Ole started in December 2018. He played a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 hybrid, with Pogba being the attacking midfielder/10. Even though the seaon ended badly at Barcelona and Everton, the run prior to that was fantastic, and Pogba in particular was producing KDB numbers of goals and assists. What was missing from the team was a good right back, a passer deep in midfield, and a right winger - all the attackers were right-footed and preferred cutting in.
In that summer, we got Maguire, AWB, and James. None of them addressed either the passing midfielder or the right winger problem (getting rid of Herrera made midfield passing problem worse). Instead, in the first game against Chelsea, the formation was now a clear 4-2-3-1, and Pogba had been moved back as the passer to accomodate ... Lingard as the 10. Pogba played well that day, and got injured not long after (still playing the deeper role), but I never figured out that tactical switch. A world-class player performing at a very high level in a certain setup, and that setup was discarded for one of the worst playmakers in the league. There was obviously money to spend (which could have been spent on a passing midfielder), and there was an obvious template to build on, but it was ignored for something much worse.
Has Ole said anything about why he made the switch in formation and personnel?
In that summer, we got Maguire, AWB, and James. None of them addressed either the passing midfielder or the right winger problem (getting rid of Herrera made midfield passing problem worse). Instead, in the first game against Chelsea, the formation was now a clear 4-2-3-1, and Pogba had been moved back as the passer to accomodate ... Lingard as the 10. Pogba played well that day, and got injured not long after (still playing the deeper role), but I never figured out that tactical switch. A world-class player performing at a very high level in a certain setup, and that setup was discarded for one of the worst playmakers in the league. There was obviously money to spend (which could have been spent on a passing midfielder), and there was an obvious template to build on, but it was ignored for something much worse.
Has Ole said anything about why he made the switch in formation and personnel?