No Question About That - a Manchester United podcast

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The Tactics Show: Stop the Press? Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

#1041 | Ed and Dharnish dig into United’s draw with Everton. The buildup through Mainoo and Tielemans was as good as it's looked in years but Carrick’s side lacked any real box presence, with Cunha and Bruno both dropping deep.

Defensively, United's press still isn't working, and disconnected lines left gaps that led directly to both Everton goals.

How can Carrick fit all his in-form attackers together without sacrificing the buildup that's making United so watchable?

Then there’s a preview of a huge week ahead: the Champions League opener against Sabah, then City at Old Trafford, where sitting deeper and playing on the counter looks like the best plan.

0:00 Intro: Everton 2-2 United 2:07 Buildup and central progression 5:10 Box presence and the final third 8:01 Picking the best XI 11:59 Pressing problem 15:39 Goals conceded and game management 19:02 Substitutions and Carrick's decisions 21:51 Champions League draw and the derby

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Two Bangers Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

#1040 | United led twice away at Everton through Mbeumo and Sesko only to do a very good job of chucking it away late on Merseyside. Ed and Dan dig into the tension between United's new possession-based approach and a back four that isn't built for a higher line. And there are questions about Cunha's role as a false nine again. Then there's a look ahead to the Champions League opener against Sabah in midweek.

The episode closes with author Dan Williamson, talking about his new book on United's 1991 Cup Winners' Cup win, If I Hadn't Seen Such Riches.

0:00 Introduction 2:31 Everton 2-2 United: the verdict 5:06 Structural problems and United's new style 8:17 Team selection: Cunha, Bruno 18:56 Goals and defensive errors 23:08 Substitutions and game management 25:02 Bigger picture 28:25 Sabah preview, Champions League 36:02 1991 Cup Winners' Cup memories 39:45 Interview: Dan Williamson

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No More Dumb Money Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

#1039 | United's transfer window closed with Dominic and Ed landing on a mixed verdict, somewhere around a six out of ten. United made three good midfield signings, but no left-back and no backup centre-forward.

Who's going to fill the gap?

How much financial headroom was there to spend more?

And why were United cautious?

Deadline day itself produced a bizarre five-way standoff between United, Everton, Chelsea, Fiorentina and Monaco over Zirkzee, Camara and Balogun that ended with nobody getting what they wanted.

The pod then moves on to Everton, where the fanbase is angry and the manager is on their side. United should be favourites, but how will the visitors shape up after last week’s victory?

0:00 Introduction 1:45 Verdict on United's window 3:55 Costs and financial headroom 9:23 United's left-back problem 16:35 Zirkzee-Camara-Balogun standoff 21:11 Loans out 29:48 Everton preview 41:28 Wrap-up

--- Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? Try Claude Cowork today — Claude.ai/NQAT ---

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The Tactics Show: Brilliant Mainoo, Problems with the Press Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

#1038 | Ipswich made a real go of it for a half, evading United's high press by exploiting isolated full-backs.

Once Lisandro Martinez started dictating United's patterns of possession into midfield, the game opened up completely and United ran away with it.

Ed and Dharnish dig into why United's press still isn't functioning, how much of the transformation in build-up play comes down to Martinez specifically and how well Mainoo and Tielemans dovetailed.

They also look at Cunha and Bruno rotating as false nines, question whether it costs United a real box presence and close with a positive verdict on Ipswich as a team for the rest of the season.

0:00 Intro: United 5-2 Ipswich 3:46 Today's talking points 4:29 How Ipswich evaded United's press 9:59 Martinez transforms the buildup 13:42 Mainoo and Tielemans in midfield 19:30 Cunha and Bruno: two false nines 24:43 Verdict on Ipswich and the wrap-up

--- Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? Try Claude Cowork today — Claude.ai/NQAT ---

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Oh, You Feel Better, M*therfuckers? Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

#1037 | United trailed to Ipswich for a moment, but a hat-trick from Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire’s deflected effort and a Bryan Mbeumo goal turned it into a 5-2 win. It was a complete response to the opening-day defeat at Hull.

Ed and Dan dig into the bigger picture: how well the Tielemans-Mainoo midfield pairing worked, the ongoing debate over Marcus Rashford's role, and the club’s search for a new left-back.

The pod closes on the transfer window with two days left: there’s scepticism about Villa's reported £40 million interest in Amad and a general sense that United’s could have been more ambitious than a net spend that trails Coventry and Ipswich. 0:00 Introduction  1:06 Reacting to United's 5-2 win  5:39 Midfield: Tielemans and Mainoo  14:40 Marcus Rashford's return  17:46 Front three, fullbacks and squad balance  22:58 Defence concerns: Maguire, Martinez, Shaw  25:04 Bruno's hat-trick and Maguire's 'goal'  27:20 Pressure, tactics and pressing  29:28 Transfer market: Amad bid and left-back hunt  39:44 Baleba, Sesko and squad depth  43:22 Net spend and club ambition  44:37 Sign-off

--- Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? Try Claude Cowork today — Claude.ai/NQAT ---

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Back in the Champions League Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

#1036 | Ed and Dominic analyse United’s Champions League return. It’s a tough-looking draw with Bayern, Roma, and RB Leipzig at home. Then some cracking away ties in top European travel destinations.

From there it's on to the run-in to transfer deadline day, where the expectation is that a left-back arrives. Probably not the marquee name everyone's been hoping for. There’s also a wider question about why United never seem to be able to sell anyone for a decent fee.

There's a proper rant about the ex-United pundit circuit and how relentlessly negative it's become. It’s to the detriment of the club not its benefit.

The pod finishes with a preview of Ipswich at home and why this one matters more than it should after Hull.

0:00 Intro 0:52 Champions League draw circus 2:19 United's opponents: Bayern and Atlético 5:40 Sporting, Villarreal and the rest of the draw 13:00 League phase maths 15:25 Tactics: possession vs counter-attacking 18:29 Left-back search 27:03 Why United can't sell players 35:05 Ex-United pundit machine 40:45 Ipswich preview and team selection 50:01 Outro

--- Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? Try Claude Cowork today — Claude.ai/NQAT ---

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The Tactics Show: Aerial Problems and Too Many Crosses Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

#1035 | Ed and Dharnish break down United's 2-0 defeat at Hull on the tactics show. Some of this was physical. Four starters had played one 90 or fewer all pre-season, and the lack of sharpness showed. But a lot of it was tactical too.

Why was Bruno under-par and has the reaction been over the top?
How do Tielemans and Bruno better dovetail in future?
What were United doing with their possession game?
How did Hull force United wide and into playing aimless crosses?
Why are United having problems with physicality and aerial duels?

There’s a cautiously optimistic look ahead to Ipswich: trust the system, cut down the aimless crossing and give the new midfield time to settle.

0:00 Intro and agenda 1:28 First reactions: bullied by Hull 3:43 Bruno Fernandes' performance 9:28 Hull forcing United wide 17:28 Solutions: overloads and switches 20:53 Aerial duels and United's size problem 23:06 How much should we panic? 25:59 Outro --- Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? Try Claude Cowork today — Claude.ai/NQAT ---

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United Inc: Bezos, Liverpool and the Transfer Market Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

#1034 | Ed and Jamie look at Jeff Bezos buying into Liverpool, a deal that values the club at around £5.5 billion for a consortium stake of just under 40%. Why is Bezos getting involved now? Can an Amazon-owned media empire buy into a Premier League club without creating a conflict of interest for future TV rights deals? And how does it compare to United's own ownership structure? On United specifically, spend so far this summer sits at £135 million gross. What does that mean for United's SCR position? And why loaning Marcus Rashford out doesn't actually help United's finances despite the noise around it. The second half of the pod covers the wider transfer market: Tottenham's spending after two bottom-third finishes, Chelsea's need to sell under their settlement agreement, and a longer discussion of whether the squad cost ratio is fair on clubs like Newcastle and Villa. The answer, broadly, is that it isn't as unfair as often claimed.

0:00 Intro
2:13 Bezos Liverpool consortium
10:16 Amazon, media rights and conflicts of interest
16:16 United's transfer spend and SCR position
22:31 Rashford's future
27:35 Big-six spending across the league
39:54 Is SCR anti-competitive?
45:51 Salary caps, owner-funding, potential exits
49:34 EFL losses and the Premier League deal
55:21 Ticket prices and the pyramid
56:22 Wrap-up

--- Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? Try Claude Cowork today — Claude.ai/NQAT ---

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Hull Loss Headloss Aug 23, 2026

Show notes

#1033 | Ed and Wayne react to United's 2-0 opening-day defeat at Hull. United's poor performance breaks down into three causes: a tactical selection that didn't suit the game, a fitness gap after a staggered pre-season, and basic failure to finish chances or clear the two set pieces Hull scored from. Then there are the players. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw remain trusted by Carrick but is their time in the team now coming to a natural end? A wider structural problem persists too; every forward likes to tuck inside, leaving nobody offering width except from full-back, which is a problem too. Then there's the tendency, called out by Bruno Fernandes, for United to play vertically when Carrick is building a side for possession. Marcus Rashford, who set up United's best chance off the bench, gets a long section of debate. Ipswich at Old Trafford is up next. 0:00 Introduction: Hull defeat and the overreaction 2:15 Analysing the defeat 7:15 Set pieces and preparation 11:25 System evolution 16:50 Maguire and Shaw 24:30 Individual performances 37:50 Rashford debate 53:45 Looking ahead

--- Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? Try Claude Cowork today — Claude.ai/NQAT ---

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The Tactics Show: Season Preview Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

#1032 | Ed and Dharnish preview the season with a focus on how United’s tactics are evolving under Michael Carrick. The pattern in pre-season has been more possession, more central possession, and an emphasis on third-man runs.

Where Carlos Baleba fits is still unclear: he's more carrier than passer, so the assumption is someone else, Kobbie Mainoo or Youri Tielemans, drops in to start moves while Baleba operates further forward.

The bigger worry is pressing. Pushing fullbacks and forwards higher creates gaps between midfield and defence, and neither Bruno Fernandes nor Marcus Rashford presses well enough to close them, though Baleba's mobility should help cover the space.

Up front, the squad is deep enough that losing Benjamin Sesko to injury or rotation shouldn't be a big problem, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and a returning Rashford all able to play through the middle.

0:00 Introduction and season preview  1:26 What's on the show today  2:20 More possession and central progression  4:12 Third man runs  5:52 Midfield pairings and where Baleba fits  10:01 Fullbacks in the build-up  13:40 Left-back transfer targets  15:06 The pressing question  21:17 Defensive transitions  23:45 The attack and Rashford's return  28:54 Transfer rumours  29:10 Wrap-up and season hopes

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