And I dont think we do. We have enough in midfield that the Martial / Cavani /RW position has more pressing concerns
We should replace Pogba with a DM
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
With you all day long on this. Doubt both are acheivable but both quality players who would improve our first 11
Do you think so. He seems to play in deep midfield often with SMS playing quite advanced. It would be a like for like playing pogba in a double pivot but I feel like Alberto might justify it
Wilfred Ndidi or Denis Zakaria.
I agree that we should look to invest in a quality DM or ball winner irrespective of Pogba leaving. We're at an important stage of Ole's tenure as manager. We have improved considerably in 2020 and need to show signs that we can take the next step. This past summer we strengthened the collective strength of our quad. Our next few signings need to be indispensable first teamers.
Forgive me for drawing any comparisons with them but in order to take the next step toward being a top footballing side, I think we should aim for a 2021 similar to Liverpool's 2018.
For that to happen our signings should meet 3 criteria (similar profile to Bruno):
1 - Be the best or (close to the best) at their role in their league
2 - Have experience (players aged 23-24+)
3 - Hungry to take the next step in their careers
I can't speak too much on players that meet point 3, but the 2 players I believe meet those 3 criteria are Wilfred Ndidi and Denis Zakaria. Neither of which will help us massively with ball progression, but will absolutely solidify our midfield. We would be much more dominant against weaker sides, and put up a better fight against stronger sides with either addition.
Both are amazing 1 v 1 players that will help us keep teams pinned in their own half, and also help us launch counter attacks with their crazy ball winning capabilities. I would add that we would still need similar signings at RW and CB, and potentially at #8 and #9 depending on VDB/Fred and Martial/Greenwood's progression.
I agree that we should look to invest in a quality DM or ball winner irrespective of Pogba leaving. We're at an important stage of Ole's tenure as manager. We have improved considerably in 2020 and need to show signs that we can take the next step. This past summer we strengthened the collective strength of our quad. Our next few signings need to be indispensable first teamers.
Forgive me for drawing any comparisons with them but in order to take the next step toward being a top footballing side, I think we should aim for a 2021 similar to Liverpool's 2018.
For that to happen our signings should meet 3 criteria (similar profile to Bruno):
1 - Be the best or (close to the best) at their role in their league
2 - Have experience (players aged 23-24+)
3 - Hungry to take the next step in their careers
I can't speak too much on players that meet point 3, but the 2 players I believe meet those 3 criteria are Wilfred Ndidi and Denis Zakaria. Neither of which will help us massively with ball progression, but will absolutely solidify our midfield. We would be much more dominant against weaker sides, and put up a better fight against stronger sides with either addition.
Both are amazing 1 v 1 players that will help us keep teams pinned in their own half, and also help us launch counter attacks with their crazy ball winning capabilities. I would add that we would still need similar signings at RW and CB, and potentially at #8 and #9 depending on VDB/Fred and Martial/Greenwood's progression.
Agreed.
He's pretty average and he's not a DM in a million years. He's basically what Pogba would be like if he was small and couldn't dribble or shoot.
I believe Neves is the best option. Won't cost much and has experience in EPL
Plus he got nice pass distribution and good long shots, which is missing in Matic/ Fred/ McT.
Plus he got nice pass distribution and good long shots, which is missing in Matic/ Fred/ McT.
How about Camavinga?
Wonder if Eddy could have a chat with Verratti,maybe he might fancy a crack at this league
He is represented by Raiola and that rules him OUT
Getting a DM depends on how we want to play.
We have good qualities in midfield and pretty good numbers - issue is quality.
Only Bruno has star quality. What Bruno has in quality he also has in workrate and application - thats the key.
For DM, where we usually play two players we have:
Matic/Fred/McTom/Pogba and now also Van De Beek.
All are good footballers to some degree - all have flaws at being a "DM". Out of them all, only Matic really has the skillset to be that "holding DM" in its purest sense.
Donny is a great technically gifted midfielder, but he's not an out and out DM. Fred and McTom seem to be more traditional "central midfield" players who are good at most things a midfielder should be, but awesome at none. Pogba - less said the better. Been trying to understand what he's good at for 5 years, still trying. Talented for sure, but a good midfielder for us he is not nor ever will be.
I think we could sell Pogba tomorrow and he wouldnt need replacing. It would be a relief in fact.
I do think we need better quality - we can certainly upgrade on Fred/McTom and Matic hasnt got the legs anymore. Donny is still finding his way here, but he looks a class above anyone in that Midfield bar Bruno to be fair.
I do think in todays game, a true Kante style DM is extremely rare to find. Not many I can name who are consistently good enough. Seems to be a calling for more rounded midfielders these days.
So who, usual names appearing:
Rice - woefully over rated and inconsistent
Ndidi - looks decent but is he really better than Fred/McTom?
Zakaria - May struggle to adapt to the league - just like the much better Partey has
We have good qualities in midfield and pretty good numbers - issue is quality.
Only Bruno has star quality. What Bruno has in quality he also has in workrate and application - thats the key.
For DM, where we usually play two players we have:
Matic/Fred/McTom/Pogba and now also Van De Beek.
All are good footballers to some degree - all have flaws at being a "DM". Out of them all, only Matic really has the skillset to be that "holding DM" in its purest sense.
Donny is a great technically gifted midfielder, but he's not an out and out DM. Fred and McTom seem to be more traditional "central midfield" players who are good at most things a midfielder should be, but awesome at none. Pogba - less said the better. Been trying to understand what he's good at for 5 years, still trying. Talented for sure, but a good midfielder for us he is not nor ever will be.
I think we could sell Pogba tomorrow and he wouldnt need replacing. It would be a relief in fact.
I do think we need better quality - we can certainly upgrade on Fred/McTom and Matic hasnt got the legs anymore. Donny is still finding his way here, but he looks a class above anyone in that Midfield bar Bruno to be fair.
I do think in todays game, a true Kante style DM is extremely rare to find. Not many I can name who are consistently good enough. Seems to be a calling for more rounded midfielders these days.
So who, usual names appearing:
Rice - woefully over rated and inconsistent
Ndidi - looks decent but is he really better than Fred/McTom?
Zakaria - May struggle to adapt to the league - just like the much better Partey has
Saul or Zakaria would be my choice.
Bentancur in return would also be a decent investment.
Bentancur in return would also be a decent investment.
How the feck did we miss Partey for 50m . We knew this guy was leaving yet he missed the boat.
Still pisses me off. We have only one DM that's ageing so we needed one. One quick glance at the DMs that you can get and you'd know Partey is a steal. I just don't understand why we didn't even consider a DM considering our low netspend
I think Camavinga would be ideal or a Neves. For some reason and i'm not quite sure why, I feel we will be targeting Declan Rice if we do pursue a DM. He's not bad at all but his asking price will be astronomical.
Convinced he will go and join his best mate at Chelsea when he leaves West Ham
Didn't realise that,ah in that case should look at the likes of Zakaria and Neves. No point including Camavinga because Pogba will recruit him for Raiola
I think we only a DM once Matic leaves. We only really play with 2 CM and Bruno in the #10 so we currently have Matic, Fred, Scott and Donny for 2 positions. I would say Donny is a good replacement for Pogba right now. We wont miss Pogba at all IMO.
As others have said. Getting another attacker is key.
As others have said. Getting another attacker is key.
Camavinga will replace Pogba in the National setup soon enough.
Agree. Replace Pogba with an experienced DM with leaderskills. Good long-shots is a bonus. Neves is a good alternative.
If we also replace Martial with a real nr.9, the future looks very promising.
Is 140 £ possible for Pogba and Martial?
RW is also a priority right now, but maybe we should wait and see how the two young newcomers develop (thinking about next season)?
We should buy a dm regardless of what happens with Pogba.
I dont agree on seeking a CDM to replace Pogba, we need creativity. We need a better CDM but to replace Fred, one than can defend and create chances. I know its not that simple but we should be looking for players who can solve our problems against low block teams.
I agree we need more creativity. We saw v West Ham until Bruno came on we were clueless attacking wise. God help us if Bruno gets injured. V DBeek is a team player but not a creator. Grealish would for me be the ideal replacement
We would be well advised to look abroad once again.
We may still pay a "Manchester Utd Premium" but not to the tune of £70m for any one of Rice, Ndidi or Phillips.
We may still pay a "Manchester Utd Premium" but not to the tune of £70m for any one of Rice, Ndidi or Phillips.
It seems clear that we should be building a team around Bruno’s advanced #10 position. This means we need to have two midfielders capable of sitting behind him in double pivots. Can van de Beek play that role?
McTomminay and to a lesser extent Fred can cover that ground, but I think that’s where we should be strengthening the team.
McTomminay and to a lesser extent Fred can cover that ground, but I think that’s where we should be strengthening the team.
We should replace Pogba and Matic with a DM and a CM. Two players who can play in a 4231, who could either partner each other, or partner one of Fred/McTominay.
Arguably VdB could establish himself in that CM role, negating the need to buy a CM. In which case, we just need a DM who can pass and has legs. So, a young Matic/Carrick regen.
Arguably VdB could establish himself in that CM role, negating the need to buy a CM. In which case, we just need a DM who can pass and has legs. So, a young Matic/Carrick regen.
Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus matberedare be a good call.
So first we wanted a winger, then a striker, then a new coach and now a DM 
Honestly, selling the virus would feel like a new signing
Honestly, selling the virus would feel like a new signing
Pretty much. Think McTominay but a lot better. Somebody who can put in a shift, position themselves effectively but pass through the lines. A 2006 Carrick regen would be perfect for us, truth be told.
We look toothless without Bruno and its only a matter of time before teams start doublemarking him and nullify us. As you say we need more weapons, Grealish would be great but with his current form along with his extended contract and covid I think we can rule him out. I don't think any team would afford him right now, I think the only way would be Grealish himself asking to leave, but him being the captain and with Villa not looking like being relegated this year the chances are slim.
I would look outside the premier league, players here are way too expensive, find players in developing leagues like Szoboszlai from Salzburgo, Matheus Cunha from Hertha Berlin, Gravenberch from Ajax.
With the current market is more about being precise in signings, we've seen how well Bruno has made us so 2-3 more signings like him and we could start talking about challenging for major titles.
Obviously in an ideal world we could get another creative option to take the weight off Bruno's shoulders,however I still feel that a CDM capable of breaking the lines is higher priority right now
Omar Mascarell as a quick-fix. He is decent enough, has good mentality and leadership. Also a cheaper alternative and probably could be tempted to move away as his current club is in shambles.
Anyone see what Rio and Scholes reference the Pogba situation? Just got home
I’ll keep it short
What do you think of Gedson Fernandes at Spurs?
He is a worse version of him.
PS- I am not a fan of Gedson
Tbh I have no idea of who is Gedson Fernandes. So, not very promising I guess.
Thank you.
Is it at all possible Alvaro the left-back will be a DM? He's tall for a fullback and composed on the ball and presumably has defensive aptitude. I've read he comes inside a lot like a Pep fullback and at that point you're not not playing DM in a double pivot some of the time already.
I see some people argue whether we actually need a new DM or not and I can't really see how it's up for question. We have four attackers in our lineup because Bruno is forced to dictate every single attack due to a non-existent right side i.e. Mata & AWB. Regardless of this, we would probably still deploy Bruno in the #10 role if we had a quality RW, similar to Bayern with Müller. The side effect is the vulnerable midfield duo, our DMs. For this system to work we have to have rock solid players for those roles, players without flaws. Look at how Bayern set up with Kimmich and Goretzka. In contrast we have a group of midfielders who are talented in some areas but too flawed in other. Matic lacks offensively, Fred lacks the physicality and positional discipline, McTominay isn't talented enough and VDB and Pogba are too attacking-minded. The only scenario where we don't need a new DM is if we change formation and drop Bruno down from a 10 to a 6. Fred or VDB can probably work in the pivot if we manage to sign a Vidal type player to comprensate.
I definitely agree that we need a defensive midfielder to replace Pogba, but I've made my mind up that it has to be a passer.
In Matic, Fred and McTominay, we have ball winners. None our what we would call 'specialist DMs' but I don't think Ole wants that. He wants players playing in tandem with each other, as opposed to having the typical one go forward, one stay back format, and we've seen that throughout this and last season.
If you look at Pogba's average position, and obviously from just watching our games, he's just as deep as the other CDM, therefore, as you said, it's vital that whoever we do bring in has good defensive attributes but can control games.
There's been a lot of talk recently about United needing to start dominating games. Following the City game, Neville mentioned said "I think Ole has to start dominating games. In the last 12 months, where Manchester United has won games it has been through two forms of tactics. It's either been counter-attack or it has been in moments - Southampton and West Ham, in recent weeks. They aren't what you would really call performances, driving the other team into the ground. They are playing in moments.
"They have to start playing as a team and perform. Today was 'OK', but it's not a tactic for Manchester United to win football matches in the long-term or to win titles. All the teams who win titles dominate football matches - dominating possession, being on the front foot, and winning big matches. Ole hasn't got Manchester United there yet and he's been in the job two years".
Whilst Ole feels we're getting better in that regard, I do tend to agree with Neville and believe our next challenge is getting to that stage where we dominate teams for the majority of the game.
Now, whilst possession isn't the be-all and end-all, according to whoscored.com, we rank 28th in Europe with an average possession of 52.5%. The teams in the top 10 include teams like Bayern, Liverpool, City, PSG, Madrid, etc.
In addition to that, we rank 22nd in passing accuracy with an average of 83.9%. To put that into perspective, the top 5 teams are averaging 88% or more.
Now, as I said, it's not all about just possession and dominance because ultimately it's what you do with the ball but I definitely feel this, along with our counter-attacking abilities, will take us to a completely different level.
Of course, the big question is, what player is out there that can come in and do that for us?
I read this fantastic article the other day that goes through potential Pogba replacements.
Some of the names include:
Ismaël Bennacer
Rodrigo Bentancur
Manuel Locatelli
In Matic, Fred and McTominay, we have ball winners. None our what we would call 'specialist DMs' but I don't think Ole wants that. He wants players playing in tandem with each other, as opposed to having the typical one go forward, one stay back format, and we've seen that throughout this and last season.
If you look at Pogba's average position, and obviously from just watching our games, he's just as deep as the other CDM, therefore, as you said, it's vital that whoever we do bring in has good defensive attributes but can control games.
There's been a lot of talk recently about United needing to start dominating games. Following the City game, Neville mentioned said "I think Ole has to start dominating games. In the last 12 months, where Manchester United has won games it has been through two forms of tactics. It's either been counter-attack or it has been in moments - Southampton and West Ham, in recent weeks. They aren't what you would really call performances, driving the other team into the ground. They are playing in moments.
"They have to start playing as a team and perform. Today was 'OK', but it's not a tactic for Manchester United to win football matches in the long-term or to win titles. All the teams who win titles dominate football matches - dominating possession, being on the front foot, and winning big matches. Ole hasn't got Manchester United there yet and he's been in the job two years".
Whilst Ole feels we're getting better in that regard, I do tend to agree with Neville and believe our next challenge is getting to that stage where we dominate teams for the majority of the game.
Now, whilst possession isn't the be-all and end-all, according to whoscored.com, we rank 28th in Europe with an average possession of 52.5%. The teams in the top 10 include teams like Bayern, Liverpool, City, PSG, Madrid, etc.
In addition to that, we rank 22nd in passing accuracy with an average of 83.9%. To put that into perspective, the top 5 teams are averaging 88% or more.
Now, as I said, it's not all about just possession and dominance because ultimately it's what you do with the ball but I definitely feel this, along with our counter-attacking abilities, will take us to a completely different level.
Of course, the big question is, what player is out there that can come in and do that for us?
I read this fantastic article the other day that goes through potential Pogba replacements.
Some of the names include:
Ismaël Bennacer
Rodrigo Bentancur
Manuel Locatelli
I'm just hoping this guy manages to make the step up.