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[Opinion Post] Central Midfield (self.reddevils)

tocitusMemphis が 投稿

I'm going to be submitting a post a day for each position on the team which should create some discussion until the season begins. These posts are to compare the current options and general discussions surrounding each position. Yesterday was centre-back's turn, today is central midfield. I've included all types of central midfield players (Rooney et al will be included on the post about #10) in just one post rather than split up the types.

Player Age Joined Contract Expiry Appearances Goals Assists Points Per Game Goals Per Game Assists Per Game
Michael Carrick 35 2006 2017 421 22 35 2.11 0.05 0.08
Morgan Schneiderlin 26 2015 2019 39 1 1 1.92 0.02 0.02
Ander Herrera 26 2014 2018 72 13 12 1.93 0.18 0.16
Daley Blind 26 2014 2018 (+1) 20 2 2 1.75 0.1 0.1
Marouane Fellaini 28 2013 2018 86 11 7 1.71 0.13 0.08
Bastian Schweinsteiger 32 2015 2018 31 1 2 1.87 0.03 0.06
Timothy Fosu-Mensah 18 2014 2017 1 0 0 0 0 0

Possible Talking Points

  • We all know the linked player to come in and upgrade the midfield. Do you think that will be enough or would you prefer another midfielder to come in alongside him?

  • Are you happy to let Schweinsteiger move on?

  • Where do you see Blind's future at the club?

  • I've included TFM because a lot of people think it will be his future position. Do you agree with that?

  • Any other promising youngsters you foresee playing a role for us in the future in the centre?

Tomorrow I'll post Right Wing.

Previous Posts:

Goalkeepers

Right-Back

Left-Back

Centre-Back

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トップ新着論争中古い順Q&A

[–]AngryUncleTonyShaw 7ポイント8ポイント  (7子コメント)

There's a glaring need for an athletic, technical player in the middle of the field. Not sure how we'd fill it though.

In all seriousness, Pogba changes a lot. His partner will really depend on how much Jose shackles him. If he has free reign to roam around the field, we really need Morgan to step up and be an athletic destroyer. If Pogba is more limited, Carrick can do great next to him. I think it should be somewhere in the middle, so both will probably work. I think we'd see the best from Pogba in a midfield three, but we probably won't see that this year.

Would love to see TFM get minutes this year, if he and Pogba are paired up we might have the most physical, athletic pair in the league.

Fine with Bastian going, but would be nice to see him as a Mikel style closer.

Don't want Blind at CM long term, but he can fill in there and can probably start against bottom tier teams if needed. Against the big European sides he won't be athletic enough.

[–]fakeplasticairbag 2ポイント3ポイント  (5子コメント)

TFM with Pogba has great long term potential but TFM isn't there yet, it's a shame he's not a few years older.

I think it will be very hard to get quality out of Pogba offensively if you're going to pen him back and make him defend in a 2 man midfield in a 4-2-3-1, we saw how that didn't work at all for France. To make that work we need a Makelele level behemoth doing all the defensive work himself. I'm quite disappointed we didn't go in for Kante, I think he's incredible

Pogba is such a 4-3-3 midfielder to me but Jose is clearly going to go with 4-2-3-1.

[–]AngryUncleTonyShaw 2ポイント3ポイント  (2子コメント)

Yeah, we need a massive year from Morgan and TFM to develop rapidly. I guess we could also push Pogba to the 10, but that'd be a completely different conversation about Rooney and Mata.

[–]Phase_SpacedBrave Mou World 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

and TFM to develop rapidly

We could always sell him to Juve /s

[–]fakeplasticairbag 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I like the idea of Pogba at 10 but it makes absolutely no sense given our other squad options. You'd be dropping Rooney and Mata to play Fellaini or Herrera

[–]aalaloo 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

---------------- Carrick ---------------

--- Morgan ----------------- Pogba ---

By far the best balance. Don't want Rooney anywhere near Pog/Ibra. Those 3 should never be on the pitch together at the same.

[–]FeezbullGiggs 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Going by that, then it won't make so much sense as to why he wants Pogba but not to use him in his ideal setup to get the best out of the most expensive signing ever don't you think?

Just seems counterproductive to get someone for so much, only to play him in a role that curtails him a bit, ala what LVG did with Di Maria, Schneiderlin too, Herrera and such tactically.

[–]sayheykid24Martial 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

There's a glaring need for an athletic, technical player in the middle of the field.

TFM! Although he's too young to be counted on this year. It would be nice to throw him in there with Pogba every now and again, and see how he does.

[–]fakeplasticairbag 5ポイント6ポイント  (5子コメント)

Mourinho clearly is going for a 4-2-3-1, it's what he's played for years now and in all our friendlies so we need a 2 man midfield who can do everything.

Obviously 1 of those 2 guys is Pogba.

To me our only potential partners for Pogba in a 2 man midfield are Schneiderlin and Carrick no one else can defend well enough to carry Pogba who's lazy defensively. Herrera, Schweinsteiger, Blind and Fellaini can't defend and/or aren't mobile enough to cover that ground solo.

I'm not convinced Carrick has the legs to cover Pogba's lack of defensive work at 35 and Schneiderlin while solid enough isn't some all star defensive midfielder. He's looked every bit as average in pre season too

We probably have enough to get buy this season but if a guy like Matic is available we should definitely be in for him.

It's a shame TFM isn't 1-2 years older because I think he has the raw materials to be that guy he's just a few years away.

[–]goodguy1994it's Rooneyyy, it's inevitable. some things are meant to be 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Schneiderlin played 45 minutes in pre season

[–]AngryUncleTonyShaw 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

Yep. If Carrick were a few years younger he'd be perfect, but Pogba moves around so much (and that's a good thing mostly) and won't have the Juventus back three behind him anymore. We can ask Pogba to play more conservatively like he did at the Euros, but that would be a waste of his talent. We really need a lot from Morgan this year, and hopefully TFM is ready soon.

[–]fakeplasticairbag 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

If we we're linked more with other CM's id think it possible he was buying Pogba as a 10 but given Rooney isn't playing CM I really doubt that with our other cm options

[–]fakeplasticairbag 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

If we we're linked more with other CM's id think it possible he was buying Pogba as a 10 but given Rooney isn't playing CM I really doubt that with our other cm options

[–]aalaloo 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Schneiderlin while solid enough isn't some all star defensive midfielder. He's looked every bit as average in pre season too

Schneiderlin isn't a classical DM. Not the best positionally, and his energy/pressing is wasted just shielding the back-4 (and partly responsible for his positional woes as he gets dragged). He's a defensive box-to-box. He can cause havoc higher up the pitch. Play him in front of Carrick/behind Pogba.

Carrick has to start at DM for his passing considering all our CBs (apart from Blind) are ropey on the ball. Which is also why it's perhaps premature to ship bastian out. He's currently our 2nd best 6.

[–]OptimistPrime7Martial 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

I feel we need a world class CDM with Schweini moving on, even after making the Pogba purchase, guess that's for the next transfer window.

[–]AngryUncleTonyShaw 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yep. If Morgan steps up we're set, or if TFM shows he's almost ready we can hold off. If not, it's a need for next summer.

[–]zyklan 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

I don't think we need further improvement in central midfield, I'd rather let Schneiderlin prove himself and give blind or TFM a run.

[–]Kr4sTel 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

I honestly think Blind might be a good option as CDM. He's played as a defender the last season so he certainly got better at defending, plus his vision and passing ability would be very useful as apart from Carrick, no one has that ability.

Schneiderlin or him when Carrick is unable to play. When he is tho,
Carrick should start - alongside that midfielder of course.

[–]AngryUncleTonyShaw 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Blind at the base of an athletic three would be ok, but he isn't athletic enough to shield the back four by himself when Pogba goes roaming.

[–]W0rsleyRafael 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Really hoping we play with a proper 3 man midfield, I think Pogba (and possibly Ibra) would be slightly wasted if someone like Mata or Rooney was taking up space in that number 10 position. He'd also have a lot more defensive duties in a 2 man midfield, and whilst he's capable of doing it, he seems best when he's able to get forward whenever possible.

I do think we need another midfield even after Pogba but can't see it happening this season unless a world class player for whatever reason becomes available, a midfielder similar to Kroos would be perfect, someone able to play from deep and just basically let Pogba roam with Schneiderlin doing most of the defending.

Also yeah TFM will more than likely end up in midfield, but for this season at least he will probably be played in a few different positions which is fine at his age as long as he gets game time at this level.

[–]ssb5107Herrera 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Non Pogba comment: Its refreshingly surprising to see statistics back up the reason behind Herrera's popularity among fans. Considering these statistics are mostly during the LvG tenure, we can expect all from him if he settles in Jose's scheme.

He needs to improve his decision making but a healthy run of games should help him there.

[–]unitedicecreampizza 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

I don't think Pogba by himself isn't enough here, Schneiderlin hasn't impressed this preseason. I would like for us to try to get Matic or someone like him, Kante would have been a great pickup but that ship has sailed already.

[–]AngryUncleTonyShaw 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Morgan's only had the one game after Euros, but he really needs to have a big year.

[–]AdamDalby 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

And even that's a stretch. He played 45 minutes after rejoining the squad two days previously. Not wanting Schneiderlin is fair enough if that's your opinion, but claiming your reasoning is based off what you've seen in preseason is either total bullshit or sheer stupidity.