Match Thoughts ~ Manchester United 2 - 0 Southampton

Manchester United were comfortable winners in their match against Southampton at Old Trafford. This was a match of many firsts:
first home game of the 16/17 EPL season.
first home game at Old Trafford for Jose Mourinho
first home game at Old Trafford for Zlatan Ibrahimovic
first game and start for Paul Pogba

With so much emotional aspects of the game, the occasion could have easily overtaken MU. But it did not. They won reasonably comfortably and played pretty well. Here are some of my takes from the game.

The Good

More vertical passing & direct play & faster pace of movement
throughout the game, the ball was moved up vertically from the defensive/central midfield zone. This launch several counters and caught Southampton on the back foot. Together with the speed of play, this was a key improvement from the LVG era and allowed the team to be on the front foot for most of the game.

Plenty of combo play
this was a new and refreshing aspect of Jose's MU that I really like. MU's play was peppered with several combos (1-2s and triangles).

Pogba is phenomenal
Really, is there anything else to say about Pogba? He can run, he can tackle, he can defend, he can pass, he can dribble, he can hold the ball, he can attack, he can shoot. Is there anything else he should be doing?

Fellaini and Pogba combo
I particularly like this 2-man combo. There seems to be much to look out for in this combo. Two powerful players who can take turns to go up and support the attack knowing the other is comfortable staying back to cover the defence.


The Bad (or rather The Ok which needs work)

Fellaini and Pogba
Several times, these two were in same area of the pitch, especially in the defensive midfield zone. In some cases, they were both close to each other when MU's centrebacks were holding the ball and Saints were on the back foot. This resulted in a square of 4 players within 3 arm's length distance of one another. If one of them pushed up, it could create overloads in any section of the pitch and allow the centre backs to find a more strategic vertical pass. One could push up to support attack. but good combo.

Defensive channels
Saints had their best chances when they played the ball through MU's channels. Specifically, the channels between the centreback and fullback (e.g. Blind and Shaw). This was caused by too much space between Blind and Shaw, leaving the channel exposed. It could be a result of the centrebacks being too narrow or that the fullbacks are playing too wide. Either way, its a potential gap that someone like Pep is certain to exploit.

Rooney
Granted, he assisted for the first goal. But on an overall match basis, his ball control was weak, lost possession several times, was not taking up space behind Zlatan and was slightly out of sync with his teammates. Readers know I am not a big fan of Rooney and I stand by it. Hopefully Mikhitaryan comes good and allows us to cut the wage bill by selling Rooney.

Attacking plan
At the start, MU seemed to have a plan. Fast vertical passes to the 3 attacking mids, who had 3 options:
1. Combo play and get shots
2. Find overlapping winger who crossed in
3. Diagonal forward passes to get ball into the box

However, as the game went on, MU seemed to lose the plot and had no specific attacking plan. It became a case of relying on individual brilliance. Martial tried to dribble his way through. Pogba tried the same.

Control
Despite winning, I did not feel that MU were fully in control of the match. Midway through the first half, Saints upped their temp. Instead of pushing back and taking charge, MU simply retreated, allowing saints to put together some excellent plays and create chances. These are things Jose will need to work on.

Vertical spacing
I felt that there was too much space between the 3 attacking midfielders and the 2 central midfielders. That was evident in how many times Pogba had to dribble past Saints players to get the ball to the front 3. You could argue that the space was what allowed MU to play fast vertical passes but then I would say shorter vertical passes are not as risky than longer vertical passes. With the latter, chances of interceptions are higher. With the former, it shows the team is moving up and down together as a unit.

16/17 EPL season

Here we go again. Brand new season, many changes across the 20 teams, strongest managerial pool in the EPL's history and several subplots.

I honestly cannot wait for the season to get under way.

Can Koeman improve everton or will he regret leaving saints?
How will Poch raise spurs to the next level?
Can Ranieri keep Leicester in the top 4?
Will Jose be the man (finally) for Man Utd?
How will Pep fate in his maiden season in the EPL?
Not forgetting West Ham n Bilic, serious underdogs for top 5.

Pep vs Wenger vs Jose vs Klopp vs Poch
Bring it on!

#Pogback

And so the greatest saga of the 16/17 pre-season has been concluded. Paul Pogba had finally signed for Man Utd. Works record fee. But was it really worth it for the club?

Pogba preferred a move to Real Madrid. They could not afford Juventus' asking price. Just seems like him coming to Man Utd was his alternative option. Do we really need a player wise heart is not set on playing for the club? While I don't believe he will turn out to be another deMaria, what are the chances of Pogba staying for more than 2-3 seasons?

At his age, Man Utd is just another port of call in his journey. If so, how much would the club be able to recoup when he wants to move?

I'm all for the club getting better, but we could have spread out that money over another central defender and a central midfielder.

Italy @ the Euros

It was a tactical masterclass from Italy against Spain in the 2nd round of Euro 2016. Antonio Conte masterminded a brilliant plan to beat Spain. Credit too to the players for executing the plan perfectly from the start till the end.

Knowing that Spain's midfielders were unstoppable when they had the ball, Italy bypassed the middle of the park - either through high/long balls from defence or through long on-the-ground veritical passes into the Spanish defensive third.

This had 2 effects. One, it removed the Spanish attacking quarter of Iniesta, Fabregas, Nolito & Silva from the game. Two, it put immediate pressure and confusion on the Spanish defensive trio of Busquets, Pique and Ramos. That combined with the Spanish fullbacks often higher up the pitch meant that Spain were always on the back foot with little time to gather themselves and find their footing. Jordi Alba and Juanfran were never around to give enough support to the defence. The net effect was to allow Italy's 5 man midfield to overload the Spanish defensive zone.

Finally, Graziano Pelle was the perfect striker against Pique and Ramos, both of whom are not very good with high balls and against strong opponents. Instead of trying to be the point man for Italy's attacks, Pelle came back just a little bit for the two Spanish central defenders to open up spaces for the Italian midfielders to move into. Pelle was often laying up balls and assisting the flow of the movements. That helped Italy be more fluid, which is often not the case with a 3-5-2 formation.

Next Italy face my favourite team, Germany. It will be interesting to see Conte's tactical plan to counter the Germans.

Euro 2016 - the Quarters

And so we have the last 8. Though I must admit, I got a few predictions wrong, I am very happy that Spain and England got kicked out. Iceland truly truly deserve to be still in the tournament

Euro 2016 QuarterFinal Schedule (all in Singapore local time)

Friday 3am: Poland vs Portugal

Saturday 3am: Wales vs Belgium

Sunday 3am: Germany vs Italy

Monday 3am: France vs Iceland

My predictions?? Portugal, Belgium, Germany & France in the Semis.

Euro 2016, the knockouts are here

Are you ready for the fun part of euro 2016 starting Saturday afternoon? It's going to be an avalanche of games.

Switzerland vs Poland (prediction: Switzerland to win)
Croatia vs Portugal (Croatia to win)

Wales vs Northern Ireland (Wales to win)
Hungary vs Belgium (Belgium to win)


Germany vs Slovakia (Germany to win)
Italy vs Spain (Spain to win)

France vs Republic of Ireland (France to win)
England vs Iceland (England to win)

Looks like football fans are in for a cracker of a weekend.

10 players Jose Mourinho should sell this summer

Here are 10 players who I think Jose Mourinho, and Manchester United, should sell off:

1. Chris Smalling - way too many errors and slips in concentration to be the dominant, leading centreback for a team.

2. Daley Blind - great technically but just too slow for the EPL. Would do well in other leagues.

3. Antonio Valencia - great utility player but simply one-dimensional. Opponents have read him and tucked him away in their back pockets.

4. Phil Jones - enough said. Anyone seen him lately?

5. Marcus Rojo - absolutely the worst defender in United's squad. Extremely clumsy, tactically dumb, lousy crosser and many more. Has to be sold off somewhere, anywhere.

6. Michael Carrick - used to be good. Age has caught up and he simply cannot be the first choice if United are to challenge for honours.

7. Ander Herrera - I personally like him as a player but with LVG's tactics, was not getting his favoured role. Might want to stick around for Mourinho to bring the best out of him.

8. Marouane Fellaini - could be kept as a Plan Z perhaps? Though if we are that desperate to reach Plan Z, then the game is lost.

9. Wayne Rooney - simply hopeless now. Best days are definitely gone. Can be an impact sub at the most. Seems to have a very strong grip on the dressing room. Might be a hindrance to the club's progress.

10. Juan Mata - for some reason, he cannot seem to perform anymore. Heady days of being the top playmaker in the EPL are past him.

Do you agree with my selection?

The Problem with Manchester United Last Season (15/16)

I am a Manchester United fan. I am also one of its harshest critics. No way you will find me blindly supporting the club if it is not performing to its standards.

For the 15/16 English Premier League season, United's results and table position flatter to deceive. There was an extreme over-reliance on the left flank and on Rooney (not that he preformed well at all). For the first few games, Rooney wasn't firing but the left flank worked. So the problems did not get magnified. Against Liverpool, Rooney was not around; the left flank (or Depay in particular) was totally cut off. United struggled. Watch the first half. How much of play was run through the right? Herrera and Mata were almost invisible. Constant theme through the first few games was to circulate the ball around and then push it to Depay, hoping he did some tricks. Next phase was for Depay to find Rooney somehow. Hence we have been struggling with attacks.

Later in the season, we over-relied on Martial. Without him, United were toothless. There was no other way to goal. Then, by a stroke of luck, Rashford got into the first team and we had another outlet.

Simply put, almost every player was not performing or was not up to the standards required to be in a top club (I now even doubt that United can be considered a top club).

Difference between Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo

Bale plays for and with the Welsh team and makes it stronger; Ronaldo expects the Portugese team to play for him, making it weaker.

In the Wales vs Russia game in Euro 2016, every time Bale got the ball, Russian players would immediately swarm all over him. Unlike Ronaldo, Bale would actually pass the ball to his team mates, who now had acres of space. Most people would say that is unselfish of Bale; I say, that is the least expected. Anyone who plays any sports knows that if you are being double/triple marked by your opponents, the natural thing to do is to move the play to your team mates, who would be in advantageous positions to score/win the game for the team.

That is why, for me, Gareth Bale has proven he is a superstar AND a better team player. Real Madrid would be wise to start building a team around him rather than Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Turkey is the worst team in Euro 2016

Turkey, IMO, has been the worst team in Euro 2016. Watching their first game, I predicted to my friends that Turkey will be the first team to lose by 3 goals. Lo and behold, it came true. Why?
Simple reasons.
1. They played a very open system, leaving plenty of space in the middle of the pitch and in-between lines.
2. Their next opponent was Spain

You can guess the rest...

What has happened to Jose Mourinho?

As a Manchester United fan, I was not exactly overjoyed at the recent appointment of Jose Mourinho. More than his dull football (which Louis van Gaal was also guilty of), his extreme antics and track record with young players troubled me. Manchester United have a blooming cros of youngsters coming through and I would hate for rival teams to pluck them and build a stronger team.

However, two recent events have caused hope to build in my heart.
1. The (matured) way he settled the Eva Carneiro saga. On the first day of the hearing, he unexpectedly appeared in court. Furthermore, his legal team held closed-door negotiations with Carneiro's representatives and agreed on a settlement. That is very very unlike Jose Mourinho, who has been known to be confrontational and argumentative.

Could it be that the Manchester United hierarchy had influenced him to act in a "nicer" manner befitting United's traditions? Or was it that he values the United job so much he did not want the legal proceedings to cast a bad light? Or could it be that he has learnt his lesson from that saga and simply wants to move on?

2. The other event is the way he quietly went about signing Eric Bailly. Brings back memories of United's dealings under Alex Ferguson. That is unlike the past three seasons under Moyes & LVG (and I must add that idiot Woodward, who really needs to be moved away from his current role). If he continues this way, Manchester United could get the right players at reasonable prices and start the pre-season focused on football, instead of all the hoo-haa of past 3 years.

These two events give me hope that Manchester United, and Jose Mourinho, might be finding their feet after the terrible three years.

Glory glory Man United

Euro 2016 thus far

It has been a fascinating euro 2016 thus far. Some observations:

1. Almost all matches have been evenly fought with close scorelines (save for spain-turkey & belgium-ireland).

2. Smaller nations have stepped up their game and played with enthusiasm. This is likely due to the new rules for 3rd placed team. After two rounds of Group games, only ukraine have been eliminated.

3. So called top teams have all moderated their play. No one team has gone all guns blazing. But this could also because of small teams raising their game, a noted above.

4. There is no indication of possible finalists.. yet. It would not be surprising if hungary makes it.