Sooner he's gone the better.
Louis Van Gaal | 2015-16 Performance Thread
- Thread starter Nighteyes
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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.
That was nothing like the last few games.
Played with proper attacking intent and got the goal we deserved.
That's a blueprint to take forward. Lots of possession and control but getting the ball forward quickly. And using the wings.
Martial was getting nothing tonight. Who else do you take off?
Played with proper attacking intent and got the goal we deserved.
That's a blueprint to take forward. Lots of possession and control but getting the ball forward quickly. And using the wings.
Martial was getting nothing tonight. Who else do you take off?
Don't understand the extreme emotions. We were playing really well. It was the finishing that was lacking. Martial's substitutions is perhaps justifiable to some extent. It was so evident he made every one of his players attack throughout the game. If we played like this every game then I would be completely fine with LvG staying with us as long as possible. The whole team looked so sharp except for the finishing. Not at all the manager's fault. I agree he has his flaws but we need to try and look at things from a neutral perspective
Well it meant Rooney went up top and he scored the winner, so yeah. lol
Amateur stuff from BT Sport cocking up the interview.I've been no fan of LVG, but I don't really have any complaints about today. Not happy either, but content.
I'm happy with the performance, at least we are improving after not having scored in three games.
Nothing much to complain. Got the win, showed much more intent. Looked solid and in control. We severely lack cutting edge and composure though.
I've been his biggest critic, can't stand him to be honest but I cannot understand any complaints about tonight. An early goal and we would be sitting here talking about a 3/4 goal performance.
They had the philosophy sussed. If they were any good they'd have kept us out. The bigger teams will wipe the floor with us.
The performance was much better, in the next few games we'll find out whether it's a sign of things to come or just a one off.
The whoe rooney situation is ridiculous, pretty much one standard for the team and another for rooney.
The whoe rooney situation is ridiculous, pretty much one standard for the team and another for rooney.
In the Press Conf. he said Michael Smalling again.
That's a Quote Moyes/Rodgers would have gotten slaughtered for.
Gotten slaughtered for winning? Yeah, feck Van Gaal and his god damn ability to win a match that even SAF struggled to. There are no positives and United is shit. Sack everyone
Not really he just pointed out that our record against Russian teams is poor. And Van Gaal had plenty of other things to say after the game but Taylor doesn't want to focus on them.
Alex Ferguson never managed against this CSKA Moscow team.
What was the quote?
This has been proven wrong time and time again.. We struggle against smaller teams who park the bus against us. We play better against teams who come out to play. Arsenal this season was an exception, but every other time we played a big team under Van Gaal, we're the better side.
To be honest, Van Gaal picked up the "Get out of jail free" card while playing Monopoly today. In other words, he was quite lucky that his decisions turned out right because that was looking to go nowhere for a long time on the scoreboard. Taking Martial out could have backfired if it wasn't for the goal. As someone wrote before me, he was making more enemies when that substitution came up.
He did manage against CSKA. Which is the point. The entire point no less. Van Gaal is saying that United (and in fact, many clubs) have struggled to win against Russian (specifically CSKA) opposition in the past. And he is therefore suggesting that a win, is a positive result. Which it its. And it is impressive since as far as I'm aware our record against Russian teams is very poor.
Our record against Russian teams including tonight's game:
No one can accuse me of having my head too far up VG's arse, but I thought he had the team playing well tonight. He cannot be on the pitch to make that final pass, that's on the players. We showed the attacking intent that had been missing from our play over the last few games, and had the Russians in bother all night.
Hopefully, this continues. We need this attacking intent, the final pass will get better.
Hopefully, this continues. We need this attacking intent, the final pass will get better.
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One of the marks of a top manager is how much the players under him improved. Players like Mike, Fellaini, Young have improved dramatically under LVG but some still want him out. Anyway, the earlier we give the squad to Giggs assisted by Scholes the better. So, we can go back to the "United way"
Then shouldn't he be getting negative pts for the form in which RvP was last season, how Rooney is now, what happened with ADM etc., Or is it that all good stuff gets attributed to LvG and all negative stuff to individual players.
Form of RVP and ADM here is consistent with their new teams.
So by your logic of attributing player's performances to the manager, they were good players and LvG made them crap that they can no longer play good, even with other teams.
Again I am not denying that the manager can make a player get better, but extrapolating the logic to prove LvG is making a better team is maybe taking it too much.
Note: I am not in the LvG out bandwagon.
If you read the whole thread before clicking that reply button, you'd have seen my explanation for bringing Moyes up.
Di Maria assisted about 13 goals and scored 4. He had a decent output. So did RvP (scored 10 goals). This was inspite of them not even making an effort since January or so. We got the maximum that we could have possibly got out of them. No manager was going to get RvP to play like 12-13 and AdM like 13-14.
He's gotta be trolling. Mike has been your best player (wantaway goalie excepted) for a while now, he has to know the guys bloody name by now!
The substitutions worked. Has anyone credited that to the boss?
Withdrew Martial and Mata ("rest"), changed the style of attack, switched Lingard over to the right flank and we won the game.
Now, we should have won the game long before that granted but it still needs to be acknowledged that the substitutions worked.
CSKA imitated Palace and double and triple marked Martial at times, Mata had some decent work but wasn't enjoying his best game and once they were taken off, CSKA failed to switch their defensive organisation accordingly.
Marking Martial is an attritional battle, you need to be on your toes and aware every second as a defender or a defensive unit. To then have a lumbering Fellaini ghosting in and towering over everyone is another battle but in a very differing way to our boy wonder. Suddenly there was space for Lingard to use his pace on the right side in the shadow of Marouane and provide that cross for other (not Fellaini) movers into the box.
It was a risk and it worked. On fine margins is success determined in many a football game.
As for the rest of the match, a complete territorial dominance due to the tactics.
Withdrew Martial and Mata ("rest"), changed the style of attack, switched Lingard over to the right flank and we won the game.
Now, we should have won the game long before that granted but it still needs to be acknowledged that the substitutions worked.
CSKA imitated Palace and double and triple marked Martial at times, Mata had some decent work but wasn't enjoying his best game and once they were taken off, CSKA failed to switch their defensive organisation accordingly.
Marking Martial is an attritional battle, you need to be on your toes and aware every second as a defender or a defensive unit. To then have a lumbering Fellaini ghosting in and towering over everyone is another battle but in a very differing way to our boy wonder. Suddenly there was space for Lingard to use his pace on the right side in the shadow of Marouane and provide that cross for other (not Fellaini) movers into the box.
It was a risk and it worked. On fine margins is success determined in many a football game.
As for the rest of the match, a complete territorial dominance due to the tactics.
I agree the substitutions worked. But there is something paradoxical about what you're saying. They double or triple marked Martial. Then he goes off and suddenly there's more space for Lingard.
Can't argue with it tho. I think you're right, credit where it's due. If we hadn't won (or heaven forbid had lost) he would have been slaughtered for those substitutions.
I must admit there is something rather underwhelming about seeing Fellaini come on when we're chasing a game. I can understand the criticism myself.
Yes, LvG did in post-match the fecking egomaniac!
To be fair, I'm much happier with the way we played last night and I'm of the opinion that it will lead to more goals if we stick with it. I just have this feeling he'll overthink things and shoot himself in the foot by reverting to form for the next PL match. Breaking down that CSKA team last night couldn't have given us any better practice for a Pulis organised West Brom and should be the model for defensively set-up teams (with a caveat of one of the two holding DMF moving forward more often).
Agreed. If nothing else last night proved that football really is all about goals and where they're thin on the ground, very fine margins.
A DdG/Smalling clearance and a Rooney header made the whole game plan, subs and all, look correct. If the crowd had gone home with the main memory being Rooney missing that ball that skimmed across the 6 yard box, it would have been a very different verdict.
That was the most exciting moment of the match as far as my dog was concerned. He slept for the rest of the game, but my expletives woke him up at that point.
I never said he didn't manage against CSKA Moscow. It was 6 years ago and a variety of different players played so it's not the same team which was my entire point.
Not just underwhelming. It can be downright depressing, as it usually ends up in us pinging pointless long passes towards his head. Last night followed a very different pattern, though. Fellaini seemed to be playing much deeper than usual and wasn't the target of many long passes at all. Most crosses seemed to be aimed at different players entirely. I don't know how much credit the manager deserved for this, but presumably at least some? Whatever, it made a refreshing change.
I was much happier with that performance, even if it did end up 0-0 you could certainly see the positives and say luck wasn't on our side. Compare that with other matches this year and they looked much more determined and ready to kill, we just lacked that final touch.
I hope we take the same game plan against WBA as they will setup very similar, but they don't have the pace Moscow do on the break.
It also shows that even when trying to be risky if we press the ball well enough when losing it we can retain 60-70% possession at the same time as attacking.
I hope we take the same game plan against WBA as they will setup very similar, but they don't have the pace Moscow do on the break.
It also shows that even when trying to be risky if we press the ball well enough when losing it we can retain 60-70% possession at the same time as attacking.
You say that but it seems as though this season Fellaini comes on and we still don't go long to him and he plays deeper (as you referenced to last night). Its just completely mental to bring him on and not play to his strengths because we all know his limitations with the ball. He was completely useless last night until the final minute where De Gea cleared and Fellaini took it down brilliantly on the chest and laid it off.
Maybe given his talent but (hopefully now past) penchant for getting injured when in form, LvG had Chris Smalling killed and has replaced him with his genetically enhanced clone, Iron Mike Smalling.