Threads:

Over the last one year of running this account, I've primarily focused on writing threads about the long term aspects of Ole's process — squad building, philosophies, squad introductions etc.

This thread will be a collection of some of my favorites. Hope you enjoy. ⤵️
1. Ole's Squad Building

An in-depth look at the process behind Ole's rebuilding in his first full season in charge of #mufc & how meticulous and well planned it was:

2. My first long thread (before I started naming them).

I used to read a lot of comparisons between Ole & managers at other clubs. This thread is trying to unpack why the United job Ole took over is unlike any other & why his process deserves more time.

3. Ole's Risk vs Reward

One aspect of Ole's management that goes heavily underappreciated is just how good a gambler he is.

Calculated risks are a big part of his process & here I look at some of the long term recruitment gambles he took:

4. What's taking so long (with the rebuild)?

A thread trying to explain why our rebuild is slow to begin with and why the process will take more time than you expect:

5. How to Introduce a Youngster — The Ole Way

An in-depth look at the process behind just how well Ole introduced Mason Greenwood to senior football, backed by numbers [my personal favorite]:

6. The Donny van de Beek Non-Issue

A thread trying to tackle the ever present 'why isn't Donny starting debate'. I talk about why Donny was bought, how he'll fit in and why we need to be patient and 'trust the process' when it comes to his introduction:

7. Patterns of Play

I don't do a lot of tactical analysis as that isn't my forte. But here's a little look at how we've started scoring goals from similar patterns of play — a process we've been working on and are now progressing in:

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More from @SensibleUtd

3 Jan
I dont expect any journo to say #mufc are right to back Ole. That doesnt sell clicks. But I do expect them to atleast not drag his name into every single sacking conversation simply bc their lack of research backs that notion.

But that isnt half of whats wrong with this piece ⤵️
This article came out a few mins after Chelsea lost meaning it was prewritten except for a few paras. Classic case of pre-conceived notions being treated as facts on the back of a correlative result.

Also Ole is mentioned only on twitter not once in the article. Very clickbaity.
I understand journos have to churn out content. Trust me, I'm a professional writer who has to meet deadlines so I know the grind.

But the article says CFC are now considering sacking Lampard, I find it hard to believe @TheAthleticUK could get such info mins after the whistle.
Read 5 tweets
7 Dec 20
Arsenal is still a massive club & it too big a jump too soon for Arteta. He's talented but to manage Arsenal, you need experience. His entire career is 3 yrs as an asst. Arsenal isn't where you learn management 101. The PR designed to give him confidence backfiring doesnt help.
The blame should fall as much on Arsenal as anyone else. They trusted him, built a narrative around him that they've found the next Pep, placed insane expectations on him to reinvent football and with no experience of handling such pressure, he's now understandably panicking.
It's clear Arteta is a good coach, but that's 10% of being a manager, especially at a big club. Can he handle the red tape above him, the politics beside him, can he handle the media narratives, the player expectations & pressure, the million other intangibles that he needs to?
Read 8 tweets
23 Nov 20
Thread:

*A Case in Congestion*

The current season is by far the shortest in a long while at just 246* days, but the number of games remain relatively the same.

But just how congested is this season as compared to a regular season? And how is it affecting us?

Let's dive in: 👇
This is a long read where we'll dicuss

1. Comparing this season to previous seasons
— by season's total length
— by no of rest days between games
— by gap between seasons

2. How it's affecting players

3. How #mufc are combating it

4. Final thoughts

Let's go!
1. Comparing this season to previous seasons:

On average United play anywhere between 50 to 65 games a season depending on how far we go into each competition.

Let's take a look at how long previous seasons were and how many we played in each.
Read 25 tweets
21 Nov 20
No of changes #mufc make to the starting XI from game to game:

2. Luton — 10
3. Brighton — 9
4. Brighton — 10
5. Tottenham — 10
6. Newcastle — 5
7. PSG — 3
8. Chelsea — 3
9. RB Leipzig — 5
10. Arsenal — 3
11. Istanbul — 5
12. Everton — 4

Congested season ➡️ lots of rotations
Diving deeper:

1st 5 games ➡️ heavy rotations

United were basically playing a new 11 back to back for the 1st 5 games, they we're treating it as the pre-season that they missed

From then on thanks to the tight schedule United have continued to make an avg of 4 rotations a game
Pros:
- we've not accumulated any long term injuries
- we've been able to keep a fresh squad

Cons:
- need more time to breed consistency w/o a fixed XI
- mins being shared around (not a big con actually)
Read 5 tweets
5 Nov 20
Thread:

#mufc's squad has 2 primary issues that need solving

1. Midfield Balance
2. Depth vs Balance

Let's take a look at each:

Before I start — this is NOT an 'excuse'

1. Mufc ARE unbalanced
2. Mufc should STILL have won yday

BOTH of these can & is true

Now let's dive in:
1. Midfield Balance

A balanced midfield should:

- dictate play
- maintain tempo
- hold def shape
- press/counter press
- create
+ Lot more

Our options

Pogba, Bruno, VDB, Matic, Fred, McT

No 3 man combo from this can do all of that
Only a 4 man mid can but 💎 has flaws (FBs)
This is bc we've many mids who offer very similar or the same thing

The diff btwn Fred/Matic/McT are evident BUT for each of them to work, you need to start one of the other two at least. Exact same case with Pogba, Bruno, VDB.

They're different but not complimentary - issue
Read 14 tweets
4 Nov 20
Mini Thread:

Situation

- no RW in squad
- #9 banned for 3 PL games

Solutions

1. Play makeshift RW + lone ST
2. Play system(s) not needing either

Response: Utd used both

Solution 1: vs Castle
Solution 2: vs Chelsea (3412) & Arsenal (💎)

Result: 1W, 1D, 1L

Let me explain:
This is NOT an excuse
I'm not even saying this is exactly why we lost

So what exactly am I trying to say here then?

This is a litle excercise that I do that helps me *make sense* of bad results — let me explain further
As a writer in real life, this is a little exercise I do if I'm struggling to crack something — a plot point/character etc

I look for pre-existing conditions & then ask — could those have an impact on why I'm not liking the final result — it usually does
Read 7 tweets

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