Declan Rice

[MadMike]

Very one dimensional. People compare his passing stats with Fred and McTominay to show he has higher completion %, but he never takes any risks with his passes to try to move the ball forward quickly.

There surely must be a good defensive DM who is more adept at passing than Rice and won't cost an arm and leg. Otherwise might as well go for an all-rounder than a pure sitter.

 

[Trequarista10]

Very one dimensional. People compare his passing stats with Fred and McTominay to show he has higher completion %, but he never takes any risks with his passes to try to move the ball forward quickly.

There surely must be a good defensive DM who is more adept at passing than Rice and won't cost an arm and leg. Otherwise might as well go for an all-rounder than a pure sitter.

Depends on what the plan is for the team really. If playing Pogba/VdB in CM they might benefit from playing with a pure defensive DM, like Kante-Pogba for France. If we still intend on having a Fred or McTominay in the starting XI then I'd prefer a Carrick/Matic type player who can contribute more on the ball.

Ideally we could sign a defensive beast with the playmaking ability of Pirlo, but I don't know if such a player exists.

 

[Deery]

Bellingham looks the better midfielder.

 

[Judas]

Bellingham looks the better midfielder.

Fair and totally true. He's already better in my opinion. I don't think there's many people who would choose Rice over him.

 

[Godfather]

I think he's class, seem him a lot for Leipzig and he has a skillset that none of our midfielders have.

He works and presses very hard too.

Rice is just another Mctominay, there will be zero threat from our midfield again.

Agree about Rice. But Sabitzer I'm convinced of either

 

[OrcaFat]

I think he's class, seem him a lot for Leipzig and he has a skillset that none of our midfielders have.

He works and presses very hard too.

Rice is just another Mctominay, there will be zero threat from our midfield again.

What we need is a guy who knows where he needs to be on the pitch when the opponent is attacking and when we have the ball in our defensive third.

We need a leader of the midfield who can control the space and provide a reliable base; not give the ball away cheaply and have the physical attributes to dominate or at least get the upper hand over the opponent’s attacking midfielders. He does not need to be Redondo or Xavi.

I’m not saying Rice is the only gig in town but he has the right profile.

 

[cyberman]

What we need is a guy who knows where he needs to be on the pitch when the opponent is attacking and when we have the ball in our defensive third.

We need a leader of the midfield who can control the space and provide a reliable base; not give the ball away cheaply and have the physical attributes to dominate or at least get the upper hand over the opponent’s attacking midfielders. He does not need to be Redondo or Xavi.

I’m not saying Rice is the only gig in town but he has the right profile.

We play 4-2-3-1. You cant have a stationary DM in that formation.
We dont need Rice, we need better versions of what we have.

 

[Adam-Utd]

What we need is a guy who knows where he needs to be on the pitch when the opponent is attacking and when we have the ball in our defensive third.

We need a leader of the midfield who can control the space and provide a reliable base; not give the ball away cheaply and have the physical attributes to dominate or at least get the upper hand over the opponent’s attacking midfielders. He does not need to be Redondo or Xavi.

I’m not saying Rice is the only gig in town but he has the right profile.

I'm not saying he wouldn't be slightly better in certain areas than Mcfred, but he offers nothing going forward.

We're essentially going to spend 60-70m on a like for like replacement that won't really improve us in areas we need improving.

People keep coming up with this "but he'll allow us to play 4--3-3 with Pogba and Bruno" no he won't. He's not Kante. He won't be able to do double the leg work and he doesn't play like this for West Ham either.

Watching him for England is a better example than West Ham as they play a very different way. Did you watch the game against Austria last night? doesn't stand out at all. People complained about spending £89m on Pogba and him not being a match winner, they've got another thing coming if they think £70m Rice w

Bellingham is the midfielder we type of midfielder we should be looking at, the perfect plend of steel but still has a good attacking threat and passing ability.

 

[Murder on Zidanes Floor]

We play 4-2-3-1. You cant have a stationary DM in that formation.
We dont need Rice, we need better versions of what we have.

Rather have two players who cover ground like Fred in a two rather than Rice tbh.

 

[RedorDead21]

I'm not saying he wouldn't be slightly better in certain areas than Mcfred, but he offers nothing going forward.

We're essentially going to spend 60-70m on a like for like replacement that won't really improve us in areas we need improving.

People keep coming up with this "but he'll allow us to play 4--3-3 with Pogba and Bruno" no he won't. He's not Kante. He won't be able to do double the leg work and he doesn't play like this for West Ham either.

Watching him for England is a better example than West Ham as they play a very different way. Did you watch the game against Austria last night? doesn't stand out at all. People complained about spending £89m on Pogba and him not being a match winner, they've got another thing coming if they think £70m Rice w

Bellingham is the midfielder we type of midfielder we should be looking at, the perfect plend of steel but still has a good attacking threat and passing ability.

I think he could have come here but he wanted regular action. He’s still young and I think he would choose to stay where he is. Unlikely he could slot straight into our first team at the moment. He left rice exposed a lot for example.

 

[cyberman]

Rather have two players who cover ground like Fred in a two rather than Rice tbh.

Yep. Rice would just become a lightening rod for the press, hinder our ability to play out from the back and kill our own press if he becomes this deep laying DM that fills in gaps as presented on here imo.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I think he could have come here but he wanted regular action. He’s still young and I think he would choose to stay where he is. Unlikely he could slot straight into our first team at the moment. He left rice exposed a lot for example.

If he's leaving Rice exposed imagine what Pogba will do I think you've spelt it all to be honest.

 

[andersj]

We need a leader of the midfield who can control the space and provide a reliable base; not give the ball away cheaply and have the physical attributes to dominate or at least get the upper hand over the opponent’s attacking midfielders. He does not need to be Redondo or Xavi.

I agree. The trouble is, we need a lot of things.

We also need to improve our transition play. A lot of people thinks that the central midfield is the problem. That McTominay and Fred is not efficient enough when moving the ball into the final third. Others, and probably some of the same, miss creativity from midfield. They dont see Fred or McT providing that killer pass. The same people probably worry that Rice wont solve that. And I actually think they are correct.

Furthermore, several people believe our centerbacks have issues, for instance lack of «agility»/pace, no defensive midfielder would fix. That too is probably correct.

In my opinion, this is connected. McTominay alone is not a big problem for our transition. But McTominay, AWB and James/Greenwood on the same side is. We need a better right back to improve our build up play and transition. It would also help, regardless of who is playing RB, if we had a better RW. Preferable someone who wants the ball and offer us solutions (a bit like Pogba on the left).

It is hard to find a new Xabi, Kroos etc. But it is not hard to find a player who is better than AWB. If we had a player like Shaw on the right, it would be a lot more difficult to stop our transition and build up. Pressing at one side of the pitch, making play narrow, is a lot easier than two.

I do think the most pressing concerns are our transition play/build up and creativity in final third. A RB would solve much or that. Our midfields lack of ability on the ball would become less of an issue in that case. If we were to continue with AWB we would probably need a Pirlo on the right side of midfield. And that being said, I think a good RB would help even more than a prime Pirlo as it would force the opposition to stretch their press wider.

A better RW, say Sancho or even a more mature Greenwood, would help that RB alot in our transition. And it goes without saying, with Pogba, Bruno and Sancho lack of creativity in midfield would be less of a worry.

The second most pressing concern is to strengthen the backbone of our team, central defence and central midfield. In other words, we probably need both a CB and a CM. If we solve the other issues in our team, I do think Rice would be a great player for us. And we probably have to solve the other issues in our team regardless of what midfielder we get.

In summary, Sancho and Trippier to improve build up/transition and add creativity. Rice and Kounde/Torres to make us stronger at the back. That being said, I dont see ut spending big on both a CB and a CM. But I do think that is what we need to look like a very good side. To challenge we probably also need a striker.

 

[RedorDead21]

If he's leaving Rice exposed imagine what Pogba will do I think you've spelt it all to be honest.

Yes I think people undervalue McFred a little as we finished 2nd and they provided a solid base for Pogba and fernandes and co to have really positive seasons. Of course for the next step we all believe they are not good enough. But with a functioning right wing and say a Kane up top. In all likelihood that would and easily could win a title if we also had a solid CB partnership. I don’t think it’s a number 1 priority for these reasons. I don’t think we need to gamble on Rice for these sums. Throw that money at another area. Give McTom another season to improve. Look again next summer and perhaps Bellingham or someone else looks better value. As I’ve drunkenly posted previously. Rice for me just isn’t a great passer, unlikely to become one, doesn’t control games and is no better against the press than what we have. And we have some very inconsistent passers of the ball!

 

[Giggsyking]

not impressed at all.

 

[golden_blunder]

I agree. The trouble is, we need a lot of things.

We also need to improve our transition play. A lot of people thinks that the central midfield is the problem. That McTominay and Fred is not efficient enough when moving the ball into the final third. Others, and probably some of the same, miss creativity from midfield. They dont see Fred or McT providing that killer pass. The same people probably worry that Rice wont solve that. And I actually think they are correct.

Furthermore, several people believe our centerbacks have issues, for instance lack of «agility»/pace, no defensive midfielder would fix. That too is probably correct.

In my opinion, this is connected. McTominay alone is not a big problem for our transition. But McTominay, AWB and James/Greenwood on the same side is. We need a better right back to improve our build up play and transition. It would also help, regardless of who is playing RB, if we had a better RW. Preferable someone who wants the ball and offer us solutions (a bit like Pogba on the left).

It is hard to find a new Xabi, Kroos etc. But it is not hard to find a player who is better than AWB. If we had a player like Shaw on the right, it would be a lot more difficult to stop our transition and build up. Pressing at one side of the pitch, making play narrow, is a lot easier than two.

I do think the most pressing concerns are our transition play/build up and creativity in final third. A RB would solve much or that. Our midfields lack of ability on the ball would become less of an issue in that case. If we were to continue with AWB we would probably need a Pirlo on the right side of midfield. And that being said, I think a good RB would help even more than a prime Pirlo as it would force the opposition to stretch their press wider.

A better RW, say Sancho or even a more mature Greenwood, would help that RB alot in our transition. And it goes without saying, with Pogba, Bruno and Sancho lack of creativity in midfield would be less of a worry.

The second most pressing concern is to strengthen the backbone of our team, central defence and central midfield. In other words, we probably need both a CB and a CM. If we solve the other issues in our team, I do think Rice would be a great player for us. And we probably have to solve the other issues in our team regardless of what midfielder we get.

In summary, Sancho and Trippier to improve build up/transition and add creativity. Rice and Kounde/Torres to make us stronger at the back. That being said, I dont see ut spending big on both a CB and a CM. But I do think that is what we need to look like a very good side. To challenge we probably also need a striker.

Genuine question, what else does AWB need to do to get people off his back? There’s only half a dozen fullbacks who have created more assists this season than him. Top is TAA with 8, a few with 7 and one with 5. AWB has 4.
Further he carries the ball forward but usually there is no option to pass to.
So, bringing in someone like trippier will give us more crossing variety and bringing in someone to stretch the play will give AWB or Trippier more room on the pitch to operate in.
Biggest worry? Aside from Cavani we don’t have anyone who gets in the box often enough to finish chances. I daresay AWB stats may have been higher this year if we had

 

[Murder on Zidanes Floor]

Yep. Rice would just become a lightening rod for the press, hinder our ability to play out from the back and kill our own press if he becomes this deep laying DM that fills in gaps as presented on here imo.

Fred and Bissouma, Bruno in front of them, and Pogba on the left.

 

[andersj]

There’s only half a dozen fullbacks who have created more assists this season than him. Top is TAA with 8, a few with 7 and one with 5. AWB has 4.

I think he is a decent crosser. The biggest issue with AWB, in my opinion, is not what happens in the final third, but in the build up.

I also think the stats support that, and that is despite him getting more space than the fullbacks you would want to compare him too. Shaw and Telles progress the ball 374 and 408 yards, on average per 90 min, through their passing. AWB is at 281 yards. That is a significant difference, and it does not factor in AWB getting more space than Shaw (ref both Klopp and Hassenhuttl). Robertson and Trent progress the ball 423 and 578 yards.

I dont have anything against AWB. He has several good qualities, and he has improved alot - more than I thought he would. But that does not change that he still has a weak area in his game.

 

[golden_blunder]

I think he is a decent crosser. The biggest issue with AWB, in my opinion, is not what happens in the final third, but in the build up.

I also think the stats support that, and that is despite him getting more space than the fullbacks you would want to compare him too. Shaw and Telles progress the ball 374 and 408 yards, on average per 90 min, through their passing. AWB is at 281 yards. That is a significant difference, and it does not factor in AWB getting more space than Shaw (ref both Klopp and Hassenhuttl). Robertson and Trent progress the ball 423 and 578 yards.

I dont have anything against AWB. He has several good qualities, and he has improved alot - more than I thought he would. But that does not change that he still has a weak area in his game.

Definitely more for him to improve & competition always helps and can take the pressure off.
Overall I look at AWB and see a lad who has statistically improved season on season since he joined and the eyes confirm that so I wish people would stop using the narrative that he’s poor on the ball.
not saying you are btw I mean in general

 

[Bebestation]

I just don’t see how we can have Bruno and Pogba in the team and feel like what we need is even more creativity.

We arguably have Hannibal and Garner who can be our creator or distributor from higher up the pitch or deeper in the pitch.

If Pogba goes and/or Garner isn’t good enough then I can see this need for a distributive style player.

Right now though it’s not what I see - we need a player doing the dirty work that currently requires both Fred and Mctominay. We do not use them for creativity do we? Not as much as the ability we get from their defensive abilities in my opinion.
A pure ball winning midfielder allows us to play a creative player next to him aswell as have an extra attacking player in the first 11.

 

[andersj]

Overall I look at AWB and see a lad who has statistically improved season on season since he joined and the eyes confirm that so I wish people would stop using the narrative that he’s poor on the ball.

I agree that it is both a bit hard on him and maybe even unfair (much of the criticism anyway). He is hardworking and has improved. He also has plenty of time to improve further (Trippier had no games in the PL at the same age and has improved a lot every year since I first saw him at Burnley).

It also needs to be said that the lack of a RW and a CM that dont really suits him on (his side) dont help him.

 

[Dominos]

I just don’t see how we can have Bruno and Pogba in the team and feel like what we need is even more creativity.

We arguably have Hannibal and Garner who can be our creator or distributor from higher up the pitch or deeper in the pitch.

If Pogba goes and/or Garner isn’t good enough then I can see this need for a distributive style player.

Right now though it’s not what I see - we need a player doing the dirty work that currently requires both Fred and Mctominay. We do not use them for creativity do we? Not as much as the ability we get from their defensive abilities in my opinion.
A pure ball winning midfielder allows us to play a creative player next to him aswell as have an extra attacking player in the first 11.

Pogba's weaknesses in a double pivot will still exist when paired with Rice. He gives the ball away in dangerous areas, tries to dribble when he shouldn't and his short passing is inconsistent resulting in too many turnovers. And his defensive work isn't great. Rice is not some superhuman that can do the work of 2 players. You're also never going to get the most out of Pogba playing him so deep, he has too much creative and goalscoring potential.

What our midfield is crying out for more is a player who is both a technical upgrade on Fred/Mctominay and has more defensive/ midfield awareness than Pogba.

Even if we signed Rice, we'd still be crying out for someone who can pass alongside him.

 

[OrcaFat]

We play 4-2-3-1. You cant have a stationary DM in that formation.
We dont need Rice, we need better versions of what we have.

I don’t think he would be stationary at all. But he would do a better job of being where you need him to be - and reads the game and the space much better - than McFred. Not everybody rates him, though, that’s pretty clear.

 

[OrcaFat]

I'm not saying he wouldn't be slightly better in certain areas than Mcfred, but he offers nothing going forward.

We're essentially going to spend 60-70m on a like for like replacement that won't really improve us in areas we need improving.

People keep coming up with this "but he'll allow us to play 4--3-3 with Pogba and Bruno" no he won't. He's not Kante. He won't be able to do double the leg work and he doesn't play like this for West Ham either.

Watching him for England is a better example than West Ham as they play a very different way. Did you watch the game against Austria last night? doesn't stand out at all. People complained about spending £89m on Pogba and him not being a match winner, they've got another thing coming if they think £70m Rice w

Bellingham is the midfielder we type of midfielder we should be looking at, the perfect plend of steel but still has a good attacking threat and passing ability.

Rice plus Bellingham in the midfield 2 would give the right balance. Rice plus McT would be similar, I think.

 

[Don't Kill Bill]

I just don’t see how we can have Bruno and Pogba in the team and feel like what we need is even more creativity.

We arguably have Hannibal and Garner who can be our creator or distributor from higher up the pitch or deeper in the pitch.

If Pogba goes and/or Garner isn’t good enough then I can see this need for a distributive style player.

Right now though it’s not what I see - we need a player doing the dirty work that currently requires both Fred and Mctominay. We do not use them for creativity do we? Not as much as the ability we get from their defensive abilities in my opinion.
A pure ball winning midfielder allows us to play a creative player next to him aswell as have an extra attacking player in the first 11.

If you watch the Europa final again you may become more sympathetic to the idea.

 

[yamo123x]

I just don’t see how we can have Bruno and Pogba in the team and feel like what we need is even more creativity.

We arguably have Hannibal and Garner who can be our creator or distributor from higher up the pitch or deeper in the pitch.

If Pogba goes and/or Garner isn’t good enough then I can see this need for a distributive style player.

Right now though it’s not what I see - we need a player doing the dirty work that currently requires both Fred and Mctominay. We do not use them for creativity do we? Not as much as the ability we get from their defensive abilities in my opinion.
A pure ball winning midfielder allows us to play a creative player next to him aswell as have an extra attacking player in the first 11.

The Europa league final showed exactly the opposite, we need more creatvity. Too slow too predictable and no one who can commit the opposition players. When Bruno is stifled we have nothing. Im 100% in favour of signing Rice but we are crying out for more creative players.

Garner is a young kid with no experience at the top level so to keep naming him as a saviour is a bit hopeful at this stage and DVB is clearly not fancied by the manager and Mjebri for all his promise is still raw. Im happy with MCFRED and DVB if it means we add much needed creativity to the squad.

The desire for a Sancho and Grealish has never been greater even if Pogba leaves in the process.

 

[golden_blunder]

The cbs were holding on to it too long in the final

 

[Don't Kill Bill]

I'm not saying he wouldn't be slightly better in certain areas than Mcfred, but he offers nothing going forward.

We're essentially going to spend 60-70m on a like for like replacement that won't really improve us in areas we need improving.

People keep coming up with this "but he'll allow us to play 4--3-3 with Pogba and Bruno" no he won't. He's not Kante. He won't be able to do double the leg work and he doesn't play like this for West Ham either.

Watching him for England is a better example than West Ham as they play a very different way. Did you watch the game against Austria last night? doesn't stand out at all. People complained about spending £89m on Pogba and him not being a match winner, they've got another thing coming if they think £70m Rice w

Bellingham is the midfielder we type of midfielder we should be looking at, the perfect plend of steel but still has a good attacking threat and passing ability.

I agree with you.

Even more worrying if this goes ahead and Pogba plays in midfield then our starting front six will be the same as the EL final with McT swapped for Rice. I don't think the tactics Villareal used were unique. Defend deep, in numbers and hit us on the break then try to grab a goal from a set piece. The bottom half of the premier league will be playing like this against us next season and we might have blown our transfer budget in a effort to squeeze Pogba into center midfield in the possibly vain hope Rice can offset the defensive frailty Pogba brings when played there.

Strange things happen in football and if this goes ahead it might end up being a brilliant move on Utd's part but I am not seeing it at all.

 

[Hammondo]

I agree with you.

Even more worrying if this goes ahead and Pogba plays in midfield then our starting front six will be the same as the EL final with McT swapped for Rice. I don't think the tactics Villareal used were unique. Defend deep, in numbers and hit us on the break then try to grab a goal from a set piece. The bottom half of the premier league will be playing like this against us next season and we might have blown our transfer budget in a effort to squeeze Pogba into center midfield in the possibly vain hope Rice can offset the defensive frailty Pogba brings when played there.

Strange things happen in football and if this goes ahead it might end up being a brilliant move on Utd's part but I am not seeing it at all.

Isn't the main point from all this is the fact we lost that match, we had no creativity from pogba or our wide players.

So the idea that Rice is solving these problems because we can play pogba or more "creative" players is nonsense imo. Our problem is that our creative players are crap at being creative.

 

[tjb]

He's better than I thought he was. I was afraid that about his passing because I assumed it would meant that he would not be good at dealing with pressure when on the ball. He is good under pressure because he has the strength and balance to hold players off. He is also positionally aware enough to know when and how to move the ball, so even if his passing range isn't the best, he would actually improve us significantly in our build up. He actually reminds me of a younger Matic, was excellent at doing his job last night. However, playing with Fred/Mctominay would not suit us as a team with them there. Especially in games where we need to dominate possession. If we had a Grealish, Isco or David Silva higher up the pitch, that point would be moot, but Bruno is more Platini than Zidane. He's a risk taker with creativity, energy, good shooting and a killer pass. He can dictate the game due to his sheer level of ability, but making him do that would take away from the best pasrt of his game higher up the pitch. Pogba can't do that and doesn't really seem interested in being that player, so getting someone in willing to stay a little bit deeper in order to move the ball around when needed would be best. Signing Sancho might lead us to requiring less of that, but at this moment in time, where Greenwood and Rashford like to stay high, whilst Bruno likes playing right behind the striker, having a midfielder willing to dominate from deep would be our best option.

 

[croadyman]

He's better than I thought he was. I was afraid that about his passing because I assumed it would meant that he would not be good at dealing with pressure when on the ball. He is good under pressure because he has the strength and balance to hold players off. He is also positionally aware enough to know when and how to move the ball, so even if his passing range isn't the best, he would actually improve us significantly in our build up. He actually reminds me of a younger Matic, was excellent at doing his job last night. However, playing with Fred/Mctominay would not suit us as a team with them there. Especially in games where we need to dominate possession. If we had a Grealish, Isco or David Silva higher up the pitch, that point would be moot, but Bruno is more Platini than Zidane. He's a risk taker with creativity, energy, good shooting and a killer pass. He can dictate the game due to his sheer level of ability, but making him do that would take away from the best pasrt of his game higher up the pitch. Pogba can't do that and doesn't really seem interested in being that player, so getting someone in willing to stay a little bit deeper in order to move the ball around when needed would be best. Signing Sancho might lead us to requiring less of that, but at this moment in time, where Greenwood and Rashford like to stay high, whilst Bruno likes playing right behind the striker, having a midfielder willing to dominate from deep would be our best option.

So in other words a Deep Lying Playmaker of which we haven't been linked to any at all this summer

 

[DJ_21]

We need a defensive mid in the same mould as Kante, someone who can cover the ground quick and is technical. Kante and pogba seemed to work well in a midfield 2 for France. The guy I can think of that would be closest to Kante is camavinga for Rennes, he’d be perfect, he’s on the same level as wan bissaka when it comes to tackling.

 

[croadyman]

We need a defensive mid in the same mould as Kante, someone who can cover the ground quick and is technical. Kante and pogba seemed to work well in a midfield 2 for France. The guy I can think of that would be closest to Kante is camavinga for Rennes, he’d be perfect, he’s on the same level as wan bissaka when it comes to tackling.

Always get the impression he wants to join either PSG/Real

 

[tjb]

So in other words a Deep Lying Playmaker of which we haven't been linked to any at all this summer

We can do well without that if we sign offensive playmaker like sancho/grealish who are comfortable with supporting Fred, Bruno and rice in those games where the opposition parks the bus.

The key for me is the bigger games and having the ability to consistently beat the opposition press in those situatuations. That's what determines if we can attack our opponents more or not. I think Rice can bring that

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

I don’t think our problem vs Villareal was a DM or a no 6 and the Villareal game was a prime example of another draw that we had a lot this season. Signing a no 6 would be great but it’s something we can hold for next summer assume if we don’t have the money after signing Sancho and a top CB. Beside, there is one is coming soon, James Garner.

 

[Teja]

I don’t think our problem vs Villareal was a DM and the Villareal game was a prime example of another draws that we had a lot this season. Signing a DM would be great but it’s something we can hold for next summer assume if we don’t have the money after signing Sancho and a top CB.

Agree with this. The only time we really have trouble with midfield ball retention is against the very top teams - specifically when Pool / City come out and press.

At that point it's not really a personnel thing - a technical midfield like Veratti + Paredes + Herrera or Casemiro + Kroos + Modric had no answer to the City press while Jorginho + Kante + Mount dominated City over multiple fixtures.

Fixing the attack and becoming a free scoring team against the lesser sides is a higher priority right now than incremental upgrades over what we already have.

 

[ElectroManiac]

For Rice signing to work for us we need to get a fast pace and good passer CB to replace Lindelof. That is the only way a Rice, Pogba and Bruno midfield will work.

You know Pogba is prone to loose the ball at midfield and we need a pacey CB plus Rise covering for that.

The problem is I don't know any good pacey good passer CB that is available.

 

[OrcaFat]

Agree with this. The only time we really have trouble with midfield ball retention is against the very top teams - specifically when Pool / City come out and press.

At that point it's not really a personnel thing - a technical midfield like Veratti + Paredes + Herrera or Casemiro + Kroos + Modric had no answer to the City press while Jorginho + Kante + Mount dominated City over multiple fixtures.

Fixing the attack and becoming a free scoring team against the lesser sides is a higher priority right now than incremental upgrades over what we already have.

I’m afraid it is much worse than that. We have bad ball retention in our defensive third / half whenever an opponent gets a head of steam up and really presses and commits players forward. It happens often in the last 20 minutes of games when the outcome of the game is palpably at stake. What’s missing is composure and leadership in midfield. More technical ability would help but it’s mainly a strong, calm presence we need. I’m not saying it has to be Rice but I do think that area of the team is a priority. If we get that right, all the other cogs in the machine will operate much better.

It doesn’t have to be a pure no.6. It’s more someone with the intelligence to recognise the game situation and react to what’s happening; to play no.6 in the passages of a game when that’s what’s needed.

 

[lex talionis]

I'd be more than delighted to take Kante off Chelsea's books if they decide Rice is the man they want now. We definitely could strengthen at CDM but it's really not our top priority. RW and CB, by some distance, are.

In attack we lack creativity on the right (and arguably on the left as well) and Greenwood looks like a fantastic future CF for us. And we all know about our woeful defending on set pieces, which no CDM who has ever lived can improve us.

Obviously, Pogba's future is uncertain but for the moment we must assume he's staying for one more season. But if that proves to not be the case, then use the proceeds of the Pogba sale to bring in Jack.

 

[Stacks]

We primary need midfielders who can drop deep and collect the ball off the defenders. Roy Keane did this late on in his career and I feel McTominay hides and Fred gives our CBs heart attacks so we will never control games if we can't have that dude to offload the ball to.