Will fans enjoy ETH’s brand of football

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WW Lynchpin
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I can't imagine even redcafes notorious moaning squad will moan if we're winning.
I think we've all reached the point where we'll accept any brand of football if it gets results.

Besides, I always find Ajax pleasing to the eye when I watch them.
 

Skills

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LVGs problem was that he just lacked any potency in the final third. His most creative or threatening players in the final third were Di Maria & Martial over the course of his first 2 seasons. He fell out with Di Maria so the question remains would he have been able to accommodate or work with another high risk player in his line up?

A part of me is interested to see what he would've done if he was forced to use to use the team Mourinho had in 17/18 or Ole had last season.

LVG was a good training ground manager, poor recruiter and a difficult personality.
 

Robbie Boy

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From what I've seen, his football looks like the kind I've been wanting us to play. After Ole and Jose, any semblance of modern, progressive football will be pleasing. Also, having a manager who has a plan and a clear tactical idetity, will be a welcome relief. LvG was the closest we got in that respect, but his football was dated and he didn't have suitable players for what he wanted to achieve.

I don't expect any instant success and I'm sure it's going to take time for us to have a clear tactical identity. However, I expect to see early signs of progress and I'm looking forward to hopefully being able to enjoy watching our football again. Because feck me, the last 9-years have been filled with mostly shite.
 
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R'hllor

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For me nothing changed in this regard, our results have to be products of our performances/football we play, having results only will not lead us to anything long term, we experienced that in the past, having that feeling after a win that feels like we lost, playing for result only and when you dont achieve it, there is nothing to lean on etc.
 

Yakuza_devils

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Forget about his style of play is more similar to Pep or Klopp or wether it's boring or not.

For a start, let's get this bunch and a few new additions to start play football where they can string 2 or 3 passes together under pressure. Play like they know each other. Learn the basic of defending as a team and not let bloody Norwich scored 2 easy goals against us. Not letting Liverpool humiliate us again next season like men against boys.

We will see where we go from there.
 

C'est Moi Cantona

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I think all the fawning over the 'United way', and the 'good old days' are over for most now.

A blend between Pep and Klopp type football would be great, but he just needs to win and everyone will be happy.
 

Ish

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From what I've seen, his football looks like the kind I've been wanting us to play. After Ole and Jose, any semblance of modern, progressive football will be pleasing. Also, having a manager who has a plan and a clear tactical idetity, will be a welcome relief. LvG was the closest we got in that respect, but his football was dated and he didn't have suitable players for what he wanted to achieve.

I don't expect any instant success and I'm sure it's going to take time for us to have a clear tactical identity. However, I expect to see early signs of progress and I'm looking forward to hopefully being able to enjoy watching our football again. Because feck me, the last 9-years have been filled with mostly shite.
This
 

André Dominguez

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My major concern is the lack of long term patience in modern football dans.

The pre-season is going to be shorter this season due to the WC, and it takes a lot of time to instill such an extreme tactical template, not to mention that physical training Will also be different because a ball possesion style requires much more endurance.

It's not going to be an easy Path.
 

2 man midfield

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I don’t really care how we play as long as it’s exciting and not totally boring ala Jose. We haven’t been entertained by United for over a decade I’d say. Even the last titles under Fergie were grind-athons.
 

Trex

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The problem with LVG football was that it was too rigid, wingers stay wide at all time, central midfielders never left the middle of the pitch and never took any risks, it was way to slow and passive.....Ten hag's football from what I've seen is fast paced and aggressive, it will be the best stuff we've played in a very long time, we should be more worried about the defensive aspect weather our deeper players will be able to break play when the counter press is beaten, that will define the outcome of games, the attacking aspect will be a treat.
 

united_99

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Couldn’t care less if he is more Klopp or Pep or whoever as long as we can control most games, keep possession for longer than a few seconds or a minute and create enough chances. This makes games entertaining anyway.
Having 60- 70 % possession but 1 shot on target on the other hand? Well of course fans won’t like this.
 

el3mel

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LVG football is nothing like Pep or Ten Hag.

And people who say Pep's football is boring are actually jealous of his complete dominance on the league rather than anything.
 

jackal&hyde

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Don't think it's anything like LVG's football that we've seen at United. I'd say it's a bit of a mix of Pep and German pressing style. Like if Pep plays total football with a Spanish flavor, ETH plays total football with a German influence.
 

Laurencio

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With Ten Hag’s football being more similar to Peps possession based game and LVGs total football than a counter attacking approach based on pacey wingers, will our fans enjoy and accept this type of football?

There have been lots of people here commenting about how boring they find Peps keep ball and that lamented LVGs brand brand of total football at the time.

Personally I feel we need to modernise the way we play more in line with this, but my feeling reading here is that many will disagree.
Ten Hag's football with properly good players would be very fun. On average Ajax has scored 3 goals per game, and conceeded 0.8 goals per game over his entire tenure. If I'm watching us score 2-3 goals a match and keeping clean sheets, I am one happy chappy. Sprinkle in some seriously talented skillfull players, such as Sancho and perhaps Antony - and the football could be mind-blowing. If you look at Ajax, and what they struggle with, it seems to be the quality of the player rather than the quality of the system they play in. They keep creating chances, putting players into great positions, but not every player on that Ajax team has the talent or ability to effectively take advantage of that.

All that is left now is to get top class coaches and start getting recruitment right. If we do that we are in for some brilliant football in the coming years.
 

jackal&hyde

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LVG football is nothing like Pep or Ten Hag.

And people who say Pep's football is boring are actually jealous of his complete dominance on the league rather than anything.
Maybe but there have been many times, in Europe too, where keeping possession was looking like the aim rather then a means. He can suffer from overthinking it at times and they got beaten in big occasions for what looked liked an unwillingness to be more direct (we did this to them a number of times in the last few years). He is almost the perfect manager don't get me wrong, but City, especially in Europe, have suffered from too much of a rigid approach and an inability to adapt.
 

el3mel

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Maybe but there have been many times, in Europe too, where keeping possession was looking like the aim rather then a means. He can suffer from overthinking it at times and they got beaten in big occasions for what looked liked an unwillingness to be more direct (we did this to them a number of times in the last few years). He is almost the perfect manager don't get me wrong, but City, especially in Europe, have suffered from too much of a rigid approach and an inability to adapt.
That's what defines Pep Guardiola. That's what makes him one of the great. He doesn't just want to win. He wants to win using his own style, and proving that it's the correct choice. Maybe it won't work in some matches here and there but in the majority of them it'll work. That's why his teams have a defined system and style of play which the players memorize like their names.

I'll kill to see Man United having such defined system like Pep's teams.

As for overthinking, any manager can do tactical mistakes from time to time, and some times they're exaggerated by the fans. People exaggerated him not starting a DMF in CL final but the reality is in the previous 2 matches with Chelsea he tried to play with double DMFs and one DMFs and they both didn't work so he thought of something different. That's all. Tactical mistakes happen. The greatest managers in the world are liable to read a match wrong or make a wrong tactical decision. Not a big deal really.
 

jackal&hyde

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That's what defines Pep Guardiola. That's what makes him one of the great. He doesn't just want to win. He wants to win using his own style, and proving that it's the correct choice. Maybe it won't work in some matches here and there but in the majority of them it'll work. That's why his teams have a defined system and style of play which the players memorize like their names.

I'll kill to see Man United having such defined system like Pep's teams.

As for overthinking, any manager can do tactical mistakes from time to time, and some times they're exaggerated by the fans. People exaggerated him not starting a DMF in CL final but the reality is in the previous 2 matches with Chelsea he tried to play with double DMFs and one DMFs and they both didn't work so he thought of something different. That's all. Tactical mistakes happen. The greatest managers in the world are liable to read a match wrong or make a wrong tactical decision. Not a big deal really.
I agree with all of that while it needs to be said, adapting is crucial in the biggest games. Pep has CL won with Barca with imo the best team in history. That was, 10? years ago?. Someone like Zidane has won it so much he must be sick of it while employing different tactics to suit the situation. Pep is maybe the best working right now, but lets not pretend he is perfect. Adapting to different situations is especially important in Europe and given that Pep only ever managed great teams that are very well run, his record in winning here is mediocre at best. He is an idealist imo as far as tactics go and that is usually an inferior way of managing when it come to winning the CL. My way or the high way tends to be a less successful mentality to adapting to the game at hand.

I don't want to sound negative as I think he is the best manager out there and the only one close to SAF, but he has major issues in some key aspects that other managers like Zidane are much, much better at.
 

el3mel

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I agree with all of that while it needs to be said, adapting is crucial in the biggest games. Pep has CL won with Barca with imo the best team in history. That was, 10? years ago?. Someone like Zidane has won it so much he must be sick of it while employing different tactics to suit the situation. Pep is maybe the best working right now, but lets not pretend he is perfect. Adapting to different situations is especially important in Europe and given that Pep only ever managed great teams that are very well run, his record in winning here is mediocre at best. He is an idealist imo as far as tactics go and that is usually an inferior way of managing when it come to winning the CL. My way or the high way tends to be a less successful mentality to adapting to the game at hand.

I don't want to sound negative as I think he is the best manager out there and the only one close to SAF, but he has major issues in some key aspects that other managers like Zidane are much, much better at.
Pep has been in the game for far longer time than Zidane, who only managed Real Madrid and didn't manage other clubs unlike Pep so this comparison doesn't work. If we're saying Pep only won it with Barca who are the best team in history, Zidane has also only won it with Real Madrid with also one of the best squads in history and is yet to test himself in CL with other teams.

I think people exaggerate the CL issue really. Winning CL is pretty damn tough. You don't just need abilities but also a lot of luck along the way. It's a cup competition, anything can happen in a tie, and beside the first few seasons at City, his teams have always been in advanced stages and challenging for it. He reached the semis 3 times with Bayern, the final last season and now in the semi this season. He only failed to reach semi final 4 seasons out of his 13 years of management. The league is a better measurement of how a team consistently perform, not cup competitions. Winning CL is nice and all but you don't just need to be good to win it.

There's no manager who's fully perfect - SAF himself also had his issues and his tactical mistakes in crucial games anyway - , but Pep being an idealist and wanting to always win using his own style is what defines him as a manager and why he'll end up being one of the elite in football history. He changed the landscape of football when he first appeared with Barcelona and proved that his style can be successful everywhere. A lot of people expected him to fail to implement his style in the Premier League but he completely dominated it.
 

jackal&hyde

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Pep has been in the game for far longer time than Zidane, who only managed Real Madrid and didn't manage other clubs unlike Pep so this comparison doesn't work. If we're saying Pep only won it with Barca who are the best team in history, Zidane has also only won it with Real Madrid with also one of the best squads in history and is yet to test himself in CL with other teams.

I think people exaggerate the CL issue really. Winning CL is pretty damn tough. You don't just need abilities but also a lot of luck along the way. It's a cup competition, anything can happen in a tie, and beside the first few seasons at City, his teams have always been in advanced stages and challenging for it. He reached the semis 3 times with Bayern, the final last season and now in the semi this season. He only failed to reach semi final 4 seasons out of his 13 years of management. The league is a better measurement of how a team consistently perform, not cup competitions. Winning CL is nice and all but you don't just need to be good to win it.

There's no manager who's fully perfect - SAF himself also had his issues and his tactical mistakes in crucial games anyway - , but Pep being an idealist and wanting to always win using his own style is what defines him as a manager and why he'll end up being one of the elite in football history. He changed the landscape of football when he first appeared with Barcelona and proved that his style can be successful everywhere. A lot of people expected him to fail to implement his style in the Premier League but he completely dominated it.
Again, I agree with you.

My point was to not make Pep look like the perfect manager because he is not. Zidane did not just win zillions on CLs but also titles BTW. The comparison I make here is actually not about Zidane or Pep as individuals, but as ideas that many people seem to have that having an uncompromising philosophy is the way for "modern football". I use Zidane as an example that makes poo on this idea and has more success then Pep and Klopp put together. So we should not idolise managers by way of the media but rather look at the actual results.
 

Rayman96

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Yeah , I would be a bit worried if we began to play in an "exciting possession based system" like the noisy neighbours.
The problem is we are spoiled right now with our "no direction, no possession, lull the opposition into a false sense of security and hope someone( ronaldo) does something magical" system.
Why oh why would we change a winning formula. Our fans wouldn't stand it.:houllier:
 

Welsh Wonder

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After the last few years I'll be happy enough if we just look like we have a plan
 

OlsensHummelBoots

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We won three trophies under LvG and Mourinho so we were winning something. Admittedly the most entertaining thing LvG did was throwing himself in the air on the touchline and Mourinho gave a decent press conference.
 

Hughie77

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I will, if he gets us to keep the ball for longer periods, difference would be in game managment, to change it to go for goals etc, it's pointless playing keep ball with no end product. We need to control games with possession and scoring 1st. It's going to be a tough transitional season ahead.
 

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With patience levels at an all time low and those still gutted over missing out on a top 4 trophy, I doubt they’ll enjoy anything next season. It will probably take 1 to 2 seasons to fully implement ten Hag’s style of football.
 

Giggsy13

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How about we just win?
Talking about style of play now feels like a first world problem.
Just win.. Ugly
Short-termism at its finest. It doesn’t solve the underlying problems. We need to start acting like a football club again, so giving ten Hag time to implement his style and tactics is the way the club will go.
 

Dr. Dwayne

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As long as we score goals I think the fans will be happy. LvGs possession style was good to see but for whatever reason it didn't translate into creating chances.

If ten Hag can replicate what he's doing at Ajax right now, we'll be thrilled. Even if it's only half as good, well be miles better off than a fecking GD of +2.
 

Ahmer Baig

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Only after he get rids of these overpaid and overhyped players. First he needs a massive clear out, bring the players who are proud to wear Man Utd shirt. Only then will he be able to instill his identity.
 

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As long as we score goals I think the fans will be happy. LvGs possession style was good to see but for whatever reason it didn't translate into creating chances.

If ten Hag can replicate what he's doing at Ajax right now, we'll be thrilled. Even if it's only half as good, well be miles better off than a fecking GD of +2.

He plays sexy football. If he's successful we're in for a treat.
 

sparx99

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With Ten Hag’s football being more similar to Peps possession based game and LVGs total football than a counter attacking approach based on pacey wingers, will our fans enjoy and accept this type of football?

There have been lots of people here commenting about how boring they find Peps keep ball and that lamented LVGs brand brand of total football at the time.

Personally I feel we need to modernise the way we play more in line with this, but my feeling reading here is that many will disagree.
A lot of criticism of Pep’s style is about how effective it is at making the games no contest. Their matches often feel like a forgone conclusion and so there is a lack of drama. Because I’m not a city fan I don’t find that entertaining.

I admire the football as a football fan and can see how brilliant it is but if there’s little risk it gets a bit boring.

The difference if it was Utd is that I support Utd and enjoy us winning. That’s entertaining for me.
 

mattsville

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Yes is the simple answer, it won't happen straight away, there is a lot of players to move on and bring in, but with the approach we have taken with Rangnick to basically do the groundwork of what needs fixing and us announcing ETH early (unprecedented for us) he will have a head start.