In French but some extended highlights from today
Manchester United vs Lens (Sat 5th August, 12:45 UK time)
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
Been my concern last season and throughout pre season, doesn't look like changing. We rely heavily on counters and balls over the top from deep. Any time a team drops off and defends deep, we look thoroughly average. It's the same issues we had under Ole, just with a mutch better team on paper.
Was that a special kit for a preseason friendly? I counted 8 sponsors.Didn't notice this earlier, but do Lens players really have the McDonald's sponsorship on their buttcheeks?
2 McDonalds Ms on the back of each leg (suppose this could be a double placement of one sponsor),
1 sponsor front left of shorts,
1 main sponsor in the center of the shirt,
1 sponsor on each breast,
2 sponsors on the back (one above and one below the number),
1 on the left sleeve.
Do all French clubs have this many? It's almost NASCAR. They don't seem to have all that shit in photos of them playing last season, so maybe it's just some preseason thing.
Elanga without the speed.
Nailed on we're avoiding the drop.
Tale of two halves. Great to see us much more incisive in the last third in the second half against a much more decent opponent than I expected. Clean up the keeper who thinks he’s a midfielder and bring in Amrabat and we can put in a proper title challenge this season.
Think you need to tamper your expectations, we're not mounting a serious title challenge this season. I think top 4 comfortably again would be good.
Better than what the San Diego fans got with the Wrexham game.
I’ve seen the lob on Twitter. I actually think it shows a lot about Onana’s character and ability. 1) how much effort he put into running back 2) he actually came close to saving it.
Amrabat will be deputizing for Casemiro, not Mount. They don't play the same position.
He started showing some potential last season in the reserves. I remember thinking that he has started to emerge as someone who could play for the first team. Looks to have become a bit taller. Haven't shown much in the preseason. Hopefully he can kick on once he gets more playing opportunities.
Think he's suggesting we'll change the system. I think we'll need to, definitely for certain teams. We look too open in midfield and Casemiro needs assistance protecting the defence. He can't do it on his own as he doesn't have the mobility.
I didn't go to a single game last season as I'm mostly based in Amsterdam. But one thing was clear for me today, seeing a game live really brings our strengths and weaknesses to life.
Our right side is a worry. Bruno is a different class of player on and off the ball.
Our right side is a worry. Bruno is a different class of player on and off the ball.
Good game against a team that finish no 2 in their league, just 1 point after PSG
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Yep, that's what would happen in the current system which will be the one we will predominatly play.
But we could also see a different shape adopted for some games (particularly tougher ones), with Amrabat used alongside Casemiro as part of a deeper double pivot, possibly with one of Bruno/Mount shifted out wide.
It's not like ETH is a manager who sticks rigidly to one thing, he'd likely enjoy having the option to adjust approach for certain games with different profiles of players.
Moan moan moan whinge whinge whinge moan whinge moan whinge moan moan whinge whinge moan whinge moan whinge moan moan moan whinge whinge whinge Chris Waddell
I’m yet to see a team which doesn’t struggle against the low block. That’s why you need to score early or first. Mount converts that chance or Garnacho a bit earlier (admittedly difficult chance) and the opponent has to chase the game, leaving space to exploit. City do that all the time. We need to be clinical in front of goal.
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Clearly if we got Amrabat it wouldn’t be just a simple rotation option for Casemiro. It allows for tactical diversity - where in some games it’ll be better to have two holding midfielders and one attacking midfielder, rather than the other way round. That’s why I think he’s a good signing - 1) because he adds strength in depth to cover Casemiro but also 2) because he allows for a different approach. Of course you could say we could do this with McT or Fred but the reality is they would significantly reduce our quality - whereas with Amrabat I’d feel like quality is still good in either option.
As Tupac said, some things never change
Buono Estenté Paula.
That might be it. I think Casemiro is fine as a single pivot - but not for 90 minutes. I could see Mount alongside Casemiro more than Amrabat, but other than City or in the CL, when are we going to need to set up as 2 holding or defensive mids? Arsenal maybe. I think we are going to have a lot of tactical flexibility, especially when Hojland is up to speed, but I don't see us sitting with 2 deep in a counter-attacking way. We could, of course, I just don't see it and it doesn't seem like what EtH is going for. We shall see! Either way, I think Amrabat would be a good signing.
EtH is kinda rigid in his thinking - he wants players who are not 100% tied to a positional role. We see it when we transition out of defense. Licha steps up and we become a back 3. Licha effectively becomes a holding mid alongside Casemiro, which allows one or both of Mount and Bruno to break forward.
My understanding is that EtH likes positional flexibility, with each player comfortable with the ball, playing through the press, and interchanging/swapping assignments as needed during the game. I don't see us using a double pivot as a preferred option, except maybe in the CL, but who knows.
Either way (single pivot, double pivot, combo of something else), I am feeling eager for this season to start. I think we've got a real team shaping up without any of the weaknesses we've had to endure recently (e.g., defenders who treat the ball like it's a ticking bomb, midfielders who can't find a teammate, keepers who are nailed to their line, fullbacks who don't overlap, no one willing to take on a player when they have the ball, etc.).
If Maguire captains the side, you owe me five bucks.I'll let you know tomorrow
How close were they to being full strength?
Was wondering about the high line a couple days ago. What stops people from chilling city? But regardless i knew he would get caught out. Happy it happened during the pre season.
Hopefully he learned from it. We aren’t strong enough at possession
I thought overall this was very good. And, for the first time in ages, that you could sort of see the contours of something great - a team where it's not just 4-5 players having a good day and the rest filling in the blanks, but one where every player contributes something specific to a fully functional whole. Not quite there yet, but you can see the outline. Dalot the only one who sticks out like a sore thumb in that picture.
I think, if we play Rashford as LW and Hojlund as striker, we do need Case - Amrabat at the base to allow Rashford focusing on attack.
I’ll make it my homework for the next week. Just need to be made a full member if anyone can help out with that like haha
I can't tell until I see it in Ligue 1, but I noticed that French clubs can be quite ridiculous in the number of sponsors on their kits.
Had that top
My lad worked in Le Mans for a year and he told me that French clubs had different sponsors on their shirts for each match. I went over there for a week in 2008, and saw Lens nick an extra time 5-4 win over Le Mans, in a French League Cup Quarter Final match. The standing ticket was £5.
What was the chant just as the clock ticked over at 90 minutes?
Was it for Onana to the tune of No Limit by 2 Unlimited?
Was it for Onana to the tune of No Limit by 2 Unlimited?
Lets hope TH makes Onana stay 10 yards back from his position when he got lobbed from. It would still be way out of his area and gives him a great chance to get back if lobbed. I only saw the highlights, but there was some good long passing in there. Garnacho and Antony looked the pick of the players from the highlights. Dont know the standard of Lens (2nd in farmers league) compared to the Prem teams outside the top 6, but it was a good win.
Was a freakishly great shot. I’d imagine 99.9% of the times that doesn’t go in. The last thing we want is Onana adapting his game because our players are not good enough.
If we’re making him stand 10 yards back then there was literally no point getting rid of de Gea.
City get caught for it. The pros just outweigh the cons.
In fact McTominay scored against City, under Ole, in similar fashion.
Challenge, not triumph itself. I am of the view that we can and will put in a proper title challenge, but that in the end we will fall short, second or third to City.
The 6 isn't going to be isolated during build-up phases. Dalot inverts. Even Shaw inverts sometimes. Martinez even offers support at times too.
It's not an experiment when most top teams play with 2 roaming 8s ahead of a 6.