As for Maguire and Wan Bissaka fitting the plan. I think this is open to interpretation. You can point to Maguire being comfortable on the ball I can point to him being slow and not an ideal defender for a high pressing system which is how it initially looked like Ole wanted to play.
Ole has had four transfer windows and he’s not signed a right winger (does diallo count?) meaning he expects our attacks on the right to come from Wan Bissaka, either that or he doesn’t think attacking down the right is important. Wan Bissaka isn’t particularly good at taking up positions and attacking space the way an attacking wing back should. So that’s my interpretation of it. I could think of about twenty more suitable players for the style it initially looked like Ole wanted.
I see the big picture, the big picture is Ole is still trying to work things out and get this team playing how he wants and he himself hasn’t quite pinpointed what he wants.
This is reflected in factual evidence such as ...
- multiple formations used across games
- players being moved around to different positions to accommodate other players
- inconsistent performances, ranging from very good to mediocre
- an unidentifiable style of play and system
- the signing of players not suited to the initial ‘plan’
You’re simplifying it to defend Ole. I accept that but don’t agree. I’m not just talking about a simple substitution. I’m talking about United struggling to keep the ball against Southampton and being overran in midfield with a two of Pogba and Matic and literally nothing being done about it from our coaching team. No sub, no individual instructions. If tom, dick and Harry are moaning about in on redcafe during the match day thread then you wonder why our team can’t see it.
I think a few of the things your arguing are possibly some of my biggest bugbears of the criticisms of Ole to be honest and god knows we're not perfect yet so take what I say with a pinch of salt maybe but;
Don't we play with a relatively high line for 80% of our matches? If Bailly is fit then that partnership will allow us to both be aerially strong and have quick recovery pace. So the Maguire signing wasn't short sighted in any way IMO, there's a reason Pep was also interested in Maguire and that's because his often sited pace isn't any where near as big a deal as people think. It becomes an issue if both centre backs are slow granted... Also see vidic, and bruce surely?
The right winger is a strange criticism because he's desperate for a right winger, hence the summer long transfer sage and roughly year long tracking of Sancho, no?
Style of play/patterns of play, Ole would like to play a 4-2-3-1, be defensively solid, with a relatively high line, have a play making centre mid, number 10, 2 wingers and a centre forward, he's not a possession is 9/10s of the law manager, and he wants us to transition through phases quickly to score the first goal(s) and then to manage the game (we need to do this better). The squad isn't complete, form of players such as Greenwood, Matic, Martial, Pogba in particular, injuries etc has meant that he's had to tweak things regularly.
The in game management jibe also grates a little as well, as we constantly tweak things mid game and have a fantastic record of turning losing points into winning points, but because you've reasoned it's a mentality thing and not tactical, that's your mind made up. And if tom, dick and harry are moaning in here, then I would presume they can see what you see and think differently about the game, have different solutions to the problems maybe?
If I recall, presuming you mean Southampton last season at Old Trafford(?), weren't we winning that game, having turned it around, then went down to 10 men (Shaw was taken off wasn't he?) and they equalised in the last minute? My initial guess would be, they were leaving an awful amount of space between the lines to be exploited once we got past the initial press. And didn't we have a great oppurtunity to make it 3-1 in that game from exactly that situation?
Surely the base point should be from everyone here, and I know the ego doesn't always permit this, that the coaches know more than us, so if you think there's an issue on the pitch, they
have seen it, and are trying to problem solve in a different way than you would wish maybe?