Playing with patience

[Beachryan]

Despite all the glittering stars and sublime skills on display in the CL over the last week, the thing that struck me the most about both finalists is their patience. Both are happy to just keep the ball for upwards of 20 passes, and just roll it calmly between players in their own half.

They don't feel obliged to force it, or play low percentage passes or entertain - they just keep it for a while. And it's kinda boring for spectators, but it must be diabolically infuriating for the opposition. And that frustration tends to manifest in a lack of discipline, at which point tempo is changed.

The combination of confidence and patience is something I'm not sure I've ever seen a United side posses, and it's kind of fascinating. Ole is clearly about quick transitions, but I wonder if we even have the technical ability to keep the ball like that, for say 2 full minutes.

Anyway, just found it interesting, Barca and pep teams love it too, just wonder why we never do it, particularly right after we score or are under pressure.

 

[Class of 63]

Thought this was about Jimmy Saville

 

[Class of 63]

Despite all the glittering stars and sublime skills on display in the CL over the last week, the thing that struck me the most about both finalists is their patience. Both are happy to just keep the ball for upwards of 20 passes, and just roll it calmly between players in their own half.

They don't feel obliged to force it, or play low percentage passes or entertain - they just keep it for a while. And it's kinda boring for spectators, but it must be diabolically infuriating for the opposition. And that frustration tends to manifest in a lack of discipline, at which point tempo is changed.

The combination of confidence and patience is something I'm not sure I've ever seen a United side posses, and it's kind of fascinating. Ole is clearly about quick transitions, but I wonder if we even have the technical ability to keep the ball like that, for say 2 full minutes.

Anyway, just found it interesting, Barca and pep teams love it too, just wonder why we never do it, particularly right after we score or are under pressure.

We had that with LvG but the fans, or the uneducated ones at least weren't happy.

 

[cyberman]

We had that with LvG but the fans, or the uneducated ones at least weren't happy.

Thats not patience, that was souless football that was stuck in 1991.

 

[Foxbatt]

Thats not patience, that was souless football that was stuck in 1991.

The problem with LVG was that he thought the English league and players were technically better. But they were not. So that is why the instructions to take a touch first. Moving the ball is good if done correctly. His Ajaz side and even Barca and Bayern played good football.

 

[Mindhunter]

We had that with LvG but the fans, or the uneducated ones at least weren't happy.

Not really. The trick is to know when to up the tempo to take advantage of the gaps in midfield. These teams don't keep the ball because of some "philosophy" but to probe the opposition. They are just trying out different thinks so that the pieces on the chessboard keep moving - the moment they see an opening they go for the kill.

Under Solksjaer, we don't play like that and rightfully so as we don't have the personnel to play that type of football. To do that on a consistent basis, you need to always have a superior squad on paper, something we haven't really managed to build up for the last seven years. The other things going against it is the club's DNA. We were never that type of club really and our fans always preferred exciting, end-to-end, and breathtaking attacks instead of slow build up.

 

[ti vu]

These games (not only just the semi finals) also showed us that quality is vital. One tiny individual mistake can be costly, and going at each other in similar styles, the quality gap would show.

I welcome some adaptionism to get result over getting embarrassed by being stubbornly idealist (especially Barcelona. Then even Leipzig in semi final vs PSG). Just that don't sell snake oil by dressing a badly coached team via words as some grandeur in the making.

 

[Foxbatt]

Not really. The trick is to know when to up the tempo to take advantage of the gaps in midfield. These teams don't keep the ball because of some "philosophy" but to probe the opposition. They are just trying out different thinks so that the pieces on the chessboard keep moving - the moment they see an opening they go for the kill.

Under Solksjaer, we don't play like that and rightfully so as we don't have the personnel to play that type of football. To do that on a consistent basis, you need to always have a superior squad on paper, something we haven't really managed to build up for the last seven years. The other things going against it is the club's DNA. We were never that type of club really and our fans always preferred exciting, end-to-end, and breathtaking attacks instead of slow build up.

Look at how SAF got Park to man mark Pirlo. I would say how pragmatic we were when Quiroz was at United. It is the adaptation to the situation that is important. Fans would not object if we played patience football if we win trophies.

 

[poleglass red]

Have we the players to play that game though. We have speed on the wings to hit teams quickly on the counter. Pogba and Fred both get disposessed in dangerous areas when on the ball. Fernandes is looking to play defence splitting passes everytime, he's not looking to recycle possession. I think like any system, you play to your strengths, right now with what we have, it's breaking at pace. Our defenders in Lindelof and AWB are uncomfortable in possession and even more so under a high press.Not saying we can't aspire to be that team, but I don't think that's where Ole wants to go, and it's not really where we were under Fergie which is where it seems Ole is aspiring to.