Manchester United

Potentially a huge game for Shaw's development. I thought he looked pretty terrible until he scored, he made a couple of bad errors, but once he got the goal he transformed. Looked like the confidence set him alight. He made some big interceptions and played well all round for the rest of the game. Might just have been the catalyst he needed to kick off.

Pogba made some errors but I thought that was an outstanding performance from him. Ran the game, always available, put in a real shift. Some rustiness but a real captain's performance for me.

Having said that, there's clearly something going on behind the scenes with him and Mourinho, no matter how you paint it. There's an issue, we don't know what it is, they are doing well to keep it under wraps, and luckily for you guys ManU has all the power with the length of his remaining contract. If he only had one or two years left we would be hearing a lot more about whatever has gone on. The best way to resolve it is to win, and then it will take care of itself, so that game was a step forward in that respect. I think giving Pogba the armband was a good move by Mourinho. 

I'm a big Matic fan but I actually think Pereira is a better option.

I forgot to mention Shaw! Looks like a man who has been berated for the last 2 years and has now decided he's going to ignore it all and just be Luke Shaw which is great. Hopefully the fans and manager don't jump on his back if/when he makes one single mistake.

I don't believe the Pogba feud rumours for a second.

We didn't hear a peep of it until the Barcelona interest started. I have very little doubt that it's probably just the pricks in Spain doing what they do. Stirring up players until the leave. 

Man Utd did what Man Utd do - played just OK, but managed to win rather convincingly. 

You're right about Spain, and how things work with those clubs, but Pogba/Mourinho clearly had disagreements at times last season too. If you guys think everything has always been 100% rosy there, and it's completely fabricated, then I think you're sticking your heads in the sand to some degree... 

That's not to say everything isn't fine now, perhaps they've sorted it out, but there's just been too much smoke for there to be no fire at all. 

It should get sorted anyway, you would think. He's under contract for a long time, he's too good and too expensive for Mourinho to give up on him, I think it'll be smoothed over, if it hasn't already. 

There is no balance and no direction - Jose has not been able to implement a direction with the players he has (a mixture of purchases overseen by 4 managers) and when Jose sees that some players do not buy into the strategy he wants to implement, the board overrides his decisions to buy / sell. The board just wants players with either marketable or sell on value. 

Yes a Jose team would have more Fellaini's and less Martial's but there would be more players buying into the Jose way and we would be able to see a direction that everyone is moving in. You would hope that would at least mean more consistency. 

This young, skillful team needs some solid, quality leaders to compliment them. Young, Valencia, Fellaini, Smalling, Jones, Matic and Mata are not leaders and/or solid but Jose is having to make do with what he has. Too few of the players are the finished product which shows in the inconsistent performances. 

I want Jose to continue and to see what he can do when these 24-25yo are 27-28yo. but I don't think the club will have the patience to see him through to that, nor will the players fully buy into what he wants until they can turn out good performances consistently. :|

watched Paul Scholes talking about his best 11 from his team mates and talking about leaders and this (and team personal dynamics) seems to be thought about less and less?

Anyone who watched our preseason, where teams traditionally defend poorly, knew this was incoming:

Yeah same.

Watched the first half, was impressed by our performance and we should've been 2 up. Got to work and find out we've lost 3-0. What the fudge happened?

Still not creating enough opportunities.

Subs were atrocious. Lukaku misses a sitter. Sanchez hasn't done anything in a while. Meanwhile Rashford rots on the bench.

Mourinho has to go.

Agree we should have had a couple in the first half but "should have" doesn't win you anything in sport. Couldn't shake the feeling that Mou played Herrera as a faux center half in the first half to massage his own ego (to make a point that the club didn't get him a centre half in the window and that he doesn't trust Lindelof). People quick to slam Lindelof but how is a young defender supposed to do well on that stage when he is publicly slated by his manager?

Mourinho should never have let Timbo go out on loan. Rashford should have come on when Fellaini came on. Absolutely no backbone in defence. Rio and Vidic would be embarrassed watching us defend at the minute.

Mourinho is single-handedly destroying the traditions of the club right now. Players are already turning us down because of our style of football so if we miss out on the top four this year we could be royally fudged for years to come.

Yeah, people talking about how Ed failed to bring in Toby Alderweireld... like why the fudge would Toby want to come here, have one bad game and get publicly slated, play boring football, and probably not win anything?

We have hit peak Jose

Try and try and try and try and try....

What's the definition of insanity?

That's our problem in a nutshell. Mourinho pointing to the titles he's won. The game's moved on mate.

I used to have a sports coach who used to come in every day and remind us how many national titles he'd won (15 years earlier). 

Gotta love it when Mourinho loses the plot. You just know he's been waiting a while to use that 3 titles line too but had to wait until Wenger was gone.

Neville and Caragher not at all sure about the defenders.

Reports that board is going to re-sign Martial to a 5 year deal. The Times is saying "Martial hopes to outlast Mourinho"

If we do sign him to a 5 year deal, then the board has shown that we don't want to entirely throw away the culture of the club. Which means Mourinho's style of football and youth philosophy will never work. Which means you may as well sack him tomorrow.

If the club doesn't want to back Mourinho 100% in order to build a Mourinho team, then why bother delaying the inevitable?

United drawn against Juventus, Valencia and Young Boys (Switzerland). Not easy by any means but we should be progressing from this group. As we've found out the hard way, there's no easy games at this stage and Young Boys and Valencia won't be easy.

Buzzing that Liverpool have a tough group. As for Spurs' group ... WOW!

I think Liverpool will go through comfortably.

I don't expect us to go through. I doubt we'll beat Valencia twice then probably come unstuck against Young Boys as we park the bus at Old Trafford.

Jon Moss is a fudgeing embarrassment. Missed 2 straight reds for Burnley (Mee handball, Bardsley kick out) and a pen when Ben Mee pulled Lukaku down - that challenge and decision is exactly why players dive. I'll give him the Rashford call though. 

That was a better performance even if Burnley never came out of the changing rooms. Sanchez better than he has been, Pogba his normal masterful self and hopefully that's the start of some scoring form for Lukaku. Another big outing from Luke Shaw as well.

Didn't see it this morning but I've never rated Moss. Whenever he's been reffing Arsenal games I've had zero faith that he will get the big calls right, he's a total lottery. 

Moss was never going to give anything too controversial.

Rashford's red was a 'safe' decision - away team, young player, very little fallout.

Burnley have been very poor. Even with the ref's help they didn't look likely 

Good to see Luke Shaw get the recall for England AND win United's player of the month award. Hopefully he comes back unscathed!

Hopefully Shaw isn't out for too long - the guy can't catch a break!

Chris Smalling and Phil Jones

Playing on a plastic pitch tomorrow night which rarely goes well for United and poses a big risk of players hurting themselves. If you offered me a draw now with no injuries I'd probably take it. 

Mind you, I'd also take a 3-0 win with no injuries!

Pogba at his best. It might turn out to be for one night only, but it feels like we've got our United back tonight! City lost too. Amazing.

Are the players simply under-performing or is Jose restricting them tactically, which impacts their creativity?

Wolves have some good players but United at home should be turning more possession into good chances and attacking players should be scoring them. Sanchez and Lingard have not found their stride this season yet, and Lukaku could have had more goals too. 

Jose has been rotating the squad well, but maybe should drop some players for a number of games and reward those that are playing well

Now 1-1 to Derby County with Romero sent off. By all accounts getting out-played too. Can we rewind 6 years yet?

I didn't even realise we were playing today. Lmao.

Mourinho has to go.

Who comes in? 

Someone who can build a team based on the philosophy of the club and the players at their disposal... not someone who comes in and tries to ram some past-it philosophy down our throats.

Honestly I don't think a Manchester United manager needs to be a big name. It just needs someone pragmatic who can bring in the right people around him. That's what made SAF great.

Not much out there. Zidane and Blanc the two biggest names without jobs currently. Blanc would have some understanding of the club at least. 

Think it's a moot discussion anyway as there is no way Woodward/the owners are going to sack Mourinho mid-season.

Maybe after the training video and reports today they might....