I noticed that the rest of the defence love giving him the ball, innit. I got to wondering if Ole had made it compulsory.
Maguire's persistent ball hogging
- Thread starter noodlehair
- Start date
I think a few mentioned he might only be a vague upgrade, tbf.
He's not the only utd player who doesn't give the ball to Fred!
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In my mind a ball playing CB is someone who in as few touches as possible can get the ball to a midfielder with space. United at the moment seems to be playing like we can bypass the midfield just because we have ball playing CBs. Feels like it’s more down to tactics than Maguire though. Always a lack of movement and players hiding behind opposition players, both in attack and in the build up phase.
So is Maguire the new scapegoat?
I’d much rather see him hold onto the ball looking for a penetrative pass than to just pass it to the closest team mate to his side like the rest of our defenders. At least he’s trying to break the lines, even more so than some of our midfielders which is probably why he’s doing it.
I suspect we’ll see less of it now that Pogba is back as he can simply leave it to him to do.
A lot of our recent problems have been from defenders and midfielders being to cautious on the ball, it has led to even less movement from the forwards because they are sick of making pointless runs I imagine, so I for one am happy to see someone at least try and play a difficult, positive pass.
Greenwood has been making great runs but this team will soon wear the novelty out for him if we keep ignoring him. Thank god Pogba has returned so maybe we can make use of him properly.
I’d much rather see him hold onto the ball looking for a penetrative pass than to just pass it to the closest team mate to his side like the rest of our defenders. At least he’s trying to break the lines, even more so than some of our midfielders which is probably why he’s doing it.
I suspect we’ll see less of it now that Pogba is back as he can simply leave it to him to do.
A lot of our recent problems have been from defenders and midfielders being to cautious on the ball, it has led to even less movement from the forwards because they are sick of making pointless runs I imagine, so I for one am happy to see someone at least try and play a difficult, positive pass.
Greenwood has been making great runs but this team will soon wear the novelty out for him if we keep ignoring him. Thank god Pogba has returned so maybe we can make use of him properly.
What a bunch of moaners. Maguire has still been good on the ball in his time with us. He hasn't been as good with his passing or driving runs as he was with Leicester or the NT but that only proves how inept our coaching is. With that said he's still been good enough and this thread is just pointless considering the hundreds of problems this team has that are more alarming.
Comes with training. He would be much more effective under a Pep for example.
Nah don't really see this as an issue to be honest. He's better with the ball than Lindelof and also far more composed. He'll settle in to his stride once the team do. We already know he's effective.
He made 77 passes with 88.3% accuracy and only 3 long balls. Oh, and he had ZERO dribbles. Yeah....such a ball hog 
https://www.whoscored.com/Players/99487/MatchStatistics/Harry-Maguire
https://www.whoscored.com/Players/99487/MatchStatistics/Harry-Maguire
He made 77 passes with 88.3% accuracy and only 3 long balls. Oh, and he had ZERO dribbles. Yeah....such a ball hog
https://www.whoscored.com/Players/99487/MatchStatistics/Harry-Maguire
Thank you for bothering to dig up the stats.
Seriously, what is wrong with you lot. The whole point of buying a defender who is comfortable on the ball is to have them bring the ball into midfield and do the midfielders job. To do that they have to actually bring the ball out, meaning yes, they will have possession for longer than usual. Theoretically, this then attracts opposition midfielders to the ball, leaving ours in pockets of space. The bigger issue is why this doesn’t happen.
Should he just tap the ball to McTominay or Fred in our own half? Then what happens, they have to bring the ball forward themselves, with one less option in midfield. Even Pogba struggles massively with this, it’s why you saw him trying to do too much last year and give away chances.
Close the thread.He made 77 passes with 88.3% accuracy and only 3 long balls. Oh, and he had ZERO dribbles. Yeah....such a ball hog
https://www.whoscored.com/Players/99487/MatchStatistics/Harry-Maguire
Also I don't think he does that on purpose but cause most of the time he doesn't have anyone to pass to. Also he tries to take the initiative, make a pass forward, not just pass it to the 1st free player but no, that's not good now.
really ? our defence is so much better than for a long time. Can you give one example where he has held the ball for 20s . I doubt it.
When I read United possession stats for games I would guess 10% of this is Maguire. A defender hogging the ball is simply letting the opposition get back into shape. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a general tactic of the opposition letting Maguire keep the ball in our own half.
This thread has the potential to be one of the worst threads on RedCafe at the moment.
Sounds like none of you have any actual football experience or been coached in any way, shape or form.
Believe it or not, sometimes it's good for your centre back to hold on to the ball for a bit.
Sounds like none of you have any actual football experience or been coached in any way, shape or form.
Believe it or not, sometimes it's good for your centre back to hold on to the ball for a bit.
Mourinho was right about many of the so called experts in their armchairs.
Some of the actual hate towards Maguire is not only totally unwarranted but also disturbing.
Some of the actual hate towards Maguire is not only totally unwarranted but also disturbing.
Another Thread crucifying one of our team.. makes a change from Lingard i suppose. I’m happy with Maguire. Hes solid in defence, lost count of how many crosses he clears for us. Thats his main job. Hes comfortable on the ball, far more so than Smalling was.. May take his time picking the right pass but thats often due to lack of movement ahead of him. He is not worth £80mil but who is and the transfer price is not his fault. Hes a leader on and off the pitch.
Just checked his stats first season for us passes completed 86% -
his last 2 seasons at Leicester were 78% and 77%
Whose next for the slaughter house.
Just checked his stats first season for us passes completed 86% -
his last 2 seasons at Leicester were 78% and 77%
Whose next for the slaughter house.
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I noticed it too but before I saw this thread I didn’t see it as a huge negative. He sometimes holds onto it for a bit to find a better position or angle to find a pass. Sometimes he mucks it up but usually his ball retention is decent.
What we're tailking about here isn't, as you describe it, "ball hogging", but a top CB who has the confidence to hold the ball, look for an opening and trying his best to create an opportunity. He knows if he gives it to one of our MF's (apart from Pogba) there's not a lot going to happen. What this thread does is turn something positive into negativity and again somone is unjustly being made a scapegoat. Leave Maguire alone he's doing fine!
Please enlighten us uneducated ones as to how walking 20 metres with the ball and then playing the same pass you could have played 10 seconds ago is good for the team?
Or literally standing still and stepping on the ball while opposition players stand 20 yards away staring at you?
I feel I need to know as obviously I'm missing a trick here...as apparently are the likes of City and Liverpool who don't have their defenders do this.
I might believe it if you would explain why. If it’s to give time for our midfielders to get into better positions, then surely it does the same for the opposition?
Ok...So can you give me one single example of an opportunity that Maguire has created for us by doing this?
All of our midfielders are better passers than Maguire. That's why they are midfielders. Mctominay is probably the most limited in that respect but even he's shown he can pick the ball up in a deep position and play his forwards in.
Maguire invariably when he does pass it either goes sideways back to Lindelof, out wide to Shaw, or occasionally just lobs it aimlessly over the top in the hope someone gets to it. The sort of passes it is just as easy, and more effective, to play immediately, than it is to play 10 seconds after you were given the ball.
It is not turning a positive into a negative as there is no positive to take from a player taking ages to essentially do nothing, during games where we fail to win due to spending so much of them, doing nothing. It is a different observation to the lazy "our movement is shocking" arguments, or silly claims that our midfield cant pass the ball. The problem we have breaking teams down is that we move the ball too slowly as a team and so end up going sideways or playing percentage balls. Maguire is a part of that problem and it's frustrating as hell watching him at times.
He also still has to prove he's a top defender...and that isn't me knocking him as I think he has it in him, but just saying he is doesn't make it true. We concede soft goals all the time due to poor defending, and often he is culpable. Most recently against Newcastle. We've conceded as many goals as City, who's defence has been criticised all season. More than Palace, Sheffield United and Leicester. When we start defending like a top side is when we can start claiming we have top defenders.
People slag off Lingard for giving interviews or liking clothes. This is a criticism of things Maguire does on the pitch which he is obviously good enough to just cut out. Its not exactly the same thing. Dont be precious.
I'd be delighted if I was a team playing for a draw or on the counter, and the opposition centrebacks were just strolling about with the ball.
People just presume centrebacks who take ages with the ball do so because they are good at having the ball.
Rio is an example of a centreback who WAS good on the ball, but he would bring it out of defence at pace, commit opposition players to him, and then give it to an attacking player who as a result would have more time and space. Walking slowly into the opposition half then passing to your double marked fullback isn't really the same thing.
I disagree, too many of our players are skittish on the ball, play it too quickly and fail to put their foot on it and control the tempo of a game by adding a bit of authority to our possession.
I often get annoyed when Maguire is trotting forward slowly with the ball. I like when CB push forward with the ball but it must be faster.
Anyway, he does create chances sometimes. Last match, relatively early in first half, he went forward and attracted 1-2 defenders and then passed it to Williams who hit a cross and there was a big chance created.Martial shot was saved at the line.
Sure as hell prefer Maguire's ball hogging and waiting for the right openings than Smalling's "no idea wtf to do with the ball"-passing/hoofing. Still think he can be better at passing the ball with more pace at times, especially when were not chasing a game as that's when he seems seems a bit too complacent.
Maguire hoofs is more than he ever did
Sure
I like Smalling but his passing is atrocious. There's no comparison
This. I think the only thing that irritates me more than him slowing things down all the time is him eventually laying it off to Lindelof who makes the final forward pass. If he is the captain and wants to lead by example he needs to start making those direct forward passes that slices through opposition midfield. So far the only thing weve seen is him making short passes to lindelof or the occasional diagonal cross which isn't always accurate. He needs to do much better.
He is not a top class defender for sure. Just another overhyped English player who does his job ok. He only worths 40m at best. But I am ok with him in the team, at least he is consistent as compared to our other CB.
Again, Maguire hoofs it more than Smalling. Smalling only tends to play short passes, Maguire goes long a lot
And so far he's been fit and available
At least with Maguire's hoofing there seems to be a purpose and someone at the end of it. When Smalling goes long it's usually because he's been closed down and hasn't found a way to pass it back to the keeper for a hoof.
Could of just kept Smalling and spent the £80m on a much needed midfielder..
Which is extremely rare. Smalling's problem is that he usually doesnt try a long pass over the top even when its on. He plays short simple passes and longer passes on the ground with nobody there to intercept.
Maguire and Lindelof will try long passes over the top even when it isnt on and was never going to work. Thats a "hoof". Maguire is also much better at seeing that a long pass is on and executing it than the other 2 - those ones clearly arent hoofs, but well thought out attempts at getting someone in.
Smalling and Blind would have been our ideal centre back pair if persisted with. Mag-Lindy are no patch on them. But then, Smalling supposedly a penalty away everytime he touches the ball, and can only pass sideways and back.
Smalling whilst a decent defender off the ball, on it was atrocious. You could sense his uneasiness rubbing off on the rest of the defence. Jones also spreads unnecessary panic. That's why I like Harry. Even if he's not doing anything particularly well he has an air of composure.
Also having defenders who are comfortable in possession is what the current successful teams have. We just now need to find or develop our fullbacks into good attackers.
Also having defenders who are comfortable in possession is what the current successful teams have. We just now need to find or develop our fullbacks into good attackers.
Smalling is better at literally everything.
So Liverpool's midfielders are better than vanDyke at passing the ball because they're midfielders ??? How the feck kan you back up that statement?
With due respect we're obviously miles apart when assessing player qualities. Therefore pointless taking this discussion further. Would, even so, like to ask you: do you not think Maguire adds authority to our defence and the team in general? Interesting to hear your call on this!
Smalling and Blind and then Smalling and Rojo for a short period were miles better than Maguire and Lindelof.