Roberto Martinez discussion

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daz4matty said:
Wish i had your faith mate i just remember when the wheels came off at wigan he just seemed to wave the white flag.
He should have done more in the transfer window that was his fault he actually had money.
He deserves time and will get it but i just think he needs to toughen up and get last seasons head on.
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Go on explain that one for me?
 
It is what it states.
Great cup run obviously but they were shocking in the league.
They kept leaking goals and did not create enough chances yet nothing changed .
Ask their fans watch the highlights he had no plan b
 
nsno-chris said:
take their second today, howard gives possession away, fair enough. When the ball eventually gets switched to di maria ( a good 15 seconds later) we have 8 men behind the ball, 6 in and around the box and not one person bursts out to close him down. He had all the time in the world, yes he scuffed his shot but thats iirrelevant
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Agree completely, especially with the part above.

There was a group of them huddled on the edge the box, surrounding Falcao, and it took several seconds for one of them (Besic) to think to close down Di Maria. The fact Falcao then evaded his five markers and scored the decisive goal shows exactly how flawed the defensive setup has become.

For a supposed disciple of the Barcelona football system, Martinez doesn't seem at all concerned with his side's inability to press off the ball.
 
nsno-chris said:
The answers lies by rewinding the clock back to last year.

and this my entire argument for this season, it stood out for me against Leicester where there seemed to be a gulf between the 2 holding midfielders and the 2 centre backs.

last year we were a compressed unit, we defended in packs and from the front, as clear as day and especially evident using the game last year at OT. We forced them into making mistakes, regained possession and attacked as one. Fast free flowing football.

This year, and it happened again today, we are allowing the opposition to have the freedom with ball, we are allowing them to turn and face us, last year we made them face their goal by being right at them

take their second today, howard gives possession away, fair enough. When the ball eventually gets switched to di maria ( a good 15 seconds later) we have 8 men behind the ball, 6 in and around the box and not one person bursts out to close him down. He had all the time in the world, yes he scuffed his shot but thats iirrelevant

we are defending a lot deeper and on our 18 yard box which is totally opposite to last year. The top teams are all about pressure, you don't need world class players to close play down
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I don't entirely agree.

To me that's down to form and confidence. Barry and McCarthy haven't been up to usual standards in my book. McCarthy chewed up ground and Barry was always in the right position. Hasn't happened.

Add the form on the centre back pairing too. No coincidence that we've looked better defensively with Stones at the back, as he was in form. Jags and Distin aren't. And neither is Howard.

Today seemed like a tactic to hit them on the counter like last season. But as for all the previous games, its more down to how open we are, how easy we are to the counter and add into that the indivdual mistakes.

90% of the goals conceded this season have been errors and concentration. We aren't ruthless like last season to kill games off at the right times. Our fitness is questionable.

Its small details to me.
 

kenada_blue said:
I don't entirely agree.

To me that's down to form and confidence. Barry and McCarthy haven't been up to usual standards in my book. McCarthy chewed up ground and Barry was always in the right position. Hasn't happened.

Add the form on the centre back pairing too. No coincidence that we've looked better defensively with Stones at the back, as he was in form. Jags and Distin aren't. And neither is Howard.

Today seemed like a tactic to hit them on the counter like last season. But as for all the previous games, its more down to how open we are, how easy we are to the counter and add into that the indivdual mistakes.

90% of the goals conceded this season have been errors and concentration. We aren't ruthless like last season to kill games off at the right times. Our fitness is questionable.

Its small details to me.
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It started from day one against Leicester, form and confidence low on the first game of the season brings alot more questions

Last year we pressured every team to force mistakes and regain possession, this year we're sitting back, thats neither form nor confidence, thats instructions.

if we where supposed to hit them on the counter attack this year why did every time we get the ball didn't it go forward, quickly so we could turn the defence to face their own box?? Because we never set up for a counter attacking game today, we did not have the personnel or the speed to play that game today
 
No Plan B. Last season plan A worked. This season it isnt. I think Martinez is too stubborn to change things, our character and DNA will bring us through this tough period after a phenominal season last year. I say the same thing after each game though, injuries are crippling us already. John Stones after United, Mirallas after Liverpool, Lukaku after West Brom.......... (cue the bulletproof lukaku brigade)

I keep the faith though, lets get the wounded back and see what we are really capable of. Still early days people.
 
For me we are struggling to put other teams on the back foot.

Barkley is dead good at this, as was Deulofeu for all his other faults.

Loads of pressure on Barkley when he comes back. Sadly.
 
ijjysmith said:
For me we are struggling to put other teams on the back foot.

Barkley is dead good at this, as was Deulofeu for all his other faults.

Loads of pressure on Barkley when he comes back. Sadly.
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Absolutely this, and it comes down to injuries by and large. We are slow and ponderous going forward without men like Coleman, Mirallas and Barkley getting on the ball. If we had any one of those three on the pitch yesterday we'd have put a United team that likes to commit to attack to the sword.

It's bleak atm, but I have no doubts whatsoever we'll finish anywhere between 6th and 9th this season.
 
Never going to play two worse sides at Old Trafford and Anfield than we have this week. Picking up a point from the 6 is annoying. We miss Barkley, going forward without him is at a robotic pace with the holding two midfielders touching it atleast 2 times each. Once he is back Lukaku will get more service through the middle and he wont need to be hugging the touchlines. Horrific start but more than capable of going on a run now with the games coming up and Bobby is most definitely still the right man for the job.
 

nsno-chris said:
It started from day one against Leicester, form and confidence low on the first game of the season brings alot more questions

Last year we pressured every team to force mistakes and regain possession, this year we're sitting back, thats neither form nor confidence, thats instructions.

if we where supposed to hit them on the counter attack this year why did every time we get the ball didn't it go forward, quickly so we could turn the defence to face their own box?? Because we never set up for a counter attacking game today, we did not have the personnel or the speed to play that game today
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I would say one of the most common things to happen when a team is low in confidence and form is that they sit back.

I don´t think it really matters that this started on the first day, it´s not unheard of that a team would have a bad first day and the dropped points in the first two games then compound that and cause the low confidence.

I would criticise Martinez for maybe not signing just two more players, and for using Osman in any role that has him playing in his own half. However the performances so far I´d be more inclined to put it down to key players being out of form and injured, and then that the surrounding squad players are not of the type to drag us out of it, rather than any tactical change.

Of course we don´t know, we can but guess.
 
We,ve got a sting of winable games on paper coming up for this side to get back on track.

We will find out soon enough if the pre season and new season so far has all been down to bad luck, individual mistakes, tough fixtures.
 
some bad knee jerking going on. in 7 games we've played Utd, chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Shocking injury list. Ive no doubt that in 7 games time we'll be high in the league
 
Still think we have a chance of finishing in the top 5 (always thought 4th was a tall order). Not too much difference in quality between Spurs, RS and our squads overall IMO so I don't see why we can't finish above them, which will probably mean 5th place (unless a surprise team upsets the usual order).

We're going through a bad patch now, other teams will have bad patches later. Swings and roundabouts and all that ain't it?
 

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