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Originally Posted by Grimson
Indeed, although this is a situation that generally speaking suits both sides. A well-organised defensive team wants to defend compactly to one side of the pitch, leaving the other open, even if an opposition player is in that space. More often than not, the sheer numbers and pressure will prevent successfully switching to the other side, but even if you do, they have time to shift when the ball is in the air.
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Using wide players in tandem, focusing one side and exploiting the weak side is nothing new, especially to United. But for me we almost lost the art a few seasons back (after Ronaldo left, him notably scoring many times at the far post) when it became a constant ploy to use Valencia to tee Rooney up. It reached the stage where Rooney's first thought was to switch it wide right and although very successful in terms of goals for one season (but not in terms of overall team success), it soon became a comically predictable routine that they couldn't move on from, which was a shame not least because Valencia himself is more than capable of exploiting his being the weak side and that was all but lost.
What we're seeing with this current situation is different though. It's far more deliberate, far more clinical. The speed of it is almost all about the passing and interchange of positions rather than classic pace and giving it the field. It's about cutting through the spaces you've deliberately created, not just trying to catch a team napping. I like it a lot
And if it's not watching the players grow into the thing and realising that they actually have the nous to keep the ball, isolate individuals and draw the opponent out of their positions, then the best thing is the tempo and patience of it all. As you said, watching Herrera, Mata and Carrick operating like this is a real sight for sore eyes.
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Originally Posted by Serenity Now
Absolutely. Defensively, you want to press in a wide position, because the vicinity of the sideline inherently narrows your opponent's options in a way that doesn't happen anywhere else on the pitch: get them right out on on the flank and they have very limited room for movement and can only play through at most 180 degrees - receiving the ball with incorrect body position, or from a badly angled pass, makes that much smaller. You have to shift over in order to both get numerical superiority around the ball and close off the immediate passing lanes or options. You're not worried about the direct pass to the other flank because, as you say, it's very difficult to make under pressure and, since it's a long pass, you have time to shift across anyway.
I agree on the quality of the players you mention, of course. It's just a shame Carrick isn't 4-5 years younger. Having a midfield pivot who can pass the ball through and over the opposition lines is so important. I fear that finding another one like him, with tactical intelligence, vision, and such an exceptional range of passing is going to be stupidly difficult  |
Interesting stuff. Especially excited about the passing patterns and intent at the moment, so if you cba I'm all ears for more. From my pov the bit I've emboldened has long been a major issue with United's passing all over the field - sloppy passing is such a waste of time and effort, and was one of the most frustrating things about United's play for a few years now. I used to put much of it down to Fletcher, but obviously he was a product of United's youth system (which Welbeck aside has produced very little itself for a decade other than defenders). It was safety-first dross, which so often meant the receiver with his back to the game, facing his own goal - passing designed not to draw an opponent in but to discourage him from committing. It was basically an attempt to 'cheat' to get the receiver time on the ball rather than use technique I suppose, but it showed a lack of direction...
The current regime have turned that around, no doubt with endless hours of repetitions, and well inside a single season they are on top of it.
15-04-2015, 11:07 AM
:shakehead:
such as?
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