Exactly. The people hyping up Fred focus on moments and not games. Matic is too slow and McTominay can't do it imo.
We need someone like Carrick, Kante or Jorginho.
How do we solve our midfield problem?
- Thread starter HailtotheKing
- Start date
We need someone like Carrick, Kante or Jorginho.
It's a problem isn't it. Moments can't define midfielders' and defenders' performances. If they were lacking all game and scored a goal or made an assist it doesn't necessarily make them quality or even the performance. Our midfielders have been popping up with goals and assists but the inability to control games they directly contribute to is what makes the results long term unsustainable. Signs were there and today they finally saw us drop points when we should have been in cruise control. As long as we allow this from our midfielders we're going nowhere.
I've said for ages that we need to be able to play possession football well otherwise we'll never get anywhere. Even if Rangnick implements the press and high intensity play well which isn't really happening now, controlling the game and having the ability to keep the ball are essentially for any top team now. And other than a brief spell under LVG we've never really embraced it.
We need two midfielders imo. One DM and one CM.
Any player will provide moments imo. What matters is how often they do it. Some of our fans seem to think just keeping faith will help our players be more consistent. It doesn't work like that.
Yep. We've more than enough attacking ones. Arguably 3 with Pogba, Bruno and maybe Donny.
It's one of the reasons why I'm gutted we're not competing for Arthur with Arsenal. An easy signing - even on loan until the end of the season. Just to see us through.
The next best thing would be to recall Galbraith and promote him, but that's not happening either. He's the most promising midfielder of that ilk we have right now.
As a club, we don't seem to value press resistant midfielders who can control games. We prefer all action, box to box ones who are all about hard work. Which is weird because we had Scholes playing for us the last time we were z genuine force, so it's not an alien concept.
The next best thing would be to recall Galbraith and promote him, but that's not happening either. He's the most promising midfielder of that ilk we have right now.
As a club, we don't seem to value press resistant midfielders who can control games. We prefer all action, box to box ones who are all about hard work. Which is weird because we had Scholes playing for us the last time we were z genuine force, so it's not an alien concept.
Problem is we have midfielders who are good at the same thing. Both Fred and Scott likes to play as box to box and cant really play as holding midfield role. Matic is finished at top level and cant do it for 90 min. Pogba, Bruno and VDB are also suited to play with a defensive minded midfielder.
Its absolutely stunning that we couldnt spot this for 3 years. And the manger who did is an interim one and we are reluctant to spend money.
Its absolutely stunning that we couldnt spot this for 3 years. And the manger who did is an interim one and we are reluctant to spend money.
Well, who exactly he supposed to bring on to replace the gassed Matic? We don’t have any spare defensive midfielders sitting on the bench, or anywhere else in the club ( I don’t know the youth teams well so forgive me if there’s someone there.)
We hired a temporary manager, not a magician, or God.
I didn’t see the match, but even the MOTD highlights showed that we created several good chances and could have won the game with better finishing. But the strikers are off form, lacking in confidence and under enormous pressure to instantly succeed.
Overall, the club is in a situation of major shit. I think this may, sadly, include the fan base.You’re going to have to give him time. Ain’t no way round it.
We need at least 2 new midfielders this winter, if we still want to fight for top 4 this season.
Our current transfer inactivity points to Laird,Galbraith and Garner solving part of the problem in the summer i.e. on the cheap!
When was the last time we had a dominant midfield?
Carrick and Scholes is the last time I can think of.
Carrick and Scholes is the last time I can think of.
The substitutions needed to come sooner, Matic was gone and Fred was our furthest player forward in the second half pressing.
Someone ? Bro we need 3 new CMs. One for Matic, one for Pogba who will probably leave and one to never see any of McFred play regularly
The Man City Chelsea match was a good illustration of how to control a game with midfield. The Chelsea midfield did it without possession, and the Man City midfield with possession. The defensive lines of the two teams weren't troubled much. Especially, with Man City, the pressing with coordination between their forward line and midfield was interesting and effective. I am hoping Ralf and the permanent manager who will be brought in will set United moving toward these paths.
I am being half serious when I say this. I think we should let Phil Jones reclaim his old DM position. He almost certainly will show some fight at the very least.
This. If the board won't sign anyone then we should be using Jones for this. He's done a good job there beforeband most importantly - he's up for it.
Whenever we go three at the back we just retreat into our own half.
I think signing Zakaria for £6m would be a start. Even if he’s not going to be a starter for us long term, he’s certainly good enough to be a squad option and at £6m, you’re almost certainly going to make your money back if he does move on
Assume your joking? He’s been ‘injured’ for 2 years then comes back for one game - which we got beat in - then he’s off injured again. He’s a liability when he plays and cost us a cup final with one of his daft challenges. Errr….no thanks.
We played three yesterday, which is why I felt we were better. However, we couldn't sustain the control on and off the ball because of fatigue.
Matic was one of those players and for Villa's equaliser, he lost his man. We just needed more options on the bench or RR to make a decision earlier.
I would honestly have those three plus Mejbri when he’s back from the A.C.O.N playing the first team ahead of Dalot, AWB, Fred, Matic or Mata and for that matter VDB since he never plays anyway.
I’d much rather Laird was given a chance to play alongside Varane who’s the biggest serial winner of any centre back in the last 20 years and proven quality and so Laird can stake a claim for the right back role, he’s as good going forward as Dalot currently is but has a higher ceiling whilst Varane could iron out any defensive issues.
Both Garner and Galbraith are similar players to how Carrick was so would bring control on the ball to the midfield whilst also having natural defensive positional sense which Fred doesn’t have and also bundles of energy to get around the pitch which Matic hasn’t had in years, Mejbri reminds me of a young Modric (not saying he’ll be that good, simply mean style) so again he’d bring composure on the ball but also creativity.
We’ve spent years under Jose and Ole not wanting the ball, just looking to counter. Mcfred don’t really want the ball and aren’t much good when they get it, we spent £50m on a right back that is useless on the ball.
This is all a consequence of our our dated approach and scattergun recruitment.
This is all a consequence of our our dated approach and scattergun recruitment.
I'd agree with you, first half we didn't have total control of the midfield in the sense that other top teams do, or how we used to many years ago. But, by our standards of recent years, we had as much or more control than we're used to seeing.
You try and bolster that area by adding an extra one in, it’s not rocket science is it. We desperately needed the win, got to 2-0, we should have tried to get control instead of leaving it as it is.
Our central midfield has been woefully inept for a few seasons. How it was left so long under Ole without reinforcements is just baffling.
If RR wants to keep this role, or make us better, then he needs to buy at least 1 upgraded for our midfield. The whole footballing world can see this.
If RR wants to keep this role, or make us better, then he needs to buy at least 1 upgraded for our midfield. The whole footballing world can see this.
As soon as Matic was given a yellow our control of the game finished. Matic was booked on 31 minutes. We need another CM to replace Fred immediately. Only been obvious fir about 2 years now…
The best one we have is always on the bench. Never plays.
Heaton?
Exactly. He is the missing piece. We need to control the game. I think that Tielemans can be that player.
There's one constant in the like 4 times we had midfield control and somehow VDB is still on the bench for atleast 80 minutes a game.
You did see Carrick play for us?
I've never seen Carrick, Scholes, Butt, Fletcher, Keane, Ince, Robson dominate the midfield, control a game, dictate the pace of the, defend and attack, pass progressively or do anything like that.
I do think every combination of midfielders we play would have a difficult task because Bruno often plays too far forward to support the midfield (yesterday he was far deeper than usual I thought, though), but that's exactly why I think it is so key for us to replace Fred, mctominay and matic who are not good enough to do their role in normal situations, let alone when playing with Bruno.
We have no control with our passing as a team.
I think people will be in for a shock when we sign a midfielder because it will turn out just like Varane.
People thought our defence will be much improved with Varane, but it is actually worse. The reason for this is because our biggest issue is a lack of teamwork and organisation.
I don't think our midfield will improve until we actually have sorted out our front line and our attacking midfielder. Even though we look like we have 3 midfielders, we actually only play with 2. Bruno does not really contribute to our defensive side.
We then also have an entire frontline that does not contribute defensive, so we have 4 players who do not really contribute to us dominating play. That is far too many. Domination and control comes from the whole team, not just from the midfield.
People thought our defence will be much improved with Varane, but it is actually worse. The reason for this is because our biggest issue is a lack of teamwork and organisation.
I don't think our midfield will improve until we actually have sorted out our front line and our attacking midfielder. Even though we look like we have 3 midfielders, we actually only play with 2. Bruno does not really contribute to our defensive side.
We then also have an entire frontline that does not contribute defensive, so we have 4 players who do not really contribute to us dominating play. That is far too many. Domination and control comes from the whole team, not just from the midfield.
a decade
Absolutely untrue,
In the last 7 years (2015 - onwards) we have signed the following in Euros
Donny - 40m
Bruno - 63m
Fred - 59m
Matic - 44m
Pogba - 105m
Micki - 42m
Morgan - 35m
Bastian -9m
Herrera - 36m
Blind -17m
This around 450 Million Euros. Only Bastian and maybe Blind (he is 31 years now) who are not playing football now. The rest of players are playing their football somewhere, meaning if they were good enough they should be playing at United.
Never have we been involved in a title race, leave alone winning league, with all this investments.
Its from 2015 Kloop took charge of Liverpool, for some perspective. So players have been signed, but we have signed very very poor players. This is a glaring sign of signing people who are not part of a long term ambition of the club.
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Technique wise, where are we in regards to our midfield in the league? Bottom half?
Once Pogba comes back from injury, I suspect he'll be played on the left which might help because we'll be playing with three midfielders + Bruno, as opposed to two. Then again, maybe Rangnick won't be playing him at all
Yeah should get Haidara too which would be around £40m for the pair. Send Donny out on loan then still go big for Bellingham/De Jong to replace Pogba in the summer.
Agreed, there's even an argument for a third if Pogba or Van de Beek move on.