georgipep
Full Member
You may be right. I'd like us to have a younger, more mobile version of Matic but I'm not sure who that player could be. Especially if we need to be realistic. For me, that's not Declan Rice, for example.I understand that but as much as Ole can be a defensive manager at times I do see a manager who has been very flexible with his tactics (almost too flexible at times).
I say this because you wonder if getting that CDM helps change our tactics.
I have wanted us to play 433 for absolutely ages, maybe it will happen or maybe not but you wonder if getting that pure CDM allows us to play that one day.
We get that CDM and maybe we switch to something like 433 rather than a 4231 and we are able to hold on to our possession a bit better than usual.
You look at how our squad is possibly may turn out to be with some transfers in and out - Pogba is not a hard working player who is maybe replaced by a CDM. Van de Beek may take Pogbas place who in my opinion can be a more attacking minded player than Pogba further up the pitch, whilst a more team oriented player from deep though Pogba is a better deep lying playmaker. Then to me Martial to me is another player who suits counter attacking football alot, drops deep and makes the passes to the wider forwards alot on the counter rather able to take a chance that is created to him when the possession is with us. Ole had targeted Haaland in his first transfer window, targeted Cavani this transfer window and even started to use Rashford and Greenwood in a striker Partnership.
I just think that a CDM gets VDB's ability to play with another attacking minded midfielder like Bruno in the same team - Bruno can play as a CAM to utelise his creativity further up the pitch whilst we can use VDB shorter build up play at CM; or like for Portugal occasionally Bruno's creativity can be dropped a little deeper (especially when Pogba leaves) whilst someone like VDB can play to get more clinical. Then we may change the way we use our strikers aswell, let him play like as a SS behind a big built up striker like Haaland/Cavani, or a false 9 behind a striker partnership like Rashford and Greenwood.
However, I don't think none of this can happen until a CDM is bought and VDB adapts to the league's physique aswell. The difference in the formation and tactics that Ole uses gives me a bit of hope that it can click one day with the ability to variable aswell when needed.
And you may have a point about Donny although I think Ole is still trying to figure out how to get the best out of him. He cannot put him in the #10 position which seems to suit him best and he cannot rely on him as partner for Fred or McT because we do not dominate teams as much. I'm sceptical that it will work much better with a good CDM because of the tactical connundrum I've described in my previous post. But I'd love if proven wrong and we get this one player that transforms our style!