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Showing posts from September, 2018

West Ham vs Manchester United Analysis

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21st September 2018. Friday. Manchester United vs Wolves was just one day away. There was a clear sense of optimism amongst the Manchester United fans. Two back to back defeats against Brighton and Spurs seemed like a lifetime ago. Three away wins on a trot, most notably against Young Boys in the Champions League, gave a feeling that Jose Mourinho had finally turned it around. But little did the Manchester United supporters know what was about to happen in the next one week.

One week is a long time in the footballing world. And for Manchester United, this past week has changed the whole complexion of their season. Firstly, two points were dropped against Wolves at home, and then a shock penalty shoot-out defeat to Derby County saw the Red Devils getting knocked out of the League Cup. This made the West Ham game a must-win encounter for the club.
But it was not meant to be United's day. Right from the starting line up the fans sensed something was off. When Marouane Fellaini, Scott M…

West Ham United vs Manchester United Player Ratings

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Manchester United are coming off yet another defeat, only this time it’s against West Ham United. Manchester United were handed a 3-1 defeat against the hammers and boy did the Reds disappoint..most of them anyway..

Manchester United ratings are in!

David De Gea:
The Spanish goalkeeper was let down by his defenders once again and was held pretty much helpless.
RATING:5

Luke Shaw:
Had a bit of a disappointing performance tonight and was caught by Felipe Anderson's goal and didn't close down Yarmolenko fast enough which lead to the 2nd goal.
RATING:5

Chris Smalling:
Looked out of place nor did he have help from his other defending team-mates.
RATING: 4

Lindelof:
Probably headed back to the bench after his performance and the own goal, looked out of place.
RATING:4

Young:
One of the few players trying to make an impact, assisted Rashford and was providing for Lukaku with decent service.
RATING: 6

McTominay:
Honestly forgot he was in the game for a while, Jose seems to be trying t…

West Ham United vs Manchester United Preview

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West Ham United vs Manchester United Preview
Right. Before I start to predict how the teams will line up and what the score of the game will be tomorrow at the London Stadium, let's first address the elephant in the room - Pogba vs Mourinho. 
This has been the biggest football story that has been circling social media and the papers for the last week following United's home draw to Wolverhampton Wanderers. It began with a message from the then vice-captain, Paul Pogba, claiming that United needed a more attacking mentality against Wolves to overcome Nuno Espirito Santo's excellent possession throughout the game. This then sparked rumours that Pogba would 'never captain United again'. This was half true as Jose admitted that Pogba was no longer vice-captain as the Portugese manager openly declared in the build-up to the Carabao Cup tie against Derby County. With Paul Pogba in the stands alongside Andreas Pereira and Luke Shaw, United were out-performed by Frank Lam…

Is Victor Lindelof The Answer To Manchester United’s Defensive Woes?

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Is Victor Lindelof The Answer To Manchester United’s Defensive Woes?
It would be fair to state that Victor Lindelof has needed a substantial amount of time to settle in in England. The former Benfica defender was a huge hit in Portugal but United are yet to see him at his brilliant best at Old Trafford. However, Jose Mourinho has placed great faith in Lindelof in recent weeks and he could find himself a regular in the United starting line-up. Defensively, the Red Devils are crying out for a leader and Lindelof can be their main man.

As of September 12th, United are languishing down in mid-table after a slow start to the 2018/19 campaign. The Red Devils got back to winning ways against Burnley in their most recent Premier League fixture though and Lindelof is ready to make a big impression on England’s top flight. He hasn’t quite cut it at this level since joining from Benfica; United are waiting for a return on their initial £31 million investment.

Three changes to the #MUFC side, wit…

Captains, Leaders, Winners

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On Saturday 22nd September 2018 Sir Alex Ferguson was given a rapturous reception as he returned to The Theatre of Dreams for the first time since making a remarkable recovery from ill health. It was a heart-warming moment and as our beloved Sir Alex pumped his fists in the air I was hoping nervously for a rip roaring dismantling of the opposition that the great man himself would be proud of. Instead, I witnessed a shameful, one dimensional version of football that left me feeling visceral and crestfallen. After being a goal to the good, another lacklustre performance without any type of swagger and leadership ensued. As usual, David De Gea performed heroics in goal as he was called into action several times during the match. Blessed with innate reflexes and shot stopping ability, it’s easy to see why our agile acrobatic goalkeeper has been the club’s most consistent performer in recent years and regarded as the best in the business. Frequently turning in man of the match performances…

Manchester United vs Derby County Player Ratings

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Man United are eliminated from the Carabao Cup!

As we all know by now, Manchester United are coming off from a horrific defeat from Cabarabo cup fixture, as we know Manchester United were defeated by Derby County on penalties (2-2) 7-8 in the third round, and the player ratings are in following the defeat at Old Trafford.

Romero:5.5
I think giving Romero a 5.5 is a bit lucky for him, but before his red card he made some big “match saving” saves. And couldn’t do squat with Wilson’s freekick but admire it.

Young: 6.5
Looked threatening down the flanks, put in some crosses, decent performance.

Bailey:7
Looked soild at the back despite not being featured in recent games.

Jones:5
THAT PENALTY WAS HORRIFIC... should be enough.. but..Just didn’t look assured the whole game.

Dalot:8.5
Looked completely comfortable and confident on the ball, positive going forward and got himself an assist! very promising!

Herrera:5
Didn’t have an impact in the game much for me, he was just there..

Matic:5
I …

Manchester United vs Derby County Match Analysis

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Manchester United vs Derby Match Analysis Manchester United started their Carabao cup campaign against Derby County at Old Trafford, where they looked return to some form following a recent draw against newly promoted Wolves in the Premier League last weekend. This was just one of United’s early season disappointments, so it was imperative that Manchester United got off to a winning start in this year’s cup campaign. As expected the team sheet saw many changes from the game last weekend with Mourinho using the full depth of his squad and giving run outs to players on the fringes of the first team. This game saw a return for United’s number two goalkeeper Sergio Romero, as well as a full defensive overhaul with four changes being made. Additionally, the Spanish duo of Ander Herrera and Juan Mata returned to the team after both having spells away from the starting eleven.

Manchester United XI: Sergio Romero, Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, Ander Herrera (c), Nemanja Ma…

Manchester United vs Derby County Preview

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Manchester United vs Derby County Preview

A poor performance on Saturday overshadowed United's good form of late as the run of three back-to-back wins came to an end as Wolves held United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. It was a performance full of attacking play and excellent goalkeeping from both David de Gea and Rui Patricio but in the end the result was a just one but a damaging one for the Red Devils as they now lie in seventh place as Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 on Sunday. United now have a cup game against Frank Lampard's Derby County to prepare for and many questions surround the fixture, mostly centred around team selection. 
One player guaranteed to start is Diogo Dalot who, although impressing against Young Boys in the Champions League, was rested against Wolves for the returning Valencia. While Rashford serves the last of his three-game suspension, Matic is free to start against his former teammate's side and was sorely missed against Wolves. Jose Mourinho has als…

Manchester United vs Wolves Match Analysis and Player ratings

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Manchester United were back at Old Trafford on Saturday after three back to back away wins which also included a great 3-0 victory against Young Boys in the Champions League. High flying Wolves were in the town who themselves had gained momentum after two consecutive 1-0 wins over West Ham and Burnley.   Starting XIDe Gea
Valencia     Smalling     Lindelof     Shaw
Fred     Fellaini     Pogba
Lingard     Lukaku     Sanchez
Wolves are a not your usual small club which goes away to a top-six club and parks the bus and looks for a tame draw. Instead, Wolves came to United and played proper attacking football. They had done a similar thing when they faced Manchester City earlier this season and earned a point against the champions. They started the game on a brighter note and within the first ten minutes, worked the ball out to Raul Jimenez who forced a save out of De Gea. De Gea had to be alert again on a corner when he saved Boly's header from point-blank range. But as the game progresse…

Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Preview

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Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Preview After Manchester United eased into a 3-0 away win in Switzerland against Young Boys on Wednesday night, they return to Old Trafford to face high-flying Wolves who are aiming to continue their excellent form this season after back-to-back wins against West Ham and Burnley following a creditable draw against the holding champions. 
Wolves' success is mainly due to the Portugese influence in the team with big names such as Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves important members of the team so far this season. This influence is credited to their 44 year old manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, who featured in the Porto team that was managed by Mourinho himself from 2002-04. Jose has come out and said that his former player has earned the right to be called a Premier League manager due to the heroics of last season as they won the Championship with two games to spare and the have only grown as a team and evolved to suit Premier Leagu…

Young Boys vs Manchester United Player Ratings

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Manchester United win comfortably away from home against Young Boys to open their champions league campaign with a 3-0 victory!
But who impressed or who didn’t? Here I will rate each of their performances from our champions league opener.

David De Gea: 8
Although he didn’t have too much to do in the 2nd half of this match, he did make some pretty good and important saves for Manchester United in the 1st half. So for that, 8.

Dalot: 8
Despite a few slip ups, the kid had a spectacular night on his debut! Got some pretty good looking crosses in and went in for the attack as well, also almost got himself an assist, but Lukaku was offside unfortunately.

Smalling: 7
Made a vital save when the game was 0-0 and seemed to always be at the right place last night. Soild performance.

Lindeof: 6.5
Did seem a bit uncomfortable last night but held his own for the most part I believe. Decent performance for me.

Shaw:8.5
Nearly had himself an assist with Rashford and was the one that was gave Mancheste…

Man United v Sheffield United: Match Preview

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After their triumphant return to women's league football against Aston Villa, beating them a staggering 12-0, all heads turn to Manchester United's first home league game of the season.

Sheffield will travel to Manchester on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Durham in their league opener as well as a 2-0 defeat at home to Birmingham in the Continental Cup.

While Sheffield was in action this weekend in the Cup, United's Cup division has an odd number of teams - giving them a week rest to perform on the back of.
Players to look out for  After United swept aside Villa in their league opener, it was clear to see that they are a strong and disciplined sign with some exceptional talent.  Jess Sigsworth  Sigsworth is no stranger to the FA Women's Championship - the forward spent last season with Doncaster Belles and finished as top scorer with 15 goals. More impressively, Sigsworth already has five goals to her name after just one game, proving to be exciting not only for fans but…

Young Boys vs Manchester United Match Analysis

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Young Boys vs Manchester United Match Analysis Manchester United looked for their third consecutive away win with a trip to Switzerland in the Champions league as they took on Young Boys. This was no easy test for United, who have had a inconsistent start to the season, however United went their expecting the full 3 points and nothing less than the first win in the Champions League this season. The team sheet was much changed from the team that beat Watford last weekend. Martial and Rashford came back into the team and joined Lukaku in attack while youngest Dalot made his United debut after his summer move to United. In this game we also saw a return to the trio of Fred, Matic and Pogba in midfield after a few games apart.
Manchester United XI: David De Gea, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelöf, Diogo Dalot, Paul Pogba (c), Nemanja Matic, Fred, Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford
Young Boys XI: David von Ballmoos, Loris Benito, Steve von Bergen, Mohamed Ali Camara, Kevi…

Young Boys vs Manchester United Preview

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Young Boys vs Manchester United Preview The Champions League returns for Manchester United and with an away fixture in Switzerland as Young Boys host the Red Devils tomorrow at 19:45 GMT. This is such a big game for United's momentum as, after back-to-back wins against Burnley and Watford have boosted United's sombre mood following the shock defeat to Brighton and the humbling at Old Trafford to Spurs. A victory in Switzerland should carry United's momentum into a potentially dangerous home game against Wolves on Saturday, who have already taken points off Everton and Manchester City. United's last game against Watford showed the importance of killing games off as Watford easily could have equalised were it not for David de Gea and this game should be no different. 
Whilst United have had issues in the Premier League, Young Boys have been excellent so far this season with nine wins out of ten so far and are top of their league. While United's game on Sunday was a …

Watford vs Manchester United Match Analysis

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Starting XIDe Gea
Valencia   Smalling    Lindelof    Young
Pogba      Fellaini      Matic
  Lingard     Lukaku      Sanchez
The mundane international break got over and our beloved Premier League football was back this weekend. Manchester United, after two back to back defeats against Brighton and Spurs, had beaten Burnley but the untimely international break had halted the momentum. The match at Vicarage Road was a huge test for Jose Mourinho and his men.

Watford, fresh from a come back win against Spurs, were full of confidence on Saturday as they chased a fifth straight win in the Premier League. It wasn't going to be easy for United as Watford had given United a tough time in recent years. Although United had won 5 of the past 6 meetings, the Hornets gave United a scare in each of those five wins.

Jose Mourinho had made one change to the starting XI that beat Burnley 2-0 as Ashley Young came in for Luke Shaw who got injured on England duty. Vicarage Road was bouncing as Troy Deeney …