Pythagoras In Boots ⚽️ Profile picture
Jun 30, 2021 β€’ 9 tweets β€’ 4 min read β€’ Read on X
π’πšπ§πœπ‘π¨ 𝐓𝐨 π”π§π’π­πžπ [π“πšπœπ­π’πœπšπ₯ π“π‘π«πžπšπ]

πŸ”΄Enhances the right flank? yes to a degree...
πŸ”΄Freedom to roam (is AWB a good fit?)
πŸ”΄Likes to switch flanks...
πŸ”΄What formation/signings will maximise his potential?

CC: @TacticalPad

#Sancho #MUFC #Donedeal Image
Pre Sancho signing, United have really struggled down the right hand side. At one stage they even put Rashford there but he did not look happy at having to vacate his favoured left sided role.

Greenwood and Mata, came inside often and AWB did not bomb on enough... Image
Sancho when he does stay out on the right, can drive at men and beat them in all manner of ways (drop of shoulder, skills, quick one two and get in behind). Therefore he will definitely improve the flank.

However as he has evolved as a player, he drifts away from this flank... Image
He tends to come inside, act as a 10 or inverted forward and link up/control play. He is more than just a winger. He is the English 'Neymar'.

United's attacking shape could become narrow yet again, which means the problem he was brought in to solve remains unsolved. Image
One solution (not a popular one and not guaranteed to work) is to play him on the left instead. Which begs the question - why spend that money to solve a problem position to play him on the left (where you have strength).

In-game switches is better... him and Rash take turns. Image
Another solution is to bring in a more aggressive right back. Think Lamptey or Maehle... but these type of right backs may leave gaps behind for the counter.
This could lead to defensive instability and Ole does not like this. He is abit Southgatesque in this respect. Image
A crazier solution but one which almost certainly gets the best out of him is make him an inside forward in a 3-4-2-1.

This doesn't get the best out of United's main man Bruno Fernandes, so is in effect a non-starter.

Looks beautiful though doesn't it? Image
Is Sancho a surefire hit? I am fairly sure he will not be a 'flop' but whether he hits expectations is a tough question to answer as he may need a new tactical system/new signings to help get the best out of him.

Very intriguing time to be a United fan. Welcome Jadon!
@maramperninety keen to see your series and if it reflects the findings above.

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More from @pythaginboots

Nov 23
Man City 0-4 Tottenham | Tactical Thread

➑️ Walker is finished - STOP STARTING HIM!
➑️ Pep's OOP Structure is abysmal, no CDM??
➑️ Kulusevski bullies Gvardiol by making him defend
➑️ Haaland needs to trust his right foot
➑️ In possession City did look slick but lost confidence Image
City started well but for me Haaland's lack of willingness to use his right foot meant that some great opportunities were squandered and this then allowed Spurs to stay in the game.

He refused to use his first touch to push the ball into space in front of him and kept working it back onto his left which allowed Spurs time to get back in and make blocks.Image
Kyle Walker can someone explain this misguided loyalty angle from Pep? it is usually a sign of a manager who has lost his hunger when he starts making basic errors like this from a selection POV.

Pep needs to recover his ruthless streak. Son an old man winger was made to look in his prime, and kept tearing him down the line.

Maddison was also given so much freedom to operate and ghost into the box as none of those City midfielders were able to track back and physically bully him.Image
Read 5 tweets
Nov 22
Ruben Amorim's DEBUT - What to expect TACTICALLY?

➑️Pentagon Press (3 forwards, 2 CM) backed by WB
➑️Ugarte unleashed as ball hunter
➑️Feed Forward - CF centric service plan
➑️Rest Defence (5-4-1)

Full Video:

#MUFC

[A THREAD] πŸ‘‡ Image
Amorim presses in a very structured manner. It is called a 'pentagon press' where he uses a 5 man unit to hunt for the ball... the CF supported by the two inside forwards, which is then supported by a second wave of two midfielders who vacate the space in midfield. It can lead to potential gaps between midfield and defence.

The near side wing back also supports the press whilst the other side moves back to form a back 4.Image
If the press is bypassed, Amorim likes to drop off into a back 5.

The midfield 4 still act as a unit, moving to the side where the ball is and looking to shield the backline but also squeeze the ball back from that side by using the touchline to pin opponents in. Image
Read 7 tweets
Nov 10
Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal | Tactical THREAD

➑️ Cucurella seems to have Saka's number?
➑️ Gusto's best defensive performance?
➑️ Odegaard invisible but decisive, Palmer the opposite
➑️ Caicedo stepped up as defensive shield
➑️ Raya swept to perfection
➑️ Rice at LCM is too vanilla Image
Arsenal erred today by using Rice as a LCM off the ball, which meant he couldn't get to grips with Cole Palmer who arguably had his best big match display this season in terms of 'involvement'.

Having said that, Cole Palmer didn't make the most of it with some poor decision making in key moments but it was overall a step in the right direction as he didn't ghost but tried to impact the game.Image
Image
His rival Odegaard had returned from injury and he was a ghost for the most part. Very little involvement but then when the key moment came, he managed to make it count with a great ball to Martinelli who put it away despite a torrid display prior to it.

Sanchez positioning was poor for the goal.Image
Read 7 tweets
Nov 3
Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea | Tactical Thread

➑️ Palmer ghosts (played in front of Ugarte/Casemiro) ➑️ Mazraoui inverting sets traps for Madueke
➑️ Hojlund made it stick too much (release earlier)
➑️ Maresca stop A team v B team
➑️ Chelsea vulnerable out wide

#CFC #MUFC Image
Palmer was given a free ride against Newcastle, with plenty of space to operate in.

In this game, United had two defensive minded players in midfield (but both with a tendency to leave space in behind). Palmer failed to exploit this space, dropping too deep to connect player and letting United midfield get set up.

Maresca needs to show some more balls or inventivenss here and be prepared to take Palmer off, or combine him with anoher playmaker in these type of games where he is stifled especially bigger games where space is at a premium.Image
He wasn't the only one. Look how much Chelsea showed a general lack of penetration with their passing, only Neto is looking to get in behind... everyone else is too close in their own half and not really looking to turn United and get right at them. Image
Read 6 tweets
Oct 28
Ten Hag 's 7 DEADLY TACTICAL SINS

❌ Large distances in midfield (3-1-6)
❌ Lack of quality overlaps
❌ CB's either too slow or feeble
❌ CF's starved or undercooked
❌ Lack of legs/positional IQ at CDM
❌ Bruno, Rashford - Hollywood Ball
❌15 min press

A THREAD 🧡

#MUFC Image
How often did we see United play this absolutely moronic 3-1-6 shape in possession where there was zero relationisim in the midfield region, no chance for the deepest midfielder to find consistent options to pass it to and create some triangles... a key concept for when a team is trying to control chaos.

Eriksen, Casemiro, Mainoo... all suffered at times as the sides deepest pivot only to see their partners flying forward to pick up pockets of space with no real chance of the ball getting there and watching their team mate swarmed under pressure.

Not to mention this also left the team pretty vulnerable on the counter which we will touch upon later.Image
Anthony is now officially a meme and truth be told, he should shoulder some blame for that but Ten Hag hung him out to dry from a tactical point of view and he's not the only one.

Rashford has also recently begun to suffer due to Ten Hag's full back choices.

Wan Bisakka behind an inverting winger didn't make sense, hence it was Garnacho at RW which fixed this issue. He then moves Garnacho left this season, and replaces AWB with another mostly defensive full back in Mazraoui?

So where are the overlaps coming from when Dalot likes to invert? none of this is coherent or makes sense.Image
Read 8 tweets
Sep 30
Ten Hag’s #MUFC tenure vs Arne Slot brief #LFC reign is a wonderful study in the importance of good coaching.

Failure to sign Zubimendi - was easy for Liverpool’s build up to take a hit and for them to lose β€˜control’.

Instead Slot coaches his way out of it.

A THREAD 🧡 Image
Ten Hag’s terrible player profiling especially in the midfield region has really haunted Manchester United during his entire reign.

The 6 region has completely baffled him on and off the ball.

Yet this is the area of the pitch where the modern coach most needs to excel in since the rise of Guardiola…
Slot you could tell from day 1 in pre season was preoccupied with getting this area of the pitch right. Whilst he was also seeking a transfer solution for this role he was nevertheless laying down ground work for the players who could compete for this area of the pitch.
Read 12 tweets

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