Fred is awfull, and you clearly see once again that Pogba in a double pivot is not working. Its basicly like playing Fred alone.
Are we a CDM short of being an elite team?
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
And having Fred on his own is like having no one at all.
Fred without McTominay is fecking awful and no one can convince me he should ever start for us, if ever there was a point that Ole realised we need a defensive midfielder it surely has to be now as Pogba also can’t play in a double pivot UNLESS at Old Trafford against a team that parks the bus against us.
If you think signings will solve our problems, I feel sorry for you.
If we don't get a DM, this season will be like having a Ferrari, Lambo and Masarati on the driveway, but you've dropped all the keys down the drain on the way to deciding which one to drive.
We have spent 400 million since Ole came and not gone for a CDM. It is clearly not something that is important to him.
Sorry to break it to you, truthfully, Utds biggest problem is the ineptitude of the manager.
Today is showing exactly why we dont need a DM. Put Rice inplace of Fred, it doesnt solve our problem of build up. We need someone to take the ball from the CBs and playmake. Pogba is not that player. Neves is.
I would bring back Moyes....at least he is a decent coach.
Clearly DM is not the issue here, its that we do not have a midfielder who can run the game with his passing, we are devoid of someone to dictate our play.
Some coaching would make a bigger improvement.
Never mind being an elite side or a single DM. We're two top division centre midfielders away from being a functional side.
Exactly. Having Rice in place of Fred is not going to change the fact that Pogba keeps losing the ball when he plays deeper. Buying a pure DM, contrary to popular opinion, solves nothing.
We need a proper CM who is good on the ball. Stop this obsession with playing Pogba as a CM next to a "destroyer" to unlock him.
Exactly.
Yes but we would also need a top manager.
Wow. Our midfield is a huge problem isn't it.
We need someone who is a natural there, anyone, before the window closes.
Manager is going nowhere so let’s at least try to have a functional eleven. It’s an absolute must before window shuts or it doesn’t matter how good our attack is.
Manager is going nowhere so let’s at least try to have a functional eleven. It’s an absolute must before window shuts or it doesn’t matter how good our attack is.
We are a coaching staff short of an elite side.
I mean we are getting totally dominated by a midfield composed of Neves and Moutinho, we're not facing Pep's Barca ffs there's only so much you can attribute to players.
I mean we are getting totally dominated by a midfield composed of Neves and Moutinho, we're not facing Pep's Barca ffs there's only so much you can attribute to players.
This myth that Pogba can't play in midfield rears its head again. I have seen City dominate games with Gundogan as DM and Silva as CM. We are struggling becussr the positions our players pick up when we have the ball is not good enough. How many passing options do our players have?
Yes we need a midfielder or two but the problems run much deeper.
As itnis, Sign Casimero and Kimmich and I betbyou, we'd still struggle
Yes we need a midfielder or two but the problems run much deeper.
As itnis, Sign Casimero and Kimmich and I betbyou, we'd still struggle
Gundogan is an amazing CM who runs the game very well, Pogba is not and does not. You are only showing that you are missing the point.
We keep talking about a better DM, as if that would solve all our problems, but I'm convinced you always need two "traditional" midfielders if Paul Pogba is playing centrally. If that's the case, then it has to be one of Bruno or Pogba.
elite sideIt is. Not as huge as a manager problem though. Everyone in the world knows that Fred - Pogba duo will never ever work. Everyone except the most important person it seems, the manager himself. That lineup we put out today is suicidal and we are extremely lucky to go into HT still at 0-0.
My fear is that even with better midfielders we'd still need better coaching. But better midfielders wouldn't hurt.
The entire coaching staff needs to be blamed. There are clueless personnel in charge
We are a top manager and a pair of top coaches short to become a top side.
Ole and his coaching staff are the biggest handicap.
Sign prime Keane, prime Essien, nothing would change. It's a tactical issue, not a personnel one. Team looks clueless when pressed, been for 3 years now.
Sign prime Keane, prime Essien, nothing would change. It's a tactical issue, not a personnel one. Team looks clueless when pressed, been for 3 years now.
Gunfogan would look lost playing in the position Fred is for us. You don't just throw players on and ask them to perform. How does any individual player solve the problem of the midfielder on the ball constantly being outnumbered?
Yes, short of a DM. But most importantly, short of a proper manager.
Gundogan doesn't play the same role as Fred, he plays the Pogba position and he could be doing a MUCH better job than Pogba is now. Pogba should be on the left.
This is unfortunately true, you look at Ole's starting line ups and you can predict the problems the team will face and you wonder how he, who manages them all week, can't anticipate some of the issues with his team. Players like Matic, Mata, Lingard and even Fred, in spite of his good performances someday, should have been gone a long time ago. Now with a couple of days before the window closes we are being shown what a poor midfield we have yet we have clowns and semi retired players collecting ½ a million a week.
We are going to have to add "new manager" to the list containing "desperately need a DMF", if Ole keeps up this shit
You're missing the point. Gundogan has played DM for City loads of times and looked comfortable. Gundogan would struggle if he was playing DM for us.
People dwell too much on individual performances. In the last two games, our midfielders a have been outnumbered every time they got the ball. That's not on the individual player. That's on the team structure. Better players can paper over the cracks but when midfielders are outnumbered, they usually struggle. City's midifielders are never outnumbered. That's why Pep can get away with playing attackers in deeper positions.
You are missing the point, Pogba is not doing what he is supposed to be doing in that position, which is where most of our problems come from. Hes not dictating play at all, in fact hes gone completely missing. We are looking for someone in the midfield to start running things, looking at Pogba, and there is nothing there. We are playing without someone doing the most important influential role.
No player in the world is going to cover so much space as Fred has to today.
DM & manager yes.
Bruno gives no help to the DMs in general play a lot of the time, it's like playing old school 424. The structure of the team is as much of an issue as the personnel.
Was waiting for thatWon’t matter when the coaching is so bad.