In other words, Matic is going to get pelters for that performance so I'd better defend him. Same with Martial. Sorry I didn't start Sancho, I should have done. Sorry I didn't bring on Donny, I should have done.
In other words, Matic is going to get pelters for that performance so I'd better defend him. Same with Martial. Sorry I didn't start Sancho, I should have done. Sorry I didn't bring on Donny, I should have done.
Does Donny make a good cuppa?
Now he's just talking shit, I now about keeping players confidence but every man and his dog now's that pure bullshit.
He didnt say that did he
Not a chance that's a real quote.
Watched too many Pep interviews.
To be fair, is it any more outlandish than asking Matic to continually do it, despite it invariably causing issues for the rest of the team?Do people really think Matic is dropping into defence totally off his own back, and to take a breather?
We have some truly dreadful internet fans.
The thing is surely everyone on our bench can notice it, because I can, because it's very obvious. There's a slight clue in Matic being stood 20 yards too far back all the time, and another in the multiple times a half he gets caught being too slow in possession regardless. Another clue is our inevitable inability to pass the ball to our forwards.He's not a coach, apparently. So I'm not sure what he does and doesn't notice. Makes you wonder indeed.
It'd be cool if he was intentionally chatting shit, but I'm not entirely sure he doesn't actually believe what he says. Which is more worrying really.Now he's just talking shit, I now about keeping players confidence but every man and his dog now's that pure bullshit.
I think it was interesting what Rice said the other day, that he can do the prettier and more progressive stuff and this season he’d take more chancesLiterally did what a lot of Rice fans claim he would do for us. If you want Rice then this is the future you want
Don’t think so. I noticed that too.Have Matic and Fred ever won a match together? I genuinely am not sure.
When were these few good times he saved Maguire's arse?As many problems as I felt this caused today he also covered Maguires ass a good few times and did kinda well defending. However it then left a massive hole in the middle as all we had was Fred in there. Not the first time this has happened either.
If it’s a tactic then Bruno needs to drop in midfield to help Fred or whomever is in thereso we can at least work some easy possesion. If it’s not a tactic then Matic needs to pull his finger out and get in midfield as we simply can’t carry Matic and Bruno not doing work in midfield.
Matic has been doing that consistently for at least couple of years now when he's played. This thread is 8 months old. It's not a tactic adapted to today's game, it's just how he plays.I think Matic dropping deep was to allow AWB and Shaw to get forward and cover them. Problem was Ward Prowse had a good game against Shaw and won the ball off him a few times which caught us out.
It's not just his pace, his passing decisions are subject too. A couple of times we lost possession from his sloppy passing, either too short or into the feet of people that were instantly covered by Southamptons defence/midfield.
Tactically it was probably a good approach from Ole but Matic just didn't execute it very well.
Not a chance that's a real quote.
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I mean Pogba was playing on the left for most of the game, So I guess you mean Isolated Fred??When Fred and McTominay start together, they tend to play in what seems like a conventional double pivot with both making themselves available for the ball in front of the center backs.
Matic didn't play too badly today, but whenever he starts, especially with Pogba, he tends to drop in alongside Maguire in the build up. It completely isolates Pogba in midfield, and with Bruno usually high up the pitch as well, it effectively leaves us with a one man midfield.
I'm yet to really see the positives with him doing it, and I wonder if he just does it because he doesn't fancy the midfield battle, or if he does it under instructions. What's the thinking behind it?
I too don't believe they have. They really don't gel well togetherHave Matic and Fred ever won a match together? I genuinely am not sure.
I think most of the issue isI too don't believe they have. They really don't gel well together
The dropping in isn't so clever when we're building play, that's an issue. It's fine to cover as you describe but when he does it when we're in possession it vacates the midfield and you're left with Fred high and dry as the main point of contact, and he isn't particularly confident in those areas. Pogba and Bruno can support but only to an extent from those positions.I've no problem with him dropping in to make a back three, it lets both your full backs attack really high at the same time, its a very normal tactic you see frequently in football. The issue is that the team didn't respond to it. The full backs didnt push on and no-one made up the missing man in the middle. So it looked like a sort of 5-1-3-1, with Fred alone in the middle of the park and Southampton easily cutting off the passing lines. It didn't help that, tactics aside, Matic had a really poor individual game.
The idea is that someone else has to support in midfield. If you've pushed up both full-backs into high attacking areas you no longer need your wide attackers to provide width, so one or both of them can come into the middle. In this case that would be Pogba and/or Greenwood. Both those players prefer to be in central areas anyway I think. In our case, the FBs didn't push up so Pogba couldn't come fully central and Greenwood stayed wide, meaning we had big gaps in the middle with a lonely Fred there and an overcrowded defence. But that doesn't mean the system is objectively bad, it just means it wasn't done right. After all most teams will leave three players in nominally defensive positions unless they're really chasing a goal. Whether its two CBs and a FB or two CBs and a DM, its the same number of people committed to the role. Its not like we're losing an attacking talent by playing Matic as one of those.The dropping in isn't so clever when we're building play, that's an issue. It's fine to cover as you describe but when he does it when we're in possession it vacates the midfield and you're left with Fred high and dry as the main point of contact, and he isn't particularly confident in those areas. Pogba and Bruno can support but only to an extent from those positions.
We also have Harry Maguire and Lindelof who are adept at passing so it isn't exactly doing us favours. He's not really adding anything by receiving the ball so deep, it's just covering his own deficiencies and leaving us short.
It doesn't actually help us though, if anything it hinders us.I've no problem with him dropping in to make a back three, it lets both your full backs attack really high at the same time, its a very normal tactic you see frequently in football. The issue is that the team didn't respond to it. The full backs didnt push on and no-one made up the missing man in the middle. So it looked like a sort of 5-1-3-1, with Fred alone in the middle of the park and Southampton easily cutting off the passing lines. It didn't help that, tactics aside, Matic had a really poor individual game.
The more I hear/read what Ole is saying the more I am becoming a believer of the multiverse. There's no way I was watching the same game Ole was watching.
Your FBs don't have to stay high at all times, that's not the point. Rather they both can join in as much as they need to without one of them having to think about the counterattack all the time.It doesn't actually help us though, if anything it hinders us.
We don't want to push our fullbacks up stupid high as they're better coming from deeper positons with momentum. We also lack the speed to cover a counter attack.
Is having Lindelof/Matic/Maguire as a back 3 really going to be any better than if he was just doing a normal job in midfield? not for me.
Ole's comments mean literally nothing. He's never once talked down a player in public after a match.Ole was apparently happy with him and Martial, calling Matic's performance 'excellent'.