Yep, pep from the 1st minute wanted it more than Ole and this transcended to the city players on the pitch
Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion
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I won't criticize him for tactics because it was a close game (kind of) but his in game management (or more like a complete lack of it) is seriously pissing me off, his subs are a fecking joke.
I won't complain, even though his subs timing were terrible, but I really, really hope one day I'll see a United team so comfortable in possession in final third while the game is even like Pep's City. We struggled to build up any proper attack the majority of the game.
I don't like our football when teams defend deep. That second half when City defended deeper was just shit. No runs off the ball no attacking patterns no creativity. Something Ole simply doesn't seem to be able to coach us.
Also how is he not able to fix our set piece defending?
Also how is he not able to fix our set piece defending?
We have mental and composure issues when we're going against the best.
His in game management is still very poor. That's the main reason why I still think he's not good enough for us but it's not because of results like today. Sometimes you'll just come up against a team that's better than you.
I honestly expect another top four battle and maybe another semi, or at best, a final. He's done some positive work here and when we're good, we're far better to watch than anything else post Fergie. He should certainly be evaluated again at the end of the season to see where we're at.
Think he set the team up right against a team with far better technical quality and we had enough to nick it and sit back and defend. What people don't want to acknowledge though is that Jose is crucified on here for those same tactics. It's slightly better than Jose's style but not THAT different. Eventually we have to move to a level where we're not the plucky underdog.
Should have scored 2 in second half, final balls that are our strengths let us down when we worked space. We miss our 2 big chances, they score from 2 dead balls. Thats the difference.How many big chances we did create again today ?
Terrible tactically, Ipad Ole
Theres no point in overreacting like this.
I thought we started off quite well. Our press was really good in the first 20 minutes. Not starting Bailly cost him today. He needs to fix this semi final block fast.
I am just waiting for the day when Manchester United dominate a Guardiola team. Never have we been able to. Which pisses me off.
We didn't do anything with the ball the majority of the game. Our best chance was only really Bruno's individual shot in the first 10 minutes or so. Otherwise, struggled to build any proper attack and had to resort to long passes and throughs behind their defenders for the majority of first half to create something. They controlled the ball and game better.
We only managed to come in control last 20 minutes but still, barely created anything with it.
Very comfortable win for City, similar to their win against Chelsea.
Now we see if the team has an elite mentality, have to bounce back with a couple wins. Burnley is must win.
Why does he wait so long to make subs? Its a common complaint when we are losing and the team looks lost, another issue is he never really changes the teams shape or formation when things looks bad.
Outclassed, outplayed and outcoached by a far better team. Well, its not like I was expecting us to play differently but we were much better in our league match against them.
All this title talk is entirely premature. Would be happy with a top 4 finish.
All this title talk is entirely premature. Would be happy with a top 4 finish.
I dont think it was comfortable at all. We dealt very well with Citys recycling of the ball. It was a nothing game until a dead ball if we're being honest. Nothing was controlled fron either side. Just sterile passages of play after the excitement of the early disallowed goals.
Bruno and Pogba got enough of the ball in space, against the back 4, for Oles tactics to be justified. We also put enough pressure on the ball when chasing an equaliser imo.
We just kept fecking it up.
Will someone around him please explain to him the concept of substitutes?
Also his handling of this VDB situation is simply disgraceful.
Also his handling of this VDB situation is simply disgraceful.
We managed it for 45 minutes at The Etihad last season!
Take your point though, I fear we're some way off being able to go toe to toe consistently with the best!
Problem is some think another trophyless season and getting top four is good enough.
The goal was a lucky hit and terrible defending from us, that's true, but they were the team in control of most possession up till their goal so they were more favorite to get the lucky hit. We just did nothing the 90 minutes, they did, they had a ball in the bar, 2 goals disallowed, and after their goal, 2 great shots from Mahrez and I think Cancelo. We came in control the last 20 minutes but didn't manage to bother their defense or GK at all.
I won't complain about Ole, I think his subs were terrible but overall I won't say the match was on a whole his fault, but this was just really a pretty poor performance from us and the opposition wanted it better.
As I said though I just really hope one day I'll watch a United team so comfortable in possession while attacking. Feels like it's always direct from us apart from the 2 shitty LVG years when we yes were comfortable in possession but only in our own half while shitting the bed when we cross the line. I really hope one day I'll see a United team so comfortable like Pep's City.
It was a good plan from Ole, but the execution of it was slightly off. We competed well in two thirds of the pitch but it went to pot a little in the final third. Just chalk it down to one of those days and focus on how we can bounce back in the next few games.
Thought we were ok in a tight game but when needed Pep outclassed the PE teacher. We are getting better but still have some way to go.
We didn't play badly. They were just slightly better on the night.
i don’t like this set up. But like you said, City are tactically better than is in midfield. My main issue with this is that our fullbacks are not good enough going forward (especially AWB. Shaw is good, but needs a LW in front of him). My other issue is that our front 2, Martial and Rashford both tend to move wide leaving the middle empty. This set up leaves us really poor going forward.
i would’ve love to see us set up in our normal formation. We are a team in form and shouldn’t feel like underdogs to anyone. Unfortunately, we still didn’t earn the right to this yet. But we are in process. Really wanted us to reach the final and have a go at the cup. This group of players needs silverware
Completely agree and never bought into us being title challengers, a lot of yo-yo'ing left in the league positions left in the season.
Still a few missing pieces of the jigsaw left to challenge for the title, even more missing to win it.
Yes but we're supposed to be nearing the end of Ole's rebuild and still look way off City who have had to do some rebuilding themselves. We have come up short against Sevilla and Chelsea also last season and recently against the mighty Leipzig. It's not good enough for a club that aspires to get back to the top of English and European football.
You can see in games like today that while Fred and McTominay have improved and developed so much under Ole, that they aren't perhaps quite where we need them to be in the long-term, and that's fine tbh. After all, you just have to see how low their stock was in the eyes of fans before Ole came in to see how well they've done to get to where they are right now.
But it is games like today which have me tearing my hair out at our transfer window. We didn't need more squad players, we needed genuine quality which could relegate some of the first teamers we currently have to the bench. McFred, Lindelof, Shaw, and potentially even AWB all needed either a kick up the arse in the form of competition, or needed replacing in the starting XI with a purchase of real quality. While Greenwood, as we know, isn't a RW.
Of those positions, only Shaw's was handled somewhat adequately. It wasn't good enough and we've done well to recover from that bad start but any talk of the title is way off right now.
But it is games like today which have me tearing my hair out at our transfer window. We didn't need more squad players, we needed genuine quality which could relegate some of the first teamers we currently have to the bench. McFred, Lindelof, Shaw, and potentially even AWB all needed either a kick up the arse in the form of competition, or needed replacing in the starting XI with a purchase of real quality. While Greenwood, as we know, isn't a RW.
Of those positions, only Shaw's was handled somewhat adequately. It wasn't good enough and we've done well to recover from that bad start but any talk of the title is way off right now.
Agreed.
I agree and questions need to be answered at the end of the season if we end up trophyless again and our main achievement is just getting top 4. It may be that we need someone else to complete the final steps of the rebuild.
His subs are terrible, and while we did get outclassed in the 2nd half, their goal scorers were Stones from a (yet again) sloppy set piece from us and a Fernandinho volley, which, let's face it has probably never been seen before.
Fine margins win games, unfortunately Ole doesn't have the nous to be able to gain any type of margins in our favour, he'll need to improve on that aspect quickly if we are to go all the way in the league.
Fine margins win games, unfortunately Ole doesn't have the nous to be able to gain any type of margins in our favour, he'll need to improve on that aspect quickly if we are to go all the way in the league.
It wasn't really fine margin. Tell me how many chances did we create ? We were the second best team all through the game.
What on earth is the point in our pressing? It doesn't serve any purpose in its current form. There's absolutely no cohesion. Usually one, occasionally two players tiring themselves needlessly but without any plan or structure. I'm sure there are videos on Youtube that could help out Ole and his team.
Pretty clear what the game plan was today: Steely midfield made for breaking up play ( = Fred + McTominay makes sense), fairly low defensive line and pressing mostly in your own half (= Maguire + Lindelof makes sense). Tippy-tappyness was never going to win United the game, as City are better at it. So I thought it was the right approach to go for a more destructive midfield. It's what I wanted before the match, so can't have any complaints after the fact. And for the first half, it seemed to be working well. Both teams had their chances, but it was an even game up until that clumsy, completely unnecessary set-piece goal where Stones scored with his cock.
Then the game changes, and I was a bit annoyed that it took him a good 10 minutes (at least) to change things around. Wanted Pogba in the midfield two immediately then, and for McTominay to come off (and Greenwood on). But once he finally did that, City scored a second anyways. So I suppose I can't really have any complaints about that either. He tried to switch it around, and today it didn't work (against a very good side on good form). Rashford, Bruno and Martial were all below par today, but no manager in his right mind would've taken them off when chasing the game (+ Cavani suspended + Greenwood already on for McTominay). So not much he could've done about the front players.
Important game for turning around the nay-sayers, but still just one game. To me, this notion that Ole should now be under massive pressure for losing another semi is a bit of a circular argument, as the importance of winning the game would mostly be to appease those who would like to take the opportunity to add pressure and negativity in the first place. For the more patient, bigger-picture, expecting-a-few-bumps-in-the-road type of fans, I don't think it changes much at this point. A trophy would be nice, but trophies will come as long as there is an upward trajectory. And the league is the best measure for that. Get a reaction against Burnley, and this game will quickly be forgotten by most, is what I think.
Then the game changes, and I was a bit annoyed that it took him a good 10 minutes (at least) to change things around. Wanted Pogba in the midfield two immediately then, and for McTominay to come off (and Greenwood on). But once he finally did that, City scored a second anyways. So I suppose I can't really have any complaints about that either. He tried to switch it around, and today it didn't work (against a very good side on good form). Rashford, Bruno and Martial were all below par today, but no manager in his right mind would've taken them off when chasing the game (+ Cavani suspended + Greenwood already on for McTominay). So not much he could've done about the front players.
Important game for turning around the nay-sayers, but still just one game. To me, this notion that Ole should now be under massive pressure for losing another semi is a bit of a circular argument, as the importance of winning the game would mostly be to appease those who would like to take the opportunity to add pressure and negativity in the first place. For the more patient, bigger-picture, expecting-a-few-bumps-in-the-road type of fans, I don't think it changes much at this point. A trophy would be nice, but trophies will come as long as there is an upward trajectory. And the league is the best measure for that. Get a reaction against Burnley, and this game will quickly be forgotten by most, is what I think.
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We were never going to outplay a Pep side, anyone expecting us to aren't being realistic, Pep is a much better manager than Ole if we're all being honest, but they didn't create a huge amount either, they just had two players score their annual goals against us.
Well, I wasn't expecting greater possession to be honest. We didn't even create one meaningful chance while they were quite comfortable all throughout the game.
According to who? It might have been near the end if Ole got the players he wanted in who would have instantly improved our first choice XI, but getting in squad players was never going to be the solution.
We didn't play badly at all today and actually competed well with them but they took advantage of two very sloppy set piece goals. That deserves criticism, as well as the fact that all our attackers decided to collectively have a stinker. I'll cut Bruno and Rashford some slack considering how much they have played but Pogba and Martial needed to more when they had the ball.
This wasn't a case of us being outcoached or outfought, they were simply the better side on the day and we did not execute the plan well enough to deserve anything more from the game.
This is becoming definitive of Solskjaer's capacity as a manager, we put ourselves in a position to accumulate success but continually seem to fall short. I realistically think if we don't challenge for the league given the circumstances this year (every team being below par) we will never win anything of major note under his influence.
I dont think there is much wrong with his approach or the system today. We just played a very good City side who hit us on 2 set pieces.
So set pieces does not count?
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