Midfield Next Season

FootyGirl88

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sherrinford said:
Is he really that kind of player though? Is he a holding midfielder? The initial comments here seemed to liken him to Carrick but since then it’s his energy and pressing which have been talked up more.
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FootballHQ said:
That's Shelvey isn't it? From limited stuff I've seen Longstaff is box to box so more Herrera replacement.
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Most of the comments I’ve seen regarding his best position is DLP hence the Carrick comparisons.
 

FootballHQ

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Harry Winks is DLP, decade ago you could just go to Spurs and sign him, how times change.

I admit I haven't seen much of Longstaff but Newcastle would in any case sit deep generally under Benitez so midfield would cover ground more and be restrictive.

I remember he got a bad injury for them so would he even be fit for start of the season?
 

LochGormanAbú

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One thing for sure, Pogba needs to go, and we need to bring in replacements whoever they are before we sell. Otherwise clubs are going to hold us to even more ransom if we have just taken in circa 100m. I'd be very happy with Bruno and I also like Longstaff, think he has real potential, but wouldn't quite consider him 1st team ready for a top 4 club just yet. Need to get these deals or others done quickly now, shocking the seemingly lack of progress.
 

YouOnlyLiveTwice

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Don't we need a new #6? As far as i can tell, Matic is still decent, but over a full season we will need someone to rotate with him.
I don't see Longstaff as that type of player, neither Bruno. Of course, we need more than 1 midfielder this summer, but i feel like DM is the most important position.
 

SteveW

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Are we going to have one? Things are pretty fecking grim if we dont sign at least one.
 

Walters_19_MuFc

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DomesticTadpole said:
It is if you are well coached and believe in what the manager wants you to do. They play as a team, our midfield play like strangers.
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I agree, and I hope Ole has a similar effect on the players, but we have yet to see the two potential midfields I posted.

Hard work beats talent every day of the week. Its why when we come up against the lower teams who work their arses off, we struggle.
 
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Drz

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I would really like the opinion of someone who watches la liga on G. Lo Celso from R. Betis. Never watched an entire game of his, and there is only so much you can tell from youtube highlights and stats from whoscored. His range of passing would be a welcome addition to our midfield but no idea if he can handle the intensity of Premier Leaguer football.
 

Nou_Camp99

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Leicester, Wolves and Everton have better midfields than us as things stand. If we don't sign at least 2 midfielders (assuming Pogba will get his move) then we can forget CL football again. We might not even make EL this time.

However I don't think it would be the worst thing for us long term as I think that could spark a sale of the club. There will be ugly scenes at OT next season is my fear. Fans have had enough now.

Can you imagine how Madrid fans would have been taking this slump. They'd have killed Woodward by now. Hahaha
 

Stubble

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If we don't properly replace Herrera it will be an absolute joke. Decent midfield options have been light for a while as evidenced by the total over-reliance on Pogba and previously bloody Fellaini ! If Pogba goes 2 is the absolute minimum. Pereira and MC T are squad level only at the moment, Matic can't take the pace over a season (if at all!) and Fred is still unproven. We surely can't go in to next season with only those options can we ? That would be a whole new level of ineptitude by the club. I think this is even more pressing than the CB issue as at least we have Tuanzebe as an option there. If it is only two more signings and we are chasing CBs and a striker over this then the club have gone completely mad.
 
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reddevil80

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Walters_19_MuFc said:
Bruno
Matic Fred

Mata
Longstaff McTominay
​
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Top group make feel nauseous, I hope to god we never see Fred again, Matic could work with Bruno if he came to us, however. I have always liked Mata but his time is up imo, Mctominay and Longstaff would be too inexperienced. Bruno, Pogba, Longstaff and Mctominay will be our midfield next season and if we introduce Fred, we are goosed. Matic and Mata are reliable, experienced back up midfielders but not starters in my eyes.
 
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FootballHQ

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Drz said:
I would really like the opinion of someone who watches la liga on G. Lo Celso from R. Betis. Never watched an entire game of his, and there is only so much you can tell from youtube highlights and stats from whoscored. His range of passing would be a welcome addition to our midfield but no idea if he can handle the intensity of Premier Leaguer football.
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Easily good enough for top level premier league. And Man. United.

Seriously think he'd be a very good signing for Man. United. He can play deep but also decent in the final third as his excellent stats playing for Betis show.

If you have another 50m to spend in that area he'd be much better pick up than Fred has been.
 

VP89

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FootballHQ said:
Who's scored more than 5 goals a season from those?
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These sorts of posts really annoy me, Im sorry.

Midfielders aren't only there to directly score and assist. I recall posters of the great United side of 2008 where it had Hargreaves, Park and Fletcher with a header "the engine room". The front 3 were then players that netted most our goals.

Look at Liverpool last season. Milner, Wjinaldum, Keita etc. all have < 5 league goals. Midfield is not just about directly having goals and assists. There's a lot more to it and in certain systems they act as a great support cast for the free flowing front 3 to do their thing.
 

FootballHQ

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VP89 said:
These sorts of posts really annoy me, Im sorry.

Midfielders aren't only there to directly score and assist. I recall posters of the great United side of 2008 where it had Hargreaves, Park and Fletcher with a header "the engine room". The front 3 were then players that netted most our goals.

Look at Liverpool last season. Milner, Wjinaldum, Keita etc. all have < 5 league goals. Midfield is not just about directly having goals and assists. There's a lot more to it and in certain systems they act as a great support cast for the free flowing front 3 to do their thing.
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Wjinaldum can score two v Barca in quick time. I accept your point but Matic- McTominey-Fred midfield just feels very average to me and not at all good in either area really. Matic was at his peak very good DM but he was really feeling the pace towards end of the season, see his efforts trying to keep up with Everton in the 4-0 game.

Not for a second though do I think Man. United will be lining up with two of those as starters in August.
 

VP89

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FootballHQ said:
Wjinaldum can score two v Barca in quick time. I accept your point but Matic- McTominey-Fred midfield just feels very average to me and not at all good in either area really. Matic was at his peak very good DM but he was really feeling the pace towards end of the season, see his efforts trying to keep up with Everton in the 4-0 game.

Not for a second though do I think Man. United will be lining up with two of those as starters in August.
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It doesn't matter who can score what in a given game, because the team would be set up in a manner where each player best serves the overall unit rather than just looking at goals and assists.

The other midfielders we are linked with are capable of better serving the overall unit that Ole is looking to implement.
 

manuchamp88

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sherrinford said:
Is he really that kind of player though? Is he a holding midfielder? The initial comments here seemed to liken him to Carrick but since then it’s his energy and pressing which have been talked up more.
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I don't get it at all. He's played what? 8-12 games? Carrick had played several seasons for West Ham and Spurs when we got him. Other than they're both Geordies, it's a massive stretch to begin with the comparisons. At the moment, he's just a BTEC Geordie McSauce as far as I'm concerned. We don't need him, we need proven quality, otherwise just play McTominay.
 

Bwuk

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We have dreadful midfield options.

I'd switch to 4-2-3-1 - we barely have good enough midfielders to play a 3, so why bother?
 

Walters_19_MuFc

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Un4givableB said:
Keep telling yourself that.
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In midfield. If we have a hardworking midfield base, who are supplying the more talented players then we should be fine.

I look at Liverpool's midfield and it doesn't scream world class to me. What they do have; however, is the engines in the middle of the park, who supply their front three and full backs.

McTominay and Fred aren't world class, but the two did a fantastic job against PSG's midfield.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

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Bwuk said:
We have dreadful midfield options.

I'd switch to 4-2-3-1 - we barely have good enough midfielders to play a 3, so why bother?
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It probably will be as it stands, with Mata at 10 in the 3 and Matic and McTominay in the pivot.
 

welshwingwizard

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Walters_19_MuFc said:
Henderson Fabinho Wijaldum. Is that top 2 worthy or CL worthy?
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You can do that if you have attacking full backs and top class wingers/wide forwards who can score. Then the solid workman midfield becomes a tactic to allow the others more license.

Look what we have...
 

Walters_19_MuFc

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FootballHQ said:
Who's scored more than 5 goals a season from those?
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Which one of Liverpool's midfielders scored 5 goals in the league last season?

To me, it all depends on how we set up and the role we want our midfielders to play.

I look at the options we have and think, well if they're not creative or goalscoring midifelders, get them to do the dirty work and focus on creating a formidable attack to make up for it.

I think this is why I'm quite disappointed Ole hasn't gone in for a world class RW.

A front three of say Martial, Rashford and Pepe/Sancho may have meant that, although not great in the middle, the attack may possibly outscore most teams.
 

L1nk

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If Pogba goes i'd genuinely say we'd need to sign 3 midfielders, 2 starters at least.

Weigl is apparently available for 25mill, i'd take that as a start.

Then i'd look at some others, maybe not totally mainstream like SMS, although he has to be looked at if Pogba goes. But maybe Piotr Zielinski of Napoli or Nicolo Zaniolo of Roma.

Unfortunately we've missed out on Ndombele and Tielemens because of course we have...
 

ovoxo

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Jacob said:
Fred-----Longstaff
Bruno
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I think it’ll be this too.

I think we’ll get someone in for Fred next summer. Maybe a Fabian Ruiz or Auoar. Provided we get CL of course.
 

sherrinford

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manuchamp88 said:
I don't get it at all. He's played what? 8-12 games? Carrick had played several seasons for West Ham and Spurs when we got him. Other than they're both Geordies, it's a massive stretch to begin with the comparisons. At the moment, he's just a BTEC Geordie McSauce as far as I'm concerned. We don't need him, we need proven quality, otherwise just play McTominay.
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We don’t need proven quality, just quality. It doesn’t matter if he’s only played nine games in the Premier League, if he’s good enough he’s good enough. I haven’t seen him so I can’t attest to his quality but that works both ways - to say he’s not good enough because he’s only played for the Newcastle first team a handful of times is decidedly wrong.

Bwuk said:
We have dreadful midfield options.

I'd switch to 4-2-3-1 - we barely have good enough midfielders to play a 3, so why bother?
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Is there a difference? Are the potential no.10s in our squad better than the no.8s and no.6s? And they’re really all midfielders and it could be called a midfield three in both formations...
 

manuchamp88

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sherrinford said:
We don’t need proven quality, just quality. It doesn’t matter if he’s only played nine games in the Premier League, if he’s good enough he’s good enough. I haven’t seen him so I can’t attest to his quality but that works both ways - to say he’s not good enough because he’s only played for the Newcastle first team a handful of times is decidedly wrong.
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So you're telling me that 9 games is enough to assess a young, raw player to be good enough to be in the first team for Manchester United at a time when we're desperate for quality, stability and to get back into top 4? We can't afford mistakes and we can't afford a team of Brexit youngsters - there needs to be a balance of youth and experience. I just can't see how Longstaff is the answer to our midfield problems. Clearly Ole thinks McTominay is good enough at DM - buying Longstaff won't do Scott's development any good if Ole truly does believe in him. Hence, a more experience would be a better buy so Scott can learn from him and hopefully take over in the future.
 
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