togg
Full Member
10 out of 10 today...he learnt from that defeat...and I bet he did the hair dryer treatment this week...and it worked.
Very positive, but wouldn't you prefer Martial up top? Rooney either out wide or on the bench.Picked the right players, deployed the most suitable formation, he got it absolutely spot on.
I am not sure I agree that people have been calling for RojoThe team he played was the team most have been calling for this season, but i'm glad Van Gaal played it today and that we put in a good performance. It means that we should be seeing it a lot more often, hopefully.
I would, but Martial is better out left than Rooney, as he has the pace & trickery that Rooney lacks, so, it wasn't a problem. Martial did that role very often at Monaco too.Very positive, but wouldn't you prefer Martial up top? Rooney either out wide or on the bench.
Yup, I think the hairdryer was on full blast as well, and the effect seemed evident. Everyone seemed to be working hard today.10 out of 10 today...he learnt from that defeat...and I bet he did the hair dryer treatment this week...and it worked.
Didn't he play out left for France last week?I would, but Martial is better out left than Rooney, as he has the pace & trickery that Rooney lacks, so, it wasn't a problem. Martial did that role very often at Monaco too.
Right, think he did.Didn't he play out left for France last week?
Think before the season, if you asked people what team they'd play, apart from Rojo who was in for Shaw and Martial who wasn't here yet, people would have said the team we played today.I am not sure I agree that people have been calling for Rojo
I would also argue that most did not want Rooney (including me) anywhere near the side.
That all said, LVG has built quite a decent squad where he has ample cover in most positions, bar striker.
I'd agree with that but imo even this Rooney is capable of doing a job on the left because it requires the least amount of (attacking) creative work; in fact it's the things he actually excels in, good cross, tracking back and having as little time on the ball as possible i.e he's able to flat track bully (!). Also I'd much rather Rooney be the one covering our left back than wasting Martial's energy.I would, but Martial is better out left than Rooney, as he has the pace & trickery that Rooney lacks, so, it wasn't a problem. Martial did that role very often at Monaco too.
Tbh i was expecting people on here to give Giggs the credit for United's performance at Everton.Many people think the hairdryer treatment made the difference. I strongly disagree with this.
The hairdryer treatment can wake up a player who is snoozing (and I will admit that we were snoozing for the opening 40 minutes of the AFC game).
But what we saw yesterday was a fundamental change in the final third.
No longer were we trying to make 45 passes before attempting to shoot on goal. Yesterday, in the final third of the pitch, there was very little back passing (even Rooney who only does back passes, was not doing these yesterday) and generally, when we got the ball close to their penalty area (PA), we aimed to either cross the ball into the PA or shoot on goal.
This change in strategy is not down to players, but the manager himself.
Maybe, just maybe, he has realised that to win games, we dont need to make 45 passes before shooting. And that maybe, we can score goals, by making 5, fast, 1 touch passes before shooting.
He hasn't had those players available to him till yesterday.Deserves credit for picking pretty much the exact team members of Redcafe, that is, laymen, have been calling for since the start of the season.
I'll reserve my praise until next week. That'll be the true test of our progress.
Herrera's been fit all season.He hasn't had those players available to him till yesterday.
I think the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 are basically the same formation so in a way he was always playing the 4-3-3 or continued playing the 4-2-3-1.Pluses:
I don't think he deserves praise for the team selection though, as the vast majority on the Cafe knew this is our best team since the start of the season. It took him some time to realize that but the good thing is, as I mentioned 2 weeks ago, we're in good position and this team has a lot of potential and will improve, especially with this awesome midfield.
- switch to 4-3-3
- giving Herrera a go in his preferred position
- moving Martial to the left and dropping Memphis
- Mata/Lingard sub (it was clever and took some balls)
- Dropping Blind for Rojo (not sure if the latter is better LB but against Everton I think it was a good decision)
The team against Southampton was similar with only difference being Blind on for Jones(injured), Carrick for schweinsteiger and depay for Rooney. Yet we struggled for some time mainly because the players were getting used to our style of play. Not to mention we had a motivation to win after a dismal performance last time out and players like rojo Herrera and all played for their place.Deserves credit for picking pretty much the exact team members of Redcafe, that is, laymen, have been calling for since the start of the season.
I'll reserve my praise until next week. That'll be the true test of our progress.
So more than a quarter of the team then..The team against Southampton was similar with only difference being Blind on for Jones(injured), Carrick for schweinsteiger and depay for Rooney.
That team was our strongest available team. Schweinsteiger played two continuous games and was due a rest. Rooney was injured too. Not like we never play the strongest teamSo more than a quarter of the team then..
He's just come back from injury...Herrera's been fit all season.
He missed the Arsenal game through injury, but he was fit the previous weeks.He's just come back from injury...
Maybe at 67, VG is still learning and that hard way too, with allot of busted lips and nose bleedsI've had a constant feeling since van Gaal started that he seems to stumble upon these formations and tactics that work, as if by accident.
All this season we've been calling out for Herrera and a formation that includes three CMs - instead he persisted with the shite 4-4-1-1 up until, oh yes, last week when it finally came unstuck and we got hammered. Had we drawn that match, I'm pretty sure we'd have gone into yesterday's game with the same set-up despite ample evidence that it wasn't really working and wasn't an optimal use of our squad.
I mean, the tactics used against were impressively shit - every Tom, Dick and Harry knew it wasn't going to work.
A similar thing happened last season when we had out little spurt of form towards the end. Again, we had been calling for a similar set-up to the one used in those games, yet it took him close to 6 months to figure it out.
I don't know. I just don't see much method in the madness.
He's always known this, his successful teams of the past didn't play like United have been recently, the Everton game is more like it but now that needs to happen consistently and for it to be possible the players need to develop an understanding and be confident in their play. The early goal helped because then there was momentum and they carried that on.Many people think the hairdryer treatment made the difference. I strongly disagree with this.
The hairdryer treatment can wake up a player who is snoozing (and I will admit that we were snoozing for the opening 40 minutes of the AFC game).
But what we saw yesterday was a fundamental change in the final third.
No longer were we trying to make 45 passes before attempting to shoot on goal. Yesterday, in the final third of the pitch, there was very little back passing (even Rooney who only does back passes, was not doing these yesterday) and generally, when we got the ball close to their penalty area (PA), we aimed to either cross the ball into the PA or shoot on goal.
This change in strategy is not down to players, but the manager himself.
Maybe, just maybe, he has realised that to win games, we dont need to make 45 passes before shooting. And that maybe, we can score goals, by making 5, fast, 1 touch passes before shooting.
History shows his methods are very good. At Ajax he had a saying posted on his wall "Quality is the exclusion of coincidence."I've had a constant feeling since van Gaal started that he seems to stumble upon these formations and tactics that work, as if by accident.
All this season we've been calling out for Herrera and a formation that includes three CMs - instead he persisted with the shite 4-4-1-1 up until, oh yes, last week when it finally came unstuck and we got hammered. Had we drawn that match, I'm pretty sure we'd have gone into yesterday's game with the same set-up despite ample evidence that it wasn't really working and wasn't an optimal use of our squad.
I mean, the tactics used against were impressively shit - every Tom, Dick and Harry knew it wasn't going to work.
A similar thing happened last season when we had out little spurt of form towards the end. Again, we had been calling for a similar set-up to the one used in those games, yet it took him close to 6 months to figure it out.
I don't know. I just don't see much method in the madness.
Yeah, they will only say things that they got right and ignore those that they didn't, and thinks they know more than the manager. They're all like "I know this this this would work but LVG never listens, but now that he finally did what I had always wanted suddenly we are winning. Wow I'm so smart."Lot of confirmation bias going on here. It was the same last season as well. People are constantly asking for all kinds of shit all at once.
- HopefullyIn his post-match interview LVG said the strategy was that "we dropped in a little bit to create space for ourselves".
Some questions about that:
- Do you expect that to be a more regular strategy or will it fully depend on the opponents?
- How well does this strategy fit Mata in his current position?
- Would Depay be better too with more space and would he deserve a chance?
Very fecking true. Happens after every good win.Yeah, they will only say things that they got right and ignore those that they didn't, and thinks they know more than the manager. They're all like "I know this this this would work but LVG never listens, but now that he finally did what I had always wanted suddenly we are winning. Wow I'm so smart."