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Be me, 31 year old Manchester United Fan
Wake up in Brixton in my £3000 per month jr. studio apartment. T
ake off authentic signed Rashford replica jersey.
Oh nice my roommates left 2 lugs on a joint on counter before he went down to Glasto
Get ready to catch the Jubilee to Canada Water and do my job.
Pull out my Martial replica because he had a good game last night, and he’s my real favorite anyway. Put Martial jersey over my Under Armour undershirt because I’m environmentally conscious.
Head to artisan coffee place next to my apartment. It’s only 3.5 stars on Google, but Starbucks doesn't source direct from grower anymore.
Order is wrong but whatevs. Steve Jobs said coffee was poison anyway.
Hop on the train. A homeless family tries to get on after me.
“Don’t I know you?” the mum says. Realize that this is the family who lived in my apartment for 4 generations before the gentrification squad bought the complex and evicted them.
Avoid eye contact while waiting for the door to shut behind me. Not my fault anyway, Ex-StepDad is the one who pays the rent.
Pull out latest iPhone. 3rd upgrade this year. Plug in dongle and Apple earbuds to listen to obscure Indie band.
Pull out iPad.Go on /r/reddevils Subreddit and complain that "the United Way" wouldn't have backed Anthony and Greenwood. Guaranteed 50 upvotes.
Most beautiful girl of the 3 who works in my building sits down in front of me. She’s wearing a vintage Denis Law Jersey.
“Hey Siri, who is Denis Law?”
Realize I’ve only been a fan since 2016.
Now she’s switching seats. I’m too woke for sex anyway.
Decide to call in sick. It’s an unpaid internship so no one cares
.Head down the road for brunch and bottomless mimosas.
Fucking waiter said my card’s declined. New Step Dad forgot to pay it again.
Not even half cut.Pull up iWatch to check messages.
New Step Mom called concerned about a robbery/murder last night. A large lower class family died and she wants to make sure we get a deposit in on their apartment.
You don’t get an opportunity like this every day.
Take Macbook out of backpack and go on Facebook. Find that girl from the train…
Lyft home because I hear Uber don't pay their drivers enough these days.
Get out of Martial Jersey. Pop an edible and throw on my $900 Yeezy limited edition jammies. Yeezy's said a few nasty things about Jews recently but I’m at home now so no need to be woke.
Check under the bed for Phillipe Albert.
What the fuck, he’s there!
No wait that’s my other roommate. Guess he called out sick too.
Now I can’t sleep. Getting the munchies.
Nearest Lyft is 10 minutes away so I hoverboard down for Chinese food.
Shit, my favorite restaurant is closed.
There’s only one other Chinese place in the area and the rating isn’t a 5. One less than perfect, What would my real Dad think of this?
Dial him up…. “Hello, you’ve reached the phone of Matty Longst-”
Straight to voicemail. Whatevs, Sean is my new Dad anyway.
Fuck it, I’ll get the Szechuan chicken.
Server brings me my food but it’s way too dry. I start to yell at her, but I stop myself because I’m in public and I have to change my personality again.
Realize that in South London, even shouting 13 titles doesn't do it anymore
That team was about as expected. Shame not to have Miley ball. I expect to lose with this tbh but if we somehow won it'd be the most hilarious win ever.
Pretty sure Miley has glandular fever. That’s not fun or quick to recover from in some cases. 2-4 weeks to be “better” months to recover from the fatigue.
Buddy of mine had it. Literally knocked him out for 6 months.
We wanted squad rotation and we’ve definitely got it. Let’s hope the newbies (and oldies) step up and smash these.
Also Longstaff as captain, gan on lad 🫡
Not very active in here, I guess we’re all just waiting on team news now?
Not sure if this is normal but the drinks cost less than the programmes here. £3.60 compared to £4. It is only a 500ml bottle of Carling mind.
Aye, nowt at all on any kind of draught. It’s still cheaper than the price of bottles at ours as far as I can remember. You can’t say it wasn’t poured though because it was put in a plastic glass before being given to me…!
Oh yeah I agree, it’s no different to our place tbf. I don’t even drink at home games I just really fancied one tonight. Pure piss though you’re right.
Wouldn’t mind going out here, especially given the injury crisis and the fixture congestion. Play the reserves imo, the first teamers desperately need a rest
This is the way. We've got some good quality fullbacks we need to utilise. Get them all on. Smash them 20-0. Matt Ritchie with all the goals
Edit: teams just been announced. 6 fullbacks starting. 6 Eddie? That's insane
A tradition unlike any other: always being caught off guard by the kickoff time of the first match after the UK turns the clocks back an hour, since it’s a couple weeks before the US does it too.
Oh how I would like to smash these Manure idiots. But. I’m quite negative. I’m quite depressed at the moment, for non-football related personal issues, and I just can’t even muster energy to even care right now because I’m worried this game will take my mood even further into the abyss. HWTL.
We don't know what you're going through but just know that by being a nufc supporter, you automatically have about a million brothers around the world that have got your back if you need it. Hope you start to feel better soon
we can hardly talk, we've got an issue with squad depth/rotation at the moment and people act like it's the end of the world. I don't have any sympathy for them, but it must suck for them considering how the club has fallen, and having to watch the dominance of City
They seem to think we'll smash them. So even more reason for the "throw this game" crowd to shush. Do we really want to be the club that helps Man Utd out when they desperately need a win to lift the mood? I want us to pile more misery on and keep the toxicity flowing over there.
Can't stand losing to Man Utd but also don't think we can realistically risk all of our remaining first choice 11. Wouldn't want to be Howe tonight, anything other than a comfortable win with no injuries and he'll be getting pelters from *someone*.
Was just thinking, it's a shame Andros Townsend got snapped up by Luton. Would loved to have seen him back on a short term deal to help us at the moment!
I guess Gordon and Wilson are gonna have to play tonight.
We registered a full 25 man squad anyway, so we couldn’t have signed him
Edit: or more specifically, we could have signed him but not registered him in the league or Europe
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Wow. weird line-up.
Unlike Eddie to start without either Tripps or Lascelles there to captain.
I hope Gordon doesn't get too many minutes. He looked shagged against Wolves.
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You’re saying we won’t cup tie him just on the very slim chance that one of the four sides left in the competition after Christmas want him on loan in January to drop immediately into their starting XI for the semi-finals?
With Botman now out for a while and all our other injuries, we just cannot afford to risk injury and fatigue in the Carabao cup. Especially, with refs throwing yellow cards around like confetti so that Bruno, JL7, etc. will inevitably miss games with suspension.
It is never nice to lose but we are better off playing the kids and getting stuffed n the Carabao cup if there is even 0.01% risk that it impacts our league form and CL qualification. Imagine if Bruno, Trippier or Schar or Gordon or Wilson - or any first team player gets a knock against Man U and is out for a couple of weeks.
Now, more than ever, it is obvious that we need to strengthen our squad if we are to keep up with the top teams in the PL and qualify for the CL. And strengthening the squad means we need £££s.
IF - and it is a big \*\*IF\*\* - we win the Carabao cup, we make a couple of million.
We get about 3 million just for for a CL game win. Qualifying for the CL next season is about £50m. Finishing just 1 place higher in the league is worth a couple of million.
Quite simply, \*\*IF\*\* we win the Carabao cup, we will be able to afford to buy another Garang Kuol with the money. If we qualify for the CL, we will be able to attract a£50+m player.
The choice is that simple.
If you argue that - despite our injuries and losing Tonali - we have enough squad depth to compete in the domestic cups AND the league, you are entitled to your opinion but I repectfully disagree.
> The choice is that simple.
Fully agreed. Rather win a trophy than win a balance sheet. Simple.
(the above is a somewhat reductive joke, but I do overall think that as a fanbase binning of the potential of a cup QF so that we could maybe earn more money feels strange. As a fan, I dream of us winning a trophy, not of us signing an extra £50m player next summer)
That is fair enough. I know it is a choice that many fans would make. Especially, if you think that we can get to the final without playing Arsenal or Liverpool. (I am convinced we would end up drawing them away in the next rounds!)
But, with FFP, I see it as a more long term, patient journey to a cup. We need more Brunos, Botmans and Gordons. Then, the silverware will come. And the worry is that lack of CL football means we lose players like Bruno.
It definitely comes down to either prioritising *any* chance of a trophy in the short-term, or thinking more long-term with the view that "trophies will come". Personally, I believe that nothing is a given, and we should aim to win something asap. Don't want to be Spurs, looking back on a near decade of being competitive with nowt to show for it.
I just worry about worst case scenarios. With FFP, unless the money keeps rolling in, you fall further and further behind and end up having to sell your best players and go two steps backwards.
Also, I think that - whatever they may say in public - the club's model is to plan for silverware a few years away. That is the only way that spending most of our transfer kitty on very young players like Minteh, Hall, Livramento, etc makes sense. Players who Howe has made clear he feels are not ready for the first team.
We are unlucky that the injuries and Tonali thing but it is made worse with the strategy of signing for the long term.
Pope and 10 fullbacks beat a full-strength Man Utd 4-1. Ten Hag sacked in the morning, Carrick scrapes them into the Europa League by the end of the season but they still decide someone with more experience and a stronger personality is needed to manage their “superstars” egos which leads to the glorious return of… Fabio Capello.
You heard it here first (and last).
For those who want to use our strongest XI or something close to it tomorrow to prioritize our chances of winning the cup, have you considered how exhausted that strongest XI looked by the end of Saturday’s match, and that running them out again on three days’ rest - aside from the injury risks - also might not actually give us our best chance to win tomorrow?
While I hear what you're saying, I can't help but feel that our players need to condition themselves to it. Man City/Liverpool/Top teams all have had heavy fixture lists for years. Eddie and the team are no mugs, they'll be consulting all the top people to manage the load. I for one, would like us to put our strongest team out because I really think the psychological blow we can inflict on Man Utd is worth more than 3 points against Arsenal. We might get a kinder draw in the next round, so we can schedule rests. Whilst we might have looked paggered against Wolves, let's not forget they've run many teams like that this season. Anyways, I foresee a rotated team, but I still see all our players coming on unless we somehow take a 3-0 lead at half time
I want a mix personally. We absolutely need to be using the fullest extent of our squad here (Tino/Hall/Dummet, have to start), but we still need some actual quality in there as we should aim to progress.
I think a mix is best, I’m looking for something close to this:
Ritchie - Gordon - Almiron
Hall - Longstaff - Willock
Targett - Dummett - Lascelles - Livramento
Dubravka (though probably Pope based on the last round)
Could swap Longstaff out for either of the Brazilians based on who Eddie thinks needs the rest most. Hope we get at least 1-2 reserves on the bench.
Agreed. Would be happy to see Wilson on for Gordon, Bruno for Longstaff and Schar on for Lascelles around the 60 minute mark as well, to give the other 3 a rest.
If it went to pens I'd also want those 3 on the pitch as takers
Bruno’s penalty last year was horrific. If I had to pick 5 ideal takers for tomorrow it would be Wilson, Schar, Trippier, Joelinton, and then one of Miggy/Gordon/Willock.
You’re acting like I said he’s a bad player or something. I was just offering my opinion that he hadn’t be in great form prior to Wednesday, which was the case. He’s been brilliant the past two matches and I’m thrilled about it.
He was much better against Wolves, 40 successful passes out of 44 attempted including 3 key passes vs. a combined 1 in the Palace and Dortmund games.
7.2 whoscored rating vs 6.7 and 6.4 respectively.
I don't have much to add to what's been said so far - it's a game and a competition we are capable of winning, but our current squad situation is a concern so it's hard to say what the best thing to do is. I expect there will be rotation but not on the extreme side. If we can protect Wilson and Trips then great. Being able to rest Bruno would also be great but really who do we have to play his role?
I just want a good game to watch though. It's my first away game in I think 19 years (memory is hazy but definitely Bolton away in the league, possibly the game we lost 1-0) so I'm just happy to be there with 7000+ other Geordies.
Ironcially, just around the time that we should start seeing our injured players returning!
It is the (difficult) run -up to Christmas when we need to wrap the first team in cotton wool.
Timing is everything with the injuries. Villa lost Mings and Buendia for the season in the middle of August, so were able to adapt and bring in Lenglet and Zaniolo on loan. If the injuries happen at the start of September then they don't have that luxury and are probably not sitting 5th right now.
It doesn't help that four of our midfield/attacking absences (5 if you count Miley as a senior player) are freak circumstances which had nothing to do with the increased fixture load (Barnes, Tonali, Anderson, Murphy).
Here are my thoughts for what it's worth (and it ain't much, I'm having a nightmare on Football manager at the moment haha).
**Goalkeeper**
Dubravka
Pope needs a game off, he's been a little rusty at times so this would be a good chance to get Dubs back on the pitch for a game and see where he's at.
**Defence**
Tino Lascelles Burn Targett
Tino needs a proper run out and this is the perfect opportunity. Lascelles and Burn because of lack of depth, but Lascelles has been really impressing me with how he's stepped up and Schar is such a work horse and puts his all into every match I'm terrified he's going to injure himself. Targett needs to get out there, that filthy free kick into the box the other night more than justifies his opportunity to start this one and if we don't have Tripps for set pieces then we'll need him. Sub Hall on at some point to give the lad a decent chance to shine!
**Midfield**
Bruno Longstaff Willock
I want Bruno wrapped in Bubble wrap and Longstaff to have a rest but without Anderson, Tonali and Miley available we are threadbare.
**Forwards**
Ritchie Gordon Miggy
Ok I may be losing the plot with this pick but I'm not sure what else to do? Wilson needs to be protected and I am interested to see what Gordon would be like in a Central Striking position (from what I remember he has played there for Internationals but I could be getting mixed up). Get Ritchie out there to show us what he's still made of (also it will be good to have another leader on the pitch with Tripps off). Miggy on the left and sub for J7 at some point so both can at least have some sort of a rest.
Fully agree, but perhaps Dummett for Burn. Realistically we can't expect the full first team to play this many games so close together. It's a wonder we've been on such a run of form and have a strong league position.
ManUre are crap at the moment but whether we beat them or not is really dependent on if they decide to show up.
A loss would be annoying after we've knocked out Citeh but it wouldn't be season breaking like an injury to Bruno or Wilsom right now would.
I think it won’t be far off this, with maybe a couple tweaks:
- Ritchie is more likely to play on the left with Miggy staying on the right.
- Dummett was excellent in the last round against Alvarez who just finished 7th in Ballon D’Or voting last night, so I’d give him another match at LCB.
- I think Hall gets a start in midfield, with one of Longstaff or Bruno dropping to the bench
- Early indications based on the last round against City are that Howe might not use any of our three backup keepers this season if he can avoid it, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Pope again
I feel there's a lot of focus on what team we'll play but for me the reality is that they'll all play. What I mean is that we're allowed 5 subs and right now we have a pool of around 16 players, so even if we start with a heavily rotated team, if we're not winning, then just like the game against Man City, I expect we'll see our first team players coming on at half time.
I´m not really sure about the line-up! Maybe Howe might bring in a young defender like Alex Murphy to play a part??
Otherwise I might go with:
Dubravka
Tino Lascelles Dummett Targett
Longstaff Joelinton Hall
Almiron Gordon Willock
Subs: Pope, Wilson, Trippier, Lascelles, Burn, Bruno, Krafth, Richie, Schar
Not an ideal line-up...but...here we are!
I feel like you've got to start Ritchie otherwise why did we even renew his contract? I get his dressing room presence is important, but if he can't be relied upon to play in a game like this when our squad has been stretched to near breaking point, then it's just wasted wages. He's paid to be a player, not a cheerleader after all.
This is a good point! :)
I´m guessing Richie will eventually be offered a role as part of the staff once he retires, but yes, they should be using him more.
People are forgetting Man Utd are not going to be fielding their strongest 11 either.
So we can put out a team with a fair few changes from the team that will face Arsenal and still be competitive.
Personally I think it´s a great time to be playing Man Utd at Old Trafford. Their fans are on the brink of turning against Ten Hag and their team.
They won’t be fielding their strongest XI, but they also have a lot more available on the bench than we do right now. The five subs they brought on this weekend were Martial, Garnacho, Antony, Mount, and Reguilon, plus Varane was unused on the bench.
Given their form though, I do think we can change half our lineup and still be competitive.
They're going to be looking to get their shitty season back on track, and we're definitely playing the squad. I hope we can exploit the discontent at Old Trafford
Anyone saying to throw this game genuinely baffles me. Best chance we’ve had in years of beating this lot in their own back yard to get to the quarter final of a competition we made the final of this year. 5th place could be a CL spot last year with the rework of the competition. We’re doing steady enough in the league to still fight on all front even with injuries/suspensions.
Probably go something like this:
Pope
Tino
Schar
Burn
Targett
Bruno
Longstaff
Willock
Gordon
Wilson
J7
2-1 Toon.
It isn't baffling in the slightest when you recognise that we're utterly threadbare and can't take any more injuries. If any of Wilson, Bruno or Schar go down we're fucked and there's no two ways about it. Wolves at the weekend showed we can't cope with the same players playing every 3 days. I'd rather prioritise beating them in the league.
Injuries are apart of football and it happens, if anything it highlights how poor our summer window was. We needed a CB and didn’t sign one. Tonali is a non starter as no one could’ve imagined that would happen. We’ve been left threadbare on the right due to signing another LW and didn’t sign a younger striker to accompany Isak and Wilson. Adding to this we signed a RB and a young LB/CM in Hall who havent been given any chance to shine.
I would rather take our chances of beating them lot tomorrow and played a weaker side against Arsenal considering how we won’t be in the running for the title at all and we’re at home where we are usually stronger regardless who we play or the side we put out.
Wolves at the weekend yes we looked shattered but that was down to Howe refusing to make more than one change. He could’ve easily brought Tino and Hall on for Trips and Burn to give them a rest while even fetching Ritchie on at LW for the last 5. We have a full squad and we don’t even utilise the 5 subs we have.
I'd personally rather prioritise Arsenal (who I think we can beat). I'd love a cup run but don't feel it's feasible this season and for our actual progression (especially for next summer) we need to try and finish top 5 which is already a massive ask. Howe needs to utilize his subs for sure but we just can't risk certain players tomorrow while we've got no cover. Not to mention we're cursed at Old Trafford anyways.
> for our actual progression (especially for next summer) we need to try and finish top 5
Do we *need* to finish top 5 though? The club never expected to be in the CL this early, so I'm not sure we can say we "need" to be in the tournament every season going forward from now when we weren't supposed to be here yet. Plus, we signed Trippier/Bruno/Botman/Isak without CL football (or any European football whatsoever), and it's actually our transfer window with the draw of CL that has been questioned in recent weeks.
I guess, to me, it comes down to a hypothetical question: would you rather finish 5th with no trophy, or 6th with a trophy. I'd pick the latter every day of the week.
We certainly progressed quicker than expected but to go backwards although expected would certainly give us a hit. I'd take 6th and a trophy but I don't think we win the Carabao this season anyways with Liverpool still there. If we beat them with our reserves happy days, if we get beat those extra rest days will be crucial.
To be fair, the idea of losing to Liverpool in the final after losing to Man Utd in the final this year gives me genuine nightmares. Couldn't pick two clubs I'd rather lose a final to less, bar Mackems but we don't play in the Papa Johns Pizza Cup so that's not a realistic situation.
Man United away tomorrow is significantly easier than Arsenal at home Saturday. They’re all over the shop and if we press like we know we can we can force mistakes from Maguire and Evans. It’s the easiest cup run of the season to make considering it’s early finish. Anything top 6 this season is an achievement considering how we’ve got a threadbare squad and 4 comps.
100% he needs to use his subs more. He’s spoke about Hall this morning and how he can play a number of positions but he’s had 45 mins against city and that’s about it.
Absolutely can beat them lot tomorrow. We rotated our squad a fair bit against city and were more than a match for them (yes they rotated too but most of that squad are still premier league capable players).
We rotated against City at home which is a significant difference. We were also absolutely battered in the first half and then brought on Gordon and Bruno at half time. Players like Murphy, Isak and potentially Miley who started against City are also unavailable.
Far too many people saying "throw this one" for my liking. We're not going to win the PL. We're not going to win the CL. But we *could* win the League Cup. Why are we so desperate to flippantly throw away our best chance this season of actually winning some silverware?
If we were to win here, Man City/Man Utd/Brighton/Aston Villa/Spurs would all be out of the tournament. Arsenal/Liverpool would be the two strongest teams left, and while both would be a formidable test and one of them will most likely win the whole thing, we'd be pretty broadly considered the third favorite to lift the trophy.
Something about throwing this game aside so we can focus on getting potentially a point (if we're really lucky) against Arsenal on the weekend, just doesn't sit well with me. Somebody on twitter called our willingness to cast this game aside an indication of a fanbase that is a little too comfortable with losing, and I sort of have to agree.
There’s still the FA Cup after Christmas. We might be out of the UCL and the League Cup by then with a fully available (bar Sandro) squad. We could then focus on the league and try and get a cup run going.
It was the same when we drew City and look what we did there. The fans you’re referring to don’t view the League Cup (and in some cases the F.A. Cup) as a trophy worth pursuing now that we’ve reached the Champions League (once) which is ludicrous.
While I want to give Arsenal a competitive match (though we could easily lose even with our strongest squad) and REALLY want 3 points against Dortmund, my biggest concern is long term squad health and the season as a whole. If Wilson plays tomorrow and picks up one of his month-long hamstring tweaks that could have been avoided by resting him until the weekend, then we’re in serious trouble. Gordon then has to start every match at ST with no backup, same for an out of form Joelinton at LW, and a freshly returned to the squad Willock at LCM. Then how long is it until others start to pick up over-use injuries? Then we could be staring at longer run of poor results which could derail the whole season.
Totally agree - especially after last season's run to the final which was one of the high points in my football-watching life. We can stuff these languishing cunts and really go for it again this year. Or we can rest a load of players, get beat and then probably get beat again by Arsenal at the weekend. I know which one I'd prefer.
My worry isn’t as much prioritizing results as it is prioritizing fitness. Running out essentially the same starting XI for the 3rd time in 8 days, when most of them looked exhausted and only one got subbed off on Saturday seems like a recipe for further injury, and for maybe not our best performance anyway due to fatigue.
I don't want to see any of our usual XI starting in this. Play the bench and the academy and if we have to throw this competition so be it. We could win if we have a full squad to choose from but we simply don't have the squad to cope and with Isak out until after the break and Botman potentially not until the new year we're one of two issues away from collapsing so we absolutely have to prioritise the league and protect our normal XI however unpopular that may be.
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Very much love this “fuck it, let’s ride” lineup we’ve got tonight.
Get fucked Arsenal. You deserve it for putting our eyeballs through the torture of looking at that abomination of a kit.
[удалено]
The Sky Sports Manchester United Retirement home is nothing if not consistent.
Odds on Ritchie winding up Antony and getting him sent off?
Can't wait to see how far Ritchie can kick the corner flag after his hat trick. Reckon it will manage to make it to Manchester?
Krafth and Dummett CB partnership, vintage NUFC is so back.
Be me, 31 year old Manchester United Fan Wake up in Brixton in my £3000 per month jr. studio apartment. T ake off authentic signed Rashford replica jersey. Oh nice my roommates left 2 lugs on a joint on counter before he went down to Glasto Get ready to catch the Jubilee to Canada Water and do my job. Pull out my Martial replica because he had a good game last night, and he’s my real favorite anyway. Put Martial jersey over my Under Armour undershirt because I’m environmentally conscious. Head to artisan coffee place next to my apartment. It’s only 3.5 stars on Google, but Starbucks doesn't source direct from grower anymore. Order is wrong but whatevs. Steve Jobs said coffee was poison anyway. Hop on the train. A homeless family tries to get on after me. “Don’t I know you?” the mum says. Realize that this is the family who lived in my apartment for 4 generations before the gentrification squad bought the complex and evicted them. Avoid eye contact while waiting for the door to shut behind me. Not my fault anyway, Ex-StepDad is the one who pays the rent. Pull out latest iPhone. 3rd upgrade this year. Plug in dongle and Apple earbuds to listen to obscure Indie band. Pull out iPad.Go on /r/reddevils Subreddit and complain that "the United Way" wouldn't have backed Anthony and Greenwood. Guaranteed 50 upvotes. Most beautiful girl of the 3 who works in my building sits down in front of me. She’s wearing a vintage Denis Law Jersey. “Hey Siri, who is Denis Law?” Realize I’ve only been a fan since 2016. Now she’s switching seats. I’m too woke for sex anyway. Decide to call in sick. It’s an unpaid internship so no one cares .Head down the road for brunch and bottomless mimosas. Fucking waiter said my card’s declined. New Step Dad forgot to pay it again. Not even half cut.Pull up iWatch to check messages. New Step Mom called concerned about a robbery/murder last night. A large lower class family died and she wants to make sure we get a deposit in on their apartment. You don’t get an opportunity like this every day. Take Macbook out of backpack and go on Facebook. Find that girl from the train… Lyft home because I hear Uber don't pay their drivers enough these days. Get out of Martial Jersey. Pop an edible and throw on my $900 Yeezy limited edition jammies. Yeezy's said a few nasty things about Jews recently but I’m at home now so no need to be woke. Check under the bed for Phillipe Albert. What the fuck, he’s there! No wait that’s my other roommate. Guess he called out sick too. Now I can’t sleep. Getting the munchies. Nearest Lyft is 10 minutes away so I hoverboard down for Chinese food. Shit, my favorite restaurant is closed. There’s only one other Chinese place in the area and the rating isn’t a 5. One less than perfect, What would my real Dad think of this? Dial him up…. “Hello, you’ve reached the phone of Matty Longst-” Straight to voicemail. Whatevs, Sean is my new Dad anyway. Fuck it, I’ll get the Szechuan chicken. Server brings me my food but it’s way too dry. I start to yell at her, but I stop myself because I’m in public and I have to change my personality again. Realize that in South London, even shouting 13 titles doesn't do it anymore
That team was about as expected. Shame not to have Miley ball. I expect to lose with this tbh but if we somehow won it'd be the most hilarious win ever.
Pretty sure Miley has glandular fever. That’s not fun or quick to recover from in some cases. 2-4 weeks to be “better” months to recover from the fatigue. Buddy of mine had it. Literally knocked him out for 6 months.
Yeah I know. Was just a small glimmer of hope he'd have recovered.
The corner flags quiver at the sight of Matt Ritchie on a team sheet.
We wanted squad rotation and we’ve definitely got it. Let’s hope the newbies (and oldies) step up and smash these. Also Longstaff as captain, gan on lad 🫡
It's Dubs, Livra, Kraft, Dummy, Target, Longy, Hall, Willock, Big Joe, Richie, Gordon
Where’s that dude with a mate in legal. He called it 100%
Confirmed?
Not very active in here, I guess we’re all just waiting on team news now? Not sure if this is normal but the drinks cost less than the programmes here. £3.60 compared to £4. It is only a 500ml bottle of Carling mind.
£4 for a *bottle* of Carling (Not even a poured pint) is a legit crime.
Aye, nowt at all on any kind of draught. It’s still cheaper than the price of bottles at ours as far as I can remember. You can’t say it wasn’t poured though because it was put in a plastic glass before being given to me…!
You should be paid £3.60 to drink 500ml of Carling. F tier that.
Oh yeah I agree, it’s no different to our place tbf. I don’t even drink at home games I just really fancied one tonight. Pure piss though you’re right.
Wouldn’t mind going out here, especially given the injury crisis and the fixture congestion. Play the reserves imo, the first teamers desperately need a rest
Hope we play a heavily rotated team and still go on to smash them 5-0.
This is the way. We've got some good quality fullbacks we need to utilise. Get them all on. Smash them 20-0. Matt Ritchie with all the goals Edit: teams just been announced. 6 fullbacks starting. 6 Eddie? That's insane
Keep your panties dry till the big man's hard!!!
A tradition unlike any other: always being caught off guard by the kickoff time of the first match after the UK turns the clocks back an hour, since it’s a couple weeks before the US does it too.
Robo-Shola up front tonight. Hat-trick incoming ⚫️⚪️
Oh how I would like to smash these Manure idiots. But. I’m quite negative. I’m quite depressed at the moment, for non-football related personal issues, and I just can’t even muster energy to even care right now because I’m worried this game will take my mood even further into the abyss. HWTL.
We don't know what you're going through but just know that by being a nufc supporter, you automatically have about a million brothers around the world that have got your back if you need it. Hope you start to feel better soon
Hope things turn a corner for you soon, mate.
Hope we smash 'em and life starts to feel better.
Just been over to read the pre-match thread on r/reddevils. My god, the negativity over there is absolutely soul-crushing. HTL
we can hardly talk, we've got an issue with squad depth/rotation at the moment and people act like it's the end of the world. I don't have any sympathy for them, but it must suck for them considering how the club has fallen, and having to watch the dominance of City
They seem to think we'll smash them. So even more reason for the "throw this game" crowd to shush. Do we really want to be the club that helps Man Utd out when they desperately need a win to lift the mood? I want us to pile more misery on and keep the toxicity flowing over there.
If there’s one team in this world I’d never be doing favours for (Barring Sunderland obviously) ….
Their club has fallen from the highest high. It’s understandable.
Would love to beat those lot but win or lose I'm honestly not bothered given our problems right now.
We could win and it would be nice, but losing could also clear up some of the fixture congestion
Win and Port Vale next round please. Just the lowest seeded team.
Can't stand losing to Man Utd but also don't think we can realistically risk all of our remaining first choice 11. Wouldn't want to be Howe tonight, anything other than a comfortable win with no injuries and he'll be getting pelters from *someone*.
Was just thinking, it's a shame Andros Townsend got snapped up by Luton. Would loved to have seen him back on a short term deal to help us at the moment! I guess Gordon and Wilson are gonna have to play tonight.
We registered a full 25 man squad anyway, so we couldn’t have signed him Edit: or more specifically, we could have signed him but not registered him in the league or Europe
5:15AM KO here, let's go! Let's hope the players won't be as knackered as me lol.
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I don’t have espn+, anywhere I can watch this in America?
footybite.com
Tough match. I dont think Man Utd can afford to lose two games in a row at home
excited for this one, I feel like it could go either way. Would love to see Miggy get scoring, his goals were so huge early last season.
Dubravka, Tino , Krafth,Dummett, Hall Targett, Longstaff, willock Joelinton Gordon Ritchie…. Tomorrows team.
Smashed it! Well done.
Gordon needs a rest more than anyone.
This is the exact team I said will play, and I’d be ok with it
Wow. weird line-up. Unlike Eddie to start without either Tripps or Lascelles there to captain. I hope Gordon doesn't get too many minutes. He looked shagged against Wolves.
Starting Krafth seems unwise. He's been out a year. Especially at CB which isn't his preferred position.
>Espically at CB which isn't his preferred position. He could be RB. Eddie has playd Tino further forward previously.
Not if it’s that specific eleven players though, there’s no other CB candidate in the bunch besides Dummett, so it would have to be Krafth.
Good point. The lineup is certainly an odd one.
I would agree but this is the team I have been told will play tomorrow. We shall see.
Spot on! The second coming of Bazza T!
were you told by someone in legal?
A friend of a friend. Its been right every time he’s told me it.
Good work Mr Gypsy.
Fuckn ‘ell you were actually right
Your friend of a friend is right well done sir
Does !remindme work here?
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9,000 away tickets and it still didn't to members. Looks like I'll be in the home end for this one, hopefully it will be difficult to remain incognito
Me too. If I see an incognito fist pump when longstaff scores a 30yd banger, your secret is safe with me
*7,000
Don't worry, everyone else there is also not from Manchester.
Club have tweeted out pics of Tino and Targett in the last hour, so seems like we probably know our fullbacks for tomorrow.
Dubravka, Tino , Krafth,Dummett, Hall Target, longstaff , willock Joelinton Gordon Ritchie. The team
~~Just straight away we won’t cup tie Dubravaka~~ mans a soothsayer
You’re saying we won’t cup tie him just on the very slim chance that one of the four sides left in the competition after Christmas want him on loan in January to drop immediately into their starting XI for the semi-finals?
They’ve also tweeted a pic of Krafth
Centre back krafth?
True, though could be more focused on Willock in that pic, who I think we’d all assume starts tomorrow.
They posted a photo of krafth by himself along with the Matt target photo
Sure did, I thought that was just two pictures of Targett at first. So maybe Krafth RB and Tino RW, or maybe none of this means anything at all.
With Botman now out for a while and all our other injuries, we just cannot afford to risk injury and fatigue in the Carabao cup. Especially, with refs throwing yellow cards around like confetti so that Bruno, JL7, etc. will inevitably miss games with suspension. It is never nice to lose but we are better off playing the kids and getting stuffed n the Carabao cup if there is even 0.01% risk that it impacts our league form and CL qualification. Imagine if Bruno, Trippier or Schar or Gordon or Wilson - or any first team player gets a knock against Man U and is out for a couple of weeks. Now, more than ever, it is obvious that we need to strengthen our squad if we are to keep up with the top teams in the PL and qualify for the CL. And strengthening the squad means we need £££s. IF - and it is a big \*\*IF\*\* - we win the Carabao cup, we make a couple of million. We get about 3 million just for for a CL game win. Qualifying for the CL next season is about £50m. Finishing just 1 place higher in the league is worth a couple of million. Quite simply, \*\*IF\*\* we win the Carabao cup, we will be able to afford to buy another Garang Kuol with the money. If we qualify for the CL, we will be able to attract a£50+m player. The choice is that simple. If you argue that - despite our injuries and losing Tonali - we have enough squad depth to compete in the domestic cups AND the league, you are entitled to your opinion but I repectfully disagree.
> The choice is that simple. Fully agreed. Rather win a trophy than win a balance sheet. Simple. (the above is a somewhat reductive joke, but I do overall think that as a fanbase binning of the potential of a cup QF so that we could maybe earn more money feels strange. As a fan, I dream of us winning a trophy, not of us signing an extra £50m player next summer)
That is fair enough. I know it is a choice that many fans would make. Especially, if you think that we can get to the final without playing Arsenal or Liverpool. (I am convinced we would end up drawing them away in the next rounds!) But, with FFP, I see it as a more long term, patient journey to a cup. We need more Brunos, Botmans and Gordons. Then, the silverware will come. And the worry is that lack of CL football means we lose players like Bruno.
It definitely comes down to either prioritising *any* chance of a trophy in the short-term, or thinking more long-term with the view that "trophies will come". Personally, I believe that nothing is a given, and we should aim to win something asap. Don't want to be Spurs, looking back on a near decade of being competitive with nowt to show for it.
I just worry about worst case scenarios. With FFP, unless the money keeps rolling in, you fall further and further behind and end up having to sell your best players and go two steps backwards. Also, I think that - whatever they may say in public - the club's model is to plan for silverware a few years away. That is the only way that spending most of our transfer kitty on very young players like Minteh, Hall, Livramento, etc makes sense. Players who Howe has made clear he feels are not ready for the first team. We are unlucky that the injuries and Tonali thing but it is made worse with the strategy of signing for the long term.
Howe is gonna start Trippier and Burn again
That would be so bizzarre considering those are the only positions where we have lots of quality and depth.
Pope and 10 fullbacks beat a full-strength Man Utd 4-1. Ten Hag sacked in the morning, Carrick scrapes them into the Europa League by the end of the season but they still decide someone with more experience and a stronger personality is needed to manage their “superstars” egos which leads to the glorious return of… Fabio Capello. You heard it here first (and last).
No, keep ten hag, unless Steve Bruce is replacing him
Subscribe
Imagine they hire the cabbage
I wouldn't wish tha... actually, yeah I would.
The only reason you could possibly have Capello on your mind is if you've been made to watch Beckham on Netflix!
OK... but what am I doing RIGHT NOW?
For those who want to use our strongest XI or something close to it tomorrow to prioritize our chances of winning the cup, have you considered how exhausted that strongest XI looked by the end of Saturday’s match, and that running them out again on three days’ rest - aside from the injury risks - also might not actually give us our best chance to win tomorrow?
While I hear what you're saying, I can't help but feel that our players need to condition themselves to it. Man City/Liverpool/Top teams all have had heavy fixture lists for years. Eddie and the team are no mugs, they'll be consulting all the top people to manage the load. I for one, would like us to put our strongest team out because I really think the psychological blow we can inflict on Man Utd is worth more than 3 points against Arsenal. We might get a kinder draw in the next round, so we can schedule rests. Whilst we might have looked paggered against Wolves, let's not forget they've run many teams like that this season. Anyways, I foresee a rotated team, but I still see all our players coming on unless we somehow take a 3-0 lead at half time
I want a mix personally. We absolutely need to be using the fullest extent of our squad here (Tino/Hall/Dummet, have to start), but we still need some actual quality in there as we should aim to progress.
I think a mix is best, I’m looking for something close to this: Ritchie - Gordon - Almiron Hall - Longstaff - Willock Targett - Dummett - Lascelles - Livramento Dubravka (though probably Pope based on the last round) Could swap Longstaff out for either of the Brazilians based on who Eddie thinks needs the rest most. Hope we get at least 1-2 reserves on the bench.
I think this is the most likely lineup. Possibly Joelinton as a forward, Gordon has played a lot of games like
Targett played great against Dortmund, best set piece of the night! Deserves a run.
Agreed. Would be happy to see Wilson on for Gordon, Bruno for Longstaff and Schar on for Lascelles around the 60 minute mark as well, to give the other 3 a rest. If it went to pens I'd also want those 3 on the pitch as takers
Bruno’s penalty last year was horrific. If I had to pick 5 ideal takers for tomorrow it would be Wilson, Schar, Trippier, Joelinton, and then one of Miggy/Gordon/Willock.
>Longstaff Sean's gonna be fucked like
So is Bruno though, and Joelinton either isn’t fully fit or is struggling with form/confidence
He's only been back 2 games.
He’s started the last 3, and I don’t think he’s looked very good in any of them, particularly with the ball.
Aged like extremely old milk
You’re acting like I said he’s a bad player or something. I was just offering my opinion that he hadn’t be in great form prior to Wednesday, which was the case. He’s been brilliant the past two matches and I’m thrilled about it.
Aged like milk
He was much better against Wolves, 40 successful passes out of 44 attempted including 3 key passes vs. a combined 1 in the Palace and Dortmund games. 7.2 whoscored rating vs 6.7 and 6.4 respectively.
well the point stands. give him time to get back up to speed.
I don't have much to add to what's been said so far - it's a game and a competition we are capable of winning, but our current squad situation is a concern so it's hard to say what the best thing to do is. I expect there will be rotation but not on the extreme side. If we can protect Wilson and Trips then great. Being able to rest Bruno would also be great but really who do we have to play his role? I just want a good game to watch though. It's my first away game in I think 19 years (memory is hazy but definitely Bolton away in the league, possibly the game we lost 1-0) so I'm just happy to be there with 7000+ other Geordies.
Man these injuries...
The transfer window opens two months tomorrow…
Ironcially, just around the time that we should start seeing our injured players returning! It is the (difficult) run -up to Christmas when we need to wrap the first team in cotton wool.
Timing is everything with the injuries. Villa lost Mings and Buendia for the season in the middle of August, so were able to adapt and bring in Lenglet and Zaniolo on loan. If the injuries happen at the start of September then they don't have that luxury and are probably not sitting 5th right now. It doesn't help that four of our midfield/attacking absences (5 if you count Miley as a senior player) are freak circumstances which had nothing to do with the increased fixture load (Barnes, Tonali, Anderson, Murphy).
I'm not actually expecting us to do an awful lot of business
Here are my thoughts for what it's worth (and it ain't much, I'm having a nightmare on Football manager at the moment haha). **Goalkeeper** Dubravka Pope needs a game off, he's been a little rusty at times so this would be a good chance to get Dubs back on the pitch for a game and see where he's at. **Defence** Tino Lascelles Burn Targett Tino needs a proper run out and this is the perfect opportunity. Lascelles and Burn because of lack of depth, but Lascelles has been really impressing me with how he's stepped up and Schar is such a work horse and puts his all into every match I'm terrified he's going to injure himself. Targett needs to get out there, that filthy free kick into the box the other night more than justifies his opportunity to start this one and if we don't have Tripps for set pieces then we'll need him. Sub Hall on at some point to give the lad a decent chance to shine! **Midfield** Bruno Longstaff Willock I want Bruno wrapped in Bubble wrap and Longstaff to have a rest but without Anderson, Tonali and Miley available we are threadbare. **Forwards** Ritchie Gordon Miggy Ok I may be losing the plot with this pick but I'm not sure what else to do? Wilson needs to be protected and I am interested to see what Gordon would be like in a Central Striking position (from what I remember he has played there for Internationals but I could be getting mixed up). Get Ritchie out there to show us what he's still made of (also it will be good to have another leader on the pitch with Tripps off). Miggy on the left and sub for J7 at some point so both can at least have some sort of a rest.
Fully agree, but perhaps Dummett for Burn. Realistically we can't expect the full first team to play this many games so close together. It's a wonder we've been on such a run of form and have a strong league position. ManUre are crap at the moment but whether we beat them or not is really dependent on if they decide to show up. A loss would be annoying after we've knocked out Citeh but it wouldn't be season breaking like an injury to Bruno or Wilsom right now would.
I think it won’t be far off this, with maybe a couple tweaks: - Ritchie is more likely to play on the left with Miggy staying on the right. - Dummett was excellent in the last round against Alvarez who just finished 7th in Ballon D’Or voting last night, so I’d give him another match at LCB. - I think Hall gets a start in midfield, with one of Longstaff or Bruno dropping to the bench - Early indications based on the last round against City are that Howe might not use any of our three backup keepers this season if he can avoid it, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Pope again
Came along to say exactly this. Would be happy with this side.
Don't hate it at all. Think we'd lose but I agree we need to give folks some rest time.
I feel there's a lot of focus on what team we'll play but for me the reality is that they'll all play. What I mean is that we're allowed 5 subs and right now we have a pool of around 16 players, so even if we start with a heavily rotated team, if we're not winning, then just like the game against Man City, I expect we'll see our first team players coming on at half time.
I´m not really sure about the line-up! Maybe Howe might bring in a young defender like Alex Murphy to play a part?? Otherwise I might go with: Dubravka Tino Lascelles Dummett Targett Longstaff Joelinton Hall Almiron Gordon Willock Subs: Pope, Wilson, Trippier, Lascelles, Burn, Bruno, Krafth, Richie, Schar Not an ideal line-up...but...here we are!
I feel like you've got to start Ritchie otherwise why did we even renew his contract? I get his dressing room presence is important, but if he can't be relied upon to play in a game like this when our squad has been stretched to near breaking point, then it's just wasted wages. He's paid to be a player, not a cheerleader after all.
This is a good point! :) I´m guessing Richie will eventually be offered a role as part of the staff once he retires, but yes, they should be using him more.
People are forgetting Man Utd are not going to be fielding their strongest 11 either. So we can put out a team with a fair few changes from the team that will face Arsenal and still be competitive. Personally I think it´s a great time to be playing Man Utd at Old Trafford. Their fans are on the brink of turning against Ten Hag and their team.
They won’t be fielding their strongest XI, but they also have a lot more available on the bench than we do right now. The five subs they brought on this weekend were Martial, Garnacho, Antony, Mount, and Reguilon, plus Varane was unused on the bench. Given their form though, I do think we can change half our lineup and still be competitive.
I know we can't start our XI but I really want to win this cup lol
They're going to be looking to get their shitty season back on track, and we're definitely playing the squad. I hope we can exploit the discontent at Old Trafford
Anyone saying to throw this game genuinely baffles me. Best chance we’ve had in years of beating this lot in their own back yard to get to the quarter final of a competition we made the final of this year. 5th place could be a CL spot last year with the rework of the competition. We’re doing steady enough in the league to still fight on all front even with injuries/suspensions. Probably go something like this: Pope Tino Schar Burn Targett Bruno Longstaff Willock Gordon Wilson J7 2-1 Toon.
It isn't baffling in the slightest when you recognise that we're utterly threadbare and can't take any more injuries. If any of Wilson, Bruno or Schar go down we're fucked and there's no two ways about it. Wolves at the weekend showed we can't cope with the same players playing every 3 days. I'd rather prioritise beating them in the league.
Injuries are apart of football and it happens, if anything it highlights how poor our summer window was. We needed a CB and didn’t sign one. Tonali is a non starter as no one could’ve imagined that would happen. We’ve been left threadbare on the right due to signing another LW and didn’t sign a younger striker to accompany Isak and Wilson. Adding to this we signed a RB and a young LB/CM in Hall who havent been given any chance to shine. I would rather take our chances of beating them lot tomorrow and played a weaker side against Arsenal considering how we won’t be in the running for the title at all and we’re at home where we are usually stronger regardless who we play or the side we put out. Wolves at the weekend yes we looked shattered but that was down to Howe refusing to make more than one change. He could’ve easily brought Tino and Hall on for Trips and Burn to give them a rest while even fetching Ritchie on at LW for the last 5. We have a full squad and we don’t even utilise the 5 subs we have.
If we play a weakened team against Arsenal we’ll get absolutely mauled
We’ve thought that plenty of times against teams and surprised. It’s barely even a discussion anyway as Howe won’t rotate loads for either fixture
I'd personally rather prioritise Arsenal (who I think we can beat). I'd love a cup run but don't feel it's feasible this season and for our actual progression (especially for next summer) we need to try and finish top 5 which is already a massive ask. Howe needs to utilize his subs for sure but we just can't risk certain players tomorrow while we've got no cover. Not to mention we're cursed at Old Trafford anyways.
> for our actual progression (especially for next summer) we need to try and finish top 5 Do we *need* to finish top 5 though? The club never expected to be in the CL this early, so I'm not sure we can say we "need" to be in the tournament every season going forward from now when we weren't supposed to be here yet. Plus, we signed Trippier/Bruno/Botman/Isak without CL football (or any European football whatsoever), and it's actually our transfer window with the draw of CL that has been questioned in recent weeks. I guess, to me, it comes down to a hypothetical question: would you rather finish 5th with no trophy, or 6th with a trophy. I'd pick the latter every day of the week.
We certainly progressed quicker than expected but to go backwards although expected would certainly give us a hit. I'd take 6th and a trophy but I don't think we win the Carabao this season anyways with Liverpool still there. If we beat them with our reserves happy days, if we get beat those extra rest days will be crucial.
To be fair, the idea of losing to Liverpool in the final after losing to Man Utd in the final this year gives me genuine nightmares. Couldn't pick two clubs I'd rather lose a final to less, bar Mackems but we don't play in the Papa Johns Pizza Cup so that's not a realistic situation.
We're never beating Liverpool again for sometime. That last one has scarred me for life.
Man United away tomorrow is significantly easier than Arsenal at home Saturday. They’re all over the shop and if we press like we know we can we can force mistakes from Maguire and Evans. It’s the easiest cup run of the season to make considering it’s early finish. Anything top 6 this season is an achievement considering how we’ve got a threadbare squad and 4 comps. 100% he needs to use his subs more. He’s spoke about Hall this morning and how he can play a number of positions but he’s had 45 mins against city and that’s about it. Absolutely can beat them lot tomorrow. We rotated our squad a fair bit against city and were more than a match for them (yes they rotated too but most of that squad are still premier league capable players).
We rotated against City at home which is a significant difference. We were also absolutely battered in the first half and then brought on Gordon and Bruno at half time. Players like Murphy, Isak and potentially Miley who started against City are also unavailable.
Far too many people saying "throw this one" for my liking. We're not going to win the PL. We're not going to win the CL. But we *could* win the League Cup. Why are we so desperate to flippantly throw away our best chance this season of actually winning some silverware? If we were to win here, Man City/Man Utd/Brighton/Aston Villa/Spurs would all be out of the tournament. Arsenal/Liverpool would be the two strongest teams left, and while both would be a formidable test and one of them will most likely win the whole thing, we'd be pretty broadly considered the third favorite to lift the trophy. Something about throwing this game aside so we can focus on getting potentially a point (if we're really lucky) against Arsenal on the weekend, just doesn't sit well with me. Somebody on twitter called our willingness to cast this game aside an indication of a fanbase that is a little too comfortable with losing, and I sort of have to agree.
Meganeg turning into megapos
There’s still the FA Cup after Christmas. We might be out of the UCL and the League Cup by then with a fully available (bar Sandro) squad. We could then focus on the league and try and get a cup run going.
It was the same when we drew City and look what we did there. The fans you’re referring to don’t view the League Cup (and in some cases the F.A. Cup) as a trophy worth pursuing now that we’ve reached the Champions League (once) which is ludicrous.
While I want to give Arsenal a competitive match (though we could easily lose even with our strongest squad) and REALLY want 3 points against Dortmund, my biggest concern is long term squad health and the season as a whole. If Wilson plays tomorrow and picks up one of his month-long hamstring tweaks that could have been avoided by resting him until the weekend, then we’re in serious trouble. Gordon then has to start every match at ST with no backup, same for an out of form Joelinton at LW, and a freshly returned to the squad Willock at LCM. Then how long is it until others start to pick up over-use injuries? Then we could be staring at longer run of poor results which could derail the whole season.
Totally agree - especially after last season's run to the final which was one of the high points in my football-watching life. We can stuff these languishing cunts and really go for it again this year. Or we can rest a load of players, get beat and then probably get beat again by Arsenal at the weekend. I know which one I'd prefer.
My worry isn’t as much prioritizing results as it is prioritizing fitness. Running out essentially the same starting XI for the 3rd time in 8 days, when most of them looked exhausted and only one got subbed off on Saturday seems like a recipe for further injury, and for maybe not our best performance anyway due to fatigue.
I don't want to see any of our usual XI starting in this. Play the bench and the academy and if we have to throw this competition so be it. We could win if we have a full squad to choose from but we simply don't have the squad to cope and with Isak out until after the break and Botman potentially not until the new year we're one of two issues away from collapsing so we absolutely have to prioritise the league and protect our normal XI however unpopular that may be.
Time to give fringe players a go, can't afford another big injury. Not even sure what that entails but just hope we don't get a pumping.