Is Matic a big reason why we can't build attacks?

Mainoldo

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There all playing crap. But like I can tell Lukaku has a crap touch even on a good day I can also tell Matic takes too many touches to even help us play the football we need too. I hate Herrara’s passing selection but he’s better than Matic.
 

Ekeke

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There all playing crap. But like I can tell Lukaku has a crap touch even on a good day I can also tell Matic takes too many touches to even help us play the football we need too. I hate Herrara’s passing selection but he’s better than Matic.
Interestingly enough Lukaku gives the ball away with a poor touch less often than Aguero, Kane or Lacazette the in form PL strikers. That might be because of a lower amount of touches overall though, not sure theres an easy way to find that out without counting game by game :lol: Very briefly looking at the last 2 games of each player that werent against the top teams in the league, Lacazette and Kane were both from around 22 or so touches to 50 touches. Aguero more around 30 to 40. Lukaku wasnt as low as Kane or Lacazette in 1 of the matches, but neither was he up at 50 touches in either game either.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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Interestingly enough Lukaku gives the ball away with a poor touch less often than Aguero, Kane or Lacazette the in form PL strikers. That might be because of a lower amount of touches overall though, not sure theres an easy way to find that out without counting game by game :lol: Very briefly looking at the last 2 games of each player that werent against the top teams in the league, Lacazette and Kane were both from around 22 or so touches to 50 touches. Aguero more around 30 to 40. Lukaku wasnt as low as Kane or Lacazette in 1 of the matches, but neither was he up at 50 touches in either game either.
Well, we played hoof ball a lot and even when we play on the ground often to be slow play. That's probably the benefit of that stats.

But that's the difference between Kane/Aguero's touches with Lukaku's touches, Lukaku needs to take 2nd touches or more time in a tight spot which slow us down, and not to mention his off ball movement is also poor.

While Kane/Aguero know how to play in a tight spot and don't slow down their team tempo.
 

Andersons Dietician

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I thought it was funny yesterday when about 90% of his passes are played at drunken crawling pace he fired, and I mean fired one in to Martial that I’m surprised he was even able to control. It was bordering on ridiculous and for me at this moment he is a massive problem in the make up of our team.

I couldn’t help at laugh when he doddled on the ball as he usually does then was surrounded by 3 Everton players, dispossessed and left on his ass. Then later when something similar happened and whilst trying to maintain his balance he ran around in a circle. I just can’t stand watching him play at the moment, his only saving grace is that very rarely he does something good defensively but I would think the energy and passing ability of Herrera would be better for us at the moment than having Matic.
 

Adisa

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He is the worst DM in the league at the moment. I mean that.
Never mind failing to create chances, he does feck all to protect his back four.
How many goals have we conceded because he failed to tract a runner?
Awful...awful piece of business.
 
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BlahRules

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He is the worst DM in the league at the moment. I mean that.
Never mind failing to create chances, he does feck all to protect his back four.
How many goal have we conceded because he failed to tract a runner.
Awful...awful piece of business.
His become an attacking player. Pogba needs to do the defensive work to enable him to dictate the game.
 

ivaldo

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His become an attacking player. Pogba needs to do the defensive work to enable him to dictate the game.
How is he capable of dictating the game? This gets brought up often in his defense, but I'd like to know what you're seeing that suggests he's capable of it?

He doesn't move the ball quickly. He takes 4/5 touches on the ball and often gets caught on it. His pass selection is poor and almost always the safest. He doesn't create anything and he has no invention in his game.
 

settembrini

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He's so bad that even when the whole team is bad he stands out as being especially terrible.
 

Dembeza

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There was a moment around the 32nd minute when Brooks was counter attacking and Matic was just jogging behind him. He didn’t show any desire to win the ball or bring his man down. That’s just unacceptable
 

Ekeke

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Last season the only thing he was good at was being extremely involved in the game, getting lots of touches of the ball and playing passes to keep the ball.

This season he doesnt even do that. Fred got on the ball with more touches and passes than him, whilst also doing more defensive work.
 

Arka_BleedingRed

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Both he and Mourinho can feck off, carrying Lukaku with them. Need someone else for him in the second half to get back the aggression and intensity.
 

Bobski

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Picked out a few nice passes in the final 30 mins today, but before that it was a fairly typical Matic performance, not helping defensively, in possession play or creatively.
 

Red-17

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How Pereira cannot get into the team over this guy is beyond me at this point. He surely has to be dropped at some point. It's shades of Ivanovic in Mou's last season at Chelsea where he just stubbornly stuck with a veteran player who was woefully underperforming. Pereira, Herrera, or even Fellaini can contribute far more at his point. He isn't even defending at a passable level, and his contributions on the ball are abysmal. Either gives it away or makes the safest possible pass 9/10 times. A shadow of the player he was at the start of last year, but he's not been in that form since about last Christmas.
 

Patrick08

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Bench him.. Herreras energy and attitude will be better than him. He shouldn't have the free license to repeat his shambolic Chelsea season anymore.
 

poleglass red

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he give away the ball in the 2nd half which led to a Bournemouth counter attack. he strolled back casually. no sprint, no urgency. needs to be dropped asap
 

Patrick08

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He's fecking shit and we're all seeing it but he still plays all the time. fecking crazy
Aye, may be of we talk loud enough mourinho changes his mind. Lately he is making decisions on popular opinion around thr fanbase I felt like that with his decsions to drop lukaku and Sanchez .
 

Patrick08

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Every tom dick and harry knows matic is our weak link and exploits it.
 

deafepl

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Matic needs to be dropped. Herrera or Fred should take his place for the Juve game.
Keep Fred playing and Bench Matic for Herrera, I prefer Herrera's DM form 2016/17 than Matic 2017/18, if we play more expensive football, Herrera should start.
 

Jig1234

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Yes. Also provides no protection to the defence. All he does is lose runners. He needs to be dropped.
 

ivaldo

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I was banging this drum at the end of last season. He's shot.
 

Garethw

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He’s been an absolutely appalling signing.

A can see now why so many Chelsea fans were thrilled at getting rid of him.
 

sp_107

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May be we should give a run of Herrera-Fred-Pogba midfield for few games ( even Perrera in place of Fred is also an option) as that midfield is more mobile

If the midfield is good, there would be less work for defence but our defence is constantly put under pressure this season and you can see the reason
 

Dante

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Our first midfield of the season (against Leicester on the opening day) was my favourite:

Fred, Pereira and Pogba

I'd love to see that tried again.
 

Rash Decision

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I thought it was funny yesterday when about 90% of his passes are played at drunken crawling pace he fired, and I mean fired one in to Martial that I’m surprised he was even able to control. It was bordering on ridiculous and for me at this moment he is a massive problem in the make up of our team.

I couldn’t help at laugh when he doddled on the ball as he usually does then was surrounded by 3 Everton players, dispossessed and left on his ass. Then later when something similar happened and whilst trying to maintain his balance he ran around in a circle. I just can’t stand watching him play at the moment, his only saving grace is that very rarely he does something good defensively but I would think the energy and passing ability of Herrera would be better for us at the moment than having Matic.
I believe he retained possession on that occasion? There's plenty of justified criticism of Matic at the moment (and some excessive as par for the course), but Matic is technically sound with the ball and generally shields it well under pressure.
 

Rash Decision

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He’s been an absolutely appalling signing.

A can see now why so many Chelsea fans were thrilled at getting rid of him.
Extremely harsh. He was one of the better players last season despite dips in form. Has been bad this season, perhaps due to a combination of age and not suiting the way the team *tries* to play now.
 

manunited1919

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He needs a good rest. He played non-stop last season and also a number of games thru the WC. Then he had the surgery on his abdomen and after a quick recovery has also been playing non-stop. He needs a proper rest for a few weeks, and hopefully come back in better form for us.
 

Tom Van Persie

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Majority of United fans and neutrals thought he was one of our best players last season. He's looked off this season and I wonder if that's down to him having no pre-season. He played in the WC for Serbia then went off to the US for surgery and rushed back.
 

Hoof the ball

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Observe Bournemouth vs us.

Their DM gets the ball centrally (in the area between the CB's). It's what the RCB does now that shows why we can't build from the back. The Bournemouth RCB drifts wider and steps forward into a right CDM position horizontal to the DM that allows the RCB to do the job of the DM (if he's covered).

This is coaching, pure and simple. Not a matter of quality. They say we can't build up from the back, yet, during LvG's tenure we had the highest ball retention rate in the league and the same "poor" technically deficient defenders were able to bring the ball out.

Go ahead, check the average defensive quartet/five for LvG and see if it isn't almost the same as what we have now.

Coaching, coaching, coaching. If Bournemouth can do it with Ake and co, I think we can do it, too. Matter of fact, history shows that we have done it......... with the same defensive partnership.