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All purpose football thread 2021-2022 season

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bencat said:
The fever when UTD resigned Ronaldo was immense . After beating mighty Newcastle UTD were going to win every trophy they were in . Now after the first game against European Giants Young Boys they are not really as good as they thought . Reality is a little way between both games . UTD have a good team and a decent squad if they want to use Ronaldo then they have to build a team around him as he ages and gets slower. What they do not have is a really good and winning Manager Ollie was a legend for them as a player but seems to be an average manager , what they need is a Jurgen a Thomas or a Pep . What they have is just average . The next step is a great Manager and that has to be quick because Ronaldo is not going to last that long at the top .
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It's great to have Ronaldo back at UTD, but he's only going to be here for a year or two. No one is going to build the team around him. He's here to sell shirts and build morale. Yes, he's old, but his fitness levels are still good, and his intelligence is on another level and the fans love him. Also, with his dedication and the way that he trains the theory is that he will lift the rest of the squad, especially the younger ones. I'm not sure where you got the idea that after beating Newcastle Utd were set to win every trophy, or that they thought they were better than they are. You might be projecting a little bit too much there. Ole has done well at the club compared to previous managers since SAF. He might not be a tactical genius, and most rational fans are well aware of this, but he's building a decent squad. So long as we're going out to win, most fans will be happy. The atmosphere inside Old Trafford has greatly improved since his arrival. Football is just entertainment, people just want to have a good time.
 
HarryCrumb said:
It's great to have Ronaldo back at UTD, but he's only going to be here for a year or two. No one is going to build the team around him. He's here to sell shirts and build morale. Yes, he's old, but his fitness levels are still good, and his intelligence is on another level and the fans love him. Also, with his dedication and the way that he trains the theory is that he will lift the rest of the squad, especially the younger ones. I'm not sure where you got the idea that after beating Newcastle Utd were set to win every trophy, or that they thought they were better than they are. You might be projecting a little bit too much there. Ole has done well at the club compared to previous managers since SAF. He might not be a tactical genius, and most rational fans are well aware of this, but he's building a decent squad. So long as we're going out to win, most fans will be happy. The atmosphere inside Old Trafford has greatly improved since his arrival. Football is just entertainment, people just want to have a good time.
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I got the idea from the Media and the general over the top response such as , now we have the past piece of the jig saw , This makes them number one contenders for the PL , Who can keep pace with them now . All quotes from either pundits or journalists who have frothed and foamed in sea of frenzy . I know and accept fully that this has nothing to do with genuine Utd fans but it is one reason why many other fans groan . As I said they have a good squad and decent depth and they could well progress and challenge or possibly win the PL . What we have yet to see is if they have the spirit and strength to do this week in and week out and to get over the knocks that will come to them as they do to all teams . One thing I will agree on it is nice to see them getting back to the idea at least against quite modest opposition of attacking and entertaining , this has not always been the case before Ollie took over . However even in his time Ollie has changed the plan when better sides are faced away or even when they come to Old Stratford . Will be intriguing to see what he does this season and if certain players are dropped for those occasions .
 
In terms of 'last piece of the jigsaw' I'm not sure I've seen anyone saying that. We are short of a CDM who can match the quality available in attack, short on a younger alternative to Cavani and Ronaldo unless Greenwood develops into that central role. In the nice to have bucket I'd include a right back and central defender. I like AWB, although even putting Young Boys to one side, he wasn't great against Newcastle. Nor do we have the rotation opportunity in central defence for 4 competitions.
Attack is an exciting space across Ronaldo, Cavani, Greenwood, Rashford, Bruno & Pogba. Sancho, we've yet to see how/if he adjusts to the PL.
I don't think there's the mental resilience/maturity across the team as a team. There was a confidence collapse following the red card last night which shouldn't have happened. Nor would I rate the tactical genius of Ole against some of the more proven managers, but he has undoubtedly played a key role in taking culture, spirit and morale forward from the Jose/LVG days.

What's not open to question is that the atmosphere within the ground is better than at any time in the last 8 years. I take one of my sons to each home game and there's a huge difference, especially when taking kids, between a bitter, hostile environment and a positive supportive one.

In terms of pundits/media I'd say all the hype is around Chelsea at the moment. Most seem to be predicting City/Liverpool/Chelsea top three.
 
A meeting of two European giants tonight, as Liverpool welcome Milan to Anfield.

From Andrea Pirlo’s I Think Therefore I Play (not the best book on football, though the Gattuso stories are excellent), the last paragraph from the chapter on the 2005 Champions League Final:

“There are always lessons to be found in the darkest moments. It’s a moral obligation to dig deep and find that little glimmer of hope or pearl of wisdom. You might hit upon an elegant phrase that stays with you and makes the journey that little less bitter. I’ve tried with Istanbul and haven’t managed to get beyond these words: for f*ck’s sake.”
 
Alex N said:
A meeting of two European giants tonight, as Liverpool welcome Milan to Anfield.

From Andrea Pirlo’s I Think Therefore I Play (not the best book on football, though the Gattuso stories are excellent), the last paragraph from the chapter on the 2005 Champions League Final:

“There are always lessons to be found in the darkest moments. It’s a moral obligation to dig deep and find that little glimmer of hope or pearl of wisdom. You might hit upon an elegant phrase that stays with you and makes the journey that little less bitter. I’ve tried with Istanbul and haven’t managed to get beyond these words: for f*ck’s sake.”
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That is exactly my words on the night and still now and I am a Liverpool fan . We are two very different teams now but it will be good to see how the current Liverpool team square up to Italian opposition that is not Roma .

Many of the top Italian sides seem to be not as formidable as they were but they will always be a challenge . If we can Liverpool need to get a really quick start and hopefully are not as wasteful with chances as they were against Leeds . As Klopp says this will be a game were we have to be brave and believe and play as we can . Sadly too many times last year Liverpool just could not do that . Better start this year at least but not as good as I think we can be yet tonight is one of those games were we need to show our strength and quality but with Liverpool it is never easy or simple so hang on for the normal roller coaster ride.
 
bencat said:
That is exactly my words on the night and still now and I am a Liverpool fan . We are two very different teams now...
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Yes, Liverpool weren’t great that year, and had a much better team for the 2007 Final; and now, of course. I remember thinking at half-time in Istanbul that I might have to stop watching if Milan got another goal. Not a bad side that night:

Dida, Cafu, Stam, Nesta, Maldini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Kaká, Shevchenko, Crespo

Almost a decade of Juve domination, following on from the match-fixing scandal(s), hasn’t done Serie A any good, and it’s good to see Milan on the way back up... always my team when Football Italia started on Channel 4 (!)
 
Alex N said:
I’ve a feeling Ronaldo’s arrival could well hasten his departure, and there’s plenty of available alternatives... Conte, Zidane, Allardyce, Pulis, Pardew, Colin...
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Bit of a drop off after the first two names on your list. I am sure Liverpool fans would love to see Pardew at Man U.
 
Alex N said:
Yes, Liverpool weren’t great that year, and had a much better team for the 2007 Final; and now, of course. I remember thinking at half-time in Istanbul that I might have to stop watching if Milan got another goal. Not a bad side that night:

Dida, Cafu, Stam, Nesta, Maldini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Kaká, Shevchenko, Crespo

Almost a decade of Juve domination, following on from the match-fixing scandal(s), hasn’t done Serie A any good, and it’s good to see Milan on the way back up... always my team when Football Italia started on Channel 4 (!)
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I was there in Istanbul. Some will say they never doubted we would win. I thought we were well stuffed at half-time. Happy to be proved wrong. Milan had by far the better line-up but the gods were on our side.
 
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LFC dominant for 40 mins and missed numerous chances, including a pen ... now 1-1 v Milan, hopeless
 
Final score 3-2, will need to be far more clinical to progress in this competition I think
 
To bring this back to the real world, Huddersfield beat Blackpool 3-0 away with some excellent goals. I reckon Koroma & Thomas will be playing in the EPL next year.

Also worth pointing out that David Wagner has form in managing teams successfully against MUFC. Would read too much into the result though as it was mainly down to two individual errors, shit happens.
 
I'm not sure the opening round of matches in the CL has taught us much as we already knew that only one English side is any good at defending.
I expect Chelsea will now get hammered by Spurs at the weekend.:D
 
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