United’s form since going top

Sideshow Bob

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From what I've seen and read a lot of the players look tired.

I don't know why but Ole doesn't seem to rotate and he's so slow at reacting when the game needs a change.

I know he's not got the best squad and I know the lack of options on the bench is an issue but he's also somewhat brought this on himself. If he had rotated earlier in the season then perhaps players wouldn't be so tired now. If he'd played the likes of VDB more earlier in the year then maybe he'd trust him more now.
 
You know it's a poor run of form when Rich returns ;)

Good to see ya fella even if it does signal a downwards turn for United.

In terms of our recent run of form we need something to spark us. It's very telling that I believe Pogba got injured in the fourth game against Arsenal. Whilst everyone was banging on about Bruno it was regularly Pogba putting in the stand out performances in the middle of the park. We need to buy someone to play CM because as much as people like McTominay he's not good enough as the middle mad attacking option of the two.

This leads to our strikers and Bruno coming deeper to try and make something and then it becomes to easy for defenders to just stand us up and we can't break them down.
 
I agree, Pogba is a big miss, there is no creativity in the two midfielders we have to play.

Fred should not playing this much, he's a milk cup/come on for the last 5 mins when you're 4 up type player.

Rashford and Bruno are overplayed because there is no depth to the squad.

I mentioned all this on another thread so I won't repeat myself.

We need Pogba back.
 
You know it's a poor run of form when Rich returns ;)

Good to see ya fella even if it does signal a downwards turn for United.
Hey I could have commented a few times in the last few weeks but I refrained from doing so. Its not been a good patch for United unfortunately.

I have to be honest here, I think Ole is out of his depth. United were in a title race and they've fluffed their lines. And not only that but now they are in a real fight for top 4 rather than being in a really good solid second position.

He deserves praise for turning things around earlier in the season. Who would have thought United would have been top in January. But where is the ambition to go win games? To go all out in the last 10-15 minutes?

Yesterday he brought on McTominay for Fred. I get that he lacks attacking options but bring on the youngsters. Try something different, see what they can do. But he doesn't, he leaves them on the bench.

His squad management is diabolical. Fernandes played in the first half against Sociedad when the tie was over? What's he doing?
 
to be fair, a professional footballer should be capable of playing twice a week.

This is all down to the diabolical summer transfer window. No squad depth. We lost Pogaba and thats that, no creativity in the middle.

We might have saved 30m on Sancho, if we do actually buy him, would that be worth it? Because if we don't get top 4 he wont come, and it will be hard to keep Pogba. Can't see us getting anything out of City, so we are in trouble
 
That's nonsense mate a professional footballer should not be expected to play every 3 days for what is now 6 months Utd have had almost no midweek gaps because we have progressed in all cups and dropped into this stupid Europa League. To many of our lads have played way to many games this season with no real breaks. AWB, Maguire, Bruno and Rashford seem to play every single game they must be absolutely shattered.

Part of that is down to the summer window where they didn't reinforce the attack but Ole has also been very reluctant to use players like James, Mata and Lingard in the first half of the season and it looks like as a result the normal starters are now shot.

From that last 10 games Utd are probably 10 points short of what you could and should expect from this team but the worry is when will this slump end?

We have 5 games across 3 competitions in 14 days before a 2 week international break.
 
Of course they should, they restrict what they do in training to compensate. I don't see how you cant expect them to play twice a week. They are prefessional athletes. If I can play once a week with zero training at their age, after a night out many times. They can do it twice.
 
Of course they should, they restrict what they do in training to compensate. I don't see how you cant expect them to play twice a week. They are prefessional athletes. If I can play once a week with zero training at their age, after a night out many times. They can do it twice.

With all due respect mate you aren't running 10-15km in games with god knows how many sprints and recovery runs taking hit after hit from opponents then patching yourself up in 2 days to do it all again while travelling all over the country. I think you have to show a bit of respect to the profession it's a 24/7 lifestyle to be a top player now. Even assuming in your prime you were a health 20-30 year old I'd give you about 5 minutes playing with pro's before you are dead on your feet.

There's also the mental fatigue you losing on a sunday morning to the dog and duck probably doesn't mean anything to you by the time your roast is cooked that afternoon but these lads are in that zone constantly. This season there is absolutely no release from that and like us all they've been locked up in their houses for months just drifting along in life even with money that won't be easy.

Think the commentator even said last night that was our 42nd game of the season whereas Palace have only played 30 in the same period.

Utd have already said they won't be releasing international players who are travelling to areas on quanrantine lists they need to be getting Rashford to fake an injury and praying that Southgate doesn't call up AWB & Shaw.
 
I think mental fatigue is an issue for sure, however I would expect them to be able to do two games a week physically. Maybe I'm being harsh.

As for me at 25, 15km no problem after a night out :rolleyes:

And if I lost to the dog and duck I'd be gutted, they were rubbish :p
 
Saw a worrying stat though. Season averages Shots for per game 10, Shots against 11.
 
On the subject of fatigue etc...

At the very top level 1-2% makes all the difference. No player is ever 100% during the season but the difference between say 93 and 95% at the top level is huge. That's the difference between making the right decision or not. Between scoring or not. Between making a small mistake that leads to a goal or not.
 
dunno about the players, just seen Ole's interview, he looks like he needs a good nights sleep
 
jsp...
...you seem to have made a 180.
Not so long ago you disagreed when l said players needed to be better protected. Especially at this time with no preseason to speak of and games coming thick and fast.
You got there in the end.
 
That's nonsense mate a professional footballer should not be expected to play every 3 days for what is now 6 months Utd have had almost no midweek gaps because we have progressed in all cups and dropped into this stupid Europa League. To many of our lads have played way to many games this season with no real breaks. AWB, Maguire, Bruno and Rashford seem to play every single game they must be absolutely shattered.

Part of that is down to the summer window where they didn't reinforce the attack but Ole has also been very reluctant to use players like James, Mata and Lingard in the first half of the season and it looks like as a result the normal starters are now shot.

From that last 10 games Utd are probably 10 points short of what you could and should expect from this team but the worry is when will this slump end?

We have 5 games across 3 competitions in 14 days before a 2 week international break.
That's kinda nonsense as well. Its not that long ago many were saying Ole didn't know his best 11 because he was rotating. Its a double edge sword for him.
 
jsp...
...you seem to have made a 180.
Not so long ago you disagreed when l said players needed to be better protected. Especially at this time with no preseason to speak of and games coming thick and fast.
You got there in the end.

Please direct me to where I said that.
 
That's kinda nonsense as well. Its not that long ago many were saying Ole didn't know his best 11 because he was rotating. Its a double edge sword for him.

Has Ole rotated a lot since becoming manager? He's often found a formula and stuck with it ran that team into the ground picking the same team game after game before they eventually buckle.

This season he has been rotating more but a lot of that is enforced because of the schedule and also the lack of depth in the squad but my point was more he's now paying the price for not using the whole squad probably because he knows they're not good enough. For example had Mata, James, VDB & Williams been used more in that first half of the season would we have so many players who know look shattered. However, would we have the points we had on the board at the half way stage if he hadn't stuck his main guys in every game? Probably not because we know those players aren't great.

Utd in the summer needed a striker and a winger we only got a striker so we've basically had 4 players rotating through 3 positions Rashford/Cavani/Martial/Greenwood and our number 10 plays every game. Pogba played a few games on the wing but he's often had 1 player unavailable meaning he starts the 3 he's got then has no real option off the bench to change the game.
 
jsp...
...tell me you’re joking.
You have changed your position on this now. Which is ok.
If you cannot recall us going back and forth on this early in the season, then that is very convenient
You can hunt down our conversation, the thread where it appeared. I wouldn’t know where to start... if l had the time.
Or you can accept your position has now changed...
 
jsp...
...tell me you’re joking.
You have changed your position on this now. Which is ok.
If you cannot recall us going back and forth on this early in the season, then that is very convenient
You can hunt down our conversation, the thread where it appeared. I wouldn’t know where to start... if l had the time.
Or you can accept your position has now changed...

Just asking you to back it up mate I don't know what I said 6 months ago and in what context generally I'd say I'm always pretty understanding of the job of protecting players. I'll hold my hands up and admit I'm wrong if I said something I've now changed my stance on. Changing your opinion on something isn't a bad thing it's something a lot of people could do with learning no point getting yourself stuck in only seeing something one way forever. Again point me to where I said it and I'll come back to you don't just say I've flipped my position because I don't think I have.

If you're going to fire shots in an discussion them come well armed for all I know you were having this back and forth with someone else.

Pretty sure you'll find plenty of posts from me last season especially in the run in saying if he doesn't use the squad we will blow up at the end of that mini season and we did, we blow a shot at the FA Cup and Europa League because Ole ran the team into the ground when it had momentum. He'll argue that paid off as that momentum shot us up to 3rd spot and got us in the champions league.

In my previous criticisms of Ole at the end of last season I said he needs to learn how to use his squad becuse Champions League games mean no resting players midweek. He's done a pretty good job of it this season but he's only got about 14-15 players he really seems to trust so he hasn't used the ones on the fringes at all and that seems to be causing him problems now.
 
No jsp, it was with you...
...l don’t post much so l remember very well.
It’s not a hanging offence so l won’t string this out...
...but if you are saying “l don’t know what l said 6 months ago”...
...then you should accept the word of someone who does remember.
 
Like I said point me in the right direction but on something I think I'm consistent over I'm not just going to accept a "you said this 6 months ago" argument especially if you're going to use it to boast about how you were right and I was wrong.

Especially when you're only contribution to this topic seems to have been to take a dig at me rather than say what you actually think on the topic.
 
jsp...
...we discussed this subject late last year. I was very surprised at the position you took, as l was to see your position change.
I am not taking a dig at you at all.
You are usually (and l don’t read much), very good.
But on this, you are not being consistent.
I am not going to spend hours trying to find it.
But remember, it was you who said you can’t remember what you said 6 months ago. You said that.
I can...
 
In this context I don't remember what was said 6 months ago I was just asking you to point me in the right direction so I can try and work out what you're talking about.

For clarity what do you think I said in our previous discussion on this? Was it about Utd or another team?
 
jsp...
...it isn’t important. Real winning the Madrid derby is, but we won’t.
If you don’t remember, you don’t remember.
Let’s move on...
 

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