Do you ever wonder what training is like?

RedStarUnited

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Given everything we see regularly on match days, I often wonder how these guys look like in training;
  • Bruno: Is he just as quick to force attacks in training? How does he do this when using smaller pitches?
  • Antony: Does he bang them in, in training? To give him confidence to shoot every match.
  • Hojlund: does he get regular service from the wingers in training? How many goals does he score there.
  • Rashford: Is his dribbling that much better in training or is he still running into blind alleys?

I could go on and on…
 
Nothing. We do nothing.

These players act like they have never seen each other.
 
I think our players sometimes wonder what training is like, too. They've heard of this "training" and all have their own pre-conceived notions of what this could entail.
 
I imagine it's like watching the three stooges bumping into each other and falling on their arse, then immediately getting up and doing it again after grunting like neanderthals
 
I’ve read a lot of autobiographies from players in the 90s/2000s and the consistent line was how intense the training was, and actually harder than match days. Fast forward a few years and Rooney complains about Pogba and Lingard dancing about the day after a loss. I feel Ten Hag talks the talk about standards but unfortunately he hasn’t exactly set the tone with the standard of player he’s brought in
 
AndySmith1990 said:
I imagine it's like watching the three stooges bumping into each other and falling on their arse, then immediately getting up and doing it again after grunting like neanderthals
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Rashford running into all of the training comes and shooting from the canteen. :lol:

Casemiro needs about 15 of these sessions before he looks any good. "He typically starts slow."
 
Probably the football equivalent of an episode of The Thick Of It where everyone just prats around, nothing gets done and everyones backstabbing one another.
 
Have no clue. Whenever I see us play, it seems very rigid. Today of all games, in particular the first half, reminded of LVG's style of play.

Feels like the players are being given a lot of instructions and only a few can cope with it. That's why I think he probably keeps Antony in the team, he seems like a player from a tactical point of view who understands exactly everything he needs to do. A lot of the other players can look clueless at times.

Again, not exactly sure but it feels like whatever we are doing is going to waste, especially when we look the most threatening on the counter-attack/in transitions, which is what the players are used to already.
 
Most often this season, I've wondered if they train football at all
 
From last nights first half I presumed they’ve not graduated to the ‘pass forward and run into space’ lesson yet.
 
it’s just ten hag constantly trying to get them to have saunas. “rashy, notish how you mishcontolled that chance v copenhagen? probably jusht a little tenshe. quick shauna, maybe?”
 
They can't be training with any standards or intensity if they come into the game looking like they've never played together and off the pace from the kick off. Training should be brutal compared to the match day, but I will almost guarantee that due to our injury issues they've toned training down a couple of notches to see if it helps with people staying fit.
 
The most disappointing thing is the PR push when Ten Hag came tried to tell a story of him being meticulous, every detail covered. And yet we look like we have very little plan in place so is it the manager or the players who have given up?
 
RedStarUnited said:
Given everything we see regularly on match days, I often wonder how these guys look like in training;
  • Bruno: Is he just as quick to force attacks in training? How does he do this when using smaller pitches?
  • Antony: Does he bang them in, in training? To give him confidence to shoot every match.
  • Hojlund: does he get regular service from the wingers in training? How many goals does he score there.
  • Rashford: Is his dribbling that much better in training or is he still running into blind alleys?

I could go on and on…
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You are right to highlight these individuals.
But I would be looking more at how he and his coaching staff are working on getting them to play like a Team. Because we don't. Nothing like.

As you say, you could go on and on.
Just one example. Onana passes out to Maguire.
Maguire looks up and sees zero movement. Nobody wanting to move, to create space. So he passes sideways or back, or out to Rashford who is now marked by 2 or 3 defenders.
Slow static play lacking in any desire or ambition.
Just like with LVG or José or far worse in fact.

I watched Liverpool. Totally different. Players sprinting flat out. 3,4,5 running at the defence overloading them in different directions.

Instead. Rashford walking.
Antony running into blind alleys.
The only one showing any desire to get the ball is Hojlund and he is soon going to get fed up with that and regress.
 
I remember Ian Wright on the G Nev show saying he wanted to go into management so he did some coaching and it was there he realised it wasn't for him. Players in training would be great, following instructions and then be completely different under pressure on game day, I'd imagine we look phenomenal in training. Feel like maybe bar Real, albeit their league is easier, we might well be the most toxic club for players to play for - you need to have a certain type of personality and we really don't seem to have many, if any, maybe Varane, maybe Licha, to not shit your pants whenever you get the ball and, most importantly, to want it in all situations. We have a lot of players who either do one or the other.
 
Whatever we do in training, it certainly is NOT training patterns and passing excercises
 
I attended first team training under Sir Alex back in 2011. To be fair, I was so in awe everything and everyone, that I wasn't really taking it in! I do wonder now though. Is our poor defence down to training against our blunt attacking?!

However it does make me laugh when I hear all the cries of "we need to improve training facilities" - do we?! How do people know that?
 
I watch the bits they release.

Some of the stuff I don't get. Looks a bit of a waste of time. Two players competing over who can pick a shirt off the floor quickest. Watching Antony doing that and thinking this guy should be practicing his crossing constantly.

They love Rondos as well which I think are of little use.
 
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mark_a said:
However it does make me laugh when I hear all the cries of "we need to improve training facilities" - do we?! How do people know that?
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When Charlie Savage says League 1 Reading's training facilities are on par with United's then it's a little alarming.
 
Perhaps we should train more with players from other teams. It doesn’t make sense I know but I’m sure we are very good against each other. We are just terrible against opponents.
 
Once the season starts, training is mostly focused on physical recovery for teams that play midweek games as well.
You rarely have time to do full tactical setups, so you will have players who played on the weekend focusing on recovery, and the other players will do a mix of tactical and technical training. Aside of physical recovery, First team players training will be mostly working on identified mistakes of last game or emphasis on the plan for next game.

But let’s say the team played Sunday and plays again on Wednesday. Monday will be off so that only leaves Tuesday for training as Wednesday will be used for match preparation or travelling.

It’s really no surprise that Arsenal looked better after a full season with no European football, or that clubs like Brighton or Tottenham look to gel tactically so early on: they can actually train to play their football
 
Zed is not dead said:
Once the season starts, training is mostly focused on physical recovery for teams that play midweek games as well.
You rarely have time to do full tactical setups, so you will have players who played on the weekend focusing on recovery, and the other players will do a mix of tactical and technical training. Aside of physical recovery, First team players training will be mostly working on identified mistakes of last game or emphasis on the plan for next game.

But let’s say the team played Sunday and plays again on Wednesday. Monday will be off so that only leaves Tuesday for training as Wednesday will be used for match preparation or travelling.

It’s really no surprise that Arsenal looked better after a full season with no European football, or that clubs like Brighton or Tottenham look to gel tactically so early on: they can actually train to play their football
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True but after more than a year with the squad there shouldn't be a need to go massively heavy on set up and tactics. If you haven't got it through to your players by then I don't think you ever will.
 
Zed is not dead said:
Once the season starts, training is mostly focused on physical recovery for teams that play midweek games as well.
You rarely have time to do full tactical setups, so you will have players who played on the weekend focusing on recovery, and the other players will do a mix of tactical and technical training. Aside of physical recovery, First team players training will be mostly working on identified mistakes of last game or emphasis on the plan for next game.

But let’s say the team played Sunday and plays again on Wednesday. Monday will be off so that only leaves Tuesday for training as Wednesday will be used for match preparation or travelling.

It’s really no surprise that Arsenal looked better after a full season with no European football, or that clubs like Brighton or Tottenham look to gel tactically so early on: they can actually train to play their football
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This is true, ETH even said as much in his latest presser:

"The cooperation has to click, but we showed this week some examples where there are so many we have overload positions, going in overload position to the opponent's goal and we don’t net or don’t even hit the target. We don’t have time to train this, we give some coaching and I’m convinced with the quality from our players that they will go and score more goals."

So its no wonder we haven't improved much since pre-season really.
 
We used to have us against the world mentality. Every training and every games was all out 110% efforts to win.

Nowadays players complain about double sessions training, running too much in the game, spent more time on social media than doing extra training, going home in the dark after training and whatnot.
 
They do those small sided games with the winning team having a photo taken.
 
Ayoba said:
This is true, ETH even said as much in his latest presser:

"The cooperation has to click, but we showed this week some examples where there are so many we have overload positions, going in overload position to the opponent's goal and we don’t net or don’t even hit the target. We don’t have time to train this, we give some coaching and I’m convinced with the quality from our players that they will go and score more goals."

So its no wonder we haven't improved much since pre-season really.
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So in theory going out of the champions league early (and not qualifying for europa) would benefit this team in the long run?
 
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