When not researching, I enjoy playing, watching, and thinking about SOCCER ⚽. Unfortunately, my adulthood is being punished for supporting Manchester United from childhood. Hopefully, Erik Ten Hag can take me out of this doomed period. In ETH we trust!
July 3, 2022 - I'm looking forward to Erik 10 Hag's era and what he's going to bring us, and a good time will come back soon, as Ryan Giggs said in his retirement speech @ Old Trafford. Esp, Christian Eriksen will be a huge asset to the squad. So glad United signed him.
July 31, 2022 - Lisandro Martinez is obviously a gem bringing a lot of composure to the whole team, while CR7 is acting like a 12-year-old kid. Just let him leave on loan or whatever. Keeping him in the squad will certainly destroy team chemistry, which we already got enough with Pogba-irus.
Aug 7, 2022 - It seems obvious that United will have another tough season unless some changes are made in the midfield. Benjamin Sesko deal looks not plausible and hence no other way but to keep CR 7..... Totally crazy situation, but I still count on ETH.
Aug 13, 2022 - Another crappy game vs. Brentford that surely deserved the win with 4 goals. There is no hope of landing in the top 4 if we continue to play these horror shows, and the situation could be worse than the last season. The 3rd round is against Liverpool, also not doing well recently, but they do have a deep and round squad. The only good news among all the bad around - Nunez will miss the game.
Aug 19, 2022 - It's crazy to bring in Casemiro from R. Madrid at the last minute of this transfer window. Infinite thanks to Rabiot's agent who wanted Man United's success more than anyone even at the expense of her son's career. The next desirable targets would include Milinkovic Savic in Lazio, and some talks seem going on between the clubs.
Aug 22, 2022 - Finally climbing up from the bottom of the table by earning 3pts against the team walking alone. The squad was very committed to the game and found to skip the build-up from the goalie. But still, this is not the way ETH used to play in Ajax. Hope Erik colors the team in his own way soon.
Aug 27, 2022 - Not much to say about the win today. All aspects but the 3 points earned were disappointing. Esp, Rashford shakes my head.
Sep 4, 2022 - It was a great game in a very long time. Bizarrely, Rashford was largely ineffectual for the game but proved himself with 2 goals and an assist. Can't recall when United made 4-streak wins last time, seriously. Still, United has room for improvement, particularly in the final third area. Once Casemiro melts into ETH's style, we might see more dominance in midfield. Eriksen - Bruno combo seems pretty coordinating.
Oct 2, 2022 - Such a painful game to watch through. The Red was just butchered by Blue, and nobody can deny Manchester is no longer red. This game proved why Rashford cannot be a good no. 10 in the games vs. strong defense. It was ridiculous to see Malacia get a yellow due to the idiot turnover by Rashford, which a twelve-year-old wouldn't make. Still, Antony scored a banger, and it was a bit glimpse of hope from Martial at the end of the game. Let's see how it goes in the following games.
Oct 9, 2022 - The first starting game for Casemiro. Despite his mistake that led to Everton's opening goal, it was fantastic to see Casemiro replacing McTominay in the midfield. The ball circulated a lot more forward, and esp his assist to Ronaldo shows well his class and talent at cutting the ball in defense. Hope we improve in the final passes around the box.
Oct 19, 2022 - Since the game vs. New Castle was a few days ago, it's hard to recall in detail. New Castle apparently seems to enjoy their rapid and massive investment, and I believe they hired a capable manager aware of how to build a team of no picnic. A 0-0 draw was a fair result for United. Pretty fortunate Saint Maximilian wasn't there.
Jan 14, 2023 - On Man United game after a really long time. The first half was quite effective in creating great chances, but the final details around the box were insufficient. The second half was, however, literally dominated by City, and United couldn't even chase City players running through the midfield. In that sense, it was very timely to replace Eriksen with Garnacho, resulting in an amazing comeback. I also believe Rashford's goal was offside and can't get the referee's reasoning. Anyhow it was a good decision for Man U fans like me, but still uncomfortable at the same time. By the way, AWB's recent performance is quite impressive since I have not seen him productive in the attack like these days. Luke Shaw was again just crazy. Such a solid baller.
June 10, 2023 - On the UCL final - Man City vs. Inter. The first half was so boring to watch through because both teams played a conservative game, which I can understand since it's the final. But, some of the Inter players were not deserving such a big game, given their sloppy mistakes that world-class levels wouldn't make. The only glimpse of hope in Inter was Federico Dimarco, who bullied Man City's right side throughout the whole game. Edin Dzeko barely moved in the first half but got cramped out of nowhere, Lautaro kept flopping with stupid appeals to the ref, and not to mention Lukaku, all of who shook my head. For Man City, Pep initially played Stones a bit higher than usual, but the manager put him back in the second half along with Rodri, resulting in an outcome. Pep likes to showcase his new tactics in big games like the UCL final, and most have failed, but Rodri didn't let it reiterate today. Rodri is such a good student taking care of his professor. Long story short, the better team won, and congrats to Man City. Well deserved.
July 14, 2023 - On the players' recent rush to the Saudi league - It’s not great to see players with top-level potential, like Sergej Milinković-Savić, leaving for the Saudi league pursuing money. It's understandable for players whose prime has passed to face new challenges at the end of their careers, but, for young or mid-career players, I see it as a red flag for European soccer leagues.
Aug 3rd, 2023 - 70 million euros for Rasmus Højlund is apparently a gamble, as United urgently requires an immediate striker rather than a player with promising potential for the future. This significant overpay could also weigh heavily on the player. We can just hope that Højlund possesses the strong mentality to withstand such expectations and pressure.
Sep 3rd, 2023 - United tactically took the risk of giving a lot of corners, and it resulted in Declan Rice's goal. It was a fair decision to cancel Garnacho's goal, as did the ref for Havertz's diving. The 3rd goal was quite foreseeable since we stayed too high with the former Leceister defenders. I'm just curious about how they trained over the summer - why's everyone so rusty, including Martinez and Casemiro? The only bright side is that Højlund is physically strong enough to win the ball against CBs and made an immediate impact on the team as soon as he came in.