First post and it's hugely negative.
You'll fit right in on the Caf. Thanks for coming.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion
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First post and it's hugely negative.
You'll fit right in on the Caf. Thanks for coming.
And De Gea will continue to cost us points. After the end of last season and the start of this one, I'm confident he's done at the elite level. He's still a good goalkeeper but he's no where near as formidable as he used to be. Him signing a new contract would be Sanchez 2.0 for us.
If Chelsea could easily have gone the other way, so could the Palace game. You can say it about most PL games, Arsenal had chances to go ahead against Liverpool on Saturday (who were also very fortunate to come away with a win at Southampton).
No. But i see no patterns of play when we play against an organized defence which is concerning.
We look totally clueless when not allowed to counter. 75 % possession against Palace and only 3 shots on target is abysmal.
Exactly. Not only this season, when we lost 2-0 vs Arsenal, De Gea made a blunder and then a penalty that wasn't a penalty. On the other hand, we missed shit loads of chances, Fred hit the outside of the post.
Against Wolves away, we created shit loads of chances and game should have been over in the first 30 mins.
Against Chelsea, we completely blew them away and then De Gea blunder conceded the goal.
I think 'maybe' 'if' 'but' should be only used to play down ManUtd, when we are at the receiving end then we played it to opponent hands.
needs more doom and gloom
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No, Jesse should not warm the bench. He should be demoted from the squad (or at the very least should NOT make the squad for matches) for the time being. And neither should Matic, actually.
I believe Ole is the right guy at this point in time. He is doing so many things right; promoting the young players, slowly moving out the dross, putting more energy into the side, working on fitness, promoting a pressing game. Yes the squad has deficiencies but he cant sort it all out in one window and I think the buys he has made so far are the right ones. This is what everyone wanted in the next manager after Mourinho.
Ole likely wont last as he is not a top class manager but he is perfect for now and when his time does come to an end he is going to leave a young hungry squad based on a clear ethos for the next manager to take on and win things. What he wont leave behind is the mixed up, messed up squad full of mercenaries like the last 3 managers.
Ole likely wont last as he is not a top class manager but he is perfect for now and when his time does come to an end he is going to leave a young hungry squad based on a clear ethos for the next manager to take on and win things. What he wont leave behind is the mixed up, messed up squad full of mercenaries like the last 3 managers.
Exactly. IT was what everyone was shouting for. When they get what they want, they are not happy about that either. Of course the midfield isn’t strong enough. Of course there should be another forward, but then again, it would push youth further back. It is a very sensible approach. It won’t bring results right away, they will be hit and miss. But then the idiots come out with their knives..
You can easily see where the club is going. The signings have been very good. And people shout be happy not paying 70mill on Fernandes or 50 on Longstaff. Good on the club for not paying over the odds and still look for the right signings, not just numbers.
The energy in the team is fantastic. When was the last time you saw energy like that?
And weak leadership? Come on numptys, who else would just put half the team on the stand, and even keeping those players happy.
It’s nothing short of fantastic leadership.
And if Ole turn out or will not turn out to be a top top manager, you simply don’t know. He is still working with a very thin,but young and talented squad.
The club should be very happy that these negative incompetent armchair wrestlers don’t go to games... Because that is another one. The youngsters need support.
It's important to set realistic ambitions about this season. There is no way we are finishing top 4 this year, more likely will have a battle to achieve a Europa League spot. This squad is the worst I have seen for a long time.
Midfield is way below any other top 10 side.
We don't have a striker that guarantee us at least 20 goals a season.
We have poor set plays and players that still can't hit a cross or deliver killer passes regularly.
The only area that looks competent is defence and major questions were asked off it against palace.
I will back ole all the way due to the fact that this squad is poor, but he needs to show some other way of playing instead of counter attacking.
Midfield is way below any other top 10 side.
We don't have a striker that guarantee us at least 20 goals a season.
We have poor set plays and players that still can't hit a cross or deliver killer passes regularly.
The only area that looks competent is defence and major questions were asked off it against palace.
I will back ole all the way due to the fact that this squad is poor, but he needs to show some other way of playing instead of counter attacking.
Actually, watching Tottenham and Chelsea I thin top four is within reach. Utd will drop points, but so will they.
One midfielder in January, and it looks even so more plausible.
I think stats and heat maps against Wolves and Palace show something else than counter attack football. If playing counter attacking the team would stand of much deeper. Lacking some god final passes, sure. But that is not counter fotball.
The question for me is the following:
You've signed Maguire and AWB (both signings took far too long), Ole clearly rates Lindelof and Shaw so we have a settled back 4. Brilliant. Job done.
We now look at midfield... Matic is clearly out of favour, fit all Summer and can't break into the first team despite us struggling badly in midfield. So thats one player Ole clearly doesn't rate and wants to move on. Fred joined Pre Season late due to his yearly marriage ceremony but if Ole rated Fred you'd think he'd be pushing him fast back into the first team? The fact he isn't even making the bench again tells us that he's another player Ole isn't sure about. So thats 2 bodies down.
That leaves our midfield selection of Pogba and McTominay as default. He also doesn't seem to rate Pereira in that position as he was used as an AM against Chelsea. So we've gone into the season with only 2 central midfielders that Ole actually wants. Possibly 3 if we think Fred is being left out due to fitness (I think thats doubtful). Surely Ole would have told Woodward of his midfield plans so why in fecks name did we not sign a fecking midfielder? Our management team arent stupid, they must know that Pogba in midfield isn't ideal and that we can't go through the entire season with just 2 midfielders. It's just bewildering why we didnt sign a midfielder. It's unexplainable to me.
You've signed Maguire and AWB (both signings took far too long), Ole clearly rates Lindelof and Shaw so we have a settled back 4. Brilliant. Job done.
We now look at midfield... Matic is clearly out of favour, fit all Summer and can't break into the first team despite us struggling badly in midfield. So thats one player Ole clearly doesn't rate and wants to move on. Fred joined Pre Season late due to his yearly marriage ceremony but if Ole rated Fred you'd think he'd be pushing him fast back into the first team? The fact he isn't even making the bench again tells us that he's another player Ole isn't sure about. So thats 2 bodies down.
That leaves our midfield selection of Pogba and McTominay as default. He also doesn't seem to rate Pereira in that position as he was used as an AM against Chelsea. So we've gone into the season with only 2 central midfielders that Ole actually wants. Possibly 3 if we think Fred is being left out due to fitness (I think thats doubtful). Surely Ole would have told Woodward of his midfield plans so why in fecks name did we not sign a fecking midfielder? Our management team arent stupid, they must know that Pogba in midfield isn't ideal and that we can't go through the entire season with just 2 midfielders. It's just bewildering why we didnt sign a midfielder. It's unexplainable to me.
And imagine next Summer when Pogba goes...
Well, in some way Oles hands are tied. The club is struggling to sell the players Ole doesn't want and he's been given a low war chest. I actually think the players he's bought have been excellent so far. Can't fault Ole for that, it's frustrating he wasn't given more money.
I think the idea is that its better not to buy someone than buying the wrong players, the kind of once bitten, twice shy logic after the disaster of previous years' transfer policy.
Maybe wrong but I think Fred will be part of his team. No idea why I have that gut feeling btw.
Well he will have to at some point by default anyways, as we have so many games.
That's true too, my post was him being first choice player.
I think top top 6 is within reach, definitely not top 4. Not under Ole.
I'll be surprised if that happens to be honest. It would mean pushing Pogba up in the AM role (which is great) but i'm still of the belief that Pogba+Fred cannot work in the same lineup as they both give the ball away far too much. It's either/or when it comes to those two.
But even if we wanted to push Pogba up to AM role, Ole would struggle to put anyone alongside Scott that he seems to rate. Which makes the whole decision of not signing a midfielder mind blowing. I can only assume that the 100m budget story was spot on.
For how long should we be patient? If there were good signs it would have been another story, but what do we see now? Lingard starts every game, Mata off the bench every game, Gomes doesn’t make the squad. This has to stop, or this manager won’t last.
It doesn’t require one to be an Einstein to see that Lingard is a nothing player - still the manager stubbornly persists with starting him EVERY GAME. Is it a sign of a good manager if he rewards mediocrity and absence of required skills with a starting spot?
Well this is certainly a take.
It’s a poor run of form, I don’t think this is a permanent Joe Hart-esque fall to oblivion.
Not that I don't believe the Glazers are trying everything possible to spend as little as possible and still mount a top 4 challenge, but the club seems to have briefed the press that Ole will have the Lukaku money (which isn't paid in a lump sum). And the rumours were we were trying to swap Lukaku with Dybala, so if Ole was to be given what we'd get for Lukaku, we should definitely have been able to sign a midfielder.
I think the problem is less about money (though it plays a part) and more about inept planning. We had months to assess this. There are loads of midfielders who would improve our squad and there are quite a few who would improve our first XI. And there is no way all of them only fit the mercenary mould. We simply didn't plan properly. I mean, we bought Maguire 2 months later than we could have for exactly the amount that was asked for in the beginning. We are just a terribly badly run club.
I'd have more sympathy for Ole if he hadn't been gushing about how fantastically well run we are. He doesn't have to go full Jose on the hierarchy but he doesn't have to go the complete opposite way either. It's a bad look.
I can forgive him for this because ultimately we've had nothing but negative stories for the past 5/6 years. It's probably good to hide that negativity behind closed doors rather than providing the media with the ammunition to spread more negativity.
The planning is an interesting point because if we believe what we've been told then it seems that Ole is more of a stubborn Manager who identifies the player he wants with lots of research and then will not accept failure. As @Wednesday at Stoke puts it, he seems pretty decisive in his squad building which is probably why he's pretty good at it (although we'll see how well Maguire, AWB and James do in 6 months before assessing them properly).
Except we haven't played this way in the first three games. That's obvious.
Seeing as Ole has only had 1 transfer window, his first pre-season and we're only 3 games into the season, it really answers itself. There is a big rebuilding job required and he's only getting started. We're there or thereabouts for top 4 and unless we start lead-ballooning down the table he's probably not going anywhere, and there isn't much point to all this panic.
The squad still has deficiencies and options in mid-field are limited but there are signs of improvement and the team are creating chances. You aren't going to see youngsters like Gomes or Garner thrown in at deep-end this early in the season. Ole said they'll start getting more minutes in Sep/Oct and most likely he's referring to blooding them in the Cups. If they do well there they'll start getting minutes in the PL. This is a sensible approach to Youth development.
If Ole was to start Gomes etc and it all went pear-shaped, it would be another knife in his back and potentially damage their confidence and set back their development.
Yeah, not exactly to AM position. Like the free role he played when Ole took over. Between 10 and 8 sort of. I also think we will stop playing 4-2-3-1 as we will be weak defensively with Pogba playing deeper.
What could go wrong with starting Gomes? Nothing - at worst he wouldn’t score or assist, but neither does Lingard. It is impossible to play worse than Lingard in the role of a CAM - and Gomes has more creativity and better technique for sure. He can actually take set pieces as well.
Mistakes are inevitable - but mistakes of a CAM don’t cost much (unlike Garner - mistakes of a DM come at a price)
What could possibly go wrong with throwing an un-proven 18yr old into the starting line-up of a misfiring team, whose fanbase contains a cohort known for their reactionary knee-jerk responses?
Please remember that whilst he may not be the best choice, Ole is paying the price for the club hiring Jose Mourinho.
Back him of course.
Lingard has regularly started for the last three managers and also starts for his country. It’s safe to say that there’s a reason for this. It may be because our other options are worse but there’s obviously a reason for it unless you think four different individuals just pick him because they’re mates with him or something.
You can say that about any managerial situation, though.
- Jose paid the price for the board appointing an almost-retired relic manager in LVG and allowing him to spend a fortune on mediocre players. This meant Jose needed to try and clear out at least some of what was left for him, and gave him slightly less to work with in terms of spending. Plus he had to re-train them in a different style of play.
- LVG paid the price for the board hiring Moyes. He inherited an aging squad with many key players needing to be replaced and the board had hired Moyes thinking he'd be able to eke out decent results/standings with this aging squad. The squad lacked direction and LVG needed to implement a visible style of play on them as a result.
Recently he was picked over James Maddison. By England. What's the reason because I'm lost?
we had 3rd place form under him last year. chelsea are significantly weaker since then.
reminds me of when everyone said 4th place was impossible when he took over last year. If you are so sure we can't make top 4 you should get down the bookies and make some money
Would Ole still be here if the Club hadn't made his caretaker role permanent before seeing the end of the season?. We all wanted him to get it but end of season was a disaster wasn't it?
2 muscular injuries within 3 games is reminiscent of last season before the collapse started..
The only question Woodward needs to ask himself is if he truly believes Ole is the right guy or not. It shouldn't matter how many coaches we have let go or not.
so far Ole for me has been well below par but it's possible he can learn. Haul him into the office with a list of immediate specific attainable improvements and 5 games to improve them....after all every employee gets a performance appraisal and he should be no different.
2 muscular injuries within 3 games is reminiscent of last season before the collapse started..
The only question Woodward needs to ask himself is if he truly believes Ole is the right guy or not. It shouldn't matter how many coaches we have let go or not.
so far Ole for me has been well below par but it's possible he can learn. Haul him into the office with a list of immediate specific attainable improvements and 5 games to improve them....after all every employee gets a performance appraisal and he should be no different.
hahah good manI have and I perhaps will make some money
Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are all looking just as shakey as us, if not more. David Luiz is more of a calamity than Phil Jones is and Chelsea's back 4 is like our midfield, lacks depth and quality. So this top 4 fight is far away from being over!
I know people wanted LVG to leave, me included but at least he tried to get a structure into the way we play. You cannot just throw 11 players on the pitch and ask them to play. This is why clubs like City and Pool in England are playing well now. The same with SAF. He could put Park and Rafa into midfield and still win because there was a structure in the team. Even with Jose there was a structure even if it was parking the bus, coach and the taxi.
Now there is no structure and that is why it is getting a bit ridiculous. Pressing is not actually a structure. We need to know what to do with it once we get the ball and that seems to be our biggest problem. I simply do not think Ole has thought about how to play against top quality teams or for that matter how to coach a top tier club.
Now there is no structure and that is why it is getting a bit ridiculous. Pressing is not actually a structure. We need to know what to do with it once we get the ball and that seems to be our biggest problem. I simply do not think Ole has thought about how to play against top quality teams or for that matter how to coach a top tier club.
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