The missing link....

[BringNaniBack]

We need a Meastro. A deep lying play maker. A Scholes, a Xavi, a Pirlo, a Modric, even an in form Carrick. These players are somewhat rare these days but I feel this might be what this current team needs.

We seem to have moved on to this obsession with having a defensive midfielder who is just a pure brute there to break up play and then give the ball to someone else. If you are going to have a defensive midfielder then they need to be able to actually dictate play and spray the ball about rather than just being there for the purpose of tackling.

Whats the problem with playing 3 midfielders who can all tackle and that are all technically good rather than always having one designated DM.

The missing link is a player who can shield the defence and dictate play with brilliant reading of the game and great passing. At the moment the closest player we have to this is Carrick and if not I would even like to see Blind tried in this position again. Both read the game well, can tackle and shield the defence but can also dictate play and always be an outlet to recycle possession and start an attack or give another option to our defenders.

At the moment we have Pogba who doesn't know what hes doing and needs to be given freedom to roam with the insurance of someone like Carrick or Blind behind him. The same with Herrera who can also help out defensively and is very tenacious but is better placed ahead of a deep lying play maker. Pogba and Herrera can both also tackle so we aren't short of defensive strengths in this area.

Please know one try and claim we tried this with Schneiderlin against Feyenoord. Schneiderlin isn't a play maker and could never take control of a game. Fellaini can't play this role either.

Pogba and Herrera ahead of Carrick in a 4-3-3 would be the best way forward at the moment I think.

 

[T00lsh3d]

We need a Meastro. A deep lying play maker. A Scholes, a Xavi, a Pirlo, a Modric, even an in form Carrick. These players are somewhat rare these days but I feel this might be what this current team needs.

We seem to have moved on to this obsession with having a defensive midfielder who is just a pure brute there to break up play and then give the ball to someone else. If you are going to have a defensive midfielder then they need to be able to actually dictate play and spray the ball about rather than just being there for the purpose of tackling.

Whats the problem with playing 3 midfielders who can all tackle and that are all technically good rather than always having one designated DM.

The missing link is a player who can shield the defence and dictate play with brilliant reading of the game and great passing. At the moment the closest player we have to this is Carrick and if not I would even like to see Blind tried in this position again. Both read the game well, can tackle and shield the defence but can also dictate play and always be an outlet to recycle possession and start an attack or give another option to our defenders.

At the moment we have Pogba who doesn't know what hes doing and needs to be given freedom to roam with the insurance of someone like Carrick or Blind behind him. The same with Herrera who can also help out defensively and is very tenacious but is better placed ahead of a deep lying play maker. Pogba and Herrera can both also tackle so we aren't short of defensive strengths in this area.

Please know one try and claim we tried this with Schneiderlin against Feyenoord. Schneiderlin isn't a play maker and could never take control of a game. Fellaini can't play this role either.

Pogba and Herrera ahead of Carrick in a 4-3-3 would be the best way forward at the moment I think.

Just based on availability, I can't see passed Viegl. There are better and we'd all love Verrati but we could get Viegl for 20M and any better players would cost the earth. And verratti would cost the solar system

 

[harms]

Just based on availability, I can't see passed Viegl. There are better and we'd all love Verrati but we could get Viegl for 20M and any better players would cost the earth. And verratti would cost the solar system

If Veigl is some Chinese counterfeit for Weigl then we probably can get him for 20m, maybe even cheaper. If you're talking about Dortmund player, he'll cost a fortune

Don't see the point of this thread though - the idea that we need someone who is able to orchestrate the game is well articulated in literally every thread with any connection to our current midfield situation

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Whats happening with Oliver Torres this days?

 

[Raoul]

The missing link isn't a player - its getting this group of players to play with squad cohesion.

 

[T00lsh3d]

If Veigl is some Chinese counterfeit for Weigl then we probably can get him for 20m, maybe even cheaper. If you're talking about Dortmund player, he'll cost a fortune

Don't see the point of this thread though - the idea that we need someone who is able to orchestrate the game is well articulated in literally every thread with any connection to our current midfield situation

Well if we could get a Chinese counterfeit......

Well in on the spelling mistake , 13 pints and I've fecked up spelling an odd name. The shame.

Why would he cost a fortune though? Don't know the length of his contract, but if he wants to go, all Dortmund players can be prized away for around that (maybe a little bit more on top).

 

[Pexbo]

The missing link isn't a player - its getting this group of players to play with squad cohesion.

Which will take coaching and time - and not all of them will make it. Patience and support is needed.

 

[2ndTouch]

Well if we could get a Chinese counterfeit......

Well in on the spelling mistake , 13 pints and I've fecked up spelling an odd name. The shame.

Why would he cost a fortune though? Don't know the length of his contract, but if he wants to go, all Dortmund players can be prized away for around that (maybe a little bit more on top).

Afaik they are in talks for a contract extension. As young and as grounded Weigl is, I don't see him leaving Dortmund within the next 3 years.

 

[rooneyaldo]

Ruben Neves, Portuguese, would probably want to play for Jose too.

 

[gav81]

I don't see where a Scholes, Xavi or Pirlo are coming from so, as you suggest OP, Blind has a decent passing range, reads the game well and would provide defensive cover.

 

[2 man midfield]

We're already pedestrian enough in midfield as it is without adding another neanderthal.

 

[Suedesi]

 

[WhoDaGOAT]

While it would be nice, the market is shut and we need to make do with what we have.

There is a midfield in the making between Pogba, Schneiderlin, Herrera and Mata. They just need time together to build momentum.

Leicester won a title without a player of this ilk. Atlético are very effective without one. Liverpool play to other strengths.

We need to find a way to get the best out of Pogba. The answer has to be a midfield three in the long term. Schneidelrin, for me, is low on confidence and is doing the bare minimum out of fear. There's no reason why he can't work in tandem with Pogba to cover for each other when one of them is going forward. Pogba will have to learn extra defensive responsibilities to succeed in this league, and Schneiderlin will need to grow a pair. Mourinho has to find the balance we so desperately need. He needs to find out what style of man management makes Morgan tick. Extra hours on the training field if needed.

Some of our player aren't playing to their full potential.

 

[buckooo1978]

there's too much pigeon holing in our team....it's been years since we actually played players in the right positions consistently

I think the key problems are in midfield and at 10

in terms of midfield.....

Schneiderlein was at his best in a box to box role for Southampton with Wanyama sitting deep - we have tried him as a deep CM and it hasn't been great.

Fellaini has been played deep when his effective football came at Everton in a more advanced role - like Schneiderlein he doesn't have the mobility/passing range to play that deeper role - when we do play him advanced like we did in the last 20/30 mins vrs City our all round game goes to shit as we play hoofball.

Pogba plays at his best with a playmaker like Pirlo behind him - he's another box to box player

Carrick is our only playmaker, probably our best midfielder last year in the later months of the season but hasn't played a minute I think

Herrera has tried hard and has played a deep role for us - despite being a tireless runner he is too impulsive and his passing range isn't anywhere near Carricks

based on this it's clear our midfield is imbalanced.....why we didn't sign a deep lying playmaker or a defensive player like Kante I don't know.....

enough has been said already about Rooney on the forum and we know the issues with him......Mata isn't in the same league as a De Bruyne or Silva and if we tried putting Mhiki there it's another case of pushing players into positions they aren't at their best in

think these two positions need to be the priority next season

 

[711]

there's too much pigeon holing in our team....it's been years since we actually played players in the right positions consistently

I think the key problems are in midfield and at 10

in terms of midfield.....

Schneiderlein was at his best in a box to box role for Southampton with Wanyama sitting deep - we have tried him as a deep CM and it hasn't been great.

Fellaini has been played deep when his effective football came at Everton in a more advanced role - like Schneiderlein he doesn't have the mobility/passing range to play that deeper role - when we do play him advanced like we did in the last 20/30 mins vrs City our all round game goes to shit as we play hoofball.

Pogba plays at his best with a playmaker like Pirlo behind him - he's another box to box player

Carrick is our only playmaker, probably our best midfielder last year in the later months of the season but hasn't played a minute I think

Herrera has tried hard and has played a deep role for us - despite being a tireless runner he is too impulsive and his passing range isn't anywhere near Carricks

based on this it's clear our midfield is imbalanced.....why we didn't sign a deep lying playmaker or a defensive player like Kante I don't know.....

enough has been said already about Rooney on the forum and we know the issues with him......Mata isn't in the same league as a De Bruyne or Silva and if we tried putting Mhiki there it's another case of pushing players into positions they aren't at their best in

think these two positions need to be the priority next season

Smalling in to release Bling to DM to push Poggy up. Easy.

 

[buckooo1978]

Smalling in to release Bling to DM to push Poggy up. Easy.

It's perhaps the best solution - Blind has developed as a player and I think he probably reads the game a lot better - his passing range is very good as well......

I'd like to see him try a midfield of

-----------------------Blind------------------------
-----------Herrera--------------Pogba-------------

nice balance about that I think

 

[Theonas]

The missing link isn't a player - its getting this group of players to play with squad cohesion.

Are you seriously suggesting a view on the Caf that doesn't involve buying more players? Good luck!

 

[Eriku]

We need a new Scholes, or Carrick?

Sure, we used to have that and did way better. We used to say the same when Keane was on the way out, and people lost their shit when we got Carrick instead of a proper midfield hard man to shout at our team and to make the opposition respect our "authoritah".

What we need is to give Mourinho time to figure out how best to play things, what he's missing, and for him to be able to instill the right attitude that it takes to gather the points we need. Like for like replacement will see us lose out, because football is always evolving.

 

[DonDarmian]

Julian Weigl has impressed me every single time i've seen him play. He is calm , has great passing range and distributes the ball very well. As a deep-lying playmaker he really does look like the next big thing.

Not so sure about his raw defending skills , but he definitely looks like a great prospect.

We just need someone to compliment the raw power and strength in Pogba.

 

[podurban2]

I'd agree. If we could get a Carrick somewhat in-form he could really be the change we need.

 

[ivaldo]

We already have this identical thread elsewhere, have a look before creating

 

[ivaldo]

I'd agree. If we could get a Carrick somewhat in-form he could really be the change we need.

We don't have a time machine, thats the problem.

 

[Perrick Dubois]

Insert 8 different flavor of the moment names here. Then head off to the "do we sign good players or do we destroy players" thread. We need to relax and let Mourinho work with what he has, we had about 6 different midfielders with different styles and it needs sorting out before we start just throwing players names in a hat and attempting to bring more in.

 

[pocco]

I don't think Weigl is the player people are looking for here. He's not a DM, he's more similar to Herrera in that he likes to tackle but he also likes to push forward. More of a box to box.

Not to mention that these Dortmund players seem to struggle elsewhere.

 

[sunama]

Are you seriously suggesting a view on the Caf that doesn't involve buying more players? Good luck!

The other thing which I have noticed is that when the muppets are asked about their dream signing, they always turn to Dortmund.
Anybody would think that Dortmund are the best team in the World.

The truth is that man for man (and cost-wise) we have one of the most expensive squads in the World, with a decent group of players.
If a manager of the standard of Jose cannot get a winning team after spending £149M in the Summer, he deserves to be fired.

We do not need any more players. We have 2 Galactico class players (POG, DDG) in our team already, along with some other decent players.

It is possible that we are cursed (where even after spending so much money and hiring one of the best managers in the World), we keep losing, but I tend to believe that given time Jose will take us back to winning ways.

 

[Theonas]

The other thing which I have noticed is that when the muppets are asked about their dream signing, they always turn to Dortmund.
Anybody would think that Dortmund are the best team in the World.

The truth is that man for man (and cost-wise) we have one of the most expensive squads in the World, with a decent group of players.
If a manager of the standard of Jose cannot get a winning team after spending £149M in the Summer, he deserves to be fired.

We do not need any more players. We have 2 Galactico class players (POG, DDG) in our team already, along with some other decent players.

It is possible that we are cursed (where even after spending so much money and hiring one of the best managers in the World), we keep losing, but I tend to believe that given time Jose will take us back to winning ways.

What happens is every time there is a setback, the temptation is to look at successful teams past and present and compare. So people go like "where's the Keano of this team" or "Real has a deep lying playmaker so where is ours?". The truth is no team has everything, you build your system and you work to perfect it. Some systems need box to box midfielders, some need playmakers, some need creative 10s and so on. We most certainly have enough players to make something work, definitely more than pretty much any PL team bar City and any team in the world bar the big Barcelona, Bayern and Real maybe.

When it comes to Mourinho, I agree with you, I would be very surprised if he actually fails to make us competitive here. His record, familiarity with the league and the squad we have should ensure that. Playing nice football is another matter however. That takes a manager who obsess over working on the offensive part of the game plus continuity among the players to develop that understanding and cohesion. We have neither of those criteria at the moment and therefore cannot reasonably expect nice cohesive football on a consistent basis.

 

[kthanksbye]

Verratti.
Just get him, and then we can even play Fellaini with him and Pogba. He's that good.

 

[bond19821982]

not really - some patience is what we need now. you bring Messi or Ronaldo and we are still not going to do any better.
We just had a bad game against City . We will be back to normal over the weekend

Please have some patience first and foremost !

 

[SteveJ]

there's too much pigeon holing in our team

God almighty...the last thing we need right now is a sex scandal featuring animals.

 

[Theonas]

God almighty...the last thing we need right now is a sex scandal featuring animals.

 

[Attila]

The missing link isn't a player - its getting this group of players to play with squad cohesion.

Agreed. LVG has left a mess behind in terms of attacking cohesion (10th highest scorers in the league last season) and Mourinho is going to have to build that up over the next few months

 

[CS@SG]

There is no missing link. Jose said he needs 4 major reinforcements and he got all the 4. There is nothing that is missing. If there is, Jose fails in his preparation.

 

[IronTulip]

The missing link isn't a player - its getting this group of players to play with squad cohesion.

This x100. We just don't seem to have players that gel as a team. It hasn't helped that there is a huge turnover of players, with a few of them being played out of position and without much regards as in how they will fit into a team or as with others, should they even be in the team (Rojo, Depay, BFS, Darmian).

We have tried to rectify the lack of power and physicality recently, but still lacking so many characteristics throughout the squad that make a team of winners. We are still too soft. There is no "fire". There are not enough players that take responsibility. Very few smart players that can sense danger and instead go missing.

Time and time again we get caught on the counter. Too many instances of losing possession very cheaply in the opposition half, and within a few seconds the ball is in our net. This is the thing that annoys me so much. I wouldn't mind if we are chasing a game and lose a goal because we are short at the back but too many goals are conceded when we have numerical advantage at the back. We just don't have anyone seeing the runs and picking up players.

Our scouting and purchasing have been a joke for too long. We are at the top of the food chain, we pay top dollar for transfers and wages and yet we end up with overpaid prima donnas that don't give a damn about the club. They sure like to talk, but it's about time to show it on the field. Herrera's interview when he said they will be "pushed" under Mourinho. I mean what the feck have you been doing in the meantime to deserve your inflated salaries. Push yourself no matter who the manager is.

It was horrible seeing only Rashford trying to press yesterday. Don't know who the captain was last night, but they don't deserve to wear it again. An 18 year old, one of the few bright sparks from last season and no one made much of an effort to help him. If Mourinho's instructions were not to press the least a captain should do is to remind the kid. As pointed out no "team cohesion".

I haven't been in the Rooney camp for a while, but he is the only remaining player that HAD that "fire". You don't need to have 11 World Class players, see Leicester, but without the majority having that "fire" you become like Arsenal/Spurs and recently United.

I used the word "fire" a lot, my interpretation of it, is having the will to win at all costs. Passion, drive, determination, team spirit...

 

[Jaybomb]

If we had a "Pirlo" type in the midfield, everyone would be complaining about him being slow, not being physical enough and being defensively inept. Not being able to cut it in the PL, etc... So why bother?

We should just play Schneiderlin or Fosu-Mensah infront of the defense. Mensah has all the attributes to be that tough tackling CDM we require. Schneiderlin has proved to be one of the best midfielders in the Prem when played regularly for Southampton. And he knows Pogba from France. So why not try out a Fosu-Morgan-Pogba midfield trio?

Oh right, I forgot. Rooney has to play. My bad.

 

[Freak]

We need to start playing like a team and not 11 individuals.

 

[kouroux]

Rabiot from PSG is slowly turning into a very good midfielder. Maybe one to keep an eye out for the future.

 

[An Irish Red]

The squad we had out at Feyenoord was more than enough, it was our tempo that failed us.

 

[MounchesterUtd]

A young Xabi Alonso would be perfect for this team, and the PL for that matter. Won't back down from a fight, but can outclass you when the occasion calls for it. A threat from set pieces as a bonus. What a player he was.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I think we're a tad obsessed with buying new players. Not enough focus on what we make of what we have. How many players actually improve after moving to United? Who is this tempo setter at Liverpool? Heck even Kante isn't really a tempo setter at Chelsea.

The problem is that the solution is always buy buy buy I.e a quick fix.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

The missing link isn't a player - its getting this group of players to play with squad cohesion.

Exactly.