Runners up last season / near top of the table at present / Defence looking rock solid for the first time in years / exciting players brought in to play the United way / far more offensive than any team since SAF’s reign.
But you still don’t trust OGS.
Comedy gold!
No i do not trust Ole to tactically take this team to the next level. I see Ole as a strategist and as I suggested in my first line, he has mostly delivered. He fixed the culture, brought in better players but i question why we did not shift deadwood, Mata, Lingard, Jones, Bailey etc. After a strategy you need to apply tactics and the operations to deliver this. I see none of this on the pitch, we play for that golden moment in the game, no style of play. If you was going to dig in harder around style of play, you could say cut throat attacking football, as Fergie did between 2009 and 2013. We are nowhere near that level and we struggle to move the ball fast up the pitch despite having very pacy players.
The Man utd way is not only playing for the badge and playing attacking football, it is the demand players put on themselves and others. Do you see De Gea screeming at his backline for not closing down a player, do you see Maguire demanding his players push up the pitch, do you see Bruno telling Mcfred to move the ball faster up the pitch? We effectively silenced Ronaldo at home to Villa, that is an embarrassment. Ive been waiting for 3 years for United to click, to see an end to the constant ups and down. Every game i go in with hope, this is the day Ole has fixed, the coaches have worked on our weaknesses all week, but no. We start games slow, as we did 3 years ago, there are huge gaps between midfield and attack, as was the case 3 years ago and set pieces are still nervy.
Im tired of reading posts like yours that go back in history and say well we finished 2nd, we are near the top now, blah blah. Last year was last year, i think we were lucky to finish 2nd but ill take it. We lost the europa league final to a team that had never won a trophey before, we didnt look like winning. The start this season has been okay, we played well in one game and that was at Leeds. Newcastle was okay, the Ronaldo effect prevailed. Since then, we have lost 3 out of 4. In the 8 games we have played this season so far, we have 1 clean sheet. Im not sure what solid defence you are referencing. Most of the top teams have played 2 or 3 of each other, we have them all coming up in the next 6 weeks. That spell will determine if we challenge or not for the title. Don't concern yourself with our position now, let's see what happens by December. Can you confidently say we will be comfortably sitting in the top 4? Still challenging for the title? From what I have seen in the last 5 games, i say no. We got schooled by Villa, who had a plan and they executed it. They supposedly have lesser players, ours are twice the value and three times the wage, yet the look like minions.
I don't mind all the backing Ole has with fans, but think to yourself that we are now approaching his 3rd full year, are we settled? Do we actually have a style of play (you think we do, i would love to hear your description), are the players going above and beyond?