We are a counter attacking team. We play well against superior sides that have possession. We are lightning fast on the break with Rashford and Martial and Pogba is excellent at through balls and vertical passing. Lingard (despite his many deficiencies) excels at quick passing on the break and supporting the counter.
Our problem is when sides sit back in a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. We don’t have players that can break down defenses in the final third. Mata is our only option, and he just loses 10% of his effectiveness, season after season, and now, unless he’s setting up to take a free kick, you just don’t have much confidence that he’ll create anything.
Angel Gomes, in his limited amount of time on the pitch, has shown he has great ball control, technique and movement in the box. Yes, he’s small, and we probably lose a bit on the defensive side of the ball when he plays - same as Mata, really - but why aren’t we throwing him on in the 70th minute? He’s the only player on the squad that can create in the final third, and if the Palace and Soton games are any indication, 70% of the sides in the PL are just going to sit back against us.
#FreeAngelGomes ???