HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Wednesday evening’s Capital One Cup third round tie at Old Trafford by delving into their forums.

“We are seven games into the season and finally I feel as if we have seen progress. I see a mentally tough team which will not roll over even when being outplayed. We have not had an easy week. It is visibly clear how Luke Shaw’s injury has affected the team but we have responded well.”

“Being two points behind the team I called champions two weeks ago is quite surprising given the circumstances.” United’s 3-2 win at Southampton on Sunday leapfrogged them into second place and greatly lifted Reds’ moods after a damaging midweek Champions League defeat in Eindhoven.

Some fans believe that their league position is papering over the cracks. “Our football overall is mediocre. We cannot build an attack to save ourselves. When we pass the ball forward we lose it and get counter-attacked. We scramble all over the pitch looking like we will concede every time.”

“Mediocre football can bring average results. These dodgy positive results won’t last, just as they didn’t last season.” United’s 3-1 win over Liverpool just after the international break came between two losses and erratic performances at PSV Eindhoven and at Swansea.

The consensus is that the team is a work in progress with the degree of that progress a matter of conjecture. “The signs are that we are progressing towards a more effective style”, “We’re starting to click as a team”, “We are ahead of all our rivals except City. Louis van Gaal is the right man for the job.”

Mad King Louis

“This is the van Gaal era, fellas, live with it. He’s here until the end of his contract”, “Sir Alex is gone and he isn’t coming back. Get over it”, “He has made a team that is incredibly difficult to beat. That is good progress and a first step to becoming champions. We need to show patience and back him.”

“People want the manager out when we are sitting second in the league, two points behind City. It is insane”, “Many don’t realise the turnaround this club has had to go through. You don’t go from playing Sunday league football to winning trophies and playing like Barcelona in the blink of an eye.”

“I would love to see us frightening teams again”, “People are more frustrated over the football than the results”, “Our style of football is not pretty and not exactly the ‘United way’ but it is a lot better than some make out now”, “Fans are annoyed by his insistence on setting the team up negatively.”

“I’m not completely sold on van Gaal but I do think his work this summer has been good.” United fans respect their manager’s track record and can see some method in his thinking but many remain to be convinced by his tactics and the team’s style of play. Some can be baffled by his decisions.

“Van Gaal isn’t a man of simple things”, “The thing about his substitutions is that they are generally quite helpful to the opposition, sometimes extremely helpful. Often you would think the opposition manager has been allowed to make out substitutions on his behalf.”

“I don’t think van Gaal overcomplicates things. What he does do is completely change his mind constantly based on seemingly nothing at all. Instead of addressing what is actually happening in the game, he makes changes based on some idea he got in his head when he woke up one morning.”

The Philosophy

“We play the most unimaginative and negative football in the league and that is down to van Gaal’s ‘philosophy’”, “His tactical approach is killing us on the field”, “His ‘philosophy’, negative slow-paced restrictive football, goes against everything the club has stood for.”

“It has only been seen in glimpses. The nature of the rebuilding job at United was far worse than most think. We are playing a new brand of football which hasn’t fully clicked”, “I see flashes of how good we could be but these are surrounded by turgid, slow, unimaginative football.”

“We’re not really creative.” Van Gaal set out United’s starting XI at Southampton (above) in the now familiar 4-2-3-1 system which he has consistently used this season. The emphasis is on shape and retaining possession, a risk-averse approach which lies at the heart of supporters’ frustrations.

“The entire team has been too slow on the ball.” The lack of tempo is regularly mentioned. “Our problem is that we don’t pass it quickly enough or often enough to really dominate”, “Our pace in the final third is not the problem. It’s our whole build-up play to get there which is too cautious.”

“We are not good enough in attack to have two midfielders sitting so deep.” Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin are seen as adding little mobility in midfield. For all his creativity, Juan Mata adds little pace and less width and most would like to see the out-of-form Wayne Rooney dropped.

“It is really frustrating seeing each player hold on to the ball so long”, “Our two best performers were the players who crucially were playing in both penalty areas.” Most fans ascribed Sunday’s win to the heroics of David de Gea and Anthony Martial at opposite ends of the pitch.

“We are deficient in terms of attacking depth and our options on the bench lack energy, flair and explosiveness.” With players likely to be rested, I have set out (above) United’s remaining players and their normal starting positions. It is also possible that some, if selected, could play out of position.

Defence

Reds have flagged up two defensive concerns. They feel they are vulnerable at dealing with crosses with only Chris Smalling seen as offering any stature at the heart of the back four, and losing Luke Shaw has created a real headache on the left flank, something the Saints targeted on Sunday.

Goalkeepers

“Sergio Romero is fine as a back-up to De Gea.” The 28-year-old Argentina international and ex-Sampdoria man “is not a terrible keeper but he's not someone you win the league with in nets, he looks like a mistake waiting to happen and the Swansea game was a bad performance”.

He may start on Wednesday night. “Romero’s distribution has put us in a few tight spots already, and he seems hesitant”, “I have my heart in my mouth every time he receives a back pass. Why does he wait until the opposing forward is three inches away from him before he hoofs it?”

David de Gea

“Thank you Real Madrid for your incompetence and arrogance in the de Gea transfer saga”, “Thank heavens for a rubbish internet connection and a hapless fax machine at the Bernabeu. We would have been in the bottom half of the table if it wasn’t for this guy in the last couple of games.”

“What a man.” The 24-year-old Spain international and former Atletico Madrid keeper’s “reflexes are absolutely insane”, “He is just insanely good. He really does make saves that he just has no right to make”, “The defence looks so much more confident with de Gea back in goal.”

“The save he made from one Southampton header was magical. The ball had gone past him and it was a goal 99 times out of 100. It reminded me very much of the Great Dane”, “Him and Manuel Neuer must be the best two keepers in the world at the moment”, “The signing of the summer.”

The Back Four

“I don’t trust Marcos Rojo at all”, “Thinking ahead of Ipswich and managing fitness, you would have thought Rojo will have to play again”, “He is slightly stronger than Daley Blind but doesn’t have even a fraction if his intelligence and ability on the ball”, “He will do less harm played at left-back.”

“Rojo is not reliable enough to play at centre-back.” United fans have been keenly debating how he and Blind should be played in the reconstructed back four. The 25-year-old Argentina international “is an erratic player but this is something Sporting Lisbon fans said when we signed him.”

“Paddy McNair might get a start against Ipswich to give Daley Blind a rest for a game.” The 20-year-old Northern Ireland international and youth product “is good on the ball but defensively nowhere near good enough to be anywhere near the team”, “He looks better with the ball than without it.”

“I don’t know what it is, but McNair is not a defender. He is weak with a small frame and was expected to tough it out with Pelle on Sunday”, “The defence was nervous when he came on, but he made one important contribution with a driving run which relieved the pressure late in the game.”

“Where on earth is Jones?”, “Safely out of the team.” United fans have had little to say about Phil Jones. The former Blackburn man has not featured competitively this season as he has been recovering from a mild thrombosis. Many would like him to play at left centre-back when he returns to the side.

“Louis van Gaal took Matteo Darmian off at half-time at Southampton as he was giving too much space to Dusan Tadic.” The 25-year-old Italy international and former Torino right-back “had an absolute shocker against PSV but I am sure he will be much better in the coming weeks”.

“Darmian just needs a bit of rest and he will be back”, “He is not used to this intensity”, “I have no idea why his attacking game is so poor”, “Pairing him on the right side with a slow player like Mata doesn’t help him. The space opens up for him if he has someone more explosive alongside him.”

“I am convinced Daley Blind needs to be dropped.” The 25-year-old Netherlands international and ex-Ajax man “is not a centre-back and his lack of pace leaves us horrible exposed”, “His reading of the game and organisational skills have solidified the defence and his passing sets off our attacks.”

“Our possession game relies on Blind’s ability on the ball, passing from deep at centre-back”, “Every cross into the box stands a legitimate chance of being finished off because van Gaal insists on having a ball-playing centre-back next to Smalling rather than someone who will win aerial duels.”

Chris Smalling

“Chris Smalling was one of the few positives in an otherwise miserable performance against PSV. He made forward runs when we had aimless possession around the halfway line”, “He combines colossal strength and a decent ability to find a pass and his recovery pace is amazing.”

“Beast mode is right”, “The lad has been superb this season.” The 25-year-old England international and ex-Fulham centre-half “has been throwing forwards around like rag dolls all season”, “Smalling is the only centre-back we have who knows how to win a duel against a good player.”

“We rely on Smalling to cover an entire penalty box which in all honesty is silly”, “He operates as our only genuine centre-back and he covers Blind’s space. Blind has permission to carry the ball out”, “He has been a monster for us and for his country too”, “One of the top defenders in the league.”

Holding Midfielders

“Michael Carrick is the complete opposite of the so-called English midfielder. There is no blood and thunder, no last-ditch tackles. He screens the back four while keeping things ticking over.” The 34-year-old former Spurs man “has played the holding role for years while being a good passer”.

“We need to put the Carrick and Schneiderlin partnership to bed”, “I am concerned about Carrick. It is clear he is in his last season but looks too ponderous to make a difference”, “He wasn’t stamping his usual authority and thinking quickly enough at Southampton, keeping the ball when pressed.”

“Off the ball Morgan Schneiderlin is good but he is not offering enough when we have it. He seems too slow passing the ball when we have options on.” The 25-year-old former Saint “will be needed more against high-tempo midfields. It makes no sense to play him against defensive line-ups”.

“Schneiderlin is the one young energetic proper holding midfielder that we regularly have”, “We look so much more secure at the back with him”, “We need his tenacity and industry through the middle”, “He has been solid without being spectacular so far”, “Which is sometimes all you need.”

Bastian Schweinsteiger

“It was pretty clear at PSV that despite Smalling having the armband, Schweinsteiger was the leader on the pitch”, “He makes wise choices all the time”, “I love him. He does the simple things well and reads the game brilliantly. A lot of hard work goes into making things look to easy.”

“He is such a subtle player. I love him.” The 31-year-old ex-Bayern Munich man has been rotated due to his “obvious fitness struggles”, “He runs with the ball, attractive opponents and creating space for others whereas Carrick prefers to play the ball first rather than running with it.”

“The difference when he replaced Carrick at Southampton was night and day. Schweinsteiger took control and made the team flow as soon as he came on. He reads the game as if he has a computer in his head. It’s just amazing to watch. He sees situations before anyone else and brings calmness.”

Central and Attacking Midfielders

One player who some fans would like to see debut in the game is 19-year-old Brazilian Andreas Pereira. “We should exploit his movement with the ball. It is extremely hard for an opponent to read it in almost every game he has played”, “He can’t be any worse than playing Rooney.”

“Marouane Fellaini and football do not correlate. If we want to have a Plan B with a target man, get a proper target man who is good with the ball at his feet, not the garbage we see with him”, “I never want to see him up front for United again”, “Fellaini’s first touch and movement are non-existent.

“My God, he is terrible as a striker.” The 27-year-old ex-Everton man “disrupts our flow so heavily when he is on the pitch”, “The biggest flaw playing him as a striker is that he is directly up against centre-backs who are strong enough to deal with him. It simply neutralises his strengths.”

“Ander Herrera brings out the best in all our players.” The 26-year-old “is a quality player who works hard and who gets us ticking in midfield”, “He is extremely comfortable on the ball. He runs into those pockets of space because he has the intelligence and drive to find them.”

“Herrera has a lot to offer facing the goal, energy work-rate, an ability to link up, get in the box and finish”, “The game is made for his advanced runs.” “His play is too risky for him to be a van Gaal type of midfielder”, “He has been playing cautiously, going for the safe option and playing it backwards.”

Juan Mata

“Mata is a wide playmaker who drifts inside and makes disguised runs behind the defence. He picks up passes rather than dribbling into space”, “He is blessed with a heavenly first touch and passing which suits a central role better” “He can score, make an assist or put through an exquisite pass.”

The 27-year-old former Chelsea player “isn’t a right winger, but he is a wee magician when further in field”, “He dwells on the ball because the holding players are so deep. The only logical pass is square”, “He is easily marked out of the game, especially when the opposition sits deep.”

“Mata’s skills do not detract from the attacking deficit he leaves on our right-hand side”, “His playing into the middle continually doesn’t really put questions in defenders’ minds and he doesn’t have any pace”, “He is very good at retaining possession and this is why van Gaal both likes and trusts him.”

Wingers

“Antonio Valencia is a dreadful player these days. He cannot beat a man.” The 30-year-old ex-Wigan right winger “can run in a straight line with the ball under control. Once he hits an obstacle he puts the handbrake on and plays it three yards sideways”, “Nothing more than defensive work and pace.”

“The less we see of Tony V the better”, “He threatens to cross the ball but ends up passing 10 yards back to Darmian”, “Turn-back Tony”, “He is quick and direct but often ineffective. He speeds down the wing with the ball, but it means little when he hits it off the defender or straight into the stand.”

“Ashley Young works hard and links up well. His ideas are good but his end product is poor and it is poor too often.” The 30-year-old ex-Villa left winger “is nowhere near as good as Memphis with his movement”, “There is no variety of craft to his final pass though he does go past the first defender.”

“Young can have a brilliant game, like against Liverpool, but then have a poor one such as PSV”, “It is sad he can’t get his head up while running. He gets into great positions but takes the most ridiculous options at times”, “He seldom does anything meaningful when needed at the crucial moment.”

Memphis Depay

“I don’t think that Memphis even took on his full-back today”, “I’m starting to think that this is his style of football. Very rarely has he taken his man on so far. He prefers to stand his man up and try to cross or shoot from distance”, “His talent is outrageously obvious but only seen in small flashes.”

The 21-year-old left-sided player and summer signing from PSV has scored three goals and made two assists in United’s European games. Many Reds feel he is still adjusting to the game in England. “He lacks stamina, looks physically shot in Premier League games and a bit lost in the rapid tempo.”

“Memphis has speed, technique movement and vision. He is strong but not using it to his advantage yet”, “Having Shaw’s pace behind him meant that he didn’t need to track back. There is no one who can play at left-back without that becoming an area which opposing teams can exploit at the back.”

Strikers

“James Wilson is fast, has great balance and good strength. He’s a lethal finisher both in terms of the variety he can score and having that knack of being composed and clinical when chances fall to him. He likes to make runs in behind and he has excellent timing on the shoulder of the last man.”

The 19-year-old youth product “is a hard worker who likes to defend from the front. His decision making is mature and reliable”, “He struggles with the physical side of the game. Defenders can push him like he is a lad on the street. He isn’t weak, but just doesn’t know how to use his strength yet.”

Anthony Martial

“Until Martial came we did not have a mobile striker”, “He has changed the dynamics of our front line”, “He has the composure of a seasoned veteran striker. His hold-up play and one touch passing are brilliant, as is his ice-cold composure”, “It looks like we have an assassin in front of goal.”

“We have lacked a game changer since van Persie, but Martial has that same spark that can score out of nothing.” The 19-year-old arrived this month from Monaco and has entranced United fans. “He gives us everything we need in a striker leading the line”, “I’m blown away by how good he is.”

“His goals are much more in the style of Denis Law. He has that injection of pace and sublime close control in the penalty area as well as an eye for goal”, “I love how he has a knack for getting past players with a simple touch”, “I expect him to grow and grow and then get bought by Real Madrid.”

The Wayne Rooney Conundrum

“Our biggest obstacle is van Gaal’s stubborn arrogance and his undroppable captain. The sooner he sees that Rooney’s form is detrimental to the team, the better”, “It could be similar to Fergie with Dimitar Berbatov. We will have Rooney staggering around until his contract is up.”

The majority of supporters want to see the 29-year-old England striker dropped. “We look like a young, ambitious and talented swimmer getting ready to take the world by storm and Rooney is a cinder block tied to our ankle. All we need to do is cut it and the sky’s the limit, but we aren’t.”

“Rooney is incredibly sluggish. He contributes nothing in terms of physical presence and creativity”, “More of a millstone than the captain we need”, “The slightly forward cross-field ball is becoming a parody of itself. It is embarrassingly predictable”, “He shouldn’t be starting because of his name.”

“We cannot depend on Rooney”, “The onus is on Rooney in the number 10 role to get the team ticking and moving progressively up field. It is a real concern that he’s not even willing to attempt to do that”, “A penalty in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday should keep the wolf from the door.”

United Fans’ Views on ITFC and the Game

“If our young players can't beat Ipswich at home then we have issues.” A poll on one United forum has an overwhelming 97 per cent predicting a home win with a 3-0 scoreline the most popular forecast. Two of the remaining three percent are forecasting a draw. Victory appears to be a foregone conclusion.

“Consider it as a chance to give our younger players much needed game time”, “This game is going to screw up a lot of people in the line-up predictions league”, “If the ‘fringe’ players can't be trusted to play against a Championship side at Old Trafford, why are they even at the club?”

“McCarthy’s Ipswich are a big, strong team. They have a disciplined defence with Berra, Smith and Chambers but Knudsen is an unknown quantity. McGoldrick and Sears are both very quick up front too. We can keep them quiet in midfield but they have tough tacklers in Skuse, Hyam and Coke.”

“Maitland-Niles on loan from Arsenal seems to have something about him too as well as Pitman being in good form. However McCarthy has been notorious at Ipswich for playing very weak teams in the League Cup to focus on the league.”

“Looking at Ipswich in the Championship so far they seem to score a few but also concede just as many. We made hard work of playing near full strength sides against Cambridge, Preston and Yeovil in the FA Cup last year. I can't imagine we will weaken too much.”

A number of posters have done their homework on us and have urged caution. “I don't think we should under-rate Ipswich, nor their desire to win this. I think this will be harder than most think”, “Ipswich are one of the good Championship sides and it won't be easy.”

“Is Mick McCarthy still the manager there? They are pretty decent from what little I know”, “They won’t be an easy pushover. I still think we will win, but if we go with a full youth team then I can see Ipswich getting something out of it”, “This could be a genuinely tough game to win.”

Websites

There are a wide number of Manchester United forums. Some require registration and some additionally require subscriptions. Most carry similar content and opinion albeit on a larger scale.

The two open access message boards which I found to be both knowledgeable and easy to navigate were Red Cafe.net and The Republik of Mancunia.

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

MaySixth added 11:04 - Sep 22 Magnificent work Harold.
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BigginBlue added 11:32 - Sep 22 Doesn't the "Notes for" make you want to see teams like that pop up from Harry twice a year. Good read as always Harry.
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Smithy added 11:48 - Sep 22 Nothing there to worry us, just a bunch of journeymen in what will be a half empty stadium. Apparently that Rooney guy scores a few goals for them but has no international pedigree, its taken him 12 years to get 50 goals! Easy win predicted! ROFL
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bohslegend added 11:52 - Sep 22 Isn't it great to be reading notes from Man U fanzines about our club? Makes you yearn for the Premier even more!! COYB!
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ArnieM added 12:27 - Sep 22 Excellent undercover scrutiny of the enemy Harry, as always. I would love a victory but Im realistic enough to know we will probably lose. I pray, not heavily. But I would love two things to happen. 1. Some of the players that have got Town to this stage of the cup run, be given their reward in playing some part in the game at OT, but supported by the more senior players. 2. That Town secure a draw and bring Man Utd back to PR, for that pay day and a bloody good cup game under the lights and to a full house.

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uefacup81 added 12:31 - Sep 22 Good thinking, Arnie, but the League Cup is an 'on the night' competition, so the tie will play to a conclusion tomorrow night.
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GenericIpswichMan added 12:32 - Sep 22 Well done as always Harry. Be interesting to see what side we do put out tomorrow night. As a side note, is it me or does that picture of Martial look scarily like our very own Chris Kiwomya?
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MVBlue added 12:49 - Sep 22 Are we really taking on Schweinsteiger, De Gea and Rooney? We've got slim chance if he plays 2 of them. The best time to play Utd was the 24 months before now, they are far better now than they were with Depay and Martiall out to prove themselves. Does sound like their fans are adjusting now to being a normal football team after the Fergeson era. We'll find out our standard Wednesday, can we play Premier League?

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itfc1981 added 12:58 - Sep 22 Harry could have gone to Thetford, London, Cardiff or down his street for "their" views this time.
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ArnieM added 13:02 - Sep 22 Uefacup81: oops! Totally forgot that. Oh well go for broke and cream the buggers on their own patch then! ;)
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itfc1981 added 13:08 - Sep 22 Looking forward to seeing McGoldrick's "pace" and Hyam making a miraculous recovery to put in a tough tackle. To be fair I am surprised they knew their names.
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BlueMachines added 13:27 - Sep 22 Totally agree Bohslegend. Seeing those team sheets in Harry's story and recognising all 11 names is a great feeling. Fingers crossed it happens every week very soon!!
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BlueMachines added 13:29 - Sep 22 I did chuckle when I read about McGoldrick's pace too itfc1981
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NW10_Tractor added 14:02 - Sep 22 A pleasure to read as usualy Harry. If they think they will give us a pasting, Just have a look at their alternative starting Xi with Romero in goal. Get Ryan Fraser to attack their space where the Left back should be... he'll have all the space in the world to drive at them.
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Fixed_It added 19:25 - Sep 22 If Disdsy is considered to be pacey, Rooney really must be slow!
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tractorgrl added 19:26 - Sep 22 Well done Harry! This could be a practice run for next season hopefully! Sorry if that's made you think about watching tiddlewinks or formula one instead!
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