PBP: FAC - chelsea FC vs Manchester United FC - Feb 18, 2019 [R]

wolves away can be tricky.

 

Smalling is a disaster waiting to happen.
Matic same old same old.

Good win. We started the game high press but tired out in the 20 minutes or so, we dropped back and hit them on the counter. I thought Mata was crucial in building the counter with his movement and touch.

Rashford is class with his dribbling but sometimes he frustrates me when he is soft.

A big test Sunday.

 

Thought Smalling did very well today: he easily surpasses Jones in the pecking order. And it's most definitely between him and Bailly as Lindelöf's first choice partner until the end of the season.

Really like the fact that we've rebounded from the PSG loss in pretty decisive fashion, at a ground that has been pretty difficult for us in recent years. Ole has shown a lot today with that and again, he really got it right tactically after a poor showing in the CL. Eventhough it was obvious that losing both Lingard and Martial really ruined his gameplan.

 

I'm of the opinion we should just double down on a 442 diamond for next season too.

It's the closest system for us to its optimal strengths across the squad.

Improve at 6, FB and added 8 depth and its guts tonnes of potential across a full campaign.

 

Pretty much this. Chelsea are swirling in the toilet bowl and things are going to get worse for them before they get better. You have to wonder who they'll be able to scrape up to succeed Sarri.

 

No surprises here - congratulations, @AnderHerrera! 🏆 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/sjjtsyXrFK

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 18, 2019

Thought it would go to Pogs again. Would have been nothing inherently wrong if he had won it, but Herrera really has been close to flawless (as he's been of late tbh).

 

The diamond is flawed, we need to have an alternative when we face those formations that are naturally at an advantage against it. Spurs for example (a) had their diamond outdone by our own, and then (b) switched to a formation that then overpowered our setup.

It’s a very rock-paper-scissors formation but it suits the current trend for full-on pressing, verticality, and for inside forwards finally overtaking the lone 9, who has been increasingly starved of service and expected to contribute to the team more than actually spearhead the attack. I think getting a back 3 formation in our rotation would make us hugely versatile and would negate our need for a Matic in such games.

 

as shown by zidane when he was in madrid, it's really easy to swith back and forth between a diamond a 4-3-3. the base is essentially the same, and then you adjust your attacking trident based on personnel. he would play isco behind cristiano and benzema and then switch to a 4-3-3 when bale would come in for isco.

in a nutshell: we could essentially still go for a RW but then revert to a diamond whenever that specialist winger would not be on the pitch.

 

Jadon would be ideal right now. RW in a 4-3-3, 10 in a 4-D-2, right AM in a 3-4-2-1.

 

Such a good team performance and setup from Ole tonight, that us not having Martial and Lingard has hardly been mentioned

 

Herrera is more than good enough for his role in the diamond. It’s Matic and the fullbacks. We saw it again today, Young hoofing the ball speculatively for Lukaku up top and Matic getting away with some dispossessions in key areas. Our particular diamond tends to splay particularly wide up top too, which we could be more judicious about (or be better able to utilise) if our FBs were more effective in attack.

Fix our 2, 3 and 6 positions and we’d be much more dominant.

 

Calm down guys, it's only Chelsea

 

Chelsea fans have had enough of Sorry-ball.

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Let him stay, Chelsea will mess around and stumble onto Zidane somehow...

 

Herrera sounds like a captain here. He had a great game tonight and is the epitome of a United player. Hope he signs soon.

 

The saga of Chelsea in the oil years is just beginning.

 

A few years in a row ago, we had a consistent outlet to V2000 on the right. That has been lacking recently. More movement would also be helpful.

 

How would Martial figure in a 442 D?

I agree with you (Fred could be helpful in it, but yes muh better FBs are needed). I would add that we would need more clinical strikers or more goals from the midfield or goal scoring FBs. outside of Pogs we dont have a genuine consistent MF threat

 

The 4-4-2 can be our go to for the remainder of the season, given the personnel we currently have on hand (especially with the lack of a real option wide right). But if we remedy that situation in the summer as expected, it should be become an option that we can use, if/when it is needed.
Getting Sancho, or any other top RW/RWF, should mean that the 4-3-3 should be the setup we turn to primarily, since we would have viable width up top and on both sides. That being said, Ole has shown he is not necessarily married to one particular setup and we would be equipped to play in different types of formations, as the game, situation or opponent requires.

 

As of right now when fit, its Martial and Rashford upfront.

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Hope to see more of Andreas in the role he played. Looks like he'd be 3rd choice though.

 

Once I got the stream sorted out, it was fantastic to see what Ole put out today. Another master class of tactics, he’s really put any doubters that might remain into a hole. He’s done enough for me to be given the job, but it probably wouldn’t hurt anything to refrain from announcing it publicly until mid-March.

Herrera was easily MOTM for me. The “low IQ” Rashford was terrific. Paul was Pogba.

It may be asking too much, but I think we can actually sneak up on Spurs and take the third spot by season’s end.

 

It was Spurs. We carved them apart in the 1st half. Just didn't finish.