hatterson
Registered User
So Championship teams got a lower winning % than PL teams?
Not really defending OGS. As I said when he was appointed he isn't even the best Norwegian manager out there. But I'm not sure how anyone can expect any manager to so especially well with that squad.
As for the midweek game it obviously influences things regardless of who is playing. Same thing happens over and over again even with the "b team" is out playing in the CL and EL.
No one is expecting him to be challenging for the title, but it's not acceptable for United to have Draws against Wolves, Southampton, Sheffield, and Aston Villa while also having losses against Bournemouth, Newcastle, West Ham, and Palace.
People talk about United like there's straight trash on the team, but if you look at the actual talent on the pitch, they're better than each of those teams at virtually every position.
In regards to the midweek game.
1.) Sunday's game was against newly promoted Aston Villa. This is not Liverpool or City we're talking about.
2.) OGS sent 3 senior players on the trip, only one of whom would have been even remotely in consideration for a starting role is Lingard, but OGS made his decisions about the weekend and *then* selected the Europa league team. He intentionally left every one of the starting XI at home as well as the majority of the bench. He didn't just leave them out of the starting XI, he literally had them stay at home. For all of the senior United players save Lindard and Shaw, there was no difference between the midweek game being a Europa league game or the literal U23 team playing their usual fixtures. OGS also kept two of the main senior coaches at home so it's not like training would have been disrupted either.
And yet the best he could come up with was some weird almost 4-2-4 with Fred and Pereira in midfield which is basically guaranteed to fail if you've ever watched either of those players play for United.