I think media going overboard with criticism of our performance . I think we played quite well against a very good team. There still couple of things LVG should have done differently.
1)Fellaini is the plan B. He has no business starting in a team set up to keep possession.
2) Defensive shape and pressing are shambles. LVG needs to work on defensive side of play. otherwise we wont get anything out of Spurs, LFC, city and chelsea matches.
Apart from those, I think we are finally starting to pay well. It may have taken him 10 months but I think LVG has finally stumbled upon a tactical framework to built the team upon. It still needs lots of work but I think this team setup(minus fellaini) is the best suited to our current squad.
IMO if LVG used this system from the start, we could be in a far better position than where we are.
There is actual improvement in our general play during last month or so, After watching years of shitte football, future may not be that bleak
Thoughts?
Progress
posted on 10/3/15
SE85
I do like the effort Young puts in but the praise he has been getting recently has been way over the top. A very expensive squad player for me.
posted on 10/3/15
Problem is that we're playing with a philosophy that relies on the defense and especially the centrebacks to be comfortable with the ball and good under pressure. Unfortunately most of our defenders are clumsy and easily confused, to put it kindly.
That causes a chain reaction throughout the team. The sluggish play and poor passes from Smalling, Valencia and co puts Carrick, Blind, Herrera etc under more pressure and gives them less time to pick a pass. All in all it makes us ridiculously easy to play against for any side who has been drilled in aggressive pressing.
posted on 10/3/15
SE85
Yeah, I agree. Valencia is shitte.
IMO this tactical frame work is ideal for our squad. If United replace Valencia, Fellaini, Jones and maybe young with top class replacement, we will have a really good team
posted on 10/3/15
comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 2 minutes ago
SE85
I do like the effort Young puts in but the praise he has been getting recently has been way over the top. A very expensive squad player for me.
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I just read on another thread what you thought of the first half last night, and you are right that the praise being showered on both young and last night simply show how far the club has fallen.
Hearing some fans talk about last night's first half as United's best display of the season is embarrassing, you'd think the team had torn arsenal to shreds and gone in 4-0 to the good a la chelsea at swansea, or liverpool vs arsenal last season.
what a terrible job moyes and lvg have done that mediocrity now attracts praise.
posted on 10/3/15
Don Draper's dandruff
I dont see any problem with praising improvement. We have been playing shittte football for years. Yesterday we finally played well against a good team.
our defending is appalling but our general play has been quite good in the last month or so. LVG cannot flip a switch and get united to play like Barcelona, we are heading in the right direction.
posted on 10/3/15
You can praise improvements but our performance last night wasn't that great, it was about as good as Young's performances this season which have also been blown out of proportion.
We went into half time 1-1 at home to a frustratingly inconsistent Arsenal side who were neither great but showed the odd bit of good play.
I think people are confusing entertaining football with good football, it wasn't the game was very open and fun for a neutral but the standard wasn't that great. Our CMs were virtually non existent all game.
posted on 10/3/15
We actually played better in the first half at Chelsea under Moyes than we did in the first half last night.
We didn't play 'well' at all last night. We were the home team and had the ball like most home teams do. How many shots on goal did we even have in that first half? Apart from the goal did Chesney have anything to do?
posted on 10/3/15
Its not an excellent performance but there was definite improvement in our general play and tempo of passing. there was a gradual improvement during last month. We are still miles away from playing like Barcelona, At the moment we are taking baby steps in that general direction.
LVG had no game plan early in the season, now he does have an effective game plane. It will work if given time. Unfortunately he only have till the end of the season
posted on 10/3/15
We actually played better in the first half at Chelsea under Moyes than we did in the first half last night.
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posted on 11/3/15
comment by newWAYNEorder (U20092)
posted 1 day, 2 hours ago
Valencia was well out of position for their first goal, extremely poor positioning.
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This wasn't my biggest problem with Valencia. His most disgraceful error was to turn his back on the ball on the edge of the area. True, he should not have been there in the first place but turning his back on the Arsenal player like a fairy - and allowing him to waltz past him with ease - was absolutely shocking. I would haul off any player for that. Absolutely criminal.