Our strongest XI

de Gea
AWB - Lindelof - Maguire - Williams
McTominay - Fred - Pogba
James - Martial - Rashford​
 
Pughnichi said:
Why? He’s been terrible
As a striker....martial is better
As a LF...James has outperformed him
And I’d prefer not to have square legs in round holes (RF)
Click to expand...

James has been effective playing on the right too. 1 goal & 2 assists from the right. I think James is equally good in both sides. Rashford is currently the better player than Greenwood.
 
MrSingh2002 said:
De Gea
AWB Tuanzebe Maguire Young
Pogba McTominay Fred
James Martial Rashford
​
I've felt this for awhile now. We should be looking for the LB we've needed for awhile. 5 years of Shaw proves he hasn't got anything near what's required. Look for two midfielders to complete the squad and the tall striker we need.

Jimenez at Wolves would do nicely. He could start up front or come off the bench if we need a striker with aerial presence.
Click to expand...

Agree with this except Shaw for Young and Pogba infront of McTom/Fred. I agree Shaw needs upgraded badly
 
UNITED ACADEMY said:
James has been effective playing on the right too. 1 goal & 2 assists from the right. I think James is equally good in both sides. Rashford is currently the better player than Greenwood.
Click to expand...

I don’t disagree that Rashford is better than Greenwood.

For me personally I’m just fed up of playing wingers at full back. Centre backs at full back. No 10s as wingers. Wingers as Strikers. Strikers as wingers...and in this case left wingers as right wingers.

James has adapted brilliantly and like you say has good stats playing from there. His best position has and is LW so let’s let him develop and master that role/position.

In an ideal world we’d have James and Rashford as our left side of attack. Rotating dependent form and fitness

our squad doesn’t allow that currently
 
UNITED ACADEMY said:
James has been effective playing on the right too. 1 goal & 2 assists from the right. I think James is equally good in both sides. Rashford is currently the better player than Greenwood.
Click to expand...

James' best position is 100% on the right imo, fair enough give him games on the left in rotated line ups but with everyone fit he's on the right for me
 
Pughnichi said:
I don’t disagree that Rashford is better than Greenwood.

For me personally I’m just fed up of playing wingers at full back. Centre backs at full back. No 10s as wingers. Wingers as Strikers. Strikers as wingers...and in this case left wingers as right wingers.

James has adapted brilliantly and like you say has good stats playing from there. His best position has and is LW so let’s let him develop and master that role/position.

In an ideal world we’d have James and Rashford as our left side of attack. Rotating dependent form and fitness

our squad doesn’t allow that currently
Click to expand...

This left wing & right wing non sense. If he's equally good in both LW & RW then he should play in both role. Rashford's best role is on the left.
 
De Gea
Wan-Bissaka Maguire Tuanzebe Williams
McTominay Pereira
James Pogba Rashford
Martial​
Replacement needed for Pereira and Pogba in next 2 windows and a specialist right winger and backup striker needed. We're not in bad shape then in terms of squad depth with all the youngsters that are about to break through.
 
Pughnichi said:
Why? He’s been terrible
As a striker....martial is better
As a LF...James has outperformed him
And I’d prefer not to have square legs in round holes (RF)
Click to expand...

No rational being wouldn't have Rashford in our first X1
 
Pughnichi said:
Why? He’s been terrible
As a striker....martial is better
As a LF...James has outperformed him
And I’d prefer not to have square legs in round holes (RF)
Click to expand...
Rashford has been quality as a LF and is the easy choice there. James has been good, but he isnt as good as Rashford and doesnt have the same potential. Without Rashford, Martial will be too isolated and without Martial, rashford will struggle. They need each other. James compliments them both but very much as a support piece to both, and not the guy we build around.
 
De Gea
AWB Lindelof Maguire Shaw
Pogba McTominay Fred
James Martial Rashford

Out of this line up, an experienced striker to be brought in to cover for loss of form or injury to Martial and Central Midfielder would be my priorities and hope for any business done in January.

Beyond January a new LB unless Williams is given a chance and is performing well week in week out. Wouldn't mind seeing a seasoned LB brought in with Williams deputising and learning his craft from them.

RW and possibly another CB would be on my shopping list. RW for competition and depth in the squad and CB if Lindelof or Tuanzebe don't take their game up a level.
 
Pretty clear what the best 11 is IMO. Fred isnt good enough but the only one who can play the role while getting Pogba in the best positions to suit the side and balance out the midfield, and who knows, fred might step up eventually. The problem for us will be depth though. We can do with 1 injury in midfield and have OK cover (rearranging people and Lingard goes to the 10, or pereira, or Matic in for McTominay, whatever), and defensively we can have a straight replacement for everybody. The attack has no cover though and essentially they all need to play constantly as the youth isnt quite ready yet IMO.
 
I think no matter what everyone will agree on the front three being Martial, Rashford and James as our strongest/best attacking selection. If, and I say IF, we were able to bring in Sancho in the summer too added to Greenwood we’d be set for the next decade.
 
gerdm07 said:
Lingard as a 10 is a joke since I think he has 1 assist and 0 goals in 8 months.

Mine would be

.......................De Gea
.........Lindelof...Maguire...Tuanzebe
AWB..........McTominay...Fred..........Shaw
......................Pogba
...........Martial............James..........(rotate with Rashford)

The 3 in the back would allow Pogba, AWB and Shaw to have more freedom.
Click to expand...

After seeing Williams a bit, a slight change to my lineup:

.......................De Gea
.........Lindelof...Maguire...Tuanzebe
AWB..........McTominay...Fred..........Williams
......................Pogba
...........Martial............James..........(rotate with Rashford)

This would be good for Williams because it wouldn't put too much pressure on him as a defender. We need offense and I think he can help. Rashford would get to play a lot as a sub, cup matches and easier opponents.
 
Rashford Martial Greenwood
Fernandes
Pogba/Fred McTominay
Williams Lindelof/Smalling Maguire AWB
De Gea​
Excited to see this on the field, the most balanced it's looked in a long time.
 
luke511 said:
Rashford Martial Greenwood
Fernandes
Pogba/Fred McTominay
Williams Lindelof/Smalling Maguire AWB
De Gea​
Excited to see this on the field, the most balanced it's looked in a long time.
Click to expand...

Smalling will likely never play for us again, and it’s odd that Fred and Pogba can’t guarantee a spot yet Fernandes who has proven nothing yet is guaranteed a spot. Opinions of course.
 
Rozay said:
Smalling will likely never play for us again, and it’s odd that Fred and Pogba can’t guarantee a spot yet Fernandes who has proven nothing yet is guaranteed a spot. Opinions of course.
Click to expand...

Aye, I don't think Smalling will even want to come back and I feel the whole club and player have moved on.

Fred, Pogba & Fernandes is our best midfield on paper of course, but I guess only time will tell regarding whether or not Scott or Matic will bring much more balance to it.
 
De Gea
AWB—Lindelöf—Maguire—Shaw
Fred
Fernandes/Scott—Pogba

Greenwood—Marshall—Rashford​

I can’t put Fernandes as a guaranteed starter yet as I can’t be sure he’s not rubbish yet. Also wouldn’t mind seeing Matic in the XI at all.
 
De Gea
Wan Bissaka Smalling Maguire Shaw
Mctominay
Fernandes Pogba
Greenwood Martial Rashford​

Smalling likely won't play for us again, Pogba off this summer and Greenwood being so young will be in and out obviously. Maybe in tough games this season I'd go:
De Gea
AWB Lindelof Maguire Shaw
Fred McTominay
Fernandes Pogba Rashford
Martial​
 
When everyone's fit:

Will go with a 4411 because that's Ole's favoured formation

Martial
Fernandes
Rashford Fred Pogba Mata
Williams Maguire Lindelof Wan-Bissaka
De Gea​
 
De Gea
AWB Maguire Lindalof Shaw
McTomminay
Fred Pogba
Fernandes
Rashford Martial
 
Martial
Rashford - Fernandes - Greenwood
Pobga McTominay
Williams Maguire Lindelof AWB
De Gea
​
Fred to replace Pogba as needed. Bench: Fred; Mata, Shaw; James; Matic; Bailly; and Romero
 
Got to be:
DDG
Wan-Bissaka-Lindelöf-Maguire-Williams/Shaw
McTominay-Pogba
James-Bruno-Rashford
Martial
 
momo83 said:
De Gea
AWB Maguire Lindalof Shaw
McTomminay
Fred Pogba
Fernandes
Rashford Martial
Click to expand...
I'd go for that too.

Whether you call it 433 or 442 diamond, holding MFer, Pogba left side where he's best, Fernandes further up. If Fernandes or Pogba push up with the ball, Martial and Rashford to split L/R.

In harder/away games, maybe Fernandes drops a bit... use his long passing ability to set Martial, Rashford, Greenwood, James off on counter attacks.
 
BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
I'd go for that too.

Whether you call it 433 or 442 diamond, holding MFer, Pogba left side where he's best, Fernandes further up. If Fernandes or Pogba push up with the ball, Martial and Rashford to split L/R.

In harder/away games, maybe Fernandes drops a bit... use his long passing ability to set Martial, Rashford, Greenwood, James off on counter attacks.
Click to expand...
Agree with everything you say. It might allow us to dominate games more and as you mentioned won’t hinder our counter attacking ability
 
luke511 said:
Rashford Martial Greenwood
Fernandes
Pogba/Fred McTominay
Williams Lindelof/Smalling Maguire AWB
De Gea​
Excited to see this on the field, the most balanced it's looked in a long time.
Click to expand...

This for me. Certainly a team capable of unlocking those tight defences we’ve struggled against.
 
I think we're 3 short of a top quality starting eleven. With dome players to leave I think we should look at 5 summer signings and you could argue the 'rebuild' should be finished on paper
 
4231
Just replace Lingard/Pereira/Mata with Fernandes and give Tuanzebe a run in the side when he's fit.

De Gea
AWB Tuanzebe Maguire Williams
McTominay Fred
James Fernandes Rashford
Martial

I don't believe we would have signed Fernandes if we weren't going to allow Pogba to leave at the end of the season.

Pogbas not disciplined enough to want to play as an 8 for us so he may aswell be moved on for good money. Until he does leave I'd like Ole to give it one last chance and see how he does in the two below lineups.


433
McTominay
Fernandes Pogba
James Martial Rashford

442 diamond
McTominay
Fernandes Fred
Pogba
Martial Rashford
 
De Gea
AWB--Smalling--Maguire--Williams
McTominay
Fernandes---Pogba
Greenwood-----Martial-----Rashford
 
Rashford Martial James
Pogba Bruno
Matic
Williams Maguire Lindelöf AWB
deGea

Rotate Matic with McTominay/Fred.​
 
De Gea
Maguire
Lindelof
Taunzebe
McTominay
Fred
Pogba
Bruno
James
Martial
Rashford
​
1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 formation.
 
Rozay said:
Smalling will likely never play for us again, and it’s odd that Fred and Pogba can’t guarantee a spot yet Fernandes who has proven nothing yet is guaranteed a spot. Opinions of course.
Click to expand...
It'd be great if Pogba and Fred end up operating in the same midfield, but they both occupy the same position and having one or the other rather than both seems to work out better in terms of balance. With Pogba looking to make his way out, a Bruno, Fred, McTominay midfield seems a lot more likely long term which I'm equally happy with.
 
It seems we want to play 4-2-3-1 meaning we still need a top RW.
That being said I would like to see Bruno with Pogba and Fred behind them.
McTominay is just not good enough to be a starter in my opinion.
 
De Gea

AWB Lindelof Maguire Williams

McTominay Fred

Bruno

New Signing Martial Rashford​

Think we'll see this from the summer, maybe another few upgrades especially with Pogba money.
 
luke511 said:
It'd be great if Pogba and Fred end up operating in the same midfield, but they both occupy the same position and having one or the other rather than both seems to work out better in terms of balance. With Pogba looking to make his way out, a Bruno, Fred, McTominay midfield seems a lot more likely long term which I'm equally happy with.
Click to expand...

Perhaps. I don’t know if Pogba’s future intentions, but I do know that when he is fit, and still a Manchester United player, he won’t be losing any ‘one or the other’ battles for a place in our midfield. I suspect Ole will start him every game, and he’s the only one guaranteed of such status. Ole himself has said it enough times.

Obviously, if he isn’t here next season, then he obviously can’t be included in anyone’s lineups! But removing him from the team now seems a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face. He’s better than the other midfielders, he will of course play. I would hope that if he left in the summer, and prospective lineups for next season would have different options to the ones you have just listed anyway, so no use making lineups for next year and beyond now. Because if he left and nobody else came in, that midfield won’t take us beyond 5th again.
 
United58 said:
De Gea

AWB Lindelof Maguire Williams

McTominay Fred

Bruno

New Signing Martial Rashford​

Think we'll see this from the summer, maybe another few upgrades especially with Pogba money.
Click to expand...

6th.
 
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