Mercedes Benz Junior Cup

KM

I’m afraid I just blue myself
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Sep 18, 2008
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@AdamSMarshall: United's Mercedes Benz Junior Cup group (players born 1994) contains FC Copenhagen, Stuttgart and Schalke.

Will take place on 4 and 5th Jan. Other teams included are Lazio, Zagreb, Dortmund and Mainz.

No squad details yet.
 
Adam Marshall @AdamSMarshall

Squad for Mercedes Benz Cup: Pereira, Sutherland; Blackett, Grimshaw, Love; Daehli, Ekangamene, Pearson, Weir; Barmby, Lawrence, Wilson
 
Surely we're taking more than 10 outfielders?
 
Its an indoor tournament apparently so it may just be 7-a-side or something along those lines.
 
No chance of this being televised obviously, is there any chance usuall to get a stream to these sort of things? Would love to see this.
 
Jaybezia said:
No chance of this being televised obviously, is there any chance usuall to get a stream to these sort of things? Would love to see this.
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There will be a stream on the official site here: http://www.mercedes-benz-junior-cup.de/

A friend of mine lives near Sindelfingen where the cup is played I think about visiting him and going to watch the tournament life if there are still tickets available and my friend hasn't already planned anything for the weekend.

Not really a short trip for me but would love to see some of our youth players in action.

Edit: Yeah okay I think I will cancel that trip, 120 € traveling costs + 10 € ticket + food and drinking costs for a one day trip is a bit much for a youth tournament like that.
 
Anyone else watching? Lazio v Mainz on at the moment and the Lazio number 9 looks a special talent.

I can see us warming up so I think we may be on next.
 
My stream has died but United were not looking very impressive so far. Even in 6-a-side we are trying to play over the top all the time.
 
Shit, missed it. When's the next game?
 
Schalke seemed to be able to pass the ball a lot better.

More experience with small sided games from a younger age over in Germany. Showed a bit there.

Did anyone see the Sutherland triple save?
 
backofthenet said:
Yeah Pearson was trying to be too direct a lot of the time I thought. The basic technique from some of the lads was a bit iffy too...
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I wouldn't say Pearson lacks technique at all, he has a very good first touch, good close control, balance, short passing, positioning etc, but if no one is showing for him then he has to make a decision quickly.

Here's the thing, I don't think our lads do lack technique compared to any other clubs around, they just have a different and more direct mentality and less composure in tight spaces because of this. Daehli, Barmby, Lawrence, even our defenders, Charni, Blackett and Love are all as comfortable in possession as any other group out there today. Its just our style of play that didn't suit their strengths. No one comes short or shows for each other when we have possession deep in our half.

We are much less likely to make an angle for a defender/goalkeeper on the ball than some of our European rivals, preferring to take the 'safer' option and try and go back to front quickly and win the ball higher up the pitch. When this works it can be devastating but when it doesn't it starves you of possession and makes you look technically inferior.
 
I wasn't suggesting Pearson lacked technique... others perhaps in the setup do in my opinion. However, I do agree that the style of play that is expected in the premier league does translate poorly when taken abroad.

It's a bloody difficult one to solve in that if we prepare the young lads for European style they won't be prepared for the premier league, and if we get them ready for the premier league they look poor against European opposition
 
If there's an English commentary, could somebody PM me it please
 
1-1 FT. Unless there are more 10 min periods. Good fun. Weir with our goal.
 
Finished 1-1. Weir equalized with a good diving header from a Barmby cross.

Again we had the better individuals but they were far more composed in possession and played with a better style.
 
Daehli hasn't done much, but then he is only playing for 3 minutes before he gets taken off again so its hard to judge. Pearson has probably been on the most and been our best player. None of our players have linked up well in terms of short one touch passing at all so far.
 
Our passing is very poor (or non-existent) in comparison - that's what it comes down to really. It's clear we aren't used to this compared to the other teams. Highlights problems in the English game, really.
 
steeeb said:
Our passing is very poor (or non-existent) in comparison - that's what it comes down to really. It's clear we aren't used to this compared to the other teams. Highlights problems in the English game, really.
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The movement in attack and defence has been pretty poor too. You can see Stuggart are all passing and moving as a team and tracking runs in defence whereas our lads get the ball and run to the side hoardings because they have nothing on and are getting dragged all over the place when defending.

Should be a good little experience for them though and should be something they're working on.
 
Stuggart were class as a team and we couldn't live with them. Our inexperience of playing on these small pitches is really showing. Results are not always accurate as I have seen Lazio play some great stuff in their matches but they lost them both. We have deserved to lose ours however.

There has been no short, quick one touch passing from us whatsoever. This has as much to do with the poor movement from the men off the ball than it does from the poor decisions of the man on it.

Like I said before its not that we don't have technical ability, its just that we don't have the intelligence to seem to utilise it into a style of play. We are more a group of individuals than a team which is disappointing.

We even have tried to get in behind them from over the top a few times which is laughable in 6-a-side football. Its just our players seemed clueless of what else to do with it.
 
Watching the match vs Dortmund. Daehli just took out three players with one skill move. Was pretty class.
 
Defeated them 2-1. Weir and Pearson scored our goals. Thought we were pretty good. Should've scored atleast a couple more in the last two minutes.
 
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