Champions League 2018/19: Manchester United v Juventus

[Sideshow Bob]

V

Tuesday, 23rd October 2018
Champions League
Old Trafford
20:00 BST​

 

[jsp]

Honestly who knows what to expect here we will need to be on the absolute top of our game to avoid defeat as this is a genuine top class side we are up against a true contender for the trophy not just a participant.

Think he'll go back to the 433 system to match Juventus in the midfield and can only assume it'll be Valencia in for Young at full back. Where is Dalot? 2 alright games then seems to have dissapeared again.

Hopefully keep the changes to a minimum probably Herrera/Fred in for Mata and Valencia for Young.

 

[Red Warrior]

Isn't that Joses way? 2 alright games then disappearing for a good few weeks. It's usual practice.

I was saying to my lad only this morning, you could almost pick the same City, Chelsea and Liverpool team every week. Who know what Jose will do game to game at the minute. Who predicted he would play like that against Chelsea? Absolutely no consistency. It's anyone's guess who or what he will play.

I'd like to see Young stay at RB, Valencia offers nothing. Young did very well at the weekend.

 

[jsp]

Young is 33 and just had to mark arguably the best player in the league I just don't see him being able to go again 3 days later this is why the full backs needed sorting as it's needless rotation.

Personally I'd stick Darmian in ahead of Valencia but you just know he'll go back to Tony V for this one.

This ha been a problem for a long time though even under Moyes/LVG there was a lot of rotation really you want 8 or 9 as the core of the team then you have 2 or 3 who come in and out as players need rests but at Utd no one sustains form long enough that they nail down that starting spot.

 

[Mr C]

Rotation shouldn't be a propblem at a club like united. The only peoblem is Valencia isn't good enough, but nor is Young. Time we started bedding in Dalot

I do also think the Jose bashing should quieten down a bit now, two decent games, players are definitley on his side. Just let them sort it out and get behind them. There is no question the players haven't performed for whatever reason so far, but they seem to be getting there now.

 

[Red Warrior]

I do also think the Jose bashing should quieten down a bit now, two decent games, players are definitley on his side. Just let them sort it out and get behind them.

Quite agree but if we lose to Juve at home you just know it's all going to start again. I'm so bored of it all to be honest.

 

[Mr C]

I don't think losing is a problem, if the players put effort in. If we miss qualification it's a problem.

 

[jsp]

The Jose Bashing has never reached the ground he's maintained full support in the ground as any manager has got but 2 good results where we've only really played well for 20 minutes out of the 90 for the other 70 minutes in both games we've been quite poor and second best.

I don't buy into a corner being turned this is still a team on the edge and if we are swatted aside by Juventus the pressure is back on because we drew at home to Valencia.

As for qualification I really don't care as we're getting dumped out as soon as we play anyone decent in a knockout game hopefully we get through but Sevilla and Valencia have proven even beating the 2nd rate sides is a problem for us right now.

 

[Mr C]

I have us down as CL winners, a Jose special, you can't put it past him.

 

[IDFD]

Would you take a point before a ball is kicked? Are we that far away from Europe’s elite that this is currently reality? Or do we think we can go out there and win?

 

[Mr C]

I think we'll win

 

[Itsallinthemind]

I do also think the Jose bashing should quieten down a bit now, two decent games, players are definitley on his side. Just let them sort it out and get behind them. There is no question the players haven't performed for whatever reason so far, but they seem to be getting there now.

I don't see this "two decent games" thing. The fact that we didn't get beat in both those games makes them look better than they were. We could have easily been 0-2 down at the Bridge after a dire first half and if the referee had seen Young's handball v Newcastle that's 0-3 before we even get going. You seem to forget how close we were to losing both those matches. He's been quite lucky so far.

Now , there's obviously some rallying round going on and we are showing some signs that we really can hurt teams , but what should happen tonight is that the momentum from the 2nd half at the Bridge should be carried through to the first half tonight. Stick with the same team and line up and tell them to go out and repeat whatever they did at the Bridge 2nd half. Yes , show Juve respect , but not too much respect. Give them something to worry about as the away side at OT. We are in it to win it and we have to learn to do this to have any chance. Let's face it the chances are we will get knocked out at some point anyway - so why not have a go?

And get the crowd going for God's sake.

But will he do this? If he does then I might just start thinking about becoming a convert.

 

[jsp]

Would you take a point before a ball is kicked? Are we that far away from Europe’s elite that this is currently reality? Or do we think we can go out there and win?

100% would take a point if we could get 2 points out of these head to heads I'd be well happy really we are relying now on Young Boys taking something off Valencia in their head to head. If we can take some points from Juventus it means their last game vs Valencia may have something riding on it we don't want them to be able to field a B team with the group wrapped up.

Juventus are a regular contender over the last 5 years and they've added Ronaldo the guy who's been the difference maker in 4 of the last 5 seasons in CL this lot are the real deal and should be everyones favourite for the tournament in my opinion.

I don't think we've looked convincing in Europe since 2009 we somehow made the final in 2011 got a nice little run from memory beat an under par Chelsea team and Schalke then got battered by Barca.

Under Mourinho even in Europa League we never really looked convincing we didn't put teams away convincingly and Juventus are a side who if you get the chance to you have to kill them because if they stay in a close game they can quickly turn it on you like they did against Spurs last season.

 

[Mr C]

I just don't get it, yes we could have been 2 down, we could have been 49 up. Lets just make anything up to prove a point.

We played Newcastle, the managers head was on the block, we went 2 down, came out fighting and won 3-2. It was a great result showing great character.

We played Chelsea, a side everyone said were title contenders, were saying we shoudld look at them, Sarri has come in and done this blah blah, Jose is rubbish, boring banal anti Jose talk. We nearly beat them, at home.

Why pick on the negatives, that is two really good results, in fact the Chelsea one if anyhting is a bad result, we should have won. Lets be positive, this is our club.

 

[jsp]

We shouldn't have won we didn't do enough to win that game we could have won in the circumstances we got ourselves in a great position 2-1 up with 95 minutes on the clock but we made a royal mess of holding on to it not because of the manager because the of the players they switched off defending a hopeful ball into the box and paid the penalty.

We didn't turn up and play Chelsea off the park we basically turned up and almost did a classic smash and grab victory the main positive I took from that game is that for 20-25 minutes of that second half we forced the game to be played the way we wanted it to be played ie a physical game not a technical game. However, that may have been because finally put under some pressure Chelsea players went into an almost default mode of playing Conte football rather than the harder Sarri style because it's very hard to play that style under pressure.

Anyway on to tonight's game Sanchez has been ruled out of the game declared "not fit" by Mourinho... maybe we've found that mole???

Juventus are without Mandzukic, Can & Khedira pretty happy Mandzukic is out as he'd the sort of striker we'd have problems with as he's a very good big man he'd give Lindelof all sorts of problems.

 

[Mr C]

Jesus you lot

of course we are not playing like city, there is no pleasing you lot.

We were losing games and playing bad, you all moaned, now we are winning/drawings playing a mixed bag. We were in the press all the time saying the club is mess, Jose has lost the players and they have, for the last two games, shown a way forward. Added some light. Shown its not all bad.

If you think we are going to go from what we were two weeks ago to City in two weeks then you have never watched football. This season is going to be a struggle, so lets look at the positives.

I think we'll win tonght.

 

[Red Warrior]

@Mr C and @IDFD what happened on Mar 22 2017? I just noticed you both joined the forum on the same day lol

Anyway, I have a feeling 2-1 but that goes either way, I have put 2 bets on home and away team to win haha

 

[Mr C]

our old forum collapsed, too much positivity probably JSP joined around then too, alomg with a few others.

I just don't see the point in picking on negatives all the time. If that's what you like to do then fair play.

One of the most entertaining parts of football for me is defending my team in football chats with pals etc. So I like to look on the positve sides.

Yes I want to see better football, and for me there are many reasons we are not. One of them is Jose, but I don't think you can beat him when the club haven't backed him. It's like giving Boycott a tennis racket then kiling him because it's not going well out on the crease.

The last couple of matches I have been impressed with the team. Not necessarily the football, but the will and the team spirit. I see that as a positive step forward, and a little bit forward each match is all thats required.

We also have Shaw signed, and Martial possibly close, lord knows what's going on with De Gea though. He's not exactly been on top form this season though.

 

[Red Warrior]

De Gea is the least of our worries lol, there is a huge list of players I'm more concerned about than him, even though you rightly say he's not quite been the keeper of last season.

I'm looking forward to the game tonight, we usually do ok against the decent teams so fingers crossed. If anything I just want to see a fighting spirit.

I think it will be the same team as Saturday to a man.

 

[IDFD]

@Mr C and @IDFD what happened on Mar 22 2017? I just noticed you both joined the forum on the same day lol

Yeah the forum we used to use for the best part of a decade closed down. JSP bought us over here. A few more come over as well but a few didn’t cope with the change in styles of the forum. That forum was initially formed by a lot of posters from the BBC forums that had enough of the morons on there.

Just had a look the date I joined that forum was 19th July 2006 so I’ve been putting up with Mr C’s Positivity a while!

On topic I’d be surprised if we played the same team again. At least expect Young and Mata to be rotated out.

 

[jsp]

I think for me @Mr C is nothing in those 2 wins made me think the dark days are over here somethings clicked. On those days the chips fell our way but it wouldn't take much for those bad results to be back, the performances over all were not that impressive. Really Saturday was a sucker punch because it was a chance to claw back 3 points on a rival who's got away from us then all the other teams we are chasing took 3 points so everyone of our rivals got further ahead of us.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

Team: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, Matic, Pogba, Mata, Rashford, Lukaku, Martial.

Subs: Romero, Bailly, Darmian, Fred, Herrera, Pereira, Chong.

 

[IDFD]

Well that’s me shocked!

 

[jsp]

Great to see Chong rewarded with a place on the bench

 

[Red Warrior]

Nah no shock. Too many injuries. No real attacking threat to come off the bench though, although kids like Chong are unknown quantities and could pull a stunner out the bag

 

[jsp]

Didn’t realise Valencia & Dalot we’re out injured.

Utd struggling to keep the ball need to settle down looks like a few nerves amongst the players tonight.

 

[Red Warrior]

How many times already are we getting the ball in advance positions and there isn't a player within 20 or 30 yards in support. Again!

 

[Red Warrior]

Yet another goal with no one picking a runner up!!!

 

[Berba_God]

Too easy

 

[Red Warrior]

Am I seeing that right 28/72 possession at home???? Omg

 

[Berba_God]

Good save from De Gea

 

[Red Warrior]

Keown: it's embarrassing at times here

 

[jsp]

these lot are just another level to us 10 outfield players all totally comfortable with the ball we just can’t live with them.

 

[IDFD]

Firstly. I’d offer West Ham a straight swap. Lukaku got Arnautovic. One can play with the ball at his feet. We’ve got the striking version of Fellaini in him. Useless. At this moment in time I might actually prefer Fellaini up top.

Secondly. Jose keep that structure if that’s what you want but shift it 15/20 yards further forward there is no point winning the ball in the edge of our own box and being pinned in to only give it back to them.

 

[jsp]

To slow in the build up not enough threat from front 3.

Lukaku gets a lot of stick but to often he’s getting the ball punted at him with no one within 30 yards of him the whole team needs to push up and squeeze the pitch.