📚 How do we create a space? (Pt2.)

In the first part we covered interms of off-ball selfless runs and rotations. In this one we'll assess the alternative requiring manipulating the oppositions thought process and generating & affording more time & space.

A thread 🧵 Sun Tzu says "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle" which Amanda Penn explains as you win first and battle next. An easy victory means understanding the nuances of your opponent in order to preemptively strike.

📚 Fa Cup final looming on the horizon, #MUFC will aim to avoid woes of last season. We've been assessing potential weaknesses to exploit of the 'noisy neighbors', the subtle observations are as follows.

Opposition analysis,
A thread 🧵 🔸Opposite movements in transition:

• Striker runs blindside of LCB diagonaly, which means RCB who's watching the ST will try to follow him.

•Antonio realizes that so he'll deliberately drag his marker wide to vacate a space behind which the MF will exploit in run from deep.

Ten hag:
"We want to attract the opp, we've fast players.When teams allows us to play behind we've to recognize those situation & go vertical in quicker moment. If this isn't the case,we also have to adapt & create our own space."

📚 How do we 'create our own space'?

A Thread🧵 There are many ways but to name a few;

🔸Off ball selfless but valuable runs with the sole aim of dragging opposition out of position to vacate a space which your teammate might exploit arriving late aiding progression accessing the center.

#MUFC's various yet 'limited' automatized progression/creation mechanisms & minor potential tweaks to enhance it under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag.

A thread 🧵 RB under/overlapping runs providing options, RW cuts in strong foot in right half-space for an in swinging cross at back post, McTominay & Højlund box presence pinning backline, Rashford to arrive in space to score or create to find teammate at far post.

Technical details, maneuverability & tactical suitability of Cobham's finest, Mason Mount.

A thread 🧵 Spatial awareness
• checking his surroundings,observing where the pressure lies,the spaces exist,his passing option & a critical scan upon receiving the ball helps him to have clearer constantly updated pictures easing his work & facilitating progression.
https://t.co/KTpzeMSK7Z https://t.co/LM1rqKUh6wtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The different variations Erik ten Hag's #mufc used to bypass Barcelona's press & progress the ball.

A Thread 🧵 Barca was using a hybrid pressing of man & zonal oriented but more to the former. So committing fully man to man could've had a big issue vacating crucial spaces behind & in the center which could've affected them badly as Yanited had threatening players to deal w such team's.

Ten Hag strives for total domination; grabbing opposition by their throat without letting go. & for that matter esp w/o the ball we need to be a tough nut to crack, & compact-like igneous rocks. implementing that to the extent required communication & clarity are key.

Thread 🧵 For any team but specifically, ours which is in it's embryonic stages the pressing would've many rooms to improve so to lessen the negative outcome & facilitate progression players need to guide each other on the pitch. The manager can only do so much on the pitch.

A piece on the different variations of patterns used by #MUFC for progression against @NFFC and a glimpse of rather different ideologies of the gaffer personified...

A video Thread 🧵 In the first few minutes of the game, Forrest was able to negate #mufc's build-up using a narrow 4-1-4-1 and 4-3-3 matching up the midfielders and using curved runs to deny progression down the flanks using their wingers.

#MUFC's encouraging sequences in possession from the last game and the technical details to further improve & facilitate play.

Thread 🧵 Lisandro Martinez is holding the ball on his strong foot which is also where he's getting pressed, the passing lane to Varane is closed same to shaw & his orientation gives the impression he got no option just for him to pass it using his weak foot to Casemiro. Magnificent.

We won deservedly but it shouldn't have taken us that long whilst risking our key players' load management nonetheless, what matters the most is the 3 points.

1 of the impressive things from the game was our organization in how we dealt with turnovers quite well.

Thread 🧵 Let's start with our pressing in the early stages there was a lack of intensity earlier but we successfully forced the opposition to play outside using the sideline as an extra defender then forced them to give the ball away and immediately create a chance out of it.

The 2nd half performance wasn't only quite better than the 1st but it's also been a flight that took us to what's about to come from Ten Hag's scintillating team.

You don't need to be prescient to witness glimpses of the fantasy land we'll arrive at eventually.

Thread 🧵 You might have heard the phrase "Trust the process" a lot of times already. But it shouldn't feel like an empty statement or a buzzword without a good sensible reason behind it.