United 3 Fulham 3 - report

[Champagneblade]

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Superman rewinds time. We are back in the 85th minute vs Fulham. You are the manager!

We are 3-1 up. With added on time you're expecting 20 more minutes to be played. A number of players are tired, and Souza, Arblaster and McBurnie have to come off. Fulham have thrown on all five subs. This is your team:

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And these are your subs to choose from:

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What do you do? What is the team you put out to hold on to our lead?

Are we assuming those players have to come off?

I drop to 5-4-1 but with pace wide to stretch the game if needed.

I instruct McBurnie to just hold the ball up and come back for defensive set-pieces.

Osborn is decent but probably needs some support.

I bring on Larouci on the left knowing he has pace and can double up on Traore with Osborn if needed.

I bring on Brooks for Arblaster if he’s knackered and he plays alongside Gus who is now more defensive.

Brereton-Diaz moves more to the right.

McAtee is kept in reserve.

I consider having McBurnie on the bench vs Liverpool in a game even the most optimistic isn’t expecting anything.

 

[Thrice]

What's weird about Bogle is that he's actually looked better as RB in a back 4 which doesn't really make sense because you'd think he'd thrive as RWB in a back 5.

 

[Houston_Blade]

View attachment 181420

Superman rewinds time. We are back in the 85th minute vs Fulham. You are the manager!

We are 3-1 up. With added on time you're expecting 20 more minutes to be played. A number of players are tired, and Souza, Arblaster and McBurnie have to come off. Fulham have thrown on all five subs. This is your team:

View attachment 181421

And these are your subs to choose from:

View attachment 181422


What do you do? What is the team you put out to hold on to our lead?

I’d really struggle.

Obviously our data people monitor output and see when performance drops off a cliff so they can see when players are ready to be pulled, however we have zero chance of a result at Liverpool, so I’d have taken some of them further than that point.

The only sub who improves anyone on the pitch is McAtee. Added time is not the time for him though, he’s not that type of player.

The others are so far off a PL players it’s ridiculous.

 

[Working Class Hero]

View attachment 181420

Superman rewinds time. We are back in the 85th minute vs Fulham. You are the manager!

We are 3-1 up. With added on time you're expecting 20 more minutes to be played. A number of players are tired, and Souza, Arblaster and McBurnie have to come off. Fulham have thrown on all five subs. This is your team:

View attachment 181421

And these are your subs to choose from:

View attachment 181422


What do you do? What is the team you put out to hold on to our lead?

This is it for me. The Norwood sub in particular looks a bad one, especially given how we've capitulated when he's come on previously and he barely ever keeps the ball in those situations any more. The problem is though, whatever subs we make are going to weaken us because our bench is pathetic.

Fulham can bring on 5 subs, all of which would walk in to our starting 11, and we're struggling to make any helpful changes from a poor bench. What are we supposed to do when the team is flagging and the we know there will be 10+ minutes of injury time. Two reasons right there why the Premier League is geared towards the wealthier teams and they've made it harder than ever to nick a win.

 

[metalblade]

Squad size is the reason we concede late goals all the time clubs now need a 25 man squad that is full of players who could be in the starting 11 having young kids and players at the end of their careers on the bench is just not good enough anymore. But that costs what we don't have ££££££'s

 

[Champagneblade]

I’d really struggle.

Obviously our data people monitor output and see when performance drops off a cliff so they can see when players are ready to be pulled, however we have zero chance of a result at Liverpool, so I’d have taken some of them further than that point.

The only sub who improves anyone on the pitch is McAtee. Added time is not the time for him though, he’s not that type of player.

The others are so far off a PL players it’s ridiculous.

My sentiments too.

Push you for another ten, safe in the knowledge that I’m prepared to use you just once this week rather than twice.

Besides which you’re not asking players to run around like headless chickens. In McBurnie’s case it’s more to holdup the ball and be in place for set plays, not go on 60 yard lung-bursting runs.

I’d have been doing the maximum to bank the 3, knowing that anything from the next two will be wholly unexpected.

 

[Champagneblade]

Squad size is the reason we concede late goals all the time clubs now need a 25 man squad that is full of players who could be in the starting 11 having young kids and players at the end of their careers on the bench is just not good enough anymore. But that costs what we don't have ££££££'s

Also a very fair point. You’ve only got who you’ve got.

 

[Bergen Blade]

My sentiments too.

Push you for another ten, safe in the knowledge that I’m prepared to use you just once this week rather than twice.

Besides which you’re not asking players to run around like headless chickens. In McBurnie’s case it’s more to holdup the ball and be in place for set plays, not go on 60 yard lung-bursting runs.

I’d have been doing the maximum to bank the 3, knowing that anything from the next two will be wholly unexpected.

Having seen how it did not work with our three most "proven" players, what if we did actually ask the players to run around like headless chickens? If staying compact, pressing, chasing, tracking, tackling, running and getting in the way was our main tactics for the rest of the game, would they still get two goals?

- - - - - - - - - - - - Grbic - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bogle Holgate Ahmedhodzic Robinson Osborn
- - - Curtis Slimane Brooks Larouci - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - Diaz - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

[Champagneblade]

Having seen how it did not work with our three most "proven" players, what if we did actually ask the players to run around like headless chickens? If staying compact, pressing, chasing, tracking, tackling, running and getting in the way was our main tactics for the rest of the game, would they still get two goals?

- - - - - - - - - - - - Grbic - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bogle Holgate Ahmedhodzic Robinson Osborn
- - - Curtis Slimane Brooks Larouci - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - Diaz - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I think we’re at the point where surmising anything was a better alternative than Norwood coming on, getting immediately the wrong side of his man and allowing them a clear sight of goal.

It was a very crisp and accurate strike and it was probably his first or second touch so let’s also give Cordova-Reid some credit. But blocking up the sight to goal should clearly have been a high priority.

I would have even considered playing 6-3-1 and simply making a shot towards goal untenable.

So what if we have 4 centre backs? We’d know that the goal is eventually going to have to come from the Central Area, as both did!