McFred is the worst midfield 2 of the PL’s top 10 teams

RUCK4444

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I don’t know how you guys create threads and argue for the entire second half, should be watching the feckin game.
 

matsdf

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You mean the midfield duo that we dominate Man City with every time? Yeah I'm ok with them.
 

lysglimt

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So - Arsenal and Spurs have a better central midfield - and Aston Villa :)
 

spontaneus1

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I wish Mcfred had half the forward thinking attack impetuous the marauding Soucek and flecking Declan Rice bring to the West Ham midfield.
 

MU655

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Quite a few of those players aren't really comparable. De Bruyne would be more comparable to Fernandes and Gundogan would be closer to Pogba, but not exactly. Gundogan pretty much plays like an attacking midfielder in most games, also.

Ndidi plays far deeper than any player there. According to his heatmap, he barely leaves his half of pitch, spending most between the halfway line and his box. Most midfielders, including Kante, spend most of their time on either side of the halfway line.
 

Bilbo

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Wonder when the Cafe will hit rock bottom, and mass banning become essential. Can't be long now.........
 

Roboc7

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They are not the worst but they aren’t amongst the best and don’t stand out and aren’t significantly better than a lot of others in the top half.

Tonight summed them up, lost and offering nothing on ball first half but better in second (especially Fred) disciplined and keeping it simple.
 
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lex talionis

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McFred is not a single player, it must be said. We know we're short on quality defensive mids and the pair of human beings known as McFred are doing the best they can. We need to upgrade on them, quite obviously, but let's back them for doing a job
 

Faetheshire86

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I disagree, but honestly, who cares? I swear some people think football is like a game of top trumps. Were you compare players attributes and whoever wins gets the 3 points. It's about picking a balanced team, that gives us the best chance to win. Based on that we are the second best team in the Premiership.

Maybe we should play Pogba/DvB as a pair? That would definitely push us up the "Top Trumps" league. Shame we would be lower in the actual league
 

TheReligion

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The likes of KdB-Gundogan, Kovacic-Kante, Ndidi-Tielemans isn’t even a debate, but I genuinely would rather have the likes of Rice-Soucek or Xhaka-Partey in our midfield than McFred. They make us lose so much attacking impetus for the benefit of slightly more defensive stability.

I rate both players individually (I started the Fred was value for money thread!), but they are frankly shit together. Their limitations on the ball stifle us so much in our build up play.

We desperately need a new midfield 2 this summer if we are to challenge for the title next season. Pogba and a new DM.
Why you making this thread during our game v Milan? Which we won.
 

SER19

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Weird that those do have been integral in beating City and psg 6 times in last couple of seasons
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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They aren’t good enough for the top but you’ve taken it too far. No chance in hell is Kovacic and Kante better!
 

smaunj

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Is this post ironic?

We definitely need to improve on McFred but we are 2nd in the league and favourites for the Europa League.

McFred is our core midfield (they have each appeared about 10+ times more than Pogba and Matic) so you have to give plaudits to them.

Ideally, we will sign a CDM with a proper range of passing that will enable us to play Pogba at CM.
 

Brightonian

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No-one who would even contemplate swapping either Fred or McT for Kovacic can possibly have watched Kovacic play much this season. Astonishingly inconsistent and lazy. Watch his game against City and then watch McFred's then tell me you'd like to swap either. And Xhaka?! :lol:

Grass is greener thinking is out of control on this forum.
 

Desert Eagle

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OP is 100% right. Fred could work as one in a three but Mctom should at best be a sub. Go all out for Kesse and someone else and keep pogba.
 

Cassidy

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Nope, but i'm fairly sure you'd need a reasonable midfield to be up there, i'd say its a fairly good barometer for a team's standard. Maybe you're right though and we should consider a straight-swap for another midfield, given that its the worst CM pairing of the top 10 teams in the PL. Perhaps we'd be closer to City playing with Villa or Everton's CM.
We probably would with Evertons instead of McTominay and Fred yes. Our keeper, defence, Bruno, Pogba, Rashford etc etc are all much better than what Everton have
 

Judas

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I don't rate either massively, especially Fred, but this thread is embarrassing and daft. These knee-jerk threads made during games are often a proper mess.
 

Jericho

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Never ceases to surprise me how fickle supporters can be. As a pair, no they're aren't the most creative. But in the context of having Fred, McTominay, Pogba and Fernandes as midfield options they're fine.
 

rhajdu

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McTominay actually contributed to more goals than Ndombele, Hojbjerg, Ndidi, Rice, Xhaka, Kante, Gomes, Kovacic, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Thiago, Davies, Partey and even Pogba. Just to name a few. But since it isn't a debate, l just accept that we are second despite of our midfield pairing.
 

Brightonian

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I don't rate either massively, especially Fred, but this thread is embarrassing and daft. These knee-jerk threads made during games are often a proper mess.
Thread creation should be turned off during the match and aftermath. It would help caftards resist the temptation to turn their knee-jerk nonsense posts into entire threads.
 

Jeppers7

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They’re bang average to be fair. The pair of them. They are good in games where we can counter. Other than that not good enough
 

Oranges038

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To be fair Xhaka with Partey or Soucek and Rice do sound like they would be better foods than a McFred.
 

GiddyUp

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feck it, I like both players. Fred's passing is atrocious though.
 

lex talionis

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They work hard, which we need from them right now. This is no time to moan about lacking quality.
 

Devil may care

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Maybe not the worst in the top 10 but definitely the poorest in the top 4 and not as good as Liverpool's, and you could easily make a case for Everton's and West Ham's midfields. Both are fine as squad players but need upgrading as starters.
 

laughtersassassin

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Don't think there is much to be gained from saying if they are the worst. But as a pair they aren't good enough for United to be starting together.

One or the other at most. Potentially neither.

Getting Pogba to stay would be massive. The drop off is too steep.
 

Davicho

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Mcfred is the reason why we are good in games when we dont have the ball, and rubbish against teams that sit back.
 

Kag

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This is hyperbole and some of your comparisons are strange (I mean, Xhaka, really?) but it is true that the McTominay-Fred pairing isn’t good enough if we want to progress from where we are right now.

Both good players; both worthy of a place in the squad. The long term answer they are not.