Thought mainoo was injured. If tactical ETH struggles with tactics.
Mctominay for Mainoo at HT
- Thread starter Desert Eagle
- Start date
He can get players back but injuries are not forcing the moronic set up he prefers.
When one of your players energy levels are low bring on mctominay 
He’s going to lose a lot more supporters with comments like that. Just say he had a slight knock…don’t confirm what a horrendous decision it was.
I think he’s just gambled and throwing on your leading goal scorer in the league, in a league game, isn’t that wild of a gamble. Hindsight is a wonderful tool.
It’s been obvious for awhile he struggles with tactics in England. He still underestimates it
Even if Mainoo was injured he knows tossing McT in a holding role alongside Eriksen is a disaster in the making, evident by past performances. There were other potential options to keep shape and not lose balance and control in midfield. Seems he's got a man-crush on McT and Antony as well, who should also have been taken off at half-time.
Well I liked second half more than first but then we lost the defensive stability as well. If we had Mainoo we aren't conceding both goals. Both similar goals from same place. That's a midfielder position to cover.
Should be sacked for that alone.
Add to that the whole being our worst season in living memory it makes no sense he is still here.
Add to that the whole being our worst season in living memory it makes no sense he is still here.
You have been conceding this exact goal with Mainoo on the pitch too.
Well, like everyone was clamoring at the start, he could have used McT as a striker where he's not going to lose the game with his midfield walkabouts and lack of defensive awareness, and he may very well score a goal in the box. That also allows ETH to keep Garnacho and Rashford in the same spots as the Villa match and we know Rashford as a lone striker just doesn't work much.
Anyone with a clue knows Eriksen-McT is not a winning formula in central midfield, it's a dangerous game of conceding control to the opposition "here ya go, just cut through us!" and no legs let alone defensive awareness.
Yeah he follows the ball a lot. Can't really read the game well. AWB has that problem too, he's great at tackling and gets a lot of interceptions with his athleticism, but he ball watches an awful lot and misses runners.
I think it needed a change at HT, I just don't think taking Mainoo off was the one. Especially because, as you've pointed out, we lacked options in that position.
Ok, we needed a goal but he needs to find a way to input McT in the team without destroying the midfield.
Tactics is his job.
He called Pep out for doing the same thing in Peps first year, not a good look
Actually since he's started playing regularly the cut back goals haven't been as big an issue as they had been.
No legs and a headless chicken. Class.
Point isn't about Mainoo. The extra midfielder in the double pivot taking up position in that area of the pitch.
His fullbacks coming inside to help isn't working. Second goal, AWB was with MGW until that box then suddenly he moved to track the winger.
*Shakes head*
He put him in DM so it made no sense..A guy who cannot pass or defend or position himself to do so.
Mainoo would have prevented one if not both of those goals IMO
But keeps no legs Eriksen on for the full 90 after having played 90+ a few days before. This is a terribly unaware statement by him.
I don’t suppose they then asked him what the tactical change was? It looked like a like for like replacement to me.
Put McT up front would also have been a gamble. I agree with you, I also wouldn't have subbed Mainoo but him saying that he had to protect Mainoo from overplaying make sense. It was 0:0 at this point and Forrest weren't very threatening after all. If McT would have come up with the 1:0 from a corner to win the game, everybody would have talked about a rather routine sub. For whatever reason, ETH considers Eriksen as a CM, I am pretty sure the plan wasn't for McT to take over DM but for Eriksen to create from deep and for Bruno and McT to do the running... Again, It is asking for trouble that early in the game. But I wouldn't say it is an obvious mistake. And actually kudos to him for owning the subject and standing to his decision. A decision that probably played part in us losing tonight.
How do you even assess a players energy levels to be critically low when he is having a scheduled break and getting stronger with every passing second?
He may run out second half refreshed and play another 15-20 minutes no problem - then you think about replacing him.
It's not like Mainoo is going to gas immediately after a break. That is the part that just seems totally nonsensical from Ten Hag.
The only way that decision makes any sense whatsoever is if he has, at his disposal, an experienced DM like Casemiro who is fresh. But McTominay? Why make such a big change to your side with the game in the balance when everyone is rested?
He may run out second half refreshed and play another 15-20 minutes no problem - then you think about replacing him.
It's not like Mainoo is going to gas immediately after a break. That is the part that just seems totally nonsensical from Ten Hag.
The only way that decision makes any sense whatsoever is if he has, at his disposal, an experienced DM like Casemiro who is fresh. But McTominay? Why make such a big change to your side with the game in the balance when everyone is rested?
The excuse for subbing Mainoo is BS. Ten Hag has now fallen into the same back covering we have seen from other failing Man Utd coaches. I sympathise, tremendously, with those coaches. I think the club is set up for failure. However, trying to pretend individual decisions aren't adding to the farce is laughable. Unless Mainoo had been assessed by the medics as needing to come off, it was a bizarre move. Next game is on 8 January. Telling me that's not enough recovery time..?
There's no fecking way this guy has "no regrets" they scored 2 cutbacks where KM would have been stood!
Trying to save face. I don't see how he saves this. He is relying on players returning from Injuries. When that does precisely nothing what then? More time? Another £150m in the summer
Given the crisis of injuries that riddle the team at the moment, the last thing you do is remove your most composed DM available to you BY CHOICE in a tight cagey game against a determined opposition on their own pitch.Truly baffling.
This is what I feel as well.
The club is a state. An 18 year old is our most important midfielder. A 19 year old is our most potent attacker. We have two 30 plus free transfers starting every week they are fit. We are a mid table side currently
So, it was tactical?! Oh my.....
Awful.
Awful.
At least play him 15 mins second half and review?
I know it’s a million miles above good level Sunday league but I could play three games a week easy at his age. And he’s miles better/fitter.
And we’ve got hardly any games in Jan and one is v a league one team. Unless he was at serious risk of an injury, play him and rest him in games/weeks to come.
And to sub him for McTominay is like doubling down in terms of stupidity.
And to keep Grandpa Eriksen on for 90 mins when you’ve got two young lads on the bench who would at least run (a step up on a few of our players) is tripling down.
With Hojlund out, thought XI was ok and expecting us to kick on after Villa but attitude sucked. Subs (or lack of them) added to it.. perfect storm of uselessness tonight.
Energy, give me another one the only player to go into tackles the first half was the kid. We lost those match because we didn't have feet and a ball player in midfield.
Looks bad but he’s hardly going to say ‘yeah Scott was shit when he came on. Wish I hadn’t done that…’
Whilst I agree it doesn’t make sense to unstable the midfield when Antony was hopeless. The most sensible decision was to revert back to the Villa second half, and try either Bruno as false 9 or McTominay as a striker. It’s crazy the decision Ten Hag decided to make, given he hates making changes so early.
At least what McT would do upfront is an unknown, well he knew enough of what he cannot do in midfield and still decided to risk it. Forrest weren't threatening in the first half because we had a semblance of midfield presence and he just threw it away hoping for an odd goal that usually never comes.
Incredible sub. Absolute pointless. Had it been for Eriksen, maybe. But fecking hell
Is it hindsight if as soon as I saw Mctominay starting the second half for Mainoo I knew Forest would start creating more chances and break through us much more easily?
I don’t think I’m the only one.
As an opponent you would simply grow in confidence
A gamble?
Playing no legs and no brain as a midfield two and expecting anything other than disaster?
Nah, betting on one number in roulette is a gamble. That sub was suicidal… I literally swore (loud) at the Telly when McT came on. Knew it’d be sh!t.
It was
Tactical and pretty much cost us both goals.
Terrible decision, made even worse by his brainless defence of it after the match.