So what happens with our backline once Maguire is back in the mix?

Lewnited

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Honestly, I just think Maguire and Lindelof are interchangable - there's really nothing between them. They're both good enough defenders with pretty big flaws in their game, personally I just don't think they compliment eachother very well.

They will and have had good games on the pitch together, but I think long term we need to be looking for a solid partnership between either of them and a mobile and aggressive centreback. That can be Tuanzebe, but he'll need to prove he can be relied upon for an extended period of time first.

I will say though while I don't think there's much between them, I think Maguire's inability to cope with being exposed will pose a bigger issue as we move forward as a team and start to assert ourselves in matches with a higher line, but I don't think that's a problem for this year.
 

Deery

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It's not a no-reply option at all, I just fail to see how anyone could have properly watched our games last season and decided Maguire was the weak link defensively - and then to have the audacity to claim I haven't watch him over the season is just comical. The difference he made to the defence was honestly night and day compared with the season before, your "out of position" comment is ridiculous as positionally he is so far ahead of Lindelof, Bailly etc - he has to be because he's not quick so makes up for it. From the first minute against Chelsea last season he was the one talking & organising the other defenders, anyone in the stadium could see he was going to be the obvious choice as captain as the season went on as the rest of our defenders are practically mutes. I don't even dislike Lindelof, he's a good defender and will go to a good club I imagine but as a pairing they just aren't going to work long-term & he's the one who has to drop out because Maguire is way too important to us back there.

I've long thought the best partner for him at the club potentially is Tuanzebe & maybe we'll see that in the coming weeks/months.
Maguire will not be dropped because he is worth £80m and English.

But, looking at the Tuanzebe and Lindelof pairing last night I wouldn’t break them up.

Don’t hate Maguire if anything I want him to succeed, still doesn’t mean I can’t see flaws in him.
 

poleglass red

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either of our slow defenders in Lindelof and Maguire were always going to benefit from playing in a central defence partnership with someone with pace. Lindelof did well I thought, I'd still be prone to playing Maguire ahead of him, but he could feel very hard done by if Ole drops him for next game. I feel we should reward good performances like that, in fact I'd keep that exact same team with maybe Martial dropping out for Greenwood, not sure if Cavani is fit to start a game yet.
 

KiD MoYeS

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Bailly out for a month, he cannot stay fit. Axel needs to prove he can stay fit too. Maguire will be fine.
 

glazed

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Maguire will not be dropped because he is worth £80m and English.
Tuanzebe is also English. And will be worth way more than that if he plays regularly like he did last night.
 

Adamsk7

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Just like AWB recaptured his form, so will Maguire. He’s a very important player for us - we don’t have a defender with his arial ability which is probably top 10 in world football. He’s also capable of some truly great passing, which our other defenders are not. He needs a player like Axel to partner him, as does Lindelof. With Tuanzebe beside him, we’ll finally see the Maguire of Leicester and England that carries the ball forward and runs in to the opposition half because he will have quality, fast and physical cover. I almost forgot he used to do that prior to coming here.
 

JB7

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Maguire will not be dropped because he is worth £80m and English.

But, looking at the Tuanzebe and Lindelof pairing last night I wouldn’t break them up.

Don’t hate Maguire if anything I want him to succeed, still doesn’t mean I can’t see flaws in him.
He won't be dropped because he's our best defender, the price tag & nationality count for very little. Probably the two most important reasons he won't be dropped are his aerial dominance which is vital in Premier League games as opposed to last night where PSG had next to nothing aerially all game & the fact he's the only one in our back 6-7 other than McTominay that talks to the other players & organises us. He definitely has his flaws but his positives far outweigh them.
 

youngrell

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Axel will be in a world of pain after last night’s effort. I think he’ll be on the bench on Saturday if Maguire is fit.

I do expect Maguire + Tuanzebe to be a solid partnership in time, though. Ole was about to go for this last season prior to Axel getting one of his many injuries.
 

yamo123x

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People getting carried away with all this.... it baffles me.

Maguire is our captain, and when fit will start and rightly start, whether that be in a 2 or 3.

A few bad games and he is written off by a large majority of the cafe...and all of a sudden Lindelof, is the man again . Axel has promise, but he has had promise for the last 6 years, but has had repeated injury problems.... yet now he is the main man, its all way over the top. I understand the sheer delight at last night's performance but come on let's not get ahead of ourselves.


Maguire was excellent in his last game against Newcastle, was consistently good last season..he's had a few issues , and none of us will truly know what happened in Greece, but he remains a key player for us.. we should be supporting him not lambasting him. Would like to see him centrally with Axel and Lindelof/Shaw.
 

manunited1919

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Maguire is the captain, he is English, and we paid top money for him, so he will come back as soon as he is fit. But at least now there is competition for his place. No more marking no-mans land or he will get dropped.

Tuanzebe played a great game last night, but the big question with him is to see if he can stay fit. However, he made it abundantly clear we need pace at the back, in a defender who can also play ball.
 

oses14

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Maguire scores quite a few goals and is very good with his feet. Yes he's clumsy when unfit but anyone suggesting we drop him is crazy....
Dropping him would never make sense especially after we paid 80 million € for him but I wouldn’t mind to see Tuanzebe and Maguire for a little bit. The fact that Maguire is better in the air compared to Lindelöf and Tuanzebe makes sense to have Maguire and then the pace of Tuanzebe but don’t run him every week ease him into it first if I were Ole
 

Revan

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Taunzebe is the partner Maguire has been crying out for, pace to burn and cover for him as he pushes the line up.
Tuanzebe is still a bit raw and needs a bit of guidance, which Maguire doesn’t really give.

It should be Lindelof + Tuanzebe and see if it works out. Just cause we were fools to spend 80m in Maguire, we do not need to play him unless it is on merit.
 

Pexbo

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Tuanzebe is still a bit raw and needs a bit of guidance, which Maguire doesn’t really give.

It should be Lindelof + Tuanzebe and see if it works out. Just cause we were fools to spend 80m in Maguire, we do not need to play him unless it is on merit.
Huge recency bias there. Maguire is had been miles better than Lindelof over his time here, we’re talking the last few weeks where his head is struggling. Against Newcastle Maguire was very good.
 

Kopral Jono

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It should be and hopefully will be Maguire and Tuanzebe.
Yes. I'm no fan of Maguire (I still don't get why we got rid of Smalling) but ultimately he's a better defender than Bailly and Lindelof, both of whom I don't rate much especially the latter. Maguire also offers more in the opposition box on set pieces than either Bailly or Lindelof.
 

Revan

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Huge recency bias there. Maguire is had been miles better than Lindelof over his time here, we’re talking the last few weeks where his head is struggling. Against Newcastle Maguire was very good.
Totally disagree. At least since the last season restarted Lindelof has been the better of two.
 

Andycoleno9

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Totally disagree. At least since the last season restarted Lindelof has been the better of two.
Yep. Lindelof and Maguire is not contest for me. Maguire will be back in first 11 only because of his price tag and because he is captain (bloody hell, i don't know what decision was worse; to pay 80 mil for him or to made him as captain).

This backline against PSG was perfect and you should not change what was perfect.
 

Pexbo

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Totally disagree. At least since the last season restarted Lindelof has been the better of two.
I’ve been a big Lindelof supporter since he joined but last season, particularly after the restart, he was responsible for some real schoolboy errors that cost us goals. Too often he lost his man and we paid for it.
 

KcB32

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I'm sure it'll never happen, but I'd love to see Bailly and Tuanzebe paired together. We could play very well out the back since they're both good with the ball at their feet, and we could play a high line without worrying about the ball over the top. We'd probably have the fastest overall team in the league with those 2 in the back.
 

mancave bear

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Some people concluding after one match that Lindelof should be ahead of Maguire? If they had cost the same amount and Maguire wasn't captain, I suspect almost everyone could see he's a much better defender than Lindelof.
Or you could say that people think that Maguire is better just because he is the PL most expensive defender, and is our captain : )

I think Maguire would have ruined our game against PSG. He is to slow.

But we are lucky if we now have 3 different defenders, who can play every week, that complement each other.
 
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Andycoleno9

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Some people concluding after one match that Lindelof should be ahead of Maguire? If they had cost the same amount and Maguire wasn't captain, I suspect almost everyone could see he's a much better defender than Lindelof.

Hopefully Tuanzebe will be afforded the chance to build his fitness nice and steady. Fingers crossed he stays fit and can partner Maguire for the most part.
If they had cost the same amount and Maguire wasn't captain, i suspect almost everyone would want Maguire on the bench. And i am 100% sure that Ole would do it. In these terms he is nailed starter and i guess that Lindelof will lose position to Tuanzebe sooner or later
 

Bilbo

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People getting carried away with all this.... it baffles me.

Maguire is our captain, and when fit will start and rightly start, whether that be in a 2 or 3.

A few bad games and he is written off by a large majority of the cafe...and all of a sudden Lindelof, is the man again . Axel has promise, but he has had promise for the last 6 years, but has had repeated injury problems.... yet now he is the main man, its all way over the top. I understand the sheer delight at last night's performance but come on let's not get ahead of ourselves.


Maguire was excellent in his last game against Newcastle, was consistently good last season..he's had a few issues , and none of us will truly know what happened in Greece, but he remains a key player for us.. we should be supporting him not lambasting him. Would like to see him centrally with Axel and Lindelof/Shaw.
Agree with every word. I had Maguire as my POTY last season and stand by it
 

Bastian

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If they had cost the same amount and Maguire wasn't captain, i suspect almost everyone would want Maguire on the bench. And i am 100% sure that Ole would do it. In these terms he is nailed starter and i guess that Lindelof will lose position to Tuanzebe sooner or later
I don't doubt you believe that, but do you honestly believe most people believe that?
 

Okey

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Easy folks. Tuanzebe has had one great game. Yes we know he has the talent to be the CB we've been longing for but it's one game for now, let's give him time to earn his place. Maguire's body of work for us is a season long. Every single minute of it last season. Over that time, he did a very good job generally. Let's not get distracted by his current form. He'll get back to his best. Tuanzebe may just be the perfect partner for him. Lindelof just isn't a good enough CB for United. His body of work bears this out. Maguire's price tag is not his doing, and it's unfair to bring that into every debate about him.
 

SadlerMUFC

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This agenda against Maguire really needs to stop. our own supporters are going to be guilty of chasing our best defender out of our team. And yes, he is our best defender. This isn't an opinion, it's a fact. And it isn't even close. He is more like VVD than Lindeloff. The stats don't lie. Did he start poorly this year? Yes he did. Did the rest of our defense start poorly as well? Yes they did. But Maguire some how takes all the blame. You don't improve a team by getting rid of your best players. And Maguire is in fact our best defender. VVD started poorly this year too. Can you imagine Liverpool fans asking for him to be dropped? You guys all need to give your head a massive shake...

------------------Tckl----Blk---Int--Clr---HdClr----Rec---DW---DL---50/50---ABW---ABL
Maguire-------37------6-----72---157---94-------237--240--128---8---------176-----71
Virgil VD-----23------5------40--162----83------220----239--81----3---------191------60
Lindeloff----29------1------26---122---58------215----135--78----4----------96-------50

Legend: Tckl=Tackles, Blk=Blocks, Int=Interceptions, Clr=Clearances, HdClr=Headed Clearances, Rec=Recoveries, DW=Duals Won, DL=Duals Lost, ABW=Arial Battles Won, ABL=Arial Battles Lost

https://www.premierleague.com/players/9566/Harry-Maguire/stats?co=1&se=274
https://www.premierleague.com/players/5140/Virgil-van-Dijk/stats?co=1&se=274
https://www.premierleague.com/players/5066/Victor-Lindelöf/stats?co=1&se=274
 

Green_Red

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Don't think it is that unpopular of an opinion to be honest. I'd rate Lindelof-Tuanzebe pairing higher than a Maguire-Tuanzebe pairing. Also, I think Shaw is massively undervalued on this forum.
After one game?
 

Svartzonker

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Lindelöf has one good game and he should bench Maguire? Okey.
 

032Devil

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I think posters should also consider Teden Mengi who seems to be ready for the first team and someone I'd like to see perform if and when Ole feels its right. Suddenly, with Tuanzebe's recovery and possibly Mengi we might be spoilt for choice:

CENTRAL DEFENCE:
Maguire, Lindalof, Bailly, Shaw, Tuanzebe, Mengi

RIGHT BACK:
AWB, Fosu-Mensah

LEFT BACK:
Shaw, Telles, Williams

REDUNDANTS: Jones, Roja
 

sillwuka

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Maguire is still our best central defender.

I was excited as anyone seeing Axel perform the way he did but let's see him keep fit first off. Let's not run before we can walk.

2-3 games ago I was hearing that Bailly was our best CB but everyone who said that has gone into hiding.
 

eire-red

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He'll slot straight back in, as he's still comfortably our best CB, and is especially suited to PL football. All it will take is Lindelof to get dominated by a physical CF again and the knives will be out.

Lindelof has his flaws, but is very good concentration-wise and defending against teams who keep the ball on the ground. Maguire is dominant aerially, a good organiser and good with the ball. It's about finding the right partner for either of them, hopefully Tuanzebe can be that player.

Having players that differ in style is a good thing. For example, Maguire may have been a weakness against PSG and their pace, but will be an asset against RB Leipzig, as they play with Poulsen as a target man.
 

MyBloodIsRed

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Maguire is a solid CB. I’d love to give him a break and get his head screwed on straight. Hopefully he can play better if next to Axel knowing he’s calm, strong and fast. If maguire is hesitant with victor or others then that affects his decisions.

Baillys time is up. Too prime to injuries. Love to see Axel take the #3 or #4 shirt next season and be a regular starter. He’s a BEAST!
 

eltigreFalcao

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Interesting question OP from Ole's point of view.
Maguire is undroppable in Ole's eyes, which can be a stubborness regarding awful form he's coming from, and Tuanzebe was a highlight indeed yesterday, providing qualities that we are in much need for. Ole said in his post match interview that you need to follow up on tactics that proved to be succesful so I can imagine he'll play with a back 3 again, which may be Tuanzebe-Maguire- ¿?. Question mark is definitely going to be Lindelof vs Shaw who played there to an overall OK standard.

My option is a bit different, though. While the team sheet said we had three mids in Fred-McT-Bruno, we actually had a double pivot and Bruno played as a Second Striker / Nº 10, so its basically the upper part of a diamond. Which I found really interesting because you can definitely slot a defensively sound MF such as Mct or Fred, going by how they played yesterday, one who will sit back, cover for defense, who can actually open up a back 5 when needed and give freedom to the MF and Nº 10.

My take: Diamond 442
De Gea
AWB -- AT -- HM -- ATelles
PP -- McT -- Fred
BF
MR -- AM/MG/EC​