[Albion] All the good ones are taken... or are they?

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Which is fair enough.

However, the frustrating thing for me was never having a settled squad. The injuries meant it was constantly changing. We did try changing tactics to accommodate that if everyone remembers We went three at the back, it was far worse than 4-2-3-1. It was also the only option at times, but he stuck with it for far too long. Ditto with changing keepers.

I’m certainly not claiming RDZ had a great 2024. He obviously didn’t. But anyone who thinks you can switch from one set of tactics or patterns to another when you don’t even know who’ll be fit to start really doesn’t understand football.

I think it's less a matter of needing to change tactics than it is certain set ups being less sensitive to losing key players. Ideally, unless you're actually Man City and can do what you like, you have a system and squad that can dig out a 1-0 win reasonably reliably even if you're having a bad day. That might sand off some of the real top end performances that you potentially could get with another more flair approach.

The Liverpool team that won the league probably wasn't as exciting as some of the teams they had in the seasons before, for example. And some teams that had a whole bunch of injuries this season clearly handled that better than we did. I'd be surprised if many of them managed it by schizophrenically switching between hoofball and tippy-tappy poncing around the back from game to game.

On flexibility and plan a/b/c in general, you often (across all sports) hear about teams who go into great detail on planning for specific opposition, and also hear about teams who don't bother too much and just concentrate on their own game. Both sound great if you've just won.

This post is far too long given it combines being trite, non-committal and stating the obvious in equal measure.

 

[Pliny the Gull]

Totally agree. Looking back at the second half of the season.
Observations of possible stubbornness other than tactics maybe.
1 Ferguson dropped, Wellbeck always in.
2 No one has convinced me Fati wasn't worth more than a 2 min sub off the bench.
3 Barco rumour that RDZ wanted to loan him out.
4 Team selection about "Mentality"
5 Poor use of subs
I also wonder how much influence Llanna and Milner have had.

Whereas being pig headed, sticking to the same style and being stroppy with it worked so well.

I am wasting my time here suggesting RDZ f***ed up with his refusal to change things earlier though aren’t I?

As I said, I find it a real shame as he may still be here if he’d done it imo.

 

[Flounce]

I think it's less a matter of needing to change tactics than it is certain set ups being less sensitive to losing key players. Ideally, unless you're actually Man City and can do what you like, you have a system and squad that can dig out a 1-0 win reasonably reliably even if you're having a bad day. That might sand off some of the real top end performances that you potentially could get with another more flair approach.

The Liverpool team that won the league probably wasn't as exciting as some of the teams they had in the seasons before, for example. And some teams that had a whole bunch of injuries this season clearly handled that better than we did. I'd be surprised if many of them managed it by schizophrenically switching between hoofball and tippy-tappy poncing around the back from game to game.

On flexibility and plan a/b/c in general, you often (across all sports) hear about teams who go into great detail on planning for specific opposition, and also hear about teams who don't bother too much and just concentrate on their own game. Both sound great if you've just won.

This post is far too long given it combines being trite, non-committal and stating the obvious in equal measure.

I know it didn’t actually matter but the last game of the season summed up late season De Zerbi ball in 90 minutes for me. Shit defending having totally dominated the game in the first half and looking a quality side, are we blaming the players or the set up?

Knowing when to be pragmatic is what sifts elite managers from the rest, in that respect RDZ still has a way to go, as United grew into the game and we just kept going gung ho, you didn’t have to be Eva Petulengro to see that first goal was coming, we should have adjusted our tactics imo.

Being able to change tactics in game and from game to game is what makes an elite manager, RDZ is falling short currently imo.

Rome away being the stand out example of his naivety and arrogance

 

[cloud]

Is there anything stopping De Zerbi coming back, having given it some thought over the summer

 

[Goldstone1976]

Is there anything stopping De Zerbi coming back, having given it some thought over the summer

Other than Tony Bloom and Paul Barber, you mean?

 

[pigmanovich]

Anyone who says we didn’t, didn’t watch us against Newcastle and Villa.

Unless, of course, playing one way against one type of opponent and another against a different type is really, in combination, a single Plan A.

Agree that it was there, but Plan B emerged too late in the season to salvage it.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Did I read Oscar Garcia is available now? He always said he had unfinished business with Albion.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

It’s Brendon Rodgers

He’s too happy winning tin pots in Scotland. Can’t see him poking his head above an English parapet

 

[The Fits]

Gallardo looks the outstanding choice of a fairly uninspiring list but has to be out of our league.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

You just can’t help making a political comment at every opportunity can you? I will be relieved for you when the GE is over and you can relax!

'Tis on my mind, 'tis true,, and is an almost inexhaustible source of dodgy analogies, aphorisms and whatnot

 

[holybanjo]

Why not create a hierarchy based on quality then? Why include Solskjaer at all?

That the names are random to you really has no impact on their quality.

 

[dwayne]

@Han Solo what's your view on italiano?

 

[Han Solo]

Why not create a hierarchy based on quality then? Why include Solskjaer at all?

Don't have enough insight to list them in order of quality. But sure, there are some I rate higher than others and some I believe are more likely than others. But they're all candidates.

Solskjaer is listed for obvious reasons: he made a great job for Manchester United (ruined by the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo) and also previously in Molde.
They played excellent football, particularly in the 19/20 season. OGS focused on young players and gave a lot of chances to unproven youngsters like Brandon Williams, Scott McTominay, Dickhead Greenwood, Andreas Pereira, re-established Rashford (who barely played under Mourinho), and got them 3rd while playing their best football post-Fergie.

His reputation is bad among PL fans because most people outsource their brains to media narratives.
OGS has a better chance than many on this list.

 

[dwayne]

Don't have enough insight to list them in order of quality. But sure, there are some I rate higher than others and some I believe are more likely than others. But they're all candidates.

Solskjaer is listed for obvious reasons: he made a great job for Manchester United (ruined by the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo) and also previously in Molde.
They played excellent football, particularly in the 19/20 season. OGS focused on young players and gave a lot of chances to unproven youngsters like Brandon Williams, Scott McTominay, Dickhead Greenwood, Andreas Pereira, re-established Rashford (who barely played under Mourinho), and got them 3rd while playing their best football post-Fergie.

His reputation is bad among PL fans because most people outsource their brains to media narratives.
OGS has a better chance than many on this list.

Agree with this. OGS did ok at man u. Very very difficult job.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

@Han Solo what's your view on italiano?

 

[Han Solo]

@Han Solo what's your view on italiano?

His Fiorentina has performed what you could expect from them, despite struggling to find a decent striker. They play a lot similar to what Brighton wants to do, but he's not a proven player developer and that's probably a requirement.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Tactically, think Dyche, Moyles, Hodgson etc.

“Oftentimes, Brest will seek to go direct and attempt to win a second ball and push forward, lumping it forward to their strikers.”

Tactical Analysis: Eric Roy’s Brest - Breaking The Lines

When Eric Roy took charge of Stade Brestois 29 on January 3, 2023, the French club were battling relegation. Today, they are on track to qualify for European football for the first time in club history, sitting second in the Ligue 1 table, 10 points behind Paris Saint-Germain, one above Monaco...

breakingthelines.com

When Brest got promoted to Ligue 1 in 2018/19 it was the first instance of a season simultaneously having gone well AND tits up.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

When Brest got promoted to Ligue 1 in 2018/19 it was the first instance of a season simultaneously having gone well AND tits up.

Congrats on getting Brest and tits in the same sentence.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Don't have enough insight to list them in order of quality. But sure, there are some I rate higher than others and some I believe are more likely than others. But they're all candidates.

Solskjaer is listed for obvious reasons: he made a great job for Manchester United (ruined by the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo) and also previously in Molde.
They played excellent football, particularly in the 19/20 season. OGS focused on young players and gave a lot of chances to unproven youngsters like Brandon Williams, Scott McTominay, Dickhead Greenwood, Andreas Pereira, re-established Rashford (who barely played under Mourinho), and got them 3rd while playing their best football post-Fergie.

His reputation is bad among PL fans because most people outsource their brains to media narratives.
OGS has a better chance than many on this list.

Some might suggest that not letting United sign Ronaldo in the first place might be a prerequisite for doing a "great job".

It's all very well a manager not being in charge of transfers, but they have to be able to put their foot down at some point if a player is going to completely cock up their team. Which he either wasn't strong enough to do, or didn't realise would happen.

I'll also never accept that coming 3rd is a notable achievement for a club with United's resources, no matter how badly applied they are. At some point a manager will get them playing as well as they should be, and then I might start considering throwing words like "great" around.

 

[Han Solo]

Some might suggest that not letting United sign Ronaldo in the first place might be a prerequisite for doing a "great job".

It's all very well a manager not being in charge of transfers, but they have to be able to put their foot down at some point if a player is going to completely cock up their team. Which he either wasn't strong enough to do, or didn't realise would happen.

I'll also never accept that coming 3rd is a notable achievement for a club with United's resources, no matter how badly applied they are. At some point a manager will get them playing as well as they should be, and then I might start considering throwing words like "great" around.

It was a mistake allowing him in, they had no room for a personality of that sort in the very interesting young team they were building.

So yeah, bad Ole allowing Ronaldo, but can't get everyhing right. But in fairness to Ole, he might not be the only manager who would have said "yeah that lad looks pretty good lets get him in".

Ok. Personally at equally interested in trying to measure quality and output as I am in the resources spent. Imo he did more with less than a number of other post-Ferguson managers (though they've all worked with so-so squads).