18 Oct 2025 08:54:20
Morning Eds and fellow Reds.
What do most of us hope to see Sunday apart from obviously the win.
For me it's playing the right players for their natural positions and stop this lethargic slow build possession s###. But unfortunately I think Slot will be as cagey as f### and will not change much for fear of losing 4 in a row.
Be interested in everyone's views on 1:- What they would like to see happen and 2 What they actually think will change if anything.
Cheers all
Notsozippy
JFT97 YNWA.
18 Oct 2025 09:28:15
Beat case id love to see an exciting attacking performance and win.
Worst case a win.
Utd seem to turn up against us and we play the occasion and sometimes struggle.
Hopefully good performances for Bradley/ Frimpong, Konate, Macca, Wirtz, Salah and Isak.
18 Oct 2025 10:13:56
I think Arne Slot needs to speed the play up and start to demand more from these top players.
It’s all good when your winning, but when your staring down the barrel of 4 losses in a row it’s time to speed up this boring passing around the back and smash these Mancs to Bits.
18 Oct 2025 10:45:31
Truth be told I’m not excited, I’d like us to go back to the pressing monsters we used to be. The results may not have always gone our way but you couldn’t take your eye off the game. Now it feels like a slog having to watch us.
18 Oct 2025 11:21:36
We’ve played cagey football for the last 3 games and lost. You would hope that there was more energy. We are at home and it’s United. If you can’t get up for that then I’m lost.
As JK says, a lot of players need to step up.
18 Oct 2025 11:45:54
Good question notsozippy:
•I want to see the team build cohesion and consistency.
•I want to see players who are more used to playing together.
•I want to see Wirtz taking control of the attacking phase. I want to see his runs being picked out and I want to see him anticipating the runs of others.
•I want the defence to be tighter, it’s vulnerable in every department at the moment. Long punts from their keeper are not dealt with, players seem to be able to run at our defenders through the middle unchallenged, too many wide players are behind us and getting dangerous crosses in.
I feel if the defence is sorted then the rest of the team can free up a bit in possession and be a bit bolder. At the moment we’re vulnerable and that inhibits the way the attack thinks and plays.
We’re so far off where we need to be. We’re not controlling any games. Results have been good but close games. There’s so much involved in the results of close games it doesn’t worry me so much. The team needs to be better otherwise we’ll continue with close games - some will go for us and some against. We won’t get any dominant results until we’re better as a team.
None of this should be a surprise, so many reasons the squad is disconnected and ‘not match fit’. It’ll come but it will be a bumpy ride up to Christmas in my opinion.
18 Oct 2025 11:55:36
My starting XI would be
Mama
Bradley
Gomez
VVD
Kerkez
Grav
Dom
Wirtz (10)
Gakpo
Ekitike
Mo.
18 Oct 2025 12:16:57
100% agree Ron let's hope it all clicks soon before we're too far behind the other teams.
18 Oct 2025 14:50:21
I kind of suspect we'll see Dom in the 10 and wirtz on the left with Jones starting next to grav. Gives us more solidity in midfield in a game we need to get a result in to lift morale. I want to see kerkez given more license to go forward and Jones and grav sitting in if that's the case. Bradley is in great form judging from his performance in Slovakia, hope he comes back firing.
18 Oct 2025 15:06:26
I'd like to see some energy, players in their natural position and Grav sitting a bit deeper. Bonus points for a clean sheet and 3+ goals.
18 Oct 2025 15:24:00
I don't think the issues we are having this season are due to the players but more with the coach.
Sunday I'd like to see us getting the fullbacks (so Frimpong for me) forward giving support and overlap to Salah and whoever plays on the left. We signed the best LB in the league and changed his role.
Grav in the role that he did so well last year. Play 2 in the middle to stop the counter freeing the FBs to get forward and provide overlap and width allowing Wirtz more room and options.
I fear we're more concerned with defending long balls, set pieces and preventing crosses than letting the opponent worry about us. Slot seems to have a habit of talking up the opponent. We have a fearsome first XI yet we are not playing to our strengths. I think that needs to change or we're going to see more games go down to the wire and not always in our favour.
18 Oct 2025 20:31:31
After Arsenal winning i just want 3 pts. a 1-0 win from an o. g will do.
18 Oct 2025 21:03:53
Agreed. Win, lose or draw, I would want to see players in their preferred positions and I want to defenders concentrating and not letting the ball bounce, midfielders being brave and getting into space to receive the ball in risky areas and not making the easy pass every time, forwards making runs off the ball and getting crosses in when the opportunity is there.
Basically I just want them to do the basics of their roles as best they can on the day. That's all we can ever really ask for, and if they do that there's no reason to think this extremely talented squad can't get a result. But its footy and it doesn't always turn out that way, but so long as the effort and intent is there, I'll be entertained and happy regardless of the result.
18 Oct 2025 23:57:37
I just want to see the fullbacks getting down the wings, putting in balls for Isak etc. we have the players, take the shackles off, but get Gravy to sit more.
19 Oct 2025 00:54:03
I would just like some cohesive tactics. We've had no offensive press AND a high defensive line. It seems Slot has abandoned the press but not adapted the defense. I want us to go back playing the press and attacking with purpose. My personal opinion is that the problem is that slot is trying to fit in Isak and he really doesn't allow us to play that way.
Honestly, I'm really worried about this game. We've played down to united the last couple years and we're obviously struggling. I hate to say it, but I think Slot is going to be stubborn and stick with Isak starting, and there will be no press, united will play through our mid and over our high CBs and end up out playing us for large parts of the game.
I'm NOT looking forward to tomorrow so that says a lot too.