06 Mar 2018 15:27:08
I just want to pose a question to everyone on here.

Is Sanchez just taking time to adjust to the team OR is he following Mourinho's tactics?

Sanchez is trying to do almost the exact same thing as all our other wide players have so far this season. There seems to be a tactic of just give it to a wide player and expect them to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Create a goal and that will do.

Having watched us all season I feel that we don't actually have a specific plan of attack. We seem to be set up to restrict chances, stay compact and limit space for the opposition. But what is our attacking plan? How are we set up to score goals?

Is the plan to attack down the wings with quick diagonal balls then play crosses into a specific area for our striker? Or pull the ball back for midfield runner to sweep home? Are we looking at through ball down the middle or down the channels? Our we set up to play the ball to a striker to lay off to a No.10 or second striker? Or are we looking to break in behind and use pace? Are we looking to exploit set plays? Are we looking to press and hit teams quickly? Or have slow build up and work openings?

We seem to have no offensive plan other than everyone sit deep, and play long to one ore two players up front and expect them to do something.

Nearly all teams have a modus operandi on how they try to score, what is ours?

Is it that we have poor players, or do we have good players with no plan?


1.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 16:03:47
Completely agree Shaps. This is evident by the lack of movement off the ball in the final third and every player having to look up for options before makin a pass. It’s like the team are playing together for the first time. Mourinho mentioned in an interview that his preferred plan for attack is to allow the one/ two superstars to create chances and moments of magic. This may be something he needs to build in his repertoire. Or hire an assistant manager who is good at it like Fergie did. Don’t see him doing the latter though.


2.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 16:09:40
Good post Shappy. I think the issue is we have a poor attacking plan. We lack any identity and often when we attack there is no game plan just hope for one of our big name players to pull off pieces of magic. I think we play far to narrow and try and play intricate passes through the middle of the opposition defence. We rarely stretch teams mainly because our wingers all cut inside and operate very narrowly. Now I have no issue with our wingers doing that provided our full backs provide the width and bomb down the wings. I think that is jose’s Plan. However as we can all see our full backs are just not good enough. They both lack quality in delivery of crosses and lack any sort of creativity. Until we sign two top quality full backs we will continue to play static, slow, narrow football.

We have a striker in Lukaku who is one of the best in the box yet we provide him next to no service. I think on a few occasions mata puts in some great balls for him and we have capitalised. I think Lukaku has done an incredible job to have the amount of goals he does without having much decent service. I think Sanchez has massively disrupted the balance of the team. He and pogba seem to want to operate in the same space and it’s just not working. Martial or rashford need to play on the left hand side and Sanchez must play centrally or on the right. I hope we can get him clicking because it’s not been working so far.

At the beginning of the season we were moving the ball at speed and stretching teams with the pace and width of our wingers. We have so much pace in our attacking areas but we are not making the right runs. Everything is played to congestidly in the areas in fromt of the cbs. We need to isolate the opposition full backs and take them on. Sanchez didn’t take on the young rb from palace once on the outside. Sane does this better than anyone in the league for city. We aren’t far but Jose needs to allow the team to attack a bit more freely and needs to invest in two top full backs otherwise we will be watching more of this disjointed football.


3.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 16:59:10
Our full backs where on and overlapped all night just didn't get a pass .
Sanchez and pogba had a stinker gave to ball away all night and people talk about our full backs .
We need to get the players we have playing well.
It's a myth the whole fb thing let the attackers attack .
Watch psg Madrid tonight the attackers will do the business.
Watch city kdb Silva sane and co will do the business.

Teams sit that deep against the top teams there is very little room in the last third any way .
Midfield is the engine room sets the tempo and that is missing from this team .
A decent play maker in there some one energy will be a massive step in the right direction . I will be amazed if we don't spend big on cm.


4.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 17:12:53
No one is denying pogba and Sanchez had stinkers jred. We only started overlapping when shaw came on the left hand side. Young has the tendency to always shift onto his right foot and pass it back in field. Valencia’s legs have gone and he doesn’t offer much going forward. I disagree on your point that other teams’ attackers only do the business. Marcelo is one of real’s most important attacking assets and he offers width and quality crosses when Ronaldo cuts in field more centrally. City were terrible last year without decent full backs who are integral to peps style of play. Walker has been immense for them and is so important for their attacking output. Granted Mendy has been injured so we can’t judge him. PSG have alves who again is a massive threat going forward and is important to their style of play. Spurs’ full backs as well. To dismiss the importance of full backs in the modern game is a bit short sighted. They have to be able to be decent at both attacking and defending as well as probably be the fittest players on the pitch. I agree we need some quality in midfield and I expect us to make at least one signing there.


5.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 17:32:53
Spot on park. With 2 midfielder minimum leaving i think its a safe bet we will spend on midfielders.
We tried to sign a cb at in jan so i'd say that's for sure and a couple of proper full backs are needed and as ed002 said we are trying to sign 2 full backs also.


6.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 17:57:01
2 full backs and a center mid like Savic or Joginho and Umtiti as a cb will completely transform our team.


7.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 18:03:50
I have no idea where you get the FB is a myth thing from jred. How about the likes of Cafu and Roberto Carlos, our own Gary Neville was quality at the over lap, and like Park said look at the likes of Alves and Kyle Walker.

We looked a different side when Shaw came on and gave us some natural needed width.


8.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 18:15:33
No amount of tactics could teach you how to lose the ball 32 times in a game.


9.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 18:18:38
Shaw came on and gave us some extra weight not width. I didn't see anything good that he did last night. Or how we can credit any of that 2nd half performance due to him giving us extra width.


10.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 20:07:20
Personally I think the issue comes from the fullbacks tactically. As we don’t push forward enough the opposition defence isn’t stretched.


11.) 06 Mar 2018
06 Mar 2018 21:04:36
Shaw came on a put his bulging rear end in our defence and offered nothing at all.


12.) 07 Mar 2018
07 Mar 2018 01:21:22
The amount of times young in particular was ignored and Sanchez come inside was ridiculous last night .

Sanchez was awful last night, great player had a stinker as did pogba and people want to say it's because of our full backs .
Messi kdb and co don't at well because of there full back .
Singh
I'm a big fan of Shaw but he done nothing last night .

People would rather make excuses for Jose pogba the star names than accept the heart of the team had a stinker.


13.) 07 Mar 2018
07 Mar 2018 01:25:19
Should also say city where crap while pep got his message over .
Crap unroll they bought 2 full backs? Delph has played more games than any city player at left back .

It's a bit like Shaw changed the game . No he never
Pogba needs to play in a 3 against Newcastle. he was playing in a 3

United need different full backs to attack? No they don't they need pogba Sanchez and co to play well in attack.


14.) 07 Mar 2018
07 Mar 2018 13:02:42
Interesting debate with a non united fan last night who stated- united will win nothing major with pogba/ sanchez playing in the same team! Quantified by "they close up each others operating area as well as trying to outdo each other"
Must say the space thing I agree with, bit early for the other statement .