The Official Manchester United Thread

[Thizz]

Find it hard to believe he has retweeted that himself.

Have a look on his twitter then pal.

[stacksbranning]

Wouuldnt  blame him if he did decide to leave

[Gambino]

Find it hard to believe he has retweeted that himself.

Have a look on his twitter then pal.

 

I'm aware it is on his Twitter but I find it hard to believe he has actually retweeted it himself. 

[stacksbranning]

Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed he signed a contract to become Manchester United manager in 2002.

Sven-Goran Eriksson claims in a new book that he agreed to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager and actually signed an agreement to do so.

Ferguson had planned to retire in 2002, prompting United officials to offer a contract to Eriksson, who was then England manager. But Ferguson subsequently reversed his decision to leave Old Trafford, so Eriksson never took up the position, instead carrying on as England manager until 2006.

Writing in his autobiography Sven: My Story, which is being serialised in the Mail on Sunday, Eriksson disclosed: “I knew it would be tricky. I had a contract with England until the 2006 World Cup and I would be severely criticised if I broke that contract. But this was an opportunity to manage Manchester United.

A contract was signed — I was United’s new manager.”

Eriksson revealed that the agent Pini Zahavi still has in his office the contract stating Eriksson would be United’s new manager.

That Eriksson would have succeeded Ferguson has long been widely speculated but Eriksson’s book is the first confirmation that the Swede had a signed agreement with a club at a time when his contract with the Football Association had a further four years to run.

Eriksson new book, which includes fine detail about a series of his love affairs, also tells of some of the disputes he had with Ferguson over United players on England duty. In his own recently published autobiography, Ferguson said he believed Eriksson should never have taken Wayne Rooney to the World Cup finals in 2006 after the striker suffered a broken metatarsal bone.

Eriksson confirms in his book that Ferguson sought to persuade him not to pick Rooney. Eriksson said the striker’s agent Paul Stretford contacted the England manager to tell him that, contrary to Ferguson’s wishes, the player himself did want to be part of the squad for the finals in Germany.

Eriksson also claimed Ferguson told him to select the United defender Rio Ferdinand for England’s international against Turkey in October 2003 even though the FA had ordered Eriksson not to do so because Ferdinand had missed a drug test.

Eriksson insists he has great respect for Ferguson but said that, in the case of the Ferdinand affair, he had to advise the Scot to “call and yell at someone else”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/10423231/.html

[Kompressor]

Not even a revelation. Got to be the worse possible timing to release a new book.

[Agony]

 

[stacksbranning]

New chant for Ashley Young. Melody (kicking a blue)

He got no skill, he got no flair

He lost his balance, and he lost his hair

He dives at left, he dives at right

He makes that boy Neymar look s.h.i.i.t.e

[Agony]

It was all going well until that last line

[Tee]

joke is theres worse english divers about

[stacksbranning]

It was all going well until that last line

 

I didn't make that up btw . I  think they are saying youngs diving is better than neymars who also dives a lot

[Agony]

It was all going well until that last line

 

I didn't make that up btw . I  think they are saying youngs diving is better than neymars who also dives a lot

 

I know exactly what they meant which is why I said what I said

[Agony]

Rooney owes Young a drink

 

His dive took all the headlines meanwhile Rooney's overall poor performance(one of many this season but this time there was no goal to paper over the cracks) slipped under the radar

[i5_PRODUCER]

Give the guy a break fam... 0-0 away from home in Europe .OK we should have won but don't forget VP missed a pen  , chicha missed a sitter ...

 

everyone was below standard..

[stacksbranning]

Rooney should never play as a number 10 for us again . Can't wait till he is sold

[anelka]

pos @Agony

 

No surprise the two main chances came from Kagawa  (rvp post & flick for the pen) in the 2nd half when they moved him into the playmaker role

 

Just a shame Hernandez didn't stay on, Moyes mugged him off there, RVP didn't need to play

[Don.j.w]

United are truly shocking to watch that pen was karma in it's finest form...can't stand the hunchback of Hertfordshire he should of been booked for it

[JOHN DOE]

 

pos @Agony

 

No surprise the two main chances came from Kagawa  (rvp post & flick for the pen) in the 2nd half when they moved him into the playmaker role

 

Just a shame Hernandez didn't stay on, Moyes mugged him off there, RVP didn't need to play

 

are you man forgetting the pass young played to rvp and my man hit the post 

[Agony]

Match Analysis

 

Talking Tactics: How Moyes Left Fellaini Exposed vs Sociedad

By Dan Talintyre

Posted on November 7, 2013

 

 

 

Manchester United went to San Sebastian in the UEFA Champions League this week looking to wrap up qualification through to the knockout stages but couldn’t quite get the job done over their Spanish opponents. Real Sociedad might have had some good fortune in the result—from Robin van Persie’s missed penalty to Javier Hernandez’s shocking miss—but in the end, the Spanish club were able to hold the Red Devils to a scoreless draw on the night.

It might have seemed like a dour affair, with few highlights to talk about, but there certainly was not an absence of talking points for the defending English champions.

And as the film shows, those talking points will certainly give David Moyes a lot to think about.

The Struggles of Javier Hernandez

Having been linked with a move away from Old Trafford at some point this January or the upcoming summer transfer window, Javier Hernandez was given a great opportunity to show what he could do for Manchester United.

Known primarily as a goal-poacher more than anything else, Hernandez led the line alongside Wayne Rooney—a flashback to the 2011-12 season. He would act as the pure striker at the top of the attack and finish off what the likes of Rooney and Shinji Kagawa created behind him.

However, what was most clear throughout the fixture was that Hernandez isn’t suited to these type of games. As strong as his poaching skills are—evident at many points last season—the Mexican international simply doesn’t possess the awareness and attacking strengths required to start as the lone striker.

Even with Rooney alongside him, Hernandez was often caught not really helping with those behind him—and his Heat Map shows how ineffective he’d been.

 

 

Javier Herandez Heat Map v Sociedad

 

 

 

That’s not to say this was all Hernandez’s fault, per se, and it must be noted here that Sociedad did a great job in shutting down the Mexican striker. Their two central defenders—Inigo Martinez and Mikel Gonzalez—essentially marked Hernandez out of the game every time United went forward and rarely allowed him the chance to move into space whatsoever.

Throughout the course of this article look how tight the pair are to Hernandez.

 

 

 

As Kagawa presses forward down the left-flank, Hernandez is in a good position in the middle but he’s unable to receive the ball —which is what United really needed from their striker. Rooney has the option of pressing forward into the space towards Kagawa but what he really wants to do is get into the box, and allow Marouane Fellaini the opportunity to run in behind—something that can only happen if Hernandez vacates the space in the middle.

Call it a decoy run; simply call it movement—the principle remains the same.

Hernandez needs to be more active at the top of the attack if United are going to be able to get their midfielders in space.

If we fast-forwarded the tape, we’d see that Hernandez’s lack of movement crowds the penalty box by the time Rooney, Fellaini and Kagawa do get into the area. The two No. 10’s play a nice one-two combination, but Kagawa’s shot is hurried in the end and travels wide—something that might not have happened if there were more space for the Japanese star.

Squawka’s Pass Maps show a good comparison of the difference in United’s passing between the first half (when Hernandez was up top) and the second half (when it was Van Persie).

 

 

Man United First-Half Passes v Sociedad (80% Pass Accuracy)

 

 

 

 

Man United Second-Half Passes v Sociedad (72% Pass Accuracy)

 

 

 

What makes Van Persie so effective at the top of the attack is his movement around the penalty area.

He won’t always get the ball but he’ll be looking to make a run and receive a pass which, in turn, vacates space behind him for the likes of Rooney and Kagawa to exploit.

Hernandez was far too stagnant at the top of the attack, which allowed Sociedad’s central duo to essentially shut him out of the game. The fact that it took a miracle pass by Kagawa that went between the legs of two defenders for Hernandez to have his only shot of the game (which was missed, mind you) shows just how limited he was at the top of the attack.

Marouane Fellaini Exposed... by Moyes?

Since making his slightly-overpriced move to Manchester United this summer, Fellaini has hardly endeared himself to the fans. Maybe it was just the fact that there was too much hype on the Belgian international as the answer to United’s midfield problem; maybe he just hasn't been good enough—for whatever reason, Fellaini has irked a lot of fans with his sub-standard performances, and many will point to this one here as another poor showing.

However, in this instance, I’m not quite as convinced it's all on the bustling Belgian.

Fellaini was poor at times, but he was exposed in the middle of the field by Moyes’ team selection and tactics. In picking Ryan Giggs—who simply doesn't have the legs required to be an effective double-pivot—to play alongside Fellaini in what was a very rigid 4-4-2 formation, Fellaini was forced to try and do so much against a slew of Sociedad defenders.

Whenever he did manage to get the ball, Fellaini was often swarmed with defenders and not given the space that he (or anyone) needs to thrive, as shown in the image below.

 

 

 

Fellaini has done well to win the ball, but in doing so, he has invited the other Sociedad defenders around him to make a play at the ball. Eventually they win the ball, and Fellaini—trying to win the ball back—is late to the tackle and picks up a yellow card.

Giggs, meanwhile, is closer to the sideline than the middle of the field.

For Fellaini to be effective, he needs to be able to have time and space on the ball in attack. In defence, he needs to have outlets to distribute the ball quickly so that he’s not forced into making desperate, lunging attempts to try and beat three or four players.

He’s not the most skillful of big men (you’d never see him dribbling like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, for example), and it’s not fair to expect him to win a challenge—fairly—against four or five defenders.

Fellaini has been poor at times this season and he needs to continue to work on playing the ball early and staying involved in the attack. But in terms of his performance here, it’s hard to fault him for simply trying to do his best in a flawed system.

Moyes didn’t give his main midfielder enough support in Giggs, and it ultimately saw the Red Devils reduced to 10 men as a result.

The Positive Return of Shinji Kagawa

While there were several negatives for Moyes to take away from the scoreless draw, there was one positive takeaway, and it was the return of Shinji Kagawa once more. The Japanese star is quietly having a very impressive Champions League campaign, and his free-flowing role against Sociedad here almost saw United walk away with all three points in tow.

What was perhaps most interesting was the fact that Moyes used Kagawa effectively in a wide position.

Much has been made about his need to play in the No. 10 role and not be used as a winger, but what United did in this match was give Kagawa full reign of the left flank and the space inside of it. In essence, it was very similar to what Andre Villas-Boas did with Gareth Bale last year—allowing him to cut inside and play as a central winger from time to time.

 

 

Shinji Kagawa Action Areas v Sociedad

 

 

 

For that to happen, though, there needs to be space for him to cut-in, and Fellaini and Rooney did their job perfectly here in allowing that to happen. When Fellaini was more like a regulation central midfielder (or even a defensive central mid) and Rooney was like a true No. 10 (pushing up on to the centre-backs with Hernandez), space started to appear in midfield.

As a result, Kagawa—usually unmarked—would fill that space and be in a great position to launch an attack. Perhaps the clearest example of this was Hernandez’s woeful miss.

The finish (or lack of it) has been the biggest talking point in this movement, but rewind the tape back a bit and you’ll see the Rooney-Fellaini movement the cruical creates space.

 

 

 

With Rooney sitting deep on the field, right-back Carlos Martinez looks to pick him up and stop him being an option for the free-running Fellaini at this point. Hernandez is being double-teamed (as per usual), which makes the run of Rooney the most dangerous at this point. The Englishman is defended well, so Fellaini passes wide out to a fast-arriving Antonio Valencia.

The winger then attacks Alberto de la Bella on the right wing, and draws in another defender alongside him. Fellaini has dropped off into the space vacated by Sociedad’s midfielders; Rooney has pressed up into the box alongside Hernandez. And what that does, is give Kagawa a mountain of space at the top of the penalty box—which Valencia picks out perfectly.

 

 

 

The finish wasn’t there from Hernandez to cap off the move, but this showed just how deadly Kagawa can be in this “late-arriving No. 10 role. He’s still playing as winger given that he’s outside the right-back at the point when he receives the pass, but he has the freedom to cut in and utilise his attacking strengths from a central position when necessary—thanks to the movement and understanding of both Rooney and Fellaini.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Moyes sees the importance of other players around Kagawa when he next uses the former Borussia Dortmund star, and whether he can create the same “free-running” role for him as a result. Kagawa isn't a dribbler or all that good in traffic, which have led to some struggles in the Premier League, but if he can play a similar role to what Bale did, he’ll certainly find great success this season—even if he’s not categorically in a No. 10 role.

Definitely something to watch out for.

 

http://squawka.com/news/2013/11/07/talking-tactics-how-moyes-left-fellaini-exposed-vs-sociedad/2013110732958?

 

[Agony]

Manchester United, David Moyes, and the folly of the defensive full-back

Will Quinn returns to lament Chris Smalling’s inclusion in the Manchester United side on Tuesday night…

 

David Moyes had a right to bemoan his side’s poor finishing against Sociedad on Tuesday night, after his usually lethal strikers contrived to miss two open nets and a penalty in a 0-0 draw. However, he did make one clear selection mistake that seriously damaged his side’s attacking abilities: the choice of Chris Smalling at right-back.

Moyes had options: he could have played Antonio Valencia at right-back and brought in Januzaj or Zaha, or he could have picked Fabio. But because he went with Smalling, Sociedad could shut down United’s attack for the whole first half simply by marking every player except him. Time and again Smalling was left in acres of space on the right wing, only to throw in a hopeful cross or run out of ideas and pass it backwards.

This isn’t meant as a criticism of Smalling, who has the potential to one day be an excellent centre-back. Rather, it shows the danger of picking a predominantly defensive player at full-back in a game you expect to dominate. Smalling may have been more useful if United were to come under sustained pressure, but that was never a likely scenario against such inexperienced opponents. The fact that Moyes’s overall gameplan was so proactive suggests that he was fully aware of this.

This isn’t the first time Moyes has made this mistake, with the Smalling-Valencia combination cut to pieces in the Manchester derby by the extremely defensively-reluctant duo of Kolarov and Nasri. In fairness, it’s only a problem because of Rafael’s injury issues, but faced with a choice between an overly attacking full-back and an overly defensive one, Moyes has always started with the latter. As an inherently conservative coach, he perhaps sees filling the hole with a centre-back as a ‘safe’ option. But if he is going to play an expansive game, as he did on Tuesday night, then it doesn’t follow to select a full-back with such severe attacking limitations.

Follow Will Quinn on Twitter here.

 

http://thepremierleagueowl.com/manchester-united-david-moyes-and-the-folly-of-the-defensive-full-back/

 

[Fresh]

I mostly disagree with the first part. The pass map shows less congestion during the second half, but that wasn't created by Hernandez' omission. It was Rooney's,  which allowed Kagawa to become fluent in the final third. 

 

Had it been Hernandez Kagawa Van Persie - instead of Hernandez Kagawa Rooney, it would have been so different. Yes Hernandez doesn't have the movement/decoy run awareness to create space for his team mates, but nor does Rooney. When paired with someone that does i.e RVP he becomes effective.

[Fresh]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/comment-ashley-young-has-fallen-so-low-at-united-there-may-be-no-way-back-8925156.html

[JOHN DOE]

when the hell did the independent revamp thier site

[Horatio Caine]

RENE ON TALKSPORT

[i5_PRODUCER]

Carrick out for up to 6 weeks.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/10445421/Manchester-United-midfielder-Michael-Carrick-faces-lengthy-spell-out.html

 

Michael Carrick is facing an extended spell on the sidelines atManchester United that could rule out the midfielder until Christmas after under­going a procedure to resolve a persistent Achilles injury.

The 32-year-old, who has withdrawn from the England squad for the Wembley friendlies against Chile and Germany as a result of the problem, is understood to have received an injection on Tuesday aimed at reducing the inflammation that has troubled the player in recent weeks.

While the club were initially hopeful that the injection could see Carrick recover in time to face Cardiff City in 10 days’ time, senior figures at Old Trafford confirmed last night to the Telegraph that the player would be sidelined for at least a month and potentially as long as six weeks.

Carrick has now been given permission by manager David Moyes to leave the country to undertake a short break before he begins his rehabilitation.

While the former Tottenham player has been able to overcome discomfort in order to continue playing for United in recent weeks, Moyes has now accepted the need for Carrick to have the problem addressed. His absence will be a blow, however, with Moyes now without his most con­sistent midfielder and left to rely on Ryan Giggs, who is 40 in two weeks’ time, and the out-of-sorts Tom Cleverley and Anderson.

 

 

Cleverly , your time