The context of quality of opposition matters. A comparison to how PSG set up against City is invalid.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
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Coached or is just that the type of player they are? It's definitely the latter. You can't reprogramme 27 year olds. Both are high risk, high reward types. Which is fine as long as they're not both in midfield positions.
And they do both give it away with simple passes and equally they're quite easily dispossessed. Or they spurn simples passes for the Hollywood ball.
Last night we played 4-1-4-1, imo. MCT was the holding 1, with Sancho, Bruno, Pogba and Greenwood the 4 in front. It was a ballsy move by Ole that was intended to put us on the front foot but it didn't really work out. They had the freedom of the park in the midfield and they overloaded us too easily. We were lucky to get the result, but I am at least happy to see Ole try something different. Fred was dropped for a more attacking approach that didn't really translate on the pitch but maybe with some tweaks we could see a more progressive style of play.
Keep going. Equating Bruno and Pogba to Xavi and Iniesta because it's just playing simple passes is pretty excellent stuff.
I think the club are too shit scared to make any changes any time soon. The match going supporters will not (including me) kick off at Ole at the ground. That's why I vent here. The only way he goes any time soon is if we drop points in a few of the upcoming fixtures, keep playing badly AND the players lose faith and start grumbling. Otherwise he'll be here at the end of the season still no matter where we finish. Woodward is leaving and won't rock the boat, his replacement is new and won't rock the boat etc.
You might be surprised to know that he's been coaching as long as Pep. The best manager in the world and who went toe to toe (and won) with fecking Alex Ferguson about 10 years ago!! I don't know what excuses Ole has in terms of "still learning".
The rest I kind of agree with except his presence is starting to grate on me because I just see a guy who won the lottery to become our manager and is allowed to remain in charge, unconditionally.
If their master plan is to keep scraping top four for ever - with everyone happy because Ole is a nice bloke - they're in for a shock. Contrary to the opinion of some Ole-outers, the fans who are now behind him won't remain so if he fails to improve/clearly stagnates (à la Wenger).
We have to use last night as a point to shake off our patchy form and move forward. Come on United!
Pretty much this. It’s tough to explain why we e started out the season so patchy but we’ve ground out some results. The corner must be turned!
This, how people can keep coming back saying he is a young manger that is still learning is absurd. He shouldn't be in the job if he is still "learning"
i dont really get people giving him credit for "the subs" combining on the goal last night. i know it is a bit cringe but moments FC literally describes this team. It wasn't as if we put in the subs and then were just battering them like the days of SAF. After Cavani came on and we had the little bump from him just running around and energizing people it was the same doldrum shit we had seen for pretty much the whole game. It wasn't as if all of a sudden fred down the left was getting us chance after chance.
How the hell can anyone watch this last game and be confident with Ole? We came out, ran around for about 5 minutes putting pressure, were shit up until the one Telles volley, and continued our shitshow. Just childish "tactics" from our supposed manager. We have a team that even without rashford can boast some pretty damn talented players. From our starting lineup last game Pogba/Ronaldo/Bruno are established top players, Greenwood/sancho are highly talented younger stars. When they all look like shit it seems pretty obvious we need to upgrade our coaching staff. I loved Carrick as a player, feel like he was a top talent that was just immensely underappreciated, but Ole needs to grow some balls and replace his staff with coaches who can actually coach. This filling our staff with ex players is just clearly not working.
How the hell can anyone watch this last game and be confident with Ole? We came out, ran around for about 5 minutes putting pressure, were shit up until the one Telles volley, and continued our shitshow. Just childish "tactics" from our supposed manager. We have a team that even without rashford can boast some pretty damn talented players. From our starting lineup last game Pogba/Ronaldo/Bruno are established top players, Greenwood/sancho are highly talented younger stars. When they all look like shit it seems pretty obvious we need to upgrade our coaching staff. I loved Carrick as a player, feel like he was a top talent that was just immensely underappreciated, but Ole needs to grow some balls and replace his staff with coaches who can actually coach. This filling our staff with ex players is just clearly not working.
Most often when they lose possession, they do so one second after receiving the ball and before they have done any passes at all, especially Pogba. Why? Because the opposition target them especially to prevent them from doing the passes you ridicule. Clueless? Yes, you are.
Good post. The last part is truly saddening. Our biggest rivals have Pep, Klopp, Tuchel and we have Solskjaer and have made him the safest manager in football. I wonder if he sees himself as their equals.
I find it more likely he just does what his fat bellend agent tells him tbh
I didn't make the game and gave you my ticket... In what sense was there discontent?
My doubts have been coming to the fore since basically after the Leeds game. Last night's game done absolutely nothing to alleviate them. I have no idea how anyone thinks there's any positives to take, bar a last gasp winner, which was obviously thoroughly enjoyable. If anything, last night was further evidence that we may be in for another average season.
However, the 3 points were absolutely huge, and hopefully it'll have everyone buzzing going into the game against Everton. Going into the international break off the back of two wins, will hopefully restore some much needed positivity. We badly needed those points last night and we should be aiming for 4 points minimum in our double header against Atalanta. With 7 points and 2 games left - one of which is YB at home - we're looking good to qualify.
But celebrating last night as if it was some miracle is borderline insane. It was Villarreal at home ffs, we shouldn't have made it so difficult, and the performance was very worrying. I went to bed last night buzzing, but only because the manner of how we won. On honest reflection this morning, it wasn't a night for many positives. Unless things drastically improve, I'm confident Ole will be gone come next season. Am I confident we can massively improve under his tutelage? Not anymore, no. I still have a slight glimmer of hope, but that's about it. The most worrying thing is, we've generally looked poor this season and are yet to face a top team. Some can keep burying their heads in the sand, but some of the ridiculous praise for last night just smacks of wummy behaviour. Even at half time, the fans in the stadium seemed very quiet and resigned.
However, the 3 points were absolutely huge, and hopefully it'll have everyone buzzing going into the game against Everton. Going into the international break off the back of two wins, will hopefully restore some much needed positivity. We badly needed those points last night and we should be aiming for 4 points minimum in our double header against Atalanta. With 7 points and 2 games left - one of which is YB at home - we're looking good to qualify.
But celebrating last night as if it was some miracle is borderline insane. It was Villarreal at home ffs, we shouldn't have made it so difficult, and the performance was very worrying. I went to bed last night buzzing, but only because the manner of how we won. On honest reflection this morning, it wasn't a night for many positives. Unless things drastically improve, I'm confident Ole will be gone come next season. Am I confident we can massively improve under his tutelage? Not anymore, no. I still have a slight glimmer of hope, but that's about it. The most worrying thing is, we've generally looked poor this season and are yet to face a top team. Some can keep burying their heads in the sand, but some of the ridiculous praise for last night just smacks of wummy behaviour. Even at half time, the fans in the stadium seemed very quiet and resigned.
How is that invalid? It just further validates the fact that teams tweak their tactics against top opponents. PSG ceded possession to City and hit them on the break twice at home. They won. Job done.
People just don't want to accept that Ole sets up his United team in ways he and the staff think is best for them to get results. Against some top opposition, United are okay with having less possession and finding ways to hurt them..i.e. be more direct. There is nothing wrong with that.
But people have different ideas and thoughts of how to get final outcomes. That doesn't mean they are wrong or right, just different.
I look at it like this. Look at the players and how individually good they are. Is the Manager making them about as good a team collectively as they are individually? If so, he's doing ok. If they are better than the sum of their parts then he's doing great. Less than the sum of their parts? Then he's holding them back. Before, with a fairly good but not great squad, I thought he was doing ok, but considering the signings we have made, I don't think he is anymore. We should not be struggling to make chances this badly.
What a trophy, 2nd with a however many hundred million pounds team..no trophies and can't beat Villareal in the European mickey mouse final where we shouldnt have been anyway.
Looked more like a 4141 if anything.
Do you honestly not understand why there is no comparison between how a team should set up playing Man City at home vs playing Villareal at home?
United didn't setup in a counter attacking or defensive minded way against Villareal. My original comment was about a poster trying to discredit the team improving under Ole. It doesn't matter what system or what formation. You as a manager put your team in a position for them to get results. People say uber cautious approach like it is a negative, yet don't even understand what constitutes as uber cautious.
The question is not about players who didn't start the game. Why did he buy him in the first place and waste all that money instead of buying a competent midfield player?
Are you asking why hasn’t a transfer worked out so far? You can ask the same question to every manager, ever.
I agree with this. It's promising that we tried something there because one of the most consistent complaints we've had as a fanbase is that we're incapable of pressing high as a team. However, it was really boys v men when we attempted it. They created overloads and bypassed the press with extreme ease after an initial 5 min period where they seemed to be surprised. Resulted in several good goalscoring chances after which we took sat a little deeper and settled.
Special mention for Pau Torres here as well, he was excellent at drawing Bruno onto himself, finding the extra man as soon as Bruno started moving.
The question is if we stick with it into our tough fixture run (atleast against Everton and Leicester) or if we just give up and go back to our transition game.
Part of the problem IMO was that Dalot and Telles were extremely shit defensively 1v1. I'd like to see us give it another go with Matic in the McT role with Shaw, AwB in the side.
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That's twitter
The video is from tiktok
Nope. Managers buy players because they scout them and see them as part of the team and to be better. Ole has not given DVB any decent chance to show that he can play in this United side. Now if he bought DVB on the cheap so he can sell him on a profit then it is a different story. But DVB is not some teenager who came cheap. He cost 48 million. He has played over 100 games for Ajax and scored over 40 goals. He has played for the Dutch National team and scored a couple of goals. He is not some unknown like Bebe.
He’s never set foot in old Trafford. Guaranteed.
We might as well get Rooney then because he is our leading scorer and is young and is still learning.
I find it insane that people say OGS is a young manager and learning. Hes been managing in Norway for the majority of the 2010s and the one time he stepped out of there to go to Cardiff, he failed big time. Ask yourself if he’s good enough for Utd then why have no other clubs been in for him since he left Cardiff and went back to Molde.
I think if he was serious about being a manager he’d have aggressively put himself out there after leaving Cardiff, but he retreated back to Norway. Because of that, I’ve always had the feeling he didn’t really have any managerial ambitions outside of managing his local club in that quaint little part of the world.
I think if he was serious about being a manager he’d have aggressively put himself out there after leaving Cardiff, but he retreated back to Norway. Because of that, I’ve always had the feeling he didn’t really have any managerial ambitions outside of managing his local club in that quaint little part of the world.
Good observation. Mentality plays a part definitely. There’s a team talk in All or Nothing when Guardiola said that the major difference between them (Man City) and teams like Real and Barcelona (top teams in Europe then) was that the top teams are f*ing believers. I think the mental inconsistency could be a side effect of being trophyless for a while in our case.
Jesus Christ stop whining about DvB. He’s had chances and he hasn’t taken them, and if he was making an impression in training then he would be playing. Either way, who the **** knows. Transfers don’t work out. It’s not uncommon, in fact it’s the opposite.
Idk how he can be expected to do more to take them tbh. Man of the match all games he's played the full 90 in. Better than anything from McTominay in his cameo appearances. We've given literal shit players entire seasons worth of chances but we refuse to give back to back games to a guy who was being chased by the biggest teams in europe & who has been better than our current midfielders whenever he plays. Somehow you still get fools claiming he hasn't done enough with his time on the pitch.
Can see whoever replaces Ole playing Dvb regularly as he will know he’s miles better than Fred and McTom
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What needs to be understood when criticising players and manager is that as fans we obviously want them to get better because it’s good for the club.
For example Fred gets abuse but we all wish he got better which would lead to it stopping. The negative comments come from people who don’t think a person is good enough to succeed here and with Ole it be a dream for him to lead us too the top but as I said some have concerns
It was a good win last night A much needed one and after the excitement of the last minute winner I still look at the fact DeGea was our best player and we were lucky. This win for me still didn’t take away the concerns I have about Ole
For example Fred gets abuse but we all wish he got better which would lead to it stopping. The negative comments come from people who don’t think a person is good enough to succeed here and with Ole it be a dream for him to lead us too the top but as I said some have concerns
It was a good win last night A much needed one and after the excitement of the last minute winner I still look at the fact DeGea was our best player and we were lucky. This win for me still didn’t take away the concerns I have about Ole
I do not know what some people on here are about. Yes I agree with you that if Fred turns out to be the next Keane I will be over the moon. If Ole can challenge Pep, Klopp then I will be most happy with him. I have no agenda against any player. Some I think are simply not good enough for us to win trophies. That goes for the Manager too. I never had faith in Moyes because he has not won anything. I had faith in LVG and Jose because they had won the top trophies. They did win trophies for United during their short stint but they messed up the future big time. Ole came in and did a brilliant job in steadying the ship after Jose went bananas.
But nothing he has done so far makes me believe that he is going to win us PL or CL. He lost the only final he had and we should have won.
Stretford Paddock is unbelievably bias toward Ole. I dont mind the general football debates on there, but when it comes to Ole, they constantly defend him probably more than Oles own kids would.
Thats what we need, takes from Stretford paddock folk 
We are now in the inexorable descent towards the sacking. But we will delay it until we are completely out if all competitions and hopelessly adrift in 6th place in the league and when no manager in his right mind would take us on. Would be great to think our owners could predict this like the rest of us can and just get it done now.
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