Agreed. Although the results haven't gone our way as much as we'd want, I've enjoyed all bar a couple of our games this season which is more than can be said for the last 3 years. Maybe that's just the bar being set really low after the tedium of the Van Gaal era but there at least seems to be the desire to play with pace, style and creativity, and I'd never criticise a United team for that.

This team actually reminds me a bit of Liverpool when Klopp went in there last season, the results weren't brilliant, there were some notable wins but equally some really poor results but the overall performance level was a marked improvement on what had gone before and over time it started to fall into place, and look where they are now.

Good win tonight, and I don't quite believe that I am going to say this, but it was marred somewhat with Rooney's booking, thus ruling him out of the Everton game, as he has been playing well as of late.

Looks like things are set up for a Liverpool v ourselves final, which will be unbelievably nerve-wracking, as neither side will want to get beat by the other.

Also am I alone in thinking that Adrian should have been sent off for his knee high challenge on Ibra for the first goal??

We have been playing the best football in the league for a good few weeks now, we just have not gotten the results that we have deserved, call it luck or whatever, but the simple facts are, we have been playing entertaining football for a good while now, and José and his staff deserve plenty of credit for that.

I've seen you say this a few times now, and it simply isn't true.

If it were, we wouldn't have drawn our last 4 home league games and wouldn't be 6th in the league.

We've been playing pretty well, and creating more chances than the last couple of years, but that doesn't mean that 'we've been playing the best football in the league' by any stretch.

Oh, and of course you're not 'the only one' who thinks that Adrian should have been sent off. The pundits, commentators and I suspect virtually all of the fans did, too.

We have been playing great recently, the only part that has been missing is the final touch, i.e. the goals (admittedly the most key and important part), but our build up play, our ability to create chances has been great, surely you are not denying that has been superb??

The drawing games, and being sixth in the league, is not telling the story about how well we have been playing, it is only telling the story of how poorly we have been finishing the chances that we have created, it is now probably well over one hundred chances to score in our most recent games, (upping the total goals now to seven from those shots).

You don't create that many chances without playing well.

Did I say that we haven't been playing well? No.

Have we been 'playing the best football in the league'? No.

Scoring goals is a major part of 'playing the best football in the league'. Ask Liverpool and Chelsea.

So you think you cannot play well without scoring goals, okay fair enough then, I totally disagree with you on that.

Presumably Swansea scoring five goals must mean that they played the best in the league for a while then in your mind, if playing well is mostly about scoring goals in your mind?

If we haven't been playing the best football lately just who has in your mind?

Why are you managing to do in cup games thought that's the current mystery for you.

Phil Neville saying that if you keep this up you will be in the top 4 but just don't see it.

Arsenal is the immediate target but they are always in the top 4 so I just don't see you picking up around 9 more points than arsenal

I haven't said either of those things. In fact, quite the opposite. You are utterly impossible.


Liverpool and Chelsea, as I intimated previously. You'd have known that if you'd actually read the post, rather than imagining what was written.

I'm not sure how you've managed to get all that from Jim's post, when he actually said nothing of the sort.

Come on Batdude.... You made one statement in an earlier post, that was extremely subjective and even most man united supporters would disagree with it, you then justify it by arguing totally different and irrelevant points and then don't even refer again to the point that other posters were originally debating with you..

Batdude would never admit that Liverpool and Chelsea have been playing better football than us so no point arguing.

Winning the league is out of the question but I wouldn't give up on top four just yet. Arsenal always have their traditional mid-season collapse, and City's form is patchy. I could easily see us going on a long winning streak if we play football like that and finish our chances. Do that and anything is possible.

Whatever happens though, we are infinitely more entertaining to watch than the turgid built-up under LVG.

We've got 25 games left to close a 8 point gap on 4th place 10 points on 3rd. Included in those games are matches against those occupying those spots. If we can continue with the form we've show and taking Batty's words and adding the one missing word.

We've been playing SOME of the best football in the league recently, and add some conversion of the chances in the league games we'll be fine and dandy. No one has played each other twice in the league, in fact with Chelsea facing City this weekend someone is going to drop points there. That gap to City could be down to 7 this time next week, or the gap to the top down to 10 from 11. 4th place and higher is still very much achievable, the fat lady hasn't even arrived in her dressing room yet.

The football we are playing is infinitely more entertaining than what we have seen over the past couple of seasons, has it been more successful? Our league position suggests not, but everyone seems more positive which is good, I hate to say it, but Jose has taken what we'd built with LVG's side and added some flair I can see lots of what we were doing with LVG in this team still, so whilst some mock I'll stick with the fact that it's more entertaining and when mocked over that and that being part of the "United Way" we seem far happier now, and await the results to come.

Hang on a minute, both of those sides have also been playing very well, and in fact have been doing far better than ourselves at the crucial goalscoring part, so I have no problem admitting or saying that, why would I??

That us not to say the build up play, and general standard of play before hand we have been found waiting, because we haven't, we have just been found wanting with that final crucial touch, that is all (which is darn frustrating enough as it is).

The only difference between the cup games and the league games, is the fact we are finishing off our chances, the actual play beforehand is pretty darn similar, as to why that is I don't know, as we really should be scoring about the same in the league as in the cup, seeing as we create a similar amount of chances in both competitions.

We need to go on a huge winning run in the league, something that we haven't done in a good few years, to really put pressure on the teams in the top four.
If we can (say a six or seven game winning streak), then we might see if we could crack those higher places, until then, it does look a bit of a forlorn hope currently, due to the frustratingly annoying amount of points that we have already dropped, which should have been maximum points.






It was subjective yes, but when you have created as many chances as we have, surely that is indicative of a team playing very well??

We have just been lacking on the critical final touch, which is the most important bit as I have said previously.

Arsenal haven't been convincing at all of late,certainly been fortunate with decisions as well.

Arsenal really have being lucky so far this season they have at least 7 points that they shouldn't have, there is the point they got against us when we battered them, then there was the 2 extra points they got against Burnley away when the goal was offside and it was a possible handball again they were poor, also there was a penalty they got got in the 90th minute to turn a draw into a win when they were poor against Palace and it was never a penalty. Arsenal despite what the media have told us have been average this season but unlike us they have had the luck, i just hope it runs out at the end of the season as i couldn't stand Arsene Wenger being all smug at the end of the season if they managed to finally win the league, can't stand the man at the best of times but he and the Arsenal fans would be unbearable if they won the league.

I'd prefer Arsenal to win it out of any of the realistic options who aren't us tbh.

Well.... this is going to contradict what I said earlier, but I think the difference between our form in the league and in the cup is due to the same factor: Jose. I think he's still sufferring a hangover of pressure in the league from what happened last season, whereas he has no fears in any cup and I think both mindsets transmit to the team. Mind you, this is one time I hope that a theory I've advanced is total and utter b******* and we have just been unlucky


This is one time I fully feel your pain.


I said this with LVG last season, that when people make like-for-like manager comparisons or league positions they always forget to factor in that other teams in the league will have changed as well - often for the better. If David Moyes had had LVG's team, I'm convinced we would have flirted with relegation and I don't think LVG would have had the clout to attract Pogba, Zlatan or Mihki or got them playing well enough to compete to the position we're in now.


I'd prefer Spurs. But they probably aren't realistic ATM.

Are Spurs classed as a realistic option, even though they are currently fifth?, If so, then they would get my vote (if not ourselves).

Interesting to note that the midfield played so well last night without Pogba.

I actually thought that it was one of Herrera's least effective games of late, although I put it down to him presumably being asked to sit deep.

Carrick always makes the difference, in my opinion.

The key is Carrick, such a shame that we cannot clone him, and have a younger version of him to rotate with the actual one!

Carrick brings out the best in the rest of our midfielders, so hopefully he will be there against Everton, and then can have a rest for the Europa League game, before coming back for the match against his former club Spurs.

Pogba should be fine against Everton if Carrick plays.

The bigger question is how do we fit Mata, Martial, and Miki into the starting line-up?

Easy.

Martial on the left, Mata in the middle, Mkhitaryan on the right, with Ibrahimovic up top.

"playing very well" is different to "playing the best football in the league" as others have said. Also, some of United's best players last night (Zlatan, Rooney, Carrick and Mkhitaryan) haven't got the legs (through either age or match fitness) to sustain the great football you played in the first 15 minutes over 90 minutes. Pogba is more laconic also when he plays.

If Mkhitaryan plays - and plays like he can - regularly then that's an added dynamism that will make a big difference as it's the sustained intensity that wears teams down and ensures more of those chances lead to goals.

Simply creating chances through possession - as Liverpool so ably demonstrated against Burnley - is no indication of playing well at all - we had 26 shots that day and were universally panned (rightly) for our all-round performance.

United's team balance was good last night in central midfield and in the wide positions - not sure it's a guarantee of success away from home though - and looks the best bet at Old Traffiord for getting at teams.