Mikky

We are 2nd best everywhere matter of time before it’s 2-0

What are those Scouse twats complaining about? Fk off

Always saw him as a Murphy replacement The problem we have is Elanga is really not performing - which means it might be a position we really upgrade in the summer

Hard to judge - seen these youngsters on the bench a lot but none of them ever get any minutes Then when we loan them its more often a disaster of a loan

When he’s at his pressing best - you are probs only getting 65 mins from him - it takes some physical effort

He’s gone up a level this season - no doubt

Put him in that RB spot please (until Tino is back) - then move him into midfield when he returns He is just on another level this guy

Hopefully just a case of someone standing on him

The problem we have with Gordon is he suits 1 style of play - the high press - even with a more possession based game there is no need for him to be this deep unless it’s a 442 and he’s part of the 4 - just leave him up the pitch as use his directness a bit more …

But that’s up to Howe to sort - is Howe not seeing the same issues as us? If this type of performance is being tolerated 6 months into the season, then that’s on Howe for me as we have an alternative in Barnes to offer us sometime else - like I said before, if he is ignoring instructions then Howe can drop him if he wants to … there’s no one holding a gun to Howes head saying he has to play Gordon no matter what - for me, the team and Gordon are playing as instructed to - we’ve basically been the same all season.

The biggest issue is we are too deep in our set up - note EHs first few seasons and how high up the field we were (Burn converted into the 3rd CB) - that in part helped our pressing, even it’s that’s a bit sedated now, doesn’t mean you can’t play 20/30 yards up the field - there’s enough technical ability amongst our back 4 to move the ball quicker upfield and get our wingers into better attacking positions Having Miley and Hall as FBs should naturally allow us to be more dominant in midfield

I just can’t see him being subbed for not carrying out instructions - if that’s the case he gets dropped - think it’s more rotation - i think he’s doing what he’s been told and that’s how it should always be.

Surely that’s on Howe? Seems like a clear instruction to me - I mean we are halfway through the season and it’s the same positional issue - if Gordon hasn’t been playing ball tactically, then he loses his place - quite simple - this is for Howe to resolve imo

But the point I am making is that they play closer to him and that’s how we should be playing, with the wingers higher up and slightly inwards - the other alternatives are we play with 2 up top (which EH doesn’t like) or continue as we are with a gap between the team and Big Nick - and that’s not exactly worked

He was a 10 for the U21s He then got called up to the senior team and played 9 - first few games they just bypassed him - they didn’t know how to play with him - Adeyemi is basically their version of our RW - then they changed personnel including him and played the likes of Wirtz and the two wingers closer to him - getting him more involved in the play and creating space for the likes of Gnabry (Harvey Barnes) to score more goals - they (Germany) also play higher up the pitch so it’s easier for Nick to get to the box We are freakishly similar to Germany tbh - our set up should be like theirs (4-2-3-1) with a high intensity build up

And there is your nail hit on its head - that isn’t just a Big Nick issue - it’s a team issue - how are you supposed to create anything when you are locked into that formation. I always see Nick surrounded by 2 or 3 players - most often he’s fouled - he’s not getting you goals in that system - look at Germany, they surround Nick so he isn’t isolated and when they work at attack he’s in the box That formation isn’t going to get us many goals and provide us with any creative output - to make it worse it’s leaves us open to opposing players breaking the midfield line and running at our back line

Can we not do loans with an obligation to get round things? Surely that doesn’t impact the PSR calculation as much? Just goes to show (and EH won’t admit it), that we got it wrong in the summer (well that’s my own view) - Wissa-Ramsey-Elanga - that outlay should have strengthened us and provided us with the answers to the questions we are currently asking of the team - there’s barely been a contribution from 2 of them and Wissa, the jury is out

Totally - not having 1 left footed winger is a joke mind - same in midfield - honestly ballsed it up with Ramsey and Elanga

Have you seen our shots when do have them - they are bloody awful bar a few via Bruno - no like Rob Lee back in the day

Not the co-comm but the main commentator in our game said Tonali and Joao Gomes were from the same country - could have sworn one was Italian and the other Brazilian

I really enjoy all the ex Man Utd players tbh - they contribute a lot to the pressure on whoever is the current Man U boss - love it

If the tactic is for him to receive the ball in the middle of the opposition half - right on the touchline - or play in a flat line of 5 when defending, what’s he supposed to do? Theres no identity to this team - it’s no wonder it’s a struggle this season - we play with the same pattern on each flank

It’s the way we are set up and our tactics in general - everyone in midfield and attack is struggling with them Gordon will always be scapegoated but it’s not as if Joe, Joe, Tonali, Ramsey, Murphy, Elanga, Wissa have pulled up any trees this season either We’ve gone away from a style that he was bought in to play within - he was very good when we were pressing and has had all his better games this season when we’ve played that way (Chelsea H)

Wissa, Ramsey and Elanga all concern me tbh - that’s a lot of money spent on very little return

That’s one thing - our play is too predictable - you know when we have the ball what the play is going to be, Hall inverts, Gordon stays wide, Barnes has it, Trippier makes an attempt to overlap - we are actually better when Miley is RB The midfield plays like 3 individuals - there’s no chemistry between them - they all do their own things - Joe links to the left - Bruno to the right and Tonali just runs around Woltermade is always in the wrong position