“They are frightened to death”
Man United legend Roy Keane has explained why his old club are tactically inept when it comes to pressing the opposition and it has nothing to do with the coaching.
Jamie Carragher did a segment on Monday Night Football highlighting United’s lack of tactical awareness, how they get caught in-between pressing and sitting deep, only to leave gaps at the back, and why that has to be the fault of the management and coaching staff.
However, Keane has offered a different explanation, and it comes down to the personnel that they have at there disposal.
‘They aren’t pressing up. I don’t want to be just pinning it on [Harry] Maguire, but there’s always that worry with Maguire coming up and squeezing the pitch, like all the other top teams are doing,’ he told the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
“There’s that worry with him all the time – that’s where there is gaps. They are frightened to death to come all the way up because they’re thinking ‘anything over the top, he’d be in trouble.”
It isn’t just Maguire who is throwing things off kilter according to the Irishman, as he explains why several other players are guilty in this department at Old Trafford.
“Manchester United haven’t got the players to [press],” he said.
“[Bruno] Fernandes is not going to do it. Rashford won’t do it. They might do it for five or ten minutes, so if you’ve got a team that’s not going to press – we’re talking about leopards and spots.
“Man United are never really going to be good at that pressing side of it.”
Related links:
- Roy Keane advice to Wayne Rooney shows why Ireland are finding it so hard to get a decent manager
- Chris Coleman no longer in the running to be the next Ireland manager
- Roy Keane makes his strongest pitch yet to be Ireland manager
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