Let’s be honest utd are a hard watch , there’s no rhythm or flow ,passing sharper under roud the press was good high , hope Bruno hasn’t been cursed by the money / contract like Dave and rash
What I loved about maz was - he passed forward - he took players on - he defended like his life depended on it - he took risks when going forward Perfect.
@@OkayOJ. even though the OP IMO is clearly overstating what stood out and called it perfect? As if he was the second coming of an excellent player? My point is that it is ABSOLUTELY FINE to say someone played okay without going overboard.
@@KaiXx751 Exactly the point, that is your opinion. Keep it as your opinion. If that person thought Noussair Mazraoui had a perfect performance then so be it. It's their opinion. If you disagree with their opinion and what to challenge it, there is no harm in saying e.g. I disagree with "your opinion", "in my opinion" I think he didn't play as good as your making it out to be, and make your point." What you're doing is trying to tear down their opinion and impose yours on them.
@@iainsteele5737Even the best players misplace passes. De Bryune misplaced passes when United beat City in the FA Cup Final few months ago. His positives far outweigh the negatives. Besides, he deserves to be credited considering this game against Fulham was his debut for United.🙄
You lode hope too early when a player dips in form Case won't become a bad player overnight so we must give players/people a chance when they become off color
It's great to see Casemiro still looking like he's got something to offer us too. Think we all thought he was finished after last season & so have been solely focused on getting a new DM in this window. We still need that DM, Ugarte would be incredibly effective in this system, but Casemiro will be a quality squad player to roatate with him this season, he's looking like he got himself back in top shape again over preseason.
Cas just needs less games. That's all. Were looking at 70 game seasons. It's beyond a joke now and nobody is interested in watching half fit teams play average football
Honestly the punditry on sky before, during and after the game is so depressing. It will take a few months of good performances for these pundits to start changing their tune. Im here for it.
The way Maz cuts in and makes those reverse passes out on the right flank kept fooling the fulham defenders. And such a joy to watch a Utd defender not systematically passing back! He made mostly forward passes, he was so comfortable with the ball, which is a massive upgrade from AWB who always looked awkward with the ball. Maz was brilliant! He will definitely have a lot of goal contributions this season
@@lancerevo9747 I have never understood not being able to play with both feet at this level. Yes Messi gets a free pass, and you will always favour a side, but not being able to switch seems a real shortcoming yet it's so common.
More balanced in our shape and approach. Positive signs all over the place. Take a bow Maz & Case. Zirkzee starts or plays at least a half vs Brighton hopefully, want him fit and firing for Liverpool
Zirkzee’s goal had a bit of berbatov about him, finding a nice pocket, turning, and then making his way into a scoring position after playing the pass. Also really enjoyed his tenacity. Great stuff Ste!
Mount is key in midfield. On the ball he's not gonna do anything spectacular but he recycles the ball and keeps it moving, that's not a problem because chances were still created as a team. His most important asset is his defensive both pressing and positionally. He tracks back but also presses far better than Bruno does. Right after 60 minutes when he was subbed off the gaps in midfield started to show as Bruno took his place. He constantly runs out of position and leaves gaps between himself and the double pivot. Fulham was able to get themselves back in the game and feel the ball more and get through the press and midfield easier. There's a huge difference in the defensive shape and solidity when Mount or Bruno play the 10.
Great Analysis thank you. I felt joy waking up in the morning and knowing we had won and watching the highlights on TV ( I am 6 hours ahead of you). 3 times I felt joy watching United this year: the 4-3 win over Liverpool, the FA Cup final, and this first day of the new season
How happy is ste lol, it does feel like the dark clouds are finally moving on and the talent coming through the academy has me feeling hopeful for the first time in a very long time.
The best thing on Zirkzee is he suits for firect wingers like Rash and Garnacho. I am not sure you can play football nowadays with 3 direct attackers (Rash, Hojlund, Garnacho). Maybe you can in big games where opponent gives you space behind their back line. But... We know Marcus is not creative winger and Garna is creative on 50%. Hojlund needs creative wingers and I am not sure we have them.
One thing i thought ETH did do well was bring om his subs early compared to last season . Garnacho and Zirkzee came on in the 60th minute that was good to see and as it turned out both players made a difference
What I liked most about Mazraoui was that he put his foot behind the ball in every pass. I know Steven talked about us looking good in the first 30 minutes yesterday but I remember complaining to a mate about our "limp-dick passing". Essentially we were just dotting with the ball, Maz being the exception. We did switch it up at times, so we can play decent combinatory football but we need to become more consistent. Bit worrisome to me that the only player to consistently put some pace on the ball was one that just arrived a few days ago...
Ste, it was obvious to me that ETH told Mazroui to concentrate on his defensive work, which he did excellently. Unfortunately, this meant that Amad didn't have the overlaps and decoy runs that he needs to be at his best. I'm sure we'll see more of this in the future from right back, which will really improve Amad's contribution.
Our attacking players need to be stronger in 50/50 challenges and when trying to win the ball. You can't just close down opposition and not put in a tackle. Only mount puts in tackles.
Cheers. Mount when he was subbed reduced the press and tackles, and Utd were a bit more ragged. I heard someone saying ' Mount was running around like a headless chicken' . I thought he was a reasonably successful ' headless chicken'. New boys look good, and some of the old boys did well. All told a good start. 👍
He was a threat in behind, like no other player at the club. People just want to dog him since he didn't shoot a lot. Leno made a few brilliant kick saves on what should've been goals from assists from Marcus
lol I think we were watching the same broadcast. At the start of the match they also claimed Casemiro was leaving Mainoo isolated defensively in midfield last season. The British agenda was strong for this match 😂
When Utd took off Mount in 2nd half & Fernandes was no.10 he drifted everywhere vacating CM, Casemiro was beginning to get exposed again with big gaps in midfield. Still some tweaking needed
Mazraoui was top notch last night and the way he's uses both feet is good, i personally think we have a little gem on our hands, and no not just because of one game but yes that one game we could see what he can do, and he does it so calmly. Joshua Zirkzee is going to be a real force.
I think one thing we need to see an improvement on and I get the sense De Ligt in the side might force this change, when Bruno went back into the 10, there's this thing he falls in the habit of where he starts hoofing the ball with looping balls hoping one progresses into a chance or a goal and I think with De Ligt in he forces the line higher and more precise possession and so the transition spaces where Bruno hits a prayer instead of a more precise ball gets reduced and so those instances where we feel like a basketball game slowly reduce.
Where’s the evidence De Ligt will force the line higher ? And how does that relate to Bruno in the 10? Especially in the system where he’s a false 9 with mount ?
@@martinwallwork2699 De Ligt has played in a high line his entire career and we could see Ten Hag telling his CB's to push higher, when Mount was on the pitch he was playing the false 9 and at times even go to the 8 same with Bruno. Bruno and Mount on the pitch together make the midfield smaller almost like a game of rondo because Mount likes the ball to feet, Amad likes the ball to feet so the long balls are useless unless it's to Rashford. When Mount and Amad are off the middle of the pitch expands Garnacho wants to run in behind same as Rashford and with our defense line being deeper then the gap between defense, midfield and attack increases and so Bruno does the Hollywood passes hoping it'll land to Garnacho or Rashy which on occasion it works but when it doesn't then we get this up and down game.
@@martinwallwork2699 He made a rash decision once to try and meeting a bouncing ball in the RB space and left a big gap behind. But showed great recovery pace and was back in the box to help snuff out the danger. That was good to see and hopeful the pace is there. I think there is a misconception that you need all defenders to be fast to play a high line. It's about understanding, trust and synchronization. How do you think Arsenal did it for so long with snails in defense?
@@KaiXx751 I agree also if you listen to Ten Hag's interview after the game with Sky, he talks about the back four being the catalyst to pushing the team higher and the midfielders being tighter and more synchronized with the wingers in attack
@felis1672 couldn't agree more, people don't seem to notice how well Zirkzie played when he came on, only had one touch for first 10 minutes and was then brilliant
He was involved in big moments through out the game which like you say is a positive and enough to think things will turn for him if he sticks at it. Just needs a goal or 2 soon and his confidence will fly.
He grew Into to game, 1st half I thought he was ineffective, maybe he's trying to conserve energy through the game and attack when his man is out of position or tired late on but I thought Tete dealt with him well for the most part.
what was even better was the way we dominated the ball some of the football was sublime midfield didnt get over ran defense was solid n mazzaroui looks a serious player same as deligt came on for half an hour and was absolutely fantastic got a good team here
People need to put some respect on Nous. He is good going forward and positions him self well defensively and i liked the way he would cut inside and pass into the midfield. Casmeiro just had a bad season last year and alot of it was down to the team which made him look the worse then he is but he is still a top Mid. Have to give credit to rashford he was going into duels aggressive yesterday and tracking back which he lacked last season. He needs a couple games where he scores back to back to get his confidence up infront of goal.
Mazraoui was quality! Exciting times to be a United fan, havent been able to say that for years. Ineos are really putting their stamp on the club from top to bottom...deals done early on, recruitment has been outstanding etc. Just flawless! Let's not get ahead of ourselves, we're bound to have cock-ups, setbacks, injuries, inconsistency etc, but this squad is stacked!
To be honest i like Dalot for his mentality and proffesionalism but I am not sure I have ever seen so good performance at right back by him (in terms of deffensive and build up decision making and decision execution) as I did from Mazroui yesterday. And it is only beggining for him. Cant wait for nex his match.
Same I was so impressed with mazroui. Not only his ability on the ball, precise passing but also his defensive positioning that prevented attacks. His intensity, aerial presence and back post defending was also perfect. Only one game but good signs
I always say this and people said Dalot was our best player last season. How?! He's just alright, makes some school boy mistakes when defending the back post. Tent always gets cooked for those, if Dalot was that good, people would also be on his case about it but no one cares because he's mid.
@aphelelenase126 sometimes when something is yours, and you get used to it. You start believing it's better than what it is. Dalot IMO isn't A grade. B + at best.
Mazaraoui,oh my, what a player we have got. Erik said he is not fully fit, imagine when he is fit and settled. We have got a gem of a full back. Baller.. shout out to Casemiro as well, he was looking the path.❤
I see how Zirkzee can play with Rasmus. Rasmus stays a bit higher whereas JZ likes to drop in. I think it will happen if we go with a more defensive midfield. I think Amad can bag a lot of assists because his ball eyes for the final pass near or in the box is very good but the forward players don’t know how to capitalize on it yet. With better movement he can contribute a lot.
@@boudewijnvandesande4568 Bruno plays Box-to-box CM no matter what his starting position is anyway so why not? 😄 Last season we lacked players who can carry the ball centrally, take on players and slip through balls into our strikers and that's exactly what Zirkzee's game is all about, so we have to play him a Hojlund or another striker together to get the best out of them.
It was a solid performance from Man United for being the first game of the season. I agree its still things that need to improve but it looked good. One other thing that annoys me its the way some pundits analyze the game like Fulham should be some pushovers. Fulham is a good midtable team with the potential to push for european spots. I think Fulham will be a handful for any of the top teams this year.
ETH gets stick for bringing in players he's had before...... well having watched the Licha interview > pride, passion, drive and understanding of what it means to be a pro at united.. bring me many more!! Licha for captain NOW he's an inspiration
I know it's only one game but Maguire shut me up yesterday. Really monstrous performance and 2 potentially 3pt saving interceptions when he was outnumbered. And he has really been trying since he lost the arm band and no one can fault his attitude or application. If he keeps this up, I can honestly say I have no problem with him being 4th choice centre back. The Butcher De Ligt, Yoro Maguire. Would love to see Nous at left back because very few fullbacks can beat Dalot at right back. He's technical enough isn't he?
Mount & Amad's defensive work is undervalued. Nice spot there. The pressing went down a notch when they left. For all his top ranking attack play, Garnacho doesn't press. Lets hope Urgate joins. That way, he could be subbed in for Kobbie or Casimero same time. He's a pressing monster who can fill in such gaps.
Mazraoui was class. We're strong at FB between Mazraoui, Dalot and Shaw. CB is solid with Martinez, Yoro, De Ligt and even Maguire as 4th choice. Onana is always improving. Happy with the defence. If we get Ugarte then the double pivot is sound with Ugarte, Mainoo and Casemiro as back up as he can't play every game. Mount can cover a lot of ground and happy with him as back up for Bruno in the 10. I'd like to see Hojlund RW and Garnacho LW with Zirkzee as a False 9. Also got Rashford, Diallo, Sancho and Antony on the wings. I hope we can bring in Ugarte and Toney before the window closes and maybe arrange loans/transfers for Antony and Sancho
Has AwB ever put in a performance like that of Nous on Friday ? Ive been telling everyone Masraoui is a levels above and theres your proof. Think the Rashford criticism wasnt right. he put in a good performance and should have had 2/3 assists but for bad finishing, get behind him - ive a feeling this season we will see goals, especially if Zirkzee is in the team. Fulham played well and will cause every team problems...
Mazraoui's game honestly wasn't a surprise. I'm so thankful that we finally have a good right back and I'm excited to see what we look like with him on the right and Amass on the left. Genuinely feel like we need to give it a rest with using rashford and mount though, they're just not it. Tried them in a big game against City and they couldn't get it up, tried them in a smaller game against Fulham and they couldn't get it up. Game over lads, you're impotent, settle for some Carabao and UEL minutes.
@@RoughWalkers He's not though, is he? Like if we're being objective and honest, he's just not good enough to be a starting full back at a big club. It's okay now since he can be a rotation player for Mazraoui or the left backs since he's got versatility going for him.
@@RoughWalkers I guess being objective and honest was too much of an ask on my part, I'm sorry for expecting too much of you. Clearly you feel strongly about your incorrect opinion so we'll leave it at that. Have a nice weekend.
@@MultiWillz being objective to what You havent made of objective to suggest why dalot is rubbish in your opinion Like i said you must be terrible at football bless ya Get out if that bubble lad its embarrassing you
@@RoughWalkers Clearly English isn't your strongest trait. Nobody said Dalot was rubbish but it is what it is, you're clearly willing to die on that hill so I'll let you. Sorry for upsetting you sweetheart. Enjoy your weekend.
Worth noting that if the new boy hadn’t been there in the box to get the goal, McT was there too to smash it in anyway. For all the vanilla games he has, he’s always in the the box where others aren’t. I think that’s why ETH keeps in.
In my opinion, not only did Mazraoui show his value as another option at fullback, he has even further value as someone to push Shaw to get fit and play well. Because he is going to have to come roaring back. I also think they ran Dalot into the ground last year and it would be good to see him get rested once in a while this season. I was really hoping a summer off would bring back a better Casemiro and that looks to be the case. If he could be regularly rested this season, maybe they could even get by with one more signing for DM if you mix in Collyer.
My worry with Rashford is his end product, creation and scoring. It's really not good enough. Garnacho comes on and that pass, Rashford need to improve on that if he wants to be a first team start on the wing
we saw our new signings play well, we saw Case play like he can, we saw our team keep a clean sheet, and we didn't give up a million chances. It was a victory to start off the run. I saw a structure and new players that fit into it, I see some hope appearing for our club
2 things were a constant in MU matches last season: 1- The goals that MU score are not repeatable because they have no pattern. 2- MU always concede from a cut back to the edge of the box. In yesterday's match, MU had a pattern to the chances they created, and they didn't suffer from any cut backs.
Why no one is talking about the fact that Mazraoui been in London a few days ago , new team , new league , new country …. Mazraoui also can help Anthony to shine this season
Mount was brilliant in the press. When he and amad came off i knew Fullham would get into it more, but with Garnacho and Zirkzee on, i knew we might score. Could have been snuck by Fulham, but i was happy with Eth's guts bringing them on.
After 65 we had a lil sloppy period but honestly i think they just needed to catch their breath for a bit. Squad isnt fully fit yet so its ok. Systematically you cant commit forward without risking some counters but overall we managed it really well.
1)Rashford deserves dropping, when the opportunity arises he always let's the team down 2)Zirkzee has to start as he's the only one capable of hitting the target apparently 3)Man united looked defensively solid (big wtf but a welcome wtf) 4)Amad is Solskjaers goodbye gift, Antony will not be missed by anyone 5)Ten Haag's decision to not start Zirkzee almost proved to be fatal. We need someone who can actually finish and not hope for lucky shots from outside the box.
Agreed. At 32, he still has the brains and enables rotation for Mainoo. It does, however,, underscore the need for a destroyer -- ideally Ugarte rotating with Amrabat
~$24 mil. 2 or 3 days training. First start. Man was ON on both sides of the ball. Maybe 1, "He could have done better there." Absolutely bossed it and showed what was missing from AWB. Let's hope he can stay fit. Malacia and Shaw need to get fit to allow rotation between the full backs. GGMU
This season is the most important season, win or loose at the end of the season TEN HAG CANNOT BE FIRED MIDSEASON NO MATTER WHAT! I only expect cohesion, style of play that is consistent and can adapt in active play(the players understand the system so much that they already know how and when to morph in different situations where the plan is not surviving contact with reality…) I care not the position just what I see, if we are top 4 with same shenanigans then next season we will be 10th again
I liked the fact that Rashford went back to our defensive end to defend the ball. He wasn’t as lethargic as he’s been in the past. Rashy needs a little confidence boost and he’ll be a goal scoring threat again
If we sign ugarte and maybe another left sided centre back in January...i don't see why we can't put a challenge for the league... maybe not a sustained one till the last day of the season but we should definitely be challenging for third spot with those signings
With age creeping up, i see Casemiro being a more effective no.8 rather than a 6. He just doesn't have the legs to cover every blade of grass but is an immensely intellgient player who can split open a defence with a killer pass for sightly deeper and knit the pkay together.
The subs made the team more energetic even if Garnacho didn't show the discipline and composure of Amad. My main worry about Mount was he was going to get a second yellow. Similar with Maguire.
I think Hojland, Bruno, and Rashford are the only players in this squad capable of 20+ goals this season, goals were hard to come by last season and we didn’t see Utd smashing teams 3 or 4-0. I’m hoping the attacking play this year is aimed at getting players into the areas of the pitch they score from and getting the right ball to them instead of players having to play a system that doesn’t work for them and scraping a goal here and there.
Mainoo looked quiet on the ball cause Casemiro kind of forced the kid to do most of the dirty work in midfield while he went on to do whatever he wants. He was great on the ball but gave Fulham chances on the break with his off the ball work. He needs to balance it somehow. Looked LEVELS ABOVE his last season form but a team better than Fulham would exploit that and hurt us.
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Great breakdown, big man. 👌
Let’s be honest utd are a hard watch , there’s no rhythm or flow ,passing sharper under roud the press was good high , hope Bruno hasn’t been cursed by the money / contract like Dave and rash
Would be great if you put timestamps on the video. Great content as always.
Not getting carried away by anything Casemiro or Maguire does in one game
What I loved about maz was
- he passed forward
- he took players on
- he defended like his life depended on it
- he took risks when going forward
Perfect.
More importantly, he defended in the highline rather than diving in for a tackle in the last moment. That is what ten Hag needs
He did two of those things max. Calm down. It was a decent performance defensively, stop acting like its the second coming of Cafu.
@@KaiXx751 Crazy coz nobody mentioned Cafu but you.. the original comment highlighted what stood out about a player on his debut.
@@OkayOJ. even though the OP IMO is clearly overstating what stood out and called it perfect? As if he was the second coming of an excellent player? My point is that it is ABSOLUTELY FINE to say someone played okay without going overboard.
@@KaiXx751 Exactly the point, that is your opinion. Keep it as your opinion.
If that person thought Noussair Mazraoui had a perfect performance then so be it. It's their opinion.
If you disagree with their opinion and what to challenge it, there is no harm in saying e.g. I disagree with "your opinion", "in my opinion" I think he didn't play as good as your making it out to be, and make your point."
What you're doing is trying to tear down their opinion and impose yours on them.
Mazraoui was out of this world. His play was just stress-free. He impressed me big time!
He played a good game. Let's not get carried away.
@@DavidPhillipsMusicDavid.. David chill man, let them enjoy his performance which United fans haven't seen for a long while fella!!
Every time Mazraoui was on the ball he did something good. Flawless performance on debut.
he put the ball out three times with misplaced passes
@@iainsteele5737 oh wow, Sell him, Sell right now what a disaster he is!!!
@@iainsteele5737Even the best players misplace passes. De Bryune misplaced passes when United beat City in the FA Cup Final few months ago. His positives far outweigh the negatives. Besides, he deserves to be credited considering this game against Fulham was his debut for United.🙄
@iainsteele5737 twice but still didn't matter one of those casemiro should have got to
@@iainsteele5737😂😂😂
Casemiro definitely looked like he had a point to prove .
He got stuck in!
Did not think I'd agree with a comment like this a few weeks back, but he definitely put a shift in. The new system suits him.
He’s clearly been training in the holidays which you can see with the weight he’s lost. Key question is if he can stay consistent
@nickkowak9628 definitely
You lode hope too early when a player dips in form
Case won't become a bad player overnight so we must give players/people a chance when they become off color
I loved cas performance tbh am glad he’s looking like he’s back in shape. Harry was impressive too.
It's great to see Casemiro still looking like he's got something to offer us too. Think we all thought he was finished after last season & so have been solely focused on getting a new DM in this window. We still need that DM, Ugarte would be incredibly effective in this system, but Casemiro will be a quality squad player to roatate with him this season, he's looking like he got himself back in top shape again over preseason.
Cas just needs less games. That's all. Were looking at 70 game seasons. It's beyond a joke now and nobody is interested in watching half fit teams play average football
Also rotate casemiro with mainoo as well
@@killbotone6210exactly right mate. Some of the games in the Euros were horrendous. The players looked knackered
So I n all the others were wrong
Ugarte isn’t a DM. He’s more of an 8
Honestly the punditry on sky before, during and after the game is so depressing. It will take a few months of good performances for these pundits to start changing their tune. Im here for it.
Best thing we can all do is to not listen to the outside noise from 'pundits' or other fanbases.
They talk soooo much bullshit 😒
The funny thing is that some of those pundits can't even kick a ball. Yet they talk trash of United. Especially United.
When garnacho missed the commentator some how blamed Rashford as well for that
@remyphilly5168 hating on United gets clicks etc. Honestly, cleanse yourself and pretend they don't exist.
In a parallel universe, Lisandro Martinez is either a NAVY SEAL or doing drive-bys in South Central Los Angeles.
Lmao
😂😂😂😂
I think the later lol
The Butcher 🔪🇬🇹 Legend!!! 💪
A seal? He’s tiny 😂
Maz really has this knack of just finding a reverse pass that just surprises the fuck out of you but it's so nice 😅. He's quality!
Mazraoui made passes that AWB was never making, also he seems to have good pace
The way Maz cuts in and makes those reverse passes out on the right flank kept fooling the fulham defenders. And such a joy to watch a Utd defender not systematically passing back! He made mostly forward passes, he was so comfortable with the ball, which is a massive upgrade from AWB who always looked awkward with the ball. Maz was brilliant! He will definitely have a lot of goal contributions this season
I had no idea two footed passing could be so important to a player's ability to pass forward like that. If only Pellistri could pass like that.
@@lancerevo9747 I have never understood not being able to play with both feet at this level. Yes Messi gets a free pass, and you will always favour a side, but not being able to switch seems a real shortcoming yet it's so common.
More balanced in our shape and approach. Positive signs all over the place. Take a bow Maz & Case. Zirkzee starts or plays at least a half vs Brighton hopefully, want him fit and firing for Liverpool
Zirkzee’s goal had a bit of berbatov about him, finding a nice pocket, turning, and then making his way into a scoring position after playing the pass. Also really enjoyed his tenacity. Great stuff Ste!
Maz is just brilliant
Lica interview you couldn’t love that man more ❤
All the pundits so negative.. I thought it was a class performance given the circumstances. Bring on the next one!
Mount is key in midfield. On the ball he's not gonna do anything spectacular but he recycles the ball and keeps it moving, that's not a problem because chances were still created as a team. His most important asset is his defensive both pressing and positionally. He tracks back but also presses far better than Bruno does. Right after 60 minutes when he was subbed off the gaps in midfield started to show as Bruno took his place. He constantly runs out of position and leaves gaps between himself and the double pivot. Fulham was able to get themselves back in the game and feel the ball more and get through the press and midfield easier. There's a huge difference in the defensive shape and solidity when Mount or Bruno play the 10.
I just hope mazraoui isn't another Darmian and keeps going for more then 4 games
Nous is good, because he beat Cancelo, Davies and Pavard and took their spot and that is a proof of his qualities!
He's injury prone tho, sadly!
Great Great Harry !!! What a match from our former captain 😮
Great Analysis thank you. I felt joy waking up in the morning and knowing we had won and watching the highlights on TV ( I am 6 hours ahead of you). 3 times I felt joy watching United this year: the 4-3 win over Liverpool, the FA Cup final, and this first day of the new season
How happy is ste lol, it does feel like the dark clouds are finally moving on and the talent coming through the academy has me feeling hopeful for the first time in a very long time.
dream debut. good finish
The best thing on Zirkzee is he suits for firect wingers like Rash and Garnacho. I am not sure you can play football nowadays with 3 direct attackers (Rash, Hojlund, Garnacho). Maybe you can in big games where opponent gives you space behind their back line. But... We know Marcus is not creative winger and Garna is creative on 50%. Hojlund needs creative wingers and I am not sure we have them.
The sky is the limit, the guy was superb
21 is coming.... Eventually
"Here for the surprise, should there one materialise" - Ste 2024
Print the t-shirts now ready for the parade, 21 IS COMING!
One thing i thought ETH did do well was bring om his subs early compared to last season . Garnacho and Zirkzee came on in the 60th minute that was good to see and as it turned out both players made a difference
What I liked most about Mazraoui was that he put his foot behind the ball in every pass. I know Steven talked about us looking good in the first 30 minutes yesterday but I remember complaining to a mate about our "limp-dick passing". Essentially we were just dotting with the ball, Maz being the exception. We did switch it up at times, so we can play decent combinatory football but we need to become more consistent.
Bit worrisome to me that the only player to consistently put some pace on the ball was one that just arrived a few days ago...
I was also very impressed with Mazra! Flawless debut.
Ste, it was obvious to me that ETH told Mazroui to concentrate on his defensive work, which he did excellently. Unfortunately, this meant that Amad didn't have the overlaps and decoy runs that he needs to be at his best. I'm sure we'll see more of this in the future from right back, which will really improve Amad's contribution.
Our attacking players need to be stronger in 50/50 challenges and when trying to win the ball. You can't just close down opposition and not put in a tackle. Only mount puts in tackles.
Cheers. Mount when he was subbed reduced the press and tackles, and Utd were a bit more ragged. I heard someone saying ' Mount was running around like a headless chicken' . I thought he was a reasonably successful ' headless chicken'. New boys look good, and some of the old boys did well. All told a good start. 👍
To be fair to Rashford, he should have 2 assists.
He was a threat in behind, like no other player at the club. People just want to dog him since he didn't shoot a lot. Leno made a few brilliant kick saves on what should've been goals from assists from Marcus
One of the commentator from the stream I watched actually said "I've never seen McT ever had a bad game", wtf
Tbf ive never seen him have a bad game, but he also rarely has a good game
What's wrong with that, he probably only seen McT's games against Leeds, 😂
It's crazy I sometimes don't see mctominay at all even though he's on the team sheet. Can't have a bad game if they don't see you I guess...
@@shuaibmohammed5977are you taking the piss never seen mcshite have a bad game where have you been for 5 years 😂😂😂
lol I think we were watching the same broadcast. At the start of the match they also claimed Casemiro was leaving Mainoo isolated defensively in midfield last season. The British agenda was strong for this match 😂
Great start for UNITED
When Utd took off Mount in 2nd half & Fernandes was no.10 he drifted everywhere vacating CM, Casemiro was beginning to get exposed again with big gaps in midfield. Still some tweaking needed
My thinking exactly we looked much more structured when mount was in the 10
Mazraoui was top notch last night and the way he's uses both feet is good, i personally think we have a little gem on our hands, and no not just because of one game but yes that one game we could see what he can do, and he does it so calmly. Joshua Zirkzee is going to be a real force.
I think one thing we need to see an improvement on and I get the sense De Ligt in the side might force this change, when Bruno went back into the 10, there's this thing he falls in the habit of where he starts hoofing the ball with looping balls hoping one progresses into a chance or a goal and I think with De Ligt in he forces the line higher and more precise possession and so the transition spaces where Bruno hits a prayer instead of a more precise ball gets reduced and so those instances where we feel like a basketball game slowly reduce.
Where’s the evidence De Ligt will force the line higher ? And how does that relate to Bruno in the 10? Especially in the system where he’s a false 9 with mount ?
@@martinwallwork2699 De Ligt has played in a high line his entire career and we could see Ten Hag telling his CB's to push higher, when Mount was on the pitch he was playing the false 9 and at times even go to the 8 same with Bruno. Bruno and Mount on the pitch together make the midfield smaller almost like a game of rondo because Mount likes the ball to feet, Amad likes the ball to feet so the long balls are useless unless it's to Rashford. When Mount and Amad are off the middle of the pitch expands Garnacho wants to run in behind same as Rashford and with our defense line being deeper then the gap between defense, midfield and attack increases and so Bruno does the Hollywood passes hoping it'll land to Garnacho or Rashy which on occasion it works but when it doesn't then we get this up and down game.
@@martinwallwork2699 He made a rash decision once to try and meeting a bouncing ball in the RB space and left a big gap behind. But showed great recovery pace and was back in the box to help snuff out the danger. That was good to see and hopeful the pace is there. I think there is a misconception that you need all defenders to be fast to play a high line. It's about understanding, trust and synchronization. How do you think Arsenal did it for so long with snails in defense?
@@KaiXx751 I agree also if you listen to Ten Hag's interview after the game with Sky, he talks about the back four being the catalyst to pushing the team higher and the midfielders being tighter and more synchronized with the wingers in attack
Rashford was shocking last night, in my humble opinion
Glad someone else agrees. Truth is he aint good enough as a constant starter if Utd want to kick on. Too much sentiment on here for an academy player
@felis1672 couldn't agree more, people don't seem to notice how well Zirkzie played when he came on, only had one touch for first 10 minutes and was then brilliant
Rashford didn't offer much in terms of quality. But he looked interested so let's see what the next 4 or 6 games brings
He was involved in big moments through out the game which like you say is a positive and enough to think things will turn for him if he sticks at it. Just needs a goal or 2 soon and his confidence will fly.
I felt like he was dangerous tbh building up moments etc imo
He grew Into to game, 1st half I thought he was ineffective, maybe he's trying to conserve energy through the game and attack when his man is out of position or tired late on but I thought Tete dealt with him well for the most part.
Yes I agree with this… wasn’t a 10/10 performance but his desire at least looked there. Possibly needs two or three games to get into it.
Really? I thought he still looked lazy several times when chasing back.
what was even better was the way we dominated the ball some of the football was sublime midfield didnt get over ran defense was solid n mazzaroui looks a serious player same as deligt came on for half an hour and was absolutely fantastic got a good team here
Rashford just doesn’t look threatening anymore.. hopefully its something that can be fixed.
Mazraoui was brilliant that right back spot is surely his, our back line now looks very strong
Zirkzee and hojlund can both play together. United need a midfield overhaul tbh.
Hmm... But it should be 442 diamond formation because play Zirkzee as num 10 wold not be deffensive safe.
People need to put some respect on Nous. He is good going forward and positions him self well defensively and i liked the way he would cut inside and pass into the midfield. Casmeiro just had a bad season last year and alot of it was down to the team which made him look the worse then he is but he is still a top Mid. Have to give credit to rashford he was going into duels aggressive yesterday and tracking back which he lacked last season. He needs a couple games where he scores back to back to get his confidence up infront of goal.
Mazraoui was quality! Exciting times to be a United fan, havent been able to say that for years. Ineos are really putting their stamp on the club from top to bottom...deals done early on, recruitment has been outstanding etc. Just flawless! Let's not get ahead of ourselves, we're bound to have cock-ups, setbacks, injuries, inconsistency etc, but this squad is stacked!
To be honest i like Dalot for his mentality and proffesionalism but I am not sure I have ever seen so good performance at right back by him (in terms of deffensive and build up decision making and decision execution) as I did from Mazroui yesterday. And it is only beggining for him. Cant wait for nex his match.
Same I was so impressed with mazroui. Not only his ability on the ball, precise passing but also his defensive positioning that prevented attacks. His intensity, aerial presence and back post defending was also perfect. Only one game but good signs
I always say this and people said Dalot was our best player last season. How?!
He's just alright, makes some school boy mistakes when defending the back post. Tent always gets cooked for those, if Dalot was that good, people would also be on his case about it but no one cares because he's mid.
@@aphelelenase126agreed he doesn’t have a good cross either imo
@aphelelenase126 sometimes when something is yours, and you get used to it. You start believing it's better than what it is. Dalot IMO isn't A grade. B + at best.
Ok getting a little bit giddy here, he only had 60 mins and he wasn’t that good. He still got a beat a few times and people blind to it.
Mazaraoui,oh my, what a player we have got. Erik said he is not fully fit, imagine when he is fit and settled. We have got a gem of a full back. Baller.. shout out to Casemiro as well, he was looking the path.❤
On the American broadcast, when McTominay came on, Lee Dixon and Graeme Le Saux both said they've never seen him have a bad game 🙃
Gary neville commentating on our matches is like having your Mrs ex commentating on your wedding
Ohh. I'm sorry misses Neville
We deserved more than the final score. Should have buried the chances of Bruno and Garnacho. HMG had a good game tbh.
Casemiro is more box to box in recent games. Really hope we get in an Ugarte
I see how Zirkzee can play with Rasmus. Rasmus stays a bit higher whereas JZ likes to drop in. I think it will happen if we go with a more defensive midfield.
I think Amad can bag a lot of assists because his ball eyes for the final pass near or in the box is very good but the forward players don’t know how to capitalize on it yet. With better movement he can contribute a lot.
I would love it if Erik pushed Bruno back into CM, played Zirkzee as a AM / CF with Hojlund as ST.
Very, very attacking.
Or just bench bruno. He is not good enough as a CM, play him in his position or bench him.
@@boudewijnvandesande4568 Bruno plays Box-to-box CM no matter what his starting position is anyway so why not? 😄 Last season we lacked players who can carry the ball centrally, take on players and slip through balls into our strikers and that's exactly what Zirkzee's game is all about, so we have to play him a Hojlund or another striker together to get the best out of them.
@@Doctor_Kroom Bench a £300k + a week player wouldn't be the smartest thing to do 😄
Thumbs up if you loved the Lisandro Martinez interview after the game!
It was a solid performance from Man United for being the first game of the season. I agree its still things that need to improve but it looked good. One other thing that annoys me its the way some pundits analyze the game like Fulham should be some pushovers. Fulham is a good midtable team with the potential to push for european spots. I think Fulham will be a handful for any of the top teams this year.
ETH gets stick for bringing in players he's had before...... well having watched the Licha interview > pride, passion, drive and understanding of what it means to be a pro at united.. bring me many more!!
Licha for captain NOW he's an inspiration
Casemiro was a Midfield General Last night ❤❤ .. We have 2 of the best Full backs in the Prem.
I know it's only one game but Maguire shut me up yesterday. Really monstrous performance and 2 potentially 3pt saving interceptions when he was outnumbered. And he has really been trying since he lost the arm band and no one can fault his attitude or application. If he keeps this up, I can honestly say I have no problem with him being 4th choice centre back. The Butcher De Ligt, Yoro Maguire. Would love to see Nous at left back because very few fullbacks can beat Dalot at right back. He's technical enough isn't he?
Mount & Amad's defensive work is undervalued. Nice spot there. The pressing went down a notch when they left. For all his top ranking attack play, Garnacho doesn't press.
Lets hope Urgate joins. That way, he could be subbed in for Kobbie or Casimero same time. He's a pressing monster who can fill in such gaps.
Mazraoui was class. We're strong at FB between Mazraoui, Dalot and Shaw. CB is solid with Martinez, Yoro, De Ligt and even Maguire as 4th choice. Onana is always improving. Happy with the defence. If we get Ugarte then the double pivot is sound with Ugarte, Mainoo and Casemiro as back up as he can't play every game. Mount can cover a lot of ground and happy with him as back up for Bruno in the 10. I'd like to see Hojlund RW and Garnacho LW with Zirkzee as a False 9. Also got Rashford, Diallo, Sancho and Antony on the wings. I hope we can bring in Ugarte and Toney before the window closes and maybe arrange loans/transfers for Antony and Sancho
Always appreciate the measured and level headed analysis.
Has AwB ever put in a performance like that of Nous on Friday ? Ive been telling everyone Masraoui is a levels above and theres your proof.
Think the Rashford criticism wasnt right. he put in a good performance and should have had 2/3 assists but for bad finishing, get behind him - ive a feeling this season we will see goals, especially if Zirkzee is in the team.
Fulham played well and will cause every team problems...
Mazraoui's game honestly wasn't a surprise. I'm so thankful that we finally have a good right back and I'm excited to see what we look like with him on the right and Amass on the left. Genuinely feel like we need to give it a rest with using rashford and mount though, they're just not it. Tried them in a big game against City and they couldn't get it up, tried them in a smaller game against Fulham and they couldn't get it up. Game over lads, you're impotent, settle for some Carabao and UEL minutes.
@@RoughWalkers He's not though, is he? Like if we're being objective and honest, he's just not good enough to be a starting full back at a big club. It's okay now since he can be a rotation player for Mazraoui or the left backs since he's got versatility going for him.
@@RoughWalkers I guess being objective and honest was too much of an ask on my part, I'm sorry for expecting too much of you. Clearly you feel strongly about your incorrect opinion so we'll leave it at that. Have a nice weekend.
@@MultiWillz being objective to what
You havent made of objective to suggest why dalot is rubbish in your opinion
Like i said you must be terrible at football bless ya
Get out if that bubble lad its embarrassing you
@@RoughWalkers Clearly English isn't your strongest trait. Nobody said Dalot was rubbish but it is what it is, you're clearly willing to die on that hill so I'll let you. Sorry for upsetting you sweetheart. Enjoy your weekend.
@@MultiWillz 😂😂😂😂😂 what a plastic
Worth noting that if the new boy hadn’t been there in the box to get the goal, McT was there too to smash it in anyway. For all the vanilla games he has, he’s always in the the box where others aren’t. I think that’s why ETH keeps in.
Rashford is definetly the best in the world at just running straight into defenders chests
Aint that the truth
This is football. 'We're romantic and fucking deluded'. Truer words have not been said.
What's wrong with neville he even tried take the shine off the winner saying it was deflected
In my opinion, not only did Mazraoui show his value as another option at fullback, he has even further value as someone to push Shaw to get fit and play well. Because he is going to have to come roaring back. I also think they ran Dalot into the ground last year and it would be good to see him get rested once in a while this season.
I was really hoping a summer off would bring back a better Casemiro and that looks to be the case. If he could be regularly rested this season, maybe they could even get by with one more signing for DM if you mix in Collyer.
My worry with Rashford is his end product, creation and scoring. It's really not good enough. Garnacho comes on and that pass, Rashford need to improve on that if he wants to be a first team start on the wing
Fire performance 🔥
we saw our new signings play well, we saw Case play like he can, we saw our team keep a clean sheet, and we didn't give up a million chances. It was a victory to start off the run. I saw a structure and new players that fit into it, I see some hope appearing for our club
2 things were a constant in MU matches last season:
1- The goals that MU score are not repeatable because they have no pattern.
2- MU always concede from a cut back to the edge of the box.
In yesterday's match, MU had a pattern to the chances they created, and they didn't suffer from any cut backs.
Why no one is talking about the fact that Mazraoui been in London a few days ago , new team , new league , new country …. Mazraoui also can help Anthony to shine this season
Mount was brilliant in the press. When he and amad came off i knew Fullham would get into it more, but with Garnacho and Zirkzee on, i knew we might score. Could have been snuck by Fulham, but i was happy with Eth's guts bringing them on.
After 65 we had a lil sloppy period but honestly i think they just needed to catch their breath for a bit. Squad isnt fully fit yet so its ok. Systematically you cant commit forward without risking some counters but overall we managed it really well.
1)Rashford deserves dropping, when the opportunity arises he always let's the team down
2)Zirkzee has to start as he's the only one capable of hitting the target apparently
3)Man united looked defensively solid (big wtf but a welcome wtf)
4)Amad is Solskjaers goodbye gift, Antony will not be missed by anyone
5)Ten Haag's decision to not start Zirkzee almost proved to be fatal. We need someone who can actually finish and not hope for lucky shots from outside the box.
Maguire may well keep De Ligt and Yoro out of the team if he keeps playing like that...
No he won’t 😂😂😂. Maguire makes our defence sit deep and it was proven again last night you don’t sign de ligt and Yoro for lord maguire to be starting
Don’t be daft lol
You don't sign 2 defenders and play the one you already had that's insanity 😂
@@RoughWalkersdeluded if you think harry was shit
After yeasterdays match i am thinking whether isnt Casemiro more number 8 (position) than num 6
Agreed. At 32, he still has the brains and enables rotation for Mainoo. It does, however,, underscore the need for a destroyer -- ideally Ugarte rotating with Amrabat
~$24 mil. 2 or 3 days training. First start. Man was ON on both sides of the ball. Maybe 1, "He could have done better there." Absolutely bossed it and showed what was missing from AWB. Let's hope he can stay fit. Malacia and Shaw need to get fit to allow rotation between the full backs. GGMU
I am in love with Mazraoui
This season is the most important season, win or loose at the end of the season TEN HAG CANNOT BE FIRED MIDSEASON NO MATTER WHAT! I only expect cohesion, style of play that is consistent and can adapt in active play(the players understand the system so much that they already know how and when to morph in different situations where the plan is not surviving contact with reality…) I care not the position just what I see, if we are top 4 with same shenanigans then next season we will be 10th again
What a game and that stats are very promising compared to last season
I liked the fact that Rashford went back to our defensive end to defend the ball. He wasn’t as lethargic as he’s been in the past.
Rashy needs a little confidence boost and he’ll be a goal scoring threat again
If we sign ugarte and maybe another left sided centre back in January...i don't see why we can't put a challenge for the league... maybe not a sustained one till the last day of the season but we should definitely be challenging for third spot with those signings
Not being funny but the way casemiro was bombing about he looked rapid
hahahahahah
Thank you so much
With age creeping up, i see Casemiro being a more effective no.8 rather than a 6. He just doesn't have the legs to cover every blade of grass but is an immensely intellgient player who can split open a defence with a killer pass for sightly deeper and knit the pkay together.
Minteh was electric for Brighton today b4 he went off with concussion. Its theyre home opener....3-1 Brighton
He’s smiling ❤😂
Imagine Amad at no10 running through the defense 🧘♂️🧘♂️🧘♂️
I had to listen to the game on Talk Shite and boy did they live up to the name. They love to hate on United. Shocking
The subs made the team more energetic even if Garnacho didn't show the discipline and composure of Amad. My main worry about Mount was he was going to get a second yellow. Similar with Maguire.
I think Hojland, Bruno, and Rashford are the only players in this squad capable of 20+ goals this season, goals were hard to come by last season and we didn’t see Utd smashing teams 3 or 4-0.
I’m hoping the attacking play this year is aimed at getting players into the areas of the pitch they score from and getting the right ball to them instead of players having to play a system that doesn’t work for them and scraping a goal here and there.
One thing I noticed from the city loss was that; I didn’t feel bad because the signs were good.
Look at Ste smiling like a kid at Christmas as he does this video
Why do Utd fans over hype a professional performance? Mazraouri just had an above average game and played it safe.
Mainoo looked quiet on the ball cause Casemiro kind of forced the kid to do most of the dirty work in midfield while he went on to do whatever he wants. He was great on the ball but gave Fulham chances on the break with his off the ball work. He needs to balance it somehow. Looked LEVELS ABOVE his last season form but a team better than Fulham would exploit that and hurt us.
Mazraoui for some reason physcially seems to be one-step ahead when starting from a dead stop
Grear video Ste 😊