it would be one thing if we began with an attacking style and switched it off, but we don't. we always set up in a defensive formation (even when we have attacking players throughout the team sheet), are content to sit back and concede possession and hit teams on the counter. when this is successful it compounds the problem because instead of pushing for another goal we sit deeper and more compact while other teams commit more players to the attack. this puts more pressure on mediocre defenders who make more mistakes and are even less able to play the ball through accurately to our attacking players waiting to counter. i lost count of the number of times yesterday that dier, sanchez, reguilon or aurier dealt with the initial threat but gave possession right back in dangerous areas because there was no outlet between the back line and the forwards.
this is mou being mou. it was the concern when he was announced as manager and will continue to be as long as he is manager because he has never shown a willingness to adapt to the modern game. if/when he starts to ratchet up his public criticisms of the players not executing his system vs. changing tactics you'll have a full bingo card and it'll be time for us to start waiting around for levy to make a change...which will also take too long. there is too much quality in this squad overall now to blame the player quality for the lack of results.