Who could do a job for United in the middle?

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Just a bit of fun during the international break, nothing too serious. Thought it’d be interesting to throw around some hypotheticals and see which players we reckon could be reinvented in midfield.

1- Yoro: I know he's a good promising defender, but I like his composure and how he can drive the play forward. Partner with Cas.
2- Martinez: Heard that he used to do that with Ajax sometimes. So why not? Comfortable on the ball, and loves a good tackle. Partner with Bruno.
3- Luke Shaw: Composed excellent passer. Why not? Partner with Bruno.
4- Zirkzee: Technically good. Excellent first touch and close control in tight spaces. Would be defensively awful though. Partner with Ugarte.

Wild card: Onana. He sure as shit won't be in goal for us again.
 
Easy it’s Mazraoui, he has all the tools to be a very competent one.
 
I think Yoro and Martinez would be our best options.

Zirkzee :lol: not a hope in hell.

How about Heaven? Wasn't he a midfielder initially, before being converted to a CB fairly "recently"?

Mount could cover the ground but doesn't have the defensive discipline.
 
Mazaroui has a lot of the right attributes and has a good feel for the game. Not attacking midfield as that was idiotic but to cover at 6.
 
Martinez is a shout but he’s had a few injuries. We also need him at CB as we play 3.
 
Yoro could probably play in quite a number of positions in the 11. He hasn't shown an incredible range of passing but can take-on players and carry the ball well.

Maz could work quite well too. Sharp, good game awareness and can take-on players.

PS: I predict that a poster will come in soon to the thread and chide us for wanting to play non midfielders in the MF. And how much of a disaster that is.
 
Ish said:
I think Yoro and Martinez would be our best options.

Zirkzee :lol: not a hope in hell.

How about Heaven? Wasn't he a midfielder initially, before being converted to a CB fairly "recently"?

Mount could cover the ground but doesn't have the defensive discipline.
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Why not? A midfield 2 is probably too much of an ask defensively (Similar to Bruno currently) but he's got the attributes to be a decent centre midfielder in the right set up.
 
Someone said:
Just a bit of fun during the international break, nothing too serious. Thought it’d be interesting to throw around some hypotheticals and see which players we reckon could be reinvented in midfield.

1- Yoro: I know he's a good promising defender, but I like his composure and how he can drive the play forward. Partner with Cas.
2- Martinez: Heard that he used to do that with Ajax sometimes. So why not? Comfortable on the ball, and loves a good tackle. Partner with Bruno.
3- Luke Shaw: Composed excellent passer. Why not? Partner with Bruno.
4- Zirkzee: Technically good. Excellent first touch and close control in tight spaces. Would be defensively awful though. Partner with Ugarte.

Wild card: Onana. He sure as shit won't be in goal for us again.
Click to expand...

Wildcard: Altay Bayindir, said in jest, but his distribution is actually very good. Much better than Onana.

Realistically, none of the players you mentioned. Except for maybe Martinez.
 
Probably missing the light hearted brief on this.... but the short answer is probably no-one.

And it basically comes down to the shape we play, and the fact we play with two CMs in the most athletic league in the world.

If we played a 433 or 4231, we can accommodate specialists. e.g. a 6, an 8, and a 10... or a 6 + two 8s.... Meaning we could probably shoehorn some players from other positions into the mix to fulfil specific roles. In reality though we probably wouldn't need to, because you could create a half decent midfield 3 out of the actual CM options we have in the right tactical set up.

In Amorims shape, you basically need 2 players who can do most things really well. Positionally sound, athletic, efficient at ball recycling and progression, ball winners, ball carriers, mobile, receiving ball on the half turn etc. They don't need to be absolute worldies at any of it, just decent at most of it. It's why the Wharton/Hughes combo works so well at Palace.

None of our actual CM options meet this brief... and I doubt any of our none CM options would either...

But... gun to my head in the land of fun... I'd say Shaw and Maz would be the ones who meet the largest proportion of the criteria. I think their main struggle would be the lack of familiarity with receiving the ball on the half turn with opposition on all sides.
 
Someone said:
Just a bit of fun during the international break, nothing too serious. Thought it’d be interesting to throw around some hypotheticals and see which players we reckon could be reinvented in midfield.

1- Yoro: I know he's a good promising defender, but I like his composure and how he can drive the play forward. Partner with Cas.
2- Martinez: Heard that he used to do that with Ajax sometimes. So why not? Comfortable on the ball, and loves a good tackle. Partner with Bruno.
3- Luke Shaw: Composed excellent passer. Why not? Partner with Bruno.
4- Zirkzee: Technically good. Excellent first touch and close control in tight spaces. Would be defensively awful though. Partner with Ugarte.

Wild card: Onana. He sure as shit won't be in goal for us again.
Click to expand...
Heaven had wanted to play in midfield and did at times in Arsenal youth, one of the reasons he supposedly wanted to move away from Arsenal was that he wanted to be used further forward, he definitely has ball control, strength and legs, not sure on the passing side or composure, but of our current squad without turning to youth, he is a strong option, TBH not sure why we sanctioned Collyer out if we were losing Eriksen and not signing anyone in that role, Collyer had shown he was a very decent alternative to Ugarte


I think there are problems with moving any of our defenders forward, you could argue, De Ligt, Shaw, Martinez, Dalot, Maz, Yoro or even Maguire are all possibilities and any of them could potentially do a job obviously defensively, there are pace and mobility issues, but more so than Case? and could any be worse than Ugarte has been recently?
 
Not a fan of shoehorning players into positions they don't play. If I had to pick, I'd go with Maz.
 
Move to a 4-3-3, Case/Ugarte, Mainoo & Mount/Bruno. No need for any more square pegs/round hole situation.

I actually dislike this tendency to shoehorn players in unfamiliar positions, Shaw at LCB, Maz at RCB, Amad at RWB etc
 
Varun1 said:
Move to a 4-3-3, Case/Ugarte, Mainoo & Mount/Bruno. No need for any more square pegs/round hole situation.

I actually dislike this tendency to shoehorn players in unfamiliar positions, Shaw at LCB, Maz at RCB, Amad at RWB etc
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Nobody likes it but the manager plays 343 and isnt going to change. So you're shoehorning a formation that does not fit the manager.
 
Mazraoui is the emergency option I imagine seeing as he's played there before.

Speaking of which remember the good ol' days of Phil Jones lining up in midfield? :lol:
 
I can’t back the idea of Martinez at all as I think he would get smoked in the fast paced midfield area. Mctominay used to struggle with transitions in that area and he’s more mobile than Martinez.

I do think Mazaraoui would be a potential solution for CM. He’s good on the ball with good passing range. Will also be used to dealing with quick feet and change of directions having played at full back.
 
Martinez is probably the most capable, but I don't think he's due back any time soon, so even in fantasy land, this is a moot point.
 
Pretty sure Heaven was a midfielder in Arsenal's academy until a couple of years ago. Would definitely bring some physicality to the role we wouldn't really get from other options.
 
Martinez as a LCB plays a role in midfield.

"Defenders nowadays are the midfielders. Sometimes because you don’t have a lot of space between the lines, you have to find space, and they are the players with the game in front of them, it’s really important,"

"When the central defenders play well with the ball, we play well. It's something Licha [Martinez] does really well, taking the ball and continuing forward with it. The other guys also have to improve in that area."
 
Shaw would get booked fairly early in the game and wouldn't be much of a deterrent for the rest of it.
 
Dalot. Really good positional awareness and rarely makes dumb mistakes with the ball.
 
Someone said:
Just a bit of fun during the international break, nothing too serious. Thought it’d be interesting to throw around some hypotheticals and see which players we reckon could be reinvented in midfield.

1- Yoro: I know he's a good promising defender, but I like his composure and how he can drive the play forward. Partner with Cas.
2- Martinez: Heard that he used to do that with Ajax sometimes. So why not? Comfortable on the ball, and loves a good tackle. Partner with Bruno.
3- Luke Shaw: Composed excellent passer. Why not? Partner with Bruno.
4- Zirkzee: Technically good. Excellent first touch and close control in tight spaces. Would be defensively awful though. Partner with Ugarte.

Wild card: Onana. He sure as shit won't be in goal for us again.
Click to expand...
I've always thought Dalot was far better suited as a 6/8 than as a fullback. He's an excellent athlete, has solid but not great technique, and is good enough defensively. He's brainless but so was Fred and I'd fecking take Fred in a heartbeat for our midfield right now. Dalot's issue as a fullback has always been that he's consistently a net negative going forward and isn't elite defensively to make up for that.

Martinez and Mazraoui are the other obvious choices. Maz probably better suited than Licha but both would be better options than Ugarte.
 
I think it would make sense to give Maz or Martinez a run at DM. Maybe for the League Cup matches (haha).

Seriously, I don't see how we break top 10 with Cas and Bruno starting as CMs.
 
The answer is obviously Mazraoui. He has got the technical ability and the tackling. He would also have pace for a CM.
 
I think Ratcliffe is reading this thread to see if he can save a few quid on having to sign a new midfielder.
 
Varun1 said:
Move to a 4-3-3, Case/Ugarte, Mainoo & Mount/Bruno. No need for any more square pegs/round hole situation.

I actually dislike this tendency to shoehorn players in unfamiliar positions, Shaw at LCB, Maz at RCB, Amad at RWB etc
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I love it. Gives you solutions and you never know until you try. Fergie used to do wild shoehorning.
 
None of them. This isn’t fifa or football manager. Completely different playing in cm.
 
Apparently Mazroaui has played there at Ajax? Maybe worth a shout indeed. He's athletic at least.
 
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