I don’t for a second think it is true that they don’t use statistics and data. I don’t believe Magquire.
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I am sure they collect as much data as anyone, but it certainly doesn’t sound like anyone has broken down the numbers to Maguire on things like his x-y positioning relative to the channels and so forth - all the elements that could highlight what he isn’t doing well relatively to when ManU bought him. I take his comment at face value, at least in terms of what is reaching into his slab-head. Any coaching that is driven by data analysis clearly isn’t reaching him. I’d say that is true of a lot of ManU’s flaws right now, it is impossible to imagine that Solskjaer’s midfield choices are informed by a robust data analysis which looks at points like average meters opposing players are allowed to carry the ball without pressure (and where).
Contrast that to Salah’s question to Foster, which could only come from coaches telling him that X% of his penalty shots have gone to a certain side, and he is becoming predictable.
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Could this be a timing issue as how they are playing this season is probably setting them new challenges that require lots of time on the training pitch?
That would imply that the current course and intent of the coaching is correct, but taking some time to have effect. There is just no evidence of that. That McFred midfield is the butt of jokes, but I don’t think you can pick any 2-man midfield that would be capable of covering the space their system has been requiring them to. At times it was damn near a third of the field on Sunday.
My personal view is that Ronaldo is essentially a poison-pill. They just cannot add someone with no work rate, no interest in defence whatsoever on top of what they already had in any version of football involving just one ball on the pitch.
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Which way the opposition’s goalie goes is data from probably decades ago, it’s a norm these days for the club penalty taker to take care of it himself also (which means putting in extra work during the week/days ahead of the game, Millie talked about it once), not only to rely on excell people in offices. That’s really basic in my opinion. The little moment with Mo and Foster is probably also a bit of mind games as well, even if it could be that Mo faces Foster once more in his career. There can both say whatever they way in that theory, which way they would’ve gone, etc.
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Actually, I’d say it is the norm for the club to handle it now, where back in the 80 and 90s the smart takers were doing it themselves. Probably the first point at which data analysis made its way into football, and it is telling it was players rather than older coaches that really started it (oldest example I can think of was Sacchi instructing his takers to know it).
Definitely a bit of mind games there - now Salah knows that Foster knows, but Foster knows that Salah knows that he knows…
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Even if - don’t think Maguire has enough brain cells to work it.
Even without the fee that was paid for him he has to be one of the most overrated players ever.
Except for his physical attributes what exactly is PL worthy about him? Not good on the ball. Not fast enough. Not smart enough…
To think that he is captaining ManU and starting CB for England. 
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Yeah, but my point was, ultimately you need to also invest yourself into it. You need people to help you, but I can imagine people like Millie and Mo working on it during the week. That also might be a question when we as fans call for x or y to takeover penalties. It carries responsability and extra preparation. As for data overall, like Rafa said, it’s not about only providing data, but how well you pick what’s good, what’s less good and what should be ignored. It remains a mix of data and the eye of quality people. There was an amazing article on our data which gave example how we analyzed Barca in 2019. That was brilliant. Hard to know what happens behind the scenes at Liverpool, let alone United.
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I like joking with fridge as we all do (and good performances get lost in that, especially with opposition fans), but really, he’s not that bad. I was also slightly surprised when City were in for him and then United paid what they paid. Let’s not forget that City also wanted Jorginho and Sanchez, while we’re at that. We also wanted Jorginho months before Fabinho, he was the first pick for a few clubs. Maybe some players would’ve done better elsewhere, maybe worse, who knows. Impossible to know. I’m not impressed by Maguire, but I think he’s good. At the top level though, yeah, he needs to have certain tools around him.
Does he ever play as a £80m CB or consistent enough (his bad actions/games can be really bad, I think that’s the key with him, he can often hide his weak points well), possibly not. Like we know now that Keita probably won’t play as Liverpool’s most expensive ever midfielder. Doesn’t mean that Maguire doesn’t have qualities or that his only quality is that he’s physically strong. He’s good on the ball. The point Neville said about him not being ready in last days/weeks probably holds some truth. I can imagine him working well in a more organized team. He wasn’t brought for that, but as a difference maker and that’s also a bit oversimplified by media and fans I think, especially in defence.
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As for his intelligence, I also think there are players who can sound dumb or talk funny, but understand football well or well enough. Kane par example. I don’t see any difference between them and when people like Hendo or Gini speak. It’s the same sort of average shit. Too radically separated by us fans I think.
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@Zoran i respect your opinion but imo is shit.
Could probably name 15 PL Teams who have at least one CB who has some better attributes than Harry.
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Christ, we’ve got five of them.
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He is not an £80M defender, and he is not as shit as we make him out to be 
truth is he is somewhere in the middle.
A defender who does half a dozen things very well, but has serve limitations. He is another obvious example of the team suffering from including Ronaldo.
Maguire is slow and lacks agility (turning circle of a cruise liner) to play to his strengths you need to play a deep back line and allow him to bring the ball forward with cover.
The shift from counter attacking football to what ever you call United’s tactics currently (not sure it has a name !!) means his weaknesses are now exposed. He does not have the pace or reading of the game to cover the space in contrast to say VvD. When he makes a mistake bringing the ball forward (which to be fair to him he generally does fairly well) he does not have the pace to recover.
Any manager worth their salt would revert United into a counter attacking side. It suits the skills of their young forwards, it suits their defenders who struggle with a high line, and probably even suits Fernandes better.
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In some ways Ronaldo is the perfect gift.
He raises expectations, the perceptions of being final piece of jigsaw to help them win trophies. A club legend and hype.
At the same time he is hugely damaging, costs a fortune, disrupts entire team system, team need to carry him given his lack of running, and is having limited impact.
In many way he could go down as one of the worst signings United ever made 
For me he is the reason Oli will get the sack !!
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Watching the utd manager and the coaching staff last Sunday reminded me of the three stoogies.
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Adorable.
This is the thread that just keeps on giving 
Hot take incoming…McFred is currently their most functional and coherent part of their side.
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Probably the Ronaldo-Fernandes relationship is their strongest element but McFred is arguably not far behind - and that is damning given how easily we played around them or made runs off of them.
McTominay is a funny one. I’m still kind of baffled how he happened. I’ve recently found my notes on youth football back to the 2016/17 season and I never once highlighted McTominay when I was watching Man Utd. I didn’t note any good performances, didn’t have any real opinion on him at all actually. I’ve tried to recall my feelings on him around that time and I for the life of me can’t even remember him.
As far as I can see he was basically some jobber in their youth system who happened to be the right height and build for Mourinho to bring into the team and be ‘his guy’ (probably McTominay knew he had everything to owe to Jose and would give him undying loyalty). There were other well regarded prospects around the same time who were let go, or significantly more talented prospects since who haven’t had a sniff (James Garner).
And yet, for having said all that he’s actually done alright for Utd I think. He’s extremely limited and no team wanting to win a Premier League has any business starting him, but he’s not been awful.
Maybe I’m just a terrible talent evaluator (plausible) but I like to think I know a player when I see one. With McTominay I didn’t see one. Truly a mystery to me.
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Has he gone then???..sorry it was a ‘paddy power’ spoof headline…
He isn’t one. Like you say, he hasn’t done awfully but the bar at United has not been particularly high. He’s the absolute definition of a water carrier in a team. Fair enough, every team needs them and he’s had the benefit of having at least some talent around him that has kept this United team relevant. Thing is, though, he could go to a bottom 5 team and not appreciably improve them.
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