Great result, but that performance was terrible

[WES]

reminded me of the opening game last season v Wolves. Unconvincing.

After the first 25min the pressing slowed by both teams, things opened up and I thought we looked ready to control the game. We got into a lot good positions on the break, space, numbers and good players on the ball. And we proceeded to f*ck it up each and every time. It's like they had no idea how to play off of each other.

There were positive signs of us moving the ball forward more quickly, but it doesn't do much good when every one of your attacking players is effectively useless. Saka was in a great position at one point and had the ball taken cleanly from him by Mason Mount.

Not Maldini, nor Baresi - Mason f*cking Mount. Jesus wept.

[Peter]

After the first 25min the pressing slowed by both teams, things opened up and I thought we looked ready to control the game. We got into a lot good positions on the break, space, numbers and good players on the ball. And we proceeded to f*ck it up each and every time. It's like they had no idea how to play off of each other.

There were positive signs of us moving the ball forward more quickly, but it doesn't do much good when every one of your attacking players is effectively useless. Saka was in a great position at one point and had the ball taken cleanly from him by Mason Mount.

Not Maldini, nor Baresi - Mason f*cking Mount. Jesus wept.

That moment amazed me. One on one, space behind and Mount showed him outside. You do that to Saka, he goes outside and is past you in a flash. He went inside and walked right into the tackle. That isn't Saka.

Don't know what was wrong with him yesterday. Never seen him play that badly.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

I think the thing that is irritating most of us is the fact that we were ****, in very similar ways to last season.

I couldn't give a toss how United played or what they deserved.

We have a very, very tough start to the season and if we don't improve very quickly then we are out of the title race before it even starts. Liverpool, City, Newcastle. We wont get anything from any of those games playing like we did yesterday.

Based on what I saw yesterday, Havertz should start the next game. Gyokeres clearly isn't fully fit and doesn't have a clue how we press. No shame in it. But if he needs time, give it to him, instead of wasting ours.

If, Ganpati willing, we keep clean sheets and score from set pieces every game, then we will. :Glass half full/Faith in the ability of the God of Good Luck and Fortune to Remove Obstacles [delete as applicable]:

[Rich]

Not sure what the plan was to cover Calafiori's frequent raids forward in the first half. Looks worse because United specifically targeted that area which was clearly a plan from the start.

Gyokeres looked clumsy and his touch was heavy. But the same could be said for more or less everyone. I am sure he will get better.

I honestly cannot remember Saka playing that badly. Normally he is quietly effective on his bad days. He was awful.

I suppose we (mainly me!) should all calm down and give them a chance. But that was a hugely worrying performance.

Gyokeres has looked clumsy and has a poor touch for his career to date. I thought this is something we all accepted on the proviso that he scores goals.

[Peter]

If, Ganpati willing, we keep clean sheets and score from set pieces every game, then we will. :Glass half full/Faith in the ability of the God of Good Luck and Fortune to Remove Obstacles [delete as applicable]:

The thing that really worries me is that this is how Arteta is thinking.

With that attitude, you can expect last season over and over again. We will never win anything playing like that.

I think we saw in the first half that we are trying to be more adventurous. It just didn't work, so we reverted to game management. That didn't work either but fortunately United were pretty ****e and we have decent defenders and a very good goalkeeper.

So I am still hoping that the guys can rediscover playing football in the next few weeks.

[Peter]

Gyokeres has looked clumsy and has a poor touch for his career to date. I thought this is something we all accepted on the proviso that he scores goals.

If that is the best he can do, he isn't going to score goals in the Premier League. And he isn't going to play very often. Havertz is far, far better than the Gyokeres we saw yesterday. Different league.

[Rich]

If that is the best he can do, he isn't going to score goals in the Premier League. And he isn't going to play very often. Havertz is far, far better than the Gyokeres we saw yesterday. Different league.

Haaland is poor with the ball at his feet too, though. We just need him to be in the right place when the ball gets squared to him. Box efficiency as Arteta always tells us.

Havertz is a Rolls Royce of a footballer and so versatile too. No doubt he's the better player - but who will score more goals?

[Peter]

Haaland is poor with the ball at his feet too, though. We just need him to be in the right place when the ball gets squared to him. Box efficiency as Arteta always tells us.

Havertz is a Rolls Royce of a footballer and so versatile too. No doubt he's the better player - but who will score more goals?

See, I think that is the wrong question. The question should be who will help US score more goals. And if Gyokeres is clumsy and has a heavy touch, the answer is Havertz.

My issue with Jesus was never that he didn't score enough goals. It was that he missed too many chances. I don't care if the guy scores ten a season if he helps ensure that the goals are coming from elsewhere. I do care if the chances keep falling to him and he keeps missing them.

I just don't think we are good enough to have a centre forward who is solely a goalscorer and offers nothing else. But this is where I seem to differ from the rest of the world. I don't think our problems last season were to do with our strikers (until we lost them both, obviously). If Havertz had stayed fit he would have finished with 20 plus, easily. Not bad going for a misfiring side who are happy to defend a one goal lead and destroy the game.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

The thing that really worries me is that this is how Arteta is thinking.

With that attitude, you can expect last season over and over again. We will never win anything playing like that.

I think we saw in the first half that we are trying to be more adventurous. It just didn't work, so we reverted to game management. That didn't work either but fortunately United were pretty ****e and we have decent defenders and a very good goalkeeper.

So I am still hoping that the guys can rediscover playing football in the next few weeks.

If we look at the previous 3 seasons we've come 2nd, in the 2nd one we switched from having a set LB and L8 to not which may explain why we get as much from Gabby M.

In the 3rd, we didn't lose any players from the 2nd, but all the injuries meant we didn't have a settled side.

Hopefully now, we can learn to play with each other with a settled side and things will work out. Like in the 2nd of those seasons, after Dubai we were settled with Kai up top and Dec L8.

I do think it might have been better to start with Kai and bring on Vik. Would also allow us to decide which of Zubi/Dec/Kai we bring off. If we need a goal, bring off one of the DMs and play Kai L8 with Vik at CF.

It's gutting it was the first game. Were it mid-season and we're in the mix, a smash'n'grab 1-0 from a set piece at OT would have us all singing in the aisles.

[PSRB]

See, I think that is the wrong question. The question should be who will help US score more goals. And if Gyokeres is clumsy and has a heavy touch, the answer is Havertz.

My issue with Jesus was never that he didn't score enough goals. It was that he missed too many chances. I don't care if the guy scores ten a season if he helps ensure that the goals are coming from elsewhere. I do care if the chances keep falling to him and he keeps missing them.

I just don't think we are good enough to have a centre forward who is solely a goalscorer and offers nothing else. But this is where I seem to differ from the rest of the world. I don't think our problems last season were to do with our strikers (until we lost them both, obviously). If Havertz had stayed fit he would have finished with 20 plus, easily. Not bad going for a misfiring side who are happy to defend a one goal lead and destroy the game.

I think everyone is being far too critical, 1st match of the season, most teams will struggle for rhythm until at least 5 or 6 games in (especially with a bloody international break after 3 matches).

We beat United away, while playing poorly and looked undercooked. Just need to avoid dropping silly points vs Leeds

[Peter]

I think everyone is being far too critical, 1st match of the season, most teams will struggle for rhythm until at least 5 or 6 games in (especially with a bloody international break after 3 matches).

We beat United away, while playing poorly and looked undercooked. Just need to avoid dropping silly points vs Leeds

I know you are right. But this is exactly the conversation we were having after the first game last season, and at least then there was a reason for us being undercooked following a long international tournament and some exhausted players. What is the excuse this year?

Full squad, no injuries and almost all of them had a full pre-season. Why were we undercooked? There really isn't an excuse.

Liverpool fielded four new players and did look a little vulnerable defensively. But they came flying out of traps and did not look undercooked. City, slightly different as they have been playing in that ridiculous tournament.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

If that is the best he can do, he isn't going to score goals in the Premier League. And he isn't going to play very often. Havertz is far, far better than the Gyokeres we saw yesterday. Different league.

Let's wait until we're clicking, keeping possession and making chances before we pass judgment. It sounds like everyone was off form yesterday. {How was Ricky C's all-round game yesterday? Did well to leave the ball for Odin to burst on to for the corner from which we scored.}

Vik - and Zubi - need to play with the team in competitive situations to know how we work. That takes time.

Also for MA to work on his myriad different formations depending on the XI on the pitch and who we're playing against. Titi didn't set the world alight in his first half season, did he? And he'd already won the WC.

MnM's also hardly played in MF with a striker ahead of him. There will be times when he could come in very useful - tall, wins duels, great touches and passes on the edge of the box and can score arriving late.

Our squad was decimated last season. So MA wasn't able to work out his best XI and work out how to get the best of the different options in different game situations.

This year, atm everyone bar Jeez is back fit and we've added 3 players to the first XI/match day squad. So it will take time. Gabby to learn how to play with Dec L8, Vik going wide, and MLS or Ricky C at LB.

There will also be times when maybe having MnM, Noni and Kai will be the best option.

In terms of squad availability, we've gone from famine to feast. And at feasts, it takes time to work out whether you should start with the caviar or foie gras.

[Peter]

Let's wait until we're clicking, keeping possession and making chances before we pass judgment. It sounds like everyone was off form yesterday. {How was Ricky C's all-round game yesterday? Did well to leave the ball for Odin to burst on to for the corner from which we scored.}

Vik - and Zubi - need to play with the team in competitive situations to know how we work. That takes time.

Also for MA to work on his myriad different formations depending on the XI on the pitch and who we're playing against. Titi didn't set the world alight in his first half season, did he? And he'd already won the WC.

MnM's also hardly played in MF with a striker ahead of him. There will be times when he could come in very useful - tall, wins duels, great touches and passes on the edge of the box and can score arriving late.

Our squad was decimated last season. So MA wasn't able to work out his best XI and work out how to get the best of the different options in different game situations.

This year, atm everyone bar Jeez is back fit and we've added 3 players to the first XI/match day squad. So it will take time. Gabby to learn how to play with Dec L8, Vik going wide, and MLS or Ricky C at LB.

There will also be times when maybe having MnM, Noni and Kai will be the best option.

In terms of squad availability, we've gone from famine to feast. And at feasts, it takes time to work out whether you should start with the caviar or foie gras.

If that was the starter, I wouldn't hang around for the main. I'd be paying the bill and heading to the pub.

I am excusing Gyokeres because he clearly isnt up to speed yet. It is more concerning that the others aren't. They should be.

Remember the first season we finished second, when Jesus arrived? We looked good from the first game. We looked ready.

We didnt look anywhere near ready yesterday. And we are at Anfield in two weeks.....

[PSRB]

I know you are right. But this is exactly the conversation we were having after the first game last season, and at least then there was a reason for us being undercooked following a long international tournament and some exhausted players. What is the excuse this year?

Full squad, no injuries and almost all of them had a full pre-season. Why were we undercooked? There really isn't an excuse.

Liverpool fielded four new players and did look a little vulnerable defensively. But they came flying out of traps and did not look undercooked. City, slightly different as they have been playing in that ridiculous tournament.

Liverpool were also at home and could easily have dropped points. The United crowd were massively up for that match, maybe it caught us a bit by surprise. Maybe United will burn out in 2nd half of the season, Amorim trains them incredibly hard apparently. Lets see where we are by the end of these 1st 6 matches.

[Peter]

Liverpool were also at home and could easily have dropped points. The United crowd were massively up for that match, maybe it caught us a bit by surprise. Maybe United will burn out in 2nd half of the season, Amorim trains them incredibly hard apparently. Lets see where we are by the end of these 1st 6 matches.

All true, but it still doesn't explain why we were so off our game.

Maybe we will come flying out of the traps against Leeds and give them a pasting. Then the likes of me can shut the **** up

But, have to say..... I'm really concerned by that performance. It is what we have seen for three-quarters of the last two seasons.

Should have gone to Dubai in pre season and had a piss up