Thank you to Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot and Andre Onana for your service but Manchester United must move on and two Lyon players could hold the key.
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Manchester United in a sentence
We are a Frankenstein’s monster of absolute utter sh*tness, occasional brilliance, and Bruno Fernandes
Mike
Madness
Good Lord, what a game.
Apparently 15 mins at Old Trafford is a very long time….
Victor MCFC
How do you solve a problem like Man Utd?
Manchester United. They really do like to make their fans suffer.
In all seriousness, what a fantastic game of football. Far from a defensive masterclass in the best possible way. To go from leading 2-0 to drawing 2-2, to losing 4-2 in extra time to 10 men, to winning 5-4 in the end. It boggled the mind, it was ludicrous, crazy, bonkers, absurd, preposterous…
AND I LOVED IT!!!
Kudos to Man Utd for finding one of the best and most ridiculous ways to succeed in spite of themselves. They’ve kept their season alive through main character vibes.
That being said, I hate to be a party pooper but it has to be pointed out this was only a quarter-final. Serious questions still need to be asked. They conceded 4 goals last night, 2 of them in extra time to 10 men. They had the tie essentially wrapped up until they imploded for the umpteenth time this season. They have only one recognised striker who has proven to be only an onlooker. They can’t afford to push their luck cause it surely was all used up against Lyon. Athletic Bilbao will certainly not be more forgiving.
Utd need to stop putting themselves in these kinds of situations. Last night, we saw the rarity of a United side not giving up when things get tough, but again they showed they can still very easily collapse in the middle of a match. For their sake, this needs to be a catalyst for the rest of their season, but how many times has that been said since 2013?
Regards,
DZD (Dublin)
Many more thoughts
Well, that was quite a game! Classic United rollercoaster and finish. And yet in spite of the glorious ending to it, it was another game that we should have put out of sight well before the drama.
He gets nothing but a kicking online and in the mailbox from plastics like Aman, but Højlund was good again and yet again not supplied.
Instead, he turned supplier, but none of them will appear in highlights. Why? Because he set up four good chances, three of them in the first half, that were all spurned by his teammates. We also saw the selfishness of those teammates, as he was overlooked for the pass on at least 3 occasions by the same players he was setting up. I guess we’ve all had jobs like that, but it must be frustrating.
Maguire is getting praise and talk of the redemption arc for his late goal, but he was at the other end when all those Lyon goals went in. De Ligt is 3x the player.
Garnacho, well he was lively and always capable of stretching his opponents, but his final ball or choice is so often lacking. He tee’d up Ugarte beautifully, but refused to do the same for Højlund. He took shots when he should have passed. Same old. We scored three when Eriksen replaced him, even if it wasn’t directly down to him. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence.
And then Casemiro. This guy is an enigma. How can he be so good in some games – a big hand in all three goals to complete the comeback – yet so terrible in others (and indeed was on the pitch for Lyon to score all theirs)?
Getting some players back from injury too, at the right moment, is grand. Mainoo comes on and takes his goal beautifully, such composure, and an excellent future 10. Mount too, has started to show what we know is in there – he’ll be vital if he can stay injury free. Shaw comes on and contributes… a penalty. But still, I’m glad to see him back (for a bit).
Also, props to Amass who has finally had his breakthrough and grabbed it with both hands. Now we just need to shuffle Dalot out and put Dorgu on the right. Then find a place for Mainoo and Mount (at 10?) alongside Bruno (as an 8?). Then get De Ligt lined up with Heaven and Yoro. And a new keeper. I wouldn’t say no to signing Fofana and Cherki too.
Then we’re actually golden.
Badwolf
MORE ON THAT MANCHESTER UNITED MADNESS
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The dream Europa final
First time I went to a pub legally was Halloween of 98, they were having a fancy dress do and at the end of the night I saw two p*ssed up bald blokes having a scrap over a Ziggy Stardust wig. If the Europa League final ends up being Man U v Spurs, I can’t think of a more apt analogy for what the final will be than that.
Also Maguire is Fellaini 2.0 confirmed.
Jez, Wigan
Fan psychology
If you went to a Psychiatrist and told them that you are in a relationship where everything started well, but then began to deteriorate, only to get even worse to the point of depression and despondency, only to have occasional surges of exhilaration and utter joy, they would probably tell you that you are in a toxic relationship and are co-dependent. I think this pretty much sums up being a MUFC at the moment.
Tongue-in-cheek, I wonder how a Shrink would diagnose fans of other clubs:
Liverpool – Narcissists – It’s only about them
Arsenal – Delusional – best CL performance ever!
Spurs – Manic Depressives – Spursy
Chelsea – Entitlement issues – If we buy everyone we will win
City – Imposter Syndrome – the rug is going to be pulled from under us any day now
Any others?
Adidasmufc (Unbelievable but a waste if we s%&t the bed in the semis)
Arsenal fans are touchy
Christ the arsenal fans in the mailbox are touchy. What’s that all about? You’ve just made it to the champions league semi final. Enjoy the last few weeks of the season and see where it brings ye.
Falooda NY suggesting people don’t like Arteta because he’s “very good” has to be the pinnacle though. Bold of you to assume people can’t reconcile the fact that they may have underestimated somebody and are incapable of admitting he has proven them wrong.
Most people don’t like Arteta because of his miserable scowl and his propensity to make excuses and complain. If that’s not enough for you, he played for Rangers.
Kevin K
Ange is a silly sod
Morning all
What a likeable but flawed individual Ange P is.
With one silly soundbyte he managed to keep the how-long-can-he-keep-his-job-for narrative going. And he could have changed it. Or at least attempted to change it.
It can’t be nice, right. Journalists writing mean stuff about you. I would imagine it stings a bit. Weighs on the mind. But here’s the thing. In exchange you get paid an astronomical amount of money. The kind of money that creates generational wealth. That’s the deal.
Most of that press conference was about the team. The sign off should have been about the team. Instead, he made it about him, because he’s a sensitive soul. Other managers know this. Slot’s clumsy disingenuous praise before LFC obliterated Spurs pre-Christmas showed it.
He could have taken the pressure off himself by focusing on any number of individually strong performances. Why make yourself that individual? Perhaps it’s a master stroke. Keep yourself in focus to take the pressure off the team? I don’t think he’s that Mourinho-like.
Huge kudos for getting Spurs through what looked like an impossible task. For the first time in a while the football gods seemed to be shining on them. But if he could just learn to not make it all about him he’d probably be less stressed and a bit longer in the job.
Have a great Easter,
Andrew
READ MORE: Postecoglou sack delayed as Spurs keep Europa dream alive with alarmingly grown-up, sensible display
Changes we’d like to see
In response to Lee`s mail, “Changes I`d like to see” (18 April): instead of entering the Champion`s League, what if the FA Cup Winner would be automatically promoted to the Premier League? That is, if a team outside the top flight won the FA Cup, then they would be promoted to the Premier League, and then the Premier League team ending the season in 17th place would be relegated.
Such a change would make the FA Cup even more magical for lower division teams, and it would add a tiny dash of extra drama at the bottom of the Premier League table. Only eight non-top flight teams have ever won the FA Cup in the competition’s history, so this outcome would be quite rare, but definitely fun!
– Pad, Spurs fan in Zurich
