20 May 2018 08:22:50
Many fans are slagging on Jones, he of course made a bad decision and was very reckless.
However - almost everyone is critical of Herrera spending the first half man marking Hazard, everyone think about that for a minute!
Where was Herrera when Jones was in splendid isolation?
There was a hell of a lot wrong yesterday, one bad mistake shouldn't dictate the result in a game like that, there was plenty of time to correct matters. We created next to nothing all game, first half was as bad as the previous games, so we were not prepared for the cup final, we weren't taking it easy in those games to save ourselves for the cup final at all. That was a typical Utd performance - so there was no grand plan behind the Brighton, West Ham, Arsenal, West Brom games - that was what we have been getting as its the best the manager can have the players playing at the minute.
2nd half we upped it a bit and played with a little more attacking intent, but we were 1-0 down against a Chelsea offering nothing going forward - impossible not to look more attacking in those circumstances.
I have been very critical of Pogba but I thought he was our standout player yesterday. Off the ball he was always telling our players to pass it forward, he was often free for the forward pass, but Matic, Herrera, Young and Valencia would cut back and play the ball back to the CB's rather than looking for him. I watched him off the ball slamming into many of our players including Sanchez for being negative. He wanted to take the game by the scruff of the neck, he tried to play positive football - but the rest of the lads seem indoctrinated into playing the pass you see and keep it safe. Pogba is a showboater with little end product, but yesterday he showed me he had the right idea and I hope this positive attitude and drive continues.
Many of us knew the performance to expect and it came to fruition. We were the better team, but had we scored first I would have expected the exact reverse to happen that 2nd half, with us clinging on and Chelsea offering a tiny bit more going forward.
Shame for Jones as he will be picked apart, but on the whole he and Smalling kept an in form Giroud very quiet, Hazard whilst looking lively was ineffective aside from the goal and we coped well with the woeful attacking intent of Chelsea.
Kante was the best player on the pitch yet again - surely worth going for with them not in the CL. A performance that summed up our season in 90 minutes. Roll on 15 months time.
20 May 2018 08:52:55
Good post beast. I agree on pogba thought he was the leader yesterday on the pitch. Have to disagree on matic thought he was our best player yesterday and the rest of the team was very poor. Jose got team selection and tactics so wrong yesterday. Probably should have gone with 3 at the back and played to up top because rashford has been struggling whilst up top alone. Him and martial would have caused far more problems for Chelsea. Kante was everywhere yesterday as always and he is one hell of a player.
20 May 2018 09:00:02
Beast, you say we weren't prepared for the game and that we played exactly the same as we have all season.
I have a different take on it, we were prepared and we played exactly how Jose wanted us to play.
Jose has had two years with these players, training them to play the way he wants every day. He has bought in 8 players spending over 250m while selling many of the players he doesn't rate as good enough.
The reason we lost yesterday was because the way Jose wants to play. He wants to shut teams down, limit chances and nick a goal. He uses players who are physically superior to his opponent and hopes to out fight them with pace and power. While stifling the life out of the game.
That is how we try to play. In effect Jose's style of play is if not identical at least very similar to that of Pulis, Allardyce and Warnock. He is just better at getting results.
We don't play football, we play anti-football. 6 of his 8 signings have been over 6'2. Out of the two who weren't one of them (Mkhitaryan) has been sold already. People talk about Jose clearing the deck of players who are not good enough bought by previous managers, well he has had to do it for one he himself has signed. And he sold Mkhitaryan before the likes of Darmian, Blind, Rojo and Fellaini (who Jose actually really rates) .
Think about that for a second, Jose rates Fellaini. Think of other managers who rate Fellaini and they style of football they want to play and you soon realise that we ARE playing the style Jose wants. There is no it will get better next season when Jose signs another 4 players. The only thing that will change is we will get better at playing this anti-football style that Jose plays because he wants to play that way.
This isn't the Manchester United I grew up with and fell in love with. This is a rich man's Stoke.
20 May 2018 09:31:20
Good post that beast .
Shappy it's also a good point, people can't accept the fact that some of players they don't rate Jose does .
But that hurts the Jose can do no wrong argument .
By the way Jose said he was very happy with the game yesterday.
20 May 2018 14:20:03
Shappy - no mate wrong end of the stick. When we were playing dross in games of late 'defenders' of Jose were saying it was because they were preparing for the final - but it wasn't that they were preparing it was that is how they play (that is the point I was making)! I was basically calling out the people trying to explain away the bad games as it was leading to an expected better overall performance in the final, I knew this was BS and was saying as much ad-nauseum on this website for weeks.
Those people will likely be saying yesterday wasn't good enough, but were content with the recent performances, in short they were wrong!
I know this is how Jose plays, I've been calling it for a lot longer than almost everybody on here, asking for his head after around 10 games as I realised we had hired the Jose of recent Chelsea failure - the broken man!
I appreciate you have come on the Anti-Jose bus of late, but don't think you are the guy driving it mate, welcome on board and I'm glad you are seeing what I do and more and more people are jumping on board.
The man is not right for the club, neither was LVG and that was easy to tell after a few games. I'm not up for constantly changing managers, but if they are the wrong hire and it's easy to tell, then things need to change or we just keep plodding into the wilderness. Our fans want to be loyal and back people represented with the club, this is taken advantage of - sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
We were a lucky 2nd this season, that has papered over a lot of cracks and why we renewed his contract in the winter coming out of some truly horrific performances just adds to my frustration! If we stick with him this summer then it will be more of the same, allowing our competitors to get even stronger before we re-commence another stage of 'transition' I hate the wasted time.
20 May 2018 18:27:50
Beast, I was against Jose from the start. I never wanted him and always thought he was the wrong choice.
However, I was prepared to give him a chance. Support him because supporting the club is in my nature.
I've just can't do it anymore, Jose and his style of play has worn my good natured support down.
I don't care who is driving the bus. I just can't stand where he's taking our club anymore.