In July 2023, Erik Ten Hag stated that he wanted his Manchester United side to be “the best transition team in the world" but in the 23/24 season, the reds have been very easy to play through and have found scoring goals difficult. When researching this video, Statman Dave took a look at all of Manchester United’s pressing actions in the 23/24 Premier League from Gameweek 1 against Wolves all the way until Gameweek 23 against Aston Villa. Now, he presents his findings as he explains why Man Utd are so open defensively; how their press has evolved; as well as how they can improve…
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It’s so frustrating watching every mufc game and seeing literally every opponent piercing our press.
When Martinez is playing he shuts dow disposses and plays controlled passes for player's to run onto and control easily.
Picking on Ten Hag is pathetic Ten Hag isn't on the field he doesn't not track back he doesn't miss tackles because he is not skilled or fast enough injuries can't be blamed on him. Ten Hag's high press works when he has player's who can carry out the system. In the mean time we have to muddle through and the best our team can do is muddle through until we have a back 4 all like Martinez a midfield all like Mainoo strikers like Garnacho and Hojland plus reserves/ subs who can keep their Zone sorted. Fact's don't match Stat's just blaming the coach is pathetic.
@@MichaelEnright-gk6yc Certain things are in Ten Hags control for example. 1) Depth of defensive line 2) Defensive engagement 3) pressing traps outside instead of inside 4) Compactness, Dave elaborated on that already 5) zonal vs man marking, the top teams have clear pressing triggers and we don’t. Don’t get emotional, we all agree Ten Hag is doing a good job just not at the level of the Klopps and Peps of the world
Depth of defensive line?? No. Our CB's aren't mobile enough@@Theojoe190
@@Theojoe190 point 1 is the key here - he actually can't control the depth of the defensive line... unless martinez and varane are playing together, then they can push the line up towards half way, which hasn't happened for most of the season because martinez has been injured for the best part of a year. If maguire, lindelof or evans are playing, they don't have nearly enough pace to play near the half way line - that's the issue
I agree with your analysis but Ten Hag did say he had to adapt the game plan due to consistent injuries. I do believe he has adopted a more what I call bait and hook approach. He realizes the team struggles with the counter press and also breaking down the low block. However his team is very good on the transition and counter (in possession). Therefore he allows the team to create spaces for opposition to try to take advantage of, allowing them attack more which in turn create openings to counter. This is a very high risk approach (which is why we concede more chances) but he trust that with his players qualities they will win more.
The with that plan is takes the most toll on the players thats required on the counter attack, the front have to play so deep even most times playing defence as far as their own 18 yrd box cause the fullbacks decided that its safer to cover the front post to prevent the possible instead forcing them out for a possible goal kick or force the corner. So it exposes the likes of rashford who tends to cheat or heavily fatigues the likes of garnacho that does try to get back plus it doesn't help that only 1 out of the 3 midfielders doesn't tend to track back or even mark. That just shows the lack of trust in gk's ability to defend his front post and come out claim crosses. Also shows how little personal in our midfield that actually can defend properly since all the latest additions have players that tend to usually play an attacking role, and for some reason mctominay is just a 2nd striker
Also agree with the analysis in general although I don't think ETH ever intended to implement the new German style Geigenpress as he knows the squad don't have the fitness levels - you will always see him try to use Cruyffian fundamentals and principles which are more zonal pressing to force the opposition into certain areas
@@juliushibbert3334 good points
thats just mere excuse look at ancelotti how he's cooking even with like half of the first team players injured.
So injuries stops his players from playing compact? I don't think so
Fact is TH only had two games where he could select who he wanted not worrying about who’s available or injured. We won those two games decisively w/ a play style. Not about the TH propaganda
missing players mean drop in quality but the whole team should understand how to play so at least the structure looks the same. Yes, we dont have a squad, that has 1:1 backups for specific players, for instance Maguire is very slow, Varane is not a ball playing CB and so on. There are issues but still we dont see enough of a structure from the training pitch. When you look at the top teams how they move in line and hold shape, MUFC is very far away from that and its his 2nd year. We are 6th because of indivudual players but this wil never be enough to be a top team. And now only Lisandro is missing, even he is maybe the most important player with Mainoo now
@@marlo_stanfield4410yup. That's why Pep would sell the whole team and build his team with players that can do exactly what he expects from him!
@marlo_stanfield4410 they understand how to play, they just don't have the quality to do it mate. So you will see him signing more squad players with these qualities.
@@marlo_stanfield4410 Missing essential players does also mean that the team doesn't train with these players. They don't get used to what it means to have a Martinez on board, and what he brings, as part of the collective. That's why MU needs culture and vision beyond the quality of the players. That's why ten Hag, or any coach at MU needs to keep their eye more on the future, and less on patching the current situation. This of course can be seen as if the coach doesn't understand the problems on the field, even though ten Hag and some of the people in charge, might know these problems much better than we do. Ten Hag should get the chance to implement culture first.
They all train together. A structure and way of playing should be the same for the entire squad. This isn’t about talent or ability. It’s about coaching and setup
This was a well put together video. Well done! 10/10.
Thanks man, took me hours!
😂😂😂
This is crazy video! Great quality Dave! Strong analysis blows me off! Keep up the good work! :)
I think this might be the best video you've ever done. Excellent work!
The back 4 is not functioning not fast or agile enough unless we have Martinez. Our back four have been unsettled . All very well having the team to do it is the problem. When Martinez,Varane, Shaw and Dalot play we do press and defend higher up the field. When they don't play United are always scrambling.
Iiiuuuuu
We have conceded something like FORTY goals in 30 games with Martinez in defence. He is (to date) one of the worst CBs to ever play for the club in our entire history. Involved in some of the most humiliating defeats in English football history, including the time when Salah spun him round in circles and made him fall on his backside, before slotting the ball past De Gea. Do you even watch the games?
@@jhpfdijtuiweruotlol alright.
@@jhpfdijtuiweruotif you think Martinez is a problem, you're not a proper fan - every team in the league (except City and Newcastle) shipped more than 40 goals last season. Our defence was way more solid with him in the team and we can't press properly without him
@@juliushibbert3334 Hilarious that my factual information hurt your feelings for the man
Great video Dave. Think another thing to analyze is how ten hag pressed at Ajax versus how he’s pressing now. It’s very likely he has to set up this way simply because that’s familiar to all of these Jose and Ole holdovers.
This is his second season, if that's still a problem, then that's a managerial issue, not with the players.
@@deusultima23 don’t you think ten hag has tried that? He knows by now what their strengths and weaknesses are and probably realizes he has to work with the players he has rather than trying to put a square peg in a round hole. It’ll take more transfer windows before we can see what he’s trying to do.
@@NomadJoe0323 you're assuming he knows yet he still can't put a structure in. All you're blaming is the players who went and played several different tactical styles with OGS successfully. Another is that, his 2nd season, he got everything, every player he wanted, and yet it's still the squad at fault? How about the shoddy goalkeeping? the useless fidget spinner? The ever-injured Chelsea flop? How about kicking de Gea and Ronaldo out? How'd that work out? He's recruited half this squad, he had the full backing of the board. 500M down the drain, and you're telling me it's the squad's fault?
@@deusultima23 you clearly don’t follow United or are not a United supporter. The whole starting back 4 against Luton are holdovers from Jose or Ole who simply don’t have the ball playing skills that would allow ten hag to play how he would like. Garnacho has emerged as being more talented than Antony so he’ll get the nod instead. And it was time for Ronaldo and de gea to go. Ronaldo is at the twilight of his career and de gea, although a good shot stopper, doesn’t have the ability to play with the ball at his feet like Onana. Onana has been better than people think. His shots on target against are amongst the highest in the league which indicates that United have a very porous defense. Despite that he has a high save % and tied for second for clean sheets. He would be better if he had a ball playing back 4 or atleast had Martinez. They are better at possession with him on the field. The injuries to ten hag transfers like Martinez, Malacia and Mount have been unfortunate.
@@NomadJoe0323 excuses, excuses, excuses. Meanwhile, he terminated Reguillon's loan without ever getting both Shaw and Malacia back to full fitness. Onana has been giving away free goals left right and center, with a bonus of a red card for one of his mates. Antony is a glorified 80M pound fidget spinner. Mount, who's had a serious injury record before his transfer, is as you can expect, constantly injured. And his golden boy Martinez is also a constant presence in the nurse's office. Sure these injuries are unfortunate, but, for half his squad to be injured begs to question how effective their training and diet are and how thorough they were in their recruitment. Luck can only play the part so much, hell, he rushed Shaw into that Luton game, and look what happened. Again, who's planning the trainings and the diet, who's managing their playing time? There's only one answer to that question.
Keep up the good work ❤
Exceptional work from you ❤🔥
Cheers lad
Brilliant video. Easy to learn, taking different data from different websites, and having comparisons helps. Hopefully the players will eat their pride and listen to the manager, the structure is there from Ten Hag it has not been good enough this season.
Great job Dave this video really answered alot of questions
I wish we have an analyst who is this good among our technical team to point these out to ten Hag
This should be the standard with all clubs at this level. At least we hope that’s the case
I’m pretty sure it’s a lot better than statman Dave 😂
@@mikeefennell7843precisely. Just don't have the players with the right mentality to keep pushing themselves for constant improvement
It's because of the lazy players we can't play like how eTh wants to play.
Your wish has come true. Already for a long time. Then again, it is also something that ten Hag knows already. And this channel knows this too. Do you really think clubs like MU hire people who don’t know the basics? I would not like to support a club like that when I think that we need KZhead channel analysts to inform them about the basics of football.
Great video! As a United fan I do wish our players were more physical with press cutting down passing lanes and overall just making it more difficult for the opponent to think where the next pass will go. Like you mentioned City, Liverpool and especially Arsenal do a great job of being physical with the press. Definitely need to sign players who have pace, physical, and read and react to situations this summer not only on the backline but in Midfield as well. With the new ownership group coming in hopefully they can remove the old and bring in better.
I'm such a nerd when it comes to these videos! Keep it up Dave!
Love that Jake. We’ve got another one cooking.
@@StatmanDaveWhat do you think of our first phase passing in building of attacks ? I believe ten Hag has been unable to improve it. Why are we making Onana do so many unnecessary long passes ?
Great analysis - I’ve not seen many people start with the actual actions as opposed to what Opta say - really insightful. The centre back mobility is interesting; not only has Martinez’s injury robbed us of our only mobile CB, it’s taken Onana’s biggest asset away too. We’ve finally signed a ball playing GK, but can’t use him because Maguire & Varane need to stay close to home. I wonder what ETH was planning though, assuming he thought Martinez would be fit? Shaw at CB? Replacing Antony with Garnacho seems to have energised the team when they have the ball, is it helping when they’re pressing too? I’d like to see Garnacho v Antony analysis - and whether Hojlund has just settled or whether he/United have been doing something different
He was planning on selling maguire and bringing in a better partner for Martinez. The motivations of the club above him got in the way of that, as it has for every manger when it comes to wanting to get rid of players.
Problem ain’t the manager. It’s the players or rather lack of players to stay disciplined and enact such a game plan. The manager is actually doing a great job all things considered last season and now this year.
Great video Dave. But a little bit of context is needed when analyzing Manchester United. For instance, a team needs to have a high line when trying to implement Gengen pressing philosophy (Which you highlighted)) United does not have quick CBs to do that at this moment, Varane and Martinez are the only CBs capable, but one has been available for only a handful of games, making it impossible to implement the idea, made worse by the unavailability of Luke Shaw. Erik has had to shift from what the team had been training in the pre-season and forge a new philosophy while waiting for their most important players to come back. Great video as always! Edit: You have covered it in the last bits of the video (wrote the above after listening to the part where you were talking about Liverpool's press)
👏👏👏
"Hi, is that Dave?" "I prefer Mr Statman but, yeah. Who dat?" "My name's Jim. Wanna job?"
He technically already has a job at united but good effort
@@victorokeke3395what's his job at United?
@@wolfswinkel8906 I forgot but he usually used to interview players at united and give tactical insights in their style of play
Great analysis and watch!
Great work on this one Dave!
Thank you! Cheers! 🤝
This is great analysis!
Impossible for United to press as a team when some players walk during pressing
its a pretty incredible time to be a proper footy fan these days,channels like this which break down real world data you wonder how good the data analysis guys must be at the top clubs,seems to me now that the biggest attribute a manager could have would be the abillity to analise all the data and put it into language the players can understand then impliment,football seemed in the past a much simpler game
Brilliant analysis as always. Can you do a video on someone like Kambwala, a young star within our system already, just looking at whether are they capable of solving the problem of having slow defenders who end up forcing the coach not to implement a high line
Superb analysis, thanks a million!
😇😇😇
Wow amazing this channel grew so much so fast! Big ups to you. Shows how far consistent work, with an eye towards improvement, can get you. Keep it up!
Great video that Dave.
Nice one dave l learnt a lot ,can you do a video on carlo ancelottis tactics in real madrid and how hes a relationist n how mbappe will fit in , and how inzaghi has improved n taken inter to the next level
Some great ideas here Ed. Will add them to our doc. 🫡
Great video though! I really liked how eye opening the high turnover breakdown was but doesn’t the fact that you ended up saying that Man Utd need new CBs suggest that maybe EtH has just had to adapt his pressing style based on the players available? If I got you correctly, one of the keys to compactness in pressing is a high line, which can’t be achieved with not-so-mobile CBs. Also, I think comparing with Man City & Liverpool might be too harsh on EtH at this stage in his stint. Of course, those are the levels we’re supposed to be at as Man United but let’s not forget that those 2 teams have had a stable manager, system, structure for almost 10 years respectively! I think one thing that would’ve been good to point out is how injuries have affected the stability of the team this season, maybe by pointing out how many minutes pre-EtH players have played this season compared to players he signed/promoted
amazing. exact points to ponder
This guy is a beast Thank you so much
as suggested it's not about desired shape and structure but about personnel. i don't think ten hag and the coaching team are unaware of their deficiencies but the fact of the matter is the team as a whole are just not athletic and energetic enough for pressing high and zonal pressing because it requires all the players to constantly move up and down and from side to side. the centrebacks as mentioned are ill suited for this, and so are the central players with the possible exception of hojlund. casemiro has his well-documented defects, and even mainoo for all his calmness and composure isn't someone who covers spaces fast up and down and from side to side, he normally just ambles along. and bruno is often caught out of position having attempted risky moves and runs. in most games you can see opposing teams outwork them physically, and their wins come from moments of brilliance from their players who are not fitter but just more skilled or more lucky than their opponents. it's not a matter of one or two changes, it will take a massive overhaul for them to match the energetic spines of more than half the premier league teams now. even those in the bottom half, they are lacking in some quality but almost never in effort and energy.
Fantastic video
Exceptional video!
Thanks 😊
The issue is here is that injuries have forced us into having a squad that is not suited for the type of game ETH wants. In this situation it is better to use a different formation that brings out the best of the players. Rashford and Garnacho are more focused on the offensive aspect which only leaves Bruno, Casemiro and Mainoo as the effective pressers. What ETH can do is to shift his fullbacks higher up into a 3-3-3-1 formation, where his fullbacks can aid with the pressing portion. Basically the 3 CBs can be Varane Maguire and Lindelof with Varane leading the center. Shaw and Dalot will play either side of Casemiro/Mainoo to provide more width during defensive situations as well as the starting point of attacks. Rashford and Garnacho will be on either side of Bruno to provide the attacking width while Hojlund plays as the lone CF. The good thing about this formation is that it automatically reduces the spaces between all the players. During the attacking phase, the wingbacks will push up higher to become the creative attacking force with Bruno acting as the attacking pivot. Rashford and Garnacho become part of the front 3 alongside Hojlund to receive the critical passes. During defence, the wingbacks will help with the pressing in the wide areas where Rashford, Hojlund and Garnacho can focus on pressing the centre backs, allowing for more effective pressing. Bruno and Casemiro will focus on the central and attacking midfielders to reduce their movement. This formation is an all-rounder, where it can suit different types of player profiles and style of play as well. It is weak against formations with more width in the midfield and defensive areas or an ultra low-block.
Brilliant thank you
Yessss finally Dave is back
WE ARE BACK
Superb video statman daddy! However, i feel that eth himself must be aware of these issues and working on them too, but the sad fact is we probably need 2 lichas to play that high line and with our injury related bad luck, weve not had even 1 licha for too long this season
We need 4 Licha’s. That’s the dream.
@@StatmanDave make it happen Sir Jim!
@@StatmanDave Martinez has been an absolute disaster in the EPL. You are living in fantasyland. We are invariably humiliated when he is on the pitch and incapable of keeping a clean sheet. One of his last meaningful contributions was scoring an OG against Spurs in another lame defeat. He is (to date) one of the worst CBs to ever play for the club. Not a surprise that we are picking up results when he is out injured (again).
@@jhpfdijtuiweruot not sure what matches you have been watching....
@@StatmanDave I watch all the games at Old Trafford and have done for many, many decades. Martinez is clearly an extremely talented player but his record in the EPL is appalling. Funny that you are arguing against undeniable facts and stats with your feelings and responding to my sensible comment with playground ad hominem mockery
All nice Dave, but understandably we have to ditch our press when Martinez doesn’t play. With Maguire we need to sit deep and therefore we don’t press high. We’ve seen plenty of examples of that. So do your comparisons when we have our first 11. Your comparison is pointless when everyone and there dog knows Maguire and Lindelof are not part of the plans for the future and why we have tried so hard to get in front foot aggresive players, that can press like Mount Antony Malacia Hojlund etc. we need 2 defenders and a ball carrier like FDJ in midfield to play in the pivot with Mainoo. That has always been the plan but not executed by the board.
Exactly this. For large chunks of the season United have had to play without their first choice defenders and midfielders and revert to a different style of defending to suit the available players. Recruitment is the next step. Actually credit to Ten Hag for knowing how to play to his squad’s strengths. He’s not about to leave his team open for the sake of style.
Yep, it’s the KZhead football analysis curse. This channel is one of the better ones, but the context is still minimal. Too much context is not sexy for the frustrated fans. (not saying that the fans don’t have reason to be frustrated..) All in all too many channels that give the impression that everything can be fixed with some basic tactical changes, that are apparently somehow not noticed by a bunch of proven top coaches.
I don't agree we have to ditch the pressing because of Martinez's absence, I think we have to ditch it altogether because even with Martinez and Shaw and every key player fit, it's been a problem for us. It was noticeable last season - even when we were winning consistently (1st half vs Leicester at O.T. is a perfect example) and this season where we went gung-ho with the transition thing, our first couple of games with everyone fit highlighted this even more. Wolves at Old Trafford and Spurs in London made it very evident that that pressing style is unsustainable
Not exactly the board's fault FDJ didn't want to go, yeah? And maybe ETH would have more to spend if he didn't try to sign his cronies, Onana and Antony.
@@BlackChrishiHow do u think we can sort this out? Wt is the current problem of our pressing?
Thank you statman Dave
Maguire and Varane are United’s biggest issues. Bruno’s chaos puts a lot of pressure on Casemiro and the wingers don’t create enough.
Phenomenal video
Great research Dave. ❤Unfortunately this video could spell the end of ETH 😂
😂😂😂
Noticed anytime the fullbacks pushed higher up in the press it functioned far far better
IMO the biggest problem is The two Centre back. Varane, Maguire, Lindelof, Evans non of them are familiar high pressure defending. They generally sit deep in the backline. This completely affect the way you play. Unless we find our Van Dijk, we will never be able to compete them.
Hey Dave, good to see you mate. Missed the content. Hope you had a good break
I am good lad. We had to do some work to upgrade the channel. Done now. So we are back!!!
Good to have you back
Our primary problem is lack of pace at cb & cdm. Defense can't push up as a dribbler can run through the center. Most pressing teams have a pace cb pair.
Good video.❤ We have a few players who only want the result of pressing, like Rashy. There are some other few willing but not physically or technically capable to press, like Bruno.
Rashford is a major problem if EtH wants to have gegenpressing. He’s the absolute opposite…
Hi Dave, If you could recommend a few football tactics books to help with understanding tactics that we currently see today which books would you recommend?
Check the bookshelf behind him
Inverting the Pyramid is a great start. The mixer is also good. And I would really recommend Pep Ljinders recent book. 🙌🙌🙌
FINALLY BACK!
How do you have super high press when Maguire and Evans have to play on a regular basis? Ten Hag needs to change tactics if he doesn't have the right players to implement what he wants, in the summer those issues should be addressed first.
No he doesn’t need to change. We as fans want to see high intensity, high press, pro active football. He needs to keep playing this style cos then we can see the players that are not up to it and thats the players that need moving on. We’re not going back to Ole ball, or park the bus ball of the Jose days. I’d rather see us back ourselves to our score opponents than go back to playing deep and defensive.
@@Tdoggg In a ideal situation, sure. But if he doesn't have the centre backs that can get back quick enough then you have to apply new tactics. How many times do you see a break happen against United and when the ball's in the back of the net, Maguire hasn't even made it back to the box? We should not be aiming to be Liverpool of the early 2010s. Fix the hole in the boat, rather than only focus throwing buckets of water over the side.
@@Scottgunner89 I respect opinions but did pep ever change his tactics from day one? No. Same with klopp. Now they both have a full squads of players that are their own and can play their philosophy. Ten hag wants brave players, front foot, pro active, aggressive, committed and hard working. If players can’t do that then they ain’t good enough for United and a manager shouldn’t have to adapt his philosophy for players that are incompetent lack desire.
@@Tdoggg We can agree to disagee here. Both Liverpool and Man City have an overall philosophy, same as United. but they also have a multitude of tactics, play styles and have adapted to the players they have had at hand. Ten Hag wants those type of players, but currently doesn't have all of those tools at his disposal, it's either wait and bring them in during the summer or adapt the current squad so it does work. I'm not saying a complete tactical overhaul for the sake of his philosophy, but we all know Maguire and Evans aren't good enough to play this style of football and get found out every through ball and counter attack that comes their way.
Lol Varane and Martinez were embrrassed with SEVEN goals against LFC with this imaginary super high press that you are fantasising about. Maguire and Evans both have a MUCH better record of playing in the EPL. Your silly anti-British campaign is embarrassing
The counter attacking was on another level against luton but it was the terrible finishing or rashford bruno and garnacho made their game very hard for us.
Statman has created a stunning ONE video in 3 WEEKS! those are damning statistics...
We had to take our time...
Really good video, I hope eth watches it
The last few games, we're seeing the attacking transitions, sitting deeper in defensive organisations and the attackers are slowly making better decisions. Garnacho is making better decisions, looking to players others in. Yes, he's still glory seeking, but he's opening his eyes more and if he continues to do so, he's going to show how good he can be. Exciting player.
During Ralf Ragnicks first week he was quoted as saying that the team cannot play the way he wanted them to. While there is blame to be put on ETH I genuinely think no manager can be successful with a squad like this.
Yeah but no mention of the personal needed to implement Ten Hags system when he has the player's on the pitch he carries out the compressed defence. When you a relying on player s like Rashford who doesn't track back and rarely tackles lindelof who is so slow as are most of the back 4 other than Martinez.
Clearly your best video because you went deeper than data (5:40) and you proposed solutions
Dave my man where you been. We need more frequent videos lol.
We had to evolve brother. Spend a bit of time to grow. 2024 is our year.
Berada needs to see this video to hire his coaches accordingly. Top top analysis
This is exceptional cos i haven't really been impressed with our pressing especially our pressing structure. I wish someone influential in the Club can actually see this and present it to the coaches and manager
It’s laughable that you don’t think ten hag can see this and much more.
Why does United not use a 3 2 3 2 pressing formation? With hojlund and Fernandez pressing the Gk and the opposition last defender. ? Antony and Rashford holding the width against the full backs the one in the middle cutting access to the DM. Meaning the opposition needs to drop another midfielder to help with an extra man the counter press can move aggressively to intercept or win the ball back. Only way out is ball over the top which is a 50/50 chance with your dm ready to cover the wide spaces giving the top attacker time to cover the spaces of the DM and RCB moving across the close down the break out from either flanks
what is wrong with a compact 4-4-2 that allows our midfielders to navigate the space more easily. the 4-1-4-1,4-3-3 hybrid keeps us vulnerable on the flanks in the first phase and exposes us in the middle. Garnacho is hindered by it because his starting position is on the inside left and he always has to track to right back to cover his man. Rashford either does one or the other or neither at all. Mainoo sometimes looks like he's chasing people running behind him IN MIDFIELD and Casemiro is having to tackle wildly to even try to get a grip of the game. Put Bruno up top with Rasmus when pressing, have them cover the opp mid pivot and/or press the CBs, let the opp fullbacks play in front of our wingers so our wingers' starting position is their natural wide position. Few teams are able to invert their fullbacks anyways so it'll be hard to use their FBs overload the middle and letting them go high just creates space for us in transition. Kobbie and Case being close together within a compact setup minimizes the space they have to monitor. and they can cover space laterally instead of always looking over their shoulders. Depending on the defensive partnership, with a 4-4-2 shape, the team could press high, like Villa/Spurs do, sit in a mid-block like Arsenal do, or even sit deep when it's required. our pressing shape is a huge reason why we lack control, keep conceding dangerous chances and fouls and have players getting knackered every game. there's also the threat of burnout and more injuries
You might mention this later in the video, but I can't stand to watch more than 5 minutes with the microphone issues... But the main point is Man Utd aren't trying to gegenpress
How can it be on ten hag, or how can he change it with the players he has, given you say we literally don’t have the central defenders to do it. I have no doubt we will end up pressing like this, but it takes time due to the team he took over totally being unsuited to it.
Our problem is losing the ball due to poor passing, and missing clear cut chances. That has nothing to do with tactics
the statement at about 2 minutes sums it up - could have stopped there. The aim was to play narrow and force opponents to play inside!. How can you do that when you are narrow? You need a wide forward to cut off the full back and centre half space.
Could you make a video on how Barca could set up under Graham Potter?
Thats an interesting one. Has there been any rumours?
non what so ever😂
@@StatmanDaveno, but I just wanted to see how hypothetical ideas in football look tbh
I think Xavi will stay at Barca. He made that statement just so he can get rid of the media pressure
He should make a video on how Bayern could set up under Southgate
Starting with to deep defensive pattern. That happens if your defenders are to slow. I have played and coached longer than you have been a live. This system has bee around long before Ragnick was a coach. You can only push your defence as far forward as the speed of your defenders as wingers and strikers can run in behind as they go against us. United can't implement this system with existing team.
Watching that Luton game convinced me ETH has instructed them not to press AT ALL. They don't have the legs for it between Casemiro, Evans, Eriksen, McG, and lazy wingers. They are setting low block traps and finding odd success with it. People are memeing Rashford for not pressing, but watch every player, they never offer a tackle, they're sitting, cutting off passing lanes and waiting to bounce on an errant pass.
You are certainly correct that United have too many one paced players to play that far up the pitch and cover the whole width of the pitch. We also have a nasty habit of giving the ball back as soon as we win it.
Would love to see you do this on the best pressing team in PL to compare
Great work Statman! Clear evidence that this teams play is generally awful. The eye test reveals exactly the same. And yet somehow we're not far off 4th place. Make it make sense. This team is so frustrating 😵
Our biggest problem is we really don't have the players. It seems like most of our players can't even follow instructions, or too dumb to understand them. Some are not mobile enough. Some just switch off. Guys like Bruno, Garnacho do lots of meaningless running and we think they are working hard. Rashford runs when he wants to. Centrebacks aren't mobile. We have may be 5-6 players who can properly execute this, and we need at least 15. ETH deserves blame too for the kind of players he has been signing.
Every player he’s signed can play this way.
anyone who critics your research is not a fan of football...united press often leaves 2 on 1s and 1 on 1s with their Fullbacks all the time, even middle of the park 4-man pressing styles implemented by the other big teams aren't being utilised at Man Utd and although am not a fan of doing this...I feel Ten Hag is complacent to address this issue because of Garnacho and Rashford...they don't work in the team pressing, neither do they keep high and wide, they tuck inside and somehow still manage to do ball watching without being held accountable for it
I thought Ten Hag got Amrabat to be ball playing number 6. Before signing Amrabat all I heard mostly was his passing abilities. Why is Ten Hag not using him? He was suppose to be improvement on Casemiro. One thing I do not understand about Ten Hag is, he will go in for a player for a particular position but will not use them. An example was Reguilon who was supposed to replace Shaw on the left back and sent Fernandez on loan who could have replace but Reguilon will be on bench while Diago will be in that position or Amrabat on the left. Another example was Sabitzer and now the same is happening to Amrabat. He is either on the bench or playing as a left back. I understand that United have injury problems. If he is going to use them, then save the loan fees for players you want and will use regularly. Play Casemiro as center and use Amrabat as the ball playing number 6 that we were fed that he that will be. I have seen him in that role for Morocco.
5:00 if we played that system teams would switch the ball out wide to the wingers on the opposite flank and we’d be ripped to pieces
There is a transmission phase and reactions from the defensive and midfield lines should be doing such as dropping and then playing aggressive.
The thing about individual players wanting to win the ball back is my major detraction of Rashford. Look how hard Garnacho runs and works... he's still not the best defensively, but he puts in the effort and doesn't do it in a non-committal manner. I don't think Rasford is going to be that guy for us.
What tactic would you use in fm24 for man united
Does your stat show what players are playing when this pressing is going on? because ETH has also said that he can't get these players to play his style of football and tried to sell several of them but the club didn't have the competance to sell them and he is forced to use them
Now ETH wanted to be the best Transitional team when we had no injuries but cause of injuries we start playing the style (play to win) or relying on individual Casi tackles Mac goals and so on. ETH didn’t had the chance to actually try the transitional pressing style.
Creating your own metrics for stats for Man Utd solely is fine but it means very little if you don’t have the other teams in the leagues same stats to compare.
Don’t you worry. That’s the next objective. 😂😂😂
@@StatmanDaveFair enough 😂 I look forward to seeing how Utd compare
Interesting video. But the question is: are the center backs of United capable of pushing more forward and defend with a lot of space in their back? I actually dont think so.
Nope. Need to buy three new ones.
@@StatmanDave Indeed! So the lack of pressing is caused by recruitment. I really hope they will go for Hancko or Geertruida from Feyenoord. Cheap and really good options with a lot of speed from Feyenoord. Especially because its my favorite club. You really need to see them plat! You would love it
To play this way will need two new centre backs, mobile aggressive and can read the game well. City and Liverpool have this and they also have good understudies, should they be needed. Next 2 midfield players, one as a 6 and someone who can be disciplined in what they do, rather than going off on one man crusades all over the pitch. I can see what you are saying, but this isn't an easy problem to solve. Players need to be good at reading the game and if they are not, many of ours are not. Sorting this is long term and not 1 or 2 seasons like some people are suggesting. Potentially, you could be looking at a 6 or 7 player change, factoring in things like age, injury problems, or just plain doesn't fit the team ethos.
Think by this stage of the season, he's already given up on the high press. You're probably more aware of it, but United have been defending deeper and deeper as the seasons' gone through.
So now that we've looked into fbref and opta and seen we can't rely on their data categorizations can we trust any of their other data on other teams
The metric for counter pressing leading to shots I feel is a good one here- but it's limited not by the structure of the team in this regard, but the players themselves. How much in recent weeks have we seen Bruno fluff passes and shots? He is lacking in confidence and almost trying too hard, I notice he is applying so much power and whip in his crosses and shooting, any accuracy has diminished significantly. Rashford and Garnacho do not have/not yet developed (delete as applicable) the finesse to take their time and make a simple killer pass. Which is what we'd expect from City, Liverpool and Arsenal- hence the lack of meaningful chances they make for Hojlund. Wishful thinking maybe, but this is where Mount is hopefully going to improve on Bruno. I'd honestly rather have someone with less 'imagination' and trying low percentage passes for someone who just makes the higher percentage passes much more consistently and quicker.
Players like Maguire, Rashford, and Lindelof cannot do this type of pressing. Rashford can't because he can't be arsed, and the other two can't because they are too slow. We've been playing these players almost every game. Meanwhile, we have excellent pressing players in Hojlund, Shaw, and Martinez. Two of them have missed most the season.
For years we've seen good players suddenly become mediocre when man utd buy them, but we've also seen good managers become quite mediocre too. They must be able to see this stuff too but nothing is done or the players are not executing it. Something is going seriously wrong. You can't blame injuries for the team failing to control a single game in a season. Every team has injuries.
Whilst Eth is trying to implement gegenpressing, it hasn't been his identity as a coach maybe that's why he's struggling. Ajax wasn't a gegenpressing team. Can't eth just do his thing?
It's the truth and nothing but the truth ,and there are 13 matches left ,so 100 % improvement is needed .
I think ETH is so stubborn that he won't change how open the pressing structure is and that will finish him in the end. If we do sack him, Naglesman is the perfect replacement to teach these players how to properly use the pressing they've been learning. We do need about 6-7 new players though.
How can he do it this season without the fast defenders who can play a high line 🤦🏾
Good work but if we're going by the eye test, how can United team press with Rashford? He seems completely uninterested off the ball.
We need to take things into perspective. Hoe many seasons did it take before managers manage to create their ideal system? It's usually a few seasons. Even the great Fergie took awhile. Klopp and Guardiola also had to adapt and play in a not so ideal style with the current players at the time before they managed to train up and buy the necessary players. It's not on ETH alone. It's on the players. They don't listen. It's the same with the other managers before him, they throw the managers under the bus and blame them. It's already very good since most of the squad is not his choosing and they have managed to at least be decent in the press now. I don't remember Man Utd winning the ball high up the pitch AT ALL before ETH came in. It was always let them come at us then we counter fast before. Once all his players are not injured and available plus he gets he players he wants, then we can see ETH's transitional style come true
Antony won the ball high up the pitch and his pass was cleared for the corner. It was actually a really good and aggressive high press from him specifically and i feel like he didn't get any credit for creating the winning goal in that game because he's Antony
This is the level of analysis we need on tv rather the dull scripted nonsense you hear week on week
That shape you showed would lead to soooo many counter attacking Goals on us and you should know it. This is the Prem any quick 1-2 transition pass and half the league would have a 1 on 1 with Onana.