v Manchester United (A): Post Match Thread

[DannyMan2006]

He left to go back to Barcelona last weekend, and has continued training with them. Most thought the arrangement had come to an end, but his return to Man Utd training this week was gutting. A lot of people remember him pre-Guardiola, but he was exceptional for so many years after that.

He is not the answer moving forward. He may be better that what we have, but it's almost January, sign a keeper then if we need one.

[Camble]

The system wasn't the problem, I was happy that Rodgers tried something different and a little more positive.

Playing Allen and Gerrard was the one of the issues for me. Gerrard did absolutely nothing (I honestly forgot he was playing until he took a corner/free kick after about 30 mins). I like Allen but he was always going to get overrun by their midfield and wing backs with the way they setup.

I would have gone for Lucas and Can as the two CMs. Players with strength and grit and Lucas can protect the back three unlike Gerrard.


I don't think bringing Balotelli on was the right call. Lallana was good in the first half. I'd have rather taken Coutinho and played Markovic up top with Sterling with Lallana behind them but willing to come back to help the CMs.


I would have played Johnson as the RWB and Toure/Sakho as the CB instead. Henderson isn't pacey enough to cover that role, although he's done a decent job at RB for us previously.

[Glenn Hysen]

Skrtel, Allen, Gerrard, Lovren, Balotelli....sucked today. Couthino tried at least...

[Redspin]

De Gea was brilliant. They deserved to win, but the linesman was a joke. 1-0 would have been a fair result.

How did they deserve to win when their goalkeeper was selected as man-of-the-match, made eight crucial saves to Jones's three? We were never under pressure for any period of the game and, indeed, Man U played much better last season when we beat them 3-0.

They were rubbish but were gifted two goals by terrible defending rather than their creativity (of which there was practically nothing), plus one from a truly shocking decision by an official (fancy that at Old Trafford!).

From our point of view it's clear thst Lovren was a very poor buy. He set up their third goal like a Sunday League player. But worse was witnessing the accelerating decline of Steven Gerrard. Has he ever put in a more anonymous performance in a Liverpool shirt? its blindingly obvious that he's now completely shot and has nothing to offer.

Unfortunately our manager seems to be in awe of him and shoe-horns him into any lineup come what may. Alas, until Gerrard finally steps down he's going to be an increasing liabilty and we'll be treading water until he's no longer a fixture in the team. Sad to witness such a former great player decline do markedly and so rapidly.

We'll play much worse than that this season and win while Man U must be the team in the most false position imaginable. They are outplayed week in, week out, play mid-table standard football and yet, amazingly, have won six games on the trot while being the worse team in every game.

That's the plus side; its impossible for them to continue to get good results while playing so poorly and they'll inevitably slide down to their proper level of about sixth place.

For us Rodgers has to grow a pair, drop Gerrard and play players in form (why was Lucas left out?) .

If Jones had been keeping them at bay while their fantastic attacking play had inevitably led to just the three goals I'd be a little annoyed. The fact that they were poor and predictable, caused us hardly any problems while their man-of-the-match goalie is the best player on the pitch by a country mile, while we squandered enough clear chances to win three games makes me completely exasperated.

[Tee]

Skrtel, Allen, Gerrard, Lovren, Balotelli....sucked today. Couthino tried at least...

Coutinho tried? Really? I thought he was lazy and did not show any appetite for the fight, he never tracked Rooney for their first and too often just stood around watching the game.

[danperkins]

Coutinho tried? Really? I thought he was lazy and did not show any appetite for the fight, he never tracked Rooney for their first and too often just stood around watching the game.

he was ****e and just strolled around.

[fred_plasticine]

the first goal tells you everything. lallana and moreno just stop and watch after being nutmegged, gerrard comes across even though we were two on one and then completeley fails to spot rooney coming in from behind, phil just loses his man. no fight and determination and players who utterly unaware of both their roles in the team or how to execute them. have a proper ****ing go at united and they're bound to male countless mistakes. harrass rooney and fellaini and they're both bound to be sent off. we give the ball to sterling and dont support him, just hope for the best. ah and balotelli can **** right off. lazy, selfish, horrible decision making and piss poor on the ball. lovren, i'm wouldnt even know where to begin...

[vlahka]

Coutinho has never been much of a defensive player. His strength is usually to dart past players, which is he did plenty of, and put in good passes, which is sort of didnt do too much of. But that middle area, thats where players like Gerrard and Allen should be to stop other players.

[Slinky Skills]

Allen and Lovren need to **** off. You Couldn't even give them away at a car boot sale.

[baitman]

mostly wimps, and too many of the wrong, more wimpy wimps.

[Exiled_red]

For me the defence and midfield were all over the place from a defensive point of view, players going for the same ball, not picking up runners not communicating. Some of the players we have a pretty poor but we could half the number of goals we concede if we had someone to organise them and tell them where to go essentially we need someone like Carragher back there. Our defenders seem to be as thick as ****, they don't see the dangers and they don't say I'll got to the ball you stick with the runner or whatever, half the time they ball watch or all run to the ball leaving massive spaces.

[frank the tank]

For me the defence and midfield were all over the place from a defensive point of view, players going for the same ball, not picking up runners not communicating. Some of the players we have a pretty poor but we could half the number of goals we concede if we had someone to organise them and tell them where to go essentially we need someone like Carragher back there. Our defenders seem to be as thick as ****, they don't see the dangers and they don't say I'll got to the ball you stick with the runner or whatever, half the time they ball watch or all run to the ball leaving massive spaces.

agree completely...... Brendan Rodgers can't set the team up to defend. You could give him £250m to spend on more new players and let them pay whatever wages someone could dream up of and you get the feeling that we'd still be ****e defending set pieces.

The fact that we gave away Agger for something stupid like 3m euros is a disgrace. And paid £20m for Lovren to replace him is worse again. We have paid £20m for a player that isnt fit to lace the boots of his predecessor.......

Also, Rodgers excuse of the difference being that we couldnt take our chances whereas Man United could - that tells part of the story. We should have scored a hat full. But we still left 3 goals in - to be honest it could have been more - and they didnt even play well to get those 3 goals. The defense had no protection in front of them. Lucas should have played all day long......

I'm not saying I want this to happen - but Tony Pulis would be a better manager. Granted he'd probably buy Andy ****in Carroll again - but at least we wouldnt be piss poor defensively.......

[ukfootballfan101]

agree completely...... Brendan Rodgers can't set the team up to defend. You could give him £250m to spend on more new players and let them pay whatever wages someone could dream up of and you get the feeling that we'd still be ****e defending set pieces.

The fact that we gave away Agger for something stupid like 3m euros is a disgrace. And paid £20m for Lovren to replace him is worse again. We have paid £20m for a player that isnt fit to lace the boots of his predecessor.......

Also, Rodgers excuse of the difference being that we couldnt take our chances whereas Man United could - that tells part of the story. We should have scored a hat full. But we still left 3 goals in - to be honest it could have been more - and they didnt even play well to get those 3 goals. The defense had no protection in front of them. Lucas should have played all day long......

I'm not saying I want this to happen - but Tony Pulis would be a better manager. Granted he'd probably buy Andy ****in Carroll again - but at least we wouldnt be piss poor defensively.......

I agree with some of that, but Agger was done, if he wasn't he would have gone to a German or Italian club, I bet he retires within 18 months, his body can't take it. Lovren has been poor, but he's a shadow of the player he was at Southampton and Lyon, hard to explain why.

[Slinky Skills]

agree completely...... Brendan Rodgers can't set the team up to defend. You could give him £250m to spend on more new players and let them pay whatever wages someone could dream up of and you get the feeling that we'd still be ****e defending set pieces.

The fact that we gave away Agger for something stupid like 3m euros is a disgrace. And paid £20m for Lovren to replace him is worse again. We have paid £20m for a player that isnt fit to lace the boots of his predecessor.......

Also, Rodgers excuse of the difference being that we couldnt take our chances whereas Man United could - that tells part of the story. We should have scored a hat full. But we still left 3 goals in - to be honest it could have been more - and they didnt even play well to get those 3 goals. The defense had no protection in front of them. Lucas should have played all day long......

I'm not saying I want this to happen - but Tony Pulis would be a better manager. Granted he'd probably buy Andy ****in Carroll again - but at least we wouldnt be piss poor defensively.......

I got laughed at for suggesting Pulis, yes he's not glamorous or won much but at least he'd have us well drilled and not a team of ****ing skunk pussies. And he'd actually get us playing with some passion and fight which we don't have.

But no, no one will have him because he's called Tony and he's from Newport.

I know there are other managers out there, more successful ones that I'd prefer but I wouldn't mind Pulis as a manager, even on a short term basis.

[danperkins]

We were right to get rid of Agger, perma crock and legs were gone. Just wrong to bring in such a lump of ****e.