Since the new signings, United have played like Real Madrid's Galacticos in the mid-2000s, big egos, too many individual players, not enough balance, no cohesion. To make matter worse, Solskjaer is not really a manager with a clear vision on how he wants to play, and is a bit soft in enabling the superstar players. But there are clear problems with the recent teams.
If you base around Ronaldo - If Ronaldo plays then United are down a player in the press (so he has to play up front) but can't hold the ball up in a traditional centre forward way. So ideally Ronaldo would like to play 4-4-2 with Cavani to do the donkey work up front, plus we need one of the wingers to particularly dig in to make up the slack. If we play 4-4-2 like that, we lose one of our best players in Bruno, or he's really inconvenienced. Ronaldo being in the team also - stops Bruno from being the offensive team leader, stops Pogba from being the biggest star in the team, and he brings his fame, hype circus with him. Greenwood has particularly seemed to struggle with Ronaldo as he is a similar style player but two players like that in the team aren't really necessary when you need creators. If you want the team to be based around Ronaldo, then maybe you have to try something like this in the front 6.
Ronaldo Cavani
Lingard/Pogba - Fred - McTominay/Matic - Sancho
If you base around Pogba - Pogba's form in a midfield two is patchy at best, if you want to cover for his defensive deficiencies then Matic is the best option because McFred just aren't that good positionally. But then Matic and Pogba together is just too slow and static, need a third player in there like Van de Beek or Fred perhaps. Solskjaer cracked onto something like Pogba in the midfield coming off the left...but that is a position a number of players in the team want to be in - Martial, Rashford when he comes back in particular. If you want to get the best out of Pogba, then again Bruno possibly has to be sacrificed. But you can also fit in Bruno with Pogba in a free role, but you have to provide them both with running, Cavani could possibly work with a pacey winger...but ideally you'd give them two pacey players so they can make use of their passing and to make dummy runs. Daniel James wasn't very good, but at least he created space for Pogba and Bruno when he played. At the moment Ronaldo isn't doing that, or some other options.
If you base around Bruno - This has been by far the most successful strategy under Ole but it's hit a bump since Ronaldo arrived. Bruno plays attacking midfield like a second striker, and essentially is an old-style number 10, I don't really trust him deeper and his instincts and best play is scoring goals and making decisive actions just off the striker. In that case, he needs two holders as has been the most common way, with Fred/McTominay. But ideally you give him a grafter centre forward and two pacey wingers and you allow him control over all offensive actions - that doesn't really happen with Ronaldo. If you want to play Bruno and Ronaldo, with the defensive two, then I think you have to give him two pacey wingers, one of which is willing to track back and put in a shift as a defensive winger as well, to make up for all the time he's running into the box himself.
Needing unselfish players - If we have so many big characters in attack that want to be the main man, then I think we need to consider a Park Ji-Sung type player - Real often played Vasquez, Barcelona often played Pedro with more talented players - and in that you need someone to 1) pick up the defensive slack 2) be willing to make dummy runs and never expect the ball 3) just be happy to be there. In that case, I think it's worth giving Lingard a few games with that role in mind. Sancho is naturally a pass first player also. Cavani is willing to run all day. Supplementary players are vital for a team to function. I just don't see enough of them in United's recent teams.
It's part of the problem with buying Ronaldo just because City wanted him, instead of planning for him all summer, you're left improvising how to fit him in. Unfortunately, I just don't see Greenwood working with Ronaldo, Pogba and Bruno in the team. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Someone big has to be dropped if we're going to make a team out of this squad. This is what Ole has to come up with if he's to save his job, because we're only heading one way.
If you base around Ronaldo - If Ronaldo plays then United are down a player in the press (so he has to play up front) but can't hold the ball up in a traditional centre forward way. So ideally Ronaldo would like to play 4-4-2 with Cavani to do the donkey work up front, plus we need one of the wingers to particularly dig in to make up the slack. If we play 4-4-2 like that, we lose one of our best players in Bruno, or he's really inconvenienced. Ronaldo being in the team also - stops Bruno from being the offensive team leader, stops Pogba from being the biggest star in the team, and he brings his fame, hype circus with him. Greenwood has particularly seemed to struggle with Ronaldo as he is a similar style player but two players like that in the team aren't really necessary when you need creators. If you want the team to be based around Ronaldo, then maybe you have to try something like this in the front 6.
Ronaldo Cavani
Lingard/Pogba - Fred - McTominay/Matic - Sancho
If you base around Pogba - Pogba's form in a midfield two is patchy at best, if you want to cover for his defensive deficiencies then Matic is the best option because McFred just aren't that good positionally. But then Matic and Pogba together is just too slow and static, need a third player in there like Van de Beek or Fred perhaps. Solskjaer cracked onto something like Pogba in the midfield coming off the left...but that is a position a number of players in the team want to be in - Martial, Rashford when he comes back in particular. If you want to get the best out of Pogba, then again Bruno possibly has to be sacrificed. But you can also fit in Bruno with Pogba in a free role, but you have to provide them both with running, Cavani could possibly work with a pacey winger...but ideally you'd give them two pacey players so they can make use of their passing and to make dummy runs. Daniel James wasn't very good, but at least he created space for Pogba and Bruno when he played. At the moment Ronaldo isn't doing that, or some other options.
If you base around Bruno - This has been by far the most successful strategy under Ole but it's hit a bump since Ronaldo arrived. Bruno plays attacking midfield like a second striker, and essentially is an old-style number 10, I don't really trust him deeper and his instincts and best play is scoring goals and making decisive actions just off the striker. In that case, he needs two holders as has been the most common way, with Fred/McTominay. But ideally you give him a grafter centre forward and two pacey wingers and you allow him control over all offensive actions - that doesn't really happen with Ronaldo. If you want to play Bruno and Ronaldo, with the defensive two, then I think you have to give him two pacey wingers, one of which is willing to track back and put in a shift as a defensive winger as well, to make up for all the time he's running into the box himself.
Needing unselfish players - If we have so many big characters in attack that want to be the main man, then I think we need to consider a Park Ji-Sung type player - Real often played Vasquez, Barcelona often played Pedro with more talented players - and in that you need someone to 1) pick up the defensive slack 2) be willing to make dummy runs and never expect the ball 3) just be happy to be there. In that case, I think it's worth giving Lingard a few games with that role in mind. Sancho is naturally a pass first player also. Cavani is willing to run all day. Supplementary players are vital for a team to function. I just don't see enough of them in United's recent teams.
It's part of the problem with buying Ronaldo just because City wanted him, instead of planning for him all summer, you're left improvising how to fit him in. Unfortunately, I just don't see Greenwood working with Ronaldo, Pogba and Bruno in the team. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Someone big has to be dropped if we're going to make a team out of this squad. This is what Ole has to come up with if he's to save his job, because we're only heading one way.