Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion

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Roboc7

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Absolute rubbish.
McTominay, Fosu Mensah were good, but Cavani and Greenwood never got in the game, but I agree about Pogba, we lost a lot when he replaced VDB, the only player who moved, and looked incisive, Pogba was slow, got tackled or lost the ball a lot, and misplaced a lot of passes.
Load of rubbish.
 

Bastian

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I thought Saturday was insane in terms of the total lack of a plan/formation/tactic/subs...
Just been taken up a notch tonight. Sometimes I get the feeling Ole makes subs just because.. like it hits a certain period in a game and he’ll make subs based on what he’s decided before the game.

That first goal doesn’t surprise me. I’ve long suspected our coaches don’t watch or pay attention or even know what’s going on in our games. That first goal proves it. Why the feck was nobody pointing out Ba was completely free?
I think the stream on the Ipad was lagging by a few seconds.
Sorry
 

jesperjaap

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We can talk about the awful movements in the transfer market, we can talk about the poor inconsistency of the players who have been here for a while under several managers in a lot of cases.....but I have still come to the conclusion sadly, he has got to go.

I like Ole obviously afor how he comes across and the great player in a great side he was.....I just dont rate him as a manager at this level though.

I dont think he has the ability to motivate and control a dressing room throughout a season and I also think he isnt tactically good enough to make up for that. I do like that he wants to do things the United way....but he doesnt appear experienced or possibly talented enough to do that.

Lets be honest, despite a few false dawns, his record here has been atrocious. Great first 3months, great 3months last season, inbetween those two spells we have been awful. We have been poor all season, the good defensive display against an awful PSG performance and the 15minutes of Rashford birlliance against Leipzig have masked what were actually average performances in those games too.

Time to go I am afraid
 

Ludens the Red

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Think it’s possible that he’s losing the dressing room. So many bottom level performances and the players looking lost tactically.
The thing is the players still look like they’re trying really hard but just their brains can’t formulate good football. Under Mourinho it was clear players had started slacking off. Under Ole it doesn’t really seem like it. They just look like they don’t have a clue what they should be doing.


I think the stream on the Ipad was lagging by a few seconds.
Sorry
:lol:
 

Tapori

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The thing is the players still look like they’re trying really hard but just their brains can’t formulate good football. Under Mourinho it was clear players had started slacking off. Under Ole it doesn’t really seem like it. They just look like they don’t have a clue what they should be doing.




:lol:
best summary.
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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The thing is the players still look like they’re trying really hard but just their brains can’t formulate good football. Under Mourinho it was clear players had started slacking off. Under Ole it doesn’t really seem like it. They just look like they don’t have a clue what they should be doing.




:lol:
Agree with this. That's why Ole Inners say he hasn't lost the dressing room but he sure makes them look lost
 

bosnian_red

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The thing is the players still look like they’re trying really hard but just their brains can’t formulate good football. Under Mourinho it was clear players had started slacking off. Under Ole it doesn’t really seem like it. They just look like they don’t have a clue what they should be doing.




:lol:
Yup. They work hard, they clearly like him on a personal level but they also very painfully clearly have no clue what to do when they have the ball against a team, if they aren't counter attacking. We don't press cohesively and that was obvious from day 1, but also wasn't the be all and end all. We are entirely clueless with our movement off the ball when we are in possession though, and that's what is just painful to watch. There is almost never a man open in the middle. Shaw and Maguire and Wan Bissaka get so many touches because they're always open to receive the ball, but we struggle to give the ball to anyone else further up apart from if we do great pieces of play. Which is crazy. There isn't a decent team in the big 5 leagues that is as poorly coached as us. What makes it all that much worse is I genuinely believe we have an excellent group of players here right now, but possibly the most inept coaching group based on what we've seen on the pitch.

Ole has done well for us, for the most part. He's stopped the downward spiral and we are set up to do well. We need a manager who will actually get us to do well though, as Ole doesn't have that in him.
 

Valencia Shin Crosses

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Yup. They work hard, they clearly like him on a personal level but they also very painfully clearly have no clue what to do when they have the ball against a team, if they aren't counter attacking. We don't press cohesively and that was obvious from day 1, but also wasn't the be all and end all. We are entirely clueless with our movement off the ball when we are in possession though, and that's what is just painful to watch. There is almost never a man open in the middle. Shaw and Maguire and Wan Bissaka get so many touches because they're always open to receive the ball, but we struggle to give the ball to anyone else further up apart from if we do great pieces of play. Which is crazy. There isn't a decent team in the big 5 leagues that is as poorly coached as us. What makes it all that much worse is I genuinely believe we have an excellent group of players here right now, but possibly the most inept coaching group based on what we've seen on the pitch.

Ole has done well for us, for the most part. He's stopped the downward spiral and we are set up to do well. We need a manager who will actually get us to do well though, as Ole doesn't have that in him.
I agree with most of this. The lack of pressing cohesion after a year and a half is still a red flag, and tracks straight back to him. It's obvious he's a great coach in certain areas, as our forwards have massively improved since he arrived and our countering game is probably one of the best in the world. However, he's struggled to identify clear weaknesses and has not fixed them. I applaud the willingness to switch formations, and clearly we are really good against teams that go at us. Overall he's a decent manager, and no doubt after he's done here he should have his pick of solid jobs elsewhere, but our stature as a club demands a manager that can solve the problem of these small clubs setting up shop against us and dominating opposition, and in that category he's failed to impress. He also hamstrung the team from the start by spunking 130m on two defenders that struggle with the ball, with one also being very immobile. Which means that we are always at risk at the back against clubs that press high.
 

ghagua

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If he doesn't fully trust Matic in there which looks to be the case then he should have gone out a bought someone in that position during the transfer window
We missed a chance to get Partey, we need to do whatever we can to get Zakaria. Ndidi will cost too much now.
 

Tapori

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Very interesting.

So we went with this team to open up Istanbul and it was going ok.
Ole emphasizes we
"We have to go there with humility and know that we have to defend and be good defensively"

So, I'm in two minds. Ole knows we plaoy top when we have space to work in but his biggest challenge is dealing with this deep line/low-block.

How do we solve this? In attack we end up like a Jackson Pollock Painting.
 
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MadDogg

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Although I'm not at all happy with the start to the season, I'm still just barely for keeping him. I really enjoyed the win against Leipzig but then the shit show served up against Arsenal was pitiful and one point at home to Chelsea and Arsenal is nowhere near good enough.

I said at the end of last season that he deserved to stay on, as 3rd was the best we could have hoped for. Thing is, that third place finish was batshit crazy and a sequence of results like that for us, Chelsea and Leicester was insane. I wasn't happy with our two meek defeats in both semi finals at all. My rationale was that he deserved to show what he could do this season. What I expected from him this season to justify staying on longer; was a comfortable top four finish, discernable improvements from a tactical/coaching perspective and some semblance of a settled system that can press and be press resistant. So far it's certainly been more miss than hit.

I like the squad he's bulit and he's made some positive changes during his tenure, but ultimately, I've never seen much tangible progress from him to indicate that he's top level. He really needs to be winning the majority of our next 6/7 games, but if we remain as erratic as we have been, the season will become a shit show. The problem for me, is that if we sack him in the next few months, we would likely hire Poch who I'm not sure is the right man at all. I would rather just give him the season and go for another manager in the summer when more would be open to leaving their clubs. Another mid-season change will only bring about the wrong appointment no doubt. Though if this patchy form and constant changing of tactics continues, it'll be hard to really get behind him.
This is pretty much exactly how I feel.

Ole's done some good things and he certainly improved aspects of the squad that needed improving (and wanted to further improve but for the mess of the last transfer window). He's had good runs that have shown what we can do, and had numerous great results against top opposition to show what he can do in one-off matches.

But coming up on two years now and I still don't really know what our playstyle is supposed to be. It's like he took the team from Mourinho (who had all the same issues) and basically told them that he wants them to attack more, then sent them out there to do it. That's all well and good to take the leash off a bit and encourage the players to attack more, but to do it effectively there needs to be more of an understanding throughout the team, a style of play showing movement and interchanging and people knowing what they should be doing and creating space and whatnot. We really don't have that. Even if we'd had all the same results this season as what we've had, if we were showing a real improvement in terms of a proper playstyle I'd be ok. But we're not showing any of that and that is worrying for the future.

Like you I'm also not sure about Poch. I like him and he's certainly high on my list so I'd be happy if we got him, but I'm just not sure if he the best option. After so many years of mis-management I just feel our players need someone who'll come in and micro-manage our attacking movement and patterns of play for a while (not necessarily the manager himself doing that but him bringing in coaches who would do it to his style). Poch would certainly look to get our workrate sorted defensively but I'm not sure what he'd be able to do with our on-the-ball creativity and style.
 

Sylar

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Him laughing or smiling isnt an issue. Thats his personality, and nobody should take that personally. Things wont change whether hes happy or angry or smiling or seething. You dont hire or judge a manager based on their facial reactions after a win or loss.

The two things that really worry me a year on is:

-He has no plan for teams that play a low block. We are good (really good) vs teams that go at us as it leaves spaces for us to exploit. But to play this United team, you just gotta sit back (and not concede), watch them pile forward without much of a plan in attack, and then counter against it as they get frustrated.
Its why we dont see many games where we are losing and turn it around. We dont have a plan that works and you cant see whats happening to try change that. We arent playing quick one touch passing to get into positions. We arent stretching play, using width and putting in crosses. The passing is too slow for this. And the people we expect to cross are not good at it.

-Secondly, ive mentioned this before, but the in game management is not good. I dont know if its due to options, but given the options we do have, it has no plan. Bringing off VDB and putting on James against a team that sits back to defend a lead is not going to work and never going to work. You need quick movement, so you would like to see Bruno, VDB, Mata, Martial, Greenwood to create space, quick movement and taking shots where possible.
Whereas you wont get that from certain players.

It seems we rely on a mistake from the opposition or some sort of magic from one of our players. Thats not a plan or style of play. Its really worrying now.
 

#07

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I got what I wanted from Ole. From the off we were direct. No playing out from the back and playing ourselves into trouble. We protected our defence with a midfield screen, we went forward fast, we played into the channels, we put decent balls into the box and we had Bruno Fernandes to knit it all together. Whatever formation we play I hope we stick with this approach. We are not the Cruyff dream team and we shouldn't play like we are. Maybe its a bit closed? Maybe its not as pretty as taking the ball up the pitch tiki taka? However, Ole has to accept the limitations of his squad and play in a way that maximises their pluses and compensates for their minuses. He did that today. Long may it continue.
 

VeevaVee

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Nice win so difficult to be too harsh, but I thought bringing Pogba on at that moment to be a very strange move.
 

AshRK

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Happy for the win but his game management is awful. He has to be active with subs. Also, needs to switch in a bit when things are not going good. For example lindelof was struggling with DCL , yet he does nothing and just hope things improve. He did the same against Brighton, when Awb was not man marking tossard and yet he did nothing.
 

Dante

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Ole channelling his inner Fergie in this interview. If you saw his comments written down, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
 

arthurka

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Might have bought him some time but we were terrible in the second half. Only luck and dire performances from Everton saved us from conceding the second goal. Seconds from Cavani's goal they scuffed the shot unmarked inside the box. Putting Pogba on was a really strange strategy.
 

charlenefan

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Brilliant interview, an absolute joke putting us away to Everton in the early kick off having been in UCL action Wednesday night

all because the TV companies want to put City v Liverpool on Super Sunday :rolleyes:
 

Walters_19_MuFc

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Absoluting fuming about the fixtures and how we were put on to play today, following our game against Istanbul.

Love to see that from him though.

Good win today. Again, isn't scared to drop big players. Played our most balanced team and got a good performance from the lads.
 

TheGame

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Might have bought him some time but we were terrible in the second half. Only luck and dire performances from Everton saved us from conceding the second goal. Seconds from Cavani's goal they scuffed the shot unmarked inside the box. Putting Pogba on was a real strange strategy.
They had lots of posesssion but hardly did anything with it. We should have made changes earlier but apart from a couple of moments, they were not a threat.
 

arthurka

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They had lots of posesssion but hardly did anything with it. We should have made changes earlier but apart from a couple of moments, they were not a threat.
And we didn't pass the halfway line for 30 minutes in the second half.
 

Shark

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First interview I've seen from him that didn't seem like it was pre rehersed and cliche
 

Amadaeus

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We have the third most expensive squad in football. he shouldnt be complaining about fixtures as that is the standards big club have to set due to having deep team that can compete in multiple front. Our second team will be as good as this Everton side. It is all about squad management. If you can’t take the fixtures, manage a mid/bottom table club
 

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We have the third most expensive squad in football. he shouldnt be complaining about fixtures as that is the standards big club have to set due to having deep team that can compete in multiple front. Our second team will be as good as this Everton side. It is all about squad management. If you can’t take the fixtures, manage a mid/bottom table club

https://thefootballfaithful.com/pochettino-spurs-complains-hectic-fixture-schedule/

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/7401...rts-with-their-clash-against-manchester-city/
 

Strelok

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We have the third most expensive squad in football. he shouldnt be complaining about fixtures as that is the standards big club have to set due to having deep team that can compete in multiple front. Our second team will be as good as this Everton side. It is all about squad management. If you can’t take the fixtures, manage a mid/bottom table club
:lol:
 

El Jefe

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Might have bought him some time but we were terrible in the second half. Only luck and dire performances from Everton saved us from conceding the second goal. Seconds from Cavani's goal they scuffed the shot unmarked inside the box. Putting Pogba on was a really strange strategy.
This is how I saw it too. First half was alright and we defended well at parts in the second half but our performance in possession in the second half might be our worst so far this season.

Happy with the three points of course but this wasn't a good performance IMO. Fred, Bruno, Maguire and Shaw played well but the others weren't good.
 

Amadaeus

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Spurs team wasn’t the third most expensive team and they had no depth whatsoever. No backup to Kane, mostly academy players on bench. Which made what Pochettino did even more incredible with the lack of depth he had.

Based on the team today. Correction, our second team will be better.

Henderson > Pickford
Williams < Coleman
Tuanzebe > Keane
Bailiy > Holegate
Telles = Digne
Matic = Allen
Pogba > Doucoure
Van De Beek < James
Greenwood > Bernard
Canvani < DCL ?
James < Sigurdson/Richarlson
 
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