Football - 2023/24 Season

Surely even Arsenal can't bottle it against that midfield? Especially with that static defence behind it?

I'm not sure Bruno is fit and I doubt he's got 90 minutes in him. So at some point, if not from the start, they could be facing (and waltzing straight through) Mainoo, McTominay and Eriksen

They interviewed a couple of fans on Five Live earlier. The Arsenal fan was saying this could be the opportunity for revenge for the famous 8-2 and 6-1 drubbings that Arsenal have received (an awful long time ago) at OT. I doubt that as either of those scorelines would involve us actually finding the back of the net.

The United fan just said that all the way through the season we've been thinking it can't get any worse and yet somehow it always has. I don't expect today to be any different

I just don’t see arsenal being that confident at OT, think it could be a nervy win for them to keep the title going to the line, but not seeing 4 or 5 today

Can’t get any worse? Try speaking to a Sheffield fan

Yeah, but the Sheffield squad didn’t cost the same as the GDP of Norway

Anyway… I’m watching the Womens FA Cup final so I can briefly enjoy watching some United players who are actually fit to wear the shirt. They’ve started well.

Is it me or is this one hell of a boring game? I looked forward to the adverts.

Just back from the Albion, could have done with a goal but all to play for on Friday at Southampton

Utd have to try and get something from this game but they're just letting Arsenal knock it around. No intensity at all - you'd have thought at least they'd be trying to get a foot in, but they've committed three fouls in the whole game so far according to stats. One every 20 mins.

Looks like the weather will liven the game up. Should see if Steve McLaren has a brolly.

Fine,  let's get the red carpet out for city on Tuesday.

End of season clear-out starts early at Old Trafford.

https://twitter.com/jaymietee/status/1789722784567849276

If anything stands as a metaphor for the state of the club it’s the roof of the North Stand.  Its been pissing in rain for years now, without the owners feeling like they might possibly want to do something about it.

Luckily it doesn’t rain much round here 🙄

They can’’t even be arsed to fix the roof to keep the fans dry but they happily pay Martial a quarter of a million a week for a season where he hasn’t played. Again!

United did ok today - I can’t recall a worse starting 11 than what they put out today? Perhaps some of the line ups in one of the Fergie transition seasons, Kleberson, Djemba Djemba etc.

Kleberson, Djemba Djemba etc.

*shudders*

Yeah, Fergie wasn’t immune from making bloody awful signings. IIRC those 2 clowns were signed on the same day

The rain pouring through That Roof seemed like a metaphor.

Yeah, first thought was that they didn't do badly in the game, but to give ManU their weekly kicking the roof starts leaking like a sieve and is the story, they can't catch a break on or off the pitch!

Surely the leaking roof must be failing some public safety measures?

It always makes me curious when some teams have long injury lists - makes me wonder what they do in training to hobble so many players.

It always makes me curious when some teams have long injury lists – makes me wonder what they do in training to hobble so many players.

Too many FA cup replays 🤦

Regarding injuries - it doesn’t surprise me that Newcastle, Liverpool and Spurs seem to get so many, with the fitness demands of a pretty high intensity style. Training must replicate the match, to a large extent. But that fails to explain United’s injuries, given most players seem to amble out and are pretty passive during games.

Good question! I think some is down to style of play, injury is linked to fatigue and high intensity pressing type styles lead to a lot of fatigue and accumulated fatigue. I believe that's been Newcastle's issue earlier on in the season, as players get fatigued and injured others incur more workload and in turn are more susceptible. There has been a shift in Newcastle's intensity, it is much more measured now and wait for a chance to commit rather than trying to force one.

At the same time, NUFC quite publicly got rid of their sports science team / head physio mid season, so also signs that they weren't managing that loading and recovery well enough.

Not sure what situation at man utd is though....they don't seem to run around an awful lot.

Chelsea are statistically the worst affected team by injuries.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/arsenal-10th-man-utd-4th-where-do-clubs-rank-in-the-premier-league-injury-table-this-season-/view/news/437159

Can't be down to just style of play. Don't forget Chelsea signed Lavia & he has barely played for half an hour.

An interesting result last night. I wonder how Spursy Spurs are going to be tonight?

A comfortable win for Citeh tonight.

I've been proved wrong again with us beating Utd, although we didn't look that great really. All the cricket score predictions were a bit ridiculous. Sutton predicted 1-5!

All the cricket score predictions were a bit ridiculous

Not really if you consider the hoofings  that Arsenal have handed out this season, coupled with the same dire United squad conceding 4 against Palace less than a week earlier, which could well have been more

But to be fair to Utd - they always seem to play well against the top teams, as they like to dominate posession.

As soon as they play their peers like Palace they struggle.

Luckily Villa played with 12 men - their own team and Alexis Macallister who was unable to make a pass. Poor pass straight to a villa player that set Villa up for the first goal and what the hell was he doing for the second? In between that was a lot of hitting the ball at Villa players...

Enjoyable game as a neutral (who dislikes both teams equally as much).

But to be fair to Utd – they always seem to play well against the top teams,

I don't agree, IMO some of the scorlines have flattered the performances that united have put in against the top teams.

In any of the Liverpool players had put their shooting boots on in any of the games against us this season, they could have been in double figures by half time, they created so many chances

Luckily for us… Nunez

He is the new Forlan

Impressive before his move to England, clearly very talented but something is just not clicking for him

A Spurs fan has just been on Five Live saying the Spursiest thing that could possibly happen would be to beat Citeh tonight, to hand the title to Arsenal, then to go to Sheffield on Sunday and lose, missing out on the Champions League anyway 😂

nah the spudeist thing is to play well and still lose to ManC and lose on Sunday and finish below Chelsea on goal difference

So, will Spurs find a backbone tonight? I know it's the North London derby but I never thought of it as being malicious and hate filled like Reading Oxford.

Caher, you've never been have you!

Reading Oxford? Yes.

I’d hope Oxford v Reading wouldn’t be quite as dull as this

It seems to be taking place at walking pace, in a library

I think you know i mean The NLD. The history with Woolwich is extensive and feelings run deep.

Sturridge is such a poor pundit.

I think you know i mean The NLD. The history with Woolwich is extensive and feelings run deep.

as indeed it does with the TVD.

Were Spurs and Arsenal ever mooted to join up with each other to become North London Hotshots?

Sturridge is such a poor pundit

He’s an absolute quarter-wit. The only amusing thing is when they put him next to Roy Keane who just spends his entire time glaring at him with a look of utter contempt on his face

So, 5 in a row then?

Probably, unless there’s a bit of an exodus, Bernardo Silva, KDB, Kyle Walker. But they’re so good at replacing players.

Looks that way. Robostriker does it again

The spurs fans are making more noise and seem a lot happier now they’ve definitely lost it, than they did the whole game.

I totally get that though. Our season has been absolutely bloody awful but we put the scousers out of the FA Cup and then ended their title challenge, so you know… on reflection… could be worse. 😉

I could go into the reasons for the hatred,  the underhand dealings, but at the end of the day the scale of the passion and reasons don't always match.   Spurs and Arsenal are not just rivals, there is a true hatred between the fans.

Softie Southerners

Congratulations to Villa for achieving CL next season.

Spurs and Arsenal are not just rivals, there is a true hatred between the fans.

I've got 2 mates who are Spurs fans, they drone on about their hatred for Chelsea virtually all the time. They grew up in Reading.

Anyway… never mind all that title race and champions leagues spots nonsense, it the real business end tonight…

Who’ll get that UEFA Conference League place? Who’s going to be spending their Thursday nights in Kazakstan?

Now that's one game I'd deliberately lose. Having to spend the prior Wednesday in a bivouac in Kairat Almaty before the game.

Bring on the Euros, some meaningful matches for a change. It's quite unedifying watching millionaires fighting for scraps from the billionaires table.

so how do you think it'll go ? personally I think it's slowing sucking all  the Joy from the game.

There's been a lot of talk about scrapping it in Scotland. Decisions take far too long and there are still as many contentious decisions. It's probably worse in Scotland as some games don't have enough cameras for accurate offside decisions. It's not just VAR though, the handball rules now are a lottery and offside isn't much better.