Best XI now?

Bestietom

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----------------De Gea---------------

AWB-----------Varane-----------Maguire
--------------------McTominay--------------

Sancho----------Pogba--------Bruno-------Shaw

-----------------Greenwood--------------Ronaldo
 

Daengophile

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Whatever the formation, I sometimes feel that withholding 20% of the salary should be down to keeping a clean sheet and another 20% to scoring more than once
 

Swarup

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----------------De Gea---------------

AWB-----------Varane-----------Maguire
--------------------McTominay--------------

Sancho----------Pogba--------Bruno-------Shaw

-----------------Greenwood--------------Ronaldo
This is disaster waiting to happen.

Always remember in a 3 man defence all 3 are predominantly Central Defenders. Solid no nonsense defenders. You cant have AWB there.

Plus 3 man defence is almost always accompanied by 2 more full backs. Shaw on left is ok but Sancho on right? Nope.
 

bobglory

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hi i was here years ago but banned my self from forums because i tend to log in at 4 am on a saturday night drunk and talk crap but i need to vent on ronaldo .
i think he will be the undoing of us this season and wreck everything that ole has built in the last couple of years . last season we improved so much and even though mcfred is wack and we all can see it im sure with cavani grafting up top like a warrior and the pace we have either side and bruno , pogba behind we looked close to a top team and now we have sancho and verane too . i guess my point is that ronaldo walking about up top has broken what we were becoming and set us back to a team with no idea how we should play .
at our best last season we grafted and played with pace and power and closing down or we worked hard against the better teams and used the pace up top to hurt them and i don't seE where ronny fits into that tbh . it has changed our whole style and i love ronny like we all do but i have a bad feeling it will be the undoing of ole .
any way peace my red brothers and sisters , black ,white ,brown, purple its one of the great things about football we are all family and suffer together and we party together UNITED
 

bobglory

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hi i was here years ago but banned my self from forums because i tend to log in at 4 am on a saturday night drunk and talk crap but i need to vent on ronaldo .
i think he will be the undoing of us this season and wreck everything that ole has built in the last couple of years . last season we improved so much and even though mcfred is wack and we all can see it im sure with cavani grafting up top like a warrior and the pace we have either side and bruno , pogba behind we looked close to a top team and now we have sancho and verane too . i guess my point is that ronaldo walking about up top has broken what we were becoming and set us back to a team with no idea how we should play .
at our best last season we grafted and played with pace and power and closing down or we worked hard against the better teams and used the pace up top to hurt them and i don't seE where ronny fits into that tbh . it has changed our whole style and i love ronny like we all do but i have a bad feeling it will be the undoing of ole .
any way peace my red brothers and sisters , black ,white ,brown, purple its one of the great things about football we are all family and suffer together and we party together UNITED
sorry a bit cringe at the end there but the glaziers just agreed to pay for the dry cleaning of the vomit off your 1975 admiral united shirt .
 

L1nk

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Any team with McTominay in it automatically invalidates it from being our Best XI, by the way.
 

estel_manutd

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De Gea
Wan-Bissaka - Varane - Maguire - Shaw
Pogba - Matic - Fred
Sancho - Ronaldo - Rashford

I'd drop Bruno to the bench unless Ole can rein him in. He plays like a false 9 and destroys the team's balance IMO.
If Ole is to survive the next few games, he *has to* drop Bruno.
 

VidaRed

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----------------------------------------DDG-------------------------------------------
-------AWB-----------Varane------------Maguire--------------Shaw------
---Sancho------------Bruno--------------Matic---------------Rashford--
----------------------Greenwood----------Cavani------------------------------
 

buckooo1978

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----------------------------------------DDG-------------------------------------------
-------AWB-----------Varane------------Maguire--------------Shaw------
---Sancho------------Bruno--------------Matic---------------Rashford--
----------------------Greenwood----------Cavani------------------------------
an interesting formation overloading on the right
 

buckooo1978

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not our strongest on paper but would be interesting to see - would take some coaching and instruction on those central midfielders

--------------------------DDG----------------------
----Lindelof------Varane---Maguire----
AWB------Bruno----Pogba-------Shaw
----Sancho----Ronaldo----Rashford--
 

buckooo1978

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Well you could stick greenwood on the right and play donny instead of sancho in the middle with cavani alone upfront.
no mate I like the team...

it's just in my browser AWB, Shaw, Rashford and sancho are all on the right with too many hyphens
 

RedIan

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hi i was here years ago but banned my self from forums because i tend to log in at 4 am on a saturday night drunk and talk crap but i need to vent on ronaldo .
i think he will be the undoing of us this season and wreck everything that ole has built in the last couple of years . last season we improved so much and even though mcfred is wack and we all can see it im sure with cavani grafting up top like a warrior and the pace we have either side and bruno , pogba behind we looked close to a top team and now we have sancho and verane too . i guess my point is that ronaldo walking about up top has broken what we were becoming and set us back to a team with no idea how we should play .
at our best last season we grafted and played with pace and power and closing down or we worked hard against the better teams and used the pace up top to hurt them and i don't seE where ronny fits into that tbh . it has changed our whole style and i love ronny like we all do but i have a bad feeling it will be the undoing of ole .
any way peace my red brothers and sisters , black ,white ,brown, purple its one of the great things about football we are all family and suffer together and we party together UNITED
I think your right.
 

tomaldinho1

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Well you could stick greenwood on the right and play donny instead of sancho in the middle with cavani alone upfront.
Rashford-Greenwood-Sancho

This is our best front three, especially when we play as direct as we do. I think everyone can see it.
 

Bobski

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We have to sacrifice some of the non working attackers and be more pragmatic about the front players. I would be dropping Ronaldo but Ole won't have the balls for it, so

Rashford-Ronaldo-Lingard

Fred-Matic-Bruno

Matic sitting, Fred and Bruno pressing with Bruno encouraged to play a little deeper

If Ronaldo is "rested" then Cavani up top, and Greenwood right, we can't carry 3-4 players who don't work and/or have no positional discipline.
 

hobbers

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----------------- De Gea ------------------
Lindelof Varane Maguire Shaw
------------- McT -- Fred ---------------
Bruno ---------------------- Rashford
--------- Cavani -- Ronaldo ----------

Probably replace McTominay for Greenwood and play Bruno deeper against the shit sides.
 

Lee565

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‐-------------‐-----greenwood
-----------------------sancho
--shaw---vdb--matic-mejbri---lingard
-----‐--------maguire--varane--lindelof
--------------------------ddg
 

Schmeichel=God

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I'd be trying this. As always expecting a barrage of unyielding criticism.


/ to specify the main area I'd want to try players. Where there are none it's obvious, i.e where Telles gets his games etc.


This tactic is bearing in mind the current situation where we need better midfield control, better defensive stoutness from both open play and set pieces, better usage of underperforming players who are also unbalanced as a unit. And so here are my observations/reasonings:

- Neither of Pogba or Bruno deserve undroppable status, and both are really vying for the same spot in a balanced Man Utd team.
- McTominay and Matic should not be in more advanced midfield situations and likewise Fred and de Beek as diminutive easily shrugged off players should not be playing DM (imo) where turnover of possession is high risk.
- Pogba playing LCM encourages him to dally on the ball and so I'd want him on the right side.
- Bailly gives me G Neville aggression vibes, but too wild to be a long term CB. Therefore as a more aggressive RB (despite AWB's better tackling prowess) and one with CB positional knowledge I'd want to give Eric a chance over there. Where AWB often gets caught out positionally on back post crosses, Eric should have more nouse. I also feel he has a little more in his locker than AWB does with confidence on the ball in tight spots. We lose AWB's occasional outstanding cross for Eric's "welcome to my area of the pitch bitch" mentality; and possibly the assymetrical cover for Shaw's advances.
- Ronaldo would be instructed to be a false nine target. Make it goddamn stick. Diagonal runs either side of him with his arriving in the box later, using his positional sense to find space for a shot. Overall more impact on the game, defined role other than stay central hoping people get good crosses in.
- Sancho on the right to naturally be on his right foot to encourage earlier more clinical passing to unlock his assists once more. Rashford on the left as we know he's better there.
- So a diamond shape where the ball can either go into Ronaldo/Cavani who can spread it or simply one touch in and out back to where it came from, where alternatively Pogba/Bruno have the range to through ball it to either wide forward; wf's who to be honest I want timing their runs and living more in between FB and CB than in winger positions.

Overall offers options in build up i.e direct to Rashford/Sancho/Ronaldo, or more considered through the diamond/FB's accordingly. It encourages movement of players and the ball in general due to options.


TLDR Ronaldo must drop back, cannot become isolated/wait for service. Pogba/Bruno should share a spot due to poor form, need to for balance anyway. Use players in positions where their physical profile suits it.
 

Joseunited

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‐-------------‐-----greenwood
-----------------------sancho
--shaw---vdb--matic-mejbri---lingard
-----‐--------maguire--varane--lindelof
--------------------------ddg
Yeah let's turn to Hannibal in a crisis.
 

estel_manutd

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yep he's clearly the problem :rolleyes:
I am afraid quoting statistics without context he not very helpful. Yes, he is a very productive player in terms of chance creation, but what's the denominator? How many times does he lose the ball?

If we are to have a balanced team we need to play we a three-man central midfield. I don't think Bruno can play in central midfield against half-decent opposition. A Pogba-Matic-Fred midfield will suit us better in the next 6-7 games IMO.

Unless we have a manager like Pep who can instill a style of play that focuses on short passes and movement, we can't play Bruno in central midfield. Look at Liverpool - they often play with Henderson-Fabi-Thiago in central midfield.
 

CM10

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de Gea
Wan-Bissaka Varane Maguire Shaw
midfield
Greenwood Fernandes Rashford
Cavani
I think the team pretty much picks itself if everyone is available, barring the two midfield spots, which I imagine will rotate depending on the game.

Ronaldo won't get dropped, but he is harmful to the balance of this team. If he starts you've got to sacrifice one or both of Greenwood and Rashford for runners, and I don't think his performances have been close to good enough to justify that.
 

Canagel

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yep he's clearly the problem :rolleyes:
Chances created is a fugazi stat. It doesn't mean anything. Set pieces are registered as chances created by these accounts. And even a sideays pass if the player shoots on goal is registered as a chance created.

All of these stats without context are misleading and false. He didn't create anything. Nobody did
 

charlenefan

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Chances created is a fugazi stat. It doesn't mean anything. Set pieces are registered as chances created by these accounts. And even a sideays pass if the player shoots on goal is registered as a chance created.

All of these stats without context are misleading and false. He didn't create anything. Nobody did
Whatever you think about the stat about yesterdays game key passes over the entire season isn't something to be ignored which is precisely what you're doing by focusing on the one referring to yesterday's game
 

charlenefan

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de Gea
Wan-Bissaka Varane Maguire Shaw
midfield
Greenwood Fernandes Rashford
Cavani
I think the team pretty much picks itself if everyone is available, barring the two midfield spots, which I imagine will rotate depending on the game.

Ronaldo won't get dropped, but he is harmful to the balance of this team. If he starts you've got to sacrifice one or both of Greenwood and Rashford for runners, and I don't think his performances have been close to good enough to justify that.
I agree with this, maybe Sancho for Greenwood based on the damning pressing stats against Greenwood but then as others have said Greenwood is producing is other aspects

As you say though Ronaldo won't/can't get dropped so it becomes a case of trying to find the best way of accommodating him, to me that means something like this

-----------------De Gea-----------------
AWB--Varane--Maguire--Shaw
---McTominay---Fred---
Lingard----Fernandes----Rashford
-----------------Ronaldo-----------------

or maybe


-----------------De Gea-----------------
AWB--Varane--Maguire--Shaw
---McTominay---Fred---
Rashford--Fernandes--Cavani
-----------------Ronaldo-----------------

(not sure what side Cavani would work best from left or right, hopefully right as I hate Rashford playing out there)

Either way the team you picked is actually the better option but 'politics'
 

CM10

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I agree with this, maybe Sancho for Greenwood based on the damning pressing stats against Greenwood but then as others have said Greenwood is producing is other aspects

As you say though Ronaldo won't/can't get dropped so it becomes a case of trying to find the best way of accommodating him, to me that means something like this

-----------------De Gea-----------------
AWB--Varane--Maguire--Shaw
---McTominay---Fred---
Lingard----Fernandes----Rashford
-----------------Ronaldo-----------------

or maybe


-----------------De Gea-----------------
AWB--Varane--Maguire--Shaw
---McTominay---Fred---
Rashford--Fernandes--Cavani
-----------------Ronaldo-----------------

(not sure what side Cavani would work best from left or right, hopefully right as I hate Rashford playing out there)

Either way the team you picked is actually the better option but 'politics'
Sancho doesn't offer anything more than Greenwood in respects of pressing, his numbers are actually lower.

Cavani used to play on the right for PSG when Ibrahimovic was there, but I don't think he's a fan. If you were choosing 3 hardworking players behind the striker you'd probably go Cavani, Fernandes and Lingard. I don't think that really achieves anything other than massaging the ego of Ronaldo though, Greenwood and Rashford should be playing on merit.
 

Ixion

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Hard to come up with a decent XI with the midfield options we've got. Assuming benching Ronaldo isn't an option we probably need to bench Pogba based on form, and then drop one of Greenwood/Sancho to get an extra midfielder so 3 from Fred/McTominay/Matic/VDB.

DDG
AWB Maguire Varane Shaw
Matic
VDB McTominay/Fred
Bruno
Ronaldo Rashford/Cavani
 

L1nk

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Please explain how it's wrong? If you shopped around McTominay and lets say, DVB for example, who do you think the top clubs will be more interested in because I can guarantee it will not be McTominay, guy has it good here because he's a product of the academy, not because he's a good player.
 

Smores

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DDG
AWB Maguire Varane Shaw
Fred
VDB McTominay
Bruno. Rashford
Ronaldo

That's solid enough in midfield whilst still giving us pace to break and creativity to feed Ronaldo.

In attack it'd probably end up looking like

DDG
Maguire Varane
Fred
AWB VDB. McTominay
Bruno. Shaw
Ronaldo. Rashford
 

charlenefan

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Please explain how it's wrong? If you shopped around McTominay and lets say, DVB for example, who do you think the top clubs will be more interested in because I can guarantee it will not be McTominay, guy has it good here because he's a product of the academy, not because he's a good player.
That all completely irrelevant

Whether you'd buy McTominay or not is a completely separate discussion to whether or not he's our best option
 
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I'd like to see a Lindeloff given a go as a sitting midfielder. He got the legs, will atleast make a tackle and wouldn't chicken out and making a tactical foul.

It might be a bad idea, but I don't see him doing worse than Fred and Pogba.
 

Nytram Shakes

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Henderson
Wan-Bissaka Varane Maguire Shaw
Fred Mctominay
Greenwood Fernandes Pogba
Cavani
  • I picked Henderson as while De Gea is clearly a better shot-stopper the fact Henderson is quicker off his line is quite useful when your central defenders are more on the slow side.​
  • McFred is far from the ideal center midfield pairing, but while neither are proper DM's between them they just about give the back 4 enough cover so other teams do just walk through our midfield.​
  • Greenwood has outperformed Sancho so gets the nod on the right.​
  • Pogba has been most consistent for us on the left, his tendency to go missing from games isn't as much of an issue there. Plus having him up beside Fernandes means its harder for the opposition to completely stop our creativity by just man-marking Bruno.​
  • I picked Cavani over Ronaldo, as while Ronaldo probably just about has the edge on Cavani(though I don't think it is as bigger a gap as it was a few years back) in front of goal, Cavani all-round game especially when we are out of possession really reduces the stress on the midfield and the whole team.​
 

Remember the geese

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It changes daily, but I'm feeling this at the moment.

De Gea, Shaw, Maguire, Varane, Laird, Matic, Van de Beek, Fernandes, Rashford, Greenwood, Sancho.