Today’s game was the perfect example of why we need better squad depth. I hear people say ‘what about Greenwood if we sign Sancho’. We are desperate for more squad depth and competition for places.
Mata is past it, Lingard isn’t good enough, Andreas didn’t play but still not good enough for us. We still need more.
I think we looked very tired when everyone came on, wish we had done our job and finished the game in normal time. Bruno looked knackered, wasn’t one of his finer games
Oh, Pogba haters (there’s a lot of them on this board), this is still Pogba’s team, he’s still the best player at the club, he changes our team like no one else can.
Anyway, not too fussed about the performance, Norwich defended well. We can’t always play well, especially when there’s so many games in a short period of time. Good result anyway
Perfect Example
posted on 28/6/20
comment by The Red Side™ (U11275)
posted 2 hours, 41 minutes ago
I’m still failing to see, fundamentally and necessarily, what the difference is in terms of width.
----------------------------------------------
How can you seriously not tell the difference between a front three with a lone CF and two wide forwards and two split strikers with somebody playing off of them?
---------------------------------------------
As you know, since before Klopp turned up at Liverpool, and before we signed Pogba, I’ve wanted to see a dynamic and expansive 4-3-3. We don’t have the players to play it, and we keep buying players and persisting with players who don’t suit it. So I don’t pretend we should try to make it work.
----------------------------------------------
You've continued to ignore the fact that Bruno played quite often on the right of a midfield three in a 4-3-3 at Sporting and that it was arguably his best position.
It's bull$hit saying he doesn't suit that system.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I haven’t ignored it. I just don’t think you get the best out of him playing box to box personally, and would rather have him up making trouble at the business end.
Pogba and Bruno behind a front three is fine against cannon fodder, but I don’t see it being effective against better sides without hangstringing at least one of the two.
posted on 28/6/20
He joined the summer he left. Basically the premise of your comparison is completely incorrect as those four players named didn’t play together. So basing the suitability of different players at United, based on a system that wasn’t used, is completely pointless.
You obsess too much over systems and suitability, without much evidence in the United team to support the idea that they’re more suitable. Because I don’t care what Lyon did, United are a worse team when we set up in a diamond formation or with a three at the back. Years of evidence to support it, which is why it’s not something we use often.
Also, why is it such a big issue that Pogba and Bruno will have to make some comprises against better teams? Every team’s top players have to do this, it’s not something we should worry too much about. Worrying too much about the opposition has been the biggest problem at this club for years now. It’s why we play such cowardly football.
Craving a perfectly balanced system and team isn’t going to happen, so why does it pain you so much to consider these players playing together?
posted on 28/6/20
You obsess too much over systems and suitability, without much evidence in the United team to support the idea that they’re more suitable. Because I don’t care what Lyon did, United are a worse team when we set up in a diamond formation or with a three at the back. Years of evidence to support it, which is why it’s not something we use often.
Also, why is it such a big issue that Pogba and Bruno will have to make some comprises against better teams? Every team’s top players have to do this, it’s not something we should worry too much about. Worrying too much about the opposition has been the biggest problem at this club for years now. It’s why we play such cowardly football.
Craving a perfectly balanced system and team isn’t going to happen, so why does it pain you so much to consider these players playing together?
----------------------------------------------
posted on 28/6/20
I obsess too much over systems, but a diamond *cannot* work because it *cannot* deliver width without attacking fullbacks
posted on 28/6/20
That’s not what I said.
posted on 28/6/20
I’m joshing.
I just think in many ways we have a similar problem with Bruno and Pogba to the problem we have with Rashford and Martial, and the problem we had with Giggs and Sharpe, and the problem we had to an extent with Veron and Scholes: you just can’t get the very best out of both of them every week.
With Rashford and Martial, it’s because of where they’re both most effective, which is the same singular position in off the left.
With Bruno and Pogba, it’s because Pogba to be most effective needs to play in a three with two more disciplined midfielders and Bruno you want stationed in the final third.
Just my view, obviously, and I respect others, particularly as I recognise many disagree and I’m probably in a minority. The player that will have to prove me wrong is Pogba, of course, and we’ll see how things develop with him back in the two (assuming that’s how we start the vast majority of games).
posted on 28/6/20
On Ole and his 4-2—3-1, btw, if he is sticking to it like glue, and I expect him to, he has actually bought the right ten for his system in Bruno, because I think he’s deadly in the areas he’s being played in.
posted on 28/6/20
Difference was that Man United were a title winning team that could make that choice, and it was always an obvious choice to make.
Now we are a team trying to get in the top four and don’t have the same luxury, because the alternatives are nowhere near the same quality.
And it’s as much to do with the forwards for us as well, having Rashford, Martial and potentially Sancho in a front three benefits United more with Pogba and Bruno feeding them the ball than any combination we’d be able to put out.
Martial and Rashford may have their issues, but in a team that’s been conservative and devoid of creativity they’ve scored 28 prem goals between them. That’s the same as Aguero and Sterling and four fewer than Mane and Salah.
That’s something we should be looking to improve upon, not hinder it by messing about with the set up of the team. If Pogba’s not playing to his full potential because of that, so be it. But United will be a better team for it.
posted on 28/6/20
comment by rosso is done with this (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 43 minutes ago
I’m joshing.
I just think in many ways we have a similar problem with Bruno and Pogba to the problem we have with Rashford and Martial, and the problem we had with Giggs and Sharpe, and the problem we had to an extent with Veron and Scholes: you just can’t get the very best out of both of them every week.
With Rashford and Martial, it’s because of where they’re both most effective, which is the same singular position in off the left.
With Bruno and Pogba, it’s because Pogba to be most effective needs to play in a three with two more disciplined midfielders and Bruno you want stationed in the final third.
Just my view, obviously, and I respect others, particularly as I recognise many disagree and I’m probably in a minority. The player that will have to prove me wrong is Pogba, of course, and we’ll see how things develop with him back in the two (assuming that’s how we start the vast majority of games).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But Pogba only needs to perform the role better than Fred or McTominay, which he already does by lightyears.
The two major complaints people like to raise about Pogba playing/starting deeper is that he can lose runners sometimes and overplay in dangerous areas.
But Fred & McTominay give the ball away much more cheaply - not overplaying (because neither player is gifted enough to overplay to begin with) and as far as losing runners... Fred frequently charges from his station to close down balls he's no chance in hell of getting to, and McTominay failed to track runners yesterday on three occasions. I made mention of it in the match thread at the time.
Pogba plays deeper for France as part of an overall stronger unit without issue. With Matic finding some form, Bruno hitting the ground running and Martial & Rashford offering regular goalscoring output, suddenly we look a lot strong and Pogba has made a big difference in the last three games now.
posted on 28/6/20
This is what I don’t get about some United fans, Pogba may be lacking there compared to some of the elite central midfielders in world football, but compared to Fred and McTominay it’s not a contest.