Fred/McT-Pogba
This midfield doesnt fail because of defensive ability. This midfield fails because its not press resistant. Our midfield lacks two things : someone with good positional sense, someone with great passing ability to control the game. Fred/McT are box to box ball winners, and Pogba is an AM roleplaying as a DLP. Matic is that player, but he's old.
Teams press Pogba, and leave McT/Fred free, knowing they cant harm them with the ball. Newcastle tried doing this too, that's why Matic played so well. And that's why Matic is a great partner for Pogba, he just doesnt have legs anymore.
And that's why Rice wouldnt be a good partner for Pogba, like many think he would be. Rice is a great ball winner, but the problem with our midfield is not ball winning, or shielding our back 4. If we want a partner for Pogba, we need someone like Matic but with legs. A good passer. Ideally we would not have Pogba at CM though, and we should look for a partner for Mct/Fred, who should also not be Rice. Someone like Carrick, who has good positional ability and passing, would be perfect tbh. If Rice can add some passing ability to his game, he would be a great fit for us.