to play better with him in the team. I've given up on Vardy personally. I really, really wanted him to succeed and I thought he would but he's a player who for me is ready made to rip up the Championship, but is quite simply not good enough for this league. I can't even remember the last time he had a meaningful shot. A superb worker but ultimately not up to it.