Our Midfield

[Balotelli's Bib]

If you go into this season without creative reinforcements for midfield you'd be a Pogba injury away from one of the weakest midfields in the Prem.

Not to mention the amount of pressure this would put on McTominay (who has shown promise, but far from the finished product).

 

[Blind pew]

Definitely a lot resting on Scot McTominay's shoulders this new season. He will certainly be expected to step up to the plate. Time will tell.

As for Fred, he might, hopefully, show some of the class he has only showed in fleeting glimpses thus far. He might be another Bergkamp or Modric, who both needed at least a full season before anybody saw the best of them, and they did okay, didn't they?

As for Pogba? Well he's either 9/10 or 2/10. Trouble is, that's often during the same game. By a country mile, the most inconsistent player I've ever seen.

Matic is very pedestrian these days, almost statuesque.

A problem could be, is that we've got used to a diet of Scholes / Carrick. They were Rolls Royce players and most blokes don't look as good by comparison.

 

[Bestietom]

Well if we have to depend on these midfielders and we get some injuries (as we wil) then I'm not expecting a top 4 position.

 

[Godfather]

This will be some proper bus parking stuff against the big boys this year. No midfield and an underwhelming attack.

 

[Godfather]

If you go into this season without creative reinforcements for midfield you'd be a Pogba injury away from one of the weakest midfields in the Prem.

Not to mention the amount of pressure this would put on McTominay (who has shown promise, but far from the finished product).

Tend to agree sadly

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

This will be some proper bus parking stuff against the big boys this year. No midfield and an underwhelming attack.

If I see bus parking against the big teams again, feck me.

 

[Godfather]

If I see bus parking against the big teams again, feck me.

We will fluke a win here and there like we did against Juve and all will be good again.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

We will fluke a win here and there like we did against Juve and all will be good again.

Or PSG. That performance has become so overrated with each passing month.

 

[Hawks2008]

Don't know how the club can think we can persist with the midfield we have. Plenty of options around but nah Matic and Fred are good enough.

 

[DownRiver]

State the facts:

- 6 months of Old in the club
- Old: "you would be surprised with players who are being offered to us"
- let go of Herrera and Fellaini
-Pogba getting injured will be zero creativity
-renewed contracts with players we want to get rid of
- our most prolific striker has gone AWOL



Yet, Ole is 'comfortable' with the situation

 

[Godfather]

Ole is going to have one hell of a job next season with that squad. Doubt he'll have the balls to go for youth either. We'll struggle against midtable teams so no way he'll risk using our young guns in such a scenario.

 

[Godfather]

Or PSG. That performance has become so overrated with each passing month.

Yeah PSG was even worse. Was all nice to get into the next round but the quality of football was atrocious and it showed in the following weeks.

 

[Nialinho]

We're going to need McTominay, Andreas and Gomes to step up as well as Fred showing what he's capable of to have a chance at top four.

But if you think this is Ole's doing you're incredibly naive.

 

[devilish]

Apart from Pogba none of our players is remotely near to WC. This is a worse CM to the one Sir Alex left us with.

 

[JoaquinJoaquin]

We're going to need McTominay, Andreas and Gomes to step up as well as Fred showing what he's capable of to have a chance at top four.

But if you think this is Ole's doing you're incredibly naive.

So we need 4 players to step up to get in the Top 4. What is the chances of that, really?

 

[Kag]

The bigger worry (apart from the small one of not having a single player outside of Pogba able to create chances) is that our best midfielder (yes, it’s Pogba) will need replacing in the next year anyway.

So given we can’t even buy one bloke to improve this area of the pitch, how on earth do we expect to improve more than one next season? At the very least, we’ll need to replace Matic and Pogba, never mind Herrera this year.

Laughable situation, really.

 

[Adisa]

A feckin disgrace. Wish I could find the bastard.

 

[settembrini]

I don't think our midfield is anywhere near as bad as people are making it out to be. Just need one of McTominay or Fred to step up and take over from Matic as a starter.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Matic Pogba
Mata

Is that about the size of it as things stand?

Back up options:
McTominay Pereira Fred
Lingard / Sanchez

 

[bosnian_red]

Matic Pogba
Mata

Is that about the size of it as things stand?

Back up options:
McTominay Pereira Fred
Lingard / Sanchez

Would be a travesty if matic starts over McTominay

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Would be a travesty if matic starts over McTominay

We'll see soon enough

 

[Stacks]

It's the base of the midfield that is worrying.

Our back 4 is close to being sorted. We are absolutely stacked upfront. It's the midfield anchor that is the weakpoint:

Matic _ Doesn't fill me with any confidence
Fred _ Same here
McTominay _ Has potential but our team cannot hinge on this guy putting in world class performances week in, week out.

This is why I have maintained that signing a good DM is more of a priority that signing an attacker.
We need to build from the back to the front and we need a good DM after getting in Maguire.
Doesn't have to be a Gattusso type destroyer ball winner but atleast someone with good distribution skills who can read the game and bring out the ball from the back, clean up after Pogba and dictate play.

I mean look at the Milan game. Matic ceeded possesion with a simple pass from De Gea and we conceeded a goal. We can't allow this kind of lax, sloppy play in the PL. We'll get cleaned week in, week out.

We are stacked with players of questionable quality upfront. players with serious question marks as to whether we can trust them to do the biz next year.

We're going to need McTominay, Andreas and Gomes to step up as well as Fred showing what he's capable of to have a chance at top four.

But if you think this is Ole's doing you're incredibly naive.

That is a lot of players who have to do something they have never done before.

So we need 4 players to step up to get in the Top 4. What is the chances of that, really?

I would guess a very low percentage if we have a resident mathmatician.

I don't think our midfield is anywhere near as bad as people are making it out to be. Just need one of McTominay or Fred to step up and take over from Matic as a starter.

They already have taken over Matic as he is done. Simply taking over Matic isn't enough as he has been mediocre for a good. while. We need midfielders who are going to excel by premier league standards and also ones who are going to lesson the creative burden from Pogba. McSauce is the only player who has shown any signs of this and even he has questions. Hell Pogba has questions too. I can see exactly the same pattern as last season. All of them giving the ball to Pogba and waiting for him to do something, merely acting as his supporting cast. Most of our midfield were not even good last season. If we rate performances by average/good/very good/great/excellent/outstanding most were average and some were less.

 

[BluesJr]

Matic Pogba
Mata

Is that about the size of it as things stand?

Back up options:
McTominay Pereira Fred
Lingard / Sanchez

McTominay is starting.

 

[Xaviboy]

Expecting few games next season where we will Lose and it be down to the lack of quality in our midfield. Watching teams dominate us with possession. There's a few bottlers in that midfield too so when the going gets tough they don't want to know. I can see few repeats of the Everton away game next season. We really needed to address midfield and looks like were going in with Pogba, Matic, McTom, Perrerra and Fred. Not confident with them options.

 

[Stacks]

Matic Pogba
Mata

Is that about the size of it as things stand?

Back up options:
McTominay Pereira Fred
Lingard / Sanchez

I am sitting in an office with most of the lads doing fantasy football teams for next season. I said to a Chelsea fan "why have you not got United players" so he went to our squad page and actually laughed out loud at our midfield options. Took him a while to calm down. We have a midfield that virtually NONE of our rivals envy or even take seriously. That's a far cry from having Scholes/Keane/Beckham or Bernado/Fernandinho/De Bruyne etc which is quite telling. I get that we are not the same United but the quality simply is not there and our rivals know it and most fans know it. Does Ole and the board know it?

 

[Adisa]

I don't think our midfield is anywhere near as bad as people are making it out to be. Just need one of McTominay or Fred to step up and take over from Matic as a starter.

It is. Short of Pogba, the next creative player is an 18 year old. The only specialist DM is a geriatric.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

The bigger worry (apart from the small one of not having a single player outside of Pogba able to create chances) is that our best midfielder (yes, it’s Pogba) will need replacing in the next year anyway.

So given we can’t even buy one bloke to improve this area of the pitch, how on earth do we expect to improve more than one next season? At the very least, we’ll need to replace Matic and Pogba, never mind Herrera this year.

Laughable situation, really.

Yeah, the Pogba to Real stuff won’t go away even if we can get one more season out of him there’s a huge chance of him buggering off in one of the next two transfer windows. So now would be the perfect time to plan for a future without him. Especially with CMs taking longer than most to adjust/settle at a new club.

Something else that’s bugging me is the way Fellaini never gets a mention. People keep banging on about Hererra but we actually just lost TWO central midfielders. Both of them have their limitations but both of them were established senior pros. It’s just bizarre that we haven’t made more of an effort to compensate for their departures.

 

[Ikon]

The day that Mata was awarded a contract extension just gave me a feeling of dread that our Midfield wouldn't be getting any money spent on it, so far that's proven to be correct.

At this late stage, I'd take Matuidi from Juve if it helped get Lukaku dispatched.

 

[RedSky]

Not replacing Fellaini or Herrera is shambolic. Sigh.

Guess we have to prepare ourselves for Fred giving the ball away in our own half and Matic failing to track runners. McTominay and Pogba are the only midfielders I feel remotely positive about.

 

[bosnian_red]

Yeah, the Pogba to Real stuff won’t go away even if we can get one more season out of him there’s a huge chance of him buggering off in one of the next two transfer windows. So now would be the perfect time to plan for a future without him. Especially with CMs taking longer than most to adjust/settle at a new club.

Something else that’s bugging me is the way Fellaini never gets a mention. People keep banging on about Hererra but we actually just lost TWO central midfielders. Both of them have their limitations but both of them were established senior pros. It’s just bizarre that we haven’t made more of an effort to compensate for their departures.

I think in terms of Fellaini, we just replace him with the squad. McTominay gets a bigger role, Pereira gets a bigger role and that's that. McTominay should essentially get Matic's role, with Matic having a backup role, and Garner 3rd for that spot behind them. Pogba 1st next to them, fred his back up, Pereira 3rd backup. The same for #10. Lingard 1st, Mata 2nd, Gomes 3rd.

I understand what the thinking is, and I'm not too worried in terms of numbers, it's just that the likes of Matic, Mata and Pereira are nowhere near good enough while there's question marks over some of the others.

 

[MUFC OK]

As for Pogba? Well he's either 9/10 or 2/10. Trouble is, that's often during the same game. By a country mile, the most inconsistent player I've ever seen.
.

Nani?

 

[MUFC OK]

If you go into this season without creative reinforcements for midfield you'd be a Pogba injury away from one of the weakest midfields in the Prem.

Not to mention the amount of pressure this would put on McTominay (who has shown promise, but far from the finished product).

We all know this. We all know.

 

[Infra-red]

We're going to be overrun and dominated in the middle of the field every week. It's a good thing we have strengthened the defence, because it is going to have to withstand a lot of pressure.

 

[Infra-red]

Everton are reportedly trying to sign Doucouré today... we should be intervening there. He'd walk into our midfield.

 

[bosnian_red]

We'll see soon enough

Initially I'm sure Matic will have the starting job, but I'd expect he gets phased out pretty quickly and we see something like this as the depth chart (if nobody leaves) :

De Gea
Wan Bissaka Lindelof Maguire Shaw
McTominay Pogba
James Lingard Martial
Rashford

Romero
Dalot Tuanzebe Smalling Young
Matic Fred
Greenwood Mata Chong
Lukaku

Grant
Darmian Jones Bailly Rojo
Garner Pereira
--- Gomes Sanchez
---​

 

[Renegade]

Club haven’t seemed to clued up to Matic being finished. Will be a painful realisation when the season starts.

I can understand Fellaini not being replaced with Mctominay and Andreas absorbing his minutes but not replacing Herrera is criminal.

 

[ottosec]

We're one Pogba injury away from having a Championship level midfield.

 

[Nialinho]

So we need 4 players to step up to get in the Top 4. What is the chances of that, really?

Bleak, but perhaps four is a bit OTT. Our midfield's just fecked and my head's gone

Basically, like many of said - the prospect of starting Matic every week is just hella scary and it looks like we'll have to turn to our squad/youth players if we're going to have a good season.

 

[11101]

Matic Pogba
Mata

Is that about the size of it as things stand?

Back up options:
McTominay Pereira Fred
Lingard / Sanchez

If Ole goes with Matic and Mata he won't last the season. In fact if he goes with either of them he won't last the season.

It should be McT and Fred, or McT and Pereira. Mata can do a job in certain situations but Matic is essentially a hindrance at this level now.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

I am sitting in an office with most of the lads doing fantasy football teams for next season. I said to a Chelsea fan "why have you not got United players" so he went to our squad page and actually laughed out loud at our midfield options. Took him a while to calm down. We have a midfield that virtually NONE of our rivals envy or even take seriously. That's a far cry from having Scholes/Keane/Beckham or Bernado/Fernandinho/De Bruyne etc which is quite telling. I get that we are not the same United but the quality simply is not there and our rivals know it and most fans know it. Does Ole and the board know it?

It comes to something when Leicester, Bournemouth and Everton mids are infinitely more appealing in fantasy football than ours! I.e. More likely to get goals and assists.