➡️ Rather have Obama in goal than Onana
➡️ 5-4-1 shape off ball yet Sane walks past 3 players
➡️ Musiala sends Casemiro almost into retirement
➡️ Reguilon and Rash = good attacking chemistry, poor defensive chemistry
➡️ Kane v Hojlund
#MUFC #FCBayern
So United started well. Generally proactive but dropping back into a 5-4-1 or 4-1-4-1 shape to frustrate Bayern with Casemiro floating between cb/cdm.
Whilst Sane was having moments, none of it was really coming off and Kane looked isolated. ETH's gameplan seemed to be working.
Then came the first goal. Rashford with some pitiful defending against Sane, allowing him to cut in and then Eriksen comes in as cover but makes a feeble challenge and then to put the icing on the cake... a horror handling show by Onana. 1-0 Bayern and a smash and grab goal.
With Bayern's peckers up, they start to become more aggressive with their positional play - with the entire side now wanting the ball and pushing high up the pitch.
Musiala comes alive and leaves Casemiro in his wake. This will now set the tone for the majority of the game.
A half time hairdryer obviously puts some spirit back into the United side and they started well.. with Hojlund putting away a difficult shot in a tight area. Was it a deliberate bounce finish? not sure but he did well to get a shot off. It feels like momentum is about to shift..
Then the hand-ball call. Feels ridiculous but if we are applying the rules in a cyborg like manner, it must be said Eriksen's hands did seem away from his body but were they away in a horizontal sense or vertically? does it matter - should it matter. Killed the game (or did it)
United looked deflated and Bayern finally established true control of the game, until the very end of the game when the legend that is Casemiro remembers he's a champion of the highest order, salvages pride and scores to make it 3-2 - bulldozing through Bayern's very deep block.
Bayern have been wasteful throughout the second half and it feels like they may unbelievably draw this game 3-3 but then Tel shows up the admirable journeyman Choupo how it is done with a composed touch inside the box and a rocket finish to confirm the score as 4-2?
But no.. another spanner in the work. Casemiro gets another?? seriously what on earth is going on. One of his worst performances in Europe, also is a game in which he scored 2 goals - Football, bloody hell.
End score... 4-3. Mad game.
Weird game. United can feel hard done by but were also very ragged and fortunate to not lose by a larger scoreline. Bayern didn't feel fluid and needed the Onana mishap to come alive. They also conceded 3 to a bang average side. That has to raise some concerns.
Conclusion...
Bayern look unstable. There's parts of the attack that can catch fire... Sane and Musiala look electric but the other parts of the attack look pedestrian. Midfield wise, there is a holding midfielder missing.
United, conceding 4 goals is shocking. Need a cb partner for Lisandro and the full backs were not good enough defensively.
Casemiro doesn't have the legs to mark the most dynamic 10's in the game anymore. There is also zero control of the midfield.
Pellestri battled hard but looked very limited on the ball.
Hojlund still rusty, and looks short of match fitness. Did well to get his goal and has really been thrown into the deep end.
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NUFC - Last season, we were among the rare few to say they'd feel liberated by the Carabao Cup concluding, whether loss or not, and that Willock & Isak would provide them with a second wind for the tiring Joelinton & Wilson to ensure a top 4 finish. It's worrying that this is September, not February, but the need for changes is clear. Suggestions:
A) When your attack loses trust in the defence, the final ball is often forced, and vice versa. When the defence knows that the attack is too brawny, they'll not defend in tandem as a unit. Livramento needed to provide recovery pace in defence & thrust in attack to take the pressure off both sides of the pitch, no more Matty - who is a target for the opposition to pin their wingers on. Burn as LCB & Targeted LB is a recipe for relegtion.
#NUFC #NewcastleUnited
B) Midfield rotation: Last season, the constant norm was Guimarães & the 2 slots were rotated between 3 players. Now it seems that Howe is sticking to a settled 3 - a bad idea, especially given the game style they go for - very taxing. With the UCL too, this needs to change. We did say that Tonali alone won't fix the midfield.
C) While Trippier can't overlap like he once could, he can defend better since the coaching of Simeone & has more composure in the middle third connecting with his midfield; move Gordon onto the RW as Almiron has blown his load ever since the middle of last season & needs the overlap. Gordon is a solo running machine from both flanks.
Many young players become memes despite their overwhelming talent being quite obvious but it just seems nothing is going for them and they are on the verge of being written off…
Probably the best example of zero to hero is the rise of Gareth ‘Fail’ into Gareth Bale.
[Thread]
I watched a young Bale feature for Saints vs WBA at the Hawthorns and was instantly bewitched. Magical left foot, so cultured… felt like an alien, a left back who just didn’t fit the mould of a British full back. I remember signing him on football manager that night 😂
Having joined Tottenham as a gangly 17-year old, there were expectations aplenty placed upon his young shoulders and they certainly weighed him down in his early years. Patience is so important in bringing through young players, they need to feel like they can make mistakes…
Tactical Dynamo: How Amrabat would redefine Manchester United’s playbook
➡️ Unraveling the veracity of long pass
➡️ Licha, Onana & Amrabat, build-up ensemble
➡️ Not as aerially dominant as Casemiro
➡️ Rice-esque dribbler
➡️ Ball-DAWG terrier in defence
#MUFC
[Tactical Thread]
Long passing forms an important part of his game, and the stats suggest he's a world leader in this aspect. However, upon closer inspection, the eye test reveals that he's good but not great.
One of the issues lies in his biomechanics - he tends to lean back too much, resulting in off-balance passes that hit underneath the ball, making some of them loopy. On the bright side, his curved passing is much better, showcasing a very nice club in his locker.
Is Sandro Tonali A Good Tactical Fit For Newcastle? [Thread]
➡️Brings midfield support to Bruno G
➡️Trippier unleashed
➡️Tactical evolution in the long run
➡️However, Tonali’s presence doesn’t resolve the question of whether Bruno is still the ideal choice as the 6
#NUFC
Tonali brings much needed support to Bruno G in midfield. Despite having success playing in a swashbuckling style, Eddie Howe knows against Europe’s elite, his side needs more balance in midfield.
Tonali from a young age was mis-profiled as a deep playmaker but’s he’s much more of a B2B midfielder who gets around the pitch, influencing play in multiple areas of the pitch. A Gattuso-lite, albeit being more astute in possession.
Rice and Lavia is a potentially gorgeous combination. Wet behind the ears at UCL level? yes but complementary. Rice weakness in build up is cancelled by Lavia's comfort in pivot and Rice can protect him defensively.
We covered a lot of this in our Havertz tactical thread but Lavia would still enable the 3-2-2-3 formation as he can take over from Zinny/Partey as a conduit in the build up phase. His favourite thing to do is collect it off CB's and remain deep, controlling from the back.
Rice is then free to dabble in the build up, take minimal touches if need be and then focus on joining in once the ball is closer to the centre circle and entering into opponents half. He is much better when facing the goal and being direct and aggressive in possession.
➡️ May enable use of a box midfield alongside Ricedo
➡️ Can rotate with Jesus ingame, or fill in when absent
➡️ Needs runners to side & ahead, similar to Firmino
➡️ Tuchel enabled initial flourish but ends up killing him
[THREAD]
The only way Havertz and Jesus can co-exist in the same side barring Jesus playing on the wing, is in a 3-2-2-3 and with Kai playing a more aggressive Xhaka role whereby he can play LCAM and interchange with Jesus up front.
If Caicedo does not come, the same shape can be replicated with Zinny next to Rice. Benefits are the creative burden is lifted off Odegaard on to another attacking midfielder and it gives Jesus freedom to drop, knowing someone else can fill in up top and arriving aerial presence.