Pretty much everyone knew 3-5-2 was a terrible idea. Everyone except our manager of course
- Status
I don't understand why he doesn't go back to the diamond formation. It worked well, and we played our best football using it. At least don't play 3-5-2 which has been awful before and truly awful today.
We have been very unlucky with injuries, but some of the tactics have been strange.
We have been very unlucky with injuries, but some of the tactics have been strange.
Probably knee jerk but how we can revert back to this 352 after all the good thats come from a 4141 or the 442 is beyond me. Something i just dont understand is how you can have 5 in the middle but have them so far away from eachother they are never on the ball. Amazing!
We've used a long ball to Fellaini more than we ever did last season. The manager is living on reputation at the moment.
The whole team is a disaster
- Di Maria isn't a striker
- We're outnumbered in midfield
- No creativity in midfield with Carrick and Fellaini
- The defence looks poor too
- You can play 3-5-2 but not with Valencia and Young
I just don't understand why he is getting us to kick it long all game. Against City and Chelsea we looked decent and actually attempted something reassembling good football.
All we're doing is giving Arsenal the ball back time after time.
All we're doing is giving Arsenal the ball back time after time.
I don't think you can play 3-5-2 at all not even with Rafa and Shaw. THe CB's look utterly clueless with their positioning.
Questions need to need to be asked of the system and selection. This is just awful so far in the game regardless of the score. There are better players on the bench.
I'm starting, sadly, to question his "philosophy".
Firstly, why when we've no fit centre backs is he playing three at the back?
And he seems to want to sit back while teams attack and hit them on the break. Not smart when you've got a makeshift back four.
Clearly injuries are causing a problem but this persistence with a formation that seems to suit nobody is bizarre.
Firstly, why when we've no fit centre backs is he playing three at the back?
And he seems to want to sit back while teams attack and hit them on the break. Not smart when you've got a makeshift back four.
Clearly injuries are causing a problem but this persistence with a formation that seems to suit nobody is bizarre.
There aren't better defenders on the bench though. We could use Mata and Herrera.
Painfully obvious that our CBs can't play this 352 shit. I can't understand why LVG would switch his system yet again. He's responsible for the shambles we're all witnessing today.
If we are going to hoof it long we need some pace in the attack. Unfortunately we got rid of that last summer.
Very poor tactics and line up so far, the defence look lost at sea when played in a 3. unsure what role di Maria is playing today.injuries are not helping the cause however I think 433 would suit us so much better.
Even if we win this match....i'm not happy because i can't see Van Gaals's philosophy.
It's far from good enough so far under Van Gaal.
Van Gaal is only lucky his name is Van Gaal and not Moyes
Moyes would have been crucified had he been United's manager so far this season. I'm not buying into injury excuses. There are better players on the bench, and we could employ a system which is not alien to the players.
Can't remember our injury crisis being this bad last year or ever for that matter. Also can't remember us playing with the likes of Valencia and Young at FBs and McNair and Blackett at CB. However old, we had plenty of experience at the back last year.
Shaw going off was our 40th player this season to be injured... How can you not buy into that affecting us?!
I think we would easily beat this Arsenal team with 4-3-3 (and of course another players on the pitch)
Philosophy.
Van Gaal - 0/10.
Utterly predictable trash.
Utterly predictable trash.
I dunno TBF. We have been rather poor in this half and I'm not a big fan of the setup, but maybe the lack of pressing and rigid defensive shape is part of a deliberate ploy to tire Arsenal out and have a go at them post 70 mins+ mark. Hope the walls don't crumble down before that, our defenders seem to be all over the place right now and midfield non-existent. Won't complain if we do a job over Arsenal mind, but a systemic lack of coherence and leaning on functional football will hurt us in the long term. Then again, maybe it's a byproduct of the injuries and lack of quality personnel in key positions.
There was no need to have McNair and Blackett at centre back. That's the managers doing.
So he cant even motivate the players? There is literally no focus and no desire to get something out of this match, his tactics are terrible and lining up Blackett has to be punishable.
It is affecting us, but we could field a much stronger team/ set up than this.
He can piss off with choosing to start RVP every bloody time. We're playing with 10 mean, well we have Valencia and Young so maybe even with 8 players only.
First time I would like to voice my concerns about him. Continuously picking the non performing RVP, ignoring Herrera, going with a 352, I can't understand any of these decisions. Arse aren't even that good.
Its becoming harder and harder to defend him!
He dropped a ball that half.
It's unfair to blame this match completely on LVG. His hand was forced when we didn't sign a CB and now we've got two youth players in defence, there's nothing we can do but go defensive and try to protect them as much as possible. Add to that the fact that Smalling, although IMO the best CB at the club, is not a leader and can't marshal the defence we look really shaky.
A better team would've torn us a new one by now! Its only for De Gea's heroics that we've kept it 0-0
It's more the formation than issue with our inexperienced players. That is the reason I can't accept injuries being an issue today.
We've had Valencia at RB under Moyes, he just didn't stick to this idiotic 352 system. McNair played as a CB against Everton and West Ham and he's looked comfortable. Now him, Blackett and Smalling all look horribly out of place, it was nicely visible when neither Blackett nor Young knew who should pick up Chambers and he's went through both of them. LVG could've easily played that 4141 stupid formation we've played recently or reverted back to 442 diamond, instead we're being tortured by 352 again for some reason.
No idea what's the point of this formation, we don't add attacking power, we don't really thicken our midfield and we don't look better in defence. There's basically no benefit from playing it. We're looking like a pub team against shite Arsenal and DDG's bailing us out again.
LvG must be thanking his stars for not being behind at halftime. If we continue to let them run amok of our defence, we will be surely end up losing this game.
Moyes can suck on one. He isn't relevant here.
What's relevant is this joke of a formation and team selection, contributing to one of the worst first half's I've ever seen as a United supporter. That bad.
Flabbergasted, to be honest. We may turn this performance around and I hope we do, but this is the first time I'm questioning the manager. Pathetic on every level. And if he can't see that his best pal up top is holding the team back then he better open his eyes to that very soon.
What's relevant is this joke of a formation and team selection, contributing to one of the worst first half's I've ever seen as a United supporter. That bad.
Flabbergasted, to be honest. We may turn this performance around and I hope we do, but this is the first time I'm questioning the manager. Pathetic on every level. And if he can't see that his best pal up top is holding the team back then he better open his eyes to that very soon.
As opposed to who ?
He is to be blamed, he cant even motivate players for a match vs Arsenal.
It's hugely frustrating when you see a team and instantly know "Yeah, we're going to be shit." It happened almost every week with Moyes, and quite a bit under Fergie late in the day too (Giggs & Scholes in a midfield 2 for example)...And then, lo and behold, we are. You always mitigate your own thoughts a bit and think "well, what do I know?" but really, it completely confounds me when it's as obvious as it seems here.
No midfield and 3 at the back against Arsenal. We're going to spend all game hanging on then hoofing it up to Fellaini when we get it. Of course we are. That's all we can do. We might as well have kept Moyes if that's what we're pushing for.
No midfield and 3 at the back against Arsenal. We're going to spend all game hanging on then hoofing it up to Fellaini when we get it. Of course we are. That's all we can do. We might as well have kept Moyes if that's what we're pushing for.
To be fair, Palace at home was more dire. Clearly we're improving.
The players look lost, why are we playing this formation and man marking half their team. Disappointed with the way he has approached this. Let's hope we can pull off a result.
Valencia yes, but he had the likes of Ferdinand, Vidic, and Evra beside him, not Young, Blackett, McNair and Smalling. Van Gaal doesn't have anyone else available at the moment.
- Status