So why have we been suffering the same problem while Johnson has been out? I would suggest it's because Kulusevski hasn't been covering as well as he could/should (tiredness?) and Porro hasn't shown any responsibility to adapt and leaves the wide open spaces behind him. Porro is an immeasurably better footballer than Aurier, but still causes the same issues.
I think we're looking in the wrong places for a solution. Kulu is better and works harder than Brennan defensively, but it's very rare you'll see him actually stop an attack/block a cross/win back possession down that flank. It isn't his main skill set and isn't or at least shouldn't be his job. In Poch's system, Dele, Son and Eriksen weren't particularly good at defending but they didn't need to be. Partly because the defence itself was so good, but mainly because the CMs did such a bloody good job at covering for everyone and controlling territory. Midfield is the area that needs the most urgent attention imo and I've been saying it since the end of last season. We have a collection of middling inconsistent players, none of whom appear to have a clue what they are doing when the opposition attacks. Step one is to get Archie into his actual position and see what he's like there. A few months playing as a defender will have opened his eyes to the reality of the PL and it will hopefully stand him in good stead as a proper DM. But one player isn't enough. In a system with such attacking FBs, that middle three ideally needs one 'luxury' player making things happen and two making sure things don't happen. We have the former in Maddison and Bergvall. I don't see anyone doing the latter with any real confidence.
This is the point where tiredness also factors into the equation, given Deki has played so much football this season that covering starts to become a bigger ask than it should be as merely being able to walk off the pitch at full time is starting to be a struggle Also, going by CK's post, it's worth noting that the reason Poch's team pressed like madmen wasn't because of instructions, but because Lamela was such an attack dog that Dele and Eriksen felt they had to match that intensity and that's why Chadli fell by the wayside
I think Porro’s major problem is defensive positioning and awareness. He gets pulled into midfield too easily both on and off the ball and it leaves a big hole out where the RB should be. Even when he’s in position he gets caught out too often when players get into his blind spot at the back post. He’s actually a decent 1v1 defender when he’s in the right place, and does cover back well when he can as he’s quicker than you might think, but several teams have gotten wise to the fact that he’ll leave us wide open on our right and if they can switch the ball out there quickly then they can exploit it. It’s hard to judge the various RW options we’ve used over the last few months in terms of the defensive cover they provide because they’ve all had to play a crazy number of minutes.
I was talking about Poch's team long after Lamela was useful beyond cover or an option on the bench. Dele, Eriksen and Son didn't defend because they didn't need to. The midfield saw to that. Ours don't.
The fact that Poch's team went to **** because Eriksen, Lamela et al couldn't press with the same intensity is, of course, a coincidence...
Not looking for a back and forth or an argument, but you moaned the other day about someone talking about Conte’s meltdown. How is mentioning something from over 5 years ago any more relevant to today than that?
Poch's team going to **** because they couldn't play with the same intensity 3-4 seasons in a row doesn't get brought up every other week by the usual rage farms on various socials
Article on the BBC sneaks this little nugget in at the end: "As for Antony, the Brazilian has scored three times in four matches for Real Betis since moving to Spain. This matches the tally he managed during 38 appearances for United last season and means he has scored more so far in February than United have."
Utd have scored precisely 0 PL goals in February - so never mind Antony, Utd haven’t even outscored Cleopatra.
It's not just league goals, though. It includes your cup game against Leicester with the dodgy Slabhead offside goal. He scored 3 to your 2.
