just how bad is our midfield?

allowing for the fact that rooney can play anywhere, but shouldn't, and nani and young are wingers/forwards, what have we got?

carrick - very good when on form
cleverley - very good when fit
fabio - clearly a midfielder
rafael - probably a midfielder
valencia - a winger who can play in the middle (or right back)

a couple more good youngsters coming through (not just the obvious, but keane and brady too).

fletch - lightweight
park - if we have to
gibson - deadweight
jones - not convinced (as a midfielder)
ando - still got potential, but gives the ball away too much
giggs - wily old fox (mostly old)

the only real problem we have (aside from injuries) is fergie's preference for players in the second group. all of the first lot can win the ball and use it, pass or run with it. just needs a bit more imagination from the gaffer.

The personnel is not the best, but that's not to say we can't get an end result that's greater than the sum of it's parts.

But our problem is the constant chopping, changing and lack of shape for our midfield.

If these are the players we are going to have until the end of the season, we're going to have to figure out a way to get the best out of players who aren't the best.

if that means going 5 across the middle for the rest of the season and churning out a load of ugly, boring performances then that's what we'll have to do.

Park and Carrick are way better than the majority of £#%&!wits give them credit for.

Our central midfield is our weak spot of course, not as bad as some make out but needs a real quality player in there to make all the difference.

Not sure about the twins being midfielders they'd end up getting injured even more often.

not sure we need a "real quality" player there. just someone mobile who can tackle firmly and has the ability to dribble or pass and the awareness to make the right choice. cleverley and fabio shouts to me way louder than fletch and ando as a balanced midfield pairing.

think we need to change the system to 3 at the back. we havn't got a single central midfielder that is equally strong in each attribute a really good midfielder should posess.

Originally Posted by jem

allowing for the fact that rooney can play anywhere, but shouldn't, and nani and young are wingers/forwards, what have we got?

carrick - very good when on form
cleverley - very good when fit
fabio - clearly a midfielder
rafael - probably a midfielder
valencia - a winger who can play in the middle (or right back)

a couple more good youngsters coming through (not just the obvious, but keane and brady too).

fletch - lightweight
park - if we have to
gibson - deadweight
jones - not convinced (as a midfielder)
ando - still got potential, but gives the ball away too much
giggs - wily old fox (mostly old)

the only real problem we have (aside from injuries) is fergie's preference for players in the second group. all of the first lot can win the ball and use it, pass or run with it. just needs a bit more imagination from the gaffer.

Hahaha. Fergie has lost faith in him.

Our midfield is so bad that even some of the self-righteous top reds who were saying it was excellent in the Summer, have woken up and realised the truth.

Originally Posted by Liu Jian

Hahaha. Fergie has lost faith in him.

fergie is part of the problem.

Park is strictly a left-sided player IMO, either on the left wing of a four man midfield, or the left side of a front three. He shouldn't be being considered as a central midfielder.

IMO the most important thing we need is stability and consistency, but with the hit-and-miss form of virtually every midfielder we have, alongside the constant niggling injuries, this has been an impossibility.

We need someone who is good enough to come into the side and deserve a starting place for every game. Then at least we'd have a consistent place in the team to build the midfield around, whether we play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. Cleverley looked like he could have been that person, but he's in and out of the side and also very inexperienced. Hopefully he can stay fit for the next two months and Fergie can have some more time to assess things in the run-up to the January window.

If Cleverley can form a solid partnership with Carrick, and then we get good support from the squad through Fletcher and Giggs, it might be enough to avoid having to buy in January and instead hold out until the summer. That would also give us a better indication of where we are in regard to the youngsters like Pogba, Tunnicliffe and Ravel.

Originally Posted by jem

fergie is part of the problem.

Ouch.

Right now he is clearly the best manager. But he has to take some of the blame for not managing the situation. We've needed a creative midfielder since 2009, and the fact is he hasn't addressed it.

Tbh we could probably do with a combative defensive type aswell now, but we've been through all this in the Summer. It's been a glaring problem for ages, and saying 'yes but we reached the Champions League final' doesn't cut it.

I miss hargreaves.

we need a defensive midfielder. and we need one who can dribble. fabio can do both roles.

Originally Posted by Neo

Park is strictly a left-sided player IMO, either on the left wing of a four man midfield, or the left side of a front three. He shouldn't be being considered as a central midfielder.

IMO the most important thing we need is stability and consistency, but with the hit-and-miss form of virtually every midfielder we have, alongside the constant niggling injuries, this has been an impossibility.

We need someone who is good enough to come into the side and deserve a starting place for every game. Then at least we'd have a consistent place in the team to build the midfield around, whether we play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. Cleverley looked like he could have been that person, but he's in and out of the side and also very inexperienced. Hopefully he can stay fit for the next two months and Fergie can have some more time to assess things in the run-up to the January window.

If Cleverley can form a solid partnership with Carrick, and then we get good support from the squad through Fletcher and Giggs, it might be enough to avoid having to buy in January and instead hold out until the summer. That would also give us a better indication of where we are in regard to the youngsters like Pogba, Tunnicliffe and Ravel.

Nice to see Roberto Martinez talking up Cleverley again,

He said: “Cleverley and Jack Wilshere, for example, are of the Spanish level. Cleverley’s special.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news...cle827663.html

Yeah he really likes Cleverley, not just out of politeness or whatever. It's funny that he was pretty much a late bloomer, before his first loan spell at Leicester I think, the general opinion of him was that he's ok but not a sure thing at United by any means. Makes you wonder whether one or two of the young players on the books at present might develop out of the limelight and stake a claim. Lingard or Cole possibly for example.

Signing Parker or Arteta would have plugged some of the hole for a while...

Originally Posted by Sparky***

if that means going 5 across the middle for the rest of the season and churning out a load of ugly, boring performances then that's what we'll have to do.

You really get United don't you...

Fergie's fault for not signing a genuine world class midfielder. Relying on a youngster like Cleverley is going to bite us in the arse.

Anderson - shit, and i dont care what anyone says
Carrick - time to go
Gibson - should be shot in the face
Park - squad player nothing more
Fletcher - get his fitness back and is fine
Valenica - Winger only
Nani - please sell the shit decision making @#%&!

if i've forgotten anyone, i dont care

ps: 5 across the middle? get £#%&!ed

4 4 £#%&!ing 2

yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I was happy to see carrick on the pitch. a much better option that fletcher and park flapping around in the middle.

I just can't believe for at least the last 3 years we havent got a first choice pairing for the middle of the park. It's actually disgusting. You could name our first choice CM, but even that would be whoever was on form at the time.

3 years this has gone on, fair play we've carried on winning but it will catch up when suddenly none of the players chosen there don't put in the performances.

Very very lucky that the Carrick and Giggs pairing worked at the end of last season.

Fletcher is a shit footballer and should realise this and go back to being a complete @#%&! to play against on the pitch and do what he did 2 years ago. Stop thinking you are a playmaker. You can't pass.

The last quality CM signing SAF made was roy keane in 19 £#%&!ing 92 and theres folk here think he'll turn it around in January.