Tired....again

[RedStarUnited]

Same thing happened last season. We had a flurry of excellent football then tiredness apparently happened and ended the season struggling. We lost 3 and drew 2 of our last 5 games last year, Tottenham got 4th by 5 points. Our last 2 games were against huddersfield and Cardiff, 2 of the 3 relegated teams. We missed out on top 4 because we couldn't beat 2 relegated teams.

Ole just spoke on this recently and said he thinks he fixed the fitness issues. Is it really fitness ?

 

[OneUnited24]

We’ve played near every 3/4 days for the past 3 weeks. The players just don’t have enough time to recover. I remember saf commenting once about this where he said between games he told the players to rest and trust that they would do the right thing (ie not get smashed).
I wonder if we’ll do something similar this time round. The guys look like they have lead in their boots

 

[ivaldo]

Look, an ellipsis is a set of three dots (...). No more, no less.

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

We’re a midtable team with a good 2 month purple patch in us. The only reason we are 3rd is because the league is criminally bad.

 

[dove]

We’ve played near every 3/4 days for the past 3 weeks. The players just don’t have enough time to recover. I remember saf commenting once about this where he said between games he told the players to rest and trust that they would do the right thing (ie not get smashed).
I wonder if we’ll do something similar this time round. The guys look like they have lead in their boots

We better not get that CL spot then.

 

[Zoo]

We’re a midtable team with a good 2 month purple patch in us. The only reason we are 3rd is because the league is criminally bad.

It’s because we’re better then a midtable team. It’s pretty simple.

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

It’s because we’re better then a midtable team. It’s pretty simple.

Every team in the league other than the top 2 are midtable or relegation level. It’s a shit league.

 

[Bubz27]

We better not get that CL spot then.

Come on, surely you can see that post lockdown the matches have been thick and fast. After a 3 month break without a proper pre-season and a shite squad, you can see that the squad is tired.

We've still had chances to rotate more and not taken them properly.

 

[11101]

It's because we have a good team that is coached well, but we have a manager who does not know how to rotate (not helped by a weak squad) or manage games.

 

[Red_toad]

Same thing happened last season. We had a flurry of excellent football then tiredness apparently happened and ended the season struggling. We lost 3 and drew 2 of our last 5 games last year, Tottenham got 4th by 5 points. Our last 2 games were against huddersfield and Cardiff, 2 of the 3 relegated teams. We missed out on top 4 because we couldn't beat 2 relegated teams.

Ole just spoke on this recently and said he thinks he fixed the fitness issues. Is it really fitness ?

Lack of options is his main issue. Take out Pogba and Rashford to rest them and it’s a big step down to their replacement. Be nice to have Grealish in the current squad, he’d improve our options considerably.

 

[EwanI Ted]

Similar pattern. Poor first half to the season, had to play the first team nonstop to catch up, ran out of steam. Different reasons last year to this though.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Same thing happened last season. We had a flurry of excellent football then tiredness apparently happened and ended the season struggling. We lost 3 and drew 2 of our last 5 games last year, Tottenham got 4th by 5 points. Our last 2 games were against huddersfield and Cardiff, 2 of the 3 relegated teams. We missed out on top 4 because we couldn't beat 2 relegated teams.

Ole just spoke on this recently and said he thinks he fixed the fitness issues. Is it really fitness ?

I do think this is an extreme run of games... but it's an interesting point.

Lots of teams in history have gone on a bad run when momentum ran out, some managers turn it around quicker than others. I would hope Ole is in the quicker camp as, when we have played well, it is the most I have enjoyed united in years and years (even final years of saf)

 

[Santoryo]

We’re a midtable team with a good 2 month purple patch in us. The only reason we are 3rd is because the league is criminally bad.

These sort of meltdowns and overreactions are frankly quite pathetic.

 

[Thiagoal]

There have been many opportunities to rest individuals but Ole has refused to do so! Fred and McT were bossing the midfield earlier in the season so surely should have started more games together to give Matic, Bruno and Pogba a rest? The teams we’ve played have been pretty poor so could have easily rotated more

 

[Ødegaard]

The lack of rotation in league games is understandable. Not rotating heavily in the FA Cup game against Chelsea was a horrible decision. If we draw or win against Leicester everything will be fine, if we lose to them then a lot of the blame lies on Ole for playing players when they could be rested in that game.

 

[Borys]

Midfield seems like the only area in which we are strong to rotate, and yet Ole has very little trust in Fred and McTominay.

On a side note, you have to admire players like Ronaldo who never seem to be tired.

 

[RUCK4444]

We’re a midtable team with a good 2 month purple patch in us. The only reason we are 3rd is because the league is criminally bad.

Feck me... no words

See ya'll tomorrow

 

[AaronRedDevil]

I know I sound like a broken record. But ole is a complete idiot for not using at least a few different players. James, fred, met and a few more could have played this game and maybe do miles better since they dont play much.

 

[#07]

It's because we have a decent first XI but at least 10 passengers in our squad. We cannot rotate and maintain our top level so instead our best players are played to exhaustion.

 

[cyberman]

We’re a midtable team with a good 2 month purple patch in us. The only reason we are 3rd is because the league is criminally bad.

... So we arent a mid table side then?

 

[LJJT]

We are knackered. We’ve played the most games post lockdown I would guess along with Chelsea, Arsenal and city: we’ve the best record out the lot. I do think Ole should have rested 3 players each game but can understand why he didn’t, think it’s a lesson learned.

 

[lsd]

Our squad is simply not good enough for Ole to be able to rotate and with us playing so many games in a short space we are bound to tire .

Right now we are limping over the line and hopefully that will be enough .

Then the players can get some rest before the Europa and Ole can think about adding the players we need to be able to rotate successfully

 

[TheGame]

Every team in the league other than the top 2 are midtable or relegation level. It’s a shit league.

 

[Edy2]

Come on, surely you can see that post lockdown the matches have been thick and fast. After a 3 month break without a proper pre-season and a shite squad, you can see that the squad is tired.

We've still had chances to rotate more and not taken them properly.

Liverpool rarely rest their first team and they're still burying Chelsea tonight. I'm not fully buying this tired excuse. I think there must be more to it.

The will to win isn't as imbued in this group as it could be. There was an acceptance of the result tonight at 60 mins. You could see it. Maybe they're tired yeah but you have to dig deep in that situation and go to the end.

 

[dove]

Come on, surely you can see that post lockdown the matches have been thick and fast. After a 3 month break without a proper pre-season and a shite squad, you can see that the squad is tired.

We've still had chances to rotate more and not taken them properly.

Matches are thick and fast for majority of the season though, we should be used playing similar schedule. We clearly didn't rotate enough (we didn't rotate at all) so it's clearly on us. I absolutely don't get this "shite squad" point. Our squad is far from shite.

 

[El Zoido]

We’re a midtable team with a good 2 month purple patch in us. The only reason we are 3rd is because the league is criminally bad.

Utter nonsense. Looks like we’ll finish the day in third place unless Chelsea pull off a miracle. Haven’t lost a league game since January.

 

[Chairman Steve]

The sense of deja vu from last season is ominous. A great run following by a slump that doesn’t get righted, players tired from overplaying, players getting injured from overplaying, no real trust for the fringe players, hope your best XI does the job against everyone.

Plus this year OGS has his fitness regime in place.

 

[TheGame]

Our squad is simply not good enough for Ole to be able to rotate and with us playing so many games in a short space we are bound to tire .

Right now we are limping over the line and hopefully that will be enough .

Then the players can get some rest before the Europa and Ole can think about adding the players we need to be able to rotate successfully

I think he could have rotated more. Fred was having a good season pre lockdown but hasn’t featured much. McTominay could have played more. Like Ighalo and Mata. Ole doesn’t seem to like Dalot. We have players who could have stepped in for some minutes.

 

[BlueHaze]

Only to the incredibly naive could drawing to the likes of huddersfield and losing to cardiff at home and the entire shitshow that has gone on thereafter ever be about fitness. We all know what this is about. Too many mediocre players in the team and even worse management.

 

[TheGame]

The sense of deja vu from last season is ominous. A great run following by a slump that doesn’t get righted, players tired from overplaying, players getting injured from overplaying, no real trust for the fringe players, hope your best XI does the job against everyone.

Plus this year OGS has his fitness regime in place.

This is an unusual situation with more games in a short space of time so fitness training will only help you so far.

 

[Borys]

Lack of options is his main issue. Take out Pogba and Rashford to rest them and it’s a big step down to their replacement. Be nice to have Grealish in the current squad, he’d improve our options considerably.

Is it? Put Fred in Pogba place, shift Martial to the Left and put Ighalo up front and we should be able to beat all the teams we've faced since the restart in the league. Better try than to overplay key players.

 

[Acole9]

I thought the lads were the fittest they've been for five years, can't use tiredness as an excuse.

 

[red woppit]

This is an unusual situation with more games in a short space of time so fitness training will only help you so far.

I think it's not so much physical, as a mental tiredness, not sure how you train for that. A lot of this squad have not had to cope with so many highly charged games in such a short period of time, so I think that may have a bearing. I think the Norwich game put the wind up Ole. It was a poor performance from us, and I think it worried him that he couldn't trust some of those players, but although Fred and McTominay were not great in that game, they played against a Norwich team who sat deep, gave our second string strikers no room, they're not out and out creative players, so they struggled to create anything. Fred and McTominay are what they are, combative, dynamic hard working box to box players, and they seemed to perform well as a pair. Sometimes that is what you need in some of these games, would they have been worse than Pogba or Matic in several of our recent games?

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Liverpool rarely rest their first team and they're still burying Chelsea tonight. I'm not fully buying this tired excuse. I think there must be more to it.

The will to win isn't as imbued in this group as it could be. There was an acceptance of the result tonight at 60 mins. You could see it. Maybe they're tired yeah but you have to dig deep in that situation and go to the end.

Liverpool constantly rotate? Especially their attack /midfield.

 

[Dante]

What would you do:

• Three days of full rest with no training sessions until the match on Sunday, thereby saving energy
• Training sessions as normal (with a focus on drills to beat the press), but potentially draining energy for Sunday

?

 

[McGrathsipan]

There have been many opportunities to rest individuals but Ole has refused to do so! Fred and McT were bossing the midfield earlier in the season so surely should have started more games together to give Matic, Bruno and Pogba a rest? The teams we’ve played have been pretty poor so could have easily rotated more

I'd agree with you here.
I think it's the lack of rotating that has caught up.

We'll fall over the line but we'll have to bring in 3 or 4 quality players for the 1st team over the summer to compete for top4 next season.

 

[Mcking]

Something is wrong mentally. Don't buy the fatigue excuse.

 

[UpWithRivers]

Just another excuse.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

What would you do:

• Three days of full rest with no training sessions until the match on Sunday, thereby saving energy
• Training sessions as normal (with a focus on drills to beat the press), but potentially draining energy for Sunday

?

I would work on ways to wind up Vardy in an attempt to get him sent off.

Ole will probably make everyone do full training... Except Bruno who will get double training.

 

[El Zoido]

I think he could have rotated more. Fred was having a good season pre lockdown but hasn’t featured much. McTominay could have played more. Like Ighalo and Mata. Ole doesn’t seem to like Dalot. We have players who could have stepped in for some minutes.

They’ve been poor when they’ve come in though. He rotated against Norwich and we nearly lost the game. Since then he hasn’t trusted them, and I don’t blame him. He’s in a tough situation, if he rotates and we lose then he gets criticised for his squad selection, if he sticks with his best XI and we lose, he gets criticised for not rotating. It’s all just a weird situation, with no fans and a fragmented season. Think it’ll be handled differently next year when he has some easier games to bed in the second string.