Pogba, Bruno and VDB are all excellent players, the problem is that they are all best employed ahead of 2 midfielders which makes getting the best out of them at the same time very difficult.
I think Ole is getting it wrong at the moment, particularly with Pogba. Ultimately, he's putting his faith in Bruno (understandably so given his large output of goals and assists) but I think he could get a better balance overall with a few changes.
A central-midfielder needs to have defensive qualities such as positioning, tackling ability and concentration to go with a high-work rate and teamwork ability. Pogba isn't strong in any of these areas (his positioning and tackling are dreadful) so he'll always be a defensive liability in that role. The only goid thing about having Pogba in a deeper role is his long passing, particularly when the opposition is caught high but as a no.10 Pogba often drops deep anyway to get on the ball and create chances in that same scenario.
He also has great technique and skill on the ball, is creative, has clever movement and is amazing in the air for someone who's not a forward or a CB. For me the only suitable role for him is an AM role.
VDB is a good tackler, has decent positional awareness, is a real team player and has a high work-rate. He should be first-choice as the player just ahead of the defensive midfielder. Although it's not his perfect role, he's our best option for it.
With the amount of games we have, it won't always be necessary to figure out how to get the most out of Bruno and Pogba at the same time but for games where Ole wants to play them both, I think he should play Pogba in the AM position and Bruno from the right (a floating role where he defends as a RWF but really plays as an additional no.10 a bit like how James is operating for Everton).
That gives us the real Pogba (who I believe is world-class in that position) and shouldn't take much away from Bruno's output considering how much freedom even Greenwood plays with from that position, it also gives them the chance to work together higher up the pitch which would be great to watch.
Let me know your thoughts
Pogba, Bruno and VDB
posted on 19/10/20
comment by The Red Side™ (U11275)
posted 7 minutes ago
Newcastle was a perfect game for Mata. We dominated the ball and they weren't very aggressive in trying to win it back, not even in their own third. They were very loose and poor defensively.
In games that are the opposite, Mata's lack of pace and acceleration gets exposed and he gets bullied off the ball too easily. In games like this he needs to be extremely careful with his first touch because if it's not perfect, it's likely he's getting the ball nicked away from him. It's happened so many times and it's a reason why he doesn't always play.
It's partly down to the fact that the team isn't set up to get the best out of a player like Mata and we've not always had the players to get the best out of him either. Now we do have more players who are on a similar wavelength but even so I think Mata will still find it difficult in games which are a bit more even and competitive.
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Barring a few appearances at ten in a 4-2-3-1 from time to time, his best games for us I thought were during the short period in which Jose set us up 4-1-2-3 when he played sometimes interchangeably in a deep inside right role.
He’s obviously going to be at his best playing inside and between the lines with legs and pace around him.
posted on 19/10/20
Jose set us up 4-1-2-3 when he played sometimes interchangeably in a deep inside right role.
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I was thinking the same only when Van Gaal was manager, specifically during the run when we beat Spurs, Liverpool at Anfield and beat City 4-2 at OT.
De Gea
Valencia/Smalling/Jones/Blind
Herrera/Carrick/Fellaini
Mata/Rooney/Young
I can't remember us playing as well at Anfield with the ball as we did that day.
posted on 19/10/20
A lot of people advocating a diamond but there's a reason why very few sides employ the system and with respect to United I don't think it would work.
We don't have the right CB's for it.
If you're on the front foot playing the system (the only way it's effective) there will be space down the sides more often than usual so you need CB's that are comfortable in wider areas and comfortable having players coming at them from wide areas. Our CB's wouldn't be able to cope.
posted on 19/10/20
comment by The Red Side™ (U11275)
posted 6 minutes ago
Jose set us up 4-1-2-3 when he played sometimes interchangeably in a deep inside right role.
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I was thinking the same only when Van Gaal was manager, specifically during the run when we beat Spurs, Liverpool at Anfield and beat City 4-2 at OT.
De Gea
Valencia/Smalling/Jones/Blind
Herrera/Carrick/Fellaini
Mata/Rooney/Young
I can't remember us playing as well at Anfield with the ball as we did that day.
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You have a far better memory than I do, but I can very much believe it.
For their various individual flaws, you have three CMs and two forwards there very good at retaining possession and working the ball.
posted on 19/10/20
comment by The Red Side™ (U11275)
posted 9 minutes ago
Jose set us up 4-1-2-3 when he played sometimes interchangeably in a deep inside right role.
------------------------------------------------
I was thinking the same only when Van Gaal was manager, specifically during the run when we beat Spurs, Liverpool at Anfield and beat City 4-2 at OT.
De Gea
Valencia/Smalling/Jones/Blind
Herrera/Carrick/Fellaini
Mata/Rooney/Young
I can't remember us playing as well at Anfield with the ball as we did that day.
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I remember being stunned at how we dominated that game at Anfield.
It was definitely the most dominant performance possession wise that I've seen from us at Liverpool in my memory going back to the late 90's
posted on 19/10/20
It was definitely the most dominant performance possession wise that I've seen from us at Liverpool in my memory going back to the late 90's
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Yeah I'm struggling to remember a better one in that respect.
posted on 19/10/20
comment by The Red Side™ (U11275)
posted 57 minutes ago
It was definitely the most dominant performance possession wise that I've seen from us at Liverpool in my memory going back to the late 90's
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Yeah I'm struggling to remember a better one in that respect.
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Even under SAF I don't recall us ever being that comfortable at Anfield.
posted on 19/10/20
comment by AlwaysUnited (U4063)
posted 1 hour, 38 minutes ago
A lot of people advocating a diamond but there's a reason why very few sides employ the system and with respect to United I don't think it would work.
We don't have the right CB's for it.
If you're on the front foot playing the system (the only way it's effective) there will be space down the sides more often than usual so you need CB's that are comfortable in wider areas and comfortable having players coming at them from wide areas. Our CB's wouldn't be able to cope.
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our cb are hardly covering themselves in glory atm
the reason why most people used to be against a diamond is the idea you lose width goin forward and become suceptible to teams with width in attack
but that logic does no apply to utd. We do not effectively attack with width so cannot lose what we do not have in the first place. And defensively we just need to have the lcm & rcm to provide cover for their full back when needed. The way we currently play neither shaw/awb get any cover from the lwf/rwf. It is the 2 cm having to provide this cover and this is not very effective
posted on 19/10/20
AWB Bailly Maguire Shaw
.....Bruno VDB Pogba
Greenwood Martial Rashford
posted on 19/10/20
Personally I'd like to see all of them in a 4-5-1.
-------McT-----Fred----
----VdB----Bruno----Pogba
-------Rash/Martial-------
Fred and McT covering for the full backs as needed and providing the defensive stability to allow our AMs to just go do their thing...
Will definitely be a bit narrow... But AWB is now a goal machine..