I’m tired of watching this slow build up style

[Offsideagain]

Chelsea will be too pacey for us today. Willian is class. We may scrape a bore draw but if we get beaten then I forecast a Mourinho out campaign starting.

Our full backs are ageing converted wingers. Our wingers aren’t encouraged to play like the old school wingers. Everything stops as soon as we get within 30 metres of opponents goal.

 

[Burrow]

It’s been absolutely infuriating to watch one of our players try to go on the counter, only to see literally everyone else stop / slowly jog to join the attack. It’s like the players are refusing to attack, or simply doesnt bother at times and it’s absolutely unacceptable.

 

[noodlehair]

But isn't it up to the manager and his staff through training to get them to play at a higher intensity? We have seen that when we do let the ball move faster we play so much better, and tend to get results.

Yeah it is, but you have to think surely this is what the manager and coaches want, how you get it out of players is another thing. You watch us play at the moment and most of the time we don't even look as fit as the other team, which is ridiculous but it is exactly what it looks like.

It does ultimately come down to the manager to sort out.

Looks like we are ten times fitter than we are now. Or that our players enjoyed playing football that much more.

Yeah that's exactly the impression I get...but we know for a fact Tevez and Anderson certainly weren't the fittest footballers in the world, so it ust come down more to just having the hunger and motivation as a team to play like that.

 

[Nikelesh Reddy]

We have a slow build up style?

That's harsh on teams who actually have a slow build up style. We are worse.

The problem isn't the managers philosophy,the biggest problem is that we don't have centre backs who can confidently carry the ball forward,or at least pass the ball forward quicker.Smalling,Jones and Bailly aren't good distributors of the ball....Blind and Rojo are decent distributors but they aren't good enough defensively.Lindelof was supposed to be a top class ball playing CB,but he hasn't really settled in so far.

We need to sell Smalling,Blind and Rojo in the summer and we need to sign a top class ball playing CB.Unless we sign a Centre back who's comfortable passing the ball forward,we won't be able to improve our build up play....

 

[buckooo1978]

was watching a United v Chelsea game and the difference is startling

Evra and Rafael playing like wingers and bursting into the box, players like Cleverley getting the ball, moving it quickly, the general pace being a lot quicker and the team looking like they want to score a lot more

strange seeing Mata in a Chelsea shirt but I wonder if his lack of pace is an issue. Our full backs lack of quality and lack of freedom to attack is a major difference - in the game from 2012 at the Bridge our midfield of Carrick, Cleverley and Giggs looks much better than our current midfield

Is Matic a good enough player to start every game at the base or should we have a playmaker

 

[Nate Dogg]

Won't watching today as i know it will be excruciating performance from us coupled with the fact Mourinho will pick the wrong side and play Young, Smalling etc.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

It’s been absolutely infuriating to watch one of our players try to go on the counter, only to see literally everyone else stop / slowly jog to join the attack. It’s like the players are refusing to attack, or simply doesnt bother at times and it’s absolutely unacceptable.

Agree, it's so annoying, as if do these players even care or even want to win? Attack and attack damn it.

 

[Camilo]

If you watch this, even just the first ten minutes, you get an idea of why this current team struggles, and you get an idea of how little it has to do with supposed negative tactics, or people not being in their exact right position on the pitch etc.

It's pretty much an example of how you'd expect a good Mourinho United team to play...direct and quick on the ball. We're giving Fulham space and time on the ball but then as soon as we win it back we're looking to pick holes. Every pass is direct and every decision is instant..the front players are more concerned with running to where the space is than worrying about who is in what exact position...they worry about that when we lose the ball. We're a million miles from this at the moment.

This isn't tactics, it's the players being alive and alert and having a level of intensity and hunger you just never see from this United side. This is a bg part of the reason why we get trashed whenever we play a team with good players who are willing to play with this intensity. It wouldn't change if we had three, four in the middle. We're simply a gear or two below and so will always end up chasing shadows.

Teams like City, Liverpool, Spurs etc. may not have Ronaldo, Tevez etc. but they do play with this kind of intensity. Every week.

This is better than anything I've seen under Mourinho.. LvG, for all his terrible performances, did have a couple of special games.. And this isn't even that special.

It was a slightly different era though, and I think the league has become a lot stronger and more disciplined, so maybe that doesn't help.. SAF was a great motivator though, one of the best. If Jose can't motivate his players in that way then he has to adapt... I don't think the "high line, instant press" system a lot of teams are employing requires that same intensity because you have the ball most of the time!

But anyways, nobody's enjoying whatever it is Jose's trying. We're not counter attacking in the video, we're playing in that open, end to end, balls out way we always did. And sure, you can say our players aren't as good now, and they're not, (Rooney, ronaldo and tevez in attack?! Each one of them is better than anyone we have currently), but it's up to the manager to find a way.. And maybe this just his way.. But I don't think it's good enough.

 

[haram]

People like @haram are telling us that this is all part of well thought out Mourinho plans, where Mata is used that way on the right.

At home when teams sit deep against us yes... I said we need a different approach away when we need to break.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

If you watch this, even just the first ten minutes, you get an idea of why this current team struggles, and you get an idea of how little it has to do with supposed negative tactics, or people not being in their exact right position on the pitch etc.

It's pretty much an example of how you'd expect a good Mourinho United team to play...direct and quick on the ball. We're giving Fulham space and time on the ball but then as soon as we win it back we're looking to pick holes. Every pass is direct and every decision is instant..the front players are more concerned with running to where the space is than worrying about who is in what exact position...they worry about that when we lose the ball. We're a million miles from this at the moment.

This isn't tactics, it's the players being alive and alert and having a level of intensity and hunger you just never see from this United side. This is a bg part of the reason why we get trashed whenever we play a team with good players who are willing to play with this intensity. It wouldn't change if we had three, four in the middle. We're simply a gear or two below and so will always end up chasing shadows.

Teams like City, Liverpool, Spurs etc. may not have Ronaldo, Tevez etc. but they do play with this kind of intensity. Every week.

United vs Watford, Martial has the ball in the corner a break is on Shaw gambles and attacks the free open space, Martial loses possession and Shaw is out of position. From this moment on the heat was on Shaw and was singled out by Jose.
Although I agree with the sentiment that intensity and attacking space is what we need, I don’t agree that it’s not tactical. When you do that you’re vulnerable to a move breaking down and people being out of position.
The way I see it our players are too occupied with covering the vulnerable spaces that we don’t counter.

If you watch our games there are many moments when Martial covers Pogba or Matics position in midfield or even Young’s instead of being where you’d want him to be. It’s not just him either.

I watched pool yesterday and Robertson the LB, when pool had the ball he was charging forward the same for Arnold on the opposite side. We just don’t do that and to me it’s a tactical decision by Jose.

 

[Godfather]

Yeah that's exactly the impression I get...but we know for a fact Tevez and Anderson certainly weren't the fittest footballers in the world, so it ust come down more to just having the hunger and motivation as a team to play like that.

Rio said in a very recent interview that each and everyone of them were raring to go out on the field every single time. I don't feel the same with the team right now. Not at all to be honest.

 

[MDFC Manager]

United vs Watford, Martial has the ball in the corner a break is on Shaw gambles and attacks the free open space, Martial loses possession and Shaw is out of position. From this moment on the heat was on Shaw and was singled out by Jose.
Although I agree with the sentiment that intensity and attacking space is what we need, I don’t agree that it’s not tactical. When you do that you’re vulnerable to a move breaking down and people being out of position.
The way I see it our players are too occupied with covering the vulnerable spaces that we don’t counter.

If you watch our games there are many moments when Martial covers Pogba or Matics position in midfield or even Young’s instead of being where you’d want him to be. It’s not just him either.

I watched pool yesterday and Robertson the LB, when pool had the ball he was charging forward the same for Arnold on the opposite side. We just don’t do that and to me it’s a tactical decision by Jose.

Exactly mate. We're coached to be exactly way we're playing. The players are doing exactly what they're asked to do.

 

[noodlehair]

This is better than anything I've seen under Mourinho.. LvG, for all his terrible performances, did have a couple of special games.. And this isn't even that special.

It was a slightly different era though, and I think the league has become a lot stronger and more disciplined, so maybe that doesn't help.. SAF was a great motivator though, one of the best. If Jose can't motivate his players in that way then he has to adapt... I don't think the "high line, instant press" system a lot of teams are employing requires that same intensity because you have the ball most of the time!

But anyways, nobody's enjoying whatever it is Jose's trying. We're not counter attacking in the video, we're playing in that open, end to end, balls out way we always did. And sure, you can say our players aren't as good now, and they're not, (Rooney, ronaldo and tevez in attack?! Each one of them is better than anyone we have currently), but it's up to the manager to find a way.. And maybe this just his way.. But I don't think it's good enough.

I don't think the league is stronger or more organised now. You have teams with far inferior players to the ones we had in 2008, tearing up opponents by playing with this kind of intensity...it doesn't really seem to matter if they're a high pressing team or want to play on the break like Chelsea did last year. It comes down to being able to execute it with purpose.

I agree it's not counter attacking in the video...but it's not high pressing either. It's just playing very direct passing football. Not letting the opposition settle into the game. I don't know what Jose is doing either. We set up to play on the counter but then seem to spend games getting caught on the counter ourselves despite not having any players forwards. We don't really do anything other than hope the game just works out in our favour.

But the point I was making is that whatever tactics you set up with, it's not going to work if you don't execute it with any purpose...and I think the problem with this team is they just lack that purpose. It's hard to tell what they're supposed to be doing because whatever it is they're not doing it with any kind of oomph. They just meander about when we're controlling games and are happy to punt the ball to no one and chase shadows around when they're not.

It's like someone said above, in that video we start the game like it's the 80th minute and we're a goal down. When you watch us play now, whether we're under pressure or the opposition are sitting off us, we constantly seem to play like it's the 80th minute and we're 5 goals up, and all the hard work is done.

 

[haram]

Instead of making snide comments maybe you should use your brain and actually read what I’m saying next time.

 

[red4ever 79]

We are terrible to watch. Dont know how anyone can dispute that. For years this static zombie football. We look like a bunch of lads who just turn up for a kick about at the local park. No coaching, poor in attack. Dont get me started on our corners!

 

[Ramshock]

This may seem like a reactionary thread to today’s game but our current build up style is so boring and part of the reason that we don’t kill games.

Bar the first month of the season the build up play has been so slow. We use to be the entertainers of the league but now watching us is becoming a chore once again. Since Christmas we have started every game in second gear which invites pressure onto ourselves, why do we do it?

I know football is about winning over beautiful football but seriously you can do both. We use to do it every season. City are doing it right now.

The question is what can we do about it? It would be easy to blame the manager but this has been the case under 3 managers. When I watched Jose’s Chelsea teams and Real sides they were conservative only in the big away games. Most of the other time they played attacking football. The players have to take responsibility on the pitch.

Support City then?

 

[Web of Bissaka]

Rio said in a very recent interview that each and everyone of them were raring to go out on the field every single time. I don't feel the same with the team right now. Not at all to be honest.

That's right boss. Except perhaps Alexis Sanchez who is playing with Gear 10 or something, different intensity.

 

[suhaylah]

I'm hoping for a 3-4-1-2 line up.
De God
Bailly Smalling Lindelof
Valencia Matic Pogba Shaw
Sanchez
Lukaku Martial

 

[backtowhiteside]

De Gea

Valencia Bailly Linderlöf Shaw

Matic

Sanchez Pogba

Mata Martial

Rashford

 

[Camilo]

But the point I was making is that whatever tactics you set up with, it's not going to work if you don't execute it with any purpose...and I think the problem with this team is they just lack that purpose. It's hard to tell what they're supposed to be doing because whatever it is they're not doing it with any kind of oomph. They just meander about when we're controlling games and are happy to punt the ball to no one and chase shadows around when they're not.

It's like someone said above, in that video we start the game like it's the 80th minute and we're a goal down. When you watch us play now, whether we're under pressure or the opposition are sitting off us, we constantly seem to play like it's the 80th minute and we're 5 goals up, and all the hard work is done.

Execution and tactics are one and the same for me - he's training them, he's setting them up, he's in charge. If the players are going out knowing what they have to do, but can't be arsed (which just won't be true, whoever's said that!) or far more likely can't execute it due to a lack of quality, or understanding, or whatever, then that's the managers problem, not theirs. He's had 3 transfer windows now, and I'm not sure much has changed if it was the players ability that was in question..

Either his tactics are flawed, and this is just the result, or the players aren't good enough to carry them out. And so I suppose you could then say "well if they're not good enough, but we're still 2nd/3rd in the league and on the brink of the champions league quarters, is he not doing a good job?". And it's hard to dispute that. But there's more than one way to to skin a cat, and I think most of us agree our players can be better than that. I think most would agree that we could achieve what he's achieving with a more open style of play.. And then you get the added magic of confidence, which ultimately is the difference between a good team and a great team.

 

[Josep Dowling]

Support City then?

I take it you’re happy with the football we play at the moment. Trying to get 0-0 away from home to Sevilla. Week by week performances are getting worse.

 

[::sonny::]

I'm really shocked about the avg quailty

 

[Ramshock]

I take it you’re happy with the football we play at the moment. Trying to get 0-0 away from home to Sevilla. Week by week performances are getting worse.

I take it you never saw Fergie coach in european aways?

 

[marktan]

Comparing with out 2007 team is unfair when that's one of our best sides ever. Imo that's where our problem largely stems from - our front 3 have poor movement, and the full backs aren't providing width. With Ronaldo / Rooney / Tevez you had great technical ability and movement, and you had Evra / Brown / Neville to support on the wings.

Sanchez atm is playing centrally, Martial is trying to provide width, and Lukaku's getting crowded. Other than that, we don't have anything. Someone like Salah or Mahrez with more intelligent movement would help us.

 

[VeevaVee]

Classic playing into a wall stuff because how slow we are.

 

[VeevaVee]

Alexis suffering massively from our crap buildup. He has no room to do his thing by the time he gets it

 

[BocaJuniors]

"Whoever has the ball is more likely to make a mistake"

 

[Josep Dowling]

I take it you never saw Fergie coach in european aways?

Fergie would at least try to get an away goal. We were lucky the game finished 0-0.

 

[Paul778]

Too painful for words. It's been a little better in the last 10 mins.

Sigh. Tevez Ronaldo and Rooney seems so long ago.

 

[arthurka]

Alexis suffering massively from our crap buildup. He has no room to do his thing by the time he gets it

Agree

He works hard but the rest just dozes around..

 

[Paul778]

Was that a banner advert at OT saying "Redefining Sleep"

 

[Maciej]

It's awful.

 

[Adisa]

Do we have a pillow partner?

 

[Boznich]

Why are we so slow in attack and defence, passing is not quick enough all the players are static when we have possession and we have no desire to run and win the ball back when don't have the ball. I had a back operation a week ago and I get around the house quicker than these lot get round the pitch haha