United v Everton: Keeping It Friendly

Originally Posted by jem

liverpool tried that with jan molby. it never really worked.

matic is not at all immobile. he is a driving runner like basti was (also criticised by idiots). what he cannot do is play midfield on his own whilst some dilettante like pogba goes waltzing off or fails to track the opposition. he needs players around him. people see matic exposed and decide he is slow. he isn't at all slow. buy a couple of decent players (or garner and mctog step up) and he will look like a god. and not the egyptian one with the chicken head.

None of our midfielders are equipped to do a job on their own. They all need someone else to cover some kind of shortcoming.

Originally Posted by Dr Stranger

None of our midfielders are equipped to do a job on their own. They all need someone else to cover some kind of shortcoming.

not really. they all need a balanced team in which to perform at their best. there is no carrick role any more when you are playing against a dynamic 3-man midfield.

putting pogba in a 2-man midfield, for example, does not provide balance. you're already light in midfield and then you are asking someone to cover for his absence and inattention and hoping that you get pogba at 90% for 10% including this match, rather than pogba at 10% for 90% including this match, so the whole £#%&!ing team doesn't suffer carrying a luxury item that isn't performing.

Originally Posted by jem

not really. they all need a balanced team in which to perform at their best. there is no carrick role any more when you are playing against a dynamic 3-man midfield.

putting pogba in a 2-man midfield, for example, does not provide balance. you're already light in midfield and then you are asking someone to cover for his absence and inattention and hoping that you get pogba at 90% for 10% including this match, rather than pogba at 10% for 90% including this match, so the whole £#%&!ing team doesn't suffer carrying a luxury item that isn't performing.

I mean more that they all have some flaw or something missing from their game that somebody else has to make up for. And even, any combination is not without its issues.

Fred and The Scottish Player have no consistency in their passing.
Matic is slow and turns like the QE2 (despite your protestations).
Pogba is a £#%&!ing moron.

It’s not just Pogba that creates a problem. They all do. They all need to come with a plus one to be effective.

Originally Posted by Dr Stranger

I mean more that they all have some flaw or something missing from their game that somebody else has to make up for.

I understood. I just don't agree that being unable to play a carrick-like role on his own in front of the back four is a flaw in matic. he was man-of-the-match more often than not when he played last season. but no one can be expected to play that role any more. there have to be other midfielders and wingers responsible for covering back. especially if we are going to be pressing higher up the pitch.

fred and The Scottish Player have glaring deficiencies.... although not playing the ball to fred on the edge of the box with his back to pressing strikers would be a good idea.... and pogba is never a defensive midfielder - despite the fact that a succession of united managers have played him in a two, you would have to be completely £#%&!ing mad to do that and expect anything other than danger and frustration. play pogba wide in the advanced three or not at all. he shouldn't be allowed in our half.

Originally Posted by jem

not really. they all need a balanced team in which to perform at their best. there is no carrick role any more when you are playing against a dynamic 3-man midfield.

putting pogba in a 2-man midfield, for example, does not provide balance. you're already light in midfield and then you are asking someone to cover for his absence and inattention and hoping that you get pogba at 90% for 10% including this match, rather than pogba at 10% for 90% including this match, so the whole £#%&!ing team doesn't suffer carrying a luxury item that isn't performing.

Think you're bang on here Jemima, I'd play matic in front of a back three with mctog as the extra, and never play fred again. Hopefully maradonney will come through. The way we come out from the back is tortuous and end up making teams like burnley look good. Matic is well able to pick a pass, take the pressure off and get down the throats of the opposition, but he is getting on

Originally Posted by TripDownMiseryLane

he is getting on

that's the real problem. we need a couple of young matics right now. I had high hopes for garner, but he only ever seems to play well within himself for the first team.

Originally Posted by jem

I understood. I just don't agree that being unable to play a carrick-like role on his own in front of the back four is a flaw in matic. he was man-of-the-match more often than not when he played last season. but no one can be expected to play that role any more. there have to be other midfielders and wingers responsible for covering back. especially if we are going to be pressing higher up the pitch.

fred and The Scottish Player have glaring deficiencies.... although not playing the ball to fred on the edge of the box with his back to pressing strikers would be a good idea.... and pogba is never a defensive midfielder - despite the fact that a succession of united managers have played him in a two, you would have to be completely £#%&!ing mad to do that and expect anything other than danger and frustration. play pogba wide in the advanced three or not at all. he shouldn't be allowed in our half.

As ever, you’re overstating Matic’s impact when he plays and ignoring his flaws (I never said his flaw is that he can’t play the Carrick role. He has physical flaws that need to be alleviated by someone else. In the same way the others have technical flaws that need covering by someone else)

Beyond that, I think we’re saying the same thing and agree entirely that Pogba in a two is a disaster.

Originally Posted by jem

that's the real problem. we need a couple of young matics right now. I had high hopes for garner, but he only ever seems to play well within himself for the first team.

Have a feel for maradonney. I'd give garner another season under a decent coach in the prem somewhere and we could be set up. Just stop playing mcfred in that awful line up.

Matic can barely play a full 90 minutes now, never mind every game.

He is still useful to come on in certain situations, but that's it.