Hello my fellow reds,
Although I agree with the general consensus that Giggs, Scholes and Carrick should NEVER ever play in a midfield two together (or even a three for that matter), I do believe we have been overlooking some negative aspects of our style of football.
Our team today lacked creativity and flair which I can understand when you consider we did not have Kagawa, Nani, Rooney or Anderson. It appears to me that in games like this Fergie is in some sense 'clueless' in how to approach these games. It is like as if he puts out a team who will win, not because they are technically superior to the opposition but simply because they will win since they play for United (if that makes sense).
Moreover, our typical game plan seems to be playing in centrally then giving the ball to Valencia in hope that he beats his man and whips in a cross. Instead what tends to happen is that Valencia receives the ball and hesitates the cross thus enabling the fullback to close him down and breaking up the attack (This is especially the case if we are counter attacking quickly). When he does decide to cross it he drills it in rather than cross it in. Although this works sometimes and to some supporters he's 'efficient' or 'consistent', he is often too predictable and one dimensional to pose a threat in away games like today. Our players need to try and play the ball through the middle as opposed to always looking to playing to the wing.
Another thing I also noticed about today is how much we need a left footed winger, who can whip in an outswinging cross. I would have liked to have seen someone like Buttner playing on the left side of midfield today!
I’m not panicking just yet because things can only get better for us since we are playing rather poorly this season and we're somehow second in the league and have also qualified for the latter stages of the champions league
Decisions
posted on 17/11/12
Thing is, we've being saying this for 3 seasons now and still it's the same problems but the football is just dire.....and has been for yonks now!
posted on 17/11/12
Op did you post earlier saying that is mike phelans fault that giggs and scholes are playing as he should have the balls to tell fergie that they're not good enough
posted on 17/11/12
I’m not panicking just yet because things can only get better for us since we are playing rather poorly this season and we're somehow second in the league and have also qualified for the latter stages of the champions league
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This mentality annoys me to no end. This is how big clubs lose their edge by looking at the league position early in the season and not by the performance.
I said earlier we have not had one good win all season, either "great" comeback wins against relegation stragglers or red card filled, offside winning goals. Not one game were it can be pointed at a prototype of what this team should look like.
I called it a shitflinging experiment because I swear it looks like that to me. Last week, we are losing and fergies response was to put a striker to the 3 other strikers on the field. It worked...but the tactical logic behind it was far from logical. The weird 4-3-3s, the constantly changing midfield, pairing players with the same weaknesses, I honestly do not think he knows what he is doing.
But fergie has never been a tactician, but a good motivator. He is just not motivating the right players anymore. It took 25 yrs but I think he actually thinks he can do no wrong, and that is were a great manager loses it.
posted on 17/11/12
comment by kneerash (U6876)
posted 17 seconds ago
Op did you post earlier saying that is mike phelans fault that giggs and scholes are playing as he should have the balls to tell fergie that they're not good enough
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That is another logic that baffles me. Are we saying fergie does not know when things are going wrong in a game? That he needs an assistant to point this out? what is he old?.... oh.
If he needs a strong assistant, well the only one who can fire phelan and bring in a new one is guess who.... yup the same one who chose the confused bald guy mostly out of some sense of loyalty. Sense of loyalty... I wonder how long this is going to be an escuse for us.
posted on 17/11/12
Kneerash - Go away you wum.
Redastomatoes - I agree with your first comment. Fergie is a great motivator not tactician. However, what I'm trying to get across is that historically we have picked up more points than in the first part of the season. In regards to you second comment, I am saying that sometimes that Fergie doesn't know what to do. He needs a different perspective rather than someone like Mike "The Yes Man" Phelan who will not point out flaws in his tactics etc. Because Phelan agrees with Fergie it means that Fergie sees no need to fire him. How can you acknowledge something is wrong if someone doesn't point it out to you?
posted on 17/11/12
How am I a wum?
Your point is absolutely ridiculous blaming the assistant for a managers faults, calling him a yes man? You've never once heard a conversation between the 2 so have absolutey no idea what phelan says to fergie for all you know he told fergie that Anderson or cleverly should play.
To be honest your post is arguably the stupidest thing I've ever read on this site and I'm not wumming I've had plenty of proper debates with united fans today who don't post ridiculous posts like yours
posted on 17/11/12
Kneerash - 1. This is an article posted on the MANCHESTER UNITED page, you support LIVERPOOL...why are you on here??? 2. Stop nit picking and crying
posted on 17/11/12
posted on 17/11/12
Ah well played rio tell me to go away because you have no response to your overtly stupid comment on phelan, I'm not crying and how can I nit pick when I'm pointing out glaring faults in your entire point?
I'll say it again the stupidest thing I've ever seen posted on this site
posted on 17/11/12
Kneerash - I honestly don't get what the point of your first comment is. This article has nothing to do with the comment I made in a previous article. The purpose of this article was to discuss flaws in the style of football we are playing which is a different matter.