United's best 11 and Formation - what is it?

The midfield is so bad I can’t even pick it.

Matic probably the best CM but needs legs next to him which means we have to waste a spot on those. Fred and McT also need babysat, Pogba is poor there more often than not so nicks a place from our actual forwards seriously imagine being Sancho brought in for that price and not getting on Saturday because the manager is picking a supposed centre mid in your position….

Van De Beek I gave up half way through last season, maybe sooner. The lack of minutes he got from the off for a new signing was almost unheard of.

Looking back I don’t think we’d have signed Sancho if we knew Ronaldo was coming in. We’ve too many cooks up there now but no midfield.

~ $130m on Telles, Van De Beek and Sancho doesn’t look like the smartest prioritisation of funds as our squad sits today.

Originally Posted by dunk

Bruno isn’t a midfielder and we need to stop picking him as one of the ‘midfield 3’ tbh.

The other option is playing a 4-4-2 diamond. Shaw has gone to below average performances (based on how good he can be) and AWB offers f*** all going forward. You need full backs to give you width in a diamond and we don’t have it

The other option is going 3-4-1-1 in which you play a two man center mid and Bruno in number 10. Not only does that take out one of Greenwood/Sancho/rashford but we are still left with two of matic/Fred/The Scottish Player/pogba in the center which is the same shit we have now.
Because our players aren’t good enough the only way we gloss over our weak center mid until we sign someone is to have a formation where we simply have more men in midfield to help out. It’s a shit papering over cracks situation , but if you want to play Bruno number 10 you have to go with 2 CM . we end up in the same shit

I’m not sure if 4-3-3 works with our players. Or whether or not Ole just plans it badly.

We don’t have any ‘forwards’ per se (when I say forwards I mean creative wide players)so Rashford, Greenwood out wide rarely work well.

I’d like to see a setup with 2 ‘strikers’ and pace through the full backs rather than the shit show where we’ve got little or no idea.

Originally Posted by Mr_Ed

I’m not sure if 4-3-3 works with our players. Or whether or not Ole just plans it badly.

We don’t have any ‘forwards’ per se (when I say forwards I mean creative wide players)so Rashford, Greenwood out wide rarely work well.

I’d like to see a setup with 2 ‘strikers’ and pace through the full backs rather than the shit show where we’ve got little or no idea.

Where do you play Bruno ? I much prefer him in a mid three where he has protection behind him to go forward than on one of the wings.

You could play diamond but we don’t have the full backs

Originally Posted by Dasilvatwins

The other option is playing a 4-4-2 diamond. Shaw has gone to below average performances (based on how good he can be) and AWB offers £#%&! all going forward. You need full backs to give you width in a diamond and we don’t have it

The other option is going 3-4-1-1 in which you play a two man center mid and Bruno in number 10. Not only does that take out one of Greenwood/Sancho/rashford but we are still left with two of matic/Fred/The Scottish Player/pogba in the center which is the same shit we have now.
Because our players aren’t good enough the only way we gloss over our weak center mid until we sign someone is to have a formation where we simply have more men in midfield to help out. It’s a shit papering over cracks situation , but if you want to play Bruno number 10 you have to go with 2 CM . we end up in the same shit

2 CMs with Bruno isn’t enough tbh. As we don’t have 2 CM of sufficient quality to make up for Bruno’s wandering and giving the ball away with flicks and dangerous passes (both of which are fine and to be expected to some degree). So really we need 3 midfielders and Bruno as one of the forwards, because he is basically a split striker anyway.

Goalkeeper and back 4 pick themselves

The front 3 (unless Sancho starts showing why we spent so much on him) also picks itself
Rashford on the left, Greenwood on the right and Ronaldo through the middle
Anyone who doesn't think Rashford walks back into that wide left role needs to give their head a wobble....we badly missed his explosive directness on that side on Saturday

Midfield is the conundrum as there is no combination that truly works
Bruno is the only certainty
I'd start Pogba against anyone we think won't give us too much to worry about defensively otherwise he's an impact sub
Probably The Scottish Player as our main central midfielder but I'm not convinced about him as a 6

The main problem however isn't formation or personnel its that we don't play like a team

Originally Posted by NedKelly

I don’t think the formation is going to make much of a difference. We flat out need more midfielders.

this, obvs.

whether we want to play 4-3-3 (which we shouldn't, given that bruno won't really fit in it and needs a free, attacking role) or any other formation, we need a couple of decent defensive or all-round midfielders. pogba shouldn't be allowed in our half, though, so don't kid yourself we are playing 4-3-3 and we'll get the best out of him.

with the players we actually have, rather than the players we want.....

de gea

[wan b] - varane - maguire - shaw

The Scottish Player - matic

bruno

sancho/greenwood - cavani/ronaldo - rashford/pogba

if we could find a superhuman dm, we could justify playing bruno and pogba behind a front 3. however, I do not believe that any player can be expected to play in that position alone any more and none of the front five offers enough covering back to make it possible. we need a couple of robson/keane/ince types and no mistake.

Originally Posted by ZiggyStardust

The main problem however isn't formation or personnel its that we don't play like a team

and this.

Wait, some people are saying that Bruno is more of a problem than a definite inclusion?? Ha ha ha! Great comedy.

He's literally our best player ffs

Originally Posted by magic_cantona

Wait, some people are saying that Bruno is more of a problem than a definite inclusion?? Ha ha ha! Great comedy.

He's literally our best player ffs

He has to play, but is a problem in that we play him in midfield and he’s rarely there and those behind him aren’t good enough to pick up the slack.

Originally Posted by magic_cantona

Wait, some people are saying that Bruno is more of a problem than a definite inclusion?? Ha ha ha! Great comedy.

He's literally our best player ffs

surely, they are saying we should build the team around him, rather than start with a preconceived formation that doesn't suit him?

Obviously we’re a bit lacking in the midfield department but didn’t Liverpool get to 90 points and a champions league final with Henderson and Can in midfield?

Keeper and the back four are set

The Scottish Player/Matic and Donny should be good enough up against sides like villa etc

Any 4 from Ronaldo, Bruno, Sancho, Greenwood, Cavani, Rashford and Pogba should be too much for the majority of teams (if not all) in the league ffs

Problem is the manager doesn’t know how to use them or get the best out of them. Even when winning we look like a eleven misfits thrown together needing individual brilliance to overcome most sides.

Edit- Henderson and Milner

Originally Posted by AK14

Obviously we’re a bit lacking in the midfield department but didn’t Liverpool get to 90 points and a champions league final with Henderson and Can in midfield?

Keeper and the back four are set

The Scottish Player/Matic and Donny should be good enough up against sides like villa etc

Any 4 from Ronaldo, Bruno, Sancho, Greenwood, Cavani, Rashford and Pogba should be too much for the majority of teams (if not all) in the league ffs

Problem is the manager doesn’t know how to use them or get the best out of them. Even when winning we look like a eleven misfits thrown together needing individual brilliance to overcome most sides.

Edit- Henderson and Milner

And Wijnaldum, who put in a hell of a graft, with Keita in reserve.

They also basically by-pass midfield whenever possible with long balls into the flanks and work their nuts off to not let any team out to get to their midfield. It’s basically kick and rush.

De Gea

Dalot
Varane
Maguire
Shaw

The Scottish Player
Matic

Greenwood
Fernandes
Pogba

Cavani

Originally Posted by dunk

And Wijnaldum, who put in a hell of a graft, with Keita in reserve.

Keita didn’t sign for them until the summer of 2018.

Edit- I’ve confused their seasons up a little tbf, then reaching a Cl final with Henderson and Milner in midfield wasn’t the season they finished with 90+ points.

Point still stands that a pretty mediocre midfield didn’t stop them from progressing and getting a champions league final.

I’m not buying this %@#$&!s anymore that The Scottish Player, Matic, Beek and Fred aren’t good enough to do a job against teams like Aston £#%&!ing Villa.

Originally Posted by AK14

Keita didn’t sign for them until the summer of 2018.

I’ve lost track of the years. They would’ve had Can in reserve then. Still decent options.

Edit: Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lallana were the other 2.

Originally Posted by dunk

I’ve lost track of the years. They would’ve had Can in reserve then. Still decent options.

Edit: Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lallana were the other 2.

Same… pretty much blocked those years from memory.

Ox and Lallana are as much midfielders as Bruno is tbf

We shouldn’t look so bad at controlling games against the likes of Villa, West Ham and Southampton even with the midfield we have.

Originally Posted by AK14

Same… pretty much blocked those years from memory.

Ox and Lallana are as much midfielders as Bruno is tbf

We shouldn’t look so bad at controlling games against the likes of Villa, West Ham and Southampton even with the midfield we have.

Ox is much more of an actual midfielder since he’s been there tbf. Lallana is a less mobile and defensive back up for Wijnaldum. All of them can do a bit of everything though, unlike our collection of 1 job muppets.

Originally Posted by AK14

Keita didn’t sign for them until the summer of 2018.

Edit- I’ve confused their seasons up a little tbf, then reaching a Cl final with Henderson and Milner in midfield wasn’t the season they finished with 90+ points.

Point still stands that a pretty mediocre midfield didn’t stop them from progressing and getting a champions league final.

I’m not buying this %@#$&!s anymore that The Scottish Player, Matic, Beek and Fred aren’t good enough to do a job against teams like Aston £#%&!ing Villa.

You're right in the sense that Matic & either mctom or vdb should have been good enough

But Fred, please can I underline that Fred is the worst midfielder we've had since... Dejmba Djemba? I'd probably have the twins ahead of him. He's actually one of the worst footballers I've seen in my time. Just awful. He'll start the next game no doubt because he runs around a lot and put in a couple of tackles.

He makes Kleberson look like peak Pirlo. Actually I thought Kleberson was underrated but that's for another thread.

Originally Posted by Whip Hubley

He makes Kleberson look like peak Pirlo. Actually I thought Kleberson was underrated but that's for another thread.

kleberson was tiny. fred is even smaller.

Originally Posted by dunk

Ox is much more of an actual midfielder since he’s been there tbf. Lallana is a less mobile and defensive back up for Wijnaldum. All of them can do a bit of everything though, unlike our collection of 1 job muppets.

Maybe because he has an actual football manager coaching him…. The massive @#%&! (Klopp not Chamberlain).

Our midfield isn’t the best but it certainly shouldn’t be as much of an issue as it is imo.