Did you even watch the last 2 games? Jones didn't play CB. He played RB and was required to provide width on the right side supporting the right wing. Although he didn't do a good job at crossing and helping offensively but he stuck with his role. How many games has he had at CB in the last 2 years. I do not have the correct answer for you but I'm 100% certain that it's less than the other positions.

You must be joking that he didn't excel in the DM role. He received so many praises for playing in that DM role vs. Spurs and Real. He sat in the hole and tracked Bale and CR7 the whole game. The only problem was that he got injured and couldn't carry on his momentum.

Cleverley - I think he did well in midfield. He tracked a lot of runs from Liverpool. Problem is he doesn't offer much offensively at this stage. Calling him invisible is a tad harsh. He's worked hard the last 2 games.

As for the youngsters, you are basically knocking on SAF as well because SAF does the exact same thing.

Agreed on your comment on Kagawa.

If you start Hernandez, RvP would no longer lead the line. Who would you rather lead the line? RvP or Hernandez? Be realistic. As for Macheda =.=" you must be joking. He had 1 good season but fell flat after that. Even SAF didn't have faith in him.

Forget about signing any new midfielders. I think the best news today would be keeping Kagawa and Rooney. Always have a soft spot for these two.

And I don't get it that some guys here were attacking Cleverley. What are your expectations out of a CM? Please explain to me so that I can join in and attack him too.

Moyes needs to ship Young out as he's clearly not good enough for United. He did score some spectacular goals (against Arsenal and Spurs) but overall he doesn't cut it and at 28, most probably he's not going to get any better. It's almost the same situation as Darron Gibson. Seeing as he's English, United could still get a decent fee for him. It'll be better to start blooding Zaha.

As for Cleverley, maybe he can be loaned out again for him to develop rather than continue getting game time at United and costing them.

Also, isn't Giggs part of the coaching staff now? He should concentrate more on coaching.

Agreed on Ashley Young. What United currently needs is a creative midfielder and a midfielder who can actually grab the opponent by their neck and pass the ball to the attackers, i.e, De Rossi.

What do you guys think about Fellaini being a DM?

We already have one creative midfielder actually and that is Shinji Kagawa. I hope DM starts realizing his potential rather than just playing Giggs.

we dont know about kagawa... maybe he unfit
i dont think moyes will put selling tag on kagawa

Just what is Cleverley doing wrong? I have a feeling he's been asked to drop back a bit further and Carrick will push up a bit more. And that's what he's done. Loaning out an England international who has been playing well for the last 2 games? What will these "fans" think off next?

Fellaini is already playing like an anchor for Everton and has been played in that role for quite a fair bit when Moyes was in-charge.

Kagawa is not exactly a midfielder. He plays a lot higher up and is more comfortable in the hole than he is in midfield. I don't believe ever watching him play in midfield.

This post has been edited by konichiwawa: Sep 2 2013, 02:01 PM

You probably are not accustomed to seeing past United midfield pairings with the likes of Keane and Scholes. I don't blame you for that. The current midfield players are nowhere near this level and it is unacceptable for a club like United. Even Hargreaves at his peak was better than this current lot.

Carrick is the one who sits deep as he's not the most mobile of players and he is already in his 30s. The responsibility falls on Cleverley to push higher and try to link up with
the attacking players and he has failed in doing that well so far. What he has done is just to keep possession well and pass it around without any penetration or doing anything meaningful.
If you're happy with mediocrity on par with a mid table team then it's fine for you to be satisfied.

United did well offensively last season mainly due to the fullbacks and now with Rafael injured and Evra seemingly out of form, there doesn't seem to be any threat from anywhere else.

This post has been edited by IronLionZion: Sep 2 2013, 02:28 PM

I think you're being too harsh on Cleverly there. He may not be the kind of midfield you expected or top class yet but he did well in keeping possession well and winning back possession, not "just keeping possession well". He's been covering lots of ground to make that happen, and with united playing 2 man with Carrick less mobile vs pool's 3, its not helping either.

This post has been edited by giantkilling: Sep 2 2013, 02:34 PM

What a joke. I was watching even before Scholes was pushed to midfield boy. Did you even know Scholes started out as a striker? Paul Ince ring a bell to you? If you keep looking at the past, you'll never move forward.

Carrick has usually been the 1 sitting deep under SAF but seems like with Moyes, he's switched it around a little. Last year Cleverley did push higher a lot more but it seems that he's been shackled. Please watch the games. I've already touched on the fact that Cleverley isn't adding anything on the offensive end so I'm glad you agree with me on that. And yes, I do agree that we need a more creative midfielder; but that doesn't mean we need to send Cleverley out on loan. So we buy 1 midfielder and send Cleverley out. Then what happens when the new midfielder and/or Carrick gets injured? We won't have squad depth. Think like a big team please where a first team is 25 quality players. Stop with the small club mentality that first team = 11 players.

How can people say Evra is out of form this year? I think he's played really well so far. Yes, he's made a few mistakes and lapses of concentration but he's back to his confident self. I wouldn't even want Baines to be signed seeing how Evra is performing now.

Tbh I really don knw what young did to deserve those bashing...what did he do so badly last night...pls don tel me he didnt play like ronaldo

Okay then. I'm glad you're a long time fan like myself. I hope we could dispense with the petty insults and have a mature discussion about how to improve our team.

If Moyes wants Cleverley to play deeper then he has to have someone like Kagawa play higher or do it at the expense of Carrick. If he wants to accommodate all 3 then he has to sacrifice one of the forwards or wingers. This is the hard part for him to find the right balance. I agree that the suggestion to send him out on loan was an over reaction but it is kind of frustrating to see him not progressing much after what he showed 2 seasons ago.

Evra is still not playing to the heights of last season where he and Rafael basically carried United attacking wise when most of the wingers under-performed.

Only 3 games in and already everyone's making a big hoo-haa about Moyes.

Take a chill pill guys. Go wank off if you need to cool down.

SAF said to stand by Moyes and that's what we should be doing. We can't expect instant success from a new manager and correct me if I'm wrong, but it took SAF a couple of years (probably more) to win his first trophy.

i actually agree on that, he wasn't the old self in Villa time but his crossing at this moment is still better than Valencia and Nani.

and btw..final push for the speculation

Keep calm all u beetches, "reinforcements" arriving. Get ur tisu box ready.

if get only one midfield then it enough for me...

Hello guys fellow fan of Manchester United.

Yesterday, we lost but there are a few things that we can improve.

1. Phil Jones needs to relax. But this will come to age as he is very young and very eager to tackle the opponents at every oppurtunity. Take a leaf from Ferdinand's book, tackle whenever necessary.
2. De Gea did not do a lot last night but when he was called into action he is very alert. He will be the one of our greatest goalkeepers.
3. Why is Giggs playing? I am a United fan and I idolize him but how many passes does he make in the final third actually finding someone?
4. We don't expect Ashley Young to be a world class winger but he needs to be consistent performer if he wants to stay at United IMHO.
5. Cleverley suddenly become lightweight and I have a theory. If you need to play Cleverley, you need to play him with Anderson and another midfielder sitting behind him. You cant pair him with Carrick and expect him to steamroll over Gerrard and Lucas. He plays well with Ando because they like to string a few passes together and plays one two to get things moving.
6. Welbeck should be a striker pressing in the middle not on the wings. He is not a known crosser and seems lost when he gets the ball on the left.

We might sign someone or might not before the transfer window closes but if we dont then we will need to do a bit tweaking to ensure that we keep going.

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features...ve-special.aspx

even the official site came out with something to entertain the fans


is this the true Gary ?


This post has been edited by dEviLs: Sep 2 2013, 03:09 PM

Judging from the last 3 matches, that's the problem. Cleverley last year excelled at going forward and playing the quick 1-2 short passes to carve open some space. Last year, he was criticized because doing this created a hole in midfield as he couldn't track back in time. But at least that showed some great movement offensively. This year, he's barely moving forward. I think the whole Liverpool game yesterday, he only surged forward less than a handful of times.

I refer you to the difference between Cleverley last season vs. Liverpool compared to this game.

Liverpool last season (http://epl.squawka.com/manchester-united-vs-liverpool/13-01-2013/english-barclays-premier-league/matches)
Liverpool this season (http://epl.squawka.com/liverpool-vs-manchester-united/01-09-2013/english-barclays-premier-league/matches)

Last season he spent 15% of the time in between midfield and Liverpool's penalty box and only 16% between midfield and Man Utd's penalty box. Most time was spent in midfield (32%).

This season the breakdown is 10%, 22% and 27%. Looking at these charts, I was wrong about Carrick. But my point still stands that it's basically how the managers are playing them.

My comment on Evra is that while he probably peaked 2-3 seasons ago, he's still a top-notch player and is definitely an inferior player compared to Baines. Baines is better offensively but is a liability at the back. Evra is much better defensively and is therefore a more balanced player. Rafael definitely but what choice do we have.

My comments:

1. Phil Jones was likened more to Vidic with Smalling to Ferdinand. Jones has always been the brutish defender in that Bruce/Stam/Vidic mold. But yes, he could still improve definitely.
2. Definitely. 3rd best Man Utd GK I've watched.
3. Agreed.
4. Agreed.
5. Semi-agreed. He needs a dynamic partner to be more effective. If he's the only 1 moving, it's easier for defenders to close him down.
6. Disagree. If Welbeck is the striker means RvP on the bench or not in his best position. Welbeck is terrible in the hole as he doesn't have the vision to play in that role. Yes, he's terrible at crossing.