Ole's Squad Management

buckooo1978

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Don't know about you lot but I think Ole needs to bite the bullet on squad management and take a different approach.

the current tactic seems to be trying to eek our way over the line largely with the current main 11, many of whom are dead on their feet. I was pleased to see Matic rested as his performance level dips badly when he is tired and the Bailly gamble paid off giving Lindelof a break.

the main issue I see is with our attack and Bruno and Rashford in particular who look spent. Bruno's effectiveness has declined over the last number of games and Rashford looks like he's lost a lot of sharpness. The tiredness is evident in the misplaced passes too.

In contrast Inter looked a lot sharper I thought, maybe with a slower less intense league??? (guessing here)

I think it might be an idea to start with James and Lingard in the next game (a gamble I know) and try to use Bruno and Rashford as imoact players.

Inter struggled early on against a pressing Getafe side. If we pressed hard against teams early on I feel we might have a better chance

this tournament is a marathon not a sprint and we are flagging - maybe time to place some trust in our backup attackers and be more fluid with changes
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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Nah I don't think so. Ole doesn't have any options and if he plays Lingard and/or James we will lose for certain as they just arent good enough. Rashford on a bad day still offers far more with the upside that if he plays as we know he can, he's a match winner. It's something that needs to be addressed with signing the right players but there nothing Ole can do about it for the moment.
 

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In fairness he did leave Baily and Fred in their yesterday... so that was trusting the squad players a bit more.

Mata came on and helped change the game too so that might encourage Ole to use his bench a bit more.

But yeah, overall I think he should be using his bench a bit more. I'm sure he will next season to be fair (mainly because it's impossible to play the same 11 for every game).
 

romufc

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Starting James and Lingard is a simple No no.

We get more output with Bruno and Rashford, even if they are not 100% which is the problem we have.

If Ole is not screaming at Ed to get reinforcements in, he will be sacked next season. I cannot see how we can improve on this season without signings.
 

CG1010

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More than physical tiredness, I feel our issue is of mental strength in the team. Its very easy to become depressed and demotivated in our team, and plus we don't have the experienced winners to help the team keeping going at a high level game after game. We basically need another 2-3 players with Bruno-like mentality.
 

P-Nut

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2 games to go and we don't play again till Sunday so plenty of rest before that one.

Players were always going to take a while to get going after having a break longer than usual between games. In +30 degree heat we finished the game quite strongly so it's not something I'd worry about for the Europa, rotation will come into play next season with a squad hopefully more suited to it.
 

ArjenIsM3

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Eh? He could make more use of Ighalo maybe but other than that? Naaah mate. The drop-off in quality is far too big with the likes of James, Lingard and Pereira. It's why we should get Grealish (for the right price of course).

Even with Ighalo you could argue there's no need to make more use of him with the form Martial's been in.
 

SilentWitness

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Some other teams are able to use their squad better as the drop in quality from First XI to 2nd XI isn't that great but at United the drop is huge.

Martial -> Ighalo
Rashford -> Lingard/Mata/Pereira
Bruno -> Lingard/Mata/Pereira
Greenwood -> James/Chong
Pogba -> McT
Matic -> Fred

The closest comparison in quality you could get there is probably Matic to Fred but in the other examples the replacement player is a significant drop in quality. I think you could get by with keeping Pogba/McT/Fred/Matic but you need a replacement Winger and CAM asap.
 

Lay

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We lack quality in depth. As pointed out above we have a massive drop in quality.

To be at our most fluid we can’t leave one player out of the attack. I hope we can address the issue with a couple of attacking players in the transfer window
 

Wednesday at Stoke

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I actually thought Pereira could have been very effective in finding spaces over Rashford in the final half hour yesterday. He had a decent outing against LASK.
 

Samid

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If he trusted his squad more we'd have finished 5th and would be shitting our pants right now.
 

youngrell

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I think we could get away with one change in attack, for instance Mata or Lingard in for Rashford or Greenwood but no more than that at this crucial stage.

The issues we've had is making lots of changes at once and the whole team being disjointed. It's a little unfair to ask Mata to be instrumental when he's thrown in alongside the rest of the second string players, but pop him in the fist team and he will play well. Same for Fred, Scott and to a lesser degree Lingard and Andreas.

Think of us under SAF, we would often carry one or two players who were not usually part of the first XI.
 

Dinghy

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Heh, some actually wants to see the likes of Pereira, Lingard and James getting more minutes in "must win" games and when games are tight? You must have had a blast for the last few years.
 

DCP

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Hell No. Play as close to the starting 11 as much as possible at the moment and then address the issues before we start again next season to rotate.
 

buckooo1978

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I think we are going to need another level against Sevilla (I think Wolves will be similarly busted) and Inter

if we play like we did last night against either i think we are in trouble

I'm just questioning whether we could play with more control and solidity in the first half of the Semi to be able to bring one of our more effective attacker on for the final 45.

could Lingard/Ighalo or James not run their bollocks off for the opening stages taking the sting out of an energetic pressing Sevilla side? Is it a game to start with Matic, Pogba and Fred, control the game and use Bruno from the bench?

we have 6 days but this 6 days is on the back of that big lockdown break then this team playing intensely for 2 months with huge pressure in each game.

there's definitely a mental pressure but you'd have though this was relieved with getting top 4.

Watch Ole walk off last night and Bruno is practically hobbling. We need to be careful. Overplaying Rashford gave him that serious back injury.

we never won anything under Fergie without players likePark coming in to do a job - there might be scope for us in the next game
 

Thaila-X

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We simply just don't have the strength in depth to be able to rotate the squad to allow players to recover and still maintain the standards needed. Ole is taking a massive risk if he starts one of our squad players ahead of the likes of Rashford, Bruno etc and I'm not sure he will gamble or rely on the trusted starting XI and hope the likes of Mata and Ighalo can have an impact off the bench if needs be.
 

buckooo1978

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We simply just don't have the strength in depth to be able to rotate the squad to allow players to recover and still maintain the standards needed. Ole is taking a massive risk if he starts one of our squad players ahead of the likes of Rashford, Bruno etc and I'm not sure he will gamble or rely on the trusted starting XI and hope the likes of Mata and Ighalo can have an impact off the bench if needs be.
the question is not necessarily maintaining standards.... standards which have dropped in our last 5/6 games

do we have the players that we can rotate to give our games changers some rest. Imagine a fresh Rashford/Bruno coming into the last 30 mins of a tight game against Sevilla. Players who would be fresher in the final.

I'm not sure about this myself. Its obvious the backup players aren't of the same quality. I just have my doubts weve enough in the tank to win both these upcoming games.

we have to trust the manager I suppose
 

Chesterlestreet

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If he trusted his squad more we'd have finished 5th and would be shitting our pants right now.
Probably, yes.

There's some kind of cognitive dissonance at work with certain people - or, alternatively, certain people are just looking for a stick to beat him with.

Our squad is lacking (by common consensus) - or, if you will, our options beyond what most would now call our default XI (at this stage: DDG, AWB, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Matic, Pogba, Bruno, Mason, Martial, Rashford) are lacking more or less seriously (depending on the position).

But he isn't "trusting" his rotation/squad options enough? Why the feck would he? Do people think he would have made the same choices yesterday if we'd been up by five after twenty minutes?
 

Lynty

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...we never won anything under Fergie without players like Park coming in to do a job - there might be scope for us in the next game
Park was level above Lingard, Andreas or James.

Your 100% correct. But we don't have a squad to enable us to make changes in big games. Which is why most people are crying out for Grealish as second priority signing after a right winger.
 

Rozay

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The team just had two weeks off. If those players look spent already, it isn’t fatigue worrying them.
 

Davie Moyes

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I'm actually glad he's settled on a clear starting eleven and also has recognised the drop in quality in the rest of the squad. It gives me optimism that he will look to address that.
 

b82REZ

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I think Ole needs to learn how to use his squad effectively rather than jamming square pegs in round holes when he makes changes.

Our starting 11 picks itself, but Ole does not alter the shape of tactics when he rotates and that makes the poorer squad players look even worse than they are.

Obviously players like Lingard are not good enough in the long term but a lot of the expectations on him are unfair. He isn't Bruno and will never play to that standard, yet we as fans and Ole as manager often expct a Bruno-lite performance from him when he does play.

This has always been my biggest worry and criticism of Ole, his inability (or seeming inability) to get the most out the squad. If we're still having this conversation next year when he should have almost finished assembling his squad serious question need to be asked over his ability. I do think he can offset some of his short comings by improving the coaching team around him.
 

tjposhea

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I think we need to all rememeber these men are professional athletes. They should be able to play week in, week out, without tiredness and fatigue proving detriment to their game.

Soldiers during tours, do not get to turn around and say they are tired. Neither should professional footballers during a season.

But, their quite clearly is a reliance on the first XI. In my opinion, it will take two to three seasons to correct the inbalance of the squad, unless the youth coming through are happy to be squad players in the first instance and not first team regulars.
 

Web of Bissaka

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It's okay.

Arguably he should be more ruthless with Lingard and trust McTominay more against the big teams. Need to up his game managing the other players on the fringes but it's not a one-way street, the fringe players also need to step-up.
 

TrustInOle

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Anyone get the impression we have taken our foot of the peddle in terms of our press and exposivenes recently? Could very well be saving our legs for the games to come and next season. Which to be honest, wouldn't be the worst plan considering we had practically a friendly against Lask and a seemingly easy pass in Coopenhagen.

Fitness will be an issue for everybody next season, least of all to everyone still competing.
 

gerdm07

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If he trusted his squad more we'd have finished 5th and would be shitting our pants right now.
This. I think it was very telling that Mata and Lingard didn't come in until overtime.

I'm pretty sure Matic will start the next match and Fred will sub at 65 or so. The worries are Bruno and Pogba as they could be spent by the final. Rashford doesn't need rest as he will probably play crappy with or without rest.
 

davidmichael

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This is a perfect example for all those people saying we shouldn’t pay the money for Sancho as outside of Rashford, Fernandes, Martial and Greenwood the options simply aren’t good enough especially in a semi final of a European competition.

The drop off in quality with Ighalo, Lingard, Pereira, Mata and James is massive and I wouldn’t back us to beat either Sevilla or Wolves with any of those starting or likely Inter in the final. Luckily we’ve got 4 days until the semi final then if we win that we’ll have a extra day rest on the other team in the final so hopefully that’ll be enough time for our front 4 to rest up enough.

We desperately need Sancho and a defensive midfielder to rotate/replace Matic as once Matic is overused/tired his performances become awful and he is the main person who needs his game time managed properly, right now we simply have a great starting 11 when all fit and on form and very low on quality to come in for any of them.
 

Zen86

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Gotta love this thread, we’ve gone full circle.

Play our strongest 11: “Ole doesn’t know how to manage games and the squad #oleout”

Play anyone not in the strongest 11: “uhhmagerrd why is Ole playing <insert name here> it shows how our standards have fallen #oleout”
 

roonster09

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Gotta love this thread, we’ve gone full circle.

Play our strongest 11: “Ole doesn’t know how to manage games and the squad #oleout”

Play anyone not in the strongest 11: “uhhmagerrd why is Ole playing <insert name here> it shows how our standards have fallen #oleout”
I agree with the general point that Ole is not using the squad but you are spot on too. If he doesn't play strong 11 then people will come up with 'It's 2 years and still he doesn't know his best 11" posts.
 

Chief123

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I actually think Ole is using his squad to the best he can without jeoperdising results! Our squad players are a massive step down from the best 11. There is a reason why Bruno has transformed the team since hes arrived. Its because hes significantly better than what we have after him. Its no coincidence we've been finishing outside of the top 4 in previous seasons with this same squad of players.

Its a difficult situation Look at the Chelsea semi-final. He only changed around 3 players and we were seriously underwhelming and performed terribly. He cant just use the squad for the sake of it. We've been playing in a cup final virtually every game for the last 4/5 weeks.
 

Ali Dia

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Yeah he’ll do something adventurous like start Mata and Fred in the next game and everyone will whinge about their faults and Ole for picking them. Mata shouldn’t be starting games for us anymore and I like Fred, I think he’s a baller but he’s not a DM.Ole needs to find a way to get more out of his squad players unless we do a lot in the market because a few injuries and the wheels will come off again
 

b82REZ

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Gotta love this thread, we’ve gone full circle.

Play our strongest 11: “Ole doesn’t know how to manage games and the squad #oleout”

Play anyone not in the strongest 11: “uhhmagerrd why is Ole playing <insert name here> it shows how our standards have fallen #oleout”
Where has anyone said this in this thread?

This is exactly why the football forum has gone to shit in recent years. There's no deabte or critical thinking. It's black or white opinions with no grey area for discussion.

It is a valid point to discuss Ole's management of the overall squad. Add to the discussion rather than making strawmen to try and make yourself feel like a better fan.
 

The_Midfielder

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Don't know about you lot but I think Ole needs to bite the bullet on squad management and take a different approach.

the current tactic seems to be trying to eek our way over the line largely with the current main 11, many of whom are dead on their feet. I was pleased to see Matic rested as his performance level dips badly when he is tired and the Bailly gamble paid off giving Lindelof a break.

the main issue I see is with our attack and Bruno and Rashford in particular who look spent. Bruno's effectiveness has declined over the last number of games and Rashford looks like he's lost a lot of sharpness. The tiredness is evident in the misplaced passes too.

In contrast Inter looked a lot sharper I thought, maybe with a slower less intense league??? (guessing here)

I think it might be an idea to start with James and Lingard in the next game (a gamble I know) and try to use Bruno and Rashford as imoact players.

Inter struggled early on against a pressing Getafe side. If we pressed hard against teams early on I feel we might have a better chance

this tournament is a marathon not a sprint and we are flagging - maybe time to place some trust in our backup attackers and be more fluid with changes
Inter had nothing to play for a month back..
 

Van Piorsing

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Apart from game vs Chelsea in the cup, his selections were okayish.

The only thing he could change is to use James more coming from the bench on tired opponent. That's when he can do more damage or win the freekick / penalty.
 

Tarrou

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It's definitely an issue Ole needs to address, but he's caught between a rock and a hard place

For the last two games I think he should play the best 11, and then try to address our lack of attacking depth in the market
 

izec

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The option was to throw away the useless EL and focus on the league next season. Play the reserves and kids, guys like Chong, Garner, Mengi and the bench players etc...

Obviously, there are the guys who wouldn't like it, since it is a trophy, but the start of the season is close and we will be in trouble next season.

Ole has decided to try and win it. Hopefully we do, but i don't see it personally, not in the current shape.
 

glazed

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It's not just about a lack of quality - it's also about lack of a coherent playing system that allows squad players to slot in like for like when needed. I don't mean the simple stuff like defensive midfielder versus attacking midfielder, but the complex positional stuff that comes from day to day coaching.

We saw Fred was quite a decent player when Pogba was injured, but he looked at sea yesterday. Yes he was out of position but also the other players didn't seem to read him well.
 

Infra-red

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After 13 months of largely poor football, he has stumbled across something that works - he's not going to abandon that until he's forced to. That's how you break multi-decade records for naming consecutive identical starting XIs.