[Ekeke]

He wasn't. The heatmap is deceptive because Pogba and Bruno interchanged positions at various points of the game. Early in the second half Bruno played on the left with Pogba as the 10. They do the same when Donny plays one of the wide positions.

But just look at the shape at any point during the game, especially defensively after a stoppage. It was a 4-2-3-1.

Its not the heat map its the average position which is what comes as the result of the heat map without guessing based on colours.

Yes they linked up and changed position dynamically during play, thats why he played almost as central which was the point. If Pogba was stuck out on the left wing that wouldnt have been the case because despite Bruno pulling wide a few times it would be nowhere near as much as someone playing left wing overall.

 

[Ekeke]

Ok, going by your logic (and I disagree wholeheartedly that average positions indicate tactical setup), then what system did we play in this game?

2-1-6-1 with a flat midfield?

You either want to look deeper into how tactics work, or you don't. Either options are fine with me.

In the average positions against Villa, Rashford is on the same level with Bruno. Then was he part of midfield? Was he a right winger? What exactly?

I provided all the context you need to understand why McT's position is deeper. You have chosen to ignore it, showing your stubborness (among other things) along the way.

We obviously played 4-2-3-1 and Greenwood didnt get forward enough or play very well, thats why he was subbed off after 63 mins, just like McTominay was the one midfielder who didnt play well because he too was too deep against Villa and not effecting the game enough so he was subbed on 64 minutes. How can you miss it when its right there?

Rashford is always going to run in behind more than Cavani, thats his game and Poba is going to be part of counter attacks, which is the gameplan and Matic probably isnt.

Tactics determine where players should be and how patterns of play should work, but players need to actually go out there and perform them. If McTominay and Greenwood are too deep and dont perform well enough then thats what it is and its no surprise that they get subbed after an hour if they arent doing what was hoped of them

 

[georgipep]

We obviously played 4-2-3-1 and Greenwood didnt get forward enough or play very well, thats why he was subbed off after 63 mins, just like McTominay was the one midfielder who didnt play well because he too was too deep against Villa and not effecting the game enough so he was subbed on 64 minutes. How can you miss it when its right there?

Rashford is always going to run in behind more than Cavani, thats his game and Poba is going to be part of counter attacks, which is the gameplan and Matic probably isnt.

Tactics determine where players should be and how patterns of play should work, but players need to actually go out there and perform them. If McTominay and Greenwood are too deep and dont perform well enough then thats what it is and its no surprise that they get subbed after an hour if they arent doing what was hoped of them

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[gottho]

Mctominay is more of an athlete than a footballer, he lacks that bit of composure and awareness. Every time he receives the ball, he is a state of hurry. He runs when he is supposed to release the ball and vice versa. If you only he could learn how to slow down his play abit, he will be the complete package.

 

[TwoSheds]

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It looks like a man wrote a load of drivel on a page while trying to sound clever. Clearly it's true that Ole likes his forwards to rotate around but the rest of it is just over analysing. We were generally set up as a 451 with advanced wingers when defending, and a 4231 ish when attacking. But clearly you could take stills from any point in the game where players have swapped, made a run or are out of position and draw sweeping conclusions about the minutiae of the formation if you wanted.

 

[Borys]

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I'd say this explanation is the closest to reality. I believe there is no point in focusing too much on how the formation looks on paper, and average position is definitely the wrong approach (it's deeply flawed).

I like how this guy explains front 4 movement. However, one thing missing is how to explain the dot on heatmap (Rashford for example). Is it a position that you he takes while defending or in the build up?

It looks like a man wrote a load of drivel on a page while trying to sound clever. Clearly it's true that Ole likes his forwards to rotate around but the rest of it is just over analysing. We were generally set up as a 451 with advanced wingers when defending, and a 4231 ish when attacking. But clearly you could take stills from any point in the game where players have swapped, made a run or are out of position and draw sweeping conclusions about the minutiae of the formation if you wanted.

It's not over analysing, it's very general explanation of our setup. I agree you could take snapshot of some moments to prove anything, but against Villa we played very fluid in general so I don't think we played any particular formation.

Our setup vs Villa was more role-oriented than position-oriented. Which is why the author of this article says we use mix of different formations during the game.

 

[Mickeza]

To my untrained non-tactical eye we started 4-2-3-1 with Pogba out left, he then alternated with Bruno 35 or so mins in when villa were starting to take control. For parts of the second half nobody was playing wide left with Pogba and Bruno both central and Shaw kicking on. That’s why cash was getting so much space and was the key reason behind the James sub. We didn’t play a diamond - it was 4-2-3-1 with the person on the left tucking inside for large parts to try and outnumber in midfield.

 

[Borys]

I wonder if he was the right choice tonight. Certainly didn't look like much of a help as City were running circles around our midfield.

 

[Zoo]

A passenger tonight and gave away the free kick from which they scored. City were at their highest level and this is where you need your best footballers on the park.

 

[dove]

Can someone explain to me what he brings to the team? Useless in build up play as his passing and creativity are very limited and for supposedly a defensively minded midfielder, his defending is laughable. I don't think I have ever seen him track the player running past him and he always ends up in some weird positions. I just see nothing more in him than any of our ex academy players that were shifted out of the club for being not good enough.

 

[Silas]

AWOL. Apart from giving away the freekick for the goal of course.

 

[RedIan]

Hes not good enough. Runs about a lot does very little. He had one great game a few weeks ago and has done jack shit since. We need to upgrade our DM players starting here imo.

 

[Idxomer]

He's just a body in midfield, nothing more or less.

 

[DRM]

I want to cry. Seriously, what does he offer?

 

[MadDogg]

It was a slight improvement over his Villa game, which in turn was a slight improvement over his Leicester match. Still not good enough, and it was his unnecessary foul which they scored the first goal from.

 

[Andycoleno9]

I struggle to see what he does what Donny or Matic wouldn't? Those two are better in every area than McT and offer much more to this team.

 

[Devil may care]

Had a couple of nice moments of footwork going forward but was on the periphery of the game for the most part.

 

[Borys]

It was a slight improvement over his Villa game, which in turn was a slight improvement over his Leicester match. Still not good enough, and it was his unnecessary foul which they scored the first goal from.

Yeah well put.

It's not even a criticism of Scott, it's one of his usual performances, but I question Ole choice to go with him again. Strange.

 

[Robbie Boy]

I do like him but again, I feel he's not automatic starter material. We need an upgrade.

 

[Roboc7]

He just can’t be playing this often and is being exposed as an energetic but very limited player. Has a huge problem with ball watching and offers hardly anything in possession.

Nowhere near the level of a Fletcher or Butt, but there is a place for him as backup if user correctly.

 

[MadDogg]

Yeah well put.

It's not even a criticism of Scott, it's one of his usual performances, but I question Ole choice to go with him again. Strange.

He does normally do well against the top teams to be fair. Most other teams I would have been hoping that Ole went for Matic today particularly because of Scott's poor recent form, but against City it was understandable to put him in. Unfortunately it didn't work out.

 

[Dan_F]

Disappointed we didn’t have Matic after how he played in the second half last year. We really struggled to fill that gap between the defence and midfield.

 

[tjb]

He's a 3rd or 4th option. He really doesn't provide much

 

[Borys]

He does normally do well against the top teams to be fair. Most other teams I would have been hoping that Ole went for Matic today particularly because of Scott's poor recent form, but against City it was understandable to put him in. Unfortunately it didn't work out.

Normally I'd agree, but he was very poor against Villa so I thought he was not the right choice in this game.

Might as well play anybody else, City didn't look bothered by our attempts to stop them in midfield anyway.

 

[el3mel]

He has been pretty average at best since the great Leeds match.

 

[MadDogg]

He has been pretty average at best since the great Leeds match.

That's being incredibly nice to him. His Leicester performance is the closest to a 0/10 midfield performance that you'll ever see, Villa was 2/10 at best and I'll be nice and give him a 4/10 today.

I hope after this he's dropped down the pecking order a bit and we give Matic a chance next to Fred to see what that combination can do. It worked bloody well last season with some big wins in the few times it was used. McTominay will still get enough games that he can win the spot back if he performs, but he's in too poor form at the moment to keep installing him as first choice.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

That's being incredibly nice to him. His Leicester performance is the closest to a 0/10 midfield performance that you'll ever see, Villa was 2/10 at best and I'll be nice and give him a 4/10 today.

Aye, defo shouldn't have started tonight after his Leicester and Villa horror shows, bizarre that he did.

 

[limerickcitykid]

I remember when he was moaning after PSG about “that wasn’t real football.” Couldn’t have been more right, it rarely is real football from Scott. Hides from the ball, does nothing with it the rare times he actually gets it. Doesn’t track runners. Doesn’t know how to position himself. And generally looks completely lost as he scrambles around looking for his next hiding spot. You’re spot on Scott, that isn’t real football at all.

 

[MU655]

I feel he doesn't get involved enough in the actual game. He only made 28 passes today, compared to Fred's 44. Against Aston Villa, he made 28 passes to Fred's 46.

His average passes per game this season is 36.1 while Fred is making 54.6. These are the number of passes you should be expecting from a midfielder, but he disappears. I think it is a major issue in why we are finding it so difficult to dominate games in terms of possession or, at least, even it up against teams. You cannot have a player who has such a low contribution in midfield.

So why is his passing so low? It is probably because he isn't getting the ball enough, which will either be due to his teammates not seeing him as a good option or he is hiding from the ball. If he is doing that, it is like playing with 1 less player in midfield when we have possession. You cannot play with only 9 outfield players if you want to keep the ball.

Although it may look good that he has 97% pass accuracy today, he didn't really do anything. He has 4 games this season where his pass accuracy has been over 90%, and in every single one of them, he has been awful. Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Leicester, and Man City (today). I think this shows that he disappears into games, and only tries very simple and unnoticeable things.

Now, I think McTominay has a use as a squad player. But, I think, if we bring in someone of a higher ability level for the first team, it will have a massive impact on the team.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Aye, defo shouldn't have started tonight after his Leicester and Villa horror shows, bizarre that he did.

I guess that every manager has someone in who he trusts and we fans can't understand that. Jose had Fellaini, LVG had Lingard, Fergie had a few of those.
I don't mind that Ole is playing him but he should be playing only specific games. Not be a starter in nearly every game and especially in big games where you need more than passion and running.

 

[limerickcitykid]

I feel he doesn't get involved enough in the actual game. He only made 28 passes today, compared to Fred's 44. Against Aston Villa, he made 28 passes to Fred's 46.

Against Leicester Fred attempted 71, Scott attempted 21.

You’d fecking laugh until you realize he plays for your club with those pathetic performances.

 

[Roboc7]

I feel he doesn't get involved enough in the actual game. He only made 28 passes today, compared to Fred's 44. Against Aston Villa, he made 28 passes to Fred's 46.

His average passes per game this season is 36.1 while Fred is making 54.6. These are the number of passes you should be expecting from a midfielder, but he disappears. I think it is a major issue in why we are finding it so difficult to dominate games in terms of possession or, at least, even it up against teams. You cannot have a player who has such a low contribution in midfield.

So why is his passing so low? It is probably because he isn't getting the ball enough, which will either be due to his teammates not seeing him as a good option or he is hiding from the ball. If he is doing that, it is like playing with 1 less player in midfield when we have possession. You cannot play with only 9 outfield players if you want to keep the ball.

Although it may look good that he has 97% pass accuracy today, he didn't really do anything. He has 4 games this season where his pass accuracy has been over 90%, and in every single one of them, he has been awful. Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Leicester, and Man City (today). I think this shows that he disappears into games, and only tries very simple and unnoticeable things.

Now, I think McTominay has a use as a squad player. But, I think, if we bring in someone of a higher ability level for the first team, it will have a massive impact on the team.

He doesn’t receive many passes,
https://www.football365.com/news/ranking-man-united-players-passes-received-fernandes-wan-bissaka

Essentially he is a midfielder that doesn’t touch the ball very much, play many passes or receive many. Finding a midfielder who can do these things and still offer similar energy levels isn’t really difficult.

 

[Mcking]

Suprised that he started. I thought he was going to be dropped for Matic considering their contrasting performances in the last few games.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Can't be our starter next season.

 

[RussellWilson]

He's awful. We can never build up because he basically hides when we have it. And defensively, he's either fouling, not closing down quick enough or just letting runners go.

Gave away the foul for the free kick with Sterling going no where, then just watched Stones run and didn't even both running in to make it difficult for him.

Donny must be wondering what he has to do to get a chance ahead this dross.

 

[Oldyella]

He is way too passive. Doesn't want or show for the ball enough. I would still have him around the squad, but its a position we need to improve, esp with Matic not getting any younger.

 

[RooneyLegend]

This guy been trash, don't know how he gets away with it.

 

[Lay]

Against Leicester Fred attempted 71, Scott attempted 21.

You’d fecking laugh until you realize he plays for your club with those pathetic performances.

Wow. Why is there a massive difference?

 

[RedStarUnited]

Wow. Why is there a massive difference?

Watch him in build ups, he is always hiding and never making himself available for a pass.

Passing apart the guy is also not good at the things you would think he is in the team for - Tackling. and for his height, he is useless in headers too.

 

[Hellboy]

A useless useless player

Not good at anything apart from kicking people around and the odd shot from distance, he's not good enough