United did not necessarily put 10 men behind the ball but we know how they play under Solskjaer in the big games. They sit back, invite the opposing teams onto them and then hit them on the counter to beat them. We should know better than most considering we fell for this like 3 times last season!
There are mitigating circumstances on that Sevilla and United games. They were back-to-back games and came hot on the heels of the defensive criticism after that silly 3-3 Southampton game. I wasn't happy with how defensive Lampard got against Sevilla and especially United but on the other hand, that felt like a turning point in our season because since those games, we started to look more defensively solid and have found a good balance in the team, which paved the way for the run that we're on. Last season, we were good going forward but abysmal defensively in the big games and lost them badly. This season, it's the other way round but at least, we aren't losing and picking up points to build on. It's a half full-half empty glass situation at the moment. Said it in another thread, our new found defensively solidity is good and it's a foundation that we can build on but I think Lampard is still trying to search for the balance between attack and defence, especially in the big games. No doubt questions will be asked down the line, later in the season if we're still struggling to click offensively against the big teams but right now, there's progress, however small they are.
Go through our games and I'm sure we have tried to play one-twos this season and last season but it doesn't always come off and it's difficult to do when most of the teams we play put 10 men behind the ball. Moreover, if we're gonna play the short passing game, then that also needs work on the training ground, to work and drill on patterns and combination. But have we had the time this season? There was no pre-season and we have had to play a game every 3-4 days. Days in between games are spent on recovery, rest, tactical preparation etc with little time to do anything else. We have also bought new players, players were coming in and out due to injury and even COVID-19 and players went back and forth for international duty. So, it hasn't been the easiest of times. Do I think our attacking play can be better? 100% and that will be expected to improve as Lampard's reign progresses but right now, it's serviceable and nowhere near as desperate or bad as you have made it out to be.
No doubt this batshit crazy season has presented opportunities for many teams to maybe, unexpectedly, win titles that they wouldn't have a chance otherwise but I feel like people are starting to get carried away a little bit, given this team is still developing and not the finished article just yet. If we can win something this season, then great but if not, then it should be all about progression and moving in the right direction.
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