How do you think we can get the best out of this midfield without a signing until the end of this season
Are we a CDM short of being an elite team?
- Thread starter Bastian
- Start date
I'm not a tactical guru but I presume we would have to change our structure or style of play or both to cover for the midfield deficiency. Pep changed the teams structure when their defense was a problem and it became better with the same set of players. Chelsea solved their leaky defense with the same set of players once they got a new coach who implemented a new style of play and structure
Looks like no DM this window.
Well if Ole thinks this team is good enough without buying a DM then be prepared to lose the majority of battles in CM
Kalvin Phillips anyone?
Never mind the lack of quality, with Donny completely out of favour, Garner out on loan, we simply lack numbers. An injury to McTominay and our most effective player in the first two matches is dropped into midfield where he is more of a problem than a magician.
And Mejbri not getting a look in either. Surely he'll be on the bench soon.
And Mejbri not getting a look in either. Surely he'll be on the bench soon.
Surely it’d be worth seeing if Lindelof, Tuanzebe or Bailly could play the CDM role.
Dropping Pogba back doesn’t work and clearly never will, he’s more effective up front.
Fred is a massive liability in 8/10 matches.
The trouble with playing both Fred and McT is that, if Pogba plays on the left, and Ronaldo as a CF, we only have one place - RW - for Rashford (which isn't his preferable position),Jadon and Greenwood and all of them are suppose to be the key players in the future. So they won't be able to play consistently. Yes, there will be rotating, but it would be much better if we had one proper DM.
This is why we need to sell Pogba and secure a proper CM. Pogba can do a lot of great things, but creating a balanced lineup with him is so damn difficult at times.
Yes please but Leeds won’t sell.
Sir Alex won the league without a midfield. Klopp won it with the likes of milner, Henderson and Wijnaldum. Come on. You don't need a world class midfield you need a manger who knows how to put the pieces together.
Sounds mental but we are just going to have to hope our solid defence & fantastic forward line can get us through this season
I think the most logical course of action for Ole would be to play a double pivot of Fred & VDB until Mctominay is back. Not only VDB would give us more solidity in the middle as opposed to Pogba, and he is mostly a very good passer and very rarely losses it. Plus, It will also allow us to have Pogba back at LW position from where he can drop and help the midfield.
Furthermore, it will also resolve the problem somewhat of lack of options for midfielders as presumably Ronaldo, Bruno & Greenwood/Sancho will keep making attacking runs and not drop back, thus posing us the same issues as we had against Wolves. Lastly Pogba to Ronaldo will be a very obvious move as Ronaldo will make runs and Pogba will find him.
Furthermore, it will also resolve the problem somewhat of lack of options for midfielders as presumably Ronaldo, Bruno & Greenwood/Sancho will keep making attacking runs and not drop back, thus posing us the same issues as we had against Wolves. Lastly Pogba to Ronaldo will be a very obvious move as Ronaldo will make runs and Pogba will find him.
Trouble is you need a decent midfield to put it all together.
I find it hard to believe another window has come and gone ok almost gone and we still don’t have the class midfield we need.
We can see that we need a midfielder its obvious but Ole seems to love Mcfred. We signed a 40m midfielder who hasn't been able to get a sniff and usually Pogba is played out of position to enable the McFred 2 man midfield. If Pogba and Donny can't break the mediocre partnership of those 2 in Ole's mind nobody can.
He picks McFred whenever he can and seems completely fine with it.
He picks McFred whenever he can and seems completely fine with it.
Yeah totally agree with you and it's worrying to say the least
Yep think we are all realising no one can budge him on this situation
After the Wolves game, its pretty much apparent McFred is the best midfield we can put out, which is a big worry. Until Scott is back I think it will have to be Matic and Fred and we will be in danger of dropping points every game.
It's one area of the pitch where we haven't strengthened under Ole yet and it seems we won't until next summer. Solution for this season will probably be playing McTominay and Fred there; Fred and Matić/vdB until McTominay is back. Far from ideal as it basically means you have to play Pogba on the left and can't give Sancho chance at LW until Rashford is back.
Game against Wolves showed how vulnerable we are in midfield so it's very worrying. Is McTominay back in October or something? Hopefully we can cope without him until then, our September fixtures aren't that tricky as those in October and November.
Game against Wolves showed how vulnerable we are in midfield so it's very worrying. Is McTominay back in October or something? Hopefully we can cope without him until then, our September fixtures aren't that tricky as those in October and November.
If nobody comes in tomorrow it will be Mcfred in most games.
Seems like the plan is 6 players defending, 4 attacking. Let's hope this works.
Seems like the plan is 6 players defending, 4 attacking. Let's hope this works.
I'd prefer Carrick
We won't know for sure until Bruno and Saul sign for Bayern.
Pogba should be seen 100% in the forward attacking group, so Ole will have to start benching some big names once Ronaldo arrives, because he can't shoehorn Pogba into a midfield 2.
So it is Fred + another + Bruno.
If Scott is injured then it has to be Matic. Which is very grim and why the like of Neville and Keane are not convinced United can win the League/CL.
Donny is not in Ole's plans rightly or wrongly but we can all ignore him.
So it is Fred + another + Bruno.
If Scott is injured then it has to be Matic. Which is very grim and why the like of Neville and Keane are not convinced United can win the League/CL.
Donny is not in Ole's plans rightly or wrongly but we can all ignore him.
To be fair, McTominay has a cracking shot on him at times. I'd not slot him into one or the other for attack or defence, I'd say he is a balanced player who can (and perhaps more importantly for us, actually DOES) do a bit of both.
I always thought Sander Berge would've been an easy buy. He's caught Covid now, had that injury but fits Oles profile.
Plus hes very powerful moves quick accross the ground and has great feet. Relegated side fellow countryman of Ole's.
Yes the Camavingas and Saul names are great but if we can't nail them an easy one like Berge would be great.
Edit: I think Sander and Pogba could work, Sander is better disciplined than Fred, press resistant and not that you face an Adama everyweek but Adama would have a tough time doing that to Sander.
Plus hes very powerful moves quick accross the ground and has great feet. Relegated side fellow countryman of Ole's.
Yes the Camavingas and Saul names are great but if we can't nail them an easy one like Berge would be great.
Edit: I think Sander and Pogba could work, Sander is better disciplined than Fred, press resistant and not that you face an Adama everyweek but Adama would have a tough time doing that to Sander.
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I don’t think people realise how dire this CM situation really is.
Jones - Fred
Greenwood - Bruno - Pogba
Ronaldo
Greenwood - Bruno - Pogba
Ronaldo
Could this work? Transfermarkt saying Jones has played 38 games in midfield so he has the experience. I remember he was hailed as a modern ball playing defender when we signed him. Obviously that was a decade ago, the game is faster and you get pressed a lot more these days. He has struggled with one or two niggles in recent years so might not be in the greatest physical shape but why not give it a try? He'll hopefully be surplus at CB so why not find an alternative use for him?
I have thought about Jones... He wasn't terrible in midfield but was not a first choice for the spot. Not sure if he'll be back before Scott is vut if so, he's not a bad shout, but he needs gametime outside of the PL first in my opinion. Cup games can't come fast enough.
No, thanks.. Nowhere near good enough there - I'd rather give Lindelof a run out there
feck it, let’s play Jones & Lindelof in the double pivot
It’s like the ultimate answer to Peps/Spanish 6 midfielder bullshit….here at United we play NO midfieldersYou must be joking
What's clear to me is that Pogba's gonna end up in midfield. Whether it's Greenwood, Rashford or Sancho, two of them will be starting with Ronaldo. Bruno is the clear no.10, which leaves Pogba with only one spot.
Pogba has been very influential this season and tbh, he has usually played well under Ole. The issue with him under Ole has been his time missed due to injuries. He's also not the best at defending or being press resistant which is not great. So the only real solution we have is to decide which of the current crop work best with him or to quickly sign a more defensive minded midfielder in the next few days. I don't forsee us using McFred much this season due to this, unless Pogba gets injured.
Pogba has been very influential this season and tbh, he has usually played well under Ole. The issue with him under Ole has been his time missed due to injuries. He's also not the best at defending or being press resistant which is not great. So the only real solution we have is to decide which of the current crop work best with him or to quickly sign a more defensive minded midfielder in the next few days. I don't forsee us using McFred much this season due to this, unless Pogba gets injured.
We could do with finding a Utility type player, in the mould of a John O'Shea, who could cover a variety of positions, which would allow us to rotate the formation and have him plug the weakness. The only problem is that most footballers only seem capable of one position.
We've won things with the 'dognut formation' before. Obviously its not ideal but its probably the area of the pitch thats easiest to compromise on quality.
Only solution I see now, which Ole lacks the tactical acumen to pull off, is to go 3 at the back. Then you can probably just about carry Pogba and McTominay in a midfield 2.
Unfortunately AWB is too shit with the ball to be a wing back so we'd have to get creative there.
I'd be curious to see McTominay and VDB in a midfield two. It'd probably be a disaster but we've never actually seen it.
Unfortunately AWB is too shit with the ball to be a wing back so we'd have to get creative there.
I'd be curious to see McTominay and VDB in a midfield two. It'd probably be a disaster but we've never actually seen it.
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Agreed
It's gotta be 433 but Ole hardly plays the formation.
Bruno and Pogba should be the number 10 and 8 in the formation with one of Fred, McTominay or Matic playing thr Busquets role.
Obviously I'd rather we signed a good CDM over the 3 mentioned.
Rashford Ronaldo Sancho
Pogba Fernandes
Matic
Shaw Maguire Varane AWB
De Gea
Bruno and Pogba should be the number 10 and 8 in the formation with one of Fred, McTominay or Matic playing thr Busquets role.
Obviously I'd rather we signed a good CDM over the 3 mentioned.
Rashford Ronaldo Sancho
Pogba Fernandes
Matic
Shaw Maguire Varane AWB
De Gea
One of the problems, is that as bad a Fred can be sometimes (a liability) he is actually one of the hardest working players in the team; and I feel that can affect a managers decision making when looking at progression possibilities.
agreed