I agree somewhat, but I watched Pochettinio defeat Pep with Messi Mbappe Neymar who aren't renowned pressers.
With a 5ft 5 Italian in Verratti pivoting the team in the 6 and the only two runners in the team being Gana and Herrera. Benefit is they had cbs who could defend 1v1 and read situations.
We can try and overcomplicate it as much as we want. But its obviously staring us in the face - we got fleeced for 80ms. We were down in FIVE minutes to Maguires error, he is at fault for the last TEN goals. Yes theres loads wrong with tactics, so much wrong with coaching but the answer to the OP is simple.
Our defense cant carry our attack because they are not good enough!
I disagree. The first goal is a prime example. It's not Maguire's error, it's a consequence of nobody in the team having a clue how we are meant to be defending and/or what shape we are meant to be in.
Greenwood should never have pressed. AWB should never have pressed. This drags Lindelof into the RB position, which drags Maguire into the RCB position and Shaw into the LCB position. It's all very easy then to criticise the back four, but this is a defensive error made first and foremost by Greenwood, who should never abandon his spot on the wing.
This is what managers mean when they say 'we defend as a team' or 'we defend from the front'. It's not a soundbite and it doesn't mean 'our attackers charge about like madmen'. What it means is, we HAVE to defend from the the front, otherwise teams will pick passes between the lines and our defence will be exposed.
Just imagine, imagine what it must be like playing as a defender in this Manchester United team right now. Every single opposition attack leaves them 3 vs 3 or 2 vs 2, or dragged across the pitch to put out fires. Nobody could defend like that. Prime Ferdinand and Vidic couldn't defend like that. Case in point, three times Champions League winner and WC winner Raphael Varane can't defend like that either, as we have seen in the few games he has played this season.
The error Ole is making is two-fold. Firstly, our players, as you point of with PSGs forwards, are not really suited to pressing. So it's the wrong tactic to adopt in the first-place. Secondly, this is compounded by our players not having a clue HOW to press. Where are the triggers? Who is orchestrating the press? Who should press and when? Which opposition players should be pressed?
I could coach a team to press at a basic level, it's not hard. You identify which of your players will lead the press in different areas of the pitch. You identify which of the opposition defenders/midfielders you CAN press (usually whichever is the weakest on the ball or whomever is responsible for receiving the ball most often in midfield from the defenders). You work on pressing triggers i.e. the ball going into a player who is weak on the ball, or a pass that forces a player to check or go backwards. You then work on who gives the signal, what that signal is and how the other players should respond to this trigger/signal. Also, very often, the player LEADING the press isn't actually the one who is going to make the tackle/interception. The player leading the press is responsible for forcing the opponent into a trap. Show them a glimpse of a passing channel, make the only available pass a high-risk one and tempt them to take it, knowing your teammates are lying in wait to close that pass at the last second and steal the ball. It's not rocket science at all, it just needs loads and loads of practice and a well-orchestrated team acting in harmony. If ONE player doesn't do their job, the opposition get out easily.
What I can't do, and where you need a really good coach, is to work out what happens when the press is bypassed. Pep has spent years (and billions) trying to work this out. How can we cover the players who are attempting the press, without leaving huge gaps? We have seen previously how Bayern Munich and Barcelona have tucked the full backs into central areas, almost filling in for the pivots, so there aren't gaps in the central areas. This requires elite coaching, skill and hundreds of hours of practice. Does it look like we have put 'hundreds of hours of practice' into our press?
That press yesterday was an example of what you DON'T do. No trigger, not co-ordinated, no pressure on the opponent with the ball, multiple passes available to the player being pressed and probably Liverpool's best passer of the ball in the backline. Suicidal. As it proved. People confuse 'the press' with just running about. Again, suicide. You will be out on your feet by HT doing that and probably being played off the park as well
it highlights the problem. Just as much as Rashford and Greenwood does not get the best out of Ronaldo, Ronaldo does not get the best out of players like Rashford, Greenwood or I'd I'd say an inverted forward version of Sancho or Martial. Players like Cavani and Bruno Fernandes playing further up the pitch and closer to the goal was the more balanced option.
