Premier League 2022/23: Leicester City vs Man Utd ~ Thu 1st Sept 8pm KO

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Utd travel to bottom of the league Leicester who have had a tough start 1 point from the first 4 games and a number of unsettled players who may leave before this game. Fofana is off for his medical ahead of the move to Chelsea and still rumours around Tielemens. Hopefully Tielemens isn’t available he always seems to put in a top performance against us.

Utd look like they’ll have new boy Anthony in but the game may come to soon for him hopefully he will make the bench and we probably assume Martial won’t be back.

In terms of changes you would expect Casemiro to come in for his first start but with the short turn around ahead of Arsenal you wonder if we might see a few changes. I’m sure both teams aren’t happy that this game was moved to Thursday for TV rather than being played Wednesday.

DDG

Dalot Varane Martinez Malacia

Casemiro Fred

Sancho Bruno Elanga

Rashford

Leicester away is not a happy hunting ground for Utd it’s where many a good run has come to an end the 5-3 under LVG and the 4-2 last season it’s a ground where Utd seem to regularly fall to pieces so let’s see if this lot have the bottle for it.

I expect similar to the game vs Southampton Utd will be direct rather than try to play out from the back that is where our troubles have started against Leicester before we can’t fall into that trap. Hopefully get a quick start and get the crowd on their back.
 
Team news from yesterday's press conferences was.

Martial is out, Lindelof is unlikely to be risked as he's only just come back to training and Anthony wasn't registered in time for this game.

Maddison may return for Leicester.
 
I guess you keep starting the same team for now. We are in phase where I think that makes sense.

My only worry is can Varane play so often. But I wouldn't risk Maguire, and with Lindelof not fit I guess he starts again.

And will Ronaldo start now his future is decided.
 
I think Casemiro has to come in for this one try and get an hour in before the game at the weekend.

I wouldn't rule out Ronaldo starting this one but he looked like he pulled something when he came on at the weekend at some point he needs to start a game to get his match fitness up.
 
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No surprise really after our start, keep to the winning team
 
Good performance to far but Leicester were so bad that we should have punished them with more goals.

Need to get one early in the second because Leicester will have a good period no doubt.
 
Been awful second half.

The defense are loving eachother though. Never seen a blocked cross in the 70th minute celebrated like that.
 
It’s a results business and we’ve got another one. From where we were in the opening two games, this is a great bounce back.

I think the most important thing is we are looking like a team.
 
Sounds like Rashford was poor, at least after the goal, and Elanga struggled to make an impact.

Can't knock an away win and a clean sheet, but it would be good to see us scoring a couple more.

Hopefully the Anthonys can help with that.
 
5th in the league now. 3 wins on the bounce for the first time to December. They haven't been pretty but they all count.
 
Sounds like Rashford was poor, at least after the goal, and Elanga struggled to make an impact.

Can't knock an away win and a clean sheet, but it would be good to see us scoring a couple more.

Hopefully the Anthonys can help with that.
Yeah I think we are definitely lacking that killer instinct. If Martial and Antony were on the pitch with that little bit of extra quality, I think it would have been 2 or 3 tonight.
 
We're playing better, and actually like a team who care. Still not a good enough squad to really compete so I an pleased. Can't ask for more.

IDFD, you still down on Eriksen? They were saying on R5 how much better the midfield is with him in there, moves the ball quicker and forward more. Links well with Bruno
 
We're playing better, and actually like a team who care. Still not a good enough squad to really compete so I an pleased. Can't ask for more.

IDFD, you still down on Eriksen? They were saying on R5 how much better the midfield is with him in there, moves the ball quicker and forward more. Links well with Bruno

Genuinely find the Eriksen stuff baffling. He's been decent but he's not done anything to talk about at all. If his name was McTominay and he was putting in the same performance he'd be criticiseded.

He's too slow and certainly doesn't speed up our attacks.

The game should have been buried but Eriksen couldn't sort his feet. He's a decent bench option but the sooner we move to Casemiro and Fred the sooner we'll look a team that can play football not at pedestrian pace. We miss Fred in midfield. It's so slow.
 
Good result but still don’t think we’ve quite worked out the balance up top Utd should have been able to stick a few more on Leicester tonight but the sharpness just isn’t there in the final third.

Rashford just isn’t a centre forward so at some point Ronaldo/Martial will need to come back in and Rashford will either drop to the bench or play wide depending on form. Ronaldo I thought was good when he came on but the dilemma is do you start him then sub him after an hour of give him 30 minutes to finish off a weakened opponent?

Midfield will change with Casemiro coming in but I think his partner is still to be determined McT and Eriksen are both in form and Fred has the experience with him for the national side.

Anthony will give us another weapon from the bench I think we need it we don’t look like a team that can go full pelt for 90 minutes hopefully that fitness builds through the season.

I think after the two shockers we had to go ugly and get points on the board we are no longer easy to play against now ETH needs to start adding the control of games and more goals.
 
How did Casemiro do when he came on?
He looked a little rusty to be honest. A couple of nice passes but also some iffy moments. Sure as he gets his match fitness he will be one of the first names on the team sheet.
 
How did Casemiro do when he came on?

Yeah was hit and miss a few moments of class but a couple of sloppy passes.

Think he's still finding his feet but he wants to play passes he doesn't just want to hack it clear.
 
Wasn't able to watch this one, but from all accounts, positives were:

- signs of implementing ETH's style in moments such as the goal which positively reinforces his management
- Martinez's passion and enthusiasm for defending being embraced by the whole back line (Dalot cheering a block)
- Ronaldo putting in a shift when he came on
- the away end singing "your wife is a grass" to Jamie Vardy
- clean sheet and 3 points away from home

negatives were:
- only scored 1 against a side in disarray
- defensive tactics once we scored
- Rashford and Elanga

Is this accurate?
 
the first sub I thought was odd, and surely upset the balance of the side.

I didnt' see it either though
 
the first sub I thought was odd, and surely upset the balance of the side.

I didnt' see it either though

Think Sancho had disappeared in the game second half. Maddison was getting in behind us quite easily getting Casemiro on made sense but it slowed us down in the wide areas.

I think once Anthony is up to speed we'll see more of a like for like move with the wingers.
 
Wasn't able to watch this one, but from all accounts, positives were:

- signs of implementing ETH's style in moments such as the goal which positively reinforces his management
- Martinez's passion and enthusiasm for defending being embraced by the whole back line (Dalot cheering a block)
- Ronaldo putting in a shift when he came on
- the away end singing "your wife is a grass" to Jamie Vardy
- clean sheet and 3 points away from home

negatives were:
- only scored 1 against a side in disarray
- defensive tactics once we scored
- Rashford and Elanga

Is this accurate?
Quite a fair summary.

I think the team and EtH are risk-averse after taking the lead at the moment, and this may change as EtH sees the players carrying out his instructions fully during games.

It is so refreshing to see the team trying to play their way out of trouble with players showing for a pass instead of a panicky hoofed clearance by the defence.
 
So, overall, would people say that we're showing signs of progressing (slowly) toward ETH's style of play, or are we just scraping results?
 
Wasn't able to watch this one, but from all accounts, positives were:

- signs of implementing ETH's style in moments such as the goal which positively reinforces his management
- Martinez's passion and enthusiasm for defending being embraced by the whole back line (Dalot cheering a block)
- Ronaldo putting in a shift when he came on
- the away end singing "your wife is a grass" to Jamie Vardy
- clean sheet and 3 points away from home

negatives were:
- only scored 1 against a side in disarray
- defensive tactics once we scored
- Rashford and Elanga

Is this accurate?

Elanga wasn't to bad I don't expect much from him he's a kid at the end of the day but Rashford was really poor the guy just isn't a centre forward got bullied by Jonny Evans. He's in his mid 20's now Rashford should be in his prime but he just isn't and it's a big season for him he needs to turn that corner even if he wants to go on to have a Theo Walcott level career as it's pretty clear now that he'll never kick on and become a world class player.

The chances were there to get the second goal
 
We are seeing progress in small passages of play and by no means are we scraping results. Sure, at times we have had to defend resolutely in games to get the 3 points however we have also had periods of pressure in the last 3 games without killing teams off. It is so pleasing to begin to trust our defence again.
 
So, overall, would people say that we're showing signs of progressing (slowly) toward ETH's style of play, or are we just scraping results?

I think ETH has scrapped the style of play to get results taken it right back to basics similar to how we played under Ole.

Off the ball we are very compact and organised and we scrap for every ball then when we get it we look to get the ball forward quickly. That style of play has got us 9 points out of 9 now he's got the new signings in I think we'll see him slowly try to add bits to it over the rest of the season.

All 3 of those matches could have been draws or losses but the breaks went our way.

I think he realised very quickly in those opening 2 games that this group are nowhere near ready to play a possession game where we build from the back.
 
Think Sancho had disappeared in the game second half. Maddison was getting in behind us quite easily getting Casemiro on made sense but it slowed us down in the wide areas.

I think once Anthony is up to speed we'll see more of a like for like move with the wingers.
it was more who came on for who

Casemiro for Elanga was a weird one.

Should have brought on Ronaldo and pushed Rashford wide, and Casemiro for Mctom

in my mind the substitution made unbalances the side.
 
it was more who came on for who

Casemiro for Elanga was a weird one.

Should have brought on Ronaldo and pushed Rashford wide, and Casemiro for Mctom

in my mind the substitution made unbalances the side.

It did but we'd started badly second half we needed to get a grip Casemiro coming on made sense they moved Bruno wide and Eriksen forward a bit I think he wants to have players that can retain the ball on the pitch later in games as having the ball is essential for defending leads.

Sancho wasn't giving us anything by the time he came off for Ronaldo who was good when he came on if he wasn't so bloody greedy he'd have set Eriksen up for a tap in when he dragged a shot from a tight angle wide.

I think the subs were done same sort of way at the weekend staggered to break up momentum from the opponent the first sub probably slowed us down a bit but the second sub gave us the energy back.

McTominay was playing an important role and he is important on set pieces because he's strong in the air so I can see why he was kept on we had a lot of balls into the box to defend. I thought McT had a solid 7/10 game.
 
I think ETH has scrapped the style of play to get results taken it right back to basics similar to how we played under Ole.

Off the ball we are very compact and organised and we scrap for every ball then when we get it we look to get the ball forward quickly. That style of play has got us 9 points out of 9 now he's got the new signings in I think we'll see him slowly try to add bits to it over the rest of the season.

All 3 of those matches could have been draws or losses but the breaks went our way.

I think he realised very quickly in those opening 2 games that this group are nowhere near ready to play a possession game where we build from the back.
I don't mean this as a criticism of ETH by any stretch, because obviously results are hugely important to ease the pressure, lift the mood, raise confidence of the players in their own abilities and in his leadership. If we had gotten beat by Liverpool getting buy-in becomes a lot harder, and the faith in him wanes considerably.

Plus, it's early and after the horror show that was last season, progress will take time. This squad needs wins and positive momentum however it can get them, I fully understand that.

HOWEVER, being compact and relying on moments of brilliance only got Ole so far. At some point we need to start developing a style/patterns of play/an identity because last season it appeared that they just practised tik-tok dances on the training pitch. Again, not being impatient, I'm just curious to see what ETH can achieve with this side, especially with the new signings, and am a little skeptical that the old guard is capable of learning new tricks.
 

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