Donny Van De Beek

Originally Posted by Ronny

So if not in midfield, to get both Bruno and Beeky into the team, you drop Cavani? Martial? Rashford?


No likely.

Stick a proper, athletic, powerhouse centre half alongside maguire who can help us push further up the pitch and not be worried about getting done on the break and you can accommodate them all.

Originally Posted by Ronny

So if not in midfield, to get both Bruno and Beeky into the team, you drop Cavani? Martial? Rashford?


No likely.

disagree...i think you could easily play Bruno and Donny in midfield if you give them a legit holding mid that doesn't need a "partner"

a guy like partey at arsenal for example or a guy like Makalele when he was at chelsea or Kante when he first came to chelsea...those guys cover ever blade of grass in the middle

Originally Posted by Vida_15

disagree...i think you could easily play Bruno and Donny in midfield if you give them a legit holding mid that doesn't need a "partner"

a guy like partey at arsenal for example or a guy like Makalele when he was at chelsea or Kante when he first came to chelsea...those guys cover ever blade of grass in the middle

Your back to dropping McFred again plus adding another transfer target.
How do you use Donny now, in this team?

Originally Posted by Ronny

Your back to dropping McFred again plus adding another transfer target.
How do you use Donny now, in this team?

we've all said that adding a CDM is important to this group....Matic is well past his service date and Pogba is probably gone after this season so we will need to bring in another CM in the summer more than likely

you don't have to drop McFred but clearly need a bit of a rotation to keep freshness amongst the group

Originally Posted by Vida_15

disagree...i think you could easily play Bruno and Donny in midfield if you give them a legit holding mid that doesn't need a "partner"

a guy like partey at arsenal for example or a guy like Makalele when he was at chelsea or Kante when he first came to chelsea...those guys cover ever blade of grass in the middle

I don't get this 'one player does one thing' idea tbh. Why can't midfielders attack and defend? All the best teams of recent times seem to have midfielders who can get up and down the pitch, defend from the front, win the ball high or get back when needed.

Have a look at this from the other week. It's City away at Burnley.

Burnley did what they do best, namely stick 8 players behind the ball. To combat this, City just committed 6 players into their box and overwhelmed them. That's Sterling, Jesus, gundogan, rodri, bernado silva all in burnley's pen box with Mahrez on the wing. Silva is stood with nobody marking him because they've created an over load on the other side.



None of them, bar maybe Rodri are what you would call "defensive" midfielders. They just pinned Burnley back and suffocated them. If you defend and attack as a team, the need for have a midfielder who "just defends" or "Just attacks" is redundant. Burnley managed 0 shots on target during the game.

Originally Posted by Ronny

Your back to dropping McFred again plus adding another transfer target.
How do you use Donny now, in this team?

VDB and Bruno against WBA is a no-brainer, probably with McTom sitting. A priority has to be a cm that will allow any two of Pogba/Bruno/VDB to attack.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

I don't get this If you defend and attack as a team, the need for have a midfielder who "just defends" or "Just attacks" is redundant. Burnley managed 0 shots on target during the game.

At the risk of straying off topic
Whilst you are quite correct doesn’t this require a level of coaching sophistication Utd have failed to exhibit all season?

Originally Posted by Ronny

At the risk of straying off topic
Whilst you are quite correct doesn’t this require a level of coaching sophistication Utd have failed to exhibit all season?

It requires coaching, yes. I don't think it's beyond our coaches. I don't think it's beyond a lot of coaches.

What is beyond the vast majority of coaches is having the unlimited funds to buy the players to implement said system in an effective way.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

I don't get this 'one player does one thing' idea tbh. Why can't midfielders attack and defend? All the best teams of recent times seem to have midfielders who can get up and down the pitch, defend from the front, win the ball high or get back when needed.

Have a look at this from the other week. It's City away at Burnley.

Burnley did what they do best, namely stick 8 players behind the ball. To combat this, City just committed 6 players into their box and overwhelmed them. That's Sterling, Jesus, gundogan, rodri, bernado silva all in burnley's pen box with Mahrez on the wing. Silva is stood with nobody marking him because they've created an over load on the other side.



None of them, bar maybe Rodri are what you would call "defensive" midfielders. They just pinned Burnley back and suffocated them. If you defend and attack as a team, the need for have a midfielder who "just defends" or "Just attacks" is redundant. Burnley managed 0 shots on target during the game.

I’m sure fergie said something similar a while back. He said if you put more numbers forward towards the weaker teams , you tend to win as individually you have better quality.

Originally Posted by Dasilvatwins

I’m sure fergie said something similar a whole back. He said if you put more numbers forward towards the weaker teams , you tend to win as individually you have better quality.

Then went and beat Arsenal by starting 7 defenders

Originally Posted by Dasilvatwins

I’m sure fergie said something similar a while back. He said if you put more numbers forward towards the weaker teams , you tend to win as individually you have better quality.

Yeah exactly. You have to be brave. It's all very well sitting there moaning about teams coming to old trafford and sticking men behind the ball, but that's where you have to be bold and commit people forward to attacks.

How many goals this season have we conceded where teams have run from one end of the pitch to the other against us and scored? I'd wager not many. We tend to concede goals when we're sat back, trying to see games out and inviting teams to sling the ball into our box.

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

Good footballer, but I think he needs to play deeper or as part of the front 3 or a middle 3 and pushed forward with one of the other midfielders. He needs players around him, he isn't the kind of attacking midfielder we play with.

this. he's more of an 8 than a 10.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Yeah exactly. You have to be brave. It's all very well sitting there moaning about teams coming to old trafford and sticking men behind the ball, but that's where you have to be bold and commit people forward to attacks.

How many goals this season have we conceded where teams have run from one end of the pitch to the other against us and scored? I'd wager not many. We tend to concede goals when we're sat back, trying to see games out and inviting teams to sling the ball into our box.

We've not conceded 30 goals defending leads and seeing games out. I'd have a look at how many times we've gone behind if I were you pal, the problem is when we leave the 2 CB's and DM exposed for any amount of time, we concede. It's why we don't concede and end up failing to score against the better sides, as we daren't commit the players forward and take the risks to get the goal as the defence is porous and the goalkeeper is like a deer in the headlights.

The midfield is an issue as the players can do 1 thing or another; defend and spoil or attack and create (or sit and slow the game right the £#%&! down in Matic's case), ask them to do both and their heads fall off. We need better CM's, GK, CB's and actual wingers, basically, which is what Pep did when he took over City.

Originally Posted by dunk

We've not conceded 30 goals defending leads and seeing games out. I'd have a look at how many times we've gone behind if I were you pal, the problem is when we leave the 2 CB's and DM exposed for any amount of time, we concede. It's why we don't concede and end up failing to score against the better sides, as we daren't commit the players forward and take the risks to get the goal as the defence is porous and the goalkeeper is like a deer in the headlights.

The midfield is an issue as the players can do 1 thing or another; defend and spoil or attack and create (or sit and slow the game right the £#%&! down in Matic's case), ask them to do both and their heads fall off. We need better CM's, GK, CB's and actual wingers, basically, which is what Pep did when he took over City.

Not much then

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Not much then

Sad thing is, I wouldn't even be able to tell you where to start in midfield. Tielemans is a shout, can't believe we didn't pick him up from Monaco

CB we'd get away with one and Henderson deserves a season to show what he can do, last night tells us £#%&! all, West Ham offered nothing, Moyes the negative £#%&!er

So, Konate, Tielemans and Sancho. Sorted

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Yeah exactly. You have to be brave. It's all very well sitting there moaning about teams coming to old trafford and sticking men behind the ball, but that's where you have to be bold and commit people forward to attacks.

How many goals this season have we conceded where teams have run from one end of the pitch to the other against us and scored? I'd wager not many. We tend to concede goals when we're sat back, trying to see games out and inviting teams to sling the ball into our box.

Istanbul Basaksehir?

Originally Posted by avocado

Istanbul Basaksehir?

yeah that was the one that sticks out. Wasn't really in open play though was it, we'd sent everyone up for a corner

Originally Posted by Sparky***

yeah that was the one that sticks out. Wasn't really in open play though was it, we'd sent everyone up for a corner

And they stayed up for 5 minutes afterwards ....

Originally Posted by Dasilvatwins

The first half was

Football is a game of two halves, Jeff.

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

Football is a game of two halves, Jeff.

He came off at half time. I’m sure he is a very good player and it looks like he just needs to get used to the pace and physicality of the league. Hopefully he comes good next season, unless he can get games this season which I don’t see happening.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Yeah exactly. You have to be brave. It's all very well sitting there moaning about teams coming to old trafford and sticking men behind the ball, but that's where you have to be bold and commit people forward to attacks.

How many goals this season have we conceded where teams have run from one end of the pitch to the other against us and scored? I'd wager not many. We tend to concede goals when we're sat back, trying to see games out and inviting teams to sling the ball into our box.

The biggest issue is I think if you do for arguments sake throw more people forward and essentially leave one CM and the two CBS back , we will inevitably concede easy goals.

We don’t have a good enough midfielder to play that role , nor do we have the CBs. Maybe The Scottish Player can grow into that but I don’t think ole trusts the defence and he has the two Infront protecting because he knows how fragile we are.