A much needed defense of Ole
Tough one to take last night. We had the better players but they played their gameplan well and got the win on penalties.
Here's a few questions and answers in defense of Ole's reign and last night.
Which players would the Ole outers have brought on to change the game up? Weren't all our best players out there? Would Donny, Mata, Amad or Dan James have given us a better chance to open up their defense? I'm not sure
The reason I like what Ole is doing is because it's in step with the history of our club. Gradual progression, promoting youth and playing the game the right way. He hasn't got all the players he needs to play it the way he wants at the moment but in time I think he will get there. Promoting Greenwood, Rashford, Pogba, Cavani and Bruno and shipping Fellaini and Lukaku all point to what I want to see.
The above players do have their faults though and this is especially noticeable against packed defenses. Rashford for all his ability in space is not very good when the game is tightened. I think Ole knows this and that's why he is constantly pushing for Sancho. I think a Sancho or a Grealish will very quickly rectify a lot of the problems we are having breaking these teams down. Our football will instantly be much more pleasing on the eye as we get a lead in these types of games and then increase it as teams open up. City have 4 of these players that are all better in tight situations then our current 2. That's why they're more pleasing on the eye and win more games.
If we get a Sancho/Grealish and we don't play much better football and win more matches, I will gladly accept that the fault lies somewhere other than our playing squad, but at the moment I believe Ole knows what he needs just as he knew last year.
He's fixed the rot Mourinho left and he's turned the ship around. He deserves the key piece to really get this team going and then we can judge his work fairly.