I always try and think "would you have taken the result before kick-off?" for a lot of these games. I'd have taken one point from this or the Liverpool game when we were 3 games 3 losses into the season! The team are showing growth, which is important, and with that growth we'll find the confidence to close out winning positions.
Not sure Arbeloa got the tactics or subs right at the end there, and still a lot to work on, but the team continues to look so much better balanced, and with a bit more ruthlessness up front we should be competetive in most games. Affengruber had a couple of shaky moments but overall looked the business once again, such a wonderful CB. My worry is what happens if he get is injured or suspended. Regardless it's going to be an uphill battle for most of fhe season now I think, we already playing catch up and need other results to start going our way.
Frustratingly you hit the nail on the head with the worries over injuries... we are quite short on players at the back, and frankly some of the starters are doing a good job covering for understaffing already. Still, Affengruber being fit and in form now should at least give the others time to sharpen up - they'll no doubt want their places in the starting XI back, and being out of the team may motivate them into stepping their levels up.
You're also right about catch-up, and there will be some pressure in that first game back against Ipswich, but I also think that earning the first victory will definitely free up the nerves and form of the squad. If our cards are played the right way, there's a good set of fixtures to build some momentum in coming up!
Good commentary as usual Owen. I agree that the team is improving but so are the three promoted teams. One interesting stat from the US TV feed : the Fulham players ran 3.5 miles further today than the Man U plodders. Not all the running was to great effect--I'm looking at you Jedi--but for the most part it showed energy and determination. And lots of running was by Iwobi and, yes, he should not have been removed from the game. Let's hope that the coaching staff can use the 3 week break to produce a hungry and coherent team in what now appears as a crucial part of the season.
Yeah United looked utterly lifeless across several spells of that game. I don't quite understand how things can slump so quickly, because they were on an upward trajectory last season, and there's not been enough football played for the players to be completely fatigued from having Europe this year... work for Carrick to do, for sure.
Arbeloa needs to trust some of our attackers for longer in games - Iwobi is too good to have out of the action and has the legs and versatility to contribute positively across 90 minutes, and King is far too good to be swapped out after ~60 minutes like he's still a youth prospect. At this point he's one of our most important attackers! The growth is there though and I'm more confident than not that we'll see the team start winning games in the coming months.
The substitutions and tactics at the end clearly didn’t work as well as intended. It seemed to upset the rhythm and balance of the team, hopefully that will be a lesson for AA. We didn’t look like relegation candidates at all. With a bit more luck we could have won the game. United were more dangerous after the substitutions but needed a huge slice of luck to get their goal. With a fast paced attacking team surely going for the second goal is the best form of defence?
Definitely agree with your comment, especially the bit about going for the second goal - attack is indeed the best form of defence! Particularly when a United trying to shake off their lethargy might have been perfect to target with some quick attacks. Hopefully this will be a lesson learnt and Arbeloa will start to keep us positive in the closing stages.
Inevitability (noun): the feeling in the 85th minute when you're 1-0 up against United and you already know.
Worst feeling ever. But plenty to take from it. Leno was outstanding, and while a few weren't at their best, it wasn't for lack of effort, which didn't go unnoticed by the crowd. The complete performance isn't far off. COYW
Great comment, great username; I too am cautiously optimistic! We'll be back with a swing in our step after the internationals and I reckon a win against Ipswich will instigate a real chance for our young squad to set the narrative about themselves. COYW!
King can't win. Against Liverpool he jumped over Allison's arms when staying on the ground would have won us a penalty. Today he makes the most of Maguire's definite pull on his arm/chest and gets booked for his troubles.
The inconsistencies are certainly frustrating! I do feel it would have a been a little soft to give the decision King's way against Maguire, but equally you've seen them given the other way for other players...
It's tricky, because he has the athleticism to get through a lot of moments and I do think he is a better choice at left-back than Sess, but far too frequently he gets caught out positionally, and if United weren't so wasteful in the box yesterday they'd have punished us with one of the runs Mbuemo or Cunha made along our left flank. It still feels like he's got some way to go to get back to the man that was on Liverpool's radar a few years ago...
Baz: I so want Arbeloa to succeed. I just wish he was learning on the job somewhere else. We have gone from reckless attack to packing our defence early. Got away with it at Liverpool, didn’t today. Palacios on instead of Sess? Silly. Muniz on? Fine. To invite United onto us with a back five? Naive. Two points from 15 is ghastly. Anything less than seven points from the next three games against the promoted sides and the Arbeloa experiment should be over. The Khans should be sounding out Eddie Howe or Thomas Frank now.
Firstly, I'd say that we are getting more organised and coherent with each game as we settle under Arbeloa's management, and though there were tactical and personnel errors in the second half we have still managed to take two points off Champions League opponents (which even this Man United are, despite everything) in two games. A lot of people, myself included, were worried we'd be on zero heading into this break...
I also think that, whilst we absolutely should be targeting a lot of points from our triple-header against the promoted sides, it is quite early in the season to be putting an end to Arbeloa's tenure. In fact, there might be a very grim timeline for a manager that takes over a squad of young players Arbeloa chose himself, and has a few months to try and get something out of before a transfer window is thrust upon them. Our track record for major January influxes isn't great at the best of times... and what are the odds that we even get Howe or Frank, both of whom might aim higher than this timeline's relegation battle with a squad they haven't even chosen themselves?
In short, my faith is still there, and I think we'll have a clearer idea of where we are 10 or 11 games into the season - not least once the rest of the division has settled from the early weeks' furore!
We'll be fine. Clear signs of genuinely positive progress over the past few games. The Grub and Bassey are immense
I think so too! Affengruber looks the real deal
Slightly disappointed, but the reality is we need to be that side pressing at the end of the game rather than the one folding under pressure.
I always try and think "would you have taken the result before kick-off?" for a lot of these games. I'd have taken one point from this or the Liverpool game when we were 3 games 3 losses into the season! The team are showing growth, which is important, and with that growth we'll find the confidence to close out winning positions.
Not sure Arbeloa got the tactics or subs right at the end there, and still a lot to work on, but the team continues to look so much better balanced, and with a bit more ruthlessness up front we should be competetive in most games. Affengruber had a couple of shaky moments but overall looked the business once again, such a wonderful CB. My worry is what happens if he get is injured or suspended. Regardless it's going to be an uphill battle for most of fhe season now I think, we already playing catch up and need other results to start going our way.
Frustratingly you hit the nail on the head with the worries over injuries... we are quite short on players at the back, and frankly some of the starters are doing a good job covering for understaffing already. Still, Affengruber being fit and in form now should at least give the others time to sharpen up - they'll no doubt want their places in the starting XI back, and being out of the team may motivate them into stepping their levels up.
You're also right about catch-up, and there will be some pressure in that first game back against Ipswich, but I also think that earning the first victory will definitely free up the nerves and form of the squad. If our cards are played the right way, there's a good set of fixtures to build some momentum in coming up!
Good commentary as usual Owen. I agree that the team is improving but so are the three promoted teams. One interesting stat from the US TV feed : the Fulham players ran 3.5 miles further today than the Man U plodders. Not all the running was to great effect--I'm looking at you Jedi--but for the most part it showed energy and determination. And lots of running was by Iwobi and, yes, he should not have been removed from the game. Let's hope that the coaching staff can use the 3 week break to produce a hungry and coherent team in what now appears as a crucial part of the season.
Thanks Ray!
Yeah United looked utterly lifeless across several spells of that game. I don't quite understand how things can slump so quickly, because they were on an upward trajectory last season, and there's not been enough football played for the players to be completely fatigued from having Europe this year... work for Carrick to do, for sure.
Arbeloa needs to trust some of our attackers for longer in games - Iwobi is too good to have out of the action and has the legs and versatility to contribute positively across 90 minutes, and King is far too good to be swapped out after ~60 minutes like he's still a youth prospect. At this point he's one of our most important attackers! The growth is there though and I'm more confident than not that we'll see the team start winning games in the coming months.
The substitutions and tactics at the end clearly didn’t work as well as intended. It seemed to upset the rhythm and balance of the team, hopefully that will be a lesson for AA. We didn’t look like relegation candidates at all. With a bit more luck we could have won the game. United were more dangerous after the substitutions but needed a huge slice of luck to get their goal. With a fast paced attacking team surely going for the second goal is the best form of defence?
Definitely agree with your comment, especially the bit about going for the second goal - attack is indeed the best form of defence! Particularly when a United trying to shake off their lethargy might have been perfect to target with some quick attacks. Hopefully this will be a lesson learnt and Arbeloa will start to keep us positive in the closing stages.
Inevitability (noun): the feeling in the 85th minute when you're 1-0 up against United and you already know.
Worst feeling ever. But plenty to take from it. Leno was outstanding, and while a few weren't at their best, it wasn't for lack of effort, which didn't go unnoticed by the crowd. The complete performance isn't far off. COYW
Great comment, great username; I too am cautiously optimistic! We'll be back with a swing in our step after the internationals and I reckon a win against Ipswich will instigate a real chance for our young squad to set the narrative about themselves. COYW!
King can't win. Against Liverpool he jumped over Allison's arms when staying on the ground would have won us a penalty. Today he makes the most of Maguire's definite pull on his arm/chest and gets booked for his troubles.
The inconsistencies are certainly frustrating! I do feel it would have a been a little soft to give the decision King's way against Maguire, but equally you've seen them given the other way for other players...
I thought Robinson had one of his better games today.
It's tricky, because he has the athleticism to get through a lot of moments and I do think he is a better choice at left-back than Sess, but far too frequently he gets caught out positionally, and if United weren't so wasteful in the box yesterday they'd have punished us with one of the runs Mbuemo or Cunha made along our left flank. It still feels like he's got some way to go to get back to the man that was on Liverpool's radar a few years ago...
Baz: I so want Arbeloa to succeed. I just wish he was learning on the job somewhere else. We have gone from reckless attack to packing our defence early. Got away with it at Liverpool, didn’t today. Palacios on instead of Sess? Silly. Muniz on? Fine. To invite United onto us with a back five? Naive. Two points from 15 is ghastly. Anything less than seven points from the next three games against the promoted sides and the Arbeloa experiment should be over. The Khans should be sounding out Eddie Howe or Thomas Frank now.
Firstly, I'd say that we are getting more organised and coherent with each game as we settle under Arbeloa's management, and though there were tactical and personnel errors in the second half we have still managed to take two points off Champions League opponents (which even this Man United are, despite everything) in two games. A lot of people, myself included, were worried we'd be on zero heading into this break...
I also think that, whilst we absolutely should be targeting a lot of points from our triple-header against the promoted sides, it is quite early in the season to be putting an end to Arbeloa's tenure. In fact, there might be a very grim timeline for a manager that takes over a squad of young players Arbeloa chose himself, and has a few months to try and get something out of before a transfer window is thrust upon them. Our track record for major January influxes isn't great at the best of times... and what are the odds that we even get Howe or Frank, both of whom might aim higher than this timeline's relegation battle with a squad they haven't even chosen themselves?
In short, my faith is still there, and I think we'll have a clearer idea of where we are 10 or 11 games into the season - not least once the rest of the division has settled from the early weeks' furore!