Looks like Citeh are in the mood for giving Watford a monstering here

Stunned by how bang average Cities finishing is. Could have had 6 in the first 20 mins if they could hit a cows arse with a banjo. Sterling seems back to form. Lots of shimmies and shakes and then taps the ball directly into the defenders foot.

When Dennis? went down in cities box, he definitely took a boot in the shin. If it was Sterling, who would have gone down more acrobatically, would that have been a pen? Inquiring minds want to know.

Right! What’s the hell is going on?! A clean sheet and Fred scoring a screamer

😳

Could be your year binners. Crazy to think that’s Utd’s first clean sheet at Old Trafford all season. I’d probably be giving the new coach a 5 year contract on the back of that.

Crazy to think that’s Utd’s first clean sheet at Old Trafford all season.

It’s not crazy if you’ve watched our defence* in action. I think Fergie was still in charge last time we got a clean sheet. We like to concede at least one in the first 25 minutes

* the word is used figuratively in this instance and does not imply any actual defending taking place

Fred scoring a screamer

Into… the opposition goal? 🤯

I know! Seriously! MOTM too! We’re in unchartered waters here 😳

Oli’s mates in punditry always claimed it was the players throwing the manager under the bus, are the following months going to show it was the other way around.

Will be interesting to see how it changes in the coming weeks, doesn’t look like the formation is any different, or the starting 11, but i can’t see the new guy not fixing the issues ManU have without the ball, player wise, ManU have a great squad and starting 11, but teams have ripped them this year due to knowing and pressing their weaknesses.

January will be an interesting time as well to see who they may go for to be a little more solid, saw they were maybe interested in McGinn at Villa, if they got him the midfield would then be McMcFred

Gerard has started well at Aston Villa, I never thought he was clever enough to be a manager, but he seams to have done the most sensible thing of building a good coaching staff and empowering them to do their jobs. Rather than just bringing in some old playing mates and drinking buddies.

Leicester are struggling though, and they seemed to have made some sensible signings in the summer, some defensive injuries though.

Yeah, it’s a shame to see Leicester struggle, but it’s reality, they had a good run, but the other teams in the league are catching up with them, you now have 5 or 6 going for the top 4 and Leicester just aren’t in that group anymore, they’re in the next group of 6 who are chasing a high finish.

Villa are one of those now, they’ve spent big money to build this team, and had a decent core to start with

Oli’s mates in punditry always claimed it was the players throwing the manager under the bus, are the following months going to show it was the other way around.

Bit of both? It’s been pretty clear that the players had lost confidence in ‘the system’. Partly because Oli couldn’t find a shape and strategy that worked, partly because the players couldn’t figure out their own issues. When they got in that rut neither side believed the other could get them out of it. Even under Carrick the relief of the players that thing s might change was obvious.
It’s like a good divorce, it happens, it’s not really anyone’s fault, it just wasn’t ever going to work.

I expect there’s going to be a clearout in January.

It’ll be interesting to see who stays and who goes. That’s going to show if it’s actually the manager making the decisions or whether it’s still Ed

Martial, Lingard, Mata, Matic should all probably go in Jan. Pogba possibly. Keep Phil Jones as a very well paid mascot.

Gerrard as a manager – he’s cleverer than you think I reckon. Very pragmatic, I wouldn’t say the fare his team served up as Ibrox was that special but he got the job done, very good defensively last few seasons. Good point re the backroom staff.

Great second half at Goodison tonight – place was bouncing. Everton arrested an appalling run by showing some spine after getting two goals chalked off to marginal VAR calls. Richarlison and Gray were outstanding. Arsenal have their own problems by the looks of it.

The walkout protest has divided the fanbase as these things tend to do – I went to the game to support it, but it was prob a few 100 all in who left their seat. Majority prob not arsed and just want to watch the game which you have to respect.
It still precipitated the DoF hitting the road, and getting some media focus on the absolute clown circus running the club, so good momentum all in all. Have to see where it takes us.

They looked the business. Rafa brought Gray in, didn’t he? Astute.
Gomez being back will !make a huge difference, he is a real presence and has an eye for a pass.
If they can get the first choice players fit and healthy and keep them that way, I think they will be on their way.

I switched the Everton game on last night with a few minutes to go. Thought I was watching it on mute until Gray scored. Nowt like a vocal support and from what you could hear on Sky, that was nothing like a vocal support 😀

They looked the business. Rafa brought Gray in, didn’t he? Astute.
Gomez being back will !make a huge difference, he is a real presence and has an eye for a pass.
If they can get the first choice players fit and healthy and keep them that way, I think they will be on their way.

Ye we put a technical player in the middle of the park and get DCL back then we start looking like a football team.
It’s wildly optimistic to expect Gomes to be that player, unfortunately – suffered a terrible injury and was a 1 in 3 man even before that tbh. But things looking up no doubt.

Bit odd that Klopp plays a second string side but Salah and Mane still play.

They just said on commentary you get $3.3 million for winning a group game, so they were probs hoping they could nick a couple of goals early then take them off (which is basically what’s happened).

Mane playing I can understand, but less so Salah after Jota getting injured for 3 months in a dead rubber last season. Seems to have worked out though – what’s the odds on them both getting a bit of a hamstring niggle pre African Cup of Nations though?

Covid FC

Cor blimey, the Etihad looks sparsely populated. They can’t all be out on their bikes.

Penalodoooooooooo!

Interesting to see Chris Armas on Utds bench. Makes sense, he is a true believer in the high press. So much so that he took one of the best MLS teams and made them the worst in one preseason by trying to make them play a style they couldn’t do. Oh, and make the star striker so angry he ended up trying with the reserves.

Ooooooooooooh. Rangnick is a ‘cking genius. Armas is the one guy in the world who could get Ronnie to either press or walk out on his contract.

Good to see Manchester’s City + United, Chelsea and Liverpool getting the peno decisions for once and winning by the very same goals.

I’m not saying it wasn’t a penalty but if it was, then every single corner and free kick that goes in the box is either a pen or a free kick to the defence. Either alternate or flip a coin.

Well one things the same…

De Gea kept us in it again

To be fair, Norwich had Krul to thank for keeping them in it as long as he did.

Meanwhile at the the less glamorous end Reading are now hovering just above the relegation zone.

Benfica v Real Madrid
Villarreal v Man City
Atletico v Bayern Munich
Salzburg v Liverpool
Inter v Ajax
Sporting v Juventus
Chelsea v Lille
PSG v Man United

… for now

UEFA are on it and sorting it all out with their usual level of professionalism

EDIT: The draw has been declared void. They’re doing it again this afternoon

You had one job….

UEFA are on it and sorting it all out with their usual level of professionalism

More or less competent than the FIA? Or is that one of those paradoxical question type thingemies?

Sporting governing bodies are covering themselves in glory at the moment, aren’t they?

How can you **** up a draw involving 16 teams? Thats a special kind of special

Looks like they wanted to give PSG a diddy team.

I can’t see the need to redo it, Utd weren’t allowed to play Villarreal so they picked someone else, just wait for the other teams to complain when their easy draw becomes more difficult

As a Chelsea fan I knew that draw was too good to be true. Here comes Bayern.

no 2

Salzburg v Bayern Munich
Sporting v Man City
Benfica v Ajax
Chelsea v Lille
Atlético v Man United
Villarreal v Juventus
Inter v Liverpool
PSG v Real Madrid

Not sure it changes the nature of the draw very much. Chelsea got lucky again. Utd may have done slightly better out of it but not by much. Liverpool (slightly?) worse. City pretty much the same.