[kouroux]

He was immense today. It felt like a coming of age performance. I'm talking about the way he battled and made what we all expected to be a passable midfield with Matic, one that was a much tougher ride for Leicester. The one tackle on Chillwell, he went in hard, almost expected to see him give the lad a hand up. Instead he walked over for some water. It was Keane-esque.

I liked that, from the ref who didn't call a foul like they can do at times for 50-50s but also McT was awesome. A clear message sent there

He is a box to box midfielder, we cannot go back to the Pogba - McTominay midfield.

We just need Fred to do a competent job at DM now and our midfield can be much better (Pogba as a 10 obviously)

 

[haram]

I liked that, from the ref who didn't call a foul like they can do at times for 50-50s but also McT was awesome. A clear message sent there


We just need Fred to do a competent job at DM now and our midfield can be much better (Pogba as a 10 obviously)

I think Pogba should be an 8 as well.

 

[ArjenIsM3]

Fecking loved how he got under the skin of the Leicester defenders near the end.

 

[kouroux]

I think Pogba should be an 8 as well.

For certain tough games, sure but otherwise we can do with him advanced.

 

[wythyred]

He was class today.

He set the tone with his constant closing down and the tackle on madison early doors was brilliant.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

He definitely is a leader. Doesn't shy away from anything.

 

[chb23]

Cracking game from him today. He provided drive and the will to win. Didn't shy away.

I loved the one or two crossfield passes he did, I didn't think he could hit those passes.

The part at the end, was beautiful, took responsibility and took it to the corner and then milked it.

Everyone else was just hoofing it up

 

[2 man midfield]

Brilliant again today. One of the first names on the team sheet.

 

[Pierluigi Casiraghi]

Woah. My man.

I, like most of us was firmly in the camp of "he'll be very lucky to even be a reserve here" when he first started getting played. To say he has come on leaps and bounds would be an understatement.

Captain material.

 

[VeevaVee]

I, like most of us was firmly in the camp of "he'll be very lucky to even be a reserve here" when he first started getting played.

I never understood this. He showed it since the Chelsea game where he had Hazard in his pocket, yet people slated him for a long time. He's barely put a foot wrong since then, and even when he has he's looked like a man amongst boys, despite being a boy.

 

[Pierluigi Casiraghi]

I never understood this. He showed it since the Chelsea game where he had Hazard in his pocket, yet people slated him for a long time. He's barely put a foot wrong since then, and even when he has he's looked like a man amongst boys, despite being a boy.

He was also good against Liverpool at OT, but he made quite a few appearances before that where he was basically just treading water.

 

[MikeKing]

What I love about him is that when he has a bad period in the game, he re-adjusts and gets right back on it. That is a very valuable mental attribute that will help take him very far. Very encouraging signs from the young man. He just keeps improving, steadily impressing.

 

[tjb]

One thing that annoys me in modern day football is how people dissociate the 3 behind the striker as part of the midfield. Since the start of the season, I have felt that both pogba and mctominay have been more than solid in their roles in midfield. Where we have struggled has been in attack. Mctominay works his butt off to get possession only for one of the front four to miscontrol simple touches and moves. In our current set up and in most set ups, they are responsible for the creativity in the side, not the centre midfielders. I see a few judging mctominay on his quality based off of that.

 

[In Rainbows]

Woah. My man.

I, like most of us was firmly in the camp of "he'll be very lucky to even be a reserve here" when he first started getting played. To say he has come on leaps and bounds would be an understatement.

Captain material.

If he's captain material, what are we going to say about Garner if he can develop? Because he's really tough, and a really elegant player.

 

[Foxbatt]

Was immense. If his control could get better he would be class. He has a long range shot too.
Good header, good tackler and decent dribbling too.

 

[simonhch]

McTominay was great today but he’s been great for a while. A full blooded midfielder with vastly underrated technical qualities. He’ll be vital to our season. He just keeps improving. Personally I’d play with in a two with Fred who looked good when he came on today. And plonk Pogba in the hole, where he can be most effective, utilising his creativity.

 

[Isotope]

McTominay was great today but he’s been great for a while. A full blooded midfielder with vastly underrated technical qualities. He’ll be vital to our season. He just keeps improving. Personally I’d play with in a two with Fred who looked good when he came on today. And plonk Pogba in the hole, where he can be most effective, utilising his creativity.

This setup is so obvious, there must be something going on why this never our midfield default setup.

 

[WR10]

He had his typical game when Pogba isn't next to him. Unlocked and unrestricted.

 

[Hughes35]

We're desperate for a Carrick / Makelele type that can sit in front of the back 4. Scott was excellent today but he really is a Fletcher style player, you have to let him loose to go hunting and win the ball back.

Think he's good at what he does though and will be very important in the bigger games this season.

 

[1988]

For me he has the potential to be what Fletcher was for us at his peak. Maybe even a Neville. Limited ability but with his head and heart and the right place.

 

[Freak]

He's definitely future captain material. Love him already.

 

[Freak]

He was immense today. It felt like a coming of age performance. I'm talking about the way he battled and made what we all expected to be a passable midfield with Matic, one that was a much tougher ride for Leicester. The one tackle on Chillwell, he went in hard, almost expected to see him give the lad a hand up. Instead he walked over for some water. It was Keane-esque.

That was brilliant.

 

[haram]

This setup is so obvious, there must be something going on why this never our midfield default setup.

Pogba does not play as the 10 and is not a 10 because he is too useful in build up and transitions.

 

[Rajma]

This setup is so obvious, there must be something going on why this never our midfield default setup.

Yep, not sure how this hasn’t been tested yet.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Very good display of energy and tenacity. If he could improve his quality on the ball he'll go up a few notches as a player. I do think we need to balance his graft with guile and technique from the other midfielders.

But well done to Scott. Was very important in Leicester being unable to impose themselves.

 

[Awwal Lawal]

He had his typical game when Pogba isn't next to him. Unlocked and unrestricted.

I think there is a truth to this statement. Not to overrate the PSG performance, but speaking to a Chelsea fan after watching the game, we can to the conclusion that McT gets the freedom when he isn't deferring responsibilities to Pogba or looking up to him and plays his game.

This assertion goes full circle with the question being that "What is Pogba's best suited role in this team?"

Many posters opine that he can't be trusted as a trequartista, others hate the guts of managers playing him deeper in a midfield two.

Hence, how do we solve the Pogba conundrum?

He clearly is an excellent player but tactically difficult to accommodate in this team.

Selling him and buying two other midfielders seems the easiest option out of this issue but what guarantee does that bring the team and isn't it a cowardly act which will come to bite us in the ass if/when he tears it up in a team that utilizes his talent to the fullest?

Although this is the McT thread, I hope @WR10 can bear it his opinion on this matter.

 

[Isotope]

Pogba does not play as the 10 and is not a 10 because he is too useful in build up and transitions.

He's a liability when defending. He's successfully the more attacking trio in Juve Pirlo-Marchisio-Pogba midfield, so maybe not as a pure 10.

 

[dev1l]

Mctominay is not the finished article yet. Even if everyone is bullish about him after yesterday, he ll go through some bad patches during the season.
It s always like that with younger players.
I just hope that people over here realise this and when things go wrong,support him instead of the usual knee jerk reactions.
Patience is key when developing young players

 

[Rob Bowman]

I agree with all that the kid showed tons of effort and determination. I also believe he has good potential.

That said his positional sense still needs work and his passing % is just over 80%. If he was by far our best midfielder than sadly our midfield just isn't that great is where I am sitting.

 

[Denis79]

Was fantastic, we need a tough, take-no-shit leader on the pitch, I believe we have that in him.

 

[AJ10]

Imagine if he actually had a midfield partner next to him, one man midfield with pogba/ matic doing feck all to help him out.

 

[MAME DIOUF 32]

A great performance and a reminder that he often doesn't play his natural game for us because the team needs something different. I hope he's here for years to come.

 

[andersj]

He would have been perfect next to a player like Carrick.

Can also imagine he would be great in Klopps system where the midfielders are a bit like him and intended to add much creativity.

 

[LARulz]

Well, so far he is on the path of doing a Fletcher 180 on me. Went from thinking he's bang average, pet project for a manager (Mourinho initially as he just wanted someone tall and bring in youth) to now actually being more concerned if he is not in the team

 

[Andersons Dietician]

Bit shocked to see he was selected MOTM by the CAF but then really no one had a good game yesterday. He was quite poor in the first half getting caught on the ball, holding it too long and some sloppy passing but 2nd half he did pick up.

It kind of has to be him and someone else at the moment but really think we should probably switch to a 3 and put Fred in with him and Pogba.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

It's a very lazy comparison, but he is very much like Darren Fletcher. At the same age, Fletcher had games where he looked the part, and games that passed him by. That sums up McT so far. Yesterday he was definitely up for it, won all of his battles, and particularly in the 2nd half he was striding forwards with the ball quite impressively. I thought he was ropey in the 1st half, besides sticking one on Chilwell. Much better in the 2nd half.

I like him a lot, certainly can't fault his effort and desire. He's like the anti-Tom Cleverley, who always went hiding and didn't want to show for the ball for the going got tough. McT's long passing seems to keep getting better too. He's on a good trajectory. I hope he can maintain it and become as important as Fletcher was overall. It certainly took Fletcher a long time to prove people wrong and get to that level.

 

[roonster09]

Bit shocked to see he was selected MOTM by the CAF but then really no one had a good game yesterday. He was quite poor in the first half getting caught on the ball, holding it too long and some sloppy passing but 2nd half he did pick up.

It kind of has to be him and someone else at the moment but really think we should probably switch to a 3 and put Fred in with him and Pogba.

Yeah. We don't have 10 who can contribute a lot for goals, so 3 man midfield is the way to go. Fred gives mobility and also wins many tackles. We can give our most creative player license to bomb forward.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Bit shocked to see he was selected MOTM by the CAF but then really no one had a good game yesterday. He was quite poor in the first half getting caught on the ball, holding it too long and some sloppy passing but 2nd half he did pick up.

It kind of has to be him and someone else at the moment but really think we should probably switch to a 3 and put Fred in with him and Pogba.

I disagree, not only was he very good, but I don't think anyone played that badly

People forget that this is a very good Leicester side, and yet we looked comfortable enough throughout.

True we didn't create a lot, but a) that'll be the case for a lot of games this season due to the players at our disposal and b) it'll definitely be the case without arguably ouror two best attacking players

 

[RooneyLegend]

Wow.

Our standards are history mate. If we had Henderson our forum would deem him a demigod.

 

[tenpoless]

He played like a CM. It's been so long. Usually Matic just stands there doing nothing and Pogba plays like an AM.