A midfield trio of Fred, McTominay and Bruno

Adisa

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Slightly worried that ETH found it okay to go into a game with these three.
For all their individual flaws, they all have something in common, they are all poor ball players.
I believe any combination that sees even two of them play together is asking for trouble.
 

E-mal

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My exact taught, people often try to exclude Bruno but he is equally a very inconsistent technician.
 

Trequarista10

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Yeah, was surprised/annoyed to see Bruno start as an 8. He's simply not capable of doing what the role requires. Even if you had two world class ball players alongside him (say, Busquets and Xavi), I still think he'd be a liability in that position. He should be a 10 or false 9 and nothing else.
 

RG77

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Said it before:

Wish I had a screenshot, but there was a point where Maguire is on the ball and pretty high up the pitch. He has no real outlet to pass to and points at Fred to move into a position he can pass to. Fred insists on hiding behind a BHA player instead of making himsef available so they can move forwards with the ball. As a result the ball goes sideways/backwards and the whole unit needs to track back, killing momentum.

And that is just one example of many. Not saying McFred should be on that level, but you’d think EtH would at least sit them down and showing footage of like Modric/Kroos on positioning and training on that. United cannot get the ball out at all. And when they do it is stupid pass after stupid pass. BHA on the other hand did this much better. Remarkable how bad United are moving the ball up the pitch, barely able to get it past midfield.

A lot of it is positioning and movement, incredibly poor from the team. But then you also have this issue where even if they get the ball, well…zero thought behind what it is they are trying to achieve. Especially when pressed the players don’t want the ball and if they do they are trying to get rid of it asap. Add the lack of any ability and you have got yourself one of the worst midfields for any (top)club.
 

Borys

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It's not a trio. Bruno is no midfielder, he's an attacker through and through. This means every time he plays we have 2 man midfield effectively. What is not easy. What Eriksen did today dropping to midfield - Bruno would never do. Personally I maintain Bruno is a bad fit for ETH system and big part of the broken we have in midfield area.

Another issue is Fred should never play the deepest midfielder. If we play McFred, we play two boxtobox midfielders. This has always proven to be the most effective.
 

Greck

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A 10 who isn't actually a 10 and two CDMs who aren't actually CDMs. It's impossible to pin down their exact roles on the pitch because of how much they lack fundamentally.
 

avgp_1

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Finally..Bruno doesn't deserve to be left out.

Probably the worst midfield combination for a possession based side, if that's what we want to be under EtH.
 

Semper Fudge

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avgp_1 said:
Finally..Bruno doesn't deserve to be left out.

Probably the worst midfield combination for a possession based side, if that's what we want to be under EtH.
Click to expand...
A lot of people have thought he's been underperforming for a long time, though.
 

kouroux

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RG77 said:
Said it before:

Wish I had a screenshot, but there was a point where Maguire is on the ball and pretty high up the pitch. He has no real outlet to pass to and points at Fred to move into a position he can pass to. Fred insists on hiding behind a BHA player instead of making himsef available so they can move forwards with the ball. As a result the ball goes sideways/backwards and the whole unit needs to track back, killing momentum.

And that is just one example of many. Not saying McFred should be on that level, but you’d think EtH would at least sit them down and showing footage of like Modric/Kroos on positioning and training on that. United cannot get the ball out at all. And when they do it is stupid pass after stupid pass. BHA on the other hand did this much better. Remarkable how bad United are moving the ball up the pitch, barely able to get it past midfield.

A lot of it is positioning and movement, incredibly poor from the team. But then you also have this issue where even if they get the ball, well…zero thought behind what it is they are trying to achieve. Especially when pressed the players don’t want the ball and if they do they are trying to get rid of it asap. Add the lack of any ability and you have got yourself one of the worst midfields for any (top)club.
Click to expand...
All good points, it happens dozens of times per game. Little movement to make yourself available for a pass is the basis of football
 

Tyrion

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Adisa said:
Slightly worried that ETH found it okay to go into a game with these three.
For all their individual flaws, they all have something in common, they are all poor ball players.
I believe any combination that sees even two of them play together is asking for trouble.
Click to expand...
Who should he play instead?

DvdB? Maybe but who else?
 

Tyrion

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kouroux said:
All good points, it happens dozens of times per game. Little movement to make yourself available for a pass is the basis of football
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It's what Carrick did so well. We haven't had a player like that since.
 

Antisocial

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It's mad to think there apparently hasn't been a single available central-midfielder in the French league, Germany league, Italian league, or even the Dutch league over the last few seasons who could've improved our options in this area, and only one player in Spain who can, and he doesn't want to leave his current club :lol: :mad:
 

Godfather

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It's killing me. And make no mistake Bruno is one of the major culprits we play like shit too. It's not only the McFred combo
 

NotoriousISSY

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Tyrion said:
It's what Carrick did so well. We haven't had a player like that since.
Click to expand...
Don't speak such sense. We've got some resident Caf members convinced he added nothing to some of United's best teams :lol:

It's an absolute basic skill for a midfielder and none of ours have it.
 

AndySmith1990

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I would honestly sell them all and sign 3 new midfielders. Our entire midfield without exception are terrible at almost everything. I hate it and it doesn't help that the midfield has been weak as piss for over a decade.
 

Teja

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RG77 said:
Said it before:

Wish I had a screenshot, but there was a point where Maguire is on the ball and pretty high up the pitch. He has no real outlet to pass to and points at Fred to move into a position he can pass to. Fred insists on hiding behind a BHA player instead of making himsef available so they can move forwards with the ball. As a result the ball goes sideways/backwards and the whole unit needs to track back, killing momentum.

And that is just one example of many. Not saying McFred should be on that level, but you’d think EtH would at least sit them down and showing footage of like Modric/Kroos on positioning and training on that. United cannot get the ball out at all. And when they do it is stupid pass after stupid pass. BHA on the other hand did this much better. Remarkable how bad United are moving the ball up the pitch, barely able to get it past midfield.

A lot of it is positioning and movement, incredibly poor from the team. But then you also have this issue where even if they get the ball, well…zero thought behind what it is they are trying to achieve. Especially when pressed the players don’t want the ball and if they do they are trying to get rid of it asap. Add the lack of any ability and you have got yourself one of the worst midfields for any (top)club.
Click to expand...
This is spot on. They need a clockwork orange style treatment where they're repeatedly shown clips of Guardiola sides.

Ballwatching defensively is considered a big sin but noone really minds if players don't keep working to take up the right space in offence.
 

jesperjaap

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Genuinely McFred as the cm combo, can anybody name a worse starting pairing in the history of our club as in my lifetime bar when Bryan Robson was out for long spells, I cant think of one
 

Utuhu

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The trio are not press resistant and offers little to nothing in the defensive phase.
A double pivot of Martinez and VDB with Ericksen in front will definitely bite.
 

Irwin99

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jesperjaap said:
Genuinely McFred as the cm combo, can anybody name a worse starting pairing in the history of our club as in my lifetime bar when Bryan Robson was out for long spells, I cant think of one
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Rafa and Ji Sung park was pretty poor against Blackburn that one game...Giggs and O' Shea was surprisingly good though in that little period of 05-06 :drool:

Mcfred are ok in a low block team with a rapid counter. As basic ball playing midfielders they're horrific in a combo. It's extremely disappointing to see the same problem again of runners exploiting HUGE space between our midfield and defence and dragging defenders all over the place.
 

Ranger2d

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The three musketeers, As soon as Bruno inevitably missed that chance to put us in the lead ( Like he usually does these days) I knew it was over for us. I genuinely don’t know how you can let Matic and Pogba go and not even try to replace them.. De Jong alone will not be enough. I don’t expect us to win anytime soon long season ahead
 

el3mel

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If no midfielders are signed, ETH should grow up a pair and play some youngsters in midfield ahead of these dross.

If not and he decided to stick with them, I will have no reason to stand up with him either.
 

theatreofdreams777

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Fred is not bad and can actually be a part of a very competent midfield trio. He suffers from playing alongside McTominay who shouldn't be a starter but is good enough to be a squad player. Fred is like Smalling in the Jones-Smalling combo. Actually a quite good player but is called shit because of the partnership that isn't good enough.

I agree with the ones saying Bruno is not a midfielder too. He's more like a SS playing in midfield/in no 10 position and he's a liability.

My solution would be; changing to 4-3-3, adding FdJ as soon as possible, dropping Bruno & playing Eriksen as the most advanced midfielder. Something like that;

---------------Eriksen--------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------Fred-------------

---------------------De Jong-------------------------------​
 
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jesperjaap

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Irwin99 said:
Rafa and Ji Sung park was pretty poor against Blackburn that one game...Giggs and O' Shea was surprisingly good though in that little period of 05-06 :drool:

Mcfred are ok in a low block team with a rapid counter. As basic ball playing midfielders they're horrific in a combo. It's extremely disappointing to see the same problem again of runners exploiting HUGE space between our midfield and defence and dragging defenders all over the place.
Click to expand...
Yeah its that bad hve to think of one game haha.

Agree, the only time they seem to have good games, is the big games where we sit behind the ball an dthey battle opposition just in front of our defence. Neither in a pivot offer anything apart from that though. Ay abysmal as he has been for some time, feel a little sorry for Maguire, the number of times he is exposed from our midfield by passed and has the decision of where to come out and attack the ball or track the runner in an almost no win situation is far far too often. Obviously the fact he does neithe rand ends up in no mans land isnt good , like today, played them onside standing still when he couldnt catch the runner and was too far away from the ball, but the lack of protection is terrible.

Put two quality central midfielders into our side that are decent on the ball, have defensive intelligence and I think the back foru are better, the wide players and number 10 have more confidence. We didnt address it last summer when it was critical and we still havent this, criminal....so many past midfielders that have been slated, start for this current side
 

jesperjaap

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theatreofdreams777 said:
Fred is not bad and can actually be a part of a very competent midfield trio. He suffers from playing alongside McTominay who shouldn't be a starter but is good enough to be a squad player. Fred is like Smalling in the Jones-Smalling combo. Actually a quite good player but is called shit because of the partnership that isn't good enough.

I agree with the ones saying Bruno is not a midfielder too. He's more like a SS playing in midfield/in no 10 position and he's a liability.

My solution would be; changing to 4-3-3, adding FdJ as soon as possible, dropping Bruno & playing Eriksen as the most advanced midfielder. Something like that;

---------------Eriksen--------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------Fred-------------

---------------------De Jong-------------------------------​
Click to expand...
How many times does Fred give the ball away in dangerous areas passign or running with the ball or get by passed on the break.

Agree with the comment on McTominay, but I find it baffling the backing of Fred still.Couple of passes today were shockingly bad near his own area and his awareness in the goal was also poor. For me both are simply nowhere near enough for the positions they are playing in, as someone else mentioned, they only ever play well in big games in a low block when everyone is behind the ball, they are near the centr backs and can battle for the ball....its all either offer in the pivot.

I thought Fred did well in the few games he plaeyd further forward last seaon, but does he start there over other options, no.

I think Eriksen or other options can compete with Fernandes and ofer more consitency. But behind that for me, neither Fred nor Mctominay are anywhere near good enough for us to compete, we saw it again today for the millionth time it feels, simply baffled by the belief in Fred, one of the worst midfield signings we have ever made considering the fee in my opinion
 

jesperjaap

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el3mel said:
If no midfielders are signed, ETH should grow up a pair and play some youngsters in midfield ahead of these dross.

If not and he decided to stick with them, I will have no reason to stand up with him either.
Click to expand...
Crazy isnt it. Not signing any is complete and utter madness, but I agree, I would like to see others get the opportunity there despite the comple lack of experience....VDB, Fred and McTominay....not hard to improve on. Why Hannibal is not getting chances there I dont understand
 

Oldtraffordboy

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It's a bad trio no doubt.

I'll never forget the golden 15 months or so Bruno had when he joined. But if he's skying a perfect tee up from 15 yards, and completing only 50% of the passes literally what is the point.

Eriksen is the genuinely elite creative midfielder of the 2
 

JPRouve

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Oldtraffordboy said:
It's a bad trio no doubt.

I'll never forget the golden 15 months or so Bruno had when he joined. But if he's skying a perfect tee up from 15 yards, and completing only 50% of the passes literally what is the point.

Eriksen is the genuinely elite creative midfielder of the 2
Click to expand...
It wasn't 15 months. He was good during the first 6 or 7 gmaes after that people started suggesting that he was exhausted and needed a rest which was reasonable but he never really came back to that level.
 

Leftback99

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Bruno is a big problem. He's been terrible for the best part of a year. Just running on credit in the bank from his early performances.
 

Oranges038

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I get that his options are so limited, he probably had little choice than to pick 3 guys who are so careless with the ball. Bruno is the worst at it, has all the abiltiy to play the right passes but just doesn't seem capable of keeping it simple. It's criminal how much he gives the ball away needlessly.

But if he's serious about implementing his style of play, at least 2 of that 3 need to go.
 

Litch

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Leftback99 said:
Bruno is a big problem. He's been terrible for the best part of a year. Just running on credit in the bank from his early performances.
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spot on. Fred and Scott aren’t the answer but feck me I’m not surprised they get overrun often playing against 3 or 4 whilst Bruno is stat padding.
 
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