Ole realizing that players that can't control or pass the ball properly, should not play for Manchester United.
So how come we look like a football team again?
- Thread starter Fortitude
- Start date
I remember the tail end of that season and thinking "if only we had that form from the start." But, that team really kicked on after that and obviously, the rest is history. I sort of agree with you. The team has been building nicely now and things are slowly coming together that if we have a good run of results at the end of the season we carry on and take that into the next one. Seems the foundations are there and everyone is on the same page.
As others have said, it takes time to implement a plan and a mentality. Ole has got a young squad who have to tools and he just needed that extra spark in Bruno to get them going. It was nice to see that Lingard and Andreas were left out and we could turn to Bailey, McTominey and Igahlo to see the game out. The entire team is starting to look quite good now.
Clutching at straws given the amount of decisions we have got with VAR this season.
Cant think of any controversial ones.
He did have to play them though and that's what people don't understand, short of playing academy players who they deem aren't ready there were no other options at points during the season
Compare us and the results pre and post Bruno, and you have your answer. The difference a world class player makes.
Having an actual midfield has made a big difference.
I love everything about this team at this moment in time to be honest.
Bruno 'Cantona' Fernandes
Shaw finding himself and being a leader for Williams
Matic drinking from the fountain of youth
Fred and McSauce trying to outcompete each other for tackles won in midfield
Ighalo the new Drogba
Bruno/Martial bromance
Harry 'I eat corners and long balls for breakfast' Maguire
Rashford on course for a 30 goal season (before he got injured)
The lack of reliance on Pogba
Edit: Oh how could I forget Robin van Greenwood
Bruno 'Cantona' Fernandes
Shaw finding himself and being a leader for Williams
Matic drinking from the fountain of youth
Fred and McSauce trying to outcompete each other for tackles won in midfield
Ighalo the new Drogba
Bruno/Martial bromance
Harry 'I eat corners and long balls for breakfast' Maguire
Rashford on course for a 30 goal season (before he got injured)
The lack of reliance on Pogba
Edit: Oh how could I forget Robin van Greenwood
Last edited:
Big credit to Ole. Fred's transformation, sorting out our defense with Harry and Aaron, Shaw's back in to the player he was supposed to be. Best January transfer window since Vidic&Evra. Bringing up Williams and Greenwood. Mctominay's dominance.
We are going places with Ole at the wheel.
We are going places with Ole at the wheel.
Agreed. When you get rid of the championship level players and replace them with quality players you're bound to get positive results.
Agreed 100%
was outstanding again today.
Is back to the form he showed in his first few games for the club.
This was my favorite bit of the game actually. Smashed into him good and proper. Aggression.
Then Bruno giving grief to Pep
It’s a confidence and agression thing. We are here. You want to beat us, you better be ready to fight. It’s not there every single game, but it is coming back slowly more and more
Coaching
Return to fitness of some players
2 good signings
Some players in particular hitting great form
Return to fitness of some players
2 good signings
Some players in particular hitting great form
That piece is what Ole is bringing in, and Bruno is helping. But the whole team has worked as an unit and that's really what is exciting to see.
More quality, and that quality isn't yet another passive player. That being said, don't count the chickens yet. We're heading in the right direction for once, but I'm sure there'll be some more downs on the way (to hopefully being generally on the up).
So much this.
Well he didn't have to play them @Theo88 and @Wumminator . For a start he could and should have used Mata more over these two non PL standard footballers, he would 100% have provided more goals, assists and quality even if he's not at Bruno's level.
Ole literally started the season for the first 4 games before Pogba's injury with Matic and Tuanzebe benched (2 DM options there, and Mata benched) and played Pogba deep so that he could fit one of Lingard or Andreas in at AM. In game 5 he put Fred on the bench to start Andreas. When Pogba came back he benched Matic AND Fred so he could play both of them vs. Arsenal
. In the following game we lost to Newcastle with Matic benched for Andreas again. By this point we're up to October 6th, we've an awful record in the league and the management team is still refusing to start a single game without either Andreas or Lingard in the starting line-up despite having much better options than them on the bench.After October 6th, Matic is injured, Pogba is out for months and your point becomes "somewhat valid", until January the management had not much choice if they didn't wanna go with Mata or a youth product like say Gomes.
So let's be honest here, the management team clearly believed in the two of them at the start of the season. There's a strong chance we went purposely into this season not pursuing the Bruno option due to optimism that Andreas or Lingard would "step up".
Once again people, don't rewrite the past. It happened, the management have learnt from it and corrected it. That's good management to always learn and to continue to evolve. It may well be the pig-headedness that prevents Mourinho from ever being a top top manager again.
Last edited:
You make it sound like it’s a crime being a manager and giving your players chances to pick up form.Well he didn't have to play them @Theo88 and @Wumminator . For a start he could and should have used Mata more over these two non PL standard footballers, he would 100% have provided more goals, assists and quality even if he's not at Bruno's level.
Ole literally started the season for the first 4 games before Pogba's injury with Matic and Tuanzebe benched (2 DM options there, and Mata benched) and played Pogba deep so that he could fit one of Lingard or Andreas in at AM. In game 5 he put Fred on the bench to start Andreas. When Pogba came back he benched Matic AND Fred so he could play both of them vs. Arsenal
After October 6th, Matic is injured, Pogba is out for months and your point becomes "somewhat valid", until January the management had not much choice if they didn't wanna go with Mata or a youth product like say Gomes.
So let's be honest here, the management team clearly believed in the two of them at the start of the season. There's a strong chance we went purposely into this season not pursuing the Bruno option due to optimism that Andreas or Lingard would "step up".
Once again people, don't rewrite the past. It happened, the management have learnt from it and corrected it. That's good management.
I finished off the post calling it good management so that's a weird thing to take from it
So why the feck did we not bring Bruno in earlier?
Matic's resurgence deserves a shout.
I genuinely thought he was done.
He looks a completely different player.
I genuinely thought he was done.
He looks a completely different player.
It's funny how in this thread people are busy going on about having good players and emphasising their importance yet on these same boards when the subject of Pogba pops up people can't stop writing how we should get rid.
So people have realized that we need better players after all if we want to be up there with the best yet they'll turn around in other threads writing about how they can't wait to get rid of one of our quality player. This place
So people have realized that we need better players after all if we want to be up there with the best yet they'll turn around in other threads writing about how they can't wait to get rid of one of our quality player. This place
Could be so many reasons. The management team clearly trusted Andreas and Lingard at the start of the season, as they started every game despite having better options on the bench (such as Matic).
Another poster mentioned (@Dve I think?) that some of our scouting reports had claimed he lost the ball too often (was reported at the time). So maybe that together with number 10 not feeling like a number 1 priority (Lingard or Andreas to step up, else move Pogba forward to AM) is why we held off.
Fair play to them getting it done now though, great great buy.
All comes down to our midifeld. We have a fantastic creator in Bruno, Fred and Matic are in form and Lingard and AP don't play. If Rashford is playing w/ Martial, we'd have hammered City today.
He's shipped out the players that couldn't be arsed, and that's lit a fire under the ones that were just complacent. He's demanding they work hard, or be shown the door. And unlike Ole's predeccessors, he's shown that he means it. I mean, compare the team we have now:
----------------------De Gea-----------------
Bissaka--Maguire-Lindelof-Shaw
--------McTominay-----Fred------------
James--------Fernandes---Rashford
----------------------Martial-------------------
with this sorry lot:
---------------------De Gea--------------
Darmian-Smalling-Rojo-Young
--------------Fellaini--Herrera---------
Lingard--------Pereira------Sanchez
--------------------Lukaku------------------
8 players gone in 12 months. He's signed some good players, and shipped out plenty of poor ones, and that's just in one year. Now imagine we give him another one. Who knows if he's got what it takes to get us back to winning titles, but when he does leave he's leaving the club in a better state than he found it. We're fitter, hungrier and far more of a team. Fix the right wing issue, some depth, who knows where we could be?
----------------------De Gea-----------------
Bissaka--Maguire-Lindelof-Shaw
--------McTominay-----Fred------------
James--------Fernandes---Rashford
----------------------Martial-------------------
with this sorry lot:
---------------------De Gea--------------
Darmian-Smalling-Rojo-Young
--------------Fellaini--Herrera---------
Lingard--------Pereira------Sanchez
--------------------Lukaku------------------
8 players gone in 12 months. He's signed some good players, and shipped out plenty of poor ones, and that's just in one year. Now imagine we give him another one. Who knows if he's got what it takes to get us back to winning titles, but when he does leave he's leaving the club in a better state than he found it. We're fitter, hungrier and far more of a team. Fix the right wing issue, some depth, who knows where we could be?
We need players with the right attitude. It's yet to be seen whether that applies to Pogba, especially after what his agent and brothers have said.It's funny how in this thread people are busy going on about having good players and emphasising their importance yet on these same boards when the subject of Pogba pops up people can't stop writing how we should get rid.
So people have realized that we need better players after all if we want to be up there with the best yet they'll turn around in other threads writing about how they can't wait to get rid of one of our quality player. This place
Wonderinf If Ole can do his magic on Alexis?
Well he didn't have to play them @Theo88 and @Wumminator . For a start he could and should have used Mata more over these two non PL standard footballers, he would 100% have provided more goals, assists and quality even if he's not at Bruno's level.
Ole literally started the season for the first 4 games before Pogba's injury with Matic and Tuanzebe benched (2 DM options there, and Mata benched) and played Pogba deep so that he could fit one of Lingard or Andreas in at AM. In game 5 he put Fred on the bench to start Andreas. When Pogba came back he benched Matic AND Fred so he could play both of them vs. Arsenal
After October 6th, Matic is injured, Pogba is out for months and your point becomes "somewhat valid", until January the management had not much choice if they didn't wanna go with Mata or a youth product like say Gomes.
So let's be honest here, the management team clearly believed in the two of them at the start of the season. There's a strong chance we went purposely into this season not pursuing the Bruno option due to optimism that Andreas or Lingard would "step up".
Once again people, don't rewrite the past. It happened, the management have learnt from it and corrected it. That's good management to always learn and to continue to evolve. It may well be the pig-headedness that prevents Mourinho from ever being a top top manager again.
Matic was unsettled at the start of the season and playing shite. Also had that bizarre instagram post about Mourinho joining Spurs. I thought he was a definite goner in come January. Fred missed pre-season and didn't really pick up form until late Oct/Nov.
Ole definitely has a soft spot for both of them but I think it didn't take him very long to realise they are bang average. By September our injury crisis came and he had no choice but to start them.
He tried for a while and even Ole's miraculous powers weren't enough
We have Bruno instead of Lingard/Pereira as no.10.
A proper attacking midfielder. Our attack just clicks.
A proper attacking midfielder. Our attack just clicks.
I say this when we get rid of Alexis/Jones/Rojo/Perrera/Lingard
Bruno and Fred
I think we have a team that should be in the top 4 right now on paper. Whether we will finish there is anybody's guess.
The sudden turnaround comes from a few things really imo. We've had some good form in front of goal, we've had some good luck with VAR and missed chances against us, Bruno has seemingly done the coaches job by being the one to find ways through an opponent etc.
We're on a good run right now and hopefully it continues. But the jury is still out on most things for me, it's hard to forget what has been a tough last year. But thankfully we get days like today and PSG to ease us through it!
The sudden turnaround comes from a few things really imo. We've had some good form in front of goal, we've had some good luck with VAR and missed chances against us, Bruno has seemingly done the coaches job by being the one to find ways through an opponent etc.
We're on a good run right now and hopefully it continues. But the jury is still out on most things for me, it's hard to forget what has been a tough last year. But thankfully we get days like today and PSG to ease us through it!
Been obvious for a while that #10 was the missing piece of the puzzle, individually most of our team are having good seasons and most of the players have actually improved. That Lingard/Pereira combo really hamstrung us, not to be harsh but we're so much better when they're nowhere near the team. Signings like Fernandes and Ighalo and players returning from injury like McTominay and, to his credit, Bailly have been so important for rotation. Shaw and Maguire have stepped up big time in 2020, both of them have been excellent, also a big shout out to Wan-Bissaka who's been immense all season.
His management of the squad has been pretty excellent tbh. We've had so many players come in and look a shadow of their former selves before swiftly being moved along and hes just kind of gradually turned a lot of players form around and got them playing as well as they can play. Theres a lot of players that have been written off and disregarded or there were reservations about and most repaid the faith to some extent or another.
Fred is the obvious example, I'm not sure he's world class or anything but he's a hell of a lot better than he was. Rashford and Martial have both scored pretty regularly when fit. McTominay has been very good and is even adding goals to his game now which i personally didn't really expect. Shaws form since returning from injury is probably the best form of his United career. Matic looking rejuvenated. Mata contributing despite looking completely finished at the end of Mourinho's time. His signings have all been pretty much ever present in the team and its hard to claim they haven't improved us. They've all bedded in well, and performed pretty consistently, they've all added something we were badly lacking. He's given Greenwood opportunites and his management of him has been very good and payed off pretty well.
Not having to squeeze galactico's into the team and having a sensible, balanced set up is another point in his favour. The attitude and work rate are drastically better than Mourinho but probably better than under Van Gaal or Moyes too. He's done very little wrong really
Fred is the obvious example, I'm not sure he's world class or anything but he's a hell of a lot better than he was. Rashford and Martial have both scored pretty regularly when fit. McTominay has been very good and is even adding goals to his game now which i personally didn't really expect. Shaws form since returning from injury is probably the best form of his United career. Matic looking rejuvenated. Mata contributing despite looking completely finished at the end of Mourinho's time. His signings have all been pretty much ever present in the team and its hard to claim they haven't improved us. They've all bedded in well, and performed pretty consistently, they've all added something we were badly lacking. He's given Greenwood opportunites and his management of him has been very good and payed off pretty well.
Not having to squeeze galactico's into the team and having a sensible, balanced set up is another point in his favour. The attitude and work rate are drastically better than Mourinho but probably better than under Van Gaal or Moyes too. He's done very little wrong really
It's all Bruno.
Fair play to Ole, he might have decided to give Lingard and Pereira a chance for six months. In all likelihood knowing the end result as well.
Fair play to Ole, he might have decided to give Lingard and Pereira a chance for six months. In all likelihood knowing the end result as well.
Just need two more signings of Bruno's level, we're back challenging, folks.
It's just a small detail of finding and getting them.
It's just a small detail of finding and getting them.
Tactics were there all along, we've been going toe to toe with the top 6 since he joined. He messes up game management sometimes, but he has Phelan, Carrick and McKenna backing him up as well. Injuries and having a razor thin squad played their part this season - fewer fixtures, more players getting fit coincided with the uptick in form.
Partly his fault for clearing out too aggressively and not buying replacements, but I think the club knows that as well.
Imagine this side with Pogba and Rashford fully fit and Sancho on the wings!
Partly his fault for clearing out too aggressively and not buying replacements, but I think the club knows that as well.
Imagine this side with Pogba and Rashford fully fit and Sancho on the wings!
Its called time and patience...Bruno helps too
Short term I think it’s mostly Bruno. Not only for his obvious contributions on and off the pitch, but I think signing him has credibly demonstrated to the rest of the team that major gears are finally turning at the club after being stuck for quite some time.
I think it could be relevant to compare it to Ole’s honeymoon period actually. In my opinion that team also believed it was going places again. When the main driving force (read: Pogba) pulled the plug on that, and the injuries started happening, belief and team spirit was sapped.
Personally I think Pogba is done at United, which is the main reason they brought in Bruno now. It’s galvanised the side to have a talismanic presence again, and one who actually wants to be at the club. People are quick to praise Ole of course, and I think he does deserve praise for having the guts to finally axe Pogba, and for putting a premium on getting characters as well as quality players into that dressing room.
I still haven’t seen a system, pattern or whatever to our play, or tactical nous that could elevate United to the pinnacle again. And I think Pochettino or someone else who understands team dynamics could just as well have done this, and probably would have. But for the time being, it’s still Ole. Let’s see where we go from here.
I think it could be relevant to compare it to Ole’s honeymoon period actually. In my opinion that team also believed it was going places again. When the main driving force (read: Pogba) pulled the plug on that, and the injuries started happening, belief and team spirit was sapped.
Personally I think Pogba is done at United, which is the main reason they brought in Bruno now. It’s galvanised the side to have a talismanic presence again, and one who actually wants to be at the club. People are quick to praise Ole of course, and I think he does deserve praise for having the guts to finally axe Pogba, and for putting a premium on getting characters as well as quality players into that dressing room.
I still haven’t seen a system, pattern or whatever to our play, or tactical nous that could elevate United to the pinnacle again. And I think Pochettino or someone else who understands team dynamics could just as well have done this, and probably would have. But for the time being, it’s still Ole. Let’s see where we go from here.