#MUFC's encouraging sequences in possession from the last game and the technical details to further improve & facilitate play.
Thread ๐งต
Thread ๐งต
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.
Casemiro constantly checked over his shoulder, scanning to collect information; he realizes there was no one marking him closely whether it was behind or beside him. He spotted the huge gap behind him. So he then received it on the half turn.
There was a systematic issue from Chelsea but our concern is capitalizing on that here. When Licha had the ball Sterling was trying to jump on Varane leaving Dalot alone the WB's hasn't even backed it so there was a free player to be found with space to roam (Dalot).
Casemiro spotted it early so he passed it to Dalot in space with a good weight at the right time taking away 4 Chelsea players out of the frame.
Our 2-3 build shape is apparent here.
Our 2-3 build shape is apparent here.
This time Casemiro had someone close beside him but the opposition still has left him gaps to turn which he spotted while scanning. He turns & received it on his back foot bypassing the press.
He then finds Antony with a beautiful pass giving him a qualitative superiority. (1v1)
He then finds Antony with a beautiful pass giving him a qualitative superiority. (1v1)
This is about the minor details which would've given us an edge over the opposition which we didn't.
Licha passed twice breaking the lines & Eriksen was at the end of it but a bit poor Body orientation & Turning radius means the ball couldn't progress further, key m.sec wasted.
Licha passed twice breaking the lines & Eriksen was at the end of it but a bit poor Body orientation & Turning radius means the ball couldn't progress further, key m.sec wasted.
Even if he got both right still he can only do so much in these situations as he's more of a player who can progress the play with passing more so than carrying. Massive reason the gaffer insisted on bringing Frenkie de Jong as he got that in abundance.
Kind of same situation but with a different player here vs Sheriff, McTominay didn't progress it with carrying but he did so with a pass in which he got the body orientation & receiving on his back foot & turning radius bit quite right. The minor things make the team tick.
โข Switching the point of attack
We tried it numerous times but still lot of room for improvement 1, timing 2, anticipation, and 3, the weight of pass.
And on the receiving end, the players nearby should recognize the spaces & get the team potential superiorities.
We tried it numerous times but still lot of room for improvement 1, timing 2, anticipation, and 3, the weight of pass.
And on the receiving end, the players nearby should recognize the spaces & get the team potential superiorities.
LWB jumped on Dalot as Varane's pass with former's body shape been a trigger on sideline & he enticed them with extra touch on his strong foot which isn't facing the play so they assumed his option was to pass back but he used his weak foot to facilitate play & bypass pressure.
Up - Back - Through :
This was a beautiful sequence of combination play in which we broke the lines and found the free man facing the play to advance higher up the pitch.
This was a beautiful sequence of combination play in which we broke the lines and found the free man facing the play to advance higher up the pitch.
This is just Diogo Dalot bypassing pressure, riding challenges with progressive carrying and dribbling from almost the defensive 3rd to the attacking 3rd. ๐
Casemiro & Eriksen's press resistance maintaining their calmness, being composed to disrupt the opposition's high press to create chances & pin them back.
โข Overload to isolate
Licha breaking lines for fun, Eriksen, Sancho, & Casemiro drawing opposition out of place occupying positions in close proximity, Rashy & Bruno pinning them further. Varane then exploited the space with a v.good carry, Antony final ball needs improvement.
Licha breaking lines for fun, Eriksen, Sancho, & Casemiro drawing opposition out of place occupying positions in close proximity, Rashy & Bruno pinning them further. Varane then exploited the space with a v.good carry, Antony final ball needs improvement.
This pattern has been good. The intent & execution in the beginning was there but the final ball could've made something out of it. Licha with another line-breaking pass, Shaw receiving on his back foot then passing it & making a clever run in the pockets to make a cutback.
This time the players are different but the pattern is there once again which epitomizes the gaffer's fluid football. Shaw deploying in betwen the CB's finding Eriksen in a beautiful pass. Bruno has been offside but the plan is apparent.
It's after a set piece but to quickly implement the structure without losing balance occupying the 5 vertical lines & maintaining a good rest defense structure has been a good sight. I'll reiterate it's not static.
3-2-5
3-2-5
It's an eventuality that Dalot's infield run with and without the ball & his combination play in and around the box pays off. The progress has been delightful.
We did pretty well in terms of maintaining balance & capitalizing on Antony's gravitational pull on the sideline. Eriksen arrived in the right half-space & made a clever run to the byline but again the final ball is missing. Encouraging though.
Our pressing is really improving as days gone by and the high turnovers and the chances we create through it are a testament to it. We've been threatening opposition in our fast attacks in offensive transitions despite our inability to convert chances.
At last, it was astonishing to see one of our best players from our last few games rewarded with an assist and goal from Shaw's incisive cross and Casemiro's header which secured the 1 point in the dying minutes.
We won't talk about his reading of the game without the ball & defensive attributes cause he's perfect but for a guy who was labeled net-negative in possession the last few games has shown his intelligence & capabilities to the extent our verticality came through him. Craque ๐ฅ
This game has shown why the gaffer has been hugely insisting on improving the player's weak foot throughout his short tenure so far and obviously, we've seen it why from Licha & Dalot bypassing the pressure to Antony struggling to convert his chance cause of his 1 footedness.
Thanks for always reading my threads. Like always retweets and likes are appreciated if you like this piece. Let me know your thoughts on it. ๐
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