[Buster15]

He’s not getting much help, but he’s been bloody awful. Giving the ball away far too often for a midfielder, though he’s not the only one

That is right. Our passing has been pretty awful.
Wolverhampton are much better at closing down. As a result our passing has been far too rushed.

 

[RedSky]

Whats the obsession with VdB? He's been utterly invisible in the vast majority of games for us, why is it a good idea to put him in against a team giving us genuine problems? Bizarre.

I'd take James off though, we played him to help contain Traore and offer some defensive shielding on the right side and that simply hasn't happened. We either go for it by putting on an attacking player for James (Cavani/Martial) and go at them and let them be the ones struggling in defense. Or we put another body in midfield for James and switch to 3 in the middle (Lingard/Matic).

I don't think Matic has the legs for this tempo, so no point using him. I can see why Lingard is warming up as he can at least run, but its days like this that demonstrates how fecking diabolical our midfield is. Looking at the positives we are still 0-0 and looked far better at defending set pieces. Our defense in general (apart from the initial shaky 5mins when Fred decided to have a total mare) has looked solid.

 

[Raoul]

No, that's @Raoul

Good journalism

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

We really did look an unorganised mess that first half

 

[MrSingh2002]

Matic and VdB instead of Fred and James.

We need some control with players who can atleast pass the ball. Playing Fred and James just means we're going to lose the ball every 60 seconds.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Born winner for shouting needlessly at the referee like a child? I think you’re mistaking winner with petulence. Where was he against Villarreal? He has shown very little in terms of winning and disappears in big games.

Disappears? That’s a good one

 

[Rustyspider13]

That was a bad half. Our midfield is tragic at dealing with pressing. You can see our CBs not passing it into our midfield in fear of dispossession and instead going into the wings where either an inaccurate long pass gifts them possession or AWB and James' passing leads to the same outcome. We need to get VdB/Matic on for James and push Pogba out wide. We're pretty open in midfield anyway, might as well try something else.

Some bright spots though, Varane is everything as advertised-aggressive, fast, good long passer. Sancho's passing is precise and quick, Mason still looks sharp and AWB is still a defensive beast. We need someone with courage in the midfield who is unafraid to receive the ball under pressure, turn and pass. I know it isn't as easy as it sounds but we need it to deal with the press. If none of our current players can do it, then something radical has to happen in the next 2 days.

My hope is that Wolves can't keep this up for 90 mins and that'll allow us to create some chances. We need to not concede before that.

 

[Bleu]

James and Varane our best players out there. The only one a threat is James.

 

[tenpoless]

If our midfield is so shit. Maybe play 3 midfielders?
Donny - Fred - Pogba
Bruno
Greenwood - Cavani

Surely it cant be worse than this non existent midfield?

 

[RetroStu]

You would like to think a half like that would mean the checkbook comes out, will it though?.
Imagine having all that attacking and defensive talent, then zero midfield which is the engine room of the team

 

[Godfather]

Pretty poor that. On the plus side I feel Varane and Maguire look a good partnership. Same issues through the middle of the pitch as last week. We've got zero control or aggression in there.

Cavani should come on as he'll be a better outlet that Sancho and Greenwood can play off.

Not sure what the answer is in the middle but we need to shift Pogba over.

Bruno has to play deeper is one thing.

 

[GMoore23]

Keane hit the nail on the head there. We just look like we can go through the motions and that a moment of brilliance will bail us out.
tumescent first half performance.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Matic and VdB instead of Fred and James.

We need some control with players who can atleast pass the ball. Playing Fred and James just means we're going to lose the ball every 60 seconds.

Someone actually wants Matic now

This place is laughable

 

[DavelinaJolie]

Imagine that team with Neves in there passing from deep.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

Funny that we beat invincibles record if we draw or win this match. Better fecking win ffs.

 

[Ranchero]

Why the feck has Pogba been playing deep since his amazing performance against leeds?

Because the coach told him that is where he is to play

 

[Cassidy]

If our midfield is so shit. Maybe play 3 midfielders?
Donny - Fred - Pogba
Bruno
Greenwood - Cavani

Surely it cant be worse than this non existent midfield?

Ole refuses to play 3 in the middle

 

[pocco]

Yet another manager with inferior players making Ole look totally one dimensional.

What an array of talent Ole has at his disposal and yet has no real idea what to do with it.

Like a pensioner driving an F1 car.

 

[MDFC Manager]

Is positivity allowed?

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Can be play in midfield?

 

[christinaa]

Can Neves play with us in the 2nd half?

 

[Matt851]

Ronaldo won't make much difference. We won't be able to get him the ball.

We need a defensive midfielder who can pass from deep and coaching staff who know something about Juego de Posición.

Exactly, at juve a lot of people questioned whether they were a better team without him so i do worry what will happen with our midfield

Despite the limitations of the players i still think the coaches should be able to ensure we are better able to control games

 

[Crimson King]

Was the same against Soton last week.

Also, I know Bruno likes a moan at the ref, but he's going to get booked for it every time now. It's become another weird media agenda pushed by oppo fans.

Like the idea Young was a serial diver, which saw us be denied numerous penalties because apparently that was the referee's 'perception' of him from that point on.

 

[SirAnderson]

Why the feck has Pogba been playing deep since his amazing performance against leeds?

Seems United's Twitter's Team news was pretty accurate.

 

[SB16]

In amongst all the dross served up in the first half, I must say that, a couple of errant passes aside, Varane has been very good defensively.

 

[JPB]

Yes, Matic. Given how we are being overrun in midfield and looking at our other options on the bench, I can't see any better options. I agree that he's past it and pathetic, but how would you solidify our midfield? VdB, Mata or Lindelof?

Take James off and bring VDB on. Put him next to fred and move Pogba to left wing and Sancho to the right. But not Matic in this game. No way.

 

[Reapersoul20]

Ole needs to sort himself out soon, make Fernandes play as an advanced, roaming trequartista, bring in Lindelof as a regista and just get them all to play one-twos, Greenwood can finish off with a reverse panenka rabona. Its fecking simple.

OLE OUT.

 

[Dobba]

Can't it be both?

Na, if this unnamed new manager also needed the club to sign him a DM it'd be proof he was clearly crap and out of his depth.

 

[PoTMS]

Another Ole masterclass, honestly when are the board going to wake up and smell what he's shoveling?

Straight off the bat of a fresh 3 year contract. I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Maluco]

Keane is right though. Yeah our set up is shite with no balance and structure, but that doesn’t mean players should continually misplace passes and look lethargic. Everyone and everything is to blame. Which has the bigger impact is what it is, but it’s just been poor all around.

But they misplace passes because there are no options. It’s the coaching and the lack of direction on what positions they should be taking up when we have the ball. Nothing on, so they have to try something riskier.

These are coaching problems, players need to be coached to produce fluid football. These problems are not going away with this manager.

 

[SoCross]

VDB and Fred in the middle and Pogba on the left might be better.

 

[SirScholes]

Ole is why we won’t win anything

sancho right
Pogba left
Greenwood cf

surely it’s not difficult to see this, Im not a lingard fan but he’s twice the player Dan James is, atleast play him over that kick and run merchant

 

[48 hours]

No changes

 

[caid]

We're lucky Traore has the same end product as Dan James. If he could finish we'd be in serious trouble.

+1 he's a good player but he probably needs to just pass it off to someone else when he gets in the final third to get any use of. Nowhere near as terrifying as he initially looks.

 

[Judas]

We really did look an unorganised mess that first half

Too often the case for my liking. It's tiring.

Still fancy us to win though, but its often despite some glaring issues.

 

[Chip]

Why the feck has Pogba been playing deep since his amazing performance against leeds?

Because McSauce has had surgery, Matic is past it, and Ole doesn't see VdB as a viable option for whatever reason. No more CM options.

 

[Knightmare7]

So much stupidity in this thread. You should all be embarrassed to show your faces here. 45 minutes and we have to hear the Ole out whiners, the people saying Sancho is bad, people complaining about Pogba again, and the usually moaning about Bruno. The Infinity Gauntlet of stupidity yet again

 

[christinaa]

Wot no changes?

 

[Prodigy24]

And once again, NO CHANGES! It's just incredible from Ole really. He's going to waste another 15-20 by watching the same performance from the first half and then probably throw Lingard or Matic on for James. So annoying.

 

[2 man midfield]

Keane

 

[Inigo Montoya]

James and Varane our best players out there. The only one a threat is James.

James is a threat to whom though