My only problem with the creating openings argument is we create so few. The stats available show a huge drop since fergies time to LVG's time and LVG is even lower than Moyes in chances created.
Louis Van Gaal | 2015-16 Performance Thread
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Is playing attacking football too hard for him or what? It's costing points because draws are not converted enough into wins.
Watch City and this is exactly why they smash most 'smaller' teams. One of their stars sucks players in and the space created is exploited by the others. Simplistic to say but it's generally what happens and it works.
Currently the only player who can create this scenario is Martial, the rest are too slow (Mata), lacking confidence to beat men (Depay), mediocre all-round (Young) or generally shite all-round (Rooney). City have Sterling, Aguero, De Bruyne, Silva and more.
So even if Martial regularly creates space with his dribbling or attacking movement, who is really going to take advantage of it? Depay is hit or miss with his finishing, Rooney..., Young isn't great and Mata isn't having much luck either.
Van Gaal isn't helping but it is definitely partly to do with the players at the moment.
No, he did make it work in his first year at AZ, but they lost their last match in a threeway title race with Ajax, PSV and AZ with the same amount of points before the last day. AZ were favorite because they played the best football and only needed to win by one goal against a bottom half team. But the players didn't take the pressure well, which is not unusual when a small club can win big things. The change to a more defensive system had more to do with the kind of players he had and didn't have. It kind of developped of the season into a more defensive side, in the sense that they pressed lower.
It's not that the accuracy of passing isn't an issue at all, but the problem is more in the movement off the ball, and therefore the lack of quick thinking and really understanding the system among a few players. This is not an elite thing, just anticipating and start making the right angles asap. The space is there, but it disappears quickly when some players dwell off the ball.
It's a bit more complicated than that. United sold almost the whole attacking lineup while bringing young players in Martial and Memphis plus by LvG's own words younger players will always be inconsistent at times which we should have no reason to disagree. Squad looks almost fully balanced but it lacks the end product and obviously spark of deadly confidence in the sting area.
Definitely wouldn't say LvG is clueless, he's more of a stubborn ox type manager but his record will always be impressive. We still may need a bigger and better squad for all four competitions and knowing United's luck to injuries I guess manager should take especially that into account.
The lack of attacking display is not solely down to the attackers though, the slow passing in midfield and the reluctance to commit midfield players forward at time is also a huge problem. Bournemouth move the ball around quicker and with more intent and they def don't have better attacking talent.
If we just could not be wasteful against sides like Newcastle or PSV we could be already top of the league and CL group. Can't deny that midfield have it's own problems in need to be addressed but LvG responded correctly in the summer while attacking formation still needs some set of prioritized actions.
Priority or not midfield's tactical stance is also important and could improve our game, can't disagree with that. Just another thing that LvG needs to stop being that kind of a stubborn ox about it.
Yeah if we scored every decent chance we got we would be top of the table. If other teams also did that we would again not be top of the table. Can we drop the idea of an alternative table in the universe where United never miss?
No because we were clearly dominant sides in the first half against teams like Newcastle and PSV. You don't take chances, you don't score, you don't win, you can't take the next step in the evolution of so called philosophy.
Since when simple calculation is such a case of quantum physics now when we are that close of establishing ourselves at the top ? It's that kind of annoying little details that shaped the league table in season like 2011/2012... and there's still time to LvG make things right and take a chance on the title.
The only thing here is that Matrial is a forward player, I think we need dribblers in CM
I think we need a better no.7 and no.10 to replace Rooney and Mata in the side whilst Martial and Mempis get over the inconsistency that comes with being so young. We can blame LvG all we want but at the end of the day he is not the only manager that's refusing to commit more players from midfield, Fergie won his last two titles play that way - two deep midfielders and a front four that often had Rooney dropping deep and JS Park tucked in to do a job in midfield! The major difference was that we didn't dwell on the ball for far too long, always looking to score and that we always had a thirty goal striker. Now we don't have a single top quality winger nor do we have a player remotely capable of fashioning out chances in difficult matches.
It falls on Van Gaal because the way he dumped some of the players who could fulfill those roles was rushed to say the least, I would have thought that he'd give players like Nani, Welbeck and Rafael more time especially considering how we are struggling to attract the right type of player.
I thought he got it right getting rid of those players. Rafael isnt the type of player to dribble at defenders from CM, Wellbeck is a striker who doesnt score and Nani was past his best and spent most of his time out wide. He was not effective in the CM area where we need dribblers. None of those players are the type of player we need.
So Klopp has already got Liverpool playing better football in a matter of weeks, yet a year and a half later and we're still adapting to the philosophy, right guys?
Seriously, when will the bullshit excuses stop? There is absolutely no reason for the shit football, apart from the tactics employed by our manager. When you've got City, Arsenal and Liverpool all playing attractive, attacking football, then we as United fans have every right to demand the same (if not better considering our financial power and status).
Seriously, when will the bullshit excuses stop? There is absolutely no reason for the shit football, apart from the tactics employed by our manager. When you've got City, Arsenal and Liverpool all playing attractive, attacking football, then we as United fans have every right to demand the same (if not better considering our financial power and status).
Liverpool scored with all 5 of their shots on target fwiw.
We will qualify for the CL again...at least so we can expect van Gaal to finish his 3rd year.
Unlike many here though I think we have a very good chance of winning the title this season.
Stay calm lads.
Unlike many here though I think we have a very good chance of winning the title this season.
Stay calm lads.
It's because I honestly don't believe LVG thinks we're playing badly. We're not far off his vision of the ultimate football, unfortunately his philosophy is either outdated or shit to watch.
He will get the sack if Klopp finishes above him and rightly so.
Yep. I think this is worryingly close to the truth.
Don't forget LVG needed to spend £250 million on players and then they needed time to bed in because the poor guy inherited a squad that finished 7th, unlike Klopp, who....oh wait.
Yet klopp has managed to get Liverpool clicking within 2 months, more than VG has done since he arrived here in 2014
What was stopping us from trying to sign De Bruyne?
We're clicking and getting closer to what LvG wants from Manchester United. I think that's probably the most depressing thing about all this, especially when we're seeing bloody Liverpool sorting themselves out with a manager many on here would love to have had.
He ain't wrong. We're being absolutely conned at the moment.
As much as I'm no fan of Van Gaal currently that tweet is fairly moronic.
Mr Van Gaal is doing fine.
I will even say that he is right. But I was just thinking about AZ Alkmaar, LVG struggled with them and iirc he only adapted when he hit rock bottom. So I think that he is able to make us a lot better but he won't change a thing while we have acceptable results which isn't a good mentality, imo.
The way Liverpool are playing reminds me so much of the way we played when Fergie finally got it going in the early 90's. Liverpool have got players queuing up to get on the ball and they all look to have bags of confidence.
In the end it is results. I think we have solid chance to win the title.
Exactly. It was so obvious that we were short in attack in the summer, even compared to our league rivals never mind the best of Europe.
LVG is hamstrung by the lack of quality in the forwards he has available but that is as much down to his decisions as anything else.
No chips? He is the dutch Moyes.
Cereal and toast, eh? No marmalade? Probably no milk on the corn flakes either.
As ridiculous as these stories are, it seems someone is actually leaking them. Some disgruntled soul who misses his jam and can't stand tedious tactical meetings.
As ridiculous as these stories are, it seems someone is actually leaking them. Some disgruntled soul who misses his jam and can't stand tedious tactical meetings.
agree. there obviously are some leaks. But I'm not certain they are from players. could be anyone within the club.
the players don't look happy and it shows on the pitch.
It annoys me how much better Klopp has made the scousers and we're stuck with this buffoon.
It annoys me how much better Klopp has made the scousers and we're stuck with this buffoon.
personally, even if he lands us the title, I don't want him here long term having us playing like this.
Winning at all costs is not how this club was built. Nor is That Our Philosphy.
Winning at all costs is not how this club was built. Nor is That Our Philosphy.
Criticising Van Gaal is one thing.
Reading the Daily fecking Mail is another. Have some bloody standards.
Reading the Daily fecking Mail is another. Have some bloody standards.
One hates to oversimplify the roots of a problem but in this case it's ridiculously simple. The root of the problem with our attack is the shocking play of Wayne Rooney.
If Rooney were a right fullback or a left mid you couldn't blame him for all our problems defending or in midfield. But he plays in the crucial role of 10 and we can easily see that he cannot perform that in role in anyway. Attacking play that goes through Rooney is easily defended. And when we pull the ball out wide defenders know that the only threat in the box is Martial, whom they double-mark.
Had Louis Van Gaal knew last summer what he knows now, that Wayne Rooney has completely lost it, I have no doubt he would have addressed the problem. But it's clear that he believed that Rooney still had it, that he only needed to be unleashed in the 9 role and when that didn't work out that he only needed to be unleashed in the 10 role. That hasn't worked out either. Now we're stuck with a captain on a bloated contract that we can't easily get rid of by selling him. And benching him isn't easy either, although the contours of Louis's strategy in how he's handling Rooney is now obvious. It's just a matter of time, but we have to be patient with Van Gaal in how he's going to ease out his captain.
If Rooney were a right fullback or a left mid you couldn't blame him for all our problems defending or in midfield. But he plays in the crucial role of 10 and we can easily see that he cannot perform that in role in anyway. Attacking play that goes through Rooney is easily defended. And when we pull the ball out wide defenders know that the only threat in the box is Martial, whom they double-mark.
Had Louis Van Gaal knew last summer what he knows now, that Wayne Rooney has completely lost it, I have no doubt he would have addressed the problem. But it's clear that he believed that Rooney still had it, that he only needed to be unleashed in the 9 role and when that didn't work out that he only needed to be unleashed in the 10 role. That hasn't worked out either. Now we're stuck with a captain on a bloated contract that we can't easily get rid of by selling him. And benching him isn't easy either, although the contours of Louis's strategy in how he's handling Rooney is now obvious. It's just a matter of time, but we have to be patient with Van Gaal in how he's going to ease out his captain.