Multiple people have just spent the last page trying to explain the football equivalent of 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 to him. I think you know the answer.
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Multiple people have just spent the last page trying to explain the football equivalent of 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 to him. I think you know the answer.
When a CB push high up and doesn’t win the ball, there is a hole behind him which. Another defender needs to cover for him, and another defender covers for the covering defender… it’s not always where the goal happened that the problem started. It’s not the first goal we concede when Harry is far out.
I’m this match Harry unsuccessfully pushed forward several times and also there was little cooperation between the CBs.
If you actually watched the move you’d see that Varane was tracking Felix’s run into the space which Maguire inexplicably vacated. Telles then tries to shift inside as Varane is pulled wide by the run and everything goes to shit from there because the defensive shape was compromised by Maguire’s needless step up.
This is incredibly frustrating. Her did that four times in this game, all of them rather simple balls.
He’s obviously going through a terrible period of form and low confidence, and I don’t think he’s nearly as bad as the reputation he’s getting…. However that said, when he patently looks terrified any time he has the ball in our half, and has to do complete Valencia-esque about turns to avoid any semblance of a risky pass, I don’t really see the benefit of trying to “play him into form”, or protect his ego, when we’re trying to win a crucial knockout tie that will define our entire season….
If the manager is willing to drop Ronaldo, and to a much lesser extent Rashford & Pogba, then there’s surely no more undue pressure from up on high to keep playing Harry Derek* Maguire? There must be some footballing reason that us plebs can’t quantify?
* not actually his name. But it seems right, doesn’t it?
If the manager is willing to drop Ronaldo, and to a much lesser extent Rashford & Pogba, then there’s surely no more undue pressure from up on high to keep playing Harry Derek* Maguire? There must be some footballing reason that us plebs can’t quantify?
* not actually his name. But it seems right, doesn’t it?
It's grassroots Sunday league basic stuff. If you think you'll not get it to a teammate, at least sky it or as far as you can. Make them earn the possession, but instead no, just flop it down to their feet.
You think the fans cheering him as he's leaving the pitch is just because of a witch hunt? Everybody can see the problem
The entire problem starts from when Maguire doesn't win the ball and leaves a massive gap which then causes our defence to panic when the ball is played into the space he's vacated; Varane did exactly the same a few weeks back but i forget who against so it's not about agendas or whatever. Dalot has NO help whatsoever from any of his teammates be it Elanga tracking back or a defensive midfielder plugging the gaps, and if he goes to the eventual goalscorer he's leaving the center completely vacant for two other oppo players to get a tap in.
By the way, I have zero attachment to Dalot as a player, i don't think he's good enough and i'm not sure Telles is either but i felt sorry for the kid with that goal. The mistake starts with Maguire.
There were quite a few times in the game were Maguire was out of position due to telles pushing forward and literally taking an age to get back.
I think due to his well documented struggles that a lot of opposition players target and taunt him. You can see when he has the ball he gets closed down much quicker than anyone else. Same used to happen with Fred a lot too.
Not trying to defend Maguire as he’s had a terrible season. But I do feel that due to being captain and his price tag he gets targeted a lot more than others. Can’t say any of our defenders have been great this season.
I think due to his well documented struggles that a lot of opposition players target and taunt him. You can see when he has the ball he gets closed down much quicker than anyone else. Same used to happen with Fred a lot too.
Not trying to defend Maguire as he’s had a terrible season. But I do feel that due to being captain and his price tag he gets targeted a lot more than others. Can’t say any of our defenders have been great this season.
Nah I don’t think he’ll leave - no one will be stupid enough to pay 50 million plus 200 k a week for a 29 yr old CB who is not ranked in the top 50 in Europe at the moment
Remember when we begged to get rid of Smalling because he looked like a clown on the ball? Yea we got fooled again.
Anytime your CB looks like that on the ball forget it. It's a joke
Imagine that's your team's captain. Each time he touches the ball you're demoralized.
Anytime your CB looks like that on the ball forget it. It's a joke
Imagine that's your team's captain. Each time he touches the ball you're demoralized.
I think the captaincy and the price tag does play some part in the criticism he gets from fans, but not why he gets targeted on the pitch by opposition teams.
That's just because he's a clumsy fecking oaf who isn't good enough at reading the game to not make several mistakes per game and doesn't have any of the pace, balance or agility needed to recover from any of those mistakes.
Tell me, whats the point of Maguire to rush to midfield ? Did the same thing when Felix scored but was offside. He does it almost in every game.
I don't know what we should do with him.
Maybe he'll recover next season.
Maybe he'll recover next season.
Let's not forget, he is the world's most expensive defender. Ever.
I don't really know what people are expecting to change at age 29.
He can play better than this season, he can make less errors. But what he can't do is defend 1v1, can't accelerate quickly, can't cover ground quickly, can't turn quickly. And for all his reputation as a ball-playing centre back when he first joined, he's not very good on the ball either. This is just who he is.
Not all defenders are blessed with elite pace, but he's exceptionally immobile. Top teams want to play high up the pitch and take risks by occasionally leaving their defenders exposed in an attempt to win the ball high up the pitch. There's an expectation that their defenders will be able to deal with the situation a high enough % of the time to make it worthwhile. I've never seen a centre back less suited to this approach. Maguire needs too much protection, we cannot afford to play with risk in our game because he's too vulnerable when there's space left to cover.
This isn't really relating to tonight's game though.
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Stupid defender.
If you're shit and out of form just do the basic right, maintain shape, dont commit and do stupid intervention. Basic basic basic.
If you're shit and out of form just do the basic right, maintain shape, dont commit and do stupid intervention. Basic basic basic.
The goal we conceded was ultimately down to Maguire doing his patented 'rush out of defence and lunge and get nowhere near the ball' routine.
Then Varane has to go across to cover the gap and Dalot is Dalot and doesn't cover the back post.
Then Varane has to go across to cover the gap and Dalot is Dalot and doesn't cover the back post.
Maguire was crap - twice he rushed out to try and tackle someone in midfield and twice got nowhere near, and because o it twice they put the ball in our net. When you lack pace (and have zero confidence) you dont go charging out of position and leave gaps in the backline you are supposed to shepherd, unless you are 100% sure you get the ball.
Because there were two onrushing madrid players in the centre who would have had a tap in if Dalot wasn't there in the centre. By necessity he had to get into the vacated space.
I'm really not a big fan of Dalot and I don't think he's all that good but geez, the kid was completely on his own for that goal with no DM in sight or Elanga tracking back.
Tbf Craig Dawson is better atm
Atletico were targeting Maguire for his rashness in rushing out into the space in front of him. He isn't quick enough to make a tackle and win the ball and isn't agile enough to turn and to recover. He has been making this mistake over and over throughout the season. Savic was a good contrast. Ronaldo tried the same trick, but Savic had enough awareness to put Ronaldo on the floor and stopped the play.
What is baffling is either the coaching staff hasn't corrected him in his playing or he is allowed to play even though he has been seen to be unable to correct his mistakes.
What is baffling is either the coaching staff hasn't corrected him in his playing or he is allowed to play even though he has been seen to be unable to correct his mistakes.
Maguire can be standing beside Oblak for all I care. You are just looking for reasons to blame him. There were 3 Atletico players and 3 United players in the 18. Verane was marking Telles and Dalot had nobody. Can you imagine what would happen if Maguire was in Veranes spot marking Telles? TheCaf would go into melt down
Eddie Howe, "Hold my drink"
So when Verane stepped in on Kane on the weekend, then when Kane dished it off and Verane chased the ball rather than getting back into position to which the ball then went to Cancelo who was left unmarked only for him to put in a low hard cross that Maguire was forced to try and make a last ditch effort to block or allow an tap in, did anyone say "the entire problem started with Verane" or did they just blame Maguire?
Will there be any team willing to pay 15m for Maguire honestly?
The problem is the entire team. Maguire is just the scapegoat because apparently he set his price and made himself captain
Again, there were 3 Athletico players and 3 United players. The closest man to Verane was Telles. But tell me again how it was all Maguire's fault and how you aren't scapegoating him
So when Verane pushed up on Kane on the weekend did you blame Verane for not winning the ball or did you blame Maguire for the own goal?
So strange of me to want our supporters to support our players and not try and make them play worse by calling our own players names and booing them. What a strange hill indeed
I forget how it's spelled. Sometimes I spell it right sometimes I don't. It's not on purpose. But if you want to annalyze it and try and find a deeper meaning, knock yourself out. And by the way...I spelled analyze wrong too. I wonder if that meant something
That's what i wrote about his performance against Spurs and I said he was pretty decent/ok and I didn't blame him for the OG at all. In fact I said in another post that I thought Varane has made the same mistakes at different times too. Other than Lindelof (at times) all our defenders have been pretty rubbish this season.
I still think the goal starts with Maguire's initial error and I find his dallying on the ball and slow pace when turning to be really annoying.
It made sense for Jose to want him because his teams play deep, compact, organised without the ball and use aerial threats. I will never understand what Ole was doing spending 80m on him knowing very well he wanted to do the total opposite. No surprise he would spend so much just to resort back to Jose tactics, he had a destination but had no clue how to get there.
I imagine the opposition player winding him up and telling up that "you cannot keep with me slabhead" and as a result Maguire wants to chase him to no man's land
True, Maguire leaving that whole is the start of the problem. If Dalot focused on the far post then Griezmann would try to pick out the free man in the middle of the box.
In a situation like this, all you can hope for is that the attacking team screws up either the final or the finish.
Sadly, Atletico did neither
A lot of our players take some really stupid liberties with the ball. We need more structure because this lot can't be given too much creative freedom without trying something like this. People need to play smart or start getting benched. Worst part is this is probably their interpretation of taking risks.
British core, cultural reset, wannabe SAF etc etc
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