I just find the 'come at me bro' approach so arrogant and naive. It's almost like we want to give teams the confidence that they never had. Every goal that we've conceded in these moments have been fully deserved and we end up panicking all over the shop to hold our lead.
Stepping off the gas
- Thread starter matherto
- Start date
I don't think its by accident and there must be a strategic reason behind it given that Mou's the most successful and experienced active PL manager.
What I believe is that Mou's pulling back as he believes we may save some energy each match and that helps us going into the next match, particularly against weaker sides (look at that easy fixture list coming up!).
Will be interesting to see if Citeh or the Dippers begin to drop points or perform worse (Citeh floundering in quite a few last month)... will they run out of batteries through the Christmas period? I reckon this is our audatious bet and a masterstroke if we don't drop points through this period relative to the rest.
Hopefully we'll come out of this period fresher and with momentum going into final third of the season....
Another plus is practice for our defensive unit as we prepare for a CL challenge.
What I believe is that Mou's pulling back as he believes we may save some energy each match and that helps us going into the next match, particularly against weaker sides (look at that easy fixture list coming up!).
Will be interesting to see if Citeh or the Dippers begin to drop points or perform worse (Citeh floundering in quite a few last month)... will they run out of batteries through the Christmas period? I reckon this is our audatious bet and a masterstroke if we don't drop points through this period relative to the rest.
Hopefully we'll come out of this period fresher and with momentum going into final third of the season....
Another plus is practice for our defensive unit as we prepare for a CL challenge.
Last edited:
cyril C
Full Member
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- Nov 26, 2017
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- 2,647
I notice that since the Shaw injury, we seem to get confused and disorganised every time after a player is forced to withdraw. It was evident last season as well. Something need to be done about keeping concentration during unexpected changes.I think this is it. We have 6 games the next 15 days, and with all the injuries and shite Jose must have told them to take it easy. Which is fair imo, WBA never looked that dangerous until Brunt came in and started swinging in crosses
Denis' cuff
Full Member
I can only think it’s this and more. Late season, we’ll still have the legs. No way Jose isn’t aware of this and in fact dodges related questioning. He knows we’re a bit limited, as did Fergie in his latter days. Did what they could with what they had. Too late for this season anyway, barring the cups but think we might finish the season better than we started, depending on Poggers availability and January recruitingI don't think its by accident and there must be a strategic reason behind it given that Mou's the most successful and experienced active PL manager.
What I believe is that Mou's pulling back as he believes we may save some energy each match and that helps us going into the next match, particularly against weaker sides (look at that easy fixture list coming up!).
Will be interesting to see if Citeh or the Dippers begin to drop points or perform worse (Citeh floundering in quite a few last month)... will they run out of batteries through the Christmas period? I reckon this is our audatious bet and a masterstroke if we don't drop points through this period relative to the rest.
Hopefully we'll come out of this period fresher and with momentum going into final third of the season....
Another plus is practice for our defensive unit as we prepare for a CL challenge.
RobinHood
Full Member
You don't honestly believe that Mourinho thinks this do you?Another plus is practice for our defensive unit as we prepare for a CL challenge.
Right, we've only got a one goal lead, best thing to do now is to check how good these lads are under pressure??
I think it's just a genuine lack of composure under pressure. To prevent that from happening, we need to play more often with the ball at our feet (maybe even pass sideways a bit), and try and recycle possession. I'd genuinely be annoyed if we played like this in the second league of our tie with Sevilla at home.
Marcky411
Full Member
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- Aug 19, 2016
- Messages
- 1,089
Firstly it is tactics plain and simple, one or two up, take you foot of the gas let them press and hit them on the counter. Not a bad tactic if executed properly.
Once we up one or two, the players also seem to become complacent and give away possession far to easily giving the opposition more confidence to come at you, often resulting in a goal conceded. Now the team have been in the cruise/defence mode and all of a sudden the other team get an even extra boost in confidence. It then becomes difficult for Utd to turn the switch over to attack mode especially if your opponent is flying with confidence, so you end up defending for your life.
Mourinho then decides to make defensive subs to try and stop this assault and you end up never getting out of your half again. By this time panic starts to sets in and everyone is just hoofing the ball away without any purpose thus continually handing over possession and playing to the advantage of the opposition.
The end whistle goes and we are all releaved to have escaped with the win. It is one thing if this happens as a one off but we seem to bee doing this more often than not.
Once we up one or two, the players also seem to become complacent and give away possession far to easily giving the opposition more confidence to come at you, often resulting in a goal conceded. Now the team have been in the cruise/defence mode and all of a sudden the other team get an even extra boost in confidence. It then becomes difficult for Utd to turn the switch over to attack mode especially if your opponent is flying with confidence, so you end up defending for your life.
Mourinho then decides to make defensive subs to try and stop this assault and you end up never getting out of your half again. By this time panic starts to sets in and everyone is just hoofing the ball away without any purpose thus continually handing over possession and playing to the advantage of the opposition.
The end whistle goes and we are all releaved to have escaped with the win. It is one thing if this happens as a one off but we seem to bee doing this more often than not.
simplyared
Full Member
Watching it certainly isn't for the feeble!
Ever since I was like 8 year old snut nose watching ice hockey (feck you Sweden) I've been hating on defending a narrow lead. Especially away games. You know for a fact that if the home team scores the crowd will go crazy. The defending team just can't get the rhythm back up.
Only if you have guys like Scholes and Carrick in their prime controlling the midfield you might afford to get on the back foot and kill the game off.
Only if you have guys like Scholes and Carrick in their prime controlling the midfield you might afford to get on the back foot and kill the game off.
SadlerMUFC
Thinks for himself
We need to kill teams off and score as much as possible against them. We learned this the hard way a few years ago
http://www.espn.com/soccer/standings/_/league/eng.1/season/2011
Even SAF said that he had to change his ways. Losing the title on the last day of the season on goal difference was a real eye opener
http://www.espn.com/soccer/standings/_/league/eng.1/season/2011
Even SAF said that he had to change his ways. Losing the title on the last day of the season on goal difference was a real eye opener
There's an element of game management going on as well. Remember Liverpool being absolutely shattered half way through the season due to geggenpressing the shit out of themselves. It might be effective in a single game to chase everything but players get burnt out.
Mourinho is probably gambling that City's all out attack approach won't last a full season due to energy and injuries and that the points might be made up later in the season when other teams are fighting for their lives (rather than playing damage limitation).
Mourinho is probably gambling that City's all out attack approach won't last a full season due to energy and injuries and that the points might be made up later in the season when other teams are fighting for their lives (rather than playing damage limitation).
Well, I think currently is a Mourinho thing. J Terry said in an interview that Jose always instructed them to reserve energy when upfront and give the opposition possession.
Brightonian
Full Member
It's maddening. Especially after the start of the season when for the first time since 2011ish we were consistently looking to turn 2-0s into 4-0s.
If you ignore the Moyes and Van Gaal eras as just not very good, we've done it under Mourinho and Fergie, the Premier League's two greatest league-winners. So the season management argument carries water. Of course, we've seen teams either win or very nearly win the league whilst playing all-out no mercy football, managing to survive without too much exhaustion or injury. But it's rare enough that you wouldn't gamble on it. And if there's one thing Mourinho doesn't do it's gamble.
I don't buy the game management argument though, because I can't remember the last time I saw that actually work for us. A team like ours will never ever do better by taking our foot off the gas. When we're going all out we can be completely irresistible. The opponent simply can't draw breath. But we're not enough of a classic Mourinho side - like his first Chelsea incarnation or his Inter - to shut games down. We just end up conceding control and trying to hang on.
If you ignore the Moyes and Van Gaal eras as just not very good, we've done it under Mourinho and Fergie, the Premier League's two greatest league-winners. So the season management argument carries water. Of course, we've seen teams either win or very nearly win the league whilst playing all-out no mercy football, managing to survive without too much exhaustion or injury. But it's rare enough that you wouldn't gamble on it. And if there's one thing Mourinho doesn't do it's gamble.
I don't buy the game management argument though, because I can't remember the last time I saw that actually work for us. A team like ours will never ever do better by taking our foot off the gas. When we're going all out we can be completely irresistible. The opponent simply can't draw breath. But we're not enough of a classic Mourinho side - like his first Chelsea incarnation or his Inter - to shut games down. We just end up conceding control and trying to hang on.
Fitchett
Full Member
I can understand the need to conserve energy and pace ourselves for the whole season, so as not to burn out (physically ala Liverpool or mentally ala Arsenal).
But surely, the best way to do so is to control the game, as LVG would say (or strangle the game as I prefer to describe his tactics), by applying possession football when we are 2-0 up, to make the opposition have to chase the ball and tire themselves out. All retreating to the penalty area does is to cede the advantage to the opposition and give them confidence and impetus at a time they should have been killed off. This tactic would work if we were great at counter attacking and we scored goals by drawing them out and then hitting them on the break, but we weren't doing so in the last few years of SAF's reign, let alone since then. All we end up doing is agriculturally hoofing the ball upfield and letting the opposition keep on attacking us. All it needs is a deflected shot and even a keeper as good as De Gea is beaten. I cannot see how this can be a good tactic, as it certainly puts excessive pressure on our defence, especially when it goes on for the last 30 minutes or so, not just 5 or 10 minutes. I always thought that attack was the best form of defence ...........
But surely, the best way to do so is to control the game, as LVG would say (or strangle the game as I prefer to describe his tactics), by applying possession football when we are 2-0 up, to make the opposition have to chase the ball and tire themselves out. All retreating to the penalty area does is to cede the advantage to the opposition and give them confidence and impetus at a time they should have been killed off. This tactic would work if we were great at counter attacking and we scored goals by drawing them out and then hitting them on the break, but we weren't doing so in the last few years of SAF's reign, let alone since then. All we end up doing is agriculturally hoofing the ball upfield and letting the opposition keep on attacking us. All it needs is a deflected shot and even a keeper as good as De Gea is beaten. I cannot see how this can be a good tactic, as it certainly puts excessive pressure on our defence, especially when it goes on for the last 30 minutes or so, not just 5 or 10 minutes. I always thought that attack was the best form of defence ...........