Next phase of the season

[Sultan]

Injuries to Pogba, McT and generally short of numbers in midfield I think Ole needs to rethink playing style going forward. Unless long term options are available I don't think panic buying is the solution.

The process going forward should be playing Greenwood with Martial down the middle with James and Rashford employing the wings - Our creativity should now be focused from the wings and full-backs. Play Williams and Young as full-backs. Maguire should be asked to release the ball much quicker to utilise the pace of our attackers.

 

[Pexbo]

Injuries to Pogba, McT and generally short of numbers in midfield I think Ole needs to rethink playing style going forward. Unless long term options are available I don't think panic buying is the solution.

The process going forward should be playing Greenwood with Martial down the middle with James and Rashford employing the wings - Our creativity should now be focused from the wings and full-backs. Play Williams and Young as full-backs. Maguire should be asked to release the ball much quicker to utilise the pace of our attackers.

I'd agree with you but for one rather large issue; in order for that system to be effective you need a midfield capable of switching play and transitioning quickly and we definitely do not have a midfield pair capable of that.

Teams will continue to sit deep against us and both James and Rashford are wingers who need space to run into. With attacking wing backs looking to overload every team will employ one striker to keep our centre backs busy and another to exploit the space on either wing and we will be under huge pressure every time we lose the ball. The teams that overload the wings now can do so because none of them play with two up top, they play with three in the middle, and the one they do have up top is generally a false 9 who also helps overload the midfield.

If we are looking for results now I think we need to suck in our pride and move to 3 at the back.

De Gea
Taunzebe --------- Lindelof
Wan-Bissaka --------- Maguire ------------- Williams

Pereira --------- Fred

James --------- Martial --------- Rashford​

 

[Reditus]

Going 3 at the back is certainly an option. I really wonder if AWB will eventually be a better centre back than full back.

Would also like to see Garner get a shot. He has looked capable in his outings so far. I’d like to see him start against Wolves

 

[Sultan]

Unless AWB improves drastically going forward he will certainly have to adapt to playing a different role.

 

[Pexbo]

Going 3 at the back is certainly an option. I really wonder if AWB will eventually be a better centre back than full back.

Would also like to see Garner get a shot. He has looked capable in his outings so far. I’d like to see him start against Wolves

No chance, he's a classic centre half, playing him centrally would meaning curbing what he is best at - tackling.

 

[Lynty]

AWB is going to have join midfield as a ball winner.

 

[That'sHernandez]

Going 3 at the back is certainly an option. I really wonder if AWB will eventually be a better centre back than full back.

Would also like to see Garner get a shot. He has looked capable in his outings so far. I’d like to see him start against Wolves

He's positionally poor and not the best decision maker. His main asset is to somehow get back and make a tackle, despite having been beaten. Putting him in at CB negates his best skill.

 

[noodlehair]

I do think we need to bring in a stop gap player in midfield regardless of hiw we set up.

Not even so much that I don't think Matic and Fred are up to it, but if one gets injured we have literally no one and Matic can't play two games a week for months in end anyway.

I don't have a problem with looking for the right long term signings, but Ole seems too stubborn with it. Sometimes you have to plug a leak while you wait for the right parts to repair it, otherwise the whole ship sinks.

Random example but being in the process of building a new team didn't stop Sir Alex bringing Larson in on loan for a few months when he realised we had no back up striker. Would never have worked as a long term signing due to his age but it proved vital in the league, FA cup and CL to have him as an option for the time we did.

 

[M Bison]

I agree with the point on not panic-buying, that would certainly be the wrong move. That said, we do need reinforcements, we cant rely on Fred and Matic every week they wouldnt be able to cope with it so perhaps a loan move of some sort is the solution.

 

[RedNed77]

AWB is going to have join midfield as a ball winner.

I don’t hate this idea, but his ball distribution is the main issue I have with this. It’s not much worse than Matic’s though. I just can’t get my head around the fact that AWB started off life as a winger.

 

[Feed Me]

Injuries to Pogba, McT and generally short of numbers in midfield I think Ole needs to rethink playing style going forward. Unless long term options are available I don't think panic buying is the solution.

The process going forward should be playing Greenwood with Martial down the middle with James and Rashford employing the wings - Our creativity should now be focused from the wings and full-backs. Play Williams and Young as full-backs. Maguire should be asked to release the ball much quicker to utilise the pace of our attackers.

I think this is a sensible approach.

We are trying to employ a possession based game but have no one in midfield capable of playing an incisive ball other than Pogba.

That is why we end up playing sideways and back passes and looking generally bereft of ideas.

 

[Feed Me]

He's positionally poor and not the best decision maker. His main asset is to somehow get back and make a tackle, despite having been beaten. Putting him in at CB negates his best skill.

Slightly worrying that we are talking about potential alternative positions for our new £50m right back.

 

[Lynty]

I don’t hate this idea, but his ball distribution is the main issue I have with this. It’s not much worse than Matic’s though. I just can’t get my head around the fact that AWB started off life as a winger.

He still the best fullback we have, despite his persistent hesitation in going forward. And he did put in a decent cross or two yesterday. But our midfield is a disgrace at present, and I have a feeling it's not going to be addressed in this transfer window.

 

[Judas]

I'd happily see us fully embrace our good strength in counter attacking and simply allow teams to come onto us, it's clearly what suits us and how we have success. Let the opposition have some ball and control, and kill them with our speed.

It is pointless us dominating games with the ball, we don't have the know how or players to make the most of it.

 

[RedNed77]

He still the best fullback we have, despite his persistent hesitation in going forward. And he did put in a decent cross or two yesterday. But our midfield is a disgrace at present, and I have a feeling it's not going to be addressed in this transfer window.

True, Shaw is shit at defending and going forward. At least AWB has the defence part covered.

Agree with you on the lack of incoming midfield enforcements, I just don’t see it happening regardless of how needed it is. I can see the young uns getting thrown in before the end of the season out of desperation.

 

[That'sHernandez]

Slightly worrying that we are talking about potential alternative positions for our new £50m right back.

To be fair to AWB I think it's more because the centre of our defence is the problem and not the right wing, however that's equally worrying considering our new £80m CB hasn't improved us either in defence or in attacking set pieces.

 

[youmeletsfly]

What playing style do you think he should rethink? Without a proper midfield the only way to hurt teams is counter attacking.

We can't change anything midseason without adding a few creative players.

To put it simple for everyone, we either buy a few players in January or we finish around 8-10th .

 

[DomesticTadpole]

To be fair to AWB I think it's more because the centre of our defence is the problem and not the right wing, however that's equally worrying considering our new £80m CB hasn't improved us either in defence or in attacking set pieces.

I think a lot of our defensive problems are down to terrible coaching. Maguire and Lindelof perform well for their countries. Lindelof was pretty good last season. We can go out and buy dozens of players, but unless they are Messi they still need to be coached competently.

 

[Judas]

Our whole coaching setup desperately needs a clear out and fresh approach, it's stagnated and judging from what we see on the pitch seems so dated and lacking in a clear identity. We've got Mike Phelan in 2020. That's mental.

 

[Feed Me]

To be fair to AWB I think it's more because the centre of our defence is the problem and not the right wing, however that's equally worrying considering our new £80m CB hasn't improved us either in defence or in attacking set pieces.

Maguire has been very poor, no question about that.

AWB has been better but, as you said, worrying that his main asset seems to be defensive recoveries, which are typically the preserve of players who have made an error in the first instance. His deficiencies on the ball are well documented.

For a combined £130m, I think we are very much entitled to feel well short changed when comparing against the top full and centre backs in the league.