One interesting thing I'm looking out for is why is our line still so deep with De Ligt in for Maguire? If De Ligt Martinez and Ugarte still form a system with a deeper line then I agree with you that the system is broken. The good teams usually only sprint 10 yards to reach the place where the ball was lost. United are struggling cause we have a huge gap between our forward and defensive lines. Besides if we're playing so deep we're wasting Onana too.
Teams generally play deeper against strong opposition such as Liverpool. A slow midfielder(casemiro) will only encourage that. We need to see what will happen in the next few games. Judging so quickly this season is ridiculous.
Our line is nowhere near as deep as it was with Maguire and we’ve only had 1 game with De Ligt and it is vs Liverpool what do you expect? You expect our team to just transform in one game?
Because we have been piling up the backlog of incomplete squad inputs and instructions with a horrendous 3 year sacking cycle, instead of this pile up, what we now need is stability and continuity in instructions and philosophy.
No we’ve been second under mourinho, ten hag first season where implemented a more compact counter attacking style we fared better. Its the second season thats proving to be diffcult.
@@Haych222this argument loses more and more weight every window that passes. At this point, the only players he’s really stuck with from the old regime are Maguire and Lindelof. Every other player, bar Amad, are either players he’s signed, brought through the academy, or given new contracts too. Like it or not this is his squad now. Yes he’s been unfortunate with injuries at times, doesn’t excuse how poor the structure and performances have been
It's a very good point that you raised around 20 mins into the video, because that is how Casemiro was used in Madrid, especially in the bigger games. Casemiro higher up would trigger the first press, with Kroos and Modric being better at the second press stage if it passed Casemiro. And then in possession, Casemiro could look back, to two of the best deepest-lying midfielders of all time
The thing is, Dave, in six months’ time you’ll be saying “Ugarte is too safe and not progressive enough in possession, we need THIS midfielder to solve it.” If Casemiro had made both those passes that he cocked up, everyone would be raving about them.
Haha I was thinking the exact same. It's all well and good to play it safe but we've seen that Utd many times before just passing it around with no penetration. The bottom line is if Utd don't win then people will complain. And they will not be consistent in their complaints either. During LVG / Mourinho everyone was complaining how boring it was and that they would give anything for a more attacking setup. Ole provided that but then everyone was complaining about how leaky the defense was. ETH has had issues both ways, sometimes the team too boring and not scoring and at other times goals going both ways. Ultimately there has to a good balance and I think that does just take some time, as it's tactics, personnel, culture etc. All the pieces of the puzzle need to be in place to win consistently. What makes it hard is everything is connected, so you can't change one thing without affecting everything else as well. People talking like building a championship winning team is a piece of cake.
@@richardhp77 I think the problem is we need to be better at picking our moments. Against Liverpool it felt like we go for risky passes while under intense pressure but are less inclined to make risky passes in regular build up even though the team is in a better place to support if we lose possession. Casemiro hits his direct long ball forward accurately maybe about 1/10 times. The reward from that is simply not worth it for the amount of times we need to win the ball back after it fails.
Spot on, Mr Statman! I don't get why ETH doesn't instruct Casemiro to play like he played at RM. Imo we could already have a midfield that is absolutely working, if we would simply use that approach you are mentioning here. Scrap that fast transition approach, that obviously isn't working at all. Instead, move to a slower, more controlled style of play (you got the players who can do that now!). Let Bruno and Case switch positions during build-up and try to highlight our player's strenghts instead of their weaknesses, ffs... - Onana was singed bc of his phenomenal short pass skills. But all he seems to be instructed to do is play it as long and direct as possible. - Almost all our "wingers" are actually wide forwards that naturally want to run into space and shoot on target. But they are being used as creators first and foremost. - Bruno is yet to play a throughball this season! ... I mean just WHY ? ? ?
Amrabat in the FA cup final played short safe passes always either to martinez varane or mainoo nd guess what..mainoo nd bruno loooked so comfortable in attack...
@@StatmanDave Amrabat did perfect at CDM But Problem was playing him at Left Back Never his position..otherwise the most dangerous of Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno was in the last 4 premier league games last season plus FZ Cup final in all those Amrabat was at CDM doing all the street criminals dirty work.. Even City and Arsenal failed to overun th United midfield .
Pretty spot on. Casemiro can still do a job but I do think the system is what's causing issues. Casemiro is the type that aggressively goes for the tackles but he's being asked to do it while he's the no.6. The second he misses or gets bypassed, United are being overloaded by the opposition as there is no cover anymore. That and he has the tendency to go for risky passes which also gets undone as once it gets intercepted, United are again, being countered with a massive overload. The game against Liverpool highlighted that very well when it all goes wrong. We talk about the structure and how when in possession, we should look to build with a system of 3-2-4-1 ideally. Casemiro however, is part of the 3 in which he's sitting in between the lines of 3 and 2. When he loses the ball, he's out of the game and we're facing a counter with just 2 at the back and anyone else struggling to race back. More often than not, we will fail and end up conceding. Ugarte does provide the shield if he's in the no.6 position but it does mean we need a playmaker. Currently, Bruno is being pushed too high and it would probably be better that in possession, he drops deep to get on the ball. Mainoo is still young and for all his strengths, he doesn't have the long range passing ability yet. He is a good ball carrier though so it might work out in that he works in tandem with Bruno.
@@stailenknife5453 yeah. I have a feeling if we go deeper into this, we can find way more proofs of the ref acting as 12th player for not only Liverpool, but Brighton on the previous match. I hope we have people getting paid to actually find out about these shits. bcs this is ground to bring the FA and the ref body to court.
First season we had it right. Casa eriksen and Bruno. Ball winner, simple/smart passer and risky/goal scoring threat. Eriksen got injured and we replaced him with a dribbler and ask our BWM to be a DLP as well.
Casa, Eriksen and Bruno was a beautiful trio to watch, they had a chemistry.....I doubt we are going to get the chemistry needed with Ugarte....but hopeful too
ETH should have got an energetic Box to Box midfielder to replace Ericson instead he got a mount that nobody knows his position, he is neither a 6 nor 10 and poor as a 8
Brilliant one Dave! I really can't wait to see how Ugarte fits in. Hope he's used to his strengths. I, however don't think Case's errors were down to instructions. It was poor decision-making on his part. No one will crucify you for playing safe in those two situations that led to goals - not especially Case - I'll be surprised if anyone was expecting him to do what he was trying to do! He's Case, not a Modric!
Call me crazy but I think our only problem is our weird inability to score goals. Casemiro is a problem but other than that its purely our goalscoring ability thats an issue. Against liverpool we dominated hard for 35 minutes until casemiro gifted 2 goals in 7 minutes. We had like 65% possession, more passes in final third, twice their touches in the box etc. But the simple fact is u cant dominate like that without having anything to show for it bcos it is tiring mentally and physically. Same thing happened last season against spurs away, shoukdve bagged at least 2 in the first half, played them off the park, but we went into the second half at 0-0. They score the first, they get the momentum, our heads drop bcos we've done all that work for nothing, they get on top, get another, and beat us 2-0. Its a consistent trend with us. Say what u will about Ole but he knew how to make us score a lot of goals. Idk how exactly you go about fixing this issue for us but id like to point out the last time we properly beat a team was 3-0 against everton last year, and ofc garnachos bicycle kick is the memorable thing but guess who scored those other 2 goals...martial. It just goes to show we flat out need new attackers, amad and maybe højlund are the only 2 I think can be part of a front 3 that consistently scores over a goal a game. I think garnacho is a bench option at best rly and rashford needs to be sold, we need an attacker like martial who just causes goals to fly in whenever they play. We already know how to dominate a team (on the ball that is, obviously not scoreline wise) i am of the belief that we now just need to work out how to consistently have goals to show for said domination. I do notice a lot that whenever we are attacking we have like 2 players in the box with 5 opposition defenders. However , when watching arsenal, liverpool and city theres never less than 4 or 5.
I agree completely with you as I also think Erik’s system can work cos some of the things pundits scream about that we do wrongly are the same things or signs that show up when teams break city press or system When it’s good it’s good but when it’s bad it’s bad
Not taking our chances has been a feature for a while. But it was definitely a thing in preseason and has sadly carried into the league. We should have won at Brighton and 6 points from 9 would have been a decent start.
@spookyman9515 exactly mate I can't stand any pundit really 😂 always a different story dependent on the score, they don't understand that's not always the case
ETH at Ajax had his ‘ball winner’ in Alvarez who was a number 8. De jong was the 6 and the deep playing ball player. Having the number 6 being deeper means it’s too late as we have now - get the ball winner the pitch. 😊
This season I just want to see one match where bruno drops deep, infront of the CBs and mainoo and mount as the double 8, it's just perfect in theory in my head, lol
@@darwinlitaf7544 bruno isn't physical enough that's the problem with united's midfield since ten hag came. Casemiro is the best option but the problem is he's not able to transition the ball from defense to attack alone. Bruno needs to return to his number 10 position and stop roaming around the pitch and Mainoo becomes the de jong while Ugarte is the alvarez. Onana Mazroui DeLigt Martinez Dalot Ugarte Mainoo Fernandes Amad Zirkzee Garnacho
@@aronabraham4657 Bruno is the main problem in the United midfield. I get it you need to create chances, but the risks Bruno takes are brainless sometimes. You can't give possession away so cheap like Bruno does. Most teams play a 3 man midfield. Bruno gives the ball away, Bruno is out of the game, then it's 3 midfielders against the United 2 man midfield. If you going to play Bruno you have to have 3 midfielders behind him. Onana rb- Dalot cb- Martinez and De Ligt lb-Shaw Midfield- Ugarte, Mainoo and Mount. rw- Garnacho striker- Hojlund lw- Amad.
Casemiro looks like an 8 to me. Some of his play around the box has been very tasty… I have noticed him trying to force the final ball, much like you’d see from Bruno. He’s bound to lose it playing like that. But it’s paid off for him as well. Some really nice one touch against City in the Shield.
Maybe when Shaw gets back we'll play a 3 defender build up we don't have a natural left footer at left back so we have to split the Cbs at the moment to give lisandro an angle🤷🏾♂️
I don't think you realize how much actual tactics don't make this team matter when their backs against the wall. You fail to take into account the players emotional mental and actual state of mind when they against a team that's either better or worst than them on paper but don't actually give a flying fuck against their tactics and they just attack them with no fear. They get caught in every situation from counters, to players losing the ball, the speed changese, they don't know how to come back mentally from this shit. Behind the scenes it all shits and giggles but come game day they were absolutely gunned won. Hopefully they all watch this and see you have faith in them and these tactics and absolute changes one player might make.
My question is, if Ten Hag can build a player like Frenkie de Jong, why didn't he build De Jong at United? If you want a midfielder like De Jong, why would you bring in Ugate, who has a different skill set?
People need to realise that Ugarte is not a traditional holding midfielder, not a No.6. HE IS A BALL WINNING MIDFIELDER, A DESTROYER. He knows how to break the play. To do that he leaves his position a lot, creating a lot of space for opposition to exploit but the club managers who have managed him always had his midfield partner ready to fill that hole. In recent international friendly, his heat map was way ahead on the left attacking midfield/wing region whilst he was playing a No.6. Valverde frequently dropped in to cover whenever he went forward to press/gain possession. He is not going to work like that at United especially with Bruno in the side. Both are positionally ill-disciplined. Playing these two together will leave a massive hole in the midfield. Good luck against big team lads. This manager is clueless. We needed someone like Rodri or Kross next to Casemiro not a younger version of Casemiro.
Casemiro had modric and Kroos to control and are press resistant. Bruno can’t control and is not press resistant enough like modric and Kroos and plays too much risks when he should control games and have turnovers.
@@Jericho642 I'm talking about position, I'm talking about their traits. Like for example, we've been using Rashford this season like a touchline winger instead of an inside forward which is the role we've his best form in or when we're using Casemiro for progressive passes when he should be just focused on the defensive plays and rest defence because he's a DM not a DLP.
Imo theoretically Bruno moving deeper will improve our midfield but I’m worried about his discipline to hold the number 6 or high 8 position throughout the whole game.. hope Ugarte will help us solve this problem.. But nevertheless, do give time to ETH, this team is new with incomings, judge him when all the new signings are fit and available to play, it’s not too late to discuss his fate at the end of the season.
Hell NO. ETH over complicates the instructions to these players. Look at how Ugarte will be targeted every game because of the Liverpool mishap. That's why ETH really begged for United to get Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona because he is that centerpiece for his 3-1-6
I agree ETH tactics just don't work especially the midfield, the 2 in the pivot are over run or outnumbered every game, it's like a game of basketball. I don't know why he's trying to be clever. Just play a 4-3-3 be solid in the midfield. Garnacho, Amad, Zirkzee, Hojlund, Antony and Rashford will create chances in a front 3.
@@chriswood753 I assume he has looked at that error because us fans can see whats wrong how much more if they were the other big clubs. Teams wont be afraid to press high against united
Ugarte isn't going to solve our midfield problems. We lack a ball carrying midfielder since Herrera left and Bruno Fernandes treats the ball like a hot potato. We need more midfielders.
Ball carrying midfielder? We have Mainoo and Mount. We need a defensive midfielder that can play those simple passes. Ugarte? But yes, we need more quality midfielders. But also a left back, centerback with pace and a natural goalgetter. People forget that this windows was the beginning of the INEOS project. More players will go, more players will be signed. It's not a sprint, its a marathon.
@@whiplashTMMassive clearances are needed in the next transfer windows with players like Shaw,Evans,Maguire, Lindelof, Casemiro, Eriksen and Rashford shown the exit doors and six players brought in ie LB,LCB,CM,CDM,CM & LW.
Yoro is important with this. Due to his pace. I think when yoro and shaw comes in. It should be Onana Mazoroui yoro De ligt. Shaw Ugarte. Martinez Amad. Mainoo Garnacho Hojlund If ten hag plays this he will have a balanced system. 5 people that knows how to defend and 5 that knows how to attack. With good work rate, pressing. With this formation. Martinez can shift and make it a back three as well. As martinez is good at passing. And can press and anticipate incase we are outnumbered. And all these players have tremendous workrate. And the formation is flexible in game it can change to 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 or 5-4-1. Martinez has played cm and his passing is top notch. If he is higher and has the pace of yoro behind him, man utd will be hard to come by. I believe mainoo higher up can do damage. Ten hag is giving too much responsibility at a young age. At 21 he can drop deeper. Martinez can be the link as he is good on the ball. Kind of like a de jong. Ugarte always makes good decisions so him and martinez can swap roles. But we will have good defensive cover. With this formation. Hojlund will have a good season. Fast, strong, loads of energy and ruud is here now.
If you guys remember, United were doing well until ETH send instructions through De light asking Casemiro to play in between two CB's and pass from the deep while both LB and RB push higher. A tactical genius indeed🤣🤣🤣
Casemiro was poor in the Liverpool game but whats worrying is the teams desicion making during critical situations on the pitch. Liverpool took advantage of Man United mistakes but you could also see that Liverpool had some issues in the midfield (like Man United) and for sure better teams will take advantage of that.
at 10:30 ish you explain the situation where Bruno plays it back. If you look closer there is a run in behind from Garnacho and the only reason Bruno doesn't hit that is because the referee runs in his way. He clearly shows with his body that he's planning to hit it either forward to Zirkzee or Garnacho and can't because of the referee. So instead he improvises and plays it home to Casemiro. Which is actually quite good since it means he didn't lose the ball in a tight spot and Casemiro should have good control since he's not under pressure there. Then we see Casemiro play it first time towards the left side which is quite open since Zirkzee draws Trent towards him centrally since Konate is trailing. If Casemiro doesn't make that blunder then it's actually quite a good situation for United. Just margins that ends up deciding the game.
I hate ETHs stubbornness. Casemiro is not playmaker nor a facilitator. But somehow in someway, ETH will try to force Casemiro to play in a role that he’s not/never was or is… Mainoo, will eventually come off of the bench. Ugarte and Casemiro will start as double/rotational pivots. It’s damn shame, ETH is willing to live and die by his stubbornness…
Can someone please explain to me what Maino adds to the team? 🙏🏻. IMO Casemiro needs to play, but with limited instruction. Pass the ball around and win duels. He needs to be partnered with Ugarte.
You made a very important point at the end of the show by substuting Bruno and Casemiro position, but my consering here is the ability that casemiro have to do the pressuring role that Bruno actually does in forward?
I think getting Amadou Onana from Everton (now at Villa) might have been one of the only better picks at CDM than Ugarte, but he's still a very solid CDM. He can't do it all, but he's basically a younger version of Casemiro, and for right now, that's exactly what they need. As long as he and Mainoo both stay fit, I think the midfield could see a drastic improvement over last season and so far of what we've seen this season, and if they bring in another midfielder in January to add some depth, midfield will be taken care of, for the time being. They seriously need to address the LB position, and as much as I'd hate to see it, I'm betting they'll move Rashford on next summer, along with the likes of Antony, Lindelof, Maguire, and Casemiro. If they do another "clear out and upgrade" next summer, I think it'll easily be the best the squad has looked since SAF left, and then the only question mark will be who the manager is.
All in all they're to be scored more as long as they start being more fluid, they have to play in different positions in the same match to support each other and press more when they lose possession.
Good analysis, but you didn't mention how his tenacity to win the ball can cause teams to manipulate uniteds shape by drawing him out of shape constantly through players with good Ball technicality just like what happened to him Vs Milian in the CL….one of the reasons why he was dropped by the PSG coach
even if Ugarte sorts out the defensive issues for a while, this team will need a player who can control games like Kross or Modric, and Mainoo is not that level yet. it is important eth use eriksen more this season with ugarte, while mainoo gets some rest. at 18, he has played a bit too much. you can clearly see he gets exhausted in around 65-70-minute mark and more of those same errors as he had unfortunately against Liverpool, he will get drained and overworked and there is a massive danger of him losing confidence at such a young age. he is being overworked and overplayed. that is not how you manage young players. it is vital united get someone to replace eriksen, someone like Rabiot for free for a couple of years until Mainoo matures.
One thing most of y'all not seeing is that, Casemiro has been poor because Utd's attackers. His goalscoring for Man utd has made him to add an extra burden of trying to get goals for utd as he leaves him position to bomb forward most times in the game and considering he is ageing and doesnt have the legs anymore, tracking back to defend as the defensive midfielder has been difficult for him and the team. If Utd's attackers produce better output , it might take burden off Case and allow him to play his best as a DM
I prefer zone marking rather then high pressing that make strike force tired and the result is no goal score. Zone marking is good enough and spair the energy for attacking
Check that clip of Casemiro first error, the moment Bruno was in the half space… the referee actually impeded the play cos Bruno wanted to switch to Garnacho in the counter but the passing lane was blocked.
Portugal are literally playing it today, ETH’s requirement for a 6 is a deep play maker. And you’re wrong, Vitinha, Kante, Tchoumani, Rice(dependent on system being possession or quick counter) and De Jong.
I think it's a really, really weird signing. United are wanting to play out from the back and they're targeting a player who's terrible at it. It's the exact same reason that PSG wanted to get rid of him.
The referee was totally at fault for the first 2 goals. Blocking Bruno's view to play the ball out wide to Ganarcho before the first goal. Then also blocking Casemiro's view from passing the ball to Zirkzee before the second goal.
I was under the impression from preseason, that we are supposed to have 3 at the back in possession with one of the defenders stepping into the double pivot role alongside the 6. In front of this defensive minded five are an attacking minded players in a W-shape. I'm sure the 6 isn't on their own. Also, didn't we buy Onana for his ball playing abilities and the skill to step into the backline to create an overload of players during the first phase playing out from the back?
For the first goal, the pass to Dalot is the correct option to keep impetus in the attack and creates a 2 on 1 on that side. It's an easy ball, it can be played second touch as Casemiro has plenty of time, and it should be lifted into Dalot's path.
Casemiro has been asked to progress the ball up the pitch quickly when United are in transition. The mistake he makes is that he tries to do it all the time and is too risky in his play (hence really poor pass completion percentage), often playing first time passes that cause United to lose possession.
But as we saw with the Ugarte example against Barcelona, Casemiro playing the safer pass to LCB would still exploit that overload on the left wing. Against weaker teams it's ok to be a bit more direct but teams with elite forwards like Liverpool need to be treated with more respect.
Yes Bruno and Rashford both need dropping they just don't suit ETH tactics, ETH wants to play possession football. Bruno plays at 100mph every pass has got to be a through ball. Bruno is not good when he is pressed as well. Rashford needs to sort himself out something is wrong.
Excellent analysis... problem is does ETH actually know what the issues are? We keep seeing the same issues...bad decision making and passing all over the pitch
Hey Dave, I am curious if you can do a video on Onana, I don't think he is up to standard for United and has really struggled. Is there any thing he can do to keep his place, would you suggest Costa or someone else to replace him in future
@@wilder17 Casemiro is suffering from structure but yes Ugarte would still probably offer more off the ball currently anyway. Casemiro would still offer a lot more on the ball though. His abilities are waning but the system has accelerated it
Statmandave - Surely the simple Solution is to sign Rabiot and transition this team into a 4-3-3 shape. Ugarte sits deep and Bruno can play either left or right or false 9 in the big games. That’s the solution or change the shape. Bruno is a playmaker not a striker
I think ETH tactics will only work if the defensive and attacking lines are close together thus not leaving the no 6 isolated with large spaces around him. But for this to work, we need quick CBs and FBs...many a times when we lost possession, i see our FBs especially still way in front of the ball instead of being behind the play partly coz they are asked to push far fwd in inverted positions thus leaving the no 6 and CBs exposed. When opponents spread, our CB is forced to then go wide to close the space leaving the no 6 and other CB more exposed. Adding to the other 2 CMs who struggles to drop back, this is why we seeing a lot of cut back goals against us.
I feel you can't simultaneously say Ugarte will be a good fit because he plays more risk averse on the ball, while saying Casemiro could be under instruction by ETH to play longer/more direct. I just wonder how much of the struggles Casemiro has is simply the instruction he is given. Like you said, it really dependent on the instruction given. Is also baffling when you consider Casemiro was never the player to play the intricate build up passes, they have Kroos and Modric for that. Whereas Casemiro often is the release valve, where if the midfield became congested, he plays the switch balls in the open areas. Like a RM Casemiro in the first mistake wouldn't be playing to Kobbie or behind, he would had kicked it wide and forward, letting one of the wingers to isolate and attack.
Ten Hag forces Casemiro to play direct - > atrocious stats -> they sign a new player -> Ten Hag forces him to play direct -> wonder what will happen...
@@shabasm7 who I don't remember ever failing to read the situation nor risking to play direct is Casemiro at Real. The best dm of the world. Even if he is washed out right now, he has not become stupid all of a sudden, that's TH telling him to play direct to fit his system.
@@gallosai RM were not playing out from the back nor was he tasked with ball progression, and this is the same system that beat Bayern, Juventus and RM in UCL.
I'm no professional coach and I don't have a Statman Dave sense for tactics, but I've always felt Ten Hag is naive when it comes to playing a single pivot and does ask too much of that player. I don't even know how a single pivot in today's game can even work, maybe a Pep or a Klopp can make that position work but Ten Hag clearly hasn't got a clue what he's doing... To me you need two defensive midfielders if you want to keep the team compact and non-porous in the premier league.
i think we could do with a single pivot (ugarte) however what ugarte lacks is the creative passes. i actually do think eriksen does fit better in the squad than mainoo. mainoo is better at carrying the ball, but does lack the ability to throw very precise passes. i think our best games under ten hag were played with eriksen. i think we should look for a progressive passer preferably in january, but atleast in the summer. someone like palacios, barella or de paul
@@mhmhmmhmhm5162 I think Eriksen is a great player and his passing range and creativity, like you say, is excellent, but I think his fitness and defensive weaknesses weaken the midfield and he just can't stand up to duels in the premier league these days. You might disagree with that but there's no doubt Eriksen has suffered some very unfortunate and dangerous injuries which I think has taken their toll and would have ended the careers of many professionals, but he's still playing, the guy is a warrior but I just think sadly those scars are still there.
Not 1 person has mentioned the main problem with United's midfield !!!! Bruno Fernandes. United are basically a 4-2-4 and people wonder why United get over run in midfield. Bruno loses the ball over 10 times a game leaving the 2 in the pivot outnumbered every time. United need 3 in midfield if your going to play Bruno, I get it Bruno creates chances but when the pass doesn't come off teams get through the midfield way to easily.
The eye test tells all and Bruno does not have the discipline in or out of possession. I would happily have let him go knowing that we clearly are moving to be a more possession based team. Bruno is going to have to change his style of play and personally I can't see that happening.
I agree if Casemiro is to get back in the team, pushing him forward where he can play a link pass, push up on thd defenders & make late runs into the box would be useful...switching with Bruno in game...when one gets in the pocket the other falls back, vice versa... The PROBLEM is ETH is too stubborn....he insists on inviting the pressure on our back line.. forcing our midfield (1 or 2) deeper...then if we win the ball - they are instructed to immediately ping a low %age ball wide or centre....inevitably we lose possession & the pressure is incessant on our defence. Add to this ETH wants the fullbacks bombing forward & the forwards don't all drop back when out of possession...so if we do win the ball deep the chances of a long ball hitting the front are minimal. ETH needs to actually slow the build up & get all the players compact....where the midfield effectively recycle & rotate the ball keeping controlled possession & probing with movement of the front line allowing them to be more patient to look for a shorter/medium high %age pass forward & then as a unit the team jumps forward. Currently by trying to play hollywood passes from deep ... & pushing half the team forward...we are massively exposed. ETHs stubborness & flaws are highlighted...truthfully as much as i would like him to be the 'one'....i dont expect he will last past November. For me Eddie Howe, Thomas Frank & the new coach of Brighton would be more progressive (albeit risky), but they are solid communicators & have charisma to lead... Unai Emery is also a coach who has european & pl experience & has massively influenced Villa. Ancelotti of course would be the gold star but that wont happen. I just dont see ETH changing...i admire his graft & how he has tried to bring in strict discipline...but tactically he is getting exposed by so called 'lesser' mgrs.... Last season we gave up a 3-0 lead to coventry, a last ditch goal in the cup to beat Liverpool...last ditch win vs Brentford & Wolves...4-0 loss to Palace, got turned over by Spurs away & were atrocious in the UCL.....the stubborness is actually making the lack of quality we have play even worse...
I believe ten hag is insisting on the forward pass from casemiro, even though our full backs are pushing too far too quick which severely restricts his options. Bruno also needs to drop deeper into to midfield just like KDB does. Bad tactics that has left casemiro to be the scapegoat.
You basically described Mainoo role or profile to what Fernandes should be doing in my opinion. No need to have Fernandes in the final third if you he can’t dribble or shoot on target. He doesn’t have the legs to move forward carrying the ball but he has the vision to create a line breaking pass from the midfield. If you think Casemiro does stupid long passes imagine what I think when I was watching Maguire and Onana constantly do that last season. The reason why is because Fernandes is a liability at the moment. In my opinion the formation should be 4-2-1-3 in the attack and 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 defensively Garnacho Zirkzee Amad Mainoo Fernandes Ugarte
The closest Erik Ten Hag can get to his Ajax team this season with current injuries is this lineup: Onana Mazroui DeLigt Martinez Dalot Ugarte Mainoo Fernandes Amad Zirkzee Garnacho
Yep, I've gone right off Ten Hag's formation and overload. I've thought for ages Bruno looks far more impactful for the team as the deep lying playmaker, but a playmaker is not just about hitting long passes, and Ugarte is the perfect mobile aggressive simple pass partner. I would prefer a 4-3-3 approach and give the players more freedom to look for space and movement and act intuitively and progress the ball adapting to opposition formations and weaknesses. Getting overrun in central midfield is getting boring. And the 3-1-5 overload IS NOT leading to lots of goals!
If a "tactic" requires any player to be superhuman, it is a sign that the "tactician" behind it is a failure. It really is quite typical of ten Hag. Blame it on the players when it is clearly on the manager. No more excuses. Dalot and Rashford are the ONLY players still in the starting XI from Jose's time, and Dalot has been one of our best players for at least a year and a half. ten Hag "needs" a 6 with stamina, strength, intensity, speed, athleticism, ball winning skills, technical ability and passing range. You have essentially listed out every single possible trait that a footballer could have. Is there anything else he would like? Maybe Pep should hand him the trophy at the end of every season as well? Why did you not have the same unbelievably endless list of excuses for Jose, who is quite literally one of the greatest coaches of all time? If there was anyone to back it was either him or LvG.
Yes somebody gets it. You could have the best 2 midfielders in the world in the pivot but 3 always beats 2. I get it Bruno needs to create but he is way too careless. It's like every pass Bruno makes must be a through ball. Bruno has got to make better decisions as he leaves the 2 in the pivot exposed when he loses the ball. I would drop Bruno and play a 4-3-3.
I think people are rather naive to think Ugarte is press resistant. He is going to give the ball away like there is no tomorrow. Just wait and watch, if you think Casemiro can be pressed into mediocrity, Ugarte is worst... just watch all his games, you'd realize.
Even if we have prime Kante and Rodri in our midfield we'll be overrun by better teams like Arsenal and Liverpool as there will be BRUNO UP TOP with opposition Keeper
Just wondering, if we want a player who can defend and can pass, why not play Lindelof at DM? He is a CB afterall and he is actually decent with his passing.
We’re asking for a Roy Keane/Viera type player. They don’t make them anymore it’s far more specialised. The issue we have is that we are trying to force a system on a group of player who can’t do it. Notably bruno, Casemiro, Rashford, Garnacho. I’m not saying get rid of those players by any means as many of those are some of our best players. But if we are going to be building around these players we need to adjust to a system that works for them. I’d double pivot with Mainoo and Ugarte and actually force Bruno to show some discipline and stick to a central role and not drift quite so high. We are far too wide in our play. Be more compact and let the opposition have possession on the wings as opposed to cutting straight through the centre of the pitch.
Casemiro is eager to play as a number 8 He cant make the covering runs, so Mainoo has to do that job. He's clearly thinking as a number 8 with his risky forward passes. That's why his accuracy is low But i believe Casemiro tactically has the best vision in our midfield, and his long passes are decent He should make short passes simple, and risk on the long passes Since Ugarte is a traditional number 6, Casemiro can work next to him especially against low blocks. Obviously the midfield will be Ugarte - Mainoo - Bruno But everyone now talks about pushing Mainoo to do what he cant do. So Casemiro will be a decent sub, either as a 6 against low blocks or as a 8 if we want to control the game. Hopefully Ugarte quickly establishes himself as our starter number6
in the last 4 games of.last season we saw amrabat and maino play and we didnt see any sort of midfield gap and maino played some of his best matches of his life
![[Part 1] ทารกน้อยถูกทิ้ง👶 หญิงชราเก็บขวดขายเลี้ยงดูเขาจนโต #โลกการละคร](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nPTDvFCExks/mqdefault.jpg)
One interesting thing I'm looking out for is why is our line still so deep with De Ligt in for Maguire? If De Ligt Martinez and Ugarte still form a system with a deeper line then I agree with you that the system is broken. The good teams usually only sprint 10 yards to reach the place where the ball was lost. United are struggling cause we have a huge gap between our forward and defensive lines. Besides if we're playing so deep we're wasting Onana too.
because our defenders don’t trust our midfield and neither does Ten Hag I imagine
With De Ligt and Licha I do expect the line to go higher as they get sharper, right now they still look in that post Copa Euro unfit condition
Teams generally play deeper against strong opposition such as Liverpool. A slow midfielder(casemiro) will only encourage that. We need to see what will happen in the next few games. Judging so quickly this season is ridiculous.
Our line is nowhere near as deep as it was with Maguire and we’ve only had 1 game with De Ligt and it is vs Liverpool what do you expect? You expect our team to just transform in one game?
@@mtth6758but they should trust themselves. And it's easier to help the midfield if they're closer to it
Somehow NO managers tactics seem to work at Manchester United.
Because alllllll the old players who have been here over the years need to go. They aren’t compatible
Seriously an we all arevl talking about the manager it's confusing
Because we have been piling up the backlog of incomplete squad inputs and instructions with a horrendous 3 year sacking cycle, instead of this pile up, what we now need is stability and continuity in instructions and philosophy.
No we’ve been second under mourinho, ten hag first season where implemented a more compact counter attacking style we fared better. Its the second season thats proving to be diffcult.
@@Haych222this argument loses more and more weight every window that passes. At this point, the only players he’s really stuck with from the old regime are Maguire and Lindelof. Every other player, bar Amad, are either players he’s signed, brought through the academy, or given new contracts too. Like it or not this is his squad now. Yes he’s been unfortunate with injuries at times, doesn’t excuse how poor the structure and performances have been
It's a very good point that you raised around 20 mins into the video, because that is how Casemiro was used in Madrid, especially in the bigger games. Casemiro higher up would trigger the first press, with Kroos and Modric being better at the second press stage if it passed Casemiro. And then in possession, Casemiro could look back, to two of the best deepest-lying midfielders of all time
The thing is, Dave, in six months’ time you’ll be saying “Ugarte is too safe and not progressive enough in possession, we need THIS midfielder to solve it.” If Casemiro had made both those passes that he cocked up, everyone would be raving about them.
Haha I was thinking the exact same. It's all well and good to play it safe but we've seen that Utd many times before just passing it around with no penetration. The bottom line is if Utd don't win then people will complain. And they will not be consistent in their complaints either. During LVG / Mourinho everyone was complaining how boring it was and that they would give anything for a more attacking setup.
Ole provided that but then everyone was complaining about how leaky the defense was. ETH has had issues both ways, sometimes the team too boring and not scoring and at other times goals going both ways.
Ultimately there has to a good balance and I think that does just take some time, as it's tactics, personnel, culture etc. All the pieces of the puzzle need to be in place to win consistently. What makes it hard is everything is connected, so you can't change one thing without affecting everything else as well.
People talking like building a championship winning team is a piece of cake.
@@richardhp77 I think the problem is we need to be better at picking our moments. Against Liverpool it felt like we go for risky passes while under intense pressure but are less inclined to make risky passes in regular build up even though the team is in a better place to support if we lose possession. Casemiro hits his direct long ball forward accurately maybe about 1/10 times. The reward from that is simply not worth it for the amount of times we need to win the ball back after it fails.
Spot on, Mr Statman!
I don't get why ETH doesn't instruct Casemiro to play like he played at RM. Imo we could already have a midfield that is absolutely working, if we would simply use that approach you are mentioning here.
Scrap that fast transition approach, that obviously isn't working at all. Instead, move to a slower, more controlled style of play (you got the players who can do that now!). Let Bruno and Case switch positions during build-up and try to highlight our player's strenghts instead of their weaknesses, ffs...
- Onana was singed bc of his phenomenal short pass skills. But all he seems to be instructed to do is play it as long and direct as possible.
- Almost all our "wingers" are actually wide forwards that naturally want to run into space and shoot on target. But they are being used as creators first and foremost.
- Bruno is yet to play a throughball this season!
...
I mean just WHY ? ? ?
Amrabat in the FA cup final played short safe passes always either to martinez varane or mainoo nd guess what..mainoo nd bruno loooked so comfortable in attack...
Sad Amrabat never got a fair crack for us. Had his flaws and he wasn't the long term solution but he gave it his all 😔
@@StatmanDave Amrabat did perfect at CDM But Problem was playing him at Left Back Never his position..otherwise the most dangerous of Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno was in the last 4 premier league games last season plus FZ Cup final in all those Amrabat was at CDM doing all the street criminals dirty work.. Even City and Arsenal failed to overun th United midfield .
Pretty spot on. Casemiro can still do a job but I do think the system is what's causing issues. Casemiro is the type that aggressively goes for the tackles but he's being asked to do it while he's the no.6. The second he misses or gets bypassed, United are being overloaded by the opposition as there is no cover anymore. That and he has the tendency to go for risky passes which also gets undone as once it gets intercepted, United are again, being countered with a massive overload. The game against Liverpool highlighted that very well when it all goes wrong.
We talk about the structure and how when in possession, we should look to build with a system of 3-2-4-1 ideally. Casemiro however, is part of the 3 in which he's sitting in between the lines of 3 and 2. When he loses the ball, he's out of the game and we're facing a counter with just 2 at the back and anyone else struggling to race back. More often than not, we will fail and end up conceding.
Ugarte does provide the shield if he's in the no.6 position but it does mean we need a playmaker. Currently, Bruno is being pushed too high and it would probably be better that in possession, he drops deep to get on the ball. Mainoo is still young and for all his strengths, he doesn't have the long range passing ability yet. He is a good ball carrier though so it might work out in that he works in tandem with Bruno.
Spot on mate.
I've been saying this for a while now. Bruno plays too high. At times it feels like we're playing with just two midfielders.
So basically we need Roy Keane to put that united shirt and play 6 for us in ten hag system
Roy Keane is always the answer
Which means he’s not the guy to manage us lol
I think even he wouldn't be able to solve our issues
@@0matters not when he played with Ince the creativity came from Cantona and the wingers
Vitinha next summer PSG could sell but it won't be cheap
I love how your video's thumbnail uses the very pic of Anthony Taylor standing on our passing lane to Zirkzee
lol did you watch that video too?
@@stailenknife5453 yeah. I have a feeling if we go deeper into this, we can find way more proofs of the ref acting as 12th player for not only Liverpool, but Brighton on the previous match.
I hope we have people getting paid to actually find out about these shits. bcs this is ground to bring the FA and the ref body to court.
First season we had it right. Casa eriksen and Bruno. Ball winner, simple/smart passer and risky/goal scoring threat. Eriksen got injured and we replaced him with a dribbler and ask our BWM to be a DLP as well.
Casa, Eriksen and Bruno was a beautiful trio to watch, they had a chemistry.....I doubt we are going to get the chemistry needed with Ugarte....but hopeful too
ETH should have got an energetic Box to Box midfielder to replace Ericson instead he got a mount that nobody knows his position, he is neither a 6 nor 10 and poor as a 8
Brilliant one Dave! I really can't wait to see how Ugarte fits in. Hope he's used to his strengths. I, however don't think Case's errors were down to instructions. It was poor decision-making on his part. No one will crucify you for playing safe in those two situations that led to goals - not especially Case - I'll be surprised if anyone was expecting him to do what he was trying to do! He's Case, not a Modric!
Call me crazy but I think our only problem is our weird inability to score goals. Casemiro is a problem but other than that its purely our goalscoring ability thats an issue. Against liverpool we dominated hard for 35 minutes until casemiro gifted 2 goals in 7 minutes. We had like 65% possession, more passes in final third, twice their touches in the box etc. But the simple fact is u cant dominate like that without having anything to show for it bcos it is tiring mentally and physically. Same thing happened last season against spurs away, shoukdve bagged at least 2 in the first half, played them off the park, but we went into the second half at 0-0. They score the first, they get the momentum, our heads drop bcos we've done all that work for nothing, they get on top, get another, and beat us 2-0. Its a consistent trend with us. Say what u will about Ole but he knew how to make us score a lot of goals. Idk how exactly you go about fixing this issue for us but id like to point out the last time we properly beat a team was 3-0 against everton last year, and ofc garnachos bicycle kick is the memorable thing but guess who scored those other 2 goals...martial. It just goes to show we flat out need new attackers, amad and maybe højlund are the only 2 I think can be part of a front 3 that consistently scores over a goal a game. I think garnacho is a bench option at best rly and rashford needs to be sold, we need an attacker like martial who just causes goals to fly in whenever they play. We already know how to dominate a team (on the ball that is, obviously not scoreline wise) i am of the belief that we now just need to work out how to consistently have goals to show for said domination. I do notice a lot that whenever we are attacking we have like 2 players in the box with 5 opposition defenders. However , when watching arsenal, liverpool and city theres never less than 4 or 5.
You’re also right, we haven’t taken our chances.
I agree completely with you as I also think Erik’s system can work cos some of the things pundits scream about that we do wrongly are the same things or signs that show up when teams break city press or system
When it’s good it’s good but when it’s bad it’s bad
Not taking our chances has been a feature for a while. But it was definitely a thing in preseason and has sadly carried into the league. We should have won at Brighton and 6 points from 9 would have been a decent start.
@@hughmcneillie1032 I know 😕
@spookyman9515 exactly mate I can't stand any pundit really 😂 always a different story dependent on the score, they don't understand that's not always the case
Love these vids. Helps u get a better understanding on what kind of impact players can/will have on the team.
The grip on a sock gives you more goals 😂😂😂 never heard so much shit in my life
ETH at Ajax had his ‘ball winner’ in Alvarez who was a number 8. De jong was the 6 and the deep playing ball player. Having the number 6 being deeper means it’s too late as we have now - get the ball winner the pitch. 😊
This season I just want to see one match where bruno drops deep, infront of the CBs and mainoo and mount as the double 8, it's just perfect in theory in my head, lol
@@darwinlitaf7544 The keywords there is your head.
@@darwinlitaf7544 bruno isn't physical enough that's the problem with united's midfield since ten hag came. Casemiro is the best option but the problem is he's not able to transition the ball from defense to attack alone. Bruno needs to return to his number 10 position and stop roaming around the pitch and Mainoo becomes the de jong while Ugarte is the alvarez.
Onana
Mazroui DeLigt Martinez Dalot
Ugarte Mainoo
Fernandes
Amad Zirkzee Garnacho
@@aronabraham4657 Bruno is the main problem in the United midfield. I get it you need to create chances, but the risks Bruno takes are brainless sometimes. You can't give possession away so cheap like Bruno does. Most teams play a 3 man midfield. Bruno gives the ball away, Bruno is out of the game, then it's 3 midfielders against the United 2 man midfield. If you going to play Bruno you have to have 3 midfielders behind him. Onana rb- Dalot cb- Martinez and De Ligt lb-Shaw Midfield- Ugarte, Mainoo and Mount. rw- Garnacho striker- Hojlund lw- Amad.
I genuinely would have liked to see Mount, Ugarte, Mainoo and Fernandes rotated with Zubimendi in the 6.
Great detailed analysis bro big up ❤
Dave, I don't think you understand how much I wait for your videos man especially this ugarte one, can you do A kone one? The youngster we signed?
Casemiro looks like an 8 to me. Some of his play around the box has been very tasty… I have noticed him trying to force the final ball, much like you’d see from Bruno. He’s bound to lose it playing like that. But it’s paid off for him as well. Some really nice one touch against City in the Shield.
Maybe when Shaw gets back we'll play a 3 defender build up we don't have a natural left footer at left back so we have to split the Cbs at the moment to give lisandro an angle🤷🏾♂️
I don't think you realize how much actual tactics don't make this team matter when their backs against the wall. You fail to take into account the players emotional mental and actual state of mind when they against a team that's either better or worst than them on paper but don't actually give a flying fuck against their tactics and they just attack them with no fear. They get caught in every situation from counters, to players losing the ball, the speed changese, they don't know how to come back mentally from this shit. Behind the scenes it all shits and giggles but come game day they were absolutely gunned won. Hopefully they all watch this and see you have faith in them and these tactics and absolute changes one player might make.
My question is, if Ten Hag can build a player like Frenkie de Jong, why didn't he build De Jong at United? If you want a midfielder like De Jong, why would you bring in Ugate, who has a different skill set?
People need to realise that Ugarte is not a traditional holding midfielder, not a No.6. HE IS A BALL WINNING MIDFIELDER, A DESTROYER. He knows how to break the play. To do that he leaves his position a lot, creating a lot of space for opposition to exploit but the club managers who have managed him always had his midfield partner ready to fill that hole. In recent international friendly, his heat map was way ahead on the left attacking midfield/wing region whilst he was playing a No.6. Valverde frequently dropped in to cover whenever he went forward to press/gain possession. He is not going to work like that at United especially with Bruno in the side. Both are positionally ill-disciplined. Playing these two together will leave a massive hole in the midfield. Good luck against big team lads. This manager is clueless. We needed someone like Rodri or Kross next to Casemiro not a younger version of Casemiro.
Casemiro had modric and Kroos to control and are press resistant. Bruno can’t control and is not press resistant enough like modric and Kroos and plays too much risks when he should control games and have turnovers.
So far what I'm seeing is that EtH is not using players in their best roles thus exposing their weaknesses more.
Kinda agree with you
he is just stubborn imo, he doesn't change his tactics to accommodate anyone
Which players are playing out of position (except those forced to due to injury)?
Arteta was criticized by fans and media for a lack of identity and no plan for the football they played. Look at them now.
@@Jericho642 I'm talking about position, I'm talking about their traits. Like for example, we've been using Rashford this season like a touchline winger instead of an inside forward which is the role we've his best form in or when we're using Casemiro for progressive passes when he should be just focused on the defensive plays and rest defence because he's a DM not a DLP.
Imo theoretically Bruno moving deeper will improve our midfield but I’m worried about his discipline to hold the number 6 or high 8 position throughout the whole game.. hope Ugarte will help us solve this problem.. But nevertheless, do give time to ETH, this team is new with incomings, judge him when all the new signings are fit and available to play, it’s not too late to discuss his fate at the end of the season.
Hell NO. ETH over complicates the instructions to these players. Look at how Ugarte will be targeted every game because of the Liverpool mishap. That's why ETH really begged for United to get Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona because he is that centerpiece for his 3-1-6
So there is one player and one tactic in the world that ETH must use ?
@@tersooachiatar5499 I'm obviously talking about his preferred tactic.
Eth should really start changing his tactics according to the players available, cuz we will always be one injury away from disaster at all times
I agree ETH tactics just don't work especially the midfield, the 2 in the pivot are over run or outnumbered every game, it's like a game of basketball. I don't know why he's trying to be clever. Just play a 4-3-3 be solid in the midfield. Garnacho, Amad, Zirkzee, Hojlund, Antony and Rashford will create chances in a front 3.
@@chriswood753 I assume he has looked at that error because us fans can see whats wrong how much more if they were the other big clubs. Teams wont be afraid to press high against united
Issue at 10:30 is in between frames shown, Anthony Taylor blocks the pass around the corner/over liverpools defence from Bruno!!
a 433 with bruno and maino as box to box with Ugarte as DMF would be great.
Casemiro wasn't passing to Mainoo, he was aiming to chip it over him to Dalot. The pass was that bad!
Ugarte isn't going to solve our midfield problems. We lack a ball carrying midfielder since Herrera left and Bruno Fernandes treats the ball like a hot potato. We need more midfielders.
Ball carrying midfielder? We have Mainoo and Mount. We need a defensive midfielder that can play those simple passes. Ugarte? But yes, we need more quality midfielders. But also a left back, centerback with pace and a natural goalgetter. People forget that this windows was the beginning of the INEOS project. More players will go, more players will be signed. It's not a sprint, its a marathon.
@@whiplashTMMassive clearances are needed in the next transfer windows with players like Shaw,Evans,Maguire, Lindelof, Casemiro, Eriksen and Rashford shown the exit doors and six players brought in ie LB,LCB,CM,CDM,CM & LW.
@@CharlesOdochNever sell Shaw.
@@Chriztefur He is on a massive wage too and we there is Malacia/Harry Amass who can be No.2 if a starting LB is brought in.
@@Mopark25 Shaw has been a liability to the club because of his constant injuries and he is already in decline
Yoro is important with this. Due to his pace. I think when yoro and shaw comes in. It should be
Onana
Mazoroui yoro De ligt. Shaw
Ugarte. Martinez
Amad. Mainoo Garnacho
Hojlund
If ten hag plays this he will have a balanced system. 5 people that knows how to defend and 5 that knows how to attack. With good work rate, pressing. With this formation. Martinez can shift and make it a back three as well. As martinez is good at passing. And can press and anticipate incase we are outnumbered. And all these players have tremendous workrate. And the formation is flexible in game it can change to 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 or 5-4-1. Martinez has played cm and his passing is top notch. If he is higher and has the pace of yoro behind him, man utd will be hard to come by. I believe mainoo higher up can do damage. Ten hag is giving too much responsibility at a young age. At 21 he can drop deeper. Martinez can be the link as he is good on the ball. Kind of like a de jong. Ugarte always makes good decisions so him and martinez can swap roles. But we will have good defensive cover. With this formation. Hojlund will have a good season. Fast, strong, loads of energy and ruud is here now.
If you guys remember, United were doing well until ETH send instructions through De light asking Casemiro to play in between two CB's and pass from the deep while both LB and RB push higher. A tactical genius indeed🤣🤣🤣
Fuck u did u hear
Mainoo and Ugarte partnership is gonna be nice
Great video Dave!
Great videos add always but this was exceptional
Casemiro was poor in the Liverpool game but whats worrying is the teams desicion making during critical situations on the pitch. Liverpool took advantage of Man United mistakes but you could also see that Liverpool had some issues in the midfield (like Man United) and for sure better teams will take advantage of that.
at 10:30 ish you explain the situation where Bruno plays it back. If you look closer there is a run in behind from Garnacho and the only reason Bruno doesn't hit that is because the referee runs in his way. He clearly shows with his body that he's planning to hit it either forward to Zirkzee or Garnacho and can't because of the referee. So instead he improvises and plays it home to Casemiro. Which is actually quite good since it means he didn't lose the ball in a tight spot and Casemiro should have good control since he's not under pressure there. Then we see Casemiro play it first time towards the left side which is quite open since Zirkzee draws Trent towards him centrally since Konate is trailing. If Casemiro doesn't make that blunder then it's actually quite a good situation for United. Just margins that ends up deciding the game.
I hate ETHs stubbornness. Casemiro is not playmaker nor a facilitator. But somehow in someway, ETH will try to force Casemiro to play in a role that he’s not/never was or is…
Mainoo, will eventually come off of the bench. Ugarte and Casemiro will start as double/rotational pivots.
It’s damn shame, ETH is willing to live and die by his stubbornness…
Can someone please explain to me what Maino adds to the team? 🙏🏻. IMO Casemiro needs to play, but with limited instruction. Pass the ball around and win duels. He needs to be partnered with Ugarte.
Casemiro is not Busquet, Kroos ,Verrati Or Rodri.... He I Casemiro, he plays like Fellaini nowadays
You made a very important point at the end of the show by substuting Bruno and Casemiro position, but my consering here is the ability that casemiro have to do the pressuring role that Bruno actually does in forward?
I think getting Amadou Onana from Everton (now at Villa) might have been one of the only better picks at CDM than Ugarte, but he's still a very solid CDM. He can't do it all, but he's basically a younger version of Casemiro, and for right now, that's exactly what they need. As long as he and Mainoo both stay fit, I think the midfield could see a drastic improvement over last season and so far of what we've seen this season, and if they bring in another midfielder in January to add some depth, midfield will be taken care of, for the time being. They seriously need to address the LB position, and as much as I'd hate to see it, I'm betting they'll move Rashford on next summer, along with the likes of Antony, Lindelof, Maguire, and Casemiro. If they do another "clear out and upgrade" next summer, I think it'll easily be the best the squad has looked since SAF left, and then the only question mark will be who the manager is.
All in all they're to be scored more as long as they start being more fluid, they have to play in different positions in the same match to support each other and press more when they lose possession.
Great video Dave as usual. Let’s hope our new fella can deal with the pressure of the shirt
Good analysis, but you didn't mention how his tenacity to win the ball can cause teams to manipulate uniteds shape by drawing him out of shape constantly through players with good Ball technicality just like what happened to him Vs Milian in the CL….one of the reasons why he was dropped by the PSG coach
Finally some sensible conversation
even if Ugarte sorts out the defensive issues for a while, this team will need a player who can control games like Kross or Modric, and Mainoo is not that level yet. it is important eth use eriksen more this season with ugarte, while mainoo gets some rest. at 18, he has played a bit too much. you can clearly see he gets exhausted in around 65-70-minute mark and more of those same errors as he had unfortunately against Liverpool, he will get drained and overworked and there is a massive danger of him losing confidence at such a young age. he is being overworked and overplayed. that is not how you manage young players. it is vital united get someone to replace eriksen, someone like Rabiot for free for a couple of years until Mainoo matures.
One thing most of y'all not seeing is that, Casemiro has been poor because Utd's attackers. His goalscoring for Man utd has made him to add an extra burden of trying to get goals for utd as he leaves him position to bomb forward most times in the game and considering he is ageing and doesnt have the legs anymore, tracking back to defend as the defensive midfielder has been difficult for him and the team. If Utd's attackers produce better output , it might take burden off Case and allow him to play his best as a DM
I prefer zone marking rather then high pressing that make strike force tired and the result is no goal score. Zone marking is good enough and spair the energy for attacking
Check that clip of Casemiro first error, the moment Bruno was in the half space… the referee actually impeded the play cos Bruno wanted to switch to Garnacho in the counter but the passing lane was blocked.
Portugal are literally playing it today, ETH’s requirement for a 6 is a deep play maker. And you’re wrong, Vitinha, Kante, Tchoumani, Rice(dependent on system being possession or quick counter) and De Jong.
I think it's a really, really weird signing.
United are wanting to play out from the back and they're targeting a player who's terrible at it. It's the exact same reason that PSG wanted to get rid of him.
The referee was totally at fault for the first 2 goals. Blocking Bruno's view to play the ball out wide to Ganarcho before the first goal. Then also blocking Casemiro's view from passing the ball to Zirkzee before the second goal.
You've also seen the analysis that pointed those out?
Cope.
@@redmanofdoom937 Isn't it. Some of my fellow UTD fans are an embarrassment.
You are deluded.
@@Mr.Apex99 yes. It was spot on. The guy did a lot spotting it out.
It’s strange how other teams seem to okay really well against United
I was under the impression from preseason, that we are supposed to have 3 at the back in possession with one of the defenders stepping into the double pivot role alongside the 6.
In front of this defensive minded five are an attacking minded players in a W-shape.
I'm sure the 6 isn't on their own.
Also, didn't we buy Onana for his ball playing abilities and the skill to step into the backline to create an overload of players during the first phase playing out from the back?
For the first goal, the pass to Dalot is the correct option to keep impetus in the attack and creates a 2 on 1 on that side. It's an easy ball, it can be played second touch as Casemiro has plenty of time, and it should be lifted into Dalot's path.
Casemiro has been asked to progress the ball up the pitch quickly when United are in transition. The mistake he makes is that he tries to do it all the time and is too risky in his play (hence really poor pass completion percentage), often playing first time passes that cause United to lose possession.
But as we saw with the Ugarte example against Barcelona, Casemiro playing the safer pass to LCB would still exploit that overload on the left wing. Against weaker teams it's ok to be a bit more direct but teams with elite forwards like Liverpool need to be treated with more respect.
I think Bruno and rashford are the problems we need a box to box and a winger who is interested in being at utd
Yes Bruno and Rashford both need dropping they just don't suit ETH tactics, ETH wants to play possession football. Bruno plays at 100mph every pass has got to be a through ball. Bruno is not good when he is pressed as well. Rashford needs to sort himself out something is wrong.
This is why ten hag wanted de jong
Always love your content! Info without all of the extreme negativity or nonsensical opinions. It’s about football…Keep it coming. 🤘🏿🔥⚽️
Excellent analysis... problem is does ETH actually know what the issues are? We keep seeing the same issues...bad decision making and passing all over the pitch
Hey Dave, I am curious if you can do a video on Onana, I don't think he is up to standard for United and has really struggled. Is there any thing he can do to keep his place, would you suggest Costa or someone else to replace him in future
Why can't licha play as a dm 🤔🤷just a question dave
Sir Dave...can u do a video on Onana? Wondering he is a goalie or midfielder for MU
A player doesn’t fix a structural issue but he might mask some of it
but 1 player can ruin a structure and the way casemiro is getting dribbled past, it doesn't take a genius to see that it can only improve
People actually exaggerate this structure stuff
@@wilder17 Casemiro is suffering from structure but yes Ugarte would still probably offer more off the ball currently anyway. Casemiro would still offer a lot more on the ball though. His abilities are waning but the system has accelerated it
@@GeniusDesire it’s bad
Statmandave - Surely the simple Solution is to sign Rabiot and transition this team into a 4-3-3 shape. Ugarte sits deep and Bruno can play either left or right or false 9 in the big games. That’s the solution or change the shape. Bruno is a playmaker not a striker
What we actually need is control so
Ugarte 8
vitinha 6
Mainoo 8
I think ETH tactics will only work if the defensive and attacking lines are close together thus not leaving the no 6 isolated with large spaces around him. But for this to work, we need quick CBs and FBs...many a times when we lost possession, i see our FBs especially still way in front of the ball instead of being behind the play partly coz they are asked to push far fwd in inverted positions thus leaving the no 6 and CBs exposed. When opponents spread, our CB is forced to then go wide to close the space leaving the no 6 and other CB more exposed. Adding to the other 2 CMs who struggles to drop back, this is why we seeing a lot of cut back goals against us.
I feel you can't simultaneously say Ugarte will be a good fit because he plays more risk averse on the ball, while saying Casemiro could be under instruction by ETH to play longer/more direct. I just wonder how much of the struggles Casemiro has is simply the instruction he is given. Like you said, it really dependent on the instruction given. Is also baffling when you consider Casemiro was never the player to play the intricate build up passes, they have Kroos and Modric for that. Whereas Casemiro often is the release valve, where if the midfield became congested, he plays the switch balls in the open areas.
Like a RM Casemiro in the first mistake wouldn't be playing to Kobbie or behind, he would had kicked it wide and forward, letting one of the wingers to isolate and attack.
That second goal was a 3 v 6! Not just the turn over, but terrible defending.
Ten Hag forces Casemiro to play direct - > atrocious stats -> they sign a new player -> Ten Hag forces him to play direct -> wonder what will happen...
Do you remember Amrabat playing direct? No. It's not EtH instructions, it's Casemiro failing to read the situation.
@@shabasm7 who I don't remember ever failing to read the situation nor risking to play direct is Casemiro at Real. The best dm of the world. Even if he is washed out right now, he has not become stupid all of a sudden, that's TH telling him to play direct to fit his system.
He’s not washed up he’s exposed due to poor tactics, as ugarte will be. Ugarte is quite poor under pressure. He will be a pressing trigger.
@@tomwaitsmencse agree.
@@gallosai RM were not playing out from the back nor was he tasked with ball progression, and this is the same system that beat Bayern, Juventus and RM in UCL.
I've seen those socks being useful in the bedroom too😄😉
I'm no professional coach and I don't have a Statman Dave sense for tactics, but I've always felt Ten Hag is naive when it comes to playing a single pivot and does ask too much of that player. I don't even know how a single pivot in today's game can even work, maybe a Pep or a Klopp can make that position work but Ten Hag clearly hasn't got a clue what he's doing... To me you need two defensive midfielders if you want to keep the team compact and non-porous in the premier league.
i think we could do with a single pivot (ugarte) however what ugarte lacks is the creative passes. i actually do think eriksen does fit better in the squad than mainoo. mainoo is better at carrying the ball, but does lack the ability to throw very precise passes. i think our best games under ten hag were played with eriksen. i think we should look for a progressive passer preferably in january, but atleast in the summer. someone like palacios, barella or de paul
@@mhmhmmhmhm5162 I think Eriksen is a great player and his passing range and creativity, like you say, is excellent, but I think his fitness and defensive weaknesses weaken the midfield and he just can't stand up to duels in the premier league these days. You might disagree with that but there's no doubt Eriksen has suffered some very unfortunate and dangerous injuries which I think has taken their toll and would have ended the careers of many professionals, but he's still playing, the guy is a warrior but I just think sadly those scars are still there.
Eriksen is a 10 not 6 or 8@@mhmhmmhmhm5162
He’s trying to force us playing like we have a De Jong type player without having a De Jong type player…
Not 1 person has mentioned the main problem with United's midfield !!!! Bruno Fernandes. United are basically a 4-2-4 and people wonder why United get over run in midfield. Bruno loses the ball over 10 times a game leaving the 2 in the pivot outnumbered every time. United need 3 in midfield if your going to play Bruno, I get it Bruno creates chances but when the pass doesn't come off teams get through the midfield way to easily.
The eye test tells all and Bruno does not have the discipline in or out of possession. I would happily have let him go knowing that we clearly are moving to be a more possession based team. Bruno is going to have to change his style of play and personally I can't see that happening.
I think he can be made as a number 10. This is to allow another midfielder come in.Ugarte, Casemiro, Kobe, Bruno10 for the big games.
@@naturindaarnold4223 I would rather play Toby Collyer before Casemiro and Eriksen, both should have been sold before McTominay.
You shouldve mentioned that ugarte was the most dribbled past midfielder in the ucl last season. Over 4 times per game
I agree if Casemiro is to get back in the team, pushing him forward where he can play a link pass, push up on thd defenders & make late runs into the box would be useful...switching with Bruno in game...when one gets in the pocket the other falls back, vice versa...
The PROBLEM is ETH is too stubborn....he insists on inviting the pressure on our back line.. forcing our midfield (1 or 2) deeper...then if we win the ball - they are instructed to immediately ping a low %age ball wide or centre....inevitably we lose possession & the pressure is incessant on our defence. Add to this ETH wants the fullbacks bombing forward & the forwards don't all drop back when out of possession...so if we do win the ball deep the chances of a long ball hitting the front are minimal.
ETH needs to actually slow the build up & get all the players compact....where the midfield effectively recycle & rotate the ball keeping controlled possession & probing with movement of the front line allowing them to be more patient to look for a shorter/medium high %age pass forward & then as a unit the team jumps forward.
Currently by trying to play hollywood passes from deep ... & pushing half the team forward...we are massively exposed.
ETHs stubborness & flaws are highlighted...truthfully as much as i would like him to be the 'one'....i dont expect he will last past November.
For me Eddie Howe, Thomas Frank & the new coach of Brighton would be more progressive (albeit risky), but they are solid communicators & have charisma to lead...
Unai Emery is also a coach who has european & pl experience & has massively influenced Villa.
Ancelotti of course would be the gold star but that wont happen.
I just dont see ETH changing...i admire his graft & how he has tried to bring in strict discipline...but tactically he is getting exposed by so called 'lesser' mgrs....
Last season we gave up a 3-0 lead to coventry, a last ditch goal in the cup to beat Liverpool...last ditch win vs Brentford & Wolves...4-0 loss to Palace, got turned over by Spurs away & were atrocious in the UCL.....the stubborness is actually making the lack of quality we have play even worse...
At 10:35 Bruno was going to pass to Garnacho, but that fkin ref blocked him, so he instead went for the pass to the back
I believe ten hag is insisting on the forward pass from casemiro, even though our full backs are pushing too far too quick which severely restricts his options. Bruno also needs to drop deeper into to midfield just like KDB does. Bad tactics that has left casemiro to be the scapegoat.
You basically described Mainoo role or profile to what Fernandes should be doing in my opinion.
No need to have Fernandes in the final third if you he can’t dribble or shoot on target. He doesn’t have the legs to move forward carrying the ball but he has the vision to create a line breaking pass from the midfield.
If you think Casemiro does stupid long passes imagine what I think when I was watching Maguire and Onana constantly do that last season. The reason why is because Fernandes is a liability at the moment.
In my opinion the formation should be 4-2-1-3 in the attack and 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 defensively
Garnacho Zirkzee Amad
Mainoo
Fernandes Ugarte
The closest Erik Ten Hag can get to his Ajax team this season with current injuries is this lineup:
Onana
Mazroui DeLigt Martinez Dalot
Ugarte Mainoo
Fernandes
Amad Zirkzee Garnacho
Still waiting for your martinez Lb video
Yep, I've gone right off Ten Hag's formation and overload. I've thought for ages Bruno looks far more impactful for the team as the deep lying playmaker, but a playmaker is not just about hitting long passes, and Ugarte is the perfect mobile aggressive simple pass partner. I would prefer a 4-3-3 approach and give the players more freedom to look for space and movement and act intuitively and progress the ball adapting to opposition formations and weaknesses. Getting overrun in central midfield is getting boring. And the 3-1-5 overload IS NOT leading to lots of goals!
Why not try Lisandro on CDM...i think its tailor made for him.
Hasn't Martinez played as a 6 before under ETH?
I don't think so. He will be overworked if the wingers just run forward blindly to form a 2 2 6 instead of a 2 4 4
Ten Hag is essentially building a team to attract and hope to finally get De Jong.
Casemiro is finished
This is where he will put Ugarte in Lb
If a "tactic" requires any player to be superhuman, it is a sign that the "tactician" behind it is a failure. It really is quite typical of ten Hag. Blame it on the players when it is clearly on the manager. No more excuses. Dalot and Rashford are the ONLY players still in the starting XI from Jose's time, and Dalot has been one of our best players for at least a year and a half.
ten Hag "needs" a 6 with stamina, strength, intensity, speed, athleticism, ball winning skills, technical ability and passing range. You have essentially listed out every single possible trait that a footballer could have. Is there anything else he would like? Maybe Pep should hand him the trophy at the end of every season as well?
Why did you not have the same unbelievably endless list of excuses for Jose, who is quite literally one of the greatest coaches of all time? If there was anyone to back it was either him or LvG.
Yes somebody gets it. You could have the best 2 midfielders in the world in the pivot but 3 always beats 2. I get it Bruno needs to create but he is way too careless. It's like every pass Bruno makes must be a through ball. Bruno has got to make better decisions as he leaves the 2 in the pivot exposed when he loses the ball. I would drop Bruno and play a 4-3-3.
You never once mentioned Mount. Where do you see him fitting in, if at all?
We have to address the issue of not scoring goals..i would be surprised if we hit +15 goal difference
I think people are rather naive to think Ugarte is press resistant. He is going to give the ball away like there is no tomorrow. Just wait and watch, if you think Casemiro can be pressed into mediocrity, Ugarte is worst... just watch all his games, you'd realize.
Even if we have prime Kante and Rodri in our midfield we'll be overrun by better teams like Arsenal and Liverpool as there will be BRUNO UP TOP with opposition Keeper
Just wondering, if we want a player who can defend and can pass, why not play Lindelof at DM? He is a CB afterall and he is actually decent with his passing.
We’re always going to be one man down with rashy or miro and mount will almost likely be another absent but present players
I was also crying for Kamara Dave 😂
We’re asking for a Roy Keane/Viera type player. They don’t make them anymore it’s far more specialised. The issue we have is that we are trying to force a system on a group of player who can’t do it. Notably bruno, Casemiro, Rashford, Garnacho. I’m not saying get rid of those players by any means as many of those are some of our best players. But if we are going to be building around these players we need to adjust to a system that works for them. I’d double pivot with Mainoo and Ugarte and actually force Bruno to show some discipline and stick to a central role and not drift quite so high. We are far too wide in our play. Be more compact and let the opposition have possession on the wings as opposed to cutting straight through the centre of the pitch.
Casemiro is eager to play as a number 8
He cant make the covering runs, so Mainoo has to do that job.
He's clearly thinking as a number 8 with his risky forward passes. That's why his accuracy is low
But i believe Casemiro tactically has the best vision in our midfield, and his long passes are decent
He should make short passes simple, and risk on the long passes
Since Ugarte is a traditional number 6, Casemiro can work next to him especially against low blocks.
Obviously the midfield will be Ugarte - Mainoo - Bruno
But everyone now talks about pushing Mainoo to do what he cant do.
So Casemiro will be a decent sub, either as a 6 against low blocks
or as a 8 if we want to control the game.
Hopefully Ugarte quickly establishes himself as our starter number6
in the last 4 games of.last season we saw amrabat and maino play and we didnt see any sort of midfield gap and maino played some of his best matches of his life
Long answer ^^
Short answer NO