I've posted on here previously about players dithering on the ball as well. However, it's worth making a clear distinction between the different dithering we do - we seem to have become rather prolific at it.
When we are on the counter attack and our opponents defence are not set and are running towards their own goal. In these scenarios our front three, with their speed and skill should be having a feeding frenzy. We do not convert enough of these opportunities - if you give the ball to Martial or Rashford in these situations they will end up in a cul-de-sac, check back in, the defense is set and the chance is gone. The tap-in goal for Lingard against Arsenal showed how it should be done - very direct - but this is few and far between. In the 90s these were our bread and butter.
The other scenario where we dither is when the defence is set. We stroke the ball about looking for a favourable 1v1/overlap/whatever. Again however, so many times you see Rashford/Martial or the WB/FB (whatever formation we're playing today) pass back inside rather than take a player on when in a good position.
However, breaking down a set defense is also about team effort and movement. When we have the ball just inside the opponents half, it would be interesting to see a 'breadcrumb' analysis of the front players movement. I want to see our team making off-the-ball runs to open up gaps in the defense others in the team can capitalise on. However, most of the time I see them standing like statues, giving no help at all to the player with the ball - so either the player on the ball has to do something exceptional or it has to be recycled.
I do feel that looking at our no10 and wide players we just don't have the players to unlock defences consistently game after game like most of our rivals do. I'm not suggesting they all should be put under the bus, but we are one or two players short of what we need here.
Don't forget that Jose asked for four players and only got three in the summer. For the sake of haggling over 5m I think we shot ourselves in the foot by not forcing the deal through for Perisic.
Wow, great post, and yeah I think you're on the money with most of it.
The movement (or lack thereof) issue is like the flip-side to the dithering, but as you said, the dithering isn't always linked to the lack of movement.
I think that the 'run into the box and then stand there' started with LvG. Dunno if anyone else remembers but there was
a lot of that in his time in charge. We'd basically totally control the midfield area, get into the final third and then just start pointlessly tapping it about outside their 25 yard line while Fellaini and whoever LvG was playing as a CF that particular day just stood in the box like statues.
Eventually the tapping about would begin to make the crowd groan and we'd stick a cross in that would then be headed away by the opposition and repeat...
But yeah, that for me when the static box mime artist thing started.
But the dithering from Martial and Rashford particularly is really odd, and it seems - contrary to his media image - that Mourinho's giving
too much freedom, and maybe trusting in youth
too much!
I'd really like to see Martial and Rashford coming off the bench for a while now and instead have Lingard starting games (not something I thought I'd be saying at the start of the season...) and I'd like us to settle with 3 at the back with a new (and proper 10), I'd love Ozil.
Something like this would surely be an improvement on what we've been putting out...
-----------------DDG---------------
Smalling-------Jones-------Lindelof
Val------Matic--------Pogba-----Young
------------------Ozil-----------------
------Lingard------------Rom---------
Lingard is direct, he doesn't dither, and perhaps is a late maturing player - he reminds me of Vardy in that way, both in his game and his build. And with a proper 10 behind him and Rom I think we'd see a lot more directness, and a lot conversion of chances.