United tempo is to play it fast and quick

Rooney9 SG

Michael Carrick may not have played as much as he’d have liked this season, but that hasn’t diminished the enjoyment he’s taken from seeing United storm to the club’s best start in 26 years.

After five games, United have collected maximum points and scored 21 goals – statistics that make for impressive reading. But just as impressive is the sort of free-flowing, attack-minded football that Sir Alex’s men have employed.

“I have really enjoyed watching us, especially when you see us sitting top of the league after the start we have had,” Michael Carrick said. “It was a very tough start and now there are tough games to come. But I’m all for us playing good football and winning.”

The energy and pace with which United have played this term, particularly in midfield, is unquestionable. But is that a product of the personnel on the pitch (Anderson and Tom Cleverley have played the most league minutes in the centre of the park this season) or a concerted change in tactical approach?

“Certain players play certain ways,” Carrick admits, “but we always try to play with a high tempo, keep the ball on the ground and pass and move.

"The manager hasn’t needed to drum into us the need to play quickly any more than he usually does. He’s done that enough over the years!

“The philosophy here is to play at a high tempo and to move the ball quickly and test out the opposition. This season, things have come together very well for us.

“The training since we returned for pre-season has been of a very high quality and is very intense. Maybe that has something to do with it.”

Carrick knows more opportunities will be handed to both he and other more experienced team-mates as the season progresses. Nobody, he says, is panicking about losing their place.

“We’re well aware that there will be times during the season when the flowing football is not going to be there and you just have to find a way to win. Hopefully the experience will tell in those times.

“[At the moment] these young lads will be enjoying themselves. They’ve got an opportunity they possibly didn't think would come so soon.

“[When that happens] you just want to make the most of it when you get a chance. You are so young, you have never really had any setbacks. You just play the game freely and with enthusiasm and enjoy it. They are certainly doing that at the moment.”

Actually united do not need to play so quick a tempo, as they have the tendency to pass it to the opponents. if you tend to rush and pass the ball quickly, there is a tendency you miss pass or pass it to the opponents. learn from barcelona, pass the ball accurately and you dominate the whole match. I dun tink any english teams, past, present and future, can play total football the way barcelona is playing now.

likeyou SG

They do play very very fast one to one touch and go.

Super fast and very accurate.

Spore team shold learn from them.

Rooney9 SG

yes but whats the use when you keep on miss pass or pass to the opponents. anderson mistakes nearly allowed torres to score early in the first half. if torres scored, it would be 1-1 then and how the match pans out, who knows.

likeyou SG

I got the chance to see man u match (delay telecast) this season.

Yes, a miss pass but have some player willing to chase the loose balls fast.

Look at their defence, they are near to the opponents and make them hard to move in for a attack on the midfield. I really enjoy watching them play.

Shouldnt spore coach play just a simple football like man u? fast, ball on the ground, lots of runnings, fast closing down oppenents?

Rooney9 SG

when u play quick and tempo fast, esp one touch football, chances are you will miss pass or pass it to the opponents. barcelona type of football is also fast, but not as fast as in hustle and bustle as compared in the EPL. United also tend to play long football, well known in english football. The type of football nice to watch in EPL is not united, but arsenal. arsenal mistakes are lesser as compared to united's and passing more accurate. barcelona is still the pass masters, arsenal a distant second when comparing the two. barcelona type of football is total football, as embraced by Cryuff in the 70s with his Ajax and Holland. their football is simple, whenever you have the ball, there is always a player ten yards away from you, so there is no chance you will not find a player not to pass to. they attack and defend in total football. this should be the way football should be played, simple passing. pass and pass and the opponents chasing the ball will get tired and exhausted very quicky.

Rock^Star SG

Let's not kid ourselves in case we are haha......the way utd are playing, they may never beat barca's possession football. Even RM is quickly catching up. Statistically, they control 70-80% of the games they play, just like barca. For utd's fast flowing football to really work, they need technical players who can hold on to the ball, on top of speedy movement.

So that means getting rid of players like fletcher, carrick....maybe even anderson. Once you have these players against barca or RM, it's minus a couple of points from the start. Like someone mentioned before, cannot meet barca in the final but over 2 legs. That would give a them real fighting chance.

Rooney9 SG

yes you are rite, carrick, anderson, cleverley, anderson all cannot play possession football. still cant understand no central midfielder join in the off season, never mind sneider, was added to united midfield, when esp scholes has retired. unless want to add Nani as playmaker that play in midfield and let valencia and young attack on the left and right wings.

for RM, they have kaka, ronaldo, de maria, ozil, so if they do not dominate, then what a waste of array of galacticos and money RM spent on buying them.

dojon SG

I see it differently from you guys though...

It may seems that Utd failed to control possession during Chelsea game but it is because they close down every ball in sight for majority of the game. That is what happens to Barca when Utd did that last season in the CL final for the first 10-20 mins. However, looking at the weaker opponents like bolton or leeds, they are not getting the ball if they are not chasing... welll yes...a couple of misses and gave the ball away is inevitable in my opionion.

They need players who are daring to try fancy stuffs to maximize the potential of the current young squad. Not someone like Carrick who likes to play it safe. Remembering 1 incident from the Chelsea game, where the back line managed to play themselve out of trouble with torres and anelka chasing. Finally Evans pass it to Carrick, who wasn't marked, pass it back to D'Gea and Evans raised his arms like WTF?

Rock^Star SG

for RM, they have kaka, ronaldo, de maria, ozil, so if they do not dominate, then what a waste of array of galacticos and money RM spent on buying them.

Very hard to dispossess nani and valencia....does give utd an edge there. Rooney can be careless. It does seem RM is stronger but then again, shall see that if they meet.

Rooney9 SG

english players do not pass as well as say, italians, spanish, brazilians, germany etc. so that says the state of passing the english have. I do not see any english teams that can play possession football. the closest to possession football in EPL is Arsenal, but then they are also not pass masters like Barcelona, whose passing is almost perfect. once they are in the mood, you cant get the ball off them. the only way to stop their football is negative ie gather all the 10 outfield players and park them in front of the goal and attack them on counter attack. this is to conserve energy and invite them to attack while you wait for them to come at you and you defend from there. but they will find the middle of the field is congested with so many players defending., so maybe they will attack at you from the wings instead. to play attacking football with barcelona is suicidal.

likeyou SG

Fast and extreme quick one touch passes and long balls tends to have mistakes and opponents tends to wait for loose balls and sprint a counter attack.

When they play fast and quick one touch pass or long balls, they must also know the tactics of chasing back the loose balls asap and chasing meaning fast chasing and closing down the opponents.

Rooney9 SG

actually passing is also a skill, so dun think it is so easy to do it.

xavi and iniesta or fabregas can do slow and fast pass, made no mistake about it. they can play the kind of slow or fast pass depending on the situation in the field. frankly united have no such players in midfield to do it. Nani is individualised that he doesnt know when and how to make a pass to a team mate better placed to score a goal, alas. as for carrick, his last 3 seasons at united really sucks to the max. I think his best days as a united player was over, esp when he is 30 this year, starting to lose his pace already. anderson cannot be counted to make a decent pass, as is fletcher, who is a defensive midfielder. as for cleverley, I hope he made good and start to establish and acquit himself with good passes. united needed at least 2 sneider type in central midfield to match barcelona midfield, who has the best midfield in the world at the moment and for many seasons to come.