Press Resistant Midfielder

[quiet_united]

I don think we had many midfielder who would be press resistant. I would say we never really had anyone who is truly great at it. I remember Carrick being targeted everytime we play a Spanish team.
Who do we think is the best press resistant midfielder we ever had and why we just can’t seem to sign one?
I’d say Herrera is decent at it.

 

[Devil You Know]

Scholes, obviously.

 

[quiet_united]

Scholes, obviously.

Agree with that. He was very effective in his own way

 

[RedBanker]

Mason Mount. The GOAT.

 

[Howl]

The easiest way to beat a press is a simple 1-2. Our players are way too static and have been for 13-14 years. It was pathetic showing today when everyone was just lollygagging along when the player on the ball would be looking for a passing option.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

The lack of a midfielder able to receive the ball in deep areas and turn quickly to escape pressure while being a metronomic passer is something that's been missing from our team for over a decade now.

 

[Ace of Spades]

We have Mainoo, Hannibal and Gore who are press resistant, but they are very young.

Out of the seniors players, maybe Mount ?

Hence the need for Amrabat.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Scholes quite clearly. Pogba for all of his hate was very press resistant, he just never had a structure around him so would get doubled up on and make the mistake of still trying to dribble out of it. But… yeah that’s mostly it

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Mason Mount. The GOAT.

Typical YouTube comment section poster who will keep meming our own players with Mount being the latest target now that Maguire is gone.

 

[roonster09]

Typical YouTube comment section poster who will keep meming our own players with Mount being the latest target now that Maguire is gone.

Please don't insult YouTube comment section, they are better

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Please don't insult YouTube comment section, they are better

True

 

[flappyjay]

The lack of a midfielder able to receive the ball in deep areas and turn quickly to escape pressure while being a metronomic passer is something that's been missing from our team for over a decade now.

Thats why I want Amrabat so bad. He is not a world beater but I think he could do a job.

 

[Chief123]

I don think we had many midfielder who would be press resistant. I would say we never really had anyone who is truly great at it. I remember Carrick being targeted everytime we play a Spanish team.
Who do we think is the best press resistant midfielder we ever had and why we just can’t seem to sign one?
I’d say Herrera is decent at it.

Scholes was one of the best ever at it.

Even in his short stint, Anderson was pretty press resistant. Roy Keane as well. Was hard to get the ball off him and his pass accuracy was always 90%+.

 

[Chief123]

The lack of a midfielder able to receive the ball in deep areas and turn quickly to escape pressure while being a metronomic passer is something that's been missing from our team for over a decade now.

Even though he’s so young, Mainoo has these attributes.

 

[Remember the geese]

Scholes and Pogba come to mind. I think it's one of those things that they try to school players in from an early age these days. You see most of our academy centre mids have that quality to some extent (Hannibal, Mainoo, Hansen-Aarøen, Gore etc).

 

[RedBanker]

Typical YouTube comment section poster who will keep meming our own players with Mount being the latest target now that Maguire is gone.

Typical top red. Yawn.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

Press resistant to me is able to keep a hold of the ball and dribble out of situations till you find that pass, the only people in recent memory that could do that were Anderson and Pogba. Possibly Herrera. Carrick and Scholes were to me press resistant in another way. Where the likes of Anderson and Pogba could progress the ball with their dribbiling Scholes and Carrick would more just look for the space to find a pass. They wouldn’t per say beat a man or two to create that space like an Anderson or Pogba could.

 

[hasanejaz88]

Scholes is one of the greatest and, while he didn't have the best career here, Pogba was also fantastic at holding the ball against the press. The issue with Pogba was that he would hold on to the ball too long and ended up giving it away at times.

It's been a major weakness of ours from the end of Fergies era and a major reason why we haven't found success since. People would make fun, but Cleverley and Anderson seemed like a midfield pair that would be great at resisting the press and pushing the ball forward, but both didn't develop beyond some exciting months in the 11/12 season.

That being said, you can win titles without press resistant midfielders. Non of Liverpool's three of Henderson, Fabinho and Wijnaldum could be considered 'press resistant' but they changed their tactics so that their wingbacks contribute much more to the build up of attack, while the job of the midfield three was more to cover up the space left behind.

Amrabat looks like the classical press resistant deep midfield who can push the ball, and I believe he is the player we are targeting to ultimately play with Casemiro and Bruno, with Mount being in and out at either his or Bruno's position.

 

[Devil You Know]

Pogba was barely average for press resistance, even by the standards of a midtable PL midfielder. For a top 4 player, he was downright bad at it. No idea why this myth is being repeated.

Just because he could ping a ball 40 yards, doesn't mean every other technical facet of his game was equally as good. In fact, lack of press resistance was probably the main thing that held him back at United from the levels he reached in Italy and at international level where the pressing was less intense than it is here.

 

[Champ]

No such thing as a 'press resistant' midfielder.

 

[P-Ro]

Out of ex United players it's probably John Obi Mikel. The guy never lost the ball.

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

Play Licha as a midfielder. Shaw at CB.

Desperate times if Amrabat or another midfielder dont come.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Agree with that. He was very effective in his own way

It's the simple outside of the boot turn he used to do, little touches in a circle going away from whichever side the opposition player was coming from and you couldn't really ever get the ball without fouling him. It's not hard and all of our players could technically do it but I feel like it's a mentality thing. You have to be incredibly confident/brave to take the ball as the deep midfielder with someone pressing you. I'll always respect Fred as he would always show for that dangerous ball although the outcome wasn't normally pretty.

Casemiro is ok, he's good at the one touch passing but is quite slow with the ball at feet.

 

[DWelbz19]

I think Paul Scholes is the only properly good one we’ve ever had. That I’ve seen, anyway.

It’s just a type of midfielder we’ve never seemed to go for. It’s really weird.

 

[Infra-red]

It was quite tough getting the ball off of Matic.

 

[Skills]

The lack of a midfielder able to receive the ball in deep areas and turn quickly to escape pressure while being a metronomic passer is something that's been missing from our team for over a decade now.

The fact that we went for Mount for £55m, while City got Kovacic for £25m kinda sums us up. Kovacic was pretty much the perfect midfielder for what we needed.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

I always thought Matic was very good at this

 

[JagUTD]

Scholes

Both on the pitch and off it. Press couldn't get near him.

 

[Glorio]

Scholes

Both on the pitch and off it. Press couldn't get near him.

 

[MDFC Manager]

I always thought Matic was very good at this

Yes, and annoyingly none of his managers here could use that part of his skillset

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Giggs deserves a mention.

 

[P-Ro]

Giggs deserves a mention.

For being good press resistant?

 

[GMoore23]

Press resistant to me is able to keep a hold of the ball and dribble out of situations till you find that pass, the only people in recent memory that could do that were Anderson and Pogba. Possibly Herrera. Carrick and Scholes were to me press resistant in another way. Where the likes of Anderson and Pogba could progress the ball with their dribbiling Scholes and Carrick would more just look for the space to find a pass. They wouldn’t per say beat a man or two to create that space like an Anderson or Pogba could.

Press resistant to me is a player who thinks so fast you can't get near him. They often know what they're going to do even before they have the ball at their feet, always one step ahead.

You here Keane regularly saying how he can't believe how many players don't have a look over there shoulder before receiving the ball.
It's impossible to be press resistant if you don't know what's going on around you.

 

[Orion.]

Giggs deserves a mention.

indeed he does - Giggs could have been an elite ball carrying central midfielder had he been moved into that role earlier instead of signing Veron.

The fact that we went for Mount for £55m, while City got Kovacic for £25m kinda sums us up. Kovacic was pretty much the perfect midfielder for what we needed.

Absolutely. United’s transfer business has been terrible for 15 years now. Even Berbatov was a misfit, and Ferguson vetoing the Lewandowski move to ensure he could prevent Van Persie from joining City to ensure he could get that final title at the expense of what was best for United longer term were ultimately indicative of the flawed, short sighted approach to signings since the 2008 double.

 

[podurban2]

Scholes is one of the greatest and, while he didn't have the best career here, Pogba was also fantastic at holding the ball against the press. The issue with Pogba was that he would hold on to the ball too long and ended up giving it away at times.

It's been a major weakness of ours from the end of Fergies era and a major reason why we haven't found success since. People would make fun, but Cleverley and Anderson seemed like a midfield pair that would be great at resisting the press and pushing the ball forward, but both didn't develop beyond some exciting months in the 11/12 season.

That being said, you can win titles without press resistant midfielders. Non of Liverpool's three of Henderson, Fabinho and Wijnaldum could be considered 'press resistant' but they changed their tactics so that their wingbacks contribute much more to the build up of attack, while the job of the midfield three was more to cover up the space left behind.

Amrabat looks like the classical press resistant deep midfield who can push the ball, and I believe he is the player we are targeting to ultimately play with Casemiro and Bruno, with Mount being in and out at either his or Bruno's position.

You think we splurged 60m on a bench warmer?

 

[Abraxas]

I don't think Pogba was as great as some are saying. There isn't much practical difference between a player that takes a heavy first touch and concedes possession and the one that takes a silky touch, does a pirouette, waits 5 seconds for contact, tries to hold them off then gives it away. Same result only happening for different reasons. Pogba did that more than his managers would have liked. Neither of these types will do that all the time, they'll mix in good with bad but the point is they're not up there with the very best.

Scholes was the bar for us. He could do it multiple ways. It was mostly awareness and having a picture. Knowing when to take one touch, two, or carrying the ball. Awareness of space, speed of thought and technical ability coming together. But I don't think you could fault most of that classic side. Keane, Giggs, Beckham, they could all handle the ball.

Players are under more sustained pressing intensity now though.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

The fact that we went for Mount for £55m, while City got Kovacic for £25m kinda sums us up. Kovacic was pretty much the perfect midfielder for what we needed.

This./

He’d have probably chosen them anyway but try at least.

 

[Eric_the_Red99]

I don't think Pogba was as great as some are saying. There isn't much practical difference between a player that takes a heavy first touch and concedes possession and the one that takes a silky touch, does a pirouette, waits 5 seconds for contact, tries to hold them off then gives it away. Same result only happening for different reasons. Pogba did that more than his managers would have liked. Neither of these types will do that all the time, they'll mix in good with bad but the point is they're not up there with the very best.

Scholes was the bar for us. He could do it multiple ways. It was mostly awareness and having a picture. Knowing when to take one touch, two, or carrying the ball. Awareness of space, speed of thought and technical ability coming together. But I don't think you could fault most of that classic side. Keane, Giggs, Beckham, they could all handle the ball.

Players are under more sustained pressing intensity now though.

Yeah, it always infuriated me how Pogba would trap the ball, come to a halt and just stand still trying to hold off multiple defenders while making no attempt to pass the ball or move. I mean, what was he expecting to happen in that situation? The very best you can hope for is winning a free kick, but that’ll only happen if the defenders are reckless and dive in.

 

[Waynne]

Just move the ball quicker and provide a passing option for your mate.

For that you need to move around, expend a bit of energy but our players look like they enjoy doing the mannequin challenge on the pitch as soon as they get rid of the ball.

 

[Hit It]

Pogba press resistant. I saw him dawdle on the ball alot of time, gettting robbed in the middle of the park more often than not. Scholes is number 1. Nobody has come close to him in a United shirt in terms of playing through a press.
Mainoo looks good for his age alot of promise, time will tell.