Dortmund not to dissimilar to United

comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 1 minute ago
Earl Brutus

But wouldn't that be like saying 'so and so' isn't the best keeper but he is the best player at keeping the ball out of the net.
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Yes exactly, for people who don't want to recognise them as "strikers" they could simply say goalscorers.

But that's being incredibly pedantic.

Manutd1982, maybe i worded that last post wrong, what i meant was lots of people say they are not strikers but cannot deny they are the best goalscorers.

That's what I mean, they are being incredibly pedantic and missing the whole point and trying to be clever.

I think sometimes people underestimate how f-cking ridiculous Messi and Ronaldo's scoring records have been recently. They take it for granted, The Guardian even wrote an article saying it's a crisis because Messi hadn't scored for 4 games!!!

Mad isn't it, players like that come along once in a lifetime, but to have 2 with very similar scoring stats so far ahead of anyone else, playing in the same league at the same time virtually outdoing eachother on a weekly basis, it sort of takes away from how good these two individuals actually are.

In terms of the op, you're really not much like Dortmund at all in all honesty. Getting the ball forward at pace is probably the only thing I can think of you both do at times, but even then, you do it from different positions on the pitch and only sporadically.

Utd have a more lethal strikeforce but Dortmund's midfield is a class or two above. Their cohesion and tempo of passing is great. And their energy, intensity and workrate is freakish. They could run the legs off anyone. Their individual quality isn't actually that amazing. At least, compared to Bayern.

Can't see the similarities at all.

Regarding the pressing, a team like Barca adopt an almost man marking system when they do it so they now who to press and in what areas of the pitch before the game. They also press intently for 5-6 seconds and if they haven't won the ball back by then drop off so as not to tire themselfs out. It's a vey sophistacted way of pressing.

The problems arise when you press high up the pitch with a very high backline and you get it wrong, then it's just carnage with forwards getting in behind on a regular basis.

Teams also press just in their own half as well. You play with a deep defensive line and let the opposition have the ball in their own half then engage them once they're over the halfway line.

We used to press teams a lot with Keane and Ince in midfield and Hughesy up front, see the derby with City at OT from '95 as a prime example. Becks used to do it quite a lot to with Keane and Scholes/Butt backing him up.

A high press isn't the only way to play a "pressing game"

"Fair play Dortmund weren't on form, but their style of play is very much United's style of play."

Ok then. You've been very similar to Norwich this season though. I'll give you that.

RVP is 3rd at best striker in the league behind Aguero & Suarez! Best last year and the one before that at Arsenal but those 2 are a bit more capable than he is