Our attack

[DevilRed]

Give him time to get match fit/match sharpness back.

He might not be in top form right now, but then again which 38 year old would be in September? Long season to go and he will contribute. I'm sure he is better than what we're seeing now.

I feel like he will be crucial to our success as a rotational option and competition to Martial/Rashford upfront. We need depth in this crazy year of fixtures.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

All that cash spent and you still feel like the hope for the attack is more or less on Rashford and Martials shoulders

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

Bruno and Eriksen can't play together.

We need an extra body in the midfield to get control of a game. Playmaking from the 10 position is not effective anymore.

Playmaking from the midfield should happen from deep or winning the ball high up the pitch. Sancho and Antony can also create from forward positions.

433 is the way to go. I'm sick of Southampton dominating possession at times or completely losing control with Bruno spamming Hollywood balls.

Sancho Martial Antony
Scott Eriksen Casemiro
Malacia Martinez Varane Dalot

I rate Fred above Scott but Scott has form on his side.

This midfield can win the ball and Eriksen can provide a killer ball if need be. Those forwards can also hold the ball well. Rashford and Ronaldo just can't hold the ball. They should be subs.

Time to actually get control of games.

 

[Handré1990]

I think it’s coming together.

If we think through some of the goals we’ve scored this season, we never ever used to score goals like the Sancho one tonight or versus Liverpool. It’s going to take time and at least another window given it’s very clear Ronaldo isn’t up to it anymore and even his finishing seems off now (think of how glorious that team goal would would have been when we pinged it around in their box and it was laid off to him only to sky it, also he’d have taken the shot first time when he tried to get penalty).

This really stood out for me as well.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

All that cash spent and you still feel like the hope for the attack is more or less on Rashford and Martials shoulders

Well they are incredibly talented players so it’s hardly the shock of the century. There’s genuinely only a handful of players I’d pick over Martial based on ability only. As we know by now that’s only a small part of the equation but it’s no debate that at his best Martial is a very good player. Rashford isn’t quite as talent but again at his best he’s still a nightmare to defend agaisnt.

 

[themanguydude]

Bruno and Eriksen can't play together.

We need an extra body in the midfield to get control of a game. Playmaking from the 10 position is not effective anymore.

Playmaking from the midfield should happen from deep or winning the ball high up the pitch. Sancho and Antony can also create from forward positions.

433 is the way to go. I'm sick of Southampton dominating possession at times or completely losing control with Bruno spamming Hollywood balls.

Sancho Martial Antony
Scott Eriksen Casemiro
Malacia Martinez Varane Dalot

I rate Fred above Scott but Scott has form on his side.

This midfield can win the ball and Eriksen can provide a killer ball if need be. Those forwards can also hold the ball well. Rashford and Ronaldo just can't hold the ball. They should be subs.

Time to actually get control of games.

I feel the opposite, that our attack can no longer function without Bruno and Eriksen.

Bruno without Eriksen and you get Bruno dropping deep to collect and create chances from deep with his hero balls, which is definitely not his strong suit.

Eriksen without Bruno is.. basically Sociedad. Eriksen manages to find Fred a lot with his progressive passes, but without a quality playmaker like Bruno he just keeps fecking up our attacks.

I'm not sure how we're gonna cope when ETH inevitably needs to rest one, or worse, both of them.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

In recent memory the best our attack has looked was when Bruno was going beyond Martial and Martial was the one being more of the playmaker which I suspect is what we will see again once he returns and is fit, just this time their are more attacking options like Sancho, Rashford and Antony

 

[MadDogg]

When Rashford is playing as a striker he really doesn't provide anything except trying to time runs in behind the defence. He's got no aerial presence at all, he can't hold the ball up, he rarely links well with our other players. Even his three goals this season have come when Martial or Ronaldo were subbed on to be the main central striker.

When Ronaldo is playing he has a bit more of an all-round game, but not by much. He's better at holding the ball up (although still not good), he tries to link with other players a bit more. He's just obviously in poor form at the moment so it's not coming off. Hopefully that will change.

This is why Martial is one of our most important players this season. A fit and in-form Martial simply provides so much more to the team as a whole. He has the hold-up play to get on the ball and keep it which releases pressure, and he links well with others. He tends to help bring the best out of the other attackers around him. The huge issue is obviously that he has spent the last couple of seasons struggling massively with both injuries and form so we unfortunately can't rely on him.

 

[Greck]

When Rashford is playing as a striker he really doesn't provide anything except trying to time runs in behind the defence. He's got no aerial presence at all, he can't hold the ball up, he rarely links well with our other players. Even his three goals this season have come when Martial or Ronaldo were subbed on to be the main central striker.

When Ronaldo is playing he has a bit more of an all-round game, but not by much. He's better at holding the ball up (although still not good), he tries to link with other players a bit more. He's just obviously in poor form at the moment so it's not coming off. Hopefully that will change.

Debatable. So far this season, when it comes to general play and over the course of a game Rashford has lower lows than Ronaldo but he also has higher highs. He will have his generally shite play but the couple occasion he gets a couple things right might net an assist. Those couple moments where he finds chemistry with another teammate is something I prefer till Martial returns. Ronaldo so far this season is only better on paper. On the pitch it doesn't actually translate to combining positively with others. When it comes to runs Rashford is willing to run whatever channel is necessary where Ronaldo only really runs the one central channel goalwards. It limits us situationally. If both are 2/10 hold up strikers I'd still go Rashford.

 

[Abraxas]

Well, I think when you've not really got a proper striker it's hard work to have a cohesive attack. They're always the focal point for a side.

If you compare it to peak Liverpool when they had Firmino dropping off, dragging defenders, then the dynamic play of Mane and Salah as goalscorers cutting into the box you see a logic to that which isn't there for us. It's the same for City, their plan to is to keep the ball, and drag players out of position, creating any kind of opening for Haaland. They can do that due to the technical level through the side.

We have two wingers in Antony and Sancho that also always want to cut in, except they're playing with blokes in Rashford and Ronaldo that constantly lose the ball so when you bang it into them you turn over possession. The most sensible thing we can do to be threatening at the moment is to have Rashford constantly making runs because we do have the creativity to find him. But it's very one dimensional of course.

I sympathise with the manager slightly as he clearly wanted Arnautovic or someone to be a focal point, move defenders around, hold it up until Sancho and Antony can get close to the box and then facilitate interplay with Bruno joining in. He had that at Ajax. At the moment I think he's probably searching for something that will work consistently and at the moment Rashford is the most viable plan.

 

[wangyu]

It will get better, the defensive looks solid so soon the attacks will get more adventurous. Sancho and Antony need to up their game of course. Scoring a goal every 3 or 4 games is not nearly enough.
Call me crazy but I think Sancho would be a bigger threat as a nr 10. He likes linking up, playing little one touch passes. As a 10 he would also play closer to Antony and I could see them combining really well together. He plays like Eden Hazard but less good. Considering Bruno is very wasteful I don’t think it is an outrageous idea.
On the flanks he simply isn’t enough of a threat, his dribbling skills are not good enough.

Martial
Rashford - Sancho - Antony

But can you take Bruno out of the team? He gives so much , every game, despite his sloppiness he still often provides, his energy is through the roof and he is very vocal and annoying. You need players like him on the pitch.

 

[Tarrou]

I feel like you need to split this discussion between with and without Ronaldo in the team

and then even further, before and after we sign a striker that suits ETH

harsh on ETH to judge him with Ronaldo stinking up the attack.. it's borderline impossible to build around that situation

I'm just happy the defence is looking stronger and we're starting to play the ball around the park much faster.. more one touch passing, patterns of play emerging etc.. players are individually improving too

just wasn't expecting much cohesion from the attack this season, to be honest..

 

[little.triangles]

Bruno and Eriksen can't play together.

Sancho Martial Antony
Scott Eriksen Casemiro
Malacia Martinez Varane Dalot

Time to actually get control of games.

Eriksen and Bruno directly created all three goals against Arsenal, but I see your point as far as controlling games goes. However, this would only work if we have a striker like Martial who is fit and starts regularly. Somebody has to be able to receive the ball further up the pitch and involve the other forwards. At the moment, it is Bruno who is doing this work.

We have been essentially playing without a striker. Ronaldo has become useless (can't link up and can't play on the shoulder) and Rashford's strengths are to play on the break. Unless the forward line is sorted, the midfield will remain an issue.

Scott-Eriksen-Casemiro may work wonderfully but, without a proper no.9, we cannot yet entertain thoughts of benching Bruno.

 

[MadDogg]

Debatable. So far this season, when it comes to general play and over the course of a game Rashford has lower lows than Ronaldo but he also has higher highs. He will have his generally shite play but the couple occasion he gets a couple things right might net an assist. Those couple moments where he finds chemistry with another teammate is something I prefer till Martial returns. Ronaldo so far this season is only better on paper. On the pitch it doesn't actually translate to combining positively with others. When it comes to runs Rashford is willing to run whatever channel is necessary where Ronaldo only really runs the one central channel goalwards. It limits us situationally. If both are 2/10 hold up strikers I'd still go Rashford.

The thing is that the way Rashford is playing is the way he always plays as a striker. Even if he improves his individual form he still won't provide any of the other team aspects that we probably want in our striker. Whereas Ronaldo is (hopefully) just in a period of poor form and I expect he will improve.

I wouldn't rate both of their hold-up play as 2/10. Rashford is more like 1/10, whereas Ronaldo is more a 4/10. It's not a strength but it's not a huge weakness like it is with Rashford who is pretty much incapable of it.

 

[RedOrange]

I feel the opposite, that our attack can no longer function without Bruno and Eriksen.

Bruno without Eriksen and you get Bruno dropping deep to collect and create chances from deep with his hero balls, which is definitely not his strong suit.

Eriksen without Bruno is.. basically Sociedad. Eriksen manages to find Fred a lot with his progressive passes, but without a quality playmaker like Bruno he just keeps fecking up our attacks.

I'm not sure how we're gonna cope when ETH inevitably needs to rest one, or worse, both of them.

I think we'll try again for De Jong or a similar player for the DLP role, then rotate Eriksen for the new DLP and Bruno to keep them all fit.

 

[justsomebloke]

We're sure not looking all that effective. ETH seems to prefer his full-backs moving infield and threatening the channels, rather than overlap on the outside. That leaves the wingers in much more of a wide role than cutting in, compared to before. I don't think that has worked particularly well for either Sancho or Anthony, so far. Perhaps a part of that is the lack of a striker focused on the box - that's not really Rashford's game, it could be (and maybe should be) Ronaldo's game, but he doesn't seem to want to play that way.

 

[justsomebloke]

Don't understand the concern on this after we just won a game 2-0 and cruised in second gear through the second half.

There was no reason for us to go gung ho attack here as the game was well and truly a posession management exercise after the first 30 mins.

Don't think United will go out and thrash these teams by 5 or more goals. It's a tough season with new tactics, barely any rest periods, a game every 3 days etc.

The manager needs to ensure that we keep winning games to get our confidence and swagger back. Once that happens, we have enough quality in our attack to threaten teams.

Given where our club was last season, the only target this season has to be consistent hard work and running from our players. No slagging off in games unless we are 2-0/3-0 up.

I don't think anyone's complaining about the results - it's more that we haven't really seen the team sustain much offensive pressure in any of the games so far this season, and eye test and xG both tell a very clear story that we're not generating very much in terms of good scoring chances. Hence, it's more than fair to say that we have a distance to go before we can claim to have a well-functioning offensive game. Of course, you can win without one, on most nights and provided you do other things very well, but in the long run that's got to be there.

 

[Shiva87]

I don't think anyone's complaining about the results - it's more that we haven't really seen the team sustain much offensive pressure in any of the games so far this season, and eye test and xG both tell a very clear story that we're not generating very much in terms of good scoring chances. Hence, it's more than fair to say that we have a distance to go before we can claim to have a well-functioning offensive game. Of course, you can win without one, on most nights and provided you do other things very well, but in the long run that's got to be there.

The point is that our attack (and how we create chances) will evolve in the next 5-6 months. As of now, having an expectation that we would be like City etc. with defined attacking patterns is not possible.

You and I are saying the same thing, but i won't be unhappy or concerned about out attack as long as we show that we can play as a team this season.

Attacking consistency will be needed, but it's not a priority right now.. (and Rightly so, IMO)

 

[DJ_21]

Bruno and Eriksen can't play together.

We need an extra body in the midfield to get control of a game. Playmaking from the 10 position is not effective anymore.

Playmaking from the midfield should happen from deep or winning the ball high up the pitch. Sancho and Antony can also create from forward positions.

433 is the way to go. I'm sick of Southampton dominating possession at times or completely losing control with Bruno spamming Hollywood balls.

Sancho Martial Antony
Scott Eriksen Casemiro
Malacia Martinez Varane Dalot

I rate Fred above Scott but Scott has form on his side.

This midfield can win the ball and Eriksen can provide a killer ball if need be. Those forwards can also hold the ball well. Rashford and Ronaldo just can't hold the ball. They should be subs.

Time to actually get control of games.

Although your correct… eriksen and Bruno have been linking up nicely together. Eriksen has brought the best out in Bruno… against Liverpool and arsenal it worked but that was because we was countering and we had 2 players who can play killer balls to the likes of rashford. Against lower sides your right that we need more control in midfield and Bruno doesn’t give us that. The midfield 3 that you chose should work perfect.

 

[RedOrange]

We're sure not looking all that effective. ETH seems to prefer his full-backs moving infield and threatening the channels, rather than overlap on the outside. That leaves the wingers in much more of a wide role than cutting in, compared to before. I don't think that has worked particularly well for either Sancho or Anthony, so far. Perhaps a part of that is the lack of a striker focused on the box - that's not really Rashford's game, it could be (and maybe should be) Ronaldo's game, but he doesn't seem to want to play that way.

Against Sheriff:

Dalot and Malacia are both pretty good passers, so they provide the option of tucking in and playing as midfielders in the final third, but I they've not been banished from providing width. I think whether they tuck in or overlap depends on where the ball is and which midfielders are making a run, game situation, etc.