FA Cup 2015/16

Is he called Chris Powell?

He'll be out for a while, looks like medial ligaments.

Schweinstieger = Jesus

Confirmed.

What an absolute fucking moron.

Van Gaal: "Sheffield United didn't create any chances, but why is nobody criticising them? I think its unfair"

WHAT?

That Sheffield defender is a fucking moron. But funny reaction from Depay

To be fair he actually got tagged pretty hard, not sure if it was from that incident or the one just before the whistle where the Sheffield United players decided they were going to take up kungfu against him but when he walked off he had visible stud marks on his leg.

Midfielder, actually.

Depay jumped higher than Tom Daley on a diving board, could have easily stayed on his feet.

So from everything I've read we were shite again.

You had two shots on target at home to a League One club and won because of a 93rd minute penalty - so yeah, pretty much.

I'm coming to the conclusion that, with a decent backroom staff, virtually anyone who has ever read Inverting the Pyramid could make Manchester United better than Van Gaal. As an outsider looking in, it seems clear that he just doesn't get it - either the culture of Manchester United or the idea that goals win football matches. He's somehow warped the Barcelona model to be unsuccessful.

Very poor once again, but we got away with it.

I don't think its that he's 'warped the Barcelona model to be unsuccessful' its that this is what the 'Barcelona model' looks like when you have shit attackers.

Spain looked like this at times, but had a better functioning forward line, the real question is why we look so toothless in attack.

Because you don't have players taking risks. I really think it's that simple. It's very rare a man in a Manchester United shirt goes past a man. It's rare a man in a Manchester United shirt tries to play a through ball or put a ball into an area - because they're risks. It's all sideways. It's all keeping shape and possession. But neither of those create chances. Watching the highlights tonight, I noticed that on one occasion as Depay broke into the box there were just two up in support, and this is typical of what I've seen this season.

Martial and Rooney aren't poor attackers. Neither is Depay. Mata certainly isn't. Then you've got players who can put a quality ball in - Young, for all his faults, is a fine crosser of a football into dangerous areas. But for an area to be dangerous there need to be players in support - those players have to take risks and gamble, breaking shape. Players have to try to go beyond their man (which Depay did for the penalty). A move might break down. A chance may not come about. A player might lose the ball. But by taking a risk it plays to the strengths of good players. Good attacking players are risk-takers, and Van Gaal has taken that out of Manchester United.

I say the Barcelona model has been warped, and I'll stand by that. Watch Barcelona next time you get the chance. With the ball, they take chances. They support each other. Shape doesn't matter so much in possession, where players run beyond the ball. Out of possession, shape does matter, but not to the point where it becomes a crippling obsession as it has with Manchester United. You have players harrying and chasing and putting pressure on the man in possession, with the result that the ball is won back quickly and Barcelona dominate possession, but with that possession comes a pace and tempo on the ball, where the aim is for a killer forward pass. I really do think that Van Gaal has seen Barcelona and made the mistake of thinking possession is attacking, when the two are in fact be separated.

There's a core of talent at Manchester United that if it took risks would be exciting to watch. Rooney is on the wane, but people are focusing solely on his decline rather than seeing that it has been exacerbated by negative tactics that don't play to any attacker's strength. Martial is a talent and could be a force of nature, but he's been stunted, again by tactics. I can't remember the last time I saw Mata produce a performance of quality. Depay hasn't flourished because he's not been allowed to take risks. But two defensive midfielders always play, rarely breaking forward. I think Schweinsteiger - although he can hardly be said to have been poor - has been limited because he hasn't been allowed to play his natural game. Herrera was subbed today after twice losing the ball while taking the game to Sheffield United. It's a systemic failure down to the management and not the players, and it's harsh to criticise the players when they're not being allowed to show their best.

Surely Man Utd look like a shite Dutch team, rather than a shite Barcelona?

I agree with a lot of that and disagree with parts too.

I'll focus on the parts I disagree with:

I don't think its about 'risk' for the front four. The theory is that you get the ball to our front four players (the two wingers, number 10 and the striker) and they win you the game. They're allowed to do whatever they want. It's certainly true that the back six aren't supposed to take risks, but its not true for the front four as far as I can tell. But there's two problems with this, firstly, we get the ball to those players incredibly slowly, by the time they receive the ball, the other team has settled into a compact defensive shape. They're not trying things because they're not allowed to take a risk, they're not trying things because invariably by the time they get the ball theres nothing on. Secondly, Van Gaal seems to think that every chance that is created should be scored and is ridiculously critical of his strikers in public. There's games we'll draw 0-0 and create three chances and he'll say 'we created three chances and should have won 3-0, thats football', as a result of that the collective confidence of the attacking players looks shot. Mata's been hiding since September, Memphis had to be taken out of the team it got so bad, Martial's been alright caus I reckon it doesn't phase him and Rooney's been muck. As a result of that, even when we do create chances like against West Ham, our players snatch at them. He doesn't seem to see the problem as a lack of creativity, which it more often than not is, rather a problem of finishing. Its bizarre.

As for the front four the only dribbler in the entire front 4 is Martial, Memphis has his moments, but his dribbling ability is more often than not poor and going past players really isn't his game; he's shown glimpses here and there but he's been poor this season and looks like he needs another season or so. Mata, as I've said, is just playing abysmally, but his games not really about beating players and whipping the ball in. I'm sure he'd be a real asset if we played to his strengths, but he's not giving us anything at the minute. And the less said about Rooney the better, I agree he'd be scoring more goals if we were creating more chances, but its not just about goals. He has been the worst player on the pitch in every game bar 3-4 this season, even when he scores he plays badly. If he tries to get involved in play he gives the ball away (not because he's taking risks, just because he's been awful), his movement is non-existent, his pace gone. We might just be able to eek out a bit more from him if we play exclusively to his remaining strengths, which is his finishing and not much else, but for the highest paid player at the club, one thats shown the club little loyalty over the years, he deserves little back.

For the Barcelona 'model' it depends what you mean. Do you mean how they played Pep Guardiola? In which case my point stands as, after all, Guardiola credits Van Gaal as his coaching inspiration and has based his philosophy to the game, with tweaks obviously, on Van Gaal's. If you mean how they play under Enrique then I would argue that its entirely different. Their entire set up under Enrique is to get the ball as quickly and as often as possible into that magnificent front three, I think Enrique tactically is quite uninspiring, but he deserves huge credit for the way he has got Messi, Suarez, and Neymar interacting. There's plenty of examples of a star studded forward line up being consumed by egos and ultimately self defeating, the cohesion he's getting from those players is staggering.

I think the big problem is not tactics, its personnel. Since Van Gaal's been here we've spent £20m net on our forward line. We're reliant on two kids, one who's having a great season, and one who isn't. We're reliant on Mata, who might as well not be playing at the minute, and we're reliant on a Wayne Rooney who has been robbed of most of his pedigree. It's just not a forward line that screams excitement and whether Memphis, and we might as well include Januzaj in that now he's back, make it or not they're just not ready yet. Against teams that will sit off us more often than not, we just don't have the firepower to break them down. Van Gaal's biggest mistake, in my opinion, was not recognising the terminal decline of Rooney and not replacing Di Maria. He put all his eggs in the Memphis and Rooney baskets and they just haven't looked close to fulfilling whats expected of them. I just don't see how any managerial or tactical change will address those fundamental issues.

Double post.

So...the "Lineker" derby today, neither team putting out a first team from what the managers have said so it will probably be like watching a reserve fixture on the BBC this afternoon!





Can't see any cupsets happening today, though of course I am hoping for a Scunthorpe victory!

Oxford v Swansea on BBC Wales now, best chance of an upset today.

Swansea just scored a ridiculous goal

That was a wonderful goal. Didn't even realise until the replay that Montero backheeled it in!

Oxford Utd had been bossing it too and could/should have scored. The old adage about top league clinality.

PENALTY FOR OXFORD \o/

SCORED \o/

Did Kyle Bartley actually touch him? Still, was a clumsy challenge to make.

Could go either way this game!

Oxford have been brilliant and really should be winning.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2-1 OXFORD

OMFG, 3-1 and a great counter attack.

Well, of all the ways for Oxford to score I wasn't expecting a long range shot going in! Another good goal.

This has been a really good game and that's a very nice counter-attacking goal.

All over now, surely? Great counter attack, lucky finish with it hitting the keeper but still looping in!