JagUTD
Full Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2022
- Messages
- 3,497
We were also for most of DdG’s time or let’s say for all of it since Fergie retired a much more defensive side than we were with Schmeichel and VdS. When Schmeichel was at United we won a lot of games by outscoring the opposition. With VdS we were mostly still very attacking but not as much as in the 90s (or early 00s).
Whereas under all managers since Fergie left we were mostly/almost always a rather defensive/little risk taking side which resulted in more clean sheets but at the same time also in low scoring PL seasons.
We certainly set up more defensively but we weren't exactly defensive. And this wasn't due to risk taking but rather due to consistent errors all over the pitch coupled with a lack of effort.
Think back over the last decade to how many times you remember someone in midfield blowing possession and then making little effort to retrieve it. Or one of the forward being disposed out wide and the opposition just walking through us with ease. Think of all the chaotic pinball episodes in the penalty area.
I remember browsing this forum long before signing up and seeing terms like "zombie passing" being used to describe us. Seeing players basically standing still waiting for the ball rather than making themselves available for it. Being out run by several KM every game. United were lazy and slow. At times we were just plain boring.
What we weren't though was defensive. We just stuck 6 defensive players on the pitch half hoping one of them would stop the oppositions attack. Far to often they didn't buy you know who did, the man who made the phrase "Dave Saves" the 17th most searched term on Google in 2018*
* I may have made that up