United Thread | 2025/26

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ric
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domalino said:
I don't think anyone in football actually cares about the opposition knowing their formation. Pep started his managerial career playing 433 for 300+ consecutive games before he started experimenting at Bayern and if an opposition manager planned for us to be 433 they'd be right 99% of the time. Pep hasnt' really vaired formations much since 17/18 - we attack in 3241 and we defend in 433 or 442.

The issue is he doesn't have the players for the formation he wants to use and refuses to adapt because he's made it an issue of his authority. It feels very sunk-cost, he can't change now because if he does, everyone who suggested he should change 12 months ago would be proven right, but of course that just makes him look even weaker.

Given the choice between playing 433 and dominating possession or sitting in a low block and relying on counter attacks, Pep would choose 433 all day every day, but he knows we don't have the team to do that at Arsenal right now, so he adapted to give us the best chance of winning.

I think Amorim is just miles out of his depth. Sporting was his first job, he didn't even have a coaching license when he started there, and now he simply doesn't have the tools or experience to adapt when his plan A isn't working.
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Well, formation is one thing, but the pushing right up into the oppositions half is a tactic that you have to employ when in a 343. Everyone pushes up and closes the space to dominate the opposition.

Problem is if you lose the ball when pushing up, you will get punished.

They've been caught out playing this way all season.

You would think in the next game that they would try something different. Just to see if it works.

Pep used his fastest player as a sort of sweeper for years (Kyle Walker) And he would win those leg races with balls over the top. Harry Maguire as your last man is suicide.
 
Bobby the blue said:
I know it goes against the grain but I quite like Amorim. Comes across as a decent guy who is on a hiding to nothing. He’s a good coach just at a circus of a club with mediocre players who won’t adapt to the way he wants to play.

He doesn’t slag us off or get sly digs in and fronts up a lot to the media. I also like the way he sticks to his principles and way of playing. Will probably cost him his job but he will do well somewhere else.
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Can't work out if your been serious or not
 
give it to gordon said:
There was something on youtube the other day about rug head being a pl legend.
I posted what he won compared to Phil and aske the question if rug head is a legend what is Phil ?
Also pointed out that his goals per game was shit, 1 in 4 compared to Segio who was 1 in 2.
You can guess the replies/abuse i got lol
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There are not many English footballers recently who are legends at international level.
Maybe Owen being the only one until injury got in the way.
 
When discussing where they would finish this season I said that their four midfielders are:

Casemiro
Fernandes
Ugarte
Mainoo

And for that reason and that reason alone I said 14th. They can play whatever formation they want but until they but 4 new midfielders they are fucked. It's beautiful.
 
mancboy said:
My vision is not blinkered at all, i will admit world class when the term is applicable but for him its not even applicable when you put quotation marks around it, even if you take out the moodiness and going missing constantly on a purely talent level he just simply isnt there and thats nothing to do with him playing for the rags or not, the term world class is banded about too loosely to be honest and there isnt that many world class players, kdb, yaya and silva were, currently in the pl salah and van disney were but have fallen off a bit this season, donnaruma is and phil could be, im not sure arsenal have one world class player albeit they do have some very very good players.
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I doubt that Phil has the hunger or confidence to be world class. I think he could be very very good but his potential doesn't scream out to me.

If he had come through at United though he'd already be at Beckham level hype. White, English, decent looking. He is very lucky to be a blue... just for his mental health alone.
 
TonyM said:
I doubt that Phil has the hunger or confidence to be world class. I think he could be very very good but his potential doesn't scream out to me.

If he had come through at United though he'd already be at Beckham level hype. White, English, decent looking. He is very lucky to be a blue... just for his mental health alone.
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Fair point i said he could be world class, he has the talent what he does with it is up to him.
 
ninjamonkey said:
RNo. Burnley, wolves, west ham are all currently below them and are worse. Then probably Sunderland, leeds, Brentford too and possibly even forest will all be expected to be below United.

United will be around the upper lower half of the table like last year but miles away from any genuine danger of relegation.
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rag....
 
ninjamonkey said:
No. Burnley, wolves, west ham are all currently below them and are worse. Then probably Sunderland, leeds, Brentford too and possibly even forest will all be expected to be below United.

United will be around the upper lower half of the table like last year but miles away from any genuine danger of relegation.
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Don’t spoil the fun ninja
 
ChicagoBlue said:
It’s getting harder and harder to see how they dig themselves out of this malaise. They really do only have one player who anyone might call “world class” and he is a pouty fuck who barely shows up half the time. From there, a few players with promise, but there appears to be zero cohesion, little belief in the manager (who looks like he’s on suicide watch half the time), and an owner who screams “save money on the plebs!” while spunking £200M on a completely unproven forward line…having fucked off the last round of expensive forward talent and Rashford!

It’s going to take a serious manager, who can bring in a spine for the team to build around, strict standards of behavior and a playing style that even remotely suggests they might be able to turn the corner to become a European contender.

It looks like a serious challenge which I hope they are Ill-equipped to address!
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Anybody name a manager in the world who would be capable of turning around the shit show ?
 
Citi-leaks said:
I think he's done a good job of cutting off his nose to spite his face. Every successful manager has the ability to chop and change formations, to adapt to the opposition. Keeping them guessing. Coming out second half with a different formation.

Amorim has given away his formation for the entire season. You can train all week on how to catch them out. He's not going to do anything different. Even after half time when 2-0 down, he won't change it.

This is the definition of insanity. Repeating the same mistakes, over and over, and expecting a different outcome.

In the derby, that last goal. Their entire team was in City's half. One ball over the top and Haaland was clean through on goal. Brentford's first goal was identical. They were probably practicing that move all week. They are so easy to suss out. It is suicide to keep playing the same way and making no efforts to change or prevent it from re-occurring.

Come 2nd November, when his severance pay drops from 12m to 4m he is gone. So there's another 4 weeks of this comedy to come.
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In a way ou could say the same about Pep, although he has the ability to change & his system has been hugely successful, teams know that he sets up 4-3-3, they set up to defend deep & hit us on the counter while defending on the halfway line
 
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