Sloppy passing and touches

The Brown Bull

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Problem is we've replaced like for like. Bruno gives it away easily but Cavani as a No.10 is no better in that regard. Probably even worse.



It's not just that it was overhit either. It was so badly overhit. Like twice the power needed. How's that possible at this level playing on a carpet.
Agreed.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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I think it was Rio that said when a new player started training with the team Roy Keane would absolutely smash the ball at them and if their touch wasn’t flawless he would dress them down in front of everyone. Probably a bit too dinosaur for these sensitive souls but I reckon it would cut down a lot of the absolute shite we endured today.
It's just maintenance of standards. It happens once with no recourse (doesn't have to be mean or horrible) but it has to be addressed. If it happens and then happens again, it's like rot, it sets in and thats how we pass at the club now. That's our standard.
 

croadyman

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Can't remember the last time I thought we actually looked competent on the ball
 

yamo123x

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This is basics, something we are incapable of, Sancho, Greenwood,Cavani, Mct, shaw,Ronaldo and AWB about 8 times were all guilty of this last night..poor control and first touch putting themselves in danger
 

Hughes35

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Because the only players we have that are comfortable with the ball at their feet and passing are Shaw, Ronaldo, Maybe Sancho and Maybe Matic (who can't move).

It's really not a mystery why our football is so bad.
 

SirMattlives

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Sort of relieved to read this recent thread update as I was so annoyed after watching yesterday's game. I kept looking at the first touch of a few players with disbelief. AWB, to me, was so poor I could not fathom how he has got this far in his career. Yes, great tackler one on one but he has no first touch to speak of and his passing is really below par for a professional. Not singling him out exclusively, others were so bad too, you sort of cringe watching the passes. If it's not misplaced or behind them as they run, too many players blast the ball at a teammate in a manner that makes it hard for them to receive it constructively. I know it's not new but we do seem to have been particularly poor yesterday in this regard. I'd like to say it's tiredness but we're not the only team playing games under these conditions. Yes, Keane used to make a big deal out of a player's first touch being the truest measure of their basic skills (famously crucifying Mick McCarthy among others on that score) but he has a point. When you watch a professional athlete playing, the fundamentals should be beyond reproach but what I saw yesterday really seemed off.
 

romufc

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I can't believe how poor this is for us. What do they work on in training?

The second game in a row where one of our player has sliced a cross into the stand. I mean that is basic football right? Under no pressure at all. Rashford and AWB, the 2 who actually have basically 0 football IQ and barely any technique.

Then you have McT, Ronaldo, Cavani, Bruno who when there is pressure cannot keep the football.

These are meant to be pros at the top of their game, yet they cannot do basic things in football.
 

Frank White

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I can't believe how poor this is for us. What do they work on in training?

The second game in a row where one of our player has sliced a cross into the stand. I mean that is basic football right? Under no pressure at all. Rashford and AWB, the 2 who actually have basically 0 football IQ and barely any technique.

Then you have McT, Ronaldo, Cavani, Bruno who when there is pressure cannot keep the football.

These are meant to be pros at the top of their game, yet they cannot do basic things in football.
Definitely something going wrong because are "generational talent" in Greenwood did the exact same thing, no pressure easy pass on and yep you guessed it a Wolves throw in. And apparently Sancho is all technique yet can't string together back to back passes. The whole team is tragic atm.
 

romufc

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Definitely something going wrong because are "generational talent" in Greenwood did the exact same thing, no pressure easy pass on and yep you guessed it a Wolves throw in. And apparently Sancho is all technique yet can't string together back to back passes. The whole team is tragic atm.
Its not only that, Bruno was sensational and we have dragged his standards down.

Every player we have play 10 x better at a different club. Just look at Maguire and Shaw for England. I do not know what is going on because we seem to be getting worse on the ball, off the ball there is 0 intensity.
 

croadyman

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I can't believe how poor this is for us. What do they work on in training?

The second game in a row where one of our player has sliced a cross into the stand. I mean that is basic football right? Under no pressure at all. Rashford and AWB, the 2 who actually have basically 0 football IQ and barely any technique.

Then you have McT, Ronaldo, Cavani, Bruno who when there is pressure cannot keep the football.

These are meant to be pros at the top of their game, yet they cannot do basic things in football.
Posing for pictures that our dumbass social media team put out to make things look all rosy
 
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Literally have tears in my eyes watching this, how did it come to this? :lol: :(

 

Pogue Mahone

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Literally have tears in my eyes watching this, how did it come to this? :lol: :(

Obviously can’t be arsed myself but a compilation of every woeful pass or heavy touch from last night would be kind of amazing. Probably even more slapstick than that non-league highlights clip doing the rounds.
 

Pace Abuser

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No one is asking any of them to be prime Barcelona. It's been a problem for years and I can't understand why basic, simple things escape footballers when they come to united.

I'm not even asking them to be good, but just atleast passable. I've yet to see some sustained competency from the playing staff. One week it might appear or in spurts and then it's back to looking like non league quality strangers.
 

Leftback99

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Literally have tears in my eyes watching this, how did it come to this? :lol: :(

And people wonder why the stats show that Maguire is our most progressive passer. The state of the rest of them.
 

soapythecat

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I think so much of the sloppy passing and headless chicken play comes from a lack of confidence. We know these players can play at a much, much higher level. Maguire didn't turn this poor overnight, same for most of those who played poorly last night too.
They need to buy into the new system and try and adapt to it. Until then, I think it will continue to be very ugly.
 

Bondi77

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When we started signing players like Lukaku and Fred it was obvious that good technique was not important at our club and it has snowballed since then.
 

croadyman

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The technical ability in the majority of these players is absolutely dreadful
 

Artimities

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Both of these speak volumes and I distinctly remember both! That is the problem. No Creativity with dreadful control. Giving the ball away on long balls forward like its a game of Fifa. If its not that, then we back pass....lol, its utterly silly at points.
I have heard about the shoe incident and other things from SAF in the past. People say...oh you can't do that. Maybe not, but look at Chelseas coach. Lukakau comes out with issues and dude shuts it down.
Arsenals manager is that same with their striker.
Need somebody to rock the dressing room and wake these boys up.
 

JPRouve

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On that front I question the quality of training sessions because since Mourinho's second season our players invariably end up looking rusty on the ball and off tempo. For all the criticism that we can aim at LVG, he made worse players look like competent technicians, we lacked creativity and incisiveness in the last third but the team could pass the ball around and in tight spaces without problem.
 

croadyman

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Utterly dreadful and easily one of the worst in the league which is worrying
 

Dominos

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On that front I question the quality of training sessions because since Mourinho's second season our players invariably end up looking rusty on the ball and off tempo. For all the criticism that we can aim at LVG, he made worse players look like competent technicians, we lacked creativity and incisiveness in the last third but the team could pass the ball around and in tight spaces without problem.
Agree LVG improved us in possession but part of that had to be his risk-averse approach when it come to what we should do with the ball. We literally just recycled the ball side to side all game without ever playing a forward or risky pass that could create a chance. I remember talk that he discouraged our players from dribbling too.
 

Dominos

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Obviously can’t be arsed myself but a compilation of every woeful pass or heavy touch from last night would be kind of amazing. Probably even more slapstick than that non-league highlights clip doing the rounds.
We need an "unforced errors" stat like in tennis.

I don't think current stats we see floated around accurately reflect how bad we are with the ball. Newcastle game for example we came out of that game with 69% possession. Anyone who hadn't watched the game might actually think we passed the ball well, when in reality we were Sunday League level as usual.
 

Rajma

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Literally have tears in my eyes watching this, how did it come to this? :lol: :(

Look at the McT hiding behind players in both clips, first when Varane have gone long and then the entirety of the second video. Get rid of this imposter.
 

Oscar Bonavena

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I couldn't believe how technically bad AWB was (and still is) when he joined from Crystal Palace. First touch, passing, crossing all awful. When you spend £50 million for a defender you expect some sort of technical competence. Was none of this considered when the player was being signed or was it assumed it would be "coached" into him?