They were pinging the ball about in some games, all the midfielders, it looks like they have had silly ideas like that beaten out of them.
United under LvG: verdict so far!
- Thread starter LawCharltonBest
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Yeah those were the days.
Hard to know where LVG is going right about now. He's gone into a very reactive way of managing since all the criticism chucked at him for playing a boring 352. Every week its a different team with a different approach, and far from looking more settled we look less settled than we did at the start of the season.
Ironically enough it looks like ditching the 352 may have been the start of it all going wrong, it if continues that way from here. We'd found a way of playing that suffocated the opposition and were getting the points them by virtue of having a few clinical players in front of goal who could turn 5 attacking opportunities into 3 chances, and 3 chances into 2 goals.
Since we ditched 352 we've tried loads of different ways of finding a first team without obvious square pegs in round holes. But none of them have proven better than any other, except that now the players look so unsettled that almost every player's form seems to be going backwards.
I'm not suggesting we go back to 352 because that's not the point. I think it was having a run of games with the same formation and using players in the same positions, utilising the same tactics. When we got injuries we continued to try and play the same way and just slot like for like replacements in there, even if it meant Shaw or Rafael at wingback, which meant we had consistency elsewhere. Over the last month or so however LVG seems to be making rapidfire changes week after week, so much so that I genuinely don't know what to expect next game. Since the defeat to Southampton its been change after change after change. I think we've changed formation or tactics mid-game in almost every game since.
People who moaned like hell about the 352 will see the narrative as one of LVG not going very well since early on in ths season. But personally I don't agree. I saw progress til about a month ago, but a definite slide backwards since the chopping and changing started.
Its still up for LVG to set it straight. We have two ideal games coming up. Sunderland and Newcastle will both be hard but winnable games, which is what we need now. Shooting galleries against cannon fodder are no use. Then we have the dry run of a home game against Arsenal in the cup. After that the season really begins. If he can settle on a formation, and get the players settled into it too, then we can still finish fourth. Continue with the nonsense though and Spurs and Liverpool will probably overtake us since both look like they're more consistent than we are.
Ironically enough it looks like ditching the 352 may have been the start of it all going wrong, it if continues that way from here. We'd found a way of playing that suffocated the opposition and were getting the points them by virtue of having a few clinical players in front of goal who could turn 5 attacking opportunities into 3 chances, and 3 chances into 2 goals.
Since we ditched 352 we've tried loads of different ways of finding a first team without obvious square pegs in round holes. But none of them have proven better than any other, except that now the players look so unsettled that almost every player's form seems to be going backwards.
I'm not suggesting we go back to 352 because that's not the point. I think it was having a run of games with the same formation and using players in the same positions, utilising the same tactics. When we got injuries we continued to try and play the same way and just slot like for like replacements in there, even if it meant Shaw or Rafael at wingback, which meant we had consistency elsewhere. Over the last month or so however LVG seems to be making rapidfire changes week after week, so much so that I genuinely don't know what to expect next game. Since the defeat to Southampton its been change after change after change. I think we've changed formation or tactics mid-game in almost every game since.
People who moaned like hell about the 352 will see the narrative as one of LVG not going very well since early on in ths season. But personally I don't agree. I saw progress til about a month ago, but a definite slide backwards since the chopping and changing started.
Its still up for LVG to set it straight. We have two ideal games coming up. Sunderland and Newcastle will both be hard but winnable games, which is what we need now. Shooting galleries against cannon fodder are no use. Then we have the dry run of a home game against Arsenal in the cup. After that the season really begins. If he can settle on a formation, and get the players settled into it too, then we can still finish fourth. Continue with the nonsense though and Spurs and Liverpool will probably overtake us since both look like they're more consistent than we are.
So are we allowed to judge him now? I thought we had to wait a full season?
The signs were there from the start. I maintain that we've been pretty awful for most of this season and but for a spell where everything went right for us (in terms of results), we're more or less back to where we were under Moyes, except we have a heavier wage bill and more expensive talent.
If we don't get top four, I hope he gets chucked out on his arse like Moyes did. At least with Moyes, none of us realistically expected anything.
The signs were there from the start. I maintain that we've been pretty awful for most of this season and but for a spell where everything went right for us (in terms of results), we're more or less back to where we were under Moyes, except we have a heavier wage bill and more expensive talent.
If we don't get top four, I hope he gets chucked out on his arse like Moyes did. At least with Moyes, none of us realistically expected anything.
This thread is not based on yesterday's game alone.
Someone mentioned that if we didn't get CL again, the sponsors might want to renegotiate their contracts. That would seriously make Ed angry, he wouldn't want to be reducing our income. If that happened LvG's feet won't touch the floor.
Today's discussion is. Almost entirely.
If we don't get champions league then he is gone.
I just can't believe how poor we look away from home. We don't seem to have any fight and look suspect on every set piece that comes in our box.
We have a lot of the ball and create feck all.
I just can't believe how poor we look away from home. We don't seem to have any fight and look suspect on every set piece that comes in our box.
We have a lot of the ball and create feck all.
I never expected an Ajax-trained manager to implement such old-fashioned tactics. Really bizarre.
You've gotta think it'll click soon. Right? Right?!
You've gotta think it'll click soon. Right? Right?!
I disagree about the problems starting when we ditched 352. We rode our luck in a lot of those games and needed poor finishing and brilliant saves from DDG to bail us out. We're just going through a spell where the opposition seem to slot every chance they get and we can't score for toffee. I mean, when was the last game we could say De Gea played a blinder? Not a criticism of him, just the way these things go sometimes.
Even the posts on this page are hardly about yesterday's game.
To me they are playing how they are told or they don't understand a bloody word him and his coaches are saying or misunderstanding them.
We cannot afford another feck up, every remaining game should be played like it is a cup final, simple as. Time for LVG to show some of his "balls" and drop the likes of RVP and Falcao for the time being. There is no point in playing 2 strikers up front when neither of them would score in a brothel at the moment. Time to use that width again me thinks.
------------De Gea--------
Valencia----Smalling---Rojo----Shaw
-------------Blind-------------------
-------Herrera-----Di Maria-------
Januzaj-----Mata-----Young
---------Rooney----------
------------De Gea--------
Valencia----Smalling---Rojo----Shaw
-------------Blind-------------------
-------Herrera-----Di Maria-------
Januzaj-----Mata-----Young
---------Rooney----------
Not sure, but it's happening every fecking game. So that's poor management for me.
Even the posts on this page are hardly about yesterday's game.
The ones you quoted are!
I'm now in LvG out camp if the team doesn't deliver a top 4 finish.
I don't know what happened with him. Up until december it looked like we were improving, scoring more goals, defending better but since January everything went downhill.
I'm actually sorry for the way LvG is asking his squad to play and schooling football alien to most of our squad.
Yep, this is constantly overlooked by some, our tactics and mentality changed as soon as we went a goal behind, the panic set in and hoof ball became our main tactic.
It’s the same every week with us, slow or stop seems to be the two speeds we use in the first half. I’m convinced out tactics are to bore the opposition to death.
yeah just joined you
Having an extra man on the pitch would surely Work!
Don't think we'd get away with that.
If we get rid of him who are we going to bring in? Every decent manager is already employed and not likely to leave to join a club that's fired two managers in under 2 years. Being Man Utd is irrelevant if we're so trigger happy. And what if the new manager still doesn't get top 4. Fire him and start again?
This should be a bannable offence.
Oh dear not this nonsense again.
All the top clubs in Europe sack managers when they fail to reach objectives.
Not me my disquiet has been coming for a long while. I agree with Scholes that watching the games at t he moment is more of a chore than an enjoyable way to spend your weekend.
I haven't looked forward to a game this year but forced myself to watch because you support the team through good and bad.
I had the same problem with yesterdays performance that I had since Christmas. Yes we can dominate play but never look like scoring a goal, while the opposition can have hardly no possession at all but look like scoring every time they go forward.
Gomez had scored one goal this season but we made him look like a world beater yesterday. Every time the ball came near him he looked like scoring.
----------De Gea---------
Rafael--Smalling--Rojo--Shaw
-------Carrick----Blind---------
-----Herrera-------Di Maria---
--------------Mata-------------
-----------Rooney-------------
Rafael--Smalling--Rojo--Shaw
-------Carrick----Blind---------
-----Herrera-------Di Maria---
--------------Mata-------------
-----------Rooney-------------
Was thinking that formation looked too good to be true alright..
Bet you Liverpool would.
Yep, we seem to be the only club that thinks it's above sacking managers who aren't good enough.
Granted, that doesn't necessarily apply to LVG, since I'd definitely want him to stay should we reach top 4, but the idea that managers won't come here because we (hypothetically) sacked two managers in two years is nonsense. Plenty would still jump at the opportunity.
I quite like LvG, he has a good character and his qwerky, oddness that he portrays in interviews is amusing, however, he does come out with some utter shit and as soon as he said in Fridays presser that we were the best team in the league, then you just knew we were going to get beat. It's like he want the press to have plenty of ammo to use against him and the club.
He definitely has the experience to get us top 4 and commence a proper rebuild, but I fear he will be given the chop should be not get CL football, and given the money he has spent, you can kind of acknowledge the decision should he get the sack.
What I don't like is the style of football we play. This possession football is bloody awful as we don't have the players to implement it properly. I wish he would try something different.
He definitely has the experience to get us top 4 and commence a proper rebuild, but I fear he will be given the chop should be not get CL football, and given the money he has spent, you can kind of acknowledge the decision should he get the sack.
What I don't like is the style of football we play. This possession football is bloody awful as we don't have the players to implement it properly. I wish he would try something different.
434. The way forward.
A declartion of "top four or sacked!" is all well and good but at the end of the day you need a better candidate to actually come in, one that is a realistic, viable option that you truely believe will do better next year, and please no Mourhino calls.
I really wondered who the hell that wasIt's simply because he was still a Real Madrid player at the time in terms of confidence and now he's become a proper Utd player. After all we want our new signings to fit in don't we
?Most top clubs in Europe aren't in the state we're in. I would not have confidence in whoever replaces LVG getting us to the top 4 either. Seriously do we just keep firing managers until one of them cracks it?
Ive said this before and I will say it again. If our defense and forwards werent such utter crap, we would be competing for the title right now. Hardly LVGs fault.
RVP and our defense lost the game for us yesterday full stop.
RVP and our defense lost the game for us yesterday full stop.
Won't there be a repeat of the same situation if the players are the problem? Most modern managers try to implement a system were the ball does most of the work instead of our famous 2 great wingers out wide creating opportunities for the strikers.
I apologize if I misunderstood your post.
Whats the alternative? Spend another £150 million to see in LVG can get it right the second time?
Any United manager who plays Fellaini up top and instructs his players to play hoofball doesn't deserve any credit. Even Belgium hardly play him in that role. I remember laughing at Liverpool for buying big Andy Carroll. Credit to Brendan for getting rid as soon as he found a buyer.
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