Sterling and Sane are wingers who can dribble and have good close control of the ball something Rashford does not possess.
Mkhitaryan has been given a lot of chances. He doesn’t have it mentally to perform at the top level consistently.
What is our problem?
- Thread starter RedTillI'mDead
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Mkhitaryan has been given a lot of chances. He doesn’t have it mentally to perform at the top level consistently.
Our problems is direction, knowing what we want but not knowing how to get there, lack of synergy related to direction with teams and coaching in ranks below first team. Lack of being master at any game segment. Thats on whole club level, when it comes to current state, not gonna waste my time on it.
Valencia, a great athlete and very competitive yet lacks a decent final ball.
Mata can appear like a poacher yet he is normally constructively involved in the build up if he is played centrally.
Yet does not need to be Mata, equally this could be Pogba though Pogba could also play as the box to box MF.
I agree with Mourinho half our squad/team is dross and not the level it should be at. We need time whereas City can pay striker level fees on defenders.
We have a glaring lack of quality in the squad. Too many average players that leave no room for the manager to err with his signing
Very true, but this seems to show that even Mourinho doesn't know who might be a leader in his team because nearly every game has a different player as captain.
This may be tinfoil territory but when I watch our team play it doesn’t feel as if our players want it as much as other top teams. Maybe it’s really just lack of ability but often it looks like they don’t have the fire/desire
We have problems, yes, but it’s not a particularly bad season in terms of results. We’d still be in a title race just about any other year and better motivated for it.
I don't have a fecking clue if its the players or the manager at this stage.
Personally I think it's absolutely mental that it's been four seasons since Ferdinand and Vidic left, and we still don't have an established CB pairing. I get that it's very much due to injuries, but still...
What do you expect if we keep giving second chances to absolute shite players like Smalling and Jones.
Yet they won the FA Cup in LvG’s last match
In terms of player material we simply lack some good players for key positions like fullbacks, wingers and n10. Not enough was done to fix those problems in the summer.
Beside DDG and Pogba we don't have any worldclass players, Martial and Rashford are still very rough gems, Ibra is passed glory and the rest (including Lukaku it seems) are simply mediocre. We really need some players in the top tier of their game like KDB or Hazard. Missing out on Griezmann has been a huge setback for us in that area.
In terms of tactics I feel like Mourinho is sort of lost, on one side he wants to play more dominant attacking football but on the other side he realises he doesn't have the quality players he needs to do that and he is scared of giving away easy chances and dropping points. It stiffles our gameplay and makes us look tactically awkard.
In terms of people management I think Mourinho hasn't won over all players yet, they are not his team yet, not every one wants to fight for him. I also think alot of our players are very spoiled in terms of wages they earn, thinking they already made it, are big dogs and they don't seem to want to work for it anymore.
Beside DDG and Pogba we don't have any worldclass players, Martial and Rashford are still very rough gems, Ibra is passed glory and the rest (including Lukaku it seems) are simply mediocre. We really need some players in the top tier of their game like KDB or Hazard. Missing out on Griezmann has been a huge setback for us in that area.
In terms of tactics I feel like Mourinho is sort of lost, on one side he wants to play more dominant attacking football but on the other side he realises he doesn't have the quality players he needs to do that and he is scared of giving away easy chances and dropping points. It stiffles our gameplay and makes us look tactically awkard.
In terms of people management I think Mourinho hasn't won over all players yet, they are not his team yet, not every one wants to fight for him. I also think alot of our players are very spoiled in terms of wages they earn, thinking they already made it, are big dogs and they don't seem to want to work for it anymore.
Disagree with that. We are United! We should be challenging for top spot in every competition we play. Disaster if we are out of top 4. We spent lots of money pal. Even Bristol city were superior to us if judging on wage bill/cost of players. If it wasn't for DDG we'd be about 8th. Certainly wouldnt be in champions league either if it wasn't for DDG last season and so far this season. Admittedly we need to spend more money to compete with city but we need to get rid of dead wood. Worries me that perhaps Mourinho's persona/ego sucks the life force out of other wise world class players under a different manager. No easy fix. Certainly on the slide. On the plus side, glad Shaw played today.
Agree with this post mate. No leaders. Imagine Keano out there today with that shambles.
Another big problem is having none of our players able to create something out of nothing. Every big team has atleast one player who can do that KDB, Sterling,Aguero,Silva, Hazard, Morata,Kane etc these players pull something special out the bag on a regular basis. We don't have anyone to look to.
Tinfoil territory? This is mild compared to most of the other posts on the Caf right now...
The attitude isn’t completely terrible; when it came down to it the players were able to recover a two goal deficit earlier today. But there’s definitely a casualness to the whole setup which is desperately disappointing. I like Jose, but can’t help feeling his heart isn’t completely in it. If so, it’s hardly surprising that the players follow suit.
Dude, sarcasm!
Lol. Glad to hear it. Couldn't believe what I was reading. Drank way to many lagers today to ease the pain ha ha.
We don't have any luck at the moment. Every single mistakes are punished by the opponent. Like the rest are saying, we don't have leaders that can take the game by the scruff of the neck and say come on.
The problem is the team shape we are playing given the players we have. Jose wants to play 4-2-3-1 but we don't have the personnel for that. Martial/Rashford are not/don't want to be wide left. Young is not a natural full back. I don't really know Lingard's best position, I don't think he does either, which is why he is so inconsistent. Mata is not a wide right player, he's too slow for that position.
Martial isn't a natural at getting to the byline and swinging in crosses for a target man like Lukaku to get on the end of. He's always cutting inside which closes down the available space for Lukaku/other team members to attack and he runs in to more opposing team players and loses the ball. And having watched him at OT vs Bournemouth, and at Leicester, it was disgraceful how he would do this every time, then sit on the floor complaining about it as the opposition counter attacked. Get off your arse son and get the ball back. Fergie would have given him the rollicking and wake up call that kid needs to stop playing like that. I can't help but feel part of this bad attitude is tied to him being played out on the left when that's not where he wants to be. He's a striker.
Rashford is similar, better than Martial at attacking players down the line, but his final ball needs to be better. This will come in time but ultimately Rashford is a striker and should be/wants to be playing in the middle, so he's not a long term solution for wide left and doesn't make the right decisions in that position.
Mikhitaryan is the only natural no. 10 in the side but has gone off the boil and out of favour with Jose. Lingard has been used in that position but is too inconsistent. He's not a natural in that position. Watching him up close at Bournemouth he would make runs to the opposing teams box, then seemed to not know what to do when he got there and would play the wrong ball/have a wild shot at goal. Scores some spectacular goals but he wastes too many opportunities/is just too inconsistent.
Mata is not a natural wide right player. He's technically capable but doesn't have the pace to go down the line, hence he either cuts inside and hopes for a player (Valencia/Young/Lingard etc) to run outside him and provide that option, or again by running inside he closes down the available space and runs in to more opposing players and loses the ball. He should be playing as a no. 10 behind Lukaku and put Lingard out wide right.
Valencia is injured, Lindelof/Darmian aren't good enough for the Prem so Young has been played out of position on the right of defence. He's doing what he can but again it's not his natural position and he is being exposed/doesn't have the greatest positional and defensive experience.
Due to injuries, we don't have the available team members to effectively play 4-2-3-1 right now (we did at the beginning of the season when everyone was fit and in form). Therefore, the blame does lie at Jose's feet for not changing the system to fit the available players we have right now. He has got to stop being so stubborn and stuck to playing this way. There's a reason he's pursuing Ozil and Perisic because he wants a more natural no. 10 and wide left player for his preferred system. However, until we get more players who are naturals in the key positions he has to change the system to fit the players we do have.
Martial isn't a natural at getting to the byline and swinging in crosses for a target man like Lukaku to get on the end of. He's always cutting inside which closes down the available space for Lukaku/other team members to attack and he runs in to more opposing team players and loses the ball. And having watched him at OT vs Bournemouth, and at Leicester, it was disgraceful how he would do this every time, then sit on the floor complaining about it as the opposition counter attacked. Get off your arse son and get the ball back. Fergie would have given him the rollicking and wake up call that kid needs to stop playing like that. I can't help but feel part of this bad attitude is tied to him being played out on the left when that's not where he wants to be. He's a striker.
Rashford is similar, better than Martial at attacking players down the line, but his final ball needs to be better. This will come in time but ultimately Rashford is a striker and should be/wants to be playing in the middle, so he's not a long term solution for wide left and doesn't make the right decisions in that position.
Mikhitaryan is the only natural no. 10 in the side but has gone off the boil and out of favour with Jose. Lingard has been used in that position but is too inconsistent. He's not a natural in that position. Watching him up close at Bournemouth he would make runs to the opposing teams box, then seemed to not know what to do when he got there and would play the wrong ball/have a wild shot at goal. Scores some spectacular goals but he wastes too many opportunities/is just too inconsistent.
Mata is not a natural wide right player. He's technically capable but doesn't have the pace to go down the line, hence he either cuts inside and hopes for a player (Valencia/Young/Lingard etc) to run outside him and provide that option, or again by running inside he closes down the available space and runs in to more opposing players and loses the ball. He should be playing as a no. 10 behind Lukaku and put Lingard out wide right.
Valencia is injured, Lindelof/Darmian aren't good enough for the Prem so Young has been played out of position on the right of defence. He's doing what he can but again it's not his natural position and he is being exposed/doesn't have the greatest positional and defensive experience.
Due to injuries, we don't have the available team members to effectively play 4-2-3-1 right now (we did at the beginning of the season when everyone was fit and in form). Therefore, the blame does lie at Jose's feet for not changing the system to fit the available players we have right now. He has got to stop being so stubborn and stuck to playing this way. There's a reason he's pursuing Ozil and Perisic because he wants a more natural no. 10 and wide left player for his preferred system. However, until we get more players who are naturals in the key positions he has to change the system to fit the players we do have.
Our attacking players are all struggling with certain aspects of their game.
- Lukaku is struggling the most imo. He looks lost atm and tbh I'm starting to worry if he was the right choice as our main striker.
- Ibrahimovic isn't up to it anymore sadly but will always be a legend of the game.
- Rashford does not work on the wing. He dribbles aimlessly and his crossing isn't good enough. He should be played up front.
- Lingard is playing out of his skin and is showing why he deserves to be at Manchester United.
- Martial is probably our second most inform attacker but I still think he needs to add some ruthlessness and drive into his game.
- Mata is playing well but his lack of athleticism means he can struggle a lot in our current set up.
- Mkhitaryan can't seem to play simple passes anymore and keeps losing the ball when he does try to take people on. Today was an improvement but still way below par.
Add all this to the lack of cohesion in our play amongst our attackers and its no wonder that we are struggling. Some have said it's because it looks like our coaching staff haven't worked on link up play in the final third which if true, is very worrying.
- Lukaku is struggling the most imo. He looks lost atm and tbh I'm starting to worry if he was the right choice as our main striker.
- Ibrahimovic isn't up to it anymore sadly but will always be a legend of the game.
- Rashford does not work on the wing. He dribbles aimlessly and his crossing isn't good enough. He should be played up front.
- Lingard is playing out of his skin and is showing why he deserves to be at Manchester United.
- Martial is probably our second most inform attacker but I still think he needs to add some ruthlessness and drive into his game.
- Mata is playing well but his lack of athleticism means he can struggle a lot in our current set up.
- Mkhitaryan can't seem to play simple passes anymore and keeps losing the ball when he does try to take people on. Today was an improvement but still way below par.
Add all this to the lack of cohesion in our play amongst our attackers and its no wonder that we are struggling. Some have said it's because it looks like our coaching staff haven't worked on link up play in the final third which if true, is very worrying.
for me it's a combination of two things...
lack of quality
technically the players we can rely on to be creative and fairly productive are Martial, Pogba, Lingard of late and perhaps Ashley Young
from a creative standpoint Lukaku, Rashford, Mata, Mhiki, Shaw, Valencia, Fellaini, Darmian, Blind and who ever else you mention aren't reliable enough - passes are cut out, movement isn't good enough, decision making is poor, players are two predictable and crosses/corners hit the first man
Lingard showed yesterday that with unpredictable movement and intelligent play you can create things for yourself - we are lacking in imagination, technical ability and confidence in other areas though
tactics
we simply aren't tactically creative enough- against a defensive side you need fast passing and intelligent movement - look at Liverpool last night for an example of a team attacking as a unit.
instead yesterday we resorted for long periods to taking the Moyes approach and putting in cross after cross against a packed defence - clueless really
this is ignoring our awful tactical approach in the big games which needs no discussion
lack of quality
technically the players we can rely on to be creative and fairly productive are Martial, Pogba, Lingard of late and perhaps Ashley Young
from a creative standpoint Lukaku, Rashford, Mata, Mhiki, Shaw, Valencia, Fellaini, Darmian, Blind and who ever else you mention aren't reliable enough - passes are cut out, movement isn't good enough, decision making is poor, players are two predictable and crosses/corners hit the first man
Lingard showed yesterday that with unpredictable movement and intelligent play you can create things for yourself - we are lacking in imagination, technical ability and confidence in other areas though
tactics
we simply aren't tactically creative enough- against a defensive side you need fast passing and intelligent movement - look at Liverpool last night for an example of a team attacking as a unit.
instead yesterday we resorted for long periods to taking the Moyes approach and putting in cross after cross against a packed defence - clueless really
this is ignoring our awful tactical approach in the big games which needs no discussion
Over the last three games: a combination of bad luck and poor attitude. We missed some sitters against Leicester and Burnley are a limited team that scored a lucky first goal.
But overall the team is not good enough to compete with the top sides in Europe and Pool and Spurs are finding form.
Only a few of our players have a great first touch and close control: Mata, Zlatan, Pogba and Martial (to some degree). Zlatan is too old and is probably a spent force. Martial is still learing, is erratic and has a questionable attitude. Mata is too slow and too small to be a top player.
The rest of our attacking players do not impress and are either too slow or lack technical skill: Mhiki, Lukaku, Valencia, Young, Rashford and Lingard even though he is fast becoming a key player for us and has shown great improvement.
We could do with 2-3 quality players but Mou's record in the transfer is not overly impressive even though it is not bad either. Missing out on Perisic was a bad mistake by the board.
But overall the team is not good enough to compete with the top sides in Europe and Pool and Spurs are finding form.
Only a few of our players have a great first touch and close control: Mata, Zlatan, Pogba and Martial (to some degree). Zlatan is too old and is probably a spent force. Martial is still learing, is erratic and has a questionable attitude. Mata is too slow and too small to be a top player.
The rest of our attacking players do not impress and are either too slow or lack technical skill: Mhiki, Lukaku, Valencia, Young, Rashford and Lingard even though he is fast becoming a key player for us and has shown great improvement.
We could do with 2-3 quality players but Mou's record in the transfer is not overly impressive even though it is not bad either. Missing out on Perisic was a bad mistake by the board.
We need to have players with fighting spirit, a bit of a mean streak in them. Schmeichel, Evra, Rio, Vidic, Keane, Neville, even Scholes and others were all players who'd stick someone in the ground if needed. The current team would piss their pants if they had to play with those guys.
Our team seems to consist of good, nice guys. We need some attitude. We could have used a Fellaini last couple of games.
Our team seems to consist of good, nice guys. We need some attitude. We could have used a Fellaini last couple of games.
Whatever the reasons, I think the squad has too many (average) players and need to be trim down even further.
Keep playing the same 11 as much as possible. Although injuries didnt help. As well as suspensions and poor forms.
Hope Jose will continue to add in more specialists and replace the outgoing deadwoods with fresh talents from the youth teams.
Keep playing the same 11 as much as possible. Although injuries didnt help. As well as suspensions and poor forms.
Hope Jose will continue to add in more specialists and replace the outgoing deadwoods with fresh talents from the youth teams.
I think the problem this PL season is that Jose has rotated the attacking trio behind Lukaku too much.
Rashford - Martial obviously. Starting with Rashford in the beginning, then rotating game by game, next using them on both flanks, Martial in XI lineup recently and now it seems that Jose is back to rotate them match by match. In the middle, Mkhitaryan played the first quarter and Lingard started the second, Zlatan is expected to fulfil No.10 role at this moment. Mata is the one having the most starts but his position hasnt been consistent, mostly on the right, sometimes in central zone and lately being dropped for some 352 experiments.
Lacking run of starts makes this trio very unstable. Our attacking link-up play becomes terrible with misunderstanding among them, also between them and other parts of the team. That is the reason why our passes in final third are so bad, our attacks have depended heavily on crosses or some glimpses of individual effort.
What most worried about is that i have a feeling Jose still doesnt know what is our ideal attacking trio behind Lukaku so far this PL season. If at this stage of the season, we still keep experimenting on squad and formation to find the best starting XI then definitely we are in trouble
Rashford - Martial obviously. Starting with Rashford in the beginning, then rotating game by game, next using them on both flanks, Martial in XI lineup recently and now it seems that Jose is back to rotate them match by match. In the middle, Mkhitaryan played the first quarter and Lingard started the second, Zlatan is expected to fulfil No.10 role at this moment. Mata is the one having the most starts but his position hasnt been consistent, mostly on the right, sometimes in central zone and lately being dropped for some 352 experiments.
Lacking run of starts makes this trio very unstable. Our attacking link-up play becomes terrible with misunderstanding among them, also between them and other parts of the team. That is the reason why our passes in final third are so bad, our attacks have depended heavily on crosses or some glimpses of individual effort.
What most worried about is that i have a feeling Jose still doesnt know what is our ideal attacking trio behind Lukaku so far this PL season. If at this stage of the season, we still keep experimenting on squad and formation to find the best starting XI then definitely we are in trouble
#1 problem is verbal incontinence
I think that there is a real problem at United of player's attitude.
Similar to Liverpool's 'Spice Boys', more concerned with image than getting stuck in.
I just get the impression that far too many of our players are 'comfortable' and just coasting along on big wages, and the prestige of playing for United.
But when you consider some of the players that we have had through the Premier League era:
Cantona, Robson, Ince, Giggs, Scholes, Keane, Beckham, Solskjaer, Sheringham, Yorke, Cole, Irwin, Stam, Pallister, Bruce, Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, Van Persie, Van Nistelrooy, Heinze....
The list can go on, but with the exception of De Gea, there is nobody in our squad that comes anywhere near players of that calibre, in terms of commitment, drive, passion, class, or consistency.
Playing players out of position, lack of consistency from our better players, regular defensive/formation changes and negative tactics in must win games.
Bit of a funny one considering we are 2nd in the league (based on performances I have no idea how we are 2nd), but I haven't enjoyed watching us at all this season, we are woeful, lack confidence and half the team put little to no effort in.
I really do think Jose is extremely accountable, as the squad does not look motivated one bit. He's chopping and changing the team, blasting the players publicly one week, blaming lack of investment the next. He's turning into a drama queen again, which is why I grew to really dislike him when he was at Chelsea and Madrid. His theatrics bore me.
Currently, players at his disposal are not performing. This could be player or Manager error, and I will say the decision making of our forwards has been abysmal on times and they should do better no matter how they are coached.
The biggest thing for me is lack of effort. None of our players are doing the basics right, making poor judgement calls, mis placing simple passes or hitting aimless long balls.
I would argue that under Jose's reign, a lot of players have declined eg:
Pogba/Martial/Miki/Rashford/Shaw/Lukaku/Herrera/Blind/Rojo/Smalling.
All the above (and possibly more) are not playing regular or too the level they should be. Jose hasn't seemed to coach a game plan/coherent style of play, and it really does show in the performances.
TFM and Pereira shipped out on loan, both of which could be part of the squad here.
We looked good against Watford and Arsenal with 3 at the back, then we changed formation and rolled over for City to hammer us and we've looked pretty terrible ever since. With the money he's spent, we should be doing much better, but we still need a CM and a RW desperately
Bit of a funny one considering we are 2nd in the league (based on performances I have no idea how we are 2nd), but I haven't enjoyed watching us at all this season, we are woeful, lack confidence and half the team put little to no effort in.
I really do think Jose is extremely accountable, as the squad does not look motivated one bit. He's chopping and changing the team, blasting the players publicly one week, blaming lack of investment the next. He's turning into a drama queen again, which is why I grew to really dislike him when he was at Chelsea and Madrid. His theatrics bore me.
Currently, players at his disposal are not performing. This could be player or Manager error, and I will say the decision making of our forwards has been abysmal on times and they should do better no matter how they are coached.
The biggest thing for me is lack of effort. None of our players are doing the basics right, making poor judgement calls, mis placing simple passes or hitting aimless long balls.
I would argue that under Jose's reign, a lot of players have declined eg:
Pogba/Martial/Miki/Rashford/Shaw/Lukaku/Herrera/Blind/Rojo/Smalling.
All the above (and possibly more) are not playing regular or too the level they should be. Jose hasn't seemed to coach a game plan/coherent style of play, and it really does show in the performances.
TFM and Pereira shipped out on loan, both of which could be part of the squad here.
We looked good against Watford and Arsenal with 3 at the back, then we changed formation and rolled over for City to hammer us and we've looked pretty terrible ever since. With the money he's spent, we should be doing much better, but we still need a CM and a RW desperately
We’re in a bit of bad form and City’s phenomenal season combined with losing at home to them and burying the title race before Christmas has mentally broken us. I don’t think it’s overly complicated, we’re a good side but not in the best form. If we were still in the title race I’m sure we’d look a very different side.
In terms of setup, we desperately need defensive stability. ie. a set back four that plays 99% of games. We need a new RB and a new winger - players that can actually cross, and I think we’ll be much better.
In terms of setup, we desperately need defensive stability. ie. a set back four that plays 99% of games. We need a new RB and a new winger - players that can actually cross, and I think we’ll be much better.
Hi Gulli, I think that you miss a couple of facts that are maybe not helpful to your expansive argument.
Firstly; it’s a well publicised fact that City is a debt free, profit making club that operates within the constraints of FFP. The rules that govern player investment require that City can only spend appropriate to their turnover and, as United have a larger turnover, United can spend more than City if they choose to look to the future and reinvest profits back into their club. Ergo, City can only spend within the limits set by FFP and United can spend a lot more than City if they care enough about success to do that.
Secondly; by the standards of your own club ( and using that red hot super striker Lukaku as an example) a striker costs £75M + agents fees + taxes + another player (in this example, Wayne Rooney who must surely be worth say £30M in this current market?). That makes a striker cost a minimum of circa £125M by the Man Utd measure.
You make the bold assertion that City can pay striker level fees on [for] defenders but when did City ever pay £100+ for a defender except in your head?
Mourinho is the problem, the constant changes in formation, the constant criticism of the players in public, park the bus and hooof ball and now cross at every chance, his interviews and press conferences are so boring and uninspiring, now it's Citys fault because their manager spent money on their weaknesses.
When Mourinho took over United we were level on points with City only finishing above us on goal difference, last season we finished 9 points behind City, now we're 12 points behind with half a season to go.
When Mourinho took over United we were level on points with City only finishing above us on goal difference, last season we finished 9 points behind City, now we're 12 points behind with half a season to go.
Our biggest issue is we have a squad full of bottlers with 0 leadership out on the field and I've thought this for years. When the chips are down or the game isn't going to plan I genuinely see nobody out there (except maybe Zlatan) who can produce a moment of absolute magic.
Zlatan, Pogba, Matic, Fellaini, Lukaku, Smalling, Jones. These are all big, imposing figures on the pitch. Yet none of them seems to possess any leadership or motivational skills. They just lope around the pitch doing their own thing, none of them start rallying the troops or firing up their team-mates.
While we have improved our numbers from the previous seasons fundamental problems still exist. The problem is many are comparing the styles, managers and success of city with us. Fair enough but City are having an exceptional season with a run of wins we probably wont see again. We just have to accept that Pep plays i) better football ii) gets more out of his players iii) has unlimited resources iv) is the flavour of the fecking world and v) started with a higher quality base pool of player's. The longer term problem I see is not pep, as I dont think hes set on a long term (4 year+) project with them, but the unlimited gambles city can make in the transfer window. We have spunked millions since fergie retired, without thought of play and direction. While we have won a few cups the big ones still seem miles off and that's why i can't see us continually keeping up with citys spending past another season or two. The success has to follow this spending as we dont rely on unlimited state funding. Plus major refurbishment of the facilities and stadium are required.
Then comes the manager. Hes a very smart man. He knows the problems we have and will address them next summer. I think hes extremely disappointed at our position and gap with city. Its probably fustrating him big time, especially as its pep. Hes a winner and a bad looser after all and why wouldnt he be. I dont blame him criticising the players after having poor games as i dont think hes said anything that goes too far. He called our mistakes at Leicester childish, and they simply were. Now come my criticisisms of him.
1) playing players out of position, that includes virtually all our number 10s, strikers and full backs. Why does every Manchester United manager insist in doing it! Mata shouldnt be anywhere near the wing, same with rashford, rojo isnt a left back and so isnt young. The list goes on.
2) giving ibra a contract extension was a mistake. Hes finished as a player unfortunately. I know its risk free but it was uneccessary.
3) our attacking play when behind or chasing a win is diabolical. Man united should not be launching high long balls to the front line in desperation. Its embarrassing, low risk and low gain. It hardly comes off and none of us want to see it. Rojo, smalling, darmian, and Valencia are the biggest culprits.
4) poor possession when winning. We need to be dominating possession against the lesser sides and not inviting unnecessary pressure from the opposition. Score the 3rd, 4th, 5th etc. Dont be pragmatic.
5) lack of variety in our style of play, why cant we attack through the middle? Why cant we play throughballs? Why is ashley young still our best outlet ffs. Whats happening at Carrington? Are we not practicing this.
Then comes the players. We all know where we need improving and the players that have had a free ride in the past few seasons and need to be shipped away. We need two fullbacks, a player to play with matic and pogba in the middle who can pass the ball bloody forward and a winger who can create.
Then comes the manager. Hes a very smart man. He knows the problems we have and will address them next summer. I think hes extremely disappointed at our position and gap with city. Its probably fustrating him big time, especially as its pep. Hes a winner and a bad looser after all and why wouldnt he be. I dont blame him criticising the players after having poor games as i dont think hes said anything that goes too far. He called our mistakes at Leicester childish, and they simply were. Now come my criticisisms of him.
1) playing players out of position, that includes virtually all our number 10s, strikers and full backs. Why does every Manchester United manager insist in doing it! Mata shouldnt be anywhere near the wing, same with rashford, rojo isnt a left back and so isnt young. The list goes on.
2) giving ibra a contract extension was a mistake. Hes finished as a player unfortunately. I know its risk free but it was uneccessary.
3) our attacking play when behind or chasing a win is diabolical. Man united should not be launching high long balls to the front line in desperation. Its embarrassing, low risk and low gain. It hardly comes off and none of us want to see it. Rojo, smalling, darmian, and Valencia are the biggest culprits.
4) poor possession when winning. We need to be dominating possession against the lesser sides and not inviting unnecessary pressure from the opposition. Score the 3rd, 4th, 5th etc. Dont be pragmatic.
5) lack of variety in our style of play, why cant we attack through the middle? Why cant we play throughballs? Why is ashley young still our best outlet ffs. Whats happening at Carrington? Are we not practicing this.
Then comes the players. We all know where we need improving and the players that have had a free ride in the past few seasons and need to be shipped away. We need two fullbacks, a player to play with matic and pogba in the middle who can pass the ball bloody forward and a winger who can create.
The same as last season in many respects... missing too many guilt edge chances. Our style may not be that of some of the others scoring goals for fun, but in terms of chances created... we are making enough to batter sides.
I spoke with someone on here about how big the loss to shitty was and how it has knocked the lads and I'm convinced that has had an impact on us; and how could it not.
Losing Paul when we did and how we did was a blow and our better players not performing to their levels has had an impact; Rom, Paul, Marcus etc...
The biggest indicator for me that we are not tuned in, has been our defending from set pieces... it's been school boy like and this will do Jose head in. But I'll end where I started... missing chances in killing us
Missing big chances will always happen with the majority of big teams. Weve just been missing them recently especially against Leicester. I actually dont think we are creating enough big chances and having a sustained period of pressure. We were efficient and clinical in the first few months until pogba got injured. Since then chances created have fallen.
Things need brought back into perspective. In any normal season we would be challenging for the title with the current points tally. It’s not Mourinhos fault Man City happen to be having a record breaking season.
Mourinho is a world class manager and should be given more time to complete his rebuild. If someone had told me 18 months ago before the cup final we would now have Mourinho, Bailey, Matic, Pogba and Lukaku and held on to De Gea I would have laughed it off. We have at least 5 class players through the spine of our team and he needs a couple more windows to enforce the winger and full back issues.
Mourinho is a world class manager and should be given more time to complete his rebuild. If someone had told me 18 months ago before the cup final we would now have Mourinho, Bailey, Matic, Pogba and Lukaku and held on to De Gea I would have laughed it off. We have at least 5 class players through the spine of our team and he needs a couple more windows to enforce the winger and full back issues.
Our problem is set pieces, both defending and attacking them. At the start of the season this was one of our big strengths. Our 4-0 wins were littered with goals scored from set pieces and players getting their heads on balls played into our box.
We now seem incapable of competing for set pieces at either end of the pitch.
We now seem incapable of competing for set pieces at either end of the pitch.