A few games don't make a player suddenly good/bad. Fans & esp analysts need to accept form isn't a myth.
And no it isn't just based on performance, it's more mental than technical — everything going on in their lives both on & off the field affects it.
Take any United player, Rash, Shaw, Maguire, Fred, Mason, Martial, Pogba, Lindelof, AWB, Dean, whoever. A good game & suddenly they're great & a bad game and suddenly they're terrible.
Such fluctuations in performance isn't a reflection of their ability but their form.
Ignoring it is in effect ignoring the human aspect and criticising them as if they're robots. None of us wake up everyday feeling the exact same way and none of us can go through everyday with the exact same levels of dedication, energy or enthusiasm.
Players are human too.
The very best find a way to nurture form & they do it with a level of dedication & devotion to their craft that most of us can't even fathom.
And you don't get there overnight. It takes years of trial and error for them to figure out how to sustain it without fluctuations.
Our players are young. Everyday on and off the field they're having to face new situations & new challenges.
Every challenge they cross gives them confidence & ones they don't cross teaches them lessons.
This combined knowledge helps them find their own process to sustain form.
There's no wonder the ones who're more experienced in the squad like Cavani, Harry, Bruno are better able to give us consistently good performances and why even their bad performances are often far better compared to bad performances of their younger team-mates.
Most player's process of sustaining form involves a lot of isolation, isolation from what's happening around them & the world.
This is why almost every successful player attributes their success to their family. Having & designing a support system that works for you is crucial.
But it takes time. Especially in this day and age of instant vilification on social media, it probably takes a lot longer. Add to that a global pandemic which has affected everyone personally and it isn't hard to see.
This is why we need to be patient & kinder to our players.
They're young & growing. They'll need way more time to find consistency and knowing the fanbase has their back is the one thing we can do that can make that process far easier for them.
Patience, perseverance & process. They need that & we need it too.
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I feel what Ole is trying to do is a contemporary take on the old school 4-4-2
The 4-2-3-1 and the 4-4-2 share a lot in common (one can be described as evolved from the other) and I feel Ole wants to mix the best of both at United.
A style I feel can be quite effective ⤵️
Ole describing our style of play:
"Fullbacks pushing high, front 4 interchanging and two in the middle to rotate and maintain tempo".
That doesn't sound like a 4-3-3. That's how a 4-2-3-1 works and it is very reminiscent of how some parts of the 4-4-2 worked too.
One aspect of Ole that is highly underappreciated is just how well he's been able to handle being at the helm of one of the biggest football clubs in history. Many don't realise just how rare & valuable this is.
Let me explain ⤵️
At a big club, what you need most is the ability to manage politics, bureaucracy, redtape & pressure so the players can focus on just playing football.
Many 'tactically astute' managers from smaller clubs fail at a bigger club bc they can't handle this — Ole has excelled in it.
Luke Shaw's comments about Ole last night is a testament to exactly that. The pressure of playing for a big club is monumental. Having the assurance your manager will protect you is the first step a ayer needs to perform at their best.
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.
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.
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?