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LIVE BLOG: Manchester United vs West Ham United

August 13, 2017

Thariq Amir

CONFIRMED LINE-UP: United vs West Ham

Matic: I feel like I’ll be at United for a long time

136 Comments

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Marq August 13, 2017

There will be tougher games to come, but we are looking good and our squad is strong as well. The scary part is there are still areas we can significantly improve. Namely our LB who if can bomb forward and cross well, can help stretch defences more, and a player to play wide right and offer what Rashford provided on the left.

Anyway, good performance! 1 down, more to come!

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ayodeji_oyewumi August 13, 2017

@Mobi you must be the bigger fool.Im sure you are blind and you were watching behind the TV for you tp have not noticed the inefficiency of the big fella.I can imagine,it must be very frustrating you watching how Mourinho set us up to play and lukaku scoring twice..haha...Glory Glory Manutd

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Zana August 13, 2017

Matic, where was this guy, i will give mourinho a hug forcthis signing

Lukaku will be goal hit man

Rashford is amazing

I fell in love with Martial

Mata the james Bond of football
Miki the Mr awesome

Martial (MMM) the perfect

Pogba was out of this world, what a performance

Everyone were amazing

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TywinnLannister August 13, 2017

"Mourinho is kind of allowing Rashford to attack"
Rashford had always been attacking. Not sure where did you get this from

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WeAreUtdd August 13, 2017

@Mirain very well said, hard to disagree and good comparisons about Mata and Micky and what they offer and who they reminiscent. and I agree

it's more so that somehow I always seem to put him out if needed a change but in all honesty Mata and Micky are in a close call about that #10 IF we ended playing the Martial Lukaku Rashford combo.

whatever it is. we have options and if it's Mata Micky Martial or rashford in the bench. it means options.

@Marq

100% that's why I was very sad that we didn't go all in for Mendy. he was my #1 choice for the transfer window. MAYBE JUST MAYBE Luke Shaw surprises us, until then. our LB is not comfortable even if Blind had a good game.

GREAT START! great seeing Lukaku scoring immediately so pressure off. same Pogba pressure off. Martial showed Mourinho that he has some big balls a goal and assist in 10min. CMON!!

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Mirain August 13, 2017

Mobi

I'm pretty sure EVERYONE has been consistently showing gladness with what was on today.

There are always nuances and "howevers" in all things. There's nothing wrong with someone having something other than "I'm absolutely pleased with every single thing I saw today. Every little thing."

I personally don't want to see Fellaini at any point in any match for any reason. I also thought Blind was shaky in the first half. There's nothing wrong with pointing that out.

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MobiMulla August 13, 2017

Not sure why my last 2 comments didn't come up as supposed to..
First was a reply to ayodeji and second to u24

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Marq August 13, 2017

The only thing I got annoyed with was the team dropping the pace after the 2nd goal. So wanted Lukaku to get the hattrick. That would shoved some unwarranted criticisms from some "supporters" down their throats

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Mirain August 13, 2017

"Rashford had always been attacking. Not sure where did you get this from"

Goodness me. It seems you can't say shit other than "everything is going well". However in this case I was responding to someone saying Rashford would be better upfront than Lukaku. I've always said Rashford can play wide IF played as a forward. And in that case he becomes compatible with the main striker. And at that stage in the game it seemed to be Rashford was being allowed to attack as a forward. So no need to actually change Lukaku with Rashford.

But hey, it seems you have to be very black and white here.

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YusufIsrael August 13, 2017

Hands up! Lukaku signing is why I can never be a good manager. Kudos boss.

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denislawking August 13, 2017

Couldn't be happier.
Haven't felt like this for a long time.

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Mirain August 13, 2017

Dude you're the one attacking people for non events. If you disagree with what someone says just say so. I'm not seeing anyone making a big deal about anything except those who don't like to see criticisms. How do we even discuss if only one line of opinion is permissible?

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krossman x August 13, 2017

Can't believe someone said Lukaku is a terrible footballer on a Man Utd blog about a game in which he scored two goal.

Best match United have played in a very long time.

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United24 August 13, 2017

Got it Mobi.
It's ROM.
We just played well ( performed well) and won 4-0 ( got a great result, top of the league st all)
Everyone's favorite player (s) played and did well, yet...
When someone famous said " Can't we all just get along?" he was probably referring to us here. I guess it's what makes this blog unique...fun and infuriating, in equal measure lol.
But we love it here, don't we .

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Paul_Scholess August 13, 2017

@Mirain
I thought I was being respectful. It was a valid and honest question. Something that I might have missed. And I did not say anything shit about you or your comment. I was merely responding your opinion.

If I was trolling I'd have said something along the lines of "are you smoking weeds? you must be out of your mind".

But it looks like you are the one who can't strike a healthy conversation here, Mirain. And not me.

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Mirain August 13, 2017

Can we all get along is a very simple thing to do. Don't attack people unnecessarily.

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GenomexSoldier August 13, 2017

Great performance all around and a perfect start to the season. The potential of this young team is frightening. MaticVP

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Mirain August 13, 2017

Paul Scholess

Yeah I have no idea what you're talking about. Did I respond to your comment or mention you? I can't remember but I think you're mistaking me with someone else. Or you're confusing my response to another person

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Paul_Scholess August 13, 2017

Sorry I'm on two computers Paul = Tywinn

Danielxander August 13, 2017

This is the first time since before Sir Alex left we have looked like a proper team.

Matic was incredible breaking up play, seizing loose balls and passing it through the lines.

Lakaku getting some early goals.

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Mirain August 13, 2017

Paul/Tywinn

Both cases broken telephone and perfect storm. I think I was taken aback by the out of the blue "we won just be happy" comments preceding this and responded in the moment. My apologies for that kind of unwarranted tone.

But I also think you mistook my statement about Rashford given the context. I was saying exactly what you were saying. But in a different context

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Yusuf August 13, 2017

Well Well Well..

I’d give that performance a 7.5/10. Defensively in the second half, West ham were abysmal and boy did we make them pay? It makes a refreshing change to actually take chances!

The runaway winner of the MOTM goes to Matic. The Serbian Giant was immense. He made about 3 errors the whole game. I’ve never quite seen controlled aggression in a player like this before. He was dominant and it was effortless. He will turn out to be just as crucial as Lukaku and Pogba. United24 and a few others were critical of the Matic signing but i’m sure after watching him today, their opinion was changed dramatically.

Paul Pogba was his usual self. I think the boy is already world class and he hasn’t even peaked, he hasn’t even matured. Once he masters the art of simplicity, he will be even better.

Marcus Rashford- Like Mirain, i also underestimated him. This kid was electric today. He needs better composure as i find his finishing very poor but his over game is improving AND today he was arguably the most intimidating outlet. he had Zabaleta on skates.
I think Martial is the better footballer and was ecstatic he scored today. The composure he displays in ONE vs ONE situations is outstanding and he has that X factor to make something out of nothing. Rashfords directness though is very refreshing and his attitude is infectious and hope both get game time.

Redrom was his usual self, he is a goal scorer and he will get us goals. he’s not as technically gifted as other strikers but he will get us goals. Lots of them. Love the lad!

This team looks battle ready and i trust Jose. He’s had a good pre season, two really good summer transfer windows, a full season where he won two trophies … we’re looking good.

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TywinnLannister August 13, 2017

Mirain
No worries at all, we all have been in that moment.
And got it about the Rashford situation.

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Mirain August 13, 2017

Yusuf

Matic is a player I felt was underestimated and was wrongly perceived. Like Kante. These are very technical players who play with tactical intelligence. I was not against his signing but I was simply unmoved by it. I honestly didn't expect that kind of impact until I saw him in preseason. So I feel that puts me in the same boat of doubters. He has been class thus far. I'd say he can potentially take our football to the next level as Carrick did in 2006. There'll never be a higher compliment for me because until Mata, Carrick has always been my most important United player.

Rashford however I didn't doubt his potential. But I really underestimated his ability. He has dribbling potential that if he refines will make him a very deadly forward not just goal scorer. Over the last few months I have seen better control of the football and better composure in possession. I am now a full Rashford believer. I really underestimated his ability. He could improve and should but I'm even more excited about him now.

Martial for me is the better player but I think I'll disagree slightly about finishing. Right now Martial is the better finisher due to composure. But Rashford has this little style about him reminiscent of Ronaldo in terms of his shooting. He can be very accurate with ferocity and power. That's why I feel if he develops his game more he will beat Martial in terms of goal scoring range. It's a difficult one for me but Martial right now is the better finisher. And better player overall.

Which is both a scary and exciting situation. These two players can develop into serious top quality forwards under the right conditions. And we have both under contract. That's exciting. What is scary is we may be losing Martial unnecessarily to our own detriment and I'm not so sure he will be developed well at United with prevailing conditions. But the potential in both players is huge. If we end up spending gazillions on the next best thing having failed to develop these two players we should receive a transfer ban

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Poster_Formerly_Known_as_Lims August 13, 2017

The only thing I've got to say after watching the game is this is the baseline. This is what we should aspire to all season. No shackles, discipline, goals. This is the baseline for the season. Next up, Swansea.

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United24 August 13, 2017

Good points, Yusuf and Mirain.
Everyone on this board has had doubts about a specific player or two.
Heck, some have even left because they did not sanction our signings.

It's always good for all of us to be proved wrong. I'll rather be happy than right, and I hope it's the same with everyone.

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CR August 13, 2017

With Matic in the team I think it's enough with just one holding/defensive midfielder. I anther words we can play Pogba and Mata or Mkhitaryan alongside them. Too bad for Herrera who I rate highly, but Im sure he'll get a lot of game time anyway. Last season he was an automatic starter though, because Carrick was on his last legs and we needed extra protection for Pogba, but with Matic this need has been greatly lessened.

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TOD August 13, 2017

I knew the child would have a dig today but nothings changed, i stand by Rashford and Martial being far better all round footballers than Lukaku.Lukaku has good pace when he gets wrong side of the defense but his overall skill set is sub standard as long as he takes his chances then that's all that can be asked but if he starts missing chances the he's a determent to the team.Jose has to find away of playing Martial and Rashford because they're both full of pace and creativity two of the best young footballers in World football
Yes we looked good today because West Ham sat back and didn't offer much,playing against these type of teams at home has never been a issue in regards to tactics.The telling point will be in the big games against our rivals to see if Jose is going to continue with attacking tactics or if he resorts back to West Brom tactics and suffocates all of our creativity,if that happens nothing has changed from last season

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WeAreUtdd August 13, 2017

TRYING to change the narrative eh?

"I knew the child would have a dig today but nothings changed, i stand by Rashford and Martial being far better all round footballers than Lukaku."

This is not why you will get bashed for. LOL..
that's having opinions. nobody is saying don't say that. some might disagree with you and funny enough I think Rashford or martial could develop into better all around players also. but once again it's not why people laugh at you.

you are being bashed because you said you will leave if we get Lukaku. so. it's too funny not to bring your sorry ass into play. from now on. everytime Lukaku scores. we remember you.

WeAreUtdd August 13, 2017

this being said. please stay. I know being proved wrong is not easy to swallow but remember this. if lukaku continues this it means United is winning games. so as a true red we all need to stay here.

so please stay. we all have said things we didn't mean here.

ayodeji_oyewumi August 13, 2017

Haha look who is back wayne baker aka TOD...waoo.Must have been difficult watching today's game right???Anyways like WAU said support the team,support the manager because at the end its all about manutd doing well not about your love for one player or personal ego.Peace!!

Poster_Formerly_Known_as_Lims August 13, 2017

Not worth it mate. The less attention the better.

Zana August 13, 2017

I said this in one of the blog"Matic could prove to be one of the most strategic signing after Sir Alex departure" i still stand by it.

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Mirain August 13, 2017

I think Herrera will have a big say. In my opinion Mourinho excels in cup competitions. That means I'm sure we will go far in the various tournaments we are in. That means many more games. Herrera SHOULD definitely play many games. My concern remains Fellaini. His presence makes me very nervous honestly. Because I think Mourinho favors numbers in midfield and he favors Fellaini as well. So those extra games may end up going the Fellaini way.

Personally I think in terms of tactical efficiency, Herrera is better than Pogba. I love Pogba but he doesn't seem to have the tactical wisdom to balance out a box to box role. Especially in attack. He wants to be the playmaker and the orchestrator which he isn't very good at and this sometimes causes Mhki and especially Mata to have diminished roles. Pogba is everywhere and wants to do everything. Herrera has the wisdom to know how to better combine with players like Mata and allows them to do most of the creative heavy lifting. This results in better orchestrated attacks and better control in midfield.

So I hope Mourinho feels it is significant enough to prioritize Herrera over Fellaini. We really need to prioritize attack above all else this season and build from today. And Herrera is a very important factor in this I feel

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CR August 13, 2017

Team for next game please:

Martial Lukaku Rashford

Mata

Matic Pogba

Blind Jones Bailly Valencia

DDG

Really harsh putting Mkhitaryan on the bench but with all the pace up front I feel Mata will be slightly more important. The conundrum right now is how do we fit all our attacking players into the line-up? It's a good job we'll hopefully have plenty of games this season so everyone can get game time.

In any case, just make sure we keep Martial and slowly ease him back into the starting eleven.

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Poster_Formerly_Known_as_Lims August 13, 2017

It'd be very interesting if we get rose from spurs.

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MobiMulla August 13, 2017

Responding to me being critical of those criticising by saying you're entitled to your opinion is somewhat funny if you can see that side to it Lol

All I'm saying is not us nor any other team has ever or will ever field a perfect eleven or have perfect substitutes and even put in the perfect performance.. there will always be room for improvement.. we won 4-0 we can win 5-0.. every player scored, we can improve by every player scoring a hat trick, we won every game in every competition without conceding, we can improve on it the next year by scoring more.. you get the point.. sure you can say Fellaini coming on is a negative and we can improve at lb.. you can say we need to improve on DeGea if you want.. I was just trying to say seeing as everyone always has something to criticise like me saying we don't attack or Rashford should be up top and this is the first time in a long time we pretty much got everything we asked for in terms of goals, performance, attacking football, a clean sheet, top of the table we could just back off for a bit (collectively of course)

I understand the majority were just giving constructive criticism but it would've been nice if we just appreciated this and maybe at the next game in the build up we could just comment and say last game was brilliant, to do even better we could swap this player for that or do this in defence and do that in attack..

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CR August 13, 2017

To sum up just *some* of the positives from today:

1. The urgency

2. Matic. Stabilizes our midfield and gives more freedom to Pogba.

3. The fluidity and interchangeability up front. Big change compared to last season when our attack was so static and rigid. For me, this means 4-3-3 is back on the horizon as a viable formation, as someone like Rashford won't be shackled by the sideline as much even if he doesn't play centrally *on paper*.

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Mirain August 13, 2017

"Yes we looked good today because West Ham sat back and didn't offer much,playing against these type of teams at home has never been a issue in regards to tactics"

Yeah I kind of have to disagree with the entire statement here. West Ham certainly did not sit back. First ten minutes they had control of the game. I think when Mata tucked closer to Pogba and Mhki, we gained the possession advantage and began to dominate. But there really was never a point that I saw West Ham sitting back.

Also, last season we would have probably drawn a blank and struggled to attack. At home. So you can't say playing against these teams at home has never been an issue. Our tactics were all wrong. Our team selections were a disaster and the performance was logically poor.

".The telling point will be in the big games against our rivals to see if Jose is going to continue with attacking tactics or if he resorts back to West Brom tactics and suffocates all of our creativity"

I have similar concerns too. I'm less worried about the "big games". I'm more worried about priorities and changes in form. If Mata loses form for a game, it's highly likely his season is somewhat over. Same goes for Martial and to a certain degree Mhkitaryan. That's my fear and concern. Or if we concede two or three or more goals in a match, you can almost guarantee it's back to business as usual.

But my hope is the players who played today, whom everyone agrees SHOULD play, will perform at such a high level that it makes it evidently scandalous to sideline or not prioritize them.

And today was a very good start indeed. I can honestly say this has been one of my happiest days supporting United since 2010. To see United setup with that level of quality and play with that kind of mentality simultaneously. I'm praying that this continues a little longer than opening day and my dream is for it to go beyond Christmas. Top four or not this is the right way for this club

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m09538061 August 13, 2017

We knocked Huddersfield off their perch...lol

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CR August 13, 2017

I know it's very early days still. But considering what Matic brings to the table I think he's worth at least 150 million pounds in today's market. I'd rather have him than Neymar, even. Especially since we already have players like Rashford and Martial who are somewhat similar to Neymar.

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Mirain August 13, 2017

Mobi mulla

Fair enough. But I think most of the comments came in the process of the match. It's only after the match that anyone can breath easy. During a match I always get nervous around the 70th minute because I know what's coming. So it's normal to be annoyed in that moment and comment. During the first half I commented that Blind was a bit suspect for instance. It's a very minor thing given the context I think.

But I'm also not sure that if three or four days from now, some people will even accept any negative comment. We have seen responses like "omg, always blaming the manager/Fellaini"before.

But I get you. I'm very excited personally by what transpired today. Even before the match I was saying so. And exactly what I have been talking about happened today. Though I'm very nervous going forward, today can never be taken away so I'm content

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CR August 13, 2017

One question is how should we play if the opposing team parks the bus against us though? All the pace front will matter in that case. I suspect JM will use Fellaini in such matches. But if we play both the creative Mata and Mkhitaryan I think they would find a solution to create under such circumstances and that would force the other team to attack more, enabling us to use our pace up-front in counter-attacks again.

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United24 August 13, 2017

I think deep down, no one wants to stifle debate, but it's obvious that we are all so opinionated here that even after a 4 goal demolition exercise, some can not be "satisfied" until we score 6, Lukaku scores a hat trick, or Mikhitaryan is benched for their choice of first 11 to be fielded etc.

It's ROM. It's par for the course.
Just enjoy . We don't always have to be critical.

I'm thrilled that Fellaini and Lingard got to play at the end, how's that for a start :)

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Zana August 13, 2017

Question guys, Martial today made an immediate impact once he came in, that was a brilliant and well executed finish, but his face was not so happy. He looked frustrated, am I the only one who noticed that? What is your say on Martial and how much he must play as a starter? Isnt more natural to play rashford up front and Martial secures his left winger attack position in most of the games?

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Mirain August 13, 2017

Yeah I watched his body language today and he did not look happy at all. He looked very resigned with a "whatever" look. I think he is very frustrated with the situation and it's possible he could be very close to moving.

Who the hell knows? My heart wants him to stay but my heart also wants him to go. I want him to stay because he is a huge talent. But I don't want us to keep having this reputation of destroying quality players. He is too good to be in the same boat as a Lingard. If we can't or won't use him according to his value then we should not have brought him here and we should do the noble thing of facilitating a good move elsewhere for him. To a useful club, even in England.

I'm still holding out hope that things will work out well for Martial AT UNITED.

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United24 August 13, 2017

Zana,
Every great team has forwards competing for positions.
Isco starts in almost any team in the world, but BBC kept him out a lot. He's proved his worth still.
Thomas Muller, the 100m rated forward ( by LVG) had his butt on the bench a lot last season, and so have Robben and Ribery at times.
Willian is arguably, Chelseas most consistent player, but they won the league with him starting most games on the bench

Same can be said of top midfields, so I'm not worried about Herrera.

We have no other striker/ left forward.
Martial will go no where. He'll play a lot either starting or coming on!

He will not throw his toys out of the pram.
The rumors of his discontent or going away is grossly exaggerated by the media ( and sadly, some fans have fallen for it).

Of course, he'll want to start every game. I'll be disappointed if he doesn't want to.

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United24 August 13, 2017

If Martial starts most games, should our hearts tell Rashford to leave the club?
Or play Rash at center forward most of the time, and feel for Lukaku to leave. Or play all three most of the time and sympathise for Mata to leave.

United has always had options, sometimes 4.
Yorke, Cole, Sheringham, Solskjaer.
Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov.

If we could keep 4 "happy" by winning, we can do so with only 3.

[Okay, Berbatov was eventually unhappy, but I won't too, if it's Owen not the other 3 keeping me out. A similar situation may arise if Lingard, a clearly " inferior" player is the one blocking him]

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MobiMulla August 13, 2017

No point starting pointless arguments with childish comments like that..
Everyone supported and stood by the team.. some were agaisnt mourinho and almost everyone was against the style.. guess what? We were brilliant today and we played a different style!