Why don’t we play with the same energy every game?

Paxi

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It’s hard to cope with us when we’re playing like that but it feels like we only play like that when we’re a goal or two down.

How hard can it be to get our players to play with the same intensity and blow teams away? Feels like watching a proper United side when we play like that but we don’t see it nowhere near enough.

Is it down to our players or coaching? Hard to put a finger on it, but we only play when we’ve something to prove almost.
 

CassiusClaymore

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Yeah it's just odd isn't it. Are they too comfortable and expect to win every game just by virtue of the talent they have around? Definitely a mentality thing.

It sounds simple but that second half is what we need to see for 90 minutes every game.
 

atkar83

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We can play like that because the other team is defending a 2 goal lead. When the game starts they're pressing way more and our defenders/McFred don't handle that well.
 
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fps

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There were gaps to play with that kind of energy. Doesn’t happen against teams that don’t play in such an open way. Then everyone has the energy but there’s nowhere to run so it’s about tactics and tekkers in tiny gaps.
 

Art

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It's like how I perform at work. I pick up the pace only when there's a deadline :lol:
 

cyberman

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I don’t even think the first half was that bad and wouldn’t mind that from here on in as a minimum. We should have scored at least 3
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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They backed up their ideas cause the crowd turned. They’ve had multiple opportunities to play with that level of intensity but a full OT calling you all sorts will light a fire up you.
 

el3mel

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Because this energy only happened in 2nd half while we were down by 0-2 ? We didn't put any energy level during first half and it was shit. We just turned on the gear when we realized we're getting embarrassed.
 

Bastian

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It's not new though, is it? This is the story of the last season at least.

I think starting with Cavani will go some way towards starting with an intention to fight.
 

Ollie Derbyshire

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We need to play with that energy every game, sure some games we need to start more solid instead, but they need to show the same level of intensity as that second half.

Bruno looked to drop deeper for me in the second half and the wingers stretched the pitch and we looked so much better for it. It is so important that Bruno keeps doing that, drop a little deeper and feed the 3 in front.

Start slow against Liverpool and they’ll be out of sight in the first 20mins.
 

bosnian_red

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Because that 2nd half level of energy is unsustainable, and confidence based with a combination of the opposition shitting themselves and making mistakes.

That wasn't necessarily any team play, that wasn't any evidence of coaching, it's not something that can be repeated every single match. Our players have a great mentality, fighting spirit and are a world class group of players. That alone goes a long way and will lead to loads of comebacks. But without a coach to actually coach them properly as a team, it'll never lead us to seriously compete at the top or bring any consistency to even the players. Which is why all of our players happen to be inconsistent.
 

PlayerOne

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Look at the players at the end, Fred injury, Maguire cramping. Players are either not trained for this or they just not fit enough.
 

Paxi

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Because that 2nd half level of energy is unsustainable, and confidence based with a combination of the opposition shitting themselves and making mistakes.

That wasn't necessarily any team play, that wasn't any evidence of coaching, it's not something that can be repeated every single match. Our players have a great mentality, fighting spirit and are a world class group of players. That alone goes a long way and will lead to loads of comebacks. But without a coach to actually coach them properly as a team, it'll never lead us to seriously compete at the top or bring any consistency to even the players. Which is why all of our players happen to be inconsistent.
I think Klopps teams play with similar intensity.
 

Pexbo

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If anything is part of Solskjaer’s identity as a manager for me it’s the way the team switches between intensities. We’re not good enough or fit enough to do it for 90 minutes so we do it in waves, there’s actually some method to the lulls as we then flick the switch and increase the intensity and go at them.

The problem is the major lack of control during the lulls.
 

marktan

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Probably helped that Mcfred got a rest during the weekend too. Fred covered a huge amount of ground but it's no doable playing twice a week.
 

He'sRaldo

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Because the organization isn't there to sustain it.

If you play with intensity you have to plan for how to make it sustainable, and we don't.
 

Josep Dowling

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The first half lethargic pace has to stop. Been happening since the beginning of last season.
 

RedSky

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Coddled and over confident as a result. We start games unfocused and give away stupid chances that we get punished for.
Numerous examples last season of us turning up against 'easy opponents' expecting it to be a cakewalk because we'd been getting good results and then end up being embarassed. Having confidence is excellent when coupled with passion and energy, but confidence with lack of energy is a dangerous combination. We fall too easily into the secondary category when starting games.
 

Dr. Dwayne

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Numerous examples last season of us turning up against 'easy opponents' expecting it to be a cakewalk because we'd been getting good results and then end up being embarassed. Having confidence is excellent when coupled with passion and energy, but confidence with lack of energy is a dangerous combination. We fall too easily into the secondary category when starting games.
Yep. Someone needs to drill it into the player's heads that every single team gives their absolute 110% best against us and we have no easy games.
 

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I'd love to see us play like that in the first half of a game

Just once.

Well more then once, but you get the point
 

bosnian_red

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I think Klopps teams play with similar intensity.
Not at all. Earlier in his career they played with huge intensity but it's been calmer the past few years. Liverpool play with intensity but it's just way more organized. It's not a Bruno sprint for 40 meters straight with others not following or covering the wrong spaces. There's 0 cohesion in our pressing, 0 instruction. It's never been a work rate problem, or intensity. They need to be taught how to press as a collective unit, which will tire them out a lot less while being more effective.
 

Fortitude

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You'll have a broken squad inside 5 games playing at that kind of intensity. It's great for the odd game, but it's not sustainable over a run of games. Muscle strains almost primed with that level output.

It's akin to a sprint finish in a long-distance run - you can do it a few hundred metres from the finish line, but from further out, it'd backfire. In footballing terms, it's good for a 10-15 minute burst at the end of a game, not whole halves of football, let alone games.
 

Paxi

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I'd love to see us play like that in the first half of a game

Just once.

Well more then once, but you get the point
Yes, absolutely. I don’t see why we can’t do it for 90 minutes… :lol:

Or here’s an idea, do it for the first 30 minutes and blow teams away like Liverpool did under Rodgers in their title run.
 

Andycoleno9

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Because with McFred midfield our approach to games is to sit back and give opposition the ball. When we start losing we go all out attack and then creativity and skill comes into play
 

Bilbo

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People need to remember this when Ole talks about passion and energy in our performances. This is why. When we put pressure on a team and win the battles, our quality has a chance to shine through. These players do not do this nearly enough. I'd have this game on loop at the training ground.
 

Paxi

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Not at all. Earlier in his career they played with huge intensity but it's been calmer the past few years. Liverpool play with intensity but it's just way more organized. It's not a Bruno sprint for 40 meters straight with others not following or covering the wrong spaces. There's 0 cohesion in our pressing, 0 instruction. It's never been a work rate problem, or intensity. They need to be taught how to press as a collective unit, which will tire them out a lot less while being more effective.
I think Liverpool play with similar intensity to what I seen in the second half. They attack relentlessly. I don’t have the stats to compare Klopp’s earlier teams and his Liverpool team now but my point still stands — you can get players to play with that sort of crazy intensity. Leeds under Bielsa is another example, although they did burn out in the championship that first time.

Also, like @Pexbo mentioned, doing it a controlled manner can surely be something that we could look at. If we play like that now, then we can do it again, in most games.
 

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It’s because of the opposition. Atalanta are like Leeds and their style suits our strengths. They have a high line for us to pump balls over to our forwards whilst they play a high risk game going forward. Our heads tend to drop when playing compact low block sides because we don’t know how to break them down and struggle when they counter us.
 

Paxi

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People need to remember this when Ole talks about passion and energy in our performances. This is why. When we put pressure on a team and win the battles, our quality has a chance to shine through. These players do not do this nearly enough. I'd have this game on loop at the training ground.
Yea but when results aren’t coming people just take those comments as buzzwords.
 

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You'll have a broken squad inside 5 games playing at that kind of intensity. It's great for the odd game, but it's not sustainable over a run of games. Muscle strains almost primed with that level output.

It's akin to a sprint finish in a long-distance run - you can do it a few hundred metres from the finish line, but from further out, it'd backfire. In footballing terms, it's good for a 10-15 minute burst at the end of a game, not whole halves of football, let alone games.
Could also compare it to the Spurs-Chelsea match a few weeks ago. Spurs were all over Chelsea for the first 30min or so but they couldn’t keep the energy levels up. Once they slowed, Chelsea took control and won.
 

bosnian_red

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Also, like @Pexbo mentioned, doing it a controlled manner can surely be something that we could look at. If we play like that now, then we can do it again, in most games.
This is obviously the key, but there's never been a sense that our current coaching staff is capable of doing anything remotely close to that. Our team is pretty much pure talent and emotion - but just horrible with organization and horrible in terms of knowing where and how to move off the ball (both in attack and in defence). Work rate and passion alone can make up for a poor system sometimes, but it'll never be consistent without the system in place first.
 

Valencia Shin Crosses

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There were gaps to play with that kind of energy. Doesn’t happen against teams that don’t play in such an open way. Then everyone has the energy but there’s nowhere to run so it’s about tactics and tekkers in tiny gaps.
Yeah this. I've rarely seen performances under Ole where we aren't up for it at all or don't have energy. All of our crap performances come from not executing in the final third, being loose with the ball in midfield, and getting exploited at the back. So basically what happened in the first half today. Which is why its so fecking frustrating when Ole thinks the solution is "more legs" in a performance at Leicester where fecking Kante wouldn't have helped because the entire shape both in attack and defense is shite, especially in defending transitions
 

Bilbo

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Yea but when results aren’t coming people just take those comments as buzzwords.
I know. It's obvious that when Ole is saying these words he is talking to the players.
 

largelyworried

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We were running on adrenaline. You can’t always do that, it’s not sustainable, it’s not even possible to pump yourself up like that.