To quote The Rock, it doesn’t matter what Ole needs to do.
Ole stays what does he need to do?
- Thread starter SAred
- Start date
He needs to find that arcade machine Tom Hanks used to become big, and instead wish to become a decent football manager
He can't stay. It's over.
Switch to a 3-5-2.
1) Back 3 of Maguire - Varane - AWB. As AWB is terrible in the final third, let him stay back and do what he’s good at - defending
2) Use Shaw and Sancho as wingbacks to provide width (and support the midfield). Two ball playing wide players who are great in the final third and can put in a shift to help defend.
3) Midfield 3 should consist of Bruno (who can then play as a 10 / false 9 - which he ends up doing anyway) and a double pivot of two of Fred, VDB, Pogba, Mct)
4) Play 2 of Ronaldo, Rashford, Greenwood, Cavani up front. If we need pace, then Rashford and Greenwood. If we need guile / experience, then play Ronaldo and Cavani and use Shaw/Sancho to bombard the crosses in.
Whoever is not running their socks off on the pitch needs to get the hairdryer from the manager.
1) Back 3 of Maguire - Varane - AWB. As AWB is terrible in the final third, let him stay back and do what he’s good at - defending
2) Use Shaw and Sancho as wingbacks to provide width (and support the midfield). Two ball playing wide players who are great in the final third and can put in a shift to help defend.
3) Midfield 3 should consist of Bruno (who can then play as a 10 / false 9 - which he ends up doing anyway) and a double pivot of two of Fred, VDB, Pogba, Mct)
4) Play 2 of Ronaldo, Rashford, Greenwood, Cavani up front. If we need pace, then Rashford and Greenwood. If we need guile / experience, then play Ronaldo and Cavani and use Shaw/Sancho to bombard the crosses in.
Whoever is not running their socks off on the pitch needs to get the hairdryer from the manager.
If he stays, it’s only because the board haven’t found a replacement yet.
my FM head…
We’ve only seen Varane a few times but already losing his calmness seems to have sent the rest of the defence into chaotic panic.
Maguire was good enough last season though but obviously been rushed back and out of form. There is a strong partnership to be had there.
Shaw, despite this early season was brilliant last year. 3 of the back 4 are fine.
Whilst I haven’t seen much of him on loan, it’d be great to see Laird back if nothing more to give AWB a wake up similar to the signing of Telles when Shaw upped his game. If nothing else, Laird is far better in the final third.
a 4231 with McDred isn’t good enough. He should revert to 433 and the one to suffer, would be Bruno…he’s also hurting us at the minute.
I’d go with Pogba and Donny in the middle but can’t for the life of me decide who is the least harmful as a CDM. I can’t stand McT and Matic let’s runners past him easily so perhaps Fred but he’s hardly convincing.
Then the hard part with Rashford, Sancho, Greenwood, Ronaldo and Cavani for final 3 places! I’d be inclined to drop Ronaldo and use as impact sun. Likewise Greenwood. Cavani up top with his movement and workrate which is second to none. Despite his poor start, probably Sancho right (play into form as he’s still been a bit part player) and Rashford left.
We’ve only seen Varane a few times but already losing his calmness seems to have sent the rest of the defence into chaotic panic.
Maguire was good enough last season though but obviously been rushed back and out of form. There is a strong partnership to be had there.
Shaw, despite this early season was brilliant last year. 3 of the back 4 are fine.
Whilst I haven’t seen much of him on loan, it’d be great to see Laird back if nothing more to give AWB a wake up similar to the signing of Telles when Shaw upped his game. If nothing else, Laird is far better in the final third.
a 4231 with McDred isn’t good enough. He should revert to 433 and the one to suffer, would be Bruno…he’s also hurting us at the minute.
I’d go with Pogba and Donny in the middle but can’t for the life of me decide who is the least harmful as a CDM. I can’t stand McT and Matic let’s runners past him easily so perhaps Fred but he’s hardly convincing.
Then the hard part with Rashford, Sancho, Greenwood, Ronaldo and Cavani for final 3 places! I’d be inclined to drop Ronaldo and use as impact sun. Likewise Greenwood. Cavani up top with his movement and workrate which is second to none. Despite his poor start, probably Sancho right (play into form as he’s still been a bit part player) and Rashford left.
The self titled ‘world’s greatest football club’ will continue to accept this situation as long as match going reds don’t turn en masse on ole, which I can’t see happening. Even yesterday the booing was from a few thousand at most. Ole is popular with the board as he does what he’s told and accepts signings which continue to baffle - VDB, 2 years chasing Sancho to put him in the bench within a month, giving new contracts to mediocrity. When 4th place is out of the question he will be sacked - and not a moment before. No tactics will change as the coaching staff would have changed them already if they knew how to.
He doesnt seem to be leaving, if he does end up staying change of formation is required. 3 at back with varane being in center will be required. AWB is neither good position wise nor adds any attacking inputs, go with wing backs dalot and telles as other options are in bad form already. Midefield doesnt add any cover with mcfred, having legs doesnt help for those who lack brain. Go with Bruno, VDB and matic, can we recall garner in jan as surely he wont be more bad than mcfred. Two strikers up top and use the best available based on form. Till Mason and other youngsters learns how to track back, play tactically should be dropped.
This ship has sailed...
Sort the defensive shape out, decide if we are going to play high and press when we lose the ball, or get back into shape and sit deeper, at the moment we seem to be somewhere inbetween and defenders don't no weather they should be pushing up aggressively or getting back to cover and we end up somewhere in between leaving bags of space for teams to play through.
I know one thing though, if we want to press and push high we will have to change our keeper because de gea is too much of a coward to leave his line to sweep. I wouldn't want to step forward as a defender knowing any ball over the top or through im gonna have to turn and chase unless its really overhit and ends up with de gea.
I know one thing though, if we want to press and push high we will have to change our keeper because de gea is too much of a coward to leave his line to sweep. I wouldn't want to step forward as a defender knowing any ball over the top or through im gonna have to turn and chase unless its really overhit and ends up with de gea.
Ole needs to start from the bottom and get his knowledge up. He needs to stop believing in his own hype. He comes across as an individual that wont listen to anyone and once he has made his decision sticks with it. Even when its unravalling right in front of his eyes, he just persists. His tendency to not utilise subs effectively, change tactics in game, bench players for no apparant reasion and trust in his own process which doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere.
This could and should be a giant learning curve for Ole, and I'd suggest managing a club with less pressures, and less superstars where he is able to make mistakes and learn without constant criticism from pretty much everyone.
This could and should be a giant learning curve for Ole, and I'd suggest managing a club with less pressures, and less superstars where he is able to make mistakes and learn without constant criticism from pretty much everyone.
I don't think there is anything he can now do to salvage this, after yesterday. His ship has sailed; he will always be remembered for that defeat - the worst I've ever seen. It wasn't just a hammering at home by our fiercest rivals, it was humiliation. They were laughing at us second half, running rings around us and keeping the ball. There's no recovery possible from that. It was a line in the sand moment. If the Glazers care about the club at all, they will sack him today. It's over.
It’s way too late.
I have a sneaky feeling that Ole's not hard enough on some of the poor performing players and coaches. I know we've got tons of apologists here for some of our MIA/poor-performing players but surely he should have just binned them and set a higher floor at the club. And our defensive coaches should be sacked, too. Unless it was under Ole's mandate. Regardless, he approved our system so he should take responsibility for it.
It just feels like everyone's having a laugh at the club's expense, really.
It just feels like everyone's having a laugh at the club's expense, really.
Drop Maguire and Shaw, bring back hard workers like Lingard and Cavani. Chain Bruno to the midfield.
Possibly switch to a 3-5-2 to sturdy the defence.
Possibly switch to a 3-5-2 to sturdy the defence.
Need to switch our formation and system but I haven't seen anything in approaching 3 years that makes me believe Ole and his team can improve us defensively. If Ole has to stay then the coaches around him all have to change.
If he stays, nothing will change that makes any significant difference.
Ole is like a clockwork toy that keeps running into the wall and bounces off, over and over again.
Saying we’re so close, when we clearly are not, is just more confirmation that he thinks we’re on the right course.
He shows all the signs of trying to push on with the same approach and ideas.
”Oh well, that’s football” and “ we need to be more clinical” won’t cut it, when the fundamentals are so off kilter.
I don’t think he or his coaching team recognise what needs to be done, as they are the problem.
Ole is like a clockwork toy that keeps running into the wall and bounces off, over and over again.
Saying we’re so close, when we clearly are not, is just more confirmation that he thinks we’re on the right course.
He shows all the signs of trying to push on with the same approach and ideas.
”Oh well, that’s football” and “ we need to be more clinical” won’t cut it, when the fundamentals are so off kilter.
I don’t think he or his coaching team recognise what needs to be done, as they are the problem.
If he'd know what to do he'd have done it by now.
Unless this will be a complete shock to the system - I really do think he's in the last chance saloon.
I think it's obvious we need to stop pressing. Get back into shape and win it around the half way line.
We've been far too easy to play around for a long time, it's a miracle we've not been spanked a few times.
Unless this will be a complete shock to the system - I really do think he's in the last chance saloon.
I think it's obvious we need to stop pressing. Get back into shape and win it around the half way line.
We've been far too easy to play around for a long time, it's a miracle we've not been spanked a few times.
Exactly, if you cannot coach a press, why insist on pressing? I mean yesterday was a classic example of our press. VVD has the ball, Greenwood runs to him, Robbo has it, AWB runs to him, which means our defence being pulled. McTominay, instead of realising what is going on, pushes in no mans land, Roberstson has to play an easy pass inside and they are in. If you are going to press, 1. It has to be coached properly in terms of roles. 2. The defensive line cannot be so deep. 3. Players need to move quicker to the ball and not be reactive.
Bingo.
I said this in the match thread and I've moaned about it a few times.
WHY is AWB pressing high like this all the time? it seems to be a tactic we use and it's baffling to me. This isn't the first time it's happened and he does it in pretty much every match.
Our right winger will press the centre back. The RB will press their LB which then means our RCB has to shuffle across to mark their LW, etc etc.
Liverpool clearly new this and played it out perfectly. They sucked us to the left side of the pitch and shifted our entire defence across leaving Salah with acres of space.
Why can't AWB just stay in position and keep his shape?! Why are we trying to press 1 by 1 completely out of sync with each other?
It's like Ole has seen pressing on the TV and said "right lads, charge at them when they've got the ball and hopefully it works out"
What does he need to do?
Give Phil Jones another contract extension.
Offer Pogba £1 million per week and a lifetimes supply of hair dye.
Secure Jesse’s contract, because he’s a good lad and makes everyone laugh.
Sign up some promising young talent in January, to keep the bench stocked up with non-playing players.
Bring Mata out of the old folks home and get him to run after opposition players like a hapless dog chasing a car.
Remind the players on the pitch not over exert themselves, because it’s Fred’s job to do all the running around.
Keep his fingers crossed and wish really, really hard every five minutes.
Check his iPad more often, just in case it magically gives him some answers.
Stick with the same formation and players, because it’s too scary to do anything else.
Have a good laugh, because “that’s football”.
.
Give Phil Jones another contract extension.
Offer Pogba £1 million per week and a lifetimes supply of hair dye.
Secure Jesse’s contract, because he’s a good lad and makes everyone laugh.
Sign up some promising young talent in January, to keep the bench stocked up with non-playing players.
Bring Mata out of the old folks home and get him to run after opposition players like a hapless dog chasing a car.
Remind the players on the pitch not over exert themselves, because it’s Fred’s job to do all the running around.
Keep his fingers crossed and wish really, really hard every five minutes.
Check his iPad more often, just in case it magically gives him some answers.
Stick with the same formation and players, because it’s too scary to do anything else.
Have a good laugh, because “that’s football”.
.
What do you suggest the fans do? And what would you do to take part in not accepting it?
Go tomorrow
Change the formation and shore up the bloody midfield. Can't do any worse than trying the same thing over and over again.
DDG
LINDELÖF ---------- VARANE --------- BAILLY
DALOT ------------------------------------------------------------- SHAW
MATIC
DONNY --------------------- SCOTT
BRUNO
CAVANI
LINDELÖF ---------- VARANE --------- BAILLY
DALOT ------------------------------------------------------------- SHAW
MATIC
DONNY --------------------- SCOTT
BRUNO
CAVANI
IMO, if he wins any trophy at all, he won't leave. He comes across as someone who can't see his mistakes as a manager, and I can see that with his selection & tactical patterns.
Also, there are no small trophies left. We're out of the Carabao and every other cup will be beyond his capabilities imo.
Bingo.
I said this in the match thread and I've moaned about it a few times.
WHY is AWB pressing high like this all the time? it seems to be a tactic we use and it's baffling to me. This isn't the first time it's happened and he does it in pretty much every match.
Our right winger will press the centre back. The RB will press their LB which then means our RCB has to shuffle across to mark their LW, etc etc.
Liverpool clearly new this and played it out perfectly. They sucked us to the left side of the pitch and shifted our entire defence across leaving Salah with acres of space.
Why can't AWB just stay in position and keep his shape?! Why are we trying to press 1 by 1 completely out of sync with each other?
It's like Ole has seen pressing on the TV and said "right lads, charge at them when they've got the ball and hopefully it works out"
That's exactly how it seems, if you run at them it might mean we are pressing.
In truth, pressing is probably the hardest thing to coach, which is why the likes of Pep, Klopp, Tuchel are the best managers, they know exactly how to coach a good pressing system. Not only that, they also know the opposition.
Pep, however good he is, presses less against a Klopp team, Ole decides to go on a half press against Liverpool.
What I find very odd is, he started Rashford, Ronaldo, Greenwood, none of them know how to press, Rashford was walking without the ball.
If you watch Liverpool when they defended, Salah (best in the world rn) was defending, Rashford and Greenwood was no where to be seen defensively.
Pressing works, if your forwards cannot do it, why not go for a mid block where you can close gaps between def-forwards.
Clearly, he cannot coach it, if he is the players are not following it, which means you drop them. Is he going to drop Bruno, Ronaldo, Rashford, McFred, AWB? No.
He has to go an win 10 games in a row. He has to pick the team up, he has to show some adaptability and make it known publicly that he's doing something to change it.
If for example, he selects the same XI again next week he's literally taking the piss out of the other players and the fans.
There is only 1 player in the squad worthy of bending over for and it's Ronaldo, the rest are droppable.
If for example, he selects the same XI again next week he's literally taking the piss out of the other players and the fans.
There is only 1 player in the squad worthy of bending over for and it's Ronaldo, the rest are droppable.
That's a start. But tbh I think it's too late now.
Agreed.
The silly thing is the few times we've had success in big games in Ole's reign has been literally sitting back and counter attacking.
We've managed to keep the likes of Salah quiet by sitting deep and closing off the space, then using the pace of Rashford/James to break etc.
Martial was an under appreciated element of this too, he played the hold up role really well - but of course he's in the wilderness too.
It seems now though Ole thinks we should be going toe to toe with the likes of City/Liverpool and that includes playing them at strengths. If anything it just shows how far behind we truly are.
I get that as we grow, we need to start going toe to toe with these teams but this comes after you have built a winning mentality and do not concede goals.
I mean when you have conceded 4 against Leicester and 2 against Atalanta, the primary aim for this game should have been defensive solidarity.
What's worrying is, we didn't even make Liverpool work for 1 goal, we gifted them 8 chances in the whole game. How often can this happen, we should be harder to beat than what we are right now. Luke Shaw and Maguire are a big problem as well, alot of goals coming through that channel this season.
Anyway, we are back to where we were last season, after the 6-1 loss to Spurs. No improvement, worst thing is looks like we are regressing.
Book a one way flight back to Norway
4-3-3. Play Matic, Fred and Bruno in midfield, Sancho and Rashford on the flanks and Cavani/Ronaldo upfront. If we can't still dominate sides like that then put Bruno as a false no 9 and Pogba in midfield.
This makes a lot of sense
Drop Ronaldo. He's destabilized our match setup badly. We don't have the squad to accomodate a player that saves all his energy for attack. (occasional backtrack heroics excluded).
Cavani is the answer. And some hugs for Luke Shaw because apparently he needs coddling to perform.
We've had success with sitting deep prior years. Its obviously not working to go on the frontfoot against teams with spectacular offensive carriers.
Cavani is the answer. And some hugs for Luke Shaw because apparently he needs coddling to perform.
We've had success with sitting deep prior years. Its obviously not working to go on the frontfoot against teams with spectacular offensive carriers.
If he and the coaching staff really stay, and I pray they don't, he'll have to stop trying to be clever and implement a football style he has no clue of.
Playing on the front foot - especially against the better teams - requires a manager that knows what he's doing. He isn't and he needs to realise that. That's the most important thing. He needs to realise that he just isn't very good and go back to the basics and implement a style every mediocre manager is able to: Sit back and counter attack. We have the player material to do that.
Playing on the front foot - especially against the better teams - requires a manager that knows what he's doing. He isn't and he needs to realise that. That's the most important thing. He needs to realise that he just isn't very good and go back to the basics and implement a style every mediocre manager is able to: Sit back and counter attack. We have the player material to do that.
Pretty sure what he will do is go back to a 3atb and play counter. Not sure that is what should be done, but I think that is what will be done.
I don't think Ole doesn't know we'd need to sit back and counter against Liverpool. He did that in the past so of course he knows.
Imo the logic behind is to accommodate Ronaldo. To do that we can't sit deep. Sitting deep and he'll be very isolated up there while he doesn't have the pace required to hit them on the counter. VVD or Konate would outpace him or beat him with their strength. We'd need a highline to keep the offensive alive, to push our shape forward in order provide for Ronaldo. But even my dog knows a highline would never work without a high press. With Ronaldo uptop there simply won't be any high press. Very weird decision from him to employ that highline yesterday.
Needs to drop players who do not perform.
Maguire was dhambolic yesterday.
Shaw was shambolic yesterday
AWB, fred, mct, fernandes. All awful.
Will the play against city next week? Yep. And theres the problem
Maguire was dhambolic yesterday.
Shaw was shambolic yesterday
AWB, fred, mct, fernandes. All awful.
Will the play against city next week? Yep. And theres the problem
Simple, safe counter attacking football. Drop/rest the underperforming and overplayed and use your fecking squad.