16 Mar 2018 23:39:24
Strange thing with our current style is Jose didn't play long ball game with Porto, Chelsea, Madrid or Milan, he was defensive but already the played attaching football too, not this long high ball crap, we have seen recently. Think Lukaku has and come on a lot in the last few months, just don't understand with all our talent in attack we are not passing the ball. Our whole slow attitude was shocking, when went behind we suddenly attacked and missed good chances, Smalling missed two sitters, why didn't we start like that get two goals and then relax a bit, so frustrating and that's why fans get mad, we can do it but we don't, is it the tactics?
17 Mar 2018 00:11:57
It's because we don't attack in numbers, it's easy for opposition to double up and crowd out the players that do attack. So long ball is used too often, as we can't see a player in space. We are too defensive and lazy off the ball. We don't move off the ball and when our players do have it nobody seems to be thinking 2-3-4 passes ahead, or trusting that we will have the ball that long. They seem to be thinking, "where should I be when we lose this ball". Fitness has been a major issue for years from my perspective. We also don't press the opposition early (lazy/ unfit), so whenever we do get the ball back we typically have a long way to go to get it in the danger zone, which often means HOOF.
We really struggle to read each others wave length, no patterns to our attack, wasteful, greedy as well quite often. Pogba is looking for miracle ball almost every time he gets it, Martial/ Rashford/ Lingard all are slow to lift their head up. Young/ Valencia are unsure how to play fullback offensively, not surprising as former wingers they over compensate defensively to make up for their inexperience defending (similar to when Rooney dropped into Midfield) . Matic/ Fellaini are very much side-side players or not mobile enough to aid the attack and have defensive responsibilities that trump offensive. Lukaku is technically hit and miss, so not trusted for lay offs. Mata/ Sanchez, both exceptional brains, but Mata is very safe now he rarely plays a gamble ball if a safe one is on. Sanchez very wasteful because of the reasons above. CB's can't use the ball properly, so everything is 10-20 yards further back than it should be which isolates Lukaku further.
The key word is 'Lazy', long ball is a lazy tactic, the players are lazy in their movement/ work rate and the defensive first approach has had its day.
{Ed007's Note - Ed004 wants a date with you, Beast, only today he said to Ed001 that he thoughf you'd be great company at parties.}
17 Mar 2018 00:34:15
Haha, Mrs Beast will attest to that!
{Ed007's Note - There's a Mrs Beast? Oh God, the poor woman! And Ed004 will be gutted....
17 Mar 2018 12:14:57
Beast I agree with the lazy part but don't think unfit is relevant (Except Shaw) . We have no runners from mid late in the box, we are crap at dead ball situations for a team of mainly 6 foot + and cannot regularly hit a corner/ free kick above knee height!
We have ability, I really believe but are lacking guile, passion and GUIDANCE.