Teja
Full Member
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2014
- Messages
- 5,840
Think the line-up / formation against Spurs is the most balanced one we can put out with our current set of players. Thoughts?
------------------------------ Henderson ------------------------------
---- AwB ----------- Lindelof ---- Maguire ----- Shaw ------
------------------------- McT ------ Fred -------------------------------
--- Rashford -------------- Bruno ------- Pogba ----------------
------------------------------ Cavani --------------------------------------
Couple of thoughts:
------------------------------ Henderson ------------------------------
---- AwB ----------- Lindelof ---- Maguire ----- Shaw ------
------------------------- McT ------ Fred -------------------------------
--- Rashford -------------- Bruno ------- Pogba ----------------
------------------------------ Cavani --------------------------------------
Couple of thoughts:
- Rashford + Greenwood on the flanks doesn't really work because neither player's primary strength is chance creation. Both want to get on the end of things. Add Cavani to this and there's barely any creativity across the front-3. Yes, Greenwood's improving his dribbling / crossing and Rashford can sometimes beat his man / find a nice pass to Shaw but neither can consistently create goal scoring chances week-in week-out.
- Pogba in the left half space is destructive. Doesn't have to do the dirty work that the #8 position requires, doesn't have to be as disciplined positionally or dedicate as much to tracking runners from midfield. If he's not displacing Bruno from that #10 role, this is probably his second best role in the squad.
- Pogba at the LAM / LW type role means Rashford nominally starts on the right. But we've seen enough rotation (Bruno drifting to the right, Rashford + Cavani through the middle, Pogba moving to #10 etc.) through out the game that it's not that big a deal. Resting Rashford and starting Greenwood is an option as well. This also sets us up well for Sancho because he plays both LW / RW as well and can swap positions with Rashford through out the game.
- People have their gripes about Fred + McT but that midfield fulfills its function against most PL sides. They provide an adequate screen for the defence, can progress the ball up the field and chip in with an odd goal here and there. Against the very top pressing sides like City / Pool they struggle and it's an area that can use some investment, but it's not as big an issue as people make it out to be. At any rate we're talking balance with the current set of players, so for me Fred + McT at CM with Pogba on the left is better than Fred + Pogba at CM and Rashford + Greenwood on the flanks.