What’s your first choice midfield then?

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

I don't have one but I want to see these
Back four:

Bruno
Fred VDB

Pogba Bruno
Mctominay
​

Back 5:

Bruno
Fred Pogba
​

Diamond

Bruno
Pogba Fred
Matic​

 

[manunited1919]

I’d like to see much more rotation in midfield, I like them all for different qualities.

 

[Tarrou]

I'd just like to point out I made this thread in Feb and picked Bruno, Fred and McT as mine back then

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/whats-your-midfield-three-with-everyone-fit.453523/

But as others have pointed out we need different options for different matches - at home against fodder you'd want to be more attaching ideally. I'm glad these three have started to re-emerge as a solid unit we can rely on though.

 

[Sylar]

I think it depends on the game. Games like yesterday, I can always make a shout for Fred and McT starting. They wont win you the game, but they dont need to. They will give you the base however to win a game with their work rate. Then adding a top quality player (whether its Bruno, Pogba or VDB) ahead of these two can work.
It can mean turnovers and quick distribution. It can work where you know the opposition wont just sit back.

Whereas in home games and esp against lower teams, having two of Bruno/Pogba/VDB playing with an extra man like Matic would make sense as youre going to dominate the ball more and what that extra bit of quality.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Fred-Pogba-Bruno or Fred-Pogba,VDB-Bruno is by far our best midfield. Especially second one and that is why we should play diamond.
McT kills our attacking play and Matic is too slow for 3 man midfield.

 

[Lee565]

------------Tuanzebe
----------Vdb------pogba
Rashford-fernandes-martial

Fernandes playing a false 9 seeing as we dont exactly have any world class number 9 and he has shown he can play in such a role for sporting and still be as influential in matches.

 

[Merlin 1975-78]

Lots of debate, lots of options. I’m sure this has been asked at some point before, but:

Assuming everyone is fit and fresh, what’s your first choice midfield?

For me it’s McTominay, Bruno and VdB.

Work rate, leadership and creativity in spades there.

Yes they would be my first-choice Midfielders aswell & whilst I would accept that that is a bit harsh-on Fred, it has too be said that, United don't need 2 holding-midfielders particuly in home games as it sends out the wrong message too our opponents!

 

[noodlehair]

Pogba needs to be kept well away from the holding midfield role. He scored a great goal but he was an absolute disaster in the first half and it happens far too often when he's played there.

Matic shouldn't even be in the reckoning.

I don't understand today why Pogba and VDB's rolls weren't the other way round. Pogba would have been more useful higher up the pitch and VDB couldn't even get in the game because Pogba and McTominay were doing such a shite job behind him. He played in the midfield two with Fred once and was outstanding there and, for no actual reason, we've not tried him there since.

All of the useful contributions Pogba makes on a game are attacking ones and yet we have this borderline insane persistence with playing him in a defence minded midfield role...I'm not one for making excuses for him but if you know a player isn't suited for a job don't keep asking them to do it.

 

[alexthelion]

Bruno, VdB and Fred.

 

[acnumber9]

He played in the midfield two with Fred once and was outstanding there and, for no actual reason, we've not tried him there since.

There is a reason though. That reason is that Istanbul went through our midfield with ease.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

Don't like Pogba in the deep role. Never have. He does all his best work in attack. He loses the ball too often in our defensive third as he did today a few times in first half. He of course made up for it with a great goal and better performance second half though to give him credit.

He's not a CDM or a deep lying playmaker. He doesn't have the defensive knowhow to play it. His best spell at United came when Ole was caretaker and he was scoring nearly every week. He was playing very advanced. However we don't need him to play there anymore as we have somebody better than him.

I'd still cash in next summer and use the money to buy a quality winger and/or CB.

 

[OleBoiii]

How much would it cost to clone Bruno twice?

 

[mu4c_20le]

Bruno
Pogba - Saul​

 

[noodlehair]

There is a reason though. That reason is that Istanbul went through our midfield with ease.

Agreed, but we could always have dropped back to resovle that. We just didn't seem to want to. Plus this happens whenever either Matic or Pogba are there anyway, no matter who we play against. The only time we get any effective protection is with Fred and McTominay as a two, which is fine but they can't both play every single game.

I can't see what could have gone worse in the first half yesterday if we'd swapped Pogba and VDB's roles around. VDB couldn't get a touch anyway and Pogba in the first half was an absolute disaster. If we try VDB in that role and he can't do it, we don't really lose anything at this point when the alternative is putting someone else there who also can't do it.

Pogba and Matic can't play as one of the midfield two without it having a negative impact on the entire team's performance. We've already established that a thousand times over so I have no idea why we keep trying it in situations where it isn't being forced on us. Pogba has enough about his game to make use of him in other roles, or in certain situations. Particularly if the opposition is tiring or sitting off. Matic shouldn't be there at all unless there's literally no available alternative, or it's a game where we're more concerned with resting people than winning.

Fred, Mctominay, Fernandes...that's our "best" midfield three, but firstly what that tells you is our midfield still has problems, because only one of those three is among our best players. Secondly we have games literally every 3 days basically all season, so we don't just need a best midfield, we need options and alternatives that actually work without us having to make emergency substitutuons to clean up the mess every time.

I'm far from convinced by this diamond thing we use every so often and once every 10 games doesn't make us look shite. It mainly seems to stifle the players who are good at doing their job, and leaves us a forward short, which I think is dumb when our forwards/attacking players are easily a level above the rest of our team...it's playing to our weaknesses instead of our strenghs.

I'd like to see VDB given a go there in the midfield two in some games. I wouldn't exactly put him in there against City but games like yesterday where it basically comes down to getting our forward players involved enough, it seems more worth a try than doing something we already know wont work.

 

[acnumber9]

Agreed, but we could always have dropped back to resovle that. We just didn't seem to want to. Plus this happens whenever either Matic or Pogba are there anyway, no matter who we play against. The only time we get any effective protection is with Fred and McTominay as a two, which is fine but they can't both play every single game.

I can't see what could have gone worse in the first half yesterday if we'd swapped Pogba and VDB's roles around. VDB couldn't get a touch anyway and Pogba in the first half was an absolute disaster. If we try VDB in that role and he can't do it, we don't really lose anything at this point when the alternative is putting someone else there who also can't do it.

Pogba and Matic can't play as one of the midfield two without it having a negative impact on the entire team's performance. We've already established that a thousand times over so I have no idea why we keep trying it in situations where it isn't being forced on us. Pogba has enough about his game to make use of him in other roles, or in certain situations. Particularly if the opposition is tiring or sitting off. Matic shouldn't be there at all unless there's literally no available alternative, or it's a game where we're more concerned with resting people than winning.

Fred, Mctominay, Fernandes...that's our "best" midfield three, but firstly what that tells you is our midfield still has problems, because only one of those three is among our best players. Secondly we have games literally every 3 days basically all season, so we don't just need a best midfield, we need options and alternatives that actually work without us having to make emergency substitutuons to clean up the mess every time.

I know you have this thing with Matic but it clouds you. Just a week ago Matic was our best midfielder against Southampton. He can’t cover for when Pogba clearly can’t run like the start of the season, but he played regularly, and played very well, during both our good winning runs under Solskjaer. The problem we have is that while McTominay and Fred can run, neither are good enough at the things that make a good midfielder. Which is why Solskjaer has reverted to trying to find ways to make it work without them. They’re a pair for when we’re happy to defend and not have the ball that much.

I’m not against seeing Van de Beek given a chance as a midfielder but I don’t see it happening soon, if ever. Not on a regular basis anyway. We still need another midfielder that can do what Matic does but also run quicker.

 

[Nikelesh Reddy]

Lots of debate, lots of options. I’m sure this has been asked at some point before, but:

Assuming everyone is fit and fresh, what’s your first choice midfield?

For me it’s McTominay, Bruno and VdB.

Work rate, leadership and creativity in spades there.

It’s very hard to pick,but considering our travails at the back,against strong opposition our best combination is to start with 2 defensive midfielders and Bruno as a 10.Against weaker teams it would probably be Matic/DVB/Bruno.