Why is our passing so garbage?

Being accurate when passing is clearly not something the manager values so it figures that the players don’t care about it.

He doesn’t sub guys off when they’ve spent an hour giving the ball away and he doesn’t drop guys who lose possession regularly. From the state of our passing recently it doesn’t even look like something we work on in training.
 
diarm said:
Being accurate when passing is clearly not something the manager values so it figures that the players don’t care about it.

He doesn’t sub guys off when they’ve spent an hour giving the ball away and he doesn’t drop guys who lose possession regularly. From the state of our passing recently it doesn’t even look like something we work on in training.
Click to expand...

Hell, the worst of it is the freaking captain. Bruno couldn't hit the ocean from the beach. The only way he leaves the field before the final whistle is with another stupid red card.
 
diarm said:
Being accurate when passing is clearly not something the manager values so it figures that the players don’t care about it.

He doesn’t sub guys off when they’ve spent an hour giving the ball away and he doesn’t drop guys who lose possession regularly. From the state of our passing recently it doesn’t even look like something we work on in training.
Click to expand...
These aren't the U18s. The manager of MUFC shouldn't have to teach his players how to pass to one another.
 
holdsteady said:
These aren't the U18s. The manager of MUFC shouldn't have to teach his players how to pass to one another.
Click to expand...

No he shouldn’t. But he should stop picking fellas who consistently fail to do it.

When you tolerate poor passing you are encouraging poor passing. Other players - particularly younger ones - see the high profile, big wage stars doing it and still being rewarded, so they assume it’s something they don’t have to work on either.

Listen to any of the players of our great sides and they talk about the standards in training. You passed the ball forwards with pace and accuracy and if you didn’t, you got bollocked - not least by captains like Robson and Keane who probably lost possession less times a season than I can count on one hand.

Nowadays our captain loses the ball more than the next two players combined in most games, and our coach lets him play every minute of every game to do so.

The truly baffling thing is that for Ten Hags batshit mental tactic to work, quick, accurate passing should be absolutely non-negotiable for him. Instead he sticks by the very worst culprits week after week and season after season.
 
You could replace 'passing' with anything else and the question would still be valid. Focusing on passing, I did read somewhere that because the distance between the lines is so large, it forces our players to make longer and thus riskier passes. I do feel like if we played a more compact system, our passing would improve. This team is generally underperforming vs. its potential.
 
There are some passers in our team more suited to a more technical and patient style of play like Eriksen, and other passers who are more suited to impulsive counterattacking like Bruno.

It all makes for a very disjointed passing game at times. There’s also some players in there who are just bad at passing like Rashford, which makes it even more frustrating.

You get Eriksen and Zirkzee doing patient intricate passing and then you get Bruno doing the equivalent of an NFL quarterback attempting Hail Marys as if the Super Bowl rides on it.
 
For a manager that thinks highly of a possession game where passing is important, you’d think we’d of worked on this but obviously not. Feels like we need to sign a bunch of Spanish/german midfielders to introduce a passing game. But even the simple 5 yard passes are made to look hard by this lot!
 
It's been 12 years and it's still not solved. Players looking like a bunch of strangers being put to play together is a common occurrence.
 
These guys are the best footballers on the planet, relatively speaking. If they’re missing passes it’s purely a mental and confidence issue. If you have doubt in your head then making an ordinary pass takes a a few split seconds longer and the decision making process is also diminished.
 
tenpoless said:
It's been 12 years and it's still not solved. Players looking like a bunch of strangers being put to play together is a common occurrence.
Click to expand...
I think it has been longer than that. It was an issue that crept up in the final couple years of Fergie's reign. I remember watching a City game with my buddy when Mancini was in-charge and the difference between the speed and the accuracy of passing in our games vs their game was night and day. Our passing has been slow and ponderous for years. That's why we see us playing most of the game in front of the opposition set-defense passing aimlessly. When we try to speed it up we usually end up losing the ball fairly quickly.

One of the major reasons, imo, is that we still don't have players who are good on the ball across the team. A lot of players are not adept at keeping or receiving the ball under pressure. Some of it can also be due to coaching issues.
 
Think you have to add in that they are lazy. They don’t work hard enough to give the player on the ball options. So we end up playing these very dangerous passes that get picked off and then countered with multiple players then out of position.

Against Palace we did squeeze the space, shortened the distance and it felt like the tactics were working. Dalot stepping in to midfield and so on. But yeah general passing of the ball is an issue. Slow, bouncing, not along the ground just really bad at passing.
 
leontas said:
You could replace 'passing' with anything else and the question would still be valid. Focusing on passing, I did read somewhere that because the distance between the lines is so large, it forces our players to make longer and thus riskier passes. I do feel like if we played a more compact system, our passing would improve. This team is generally underperforming vs. its potential.
Click to expand...
But we also seem to struggle with 5 yard passes. So many of them are slightly off, so that the player receiving the ball has to move/adapt to it...which then gives him less time for his pass...which makes it more off....it's no wonder that when we try and pass the ball around, we frequently gift possession straight back.
 
diarm said:
Being accurate when passing is clearly not something the manager values so it figures that the players don’t care about it.

He doesn’t sub guys off when they’ve spent an hour giving the ball away and he doesn’t drop guys who lose possession regularly. From the state of our passing recently it doesn’t even look like something we work on in training.
Click to expand...
Most frustrating thing to watch. Certain players who have such a lack of ability to pass and keep the ball on the pitch every fecking game. We ruin the technical good passers with our current football.
 
Chairman Steve said:
There are some passers in our team more suited to a more technical and patient style of play like Eriksen, and other passers who are more suited to impulsive counterattacking like Bruno.

It all makes for a very disjointed passing game at times. There’s also some players in there who are just bad at passing like Rashford, which makes it even more frustrating.

You get Eriksen and Zirkzee doing patient intricate passing and then you get Bruno doing the equivalent of an NFL quarterback attempting Hail Marys as if the Super Bowl rides on it.
Click to expand...
Amad and main are the patient buildup type and I think we are running the risk of ruining them.
 
Our passing is so bad because of the profile midfielders we have
Bruno- does'nt care about possession.

Mount- tidy but more a runner wouldn't get involve much.

Eriksen- good passer but played the majority of his career high up and that means a bit more risk taking.

Mainoo- keeps the ball well, but still learning the game and not helped by the set up.

Ugarte- not his strong point.

Casemiro- can play some incisive passes but his pass selection is poor and lacks awareness.

The fact that only Bruno in this group is from a previous manager time suggest Eth is the true culprit. He doesn't think it's necessary to implement his ideas (whatever they are).
 
Chairman Steve said:
There are some passers in our team more suited to a more technical and patient style of play like Eriksen, and other passers who are more suited to impulsive counterattacking like Bruno.

It all makes for a very disjointed passing game at times. There’s also some players in there who are just bad at passing like Rashford, which makes it even more frustrating.

You get Eriksen and Zirkzee doing patient intricate passing and then you get Bruno doing the equivalent of an NFL quarterback attempting Hail Marys as if the Super Bowl rides on it.
Click to expand...
Eriksen can do both, he just doesn’t try the killer pass unless it makes sense. He was an integral part of the counter attacks at both Spurs and Brentford
 
Passing is a hell of a lot easier when you've got team mates to pass to, ie they're moving into space and making themselves available, or they're starting runs that you can pick out. It's really not difficult, it requires energy, desire and a brain plus communication. Our players should be capable of doing all those things for 90+ mins. They choose not to.

I saw the same thing happening with England under Capello and Hodgson and it infuriated me. Players became immobile and disinterested.

We've had spells this season where we've looked good in possession, ie against Barnsley, Southampton and the first half against Palace. Haven't really done it against decent opposition though.

I still think ETH sees himself as more of a transition-style coach, which is fine when you get the players turning over the ball and countering etc. But you need finishers - don't get me started on that. I wouldn't be surprised if he tells the players to avoid going toe to toe with good teams and instead absorb pressure, win the ball and counter. Fecking lunacy.
 
Last edited:
Don't think we have enough good passers in the final 3rd. Rashford and Bruno go for the Hollywood ball which they can be good at, but crap at being patient and keeping it simple when it's needed at times.
 
leeroyTX said:
Hell, the worst of it is the freaking captain. Bruno couldn't hit the ocean from the beach. The only way he leaves the field before the final whistle is with another stupid red card.
Click to expand...
I imagine this is part of the problem all managers since Bruno arrived have faced. He doesn’t really put up good enough numbers for a team to carry him, every season it gets worse, so the other players must see him kick the ball away 4-5 times before a good pass comes off and wonder why they should bother playing it safe when the media only care who provides the assists or a Hollywood ball and slate players who are steady.
 
One of the reasons why the team's passing is dreadful is the huge gaps between each player. They play kamikaze football with poor positioning on a regular basis. The central midfielders at the club are utter cowards and often hide behind the opposition. This essentially piles pressure on the center backs to thread eye of a needle passes at a frequent rate.

The general off the ball movement of the team is lackadaisical and zombie like. The stand and watch rather than dragging the opposition around in order to make space for team mates. When you do not provide options or make space then the player on the ball is more prone to give it away

The players in the United team are far too emotional too. Fernandes is one of those. He simply cannot get his emotion in check and that bleeds into the entire team. As soon as things go turpsy-turvy, he starts running around like a lunatic, leaving gaps everywhere. I think against Crystal Palace, he gave the ball 3 times in the space of one minute. The players are simply not fit enough or sharp enough during inter play. Their first touch is also clearly a problem. Some of them lack fundamentals in terms of holding off pressure, keeping the ball, weight of pass etc. Garnacho is a prime example - what exactly is his development plan? He looks as weak as he did 2 seasons ago. That has a huge impact on him holding off players and laying it off. His first touch is also hit and miss.

Mainoo? He seems unable to keep up with the intensity of a central midfielder. The amount of time he gets on the ball is far too low. He needs to improve on the amount of passes hs makes, making himself available and the range of passing too. How about Mason Mount? Runs around and can't stay fit. When he does, barely completes enough passes. Ugarte, again, is clearly not that player. Casemiro is capable but inconsistent.

They huff and puff but lack the refinement of a top side. It may take another gutting of certain players to raise technical floor. The balance is simply inadequate. The whole team seems to lack of balance in terms of when to take risk with ball and when to recycle and keep possession. They want to play high octane direct football but lack the dynamism to get back when opposition teams counter them.

The forwards are also not up to scratch. Serious question has to be asked about players like Hojlund. Two seasons now and he still cannot trap a ball consistently. His movement is poor too hence why he is always behind play. Zhirkzee can but his ball control and passing lack a punch. He never makes sufficient high intensity runs to stretch the opposition hence why the midfielders lack the option to find raking passes behind. Let's be honest, they couldn't pull it off even if they tried

In general, let's be frank. Some of the collection of central midfielders and players are simply not good enough at the highest level. They cannot deliver on the expectations of Manchester United. Perhaps better coaching will help, better organisation and better passing drills but the question remains, are they good enough?

Manchester United needs to have the best in almost every position otherwise the club will drown. Every Thomas who turns up against United sees the game as a cup final. Do these players have the mentality to scrap and win when things aren't going well? The answer, based on evidence so far, is no.
 
Last edited:
The gaps between players makes the passes longer and more difficult. This is mainly a tactics problem due to EtH´s reluctance to change his dysfunctional system. Stop playing out 5 against 5 from defense and stop playing our midfielders and attackers with their backs to goal. Stop playing inverted wingers without the fullbacks offering overlaps. Stop playing forwards that does not get any service. Well...actually just stop EtH from coaching us. It is not working and it won´t.
 
Last edited:
It's still happening. Just absolutely shocking in this Plzen game.

Feels like every for every pass, the recipient has to slow down/speed up/run after it/reach for it/take an extra touch to deal with a horrible bobble. Everything about it is just so imprecise and lazy.
 
V.O. said:
It's still happening. Just absolutely shocking in this Plzen game.

Feels like every for every pass, the recipient has to slow down/speed up/run after it/reach for it/take an extra touch to deal with a horrible bobble. Everything about it is just so imprecise and lazy.
Click to expand...
It's a player issue.

It's not the manager, the shape is actually very much there. I'm a little shocked at how bad some of these players are though.
 
Lack of movement, no one showing up to receive a pass, no one running into space, no one towing his marker out of play, etc.

Everyone just standing still, hiding behind their marker.
 
George Owen said:
Lack of movement, no one showing up to receive a pass, no one running into space, no one towing his marker out of play, etc.

Everyone just standing still, hiding behind their marker.
Click to expand...
Out of our whole midfield and attack tonight, Bruno and Amad are the about only two who can be arsed moving, and Amad is probably the only one happy to receive the ball under any pressure.
 
V.O. said:
It's still happening. Just absolutely shocking in this Plzen game.

Feels like every for every pass, the recipient has to slow down/speed up/run after it/reach for it/take an extra touch to deal with a horrible bobble. Everything about it is just so imprecise and lazy.
Click to expand...
Yep noticed this. Feels like no other team does this as often as us. I think I made a thread about it before. It can’t be a coaching issue. Some of the passes are big standard stuff and yet the receiver is always having to stretch for it or check their run. It’s insane.
 
We've suffered a lack of mobility for years, and I just don't understand how it happens. I watch my local team in the National League South from time to time and they all put a shift in, showing for ball, communicating, creating space, moving the opposition around etc. It's a basic principle of playing the game FFS.

I feel like our passing and possession has improved with Amorim - up until tonight anyway. Not great, and lots of room for improvement, but that shows how low this particular bar was under ETH.

Zirkzee and Rashford are among the worst offenders, but Case and Eriksen don't help matters now that their legs have gone (although the latter was playing better at the start of this season).

Without moving, any team would struggle to keep the ball and progress play. It's not feckin rocket science.
 
The simple fact is that our passing is crap because the club has made no effort to buy a top class midfield passer of the ball in years. Players have come and gone in the market and we haven't been interested. I think a phoney 'pace and power' expectation creeped into the club's mentality. Then the trend was all 'quick vertical transitions'. Look at City since Rodri has been out. Players who can dominate possession and set the tempo are absolutely essential. We don't have one.
 
Poor passing results from poor systems. The rot at Man Utd is far worse than anyone could imagine.
 
Last edited:
Scholsey2004 said:
The simple fact is that our passing is crap because the club has made no effort to buy a top class midfield passer of the ball in years. Players have come and gone in the market and we haven't been interested. I think a phoney 'pace and power' expectation creeped into the club's mentality. Then the trend was all 'quick vertical transitions'. Look at City since Rodri has been out. Players who can dominate possession and set the tempo are absolutely essential. We don't have one.
Click to expand...

It’s not just about one player, passing is the most basic skill any footballer should possess. We’re not talking about spraying the ball around like Scholes, just your bread and butter “pass to a player in the same colour shirt as you” passes, which were still pathetically poor at.
 
Thought everyone knew we were a crap passing team. Our guys suck at everything that facilitates passing. Composure to wait till the right moment, control to not have to flick or boot it into no man's land. Our highest goal contributors are some of our most erratic decision makers. They've looked so uncomfortable being asked to come get the ball in central areas.
 
Leaving aside the characteristics of the players themselves (or even more because of those). One of the things that clearly Amorin it's trying to do, it's to have more bodies in the middle in order to generate more options of passes. So that the player with the ball has as much options as the team as a whole can provide to make a pass.
We'll see if can provide such thing and finds an starting 11 that benefits from such approach.
 
V.O. said:
It's still happening. Just absolutely shocking in this Plzen game.

Feels like every for every pass, the recipient has to slow down/speed up/run after it/reach for it/take an extra touch to deal with a horrible bobble. Everything about it is just so imprecise and lazy.
Click to expand...
The pitch didn't look great
 
El Zoido said:
It’s not just about one player, passing is the most basic skill any footballer should possess. We’re not talking about spraying the ball around like Scholes, just your bread and butter “pass to a player in the same colour shirt as you” passes, which were still pathetically poor at.
Click to expand...
No, it's not, but that one player can be a huge difference maker. City with Rodri vs without. Chelsea with Caicedo and Fernandez vs before they signed them. If you don't sign or develop a player/s who dominates possession then you're unlikely to do so. We've been signing guys like Mount to play back to front as quickly as possible.
 
George Owen said:
Lack of movement, no one showing up to receive a pass, no one running into space, no one towing his marker out of play, etc.

Everyone just standing still, hiding behind their marker.
Click to expand...
I just thought that would've been one if the things that could be trained.
 
giggs-beckham said:
I just thought that would've been one if the things that could be trained.
Click to expand...
It can be, someone like Pep goes as far instructing players how their bodies should be positioned to best receive and make passes.

Problem is that needs time to train, time we probably dont have.
 
RedStarUnited said:
It can be, someone like Pep goes as far instructing players how their bodies should be positioned to best receive and make passes.

Problem is that needs time to train, time we probably dont have.
Click to expand...
Yea you're right. I've always thought how hard can it be to take a few steps to the side to make a pass option? Id expect him to be able to train, even this, into these players this season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.