Simeone would have been disgusted with our performance (not result). Our defending is not Atletico Madrid standard, which is what is required to comfortably relinquish possession away from home.
Do we miss dominating games (in possession)?
- Thread starter andersj
- Start date
We'll have to get better at this.
Our ball circulation is terrible at times.
Hopefully a full pre-season under Ole helps in this regard.
Our ball circulation is terrible at times.
Hopefully a full pre-season under Ole helps in this regard.
You can have 60, 70 percent of possession and be absolutely harmless. And the opponent who is playing on the counter ends up with better chances and a win. Of course I dont want us to play like yesterday in parts where we couldnt get the ball by any means.
We must improve on our possession but it seems to me Ole likes fast transformation game where we go to the opponent half as quickly as possible and with as few touches if possible. Of course that's not the only way we play. Just give him preseason, possibly a new CM and he'll do wonders next season imo.
We must improve on our possession but it seems to me Ole likes fast transformation game where we go to the opponent half as quickly as possible and with as few touches if possible. Of course that's not the only way we play. Just give him preseason, possibly a new CM and he'll do wonders next season imo.
Vidic was underrated on the ball. Gary Neville still thinks we need two Cbs and a RB. I personally think we need a LB, RB and CB. But it shows the quality of the current team when fans think Smalling and Young start for us. Both are not great in a possession based team. Putting faith in Ole, because if anyone knows the quality needed to win titles, he does.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
and to add the possesion from the 1st leg was 45 to 55. hardly a one sided stat. We missed 10 injured players so set up in a different way for the 2nd leg.
we had more shots in the 2nd game also.
we had more shots in the 2nd game also.
Last edited:
We are attacking. So no. We did that under Van Gaal and while I appreciated the dominance in certain games, I'll rather adjust and win against those few teams that have more possession than us. What we are seeing is a combination of modern tactics, pragmatic approach applied in the United way true to our traditions without being ignorant to evolving. It is what it is, not to be compared with something else. We are capable of having plenty of possession, but it is a stupid imaginary contest not needed to get the 3 points.
Its not the only way to win of course. But only small teams will accept to lose the battle for possession without a fight.
In the case of Ole he is doing what is possible in the moment with great results. I'll wait next season. But imo United should be the aggressor at every game and control possession.
In the case of Ole he is doing what is possible in the moment with great results. I'll wait next season. But imo United should be the aggressor at every game and control possession.
You dominate the teams you are better than and you simply beat the teams you maybe aren't.
Well, that seems to be Ole's way of thinking.
If we aren't going to keep possession then you defend well and break like lightning when you get the chance.
Well, that seems to be Ole's way of thinking.
If we aren't going to keep possession then you defend well and break like lightning when you get the chance.
I love that. It means you're humble, but also that you always are the better team cause you always win. Quite the logic, love it.Ha.
Hey you won't always win, and you sure as shit aren't always the best team on the pitch. But largely anyone can beat anyone on the right day as we've seen on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
If you are realistic and can see that conceding meaningless possession can be an advantage, take it. Thinking you're the dogs bollocks and doing nothing with it has been the undoing of too many teams over the years.
Well yeah. And Yeah, it really has. Only Pep's Barcelona truly won everything by the use of possession as the most powerful element. Even then they had some unbelievable players. Fans still imagine possession as some magic metric. Many top games you see the best team have least possession. You get the early goal and sit back because you have the advantage of attacking against an unsettled defence, or you limit their attack just with being ready on the counter having that first goal. If we score the first goal and keep possession then even better, but as I said, basically no teams now does that in such a disciplined way it becomes a guarantee to win. Pretty sure only City are trying to do that regardless of who they are facing
I think this has been false in recent years.
We've never been a possession based team.
Van Gaal tried it and it didn't work.
Van Gaal tried it and it didn't work.
From what I have seen so far, I see Ole's style of play similar to Sir Alex's than to Pep's. Which means we are likely to see us develop into an excellent counter attacking team than a possession based team. The dream would be to see us play like Bayern did when they won the CL under Jupp Heynckes. I would expect us to become a team that is comfortable in possession and can develop some slick passing moves once Ole has a little bit more time and a good transfer window. Right now, we see too many erratic passes & a few of our players are not very comfortable on the ball. We aren't able to counter as methodically and as clinically as you'd expect from a top team. I fully expect that to change starting next season.
What do you mean. That it hasn't been that way in recent years? I think it has. Most games between top teams are tight games where both are good at having possession and in those games it is normal, unless one team has gotten the tactics horribly wrong and are being dominated without putting up a fight.
Yes despite all the joy we're feeling currently, we simply have to improve our quality on the ball if we're going to be an elite team. That will be the biggest question for Ole next season and when his injury list is shorter. In the long run, we want to dominate games and be the team that controls the game completely
Really????
If you replace Smalling, Young, perhaps Lukaku in place of Lingard, Jones/Rojo, Darmain and get Carrick type player in place, we probably would average more possession
Ole has been alway favoring possession based but he didn't implement his style fully in place on us yet, he has us to play our strength since this is not his team. Cardiff, Bournemouth, Huddersfield, etc we were experiencing a new style of play under Ole but it is more risk, as we went through every game, we went less dominant and more counter-attacking.
This is one of the reasons I hope to see a massive change next season if he stays for next season and able to implement his style in place fully, we need to improve our balls retention/control and carrying the ball, awareness of surrounding, an understanding between people's movement and off-ball movement, pressing as a unit. Get rid of Matic for DLP like Jorginho, De Jong, Busquets, Pjanic and replace Young with a silimar technical fullback like Shaw, replace Smalling with top CB who is very comfortable on balls under pressure.
To be honest, I don't like watching any team dominating balls against us and us defending for life, it gives me a headache and frustrating.
Ole has been alway favoring possession based but he didn't implement his style fully in place on us yet, he has us to play our strength since this is not his team. Cardiff, Bournemouth, Huddersfield, etc we were experiencing a new style of play under Ole but it is more risk, as we went through every game, we went less dominant and more counter-attacking.
This is one of the reasons I hope to see a massive change next season if he stays for next season and able to implement his style in place fully, we need to improve our balls retention/control and carrying the ball, awareness of surrounding, an understanding between people's movement and off-ball movement, pressing as a unit. Get rid of Matic for DLP like Jorginho, De Jong, Busquets, Pjanic and replace Young with a silimar technical fullback like Shaw, replace Smalling with top CB who is very comfortable on balls under pressure.
To be honest, I don't like watching any team dominating balls against us and us defending for life, it gives me a headache and frustrating.
Last edited:
PSG, Bayern, and Barcelona have the highest possession in Europe, they have dominated their domestic league. City joined them in 2017, only time when City look so unstoppable, especially in 2017/18 season. Liverpool's possession gotten better, as a result, they gotten stronger.
Pep is only coaches I can think of coaches who would be happy to continue dominating and attacking rather than sitting back with an early goal. Valverde, Tuchel, Kovač is not big fan of possession and would be happy to sit back against the top team if they scored an early goal and look for the counter-attack. A better team is likely to have more possession under attacking coaches.
I remember thinking after we appointed Van Gaal, "good finally we can start dominating possession."
By the end of his tenure, I'd realised why there were times when Fergie would cede possession to the likes of Arsenal or the Southampton of the time.
By the end of his tenure, I'd realised why there were times when Fergie would cede possession to the likes of Arsenal or the Southampton of the time.
Yes. We are too damn careless with possesion and our pressing. The only good thing is we are coached better on our counter play than in recent years.
Yes. But it is obviously related to expectations and interest being at an all time low in 2018.
I think the focus is not on the actual pocession percentage, but how we use and circulate the ball when we have the ball. It’s quite evident when Matic/Herrera is not in the team, our plan B when under heavy pressure is to drop Pogba deeper to keep and move the ball.
What we probably need is a Scholes/Carrick/Pirlo/Veratti/Kroos type of player to do that job consistently and allow Pogba to bomb forward with devastating effect we have seen recently.
I’m hoping Garner to develop into that calibre of player as he is being talked up as, if we are unable to sign someone to take that role.
What we probably need is a Scholes/Carrick/Pirlo/Veratti/Kroos type of player to do that job consistently and allow Pogba to bomb forward with devastating effect we have seen recently.
I’m hoping Garner to develop into that calibre of player as he is being talked up as, if we are unable to sign someone to take that role.
It's a bit overstated.
64% against Southampton
55% against Palace
35% against Liverpool
33% against Chelsea
49% against Fulham
55% against Leicester
37% against Arsenal
65% against Newcastle
56% against Brighton
39% against Tottenham
60% against Reading
The games when we have less possession are generally away games against bigger clubs where this is an expected pattern of play. Home against PSG was always going to be a challenge and we were very unlucky with injuries, again, against Liverpool we were injury ravaged before the game and even more so by half time.
We've had a lot of games against top 6 sides and lots of away games.
You'd expect this to even out over time.
64% against Southampton
55% against Palace
35% against Liverpool
33% against Chelsea
49% against Fulham
55% against Leicester
37% against Arsenal
65% against Newcastle
56% against Brighton
39% against Tottenham
60% against Reading
The games when we have less possession are generally away games against bigger clubs where this is an expected pattern of play. Home against PSG was always going to be a challenge and we were very unlucky with injuries, again, against Liverpool we were injury ravaged before the game and even more so by half time.
We've had a lot of games against top 6 sides and lots of away games.
You'd expect this to even out over time.
I don’t think it’s all about having more possession than the other team but rather being able to have more control of the game, with and without the ball.
We don’t have to pass teams to death every time we get the ball but we need to be able to be in more control of the game both offensively and defensively, and not just concede the midfield battle and hope that we can get some counters or dead ball situations every time we play a top team. We have to get much better at keeping the ball when we win it in our own half and also keeping it long enough so that we can attack with more than 2-3 players and put some pressure on offensively.
Smash&grab type wins are great but it doesn’t work in the long run.
We don’t have to pass teams to death every time we get the ball but we need to be able to be in more control of the game both offensively and defensively, and not just concede the midfield battle and hope that we can get some counters or dead ball situations every time we play a top team. We have to get much better at keeping the ball when we win it in our own half and also keeping it long enough so that we can attack with more than 2-3 players and put some pressure on offensively.
Smash&grab type wins are great but it doesn’t work in the long run.
We had more possession for the PSG game at home than away. I know which game I enjoyed watching.
In time we will dominate games in possession and gameplay.
OGS has rebuilt Molde twice and both times used about 4-6 months to get the ball rolling how he likes it again!
OGS has rebuilt Molde twice and both times used about 4-6 months to get the ball rolling how he likes it again!
I think the possession talk is way too early right now.What ole is doing right now is rejuvenating the players and giving them the platform to perform to the best of their ability,which is probably the right thing to do as an interim when you find a team in the predicaments we were in post jose.and besides ole's molde was possession based and very attacking, I'm sure that's what he will want to implement here in the longterm which will require a full pre season and transfer window.for now he's doing what is best for the team.I'm sure we'll have a proper view of things next season.
Last edited:
It is rare where you see the superior side lose the possession battle by a large amount.
After the LVG era I don’t care if we never have over 50% of the ball again. Mourinho’s side were the Harlem fecking Globetrotters next to that insufferable shite. Literally nothing happened.
In all seriousness we need to be better at home when it comes to controlling games. I think it’s an area that needs addressing in the summer - a midfielder is the obvious position but even another ball playing CB next to Lindelof and a top level RB to provide consistent width, with some actual quality, would do wonders.
Our style under Ole is actually perfect for away trips, as the results have shown.
In all seriousness we need to be better at home when it comes to controlling games. I think it’s an area that needs addressing in the summer - a midfielder is the obvious position but even another ball playing CB next to Lindelof and a top level RB to provide consistent width, with some actual quality, would do wonders.
Our style under Ole is actually perfect for away trips, as the results have shown.
Well as the team improves I'd hope our possession against the big teams improves. We'll never be a top team without improving in that respect IMO.
Spot on. Also, any style that is executed poorly can be bad to watch.
The worst times for me were under Van Gaal when we kept the ball but did feck all with it. It was stultifyingly dull. At least with Mourinho you felt like there was a plan, even if it was excessively negative.
Ole has us playing like we used to - we just need to add a bit of quality to the team now.
Ole has us playing like we used to - we just need to add a bit of quality to the team now.
We aren't a team that needs possession. We all demand hard pressing attack. The PSG game was the epitome of what united is. You think you knocked us out? Come on then.
We aren't that great at passing sometimes. I'd like to see us better at it.
Other than that, it doesn't matter. So long as we're prepared to attack with vigour, I'd rather allow the opposition to at least attempt to play a bit. Usually means for more space and better attacking.
Other than that, it doesn't matter. So long as we're prepared to attack with vigour, I'd rather allow the opposition to at least attempt to play a bit. Usually means for more space and better attacking.
Our possession will increase next season, especially if we buy a ball playing midfielder. Ole has only been here for 10 weeks. We won't become a possession based team though, and that doesn't bother me. What we need is the right coaching and players so we can keep the ball in midfield when under the cosh by good teams and increase the speed and precision of our passing around the opposition box when we are trying to break down a defence.
We definitely don't need 2 new CBs as Gary Neville said. One would be perfect so we can rotate and not fall to pieces, with Tuanzebe and Jones (if he stays) as back ups.
We definitely don't need 2 new CBs as Gary Neville said. One would be perfect so we can rotate and not fall to pieces, with Tuanzebe and Jones (if he stays) as back ups.
This is the major element in our play I want to see next season,whoever is in charge.
Its why I want us to desperately sign a player in the mould of Modric,easier said than done granted.Though I saw promising signs with Fred on Wednesday.
But,overall,at the moment due to our needs ie battling for top 4 I will take this enjoyable yet overly counter attacking style.
Its why I want us to desperately sign a player in the mould of Modric,easier said than done granted.Though I saw promising signs with Fred on Wednesday.
But,overall,at the moment due to our needs ie battling for top 4 I will take this enjoyable yet overly counter attacking style.
Real won 3 champions league without having much of the ball in big games.
We dont miss controlling posession. We miss players that could deliver a good pass and control the ball properly in tight situations. So many times we waste very good counter attacking oportunities because our players over- hit, miss-control or take too long to deliver a pass.
To be fair to Solskjaer, United's possession numbers were high when his reign stated and for all anybody knows, he may well favour style where his team dominates possession and does so in a purposeful manner unlike the highly conservative possession game United played under LVG. What he inherited may not be suited to a possession centric game so he's maybe just working to get the best out of what he inherited.