The McFred midfield duo

[FootballHQ]

I still think they are our biggest problem. That Everton duo can be added to the list of another better pairing then ours. McTominay in particular is truly awful.

Would be interesting how far down the table you'd have to go before finding central midfield that is weaker. Can't see West Ham wanting to swop Rice-Soucek and Leicester have nice combination of Ndidi and Tielemans when on form so to me it's bottom half unless I've missed obvious team with weak central midfielders, perhaps Arsenal but Partey had years of excellence at Atletico Madrid.

 

[sammyhol]

Last 2 games… both teams likely to finish in mid table.

Better midfields than ours.

id swap mcfred for mcginn/luiz or Allan/docourae in a heartbeat..

and it won’t be the last mid table midfield to out class them this season.

Matic has to be playing.

 

[captaincantona]

Fabinho, Fernandinho, Kante, Jorginho, Rodri, Doucourre, Bissouma, Rice...etc etc all just foul Demari Gray. We get back...we regroup.

Basics.

Wouldn’t change the shit show for the other 94 minutes but basics lads ...basics.

 

[jem]

It bizarrely brings to mind that quote about Scholes, about how his bottom level was still so high. McFred actually weren't awful today, in my opinion, and yet their average level is so far below that of Everton's midfield duo, a midfield duo that toils for an upper mid-table team.

 

[VidaRed]

We haven't kept a cleanshit for ages. What the feck are mcfred for then ?

They do nothing in attack either.

 

[PlayerOne]

Why the hell didn't we buy a competent CM? Like why? And then we go and give the likes of Matic extensions...
Shambles of a club

I wonder if it's because Ole is obsessed with Rice. It's Rice or no one. Madness, really.

 

[Roboc7]

It’s comical these are both starters for us, neither are anywhere near good enough and not even suited to playing in a two man midfield. It’s a shambles but somehow Ole has convinced himself this is his best option.

 

[The White Pele]

McTominay is so ponderous at the moment. He takes ages to choose a pass and then often ends up going sideways, backwards or giving it away.

Fred had some decent moments today but then in a crucial moment didn’t get the job done.

Very frustrating. This team lacks intelligence and ability in the engine room.

 

[norm87cro]

I don't know what Scott did wrong but Fred has f... it up yet again. For his position you have to be phisically imposing and he surley isnt. This is not the first time he got dominated only difference this time it cost us a goal

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Would be interesting how far down the table you'd have to go before finding central midfield that is weaker. Can't see West Ham wanting to swop Rice-Soucek and Leicester have nice combination of Ndidi and Tielemans when on form so to me it's bottom half unless I've missed obvious team with weak central midfielders, perhaps Arsenal but Partey had years of excellence at Atletico Madrid.

I’d swap ours with:
City,
Liverpool,
Chelsea,
Leicester,
Everton,
Villa,
West Ham,

There’s potentially some other debatable ones in there too. I probably wouldn’t take Arsenals even though Partey is decent individually. Either way it’s an absolutely sorry state of affairs that after all the money we have invested we still have this pair costing us points.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

‘You can’t play Pogba in CM because he provides no cover for the CBs’ but we can play Fred & McAverage who aren’t particularly good at that either whilst offering nothing on the ball.

They keep dining on a few good performances once Ole came in, they’ve been terrible for some time.

 

[mav_9me]

There is nothing Ole can do about it. He can't coach them better. And we have no internal solutions at least to come from Ole. Matic is the best midfielder we have but his legs are long gone. What Pogba gives with passing, his defense sucks.

Bottom line. What we all feared in summer coming true.

 

[mav_9me]

I’d swap ours with:
City,
Liverpool,
Chelsea,
Leicester,
Everton,
Villa,
West Ham,

There’s potentially some other debatable ones in there too. I probably wouldn’t take Arsenals even though Partey is decent individually. Either way it’s an absolutely sorry state of affairs that after all the money we have invested we still have this pair costing us points.

Partey is twice any CM we have.

 

[DWelbz19]

Soucek and Rice
Ramsey (who), Luiz, and McGinn
Allan and Doucoure

We’re 3 for 3 in the league for central midfields that have outplayed McFred.

 

[flappyjay]

I don't know what Scott did wrong but Fred has f... it up yet again. For his position you have to be phisically imposing and he surley isnt. This is not the first time he got dominated only difference this time it cost us a goal

He didn't even need to be physically strong all he had to do was pull him down.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Partey is twice any CM we have.

Yeh I agree but the rest of that Arsenal midfield is pure shite so it probably evens out.

 

[Judas]

The writing was on the wall when we didn't sort this position out in the summer. It'll never ever make sense to me.

 

[VidaRed]

There is nothing Ole can do about it. He can't coach them better. And we have no internal solutions at least to come from Ole. Matic is the best midfielder we have but his legs are long gone. What Pogba gives with passing, his defense sucks.

Bottom line. What we all feared in summer coming true.

He can not start them.

 

[Ixion]

Van De Beek must be really shit in training to never get a sniff.

We need to find a better system.

 

[Hammondo]

We played better with them than when we took Fred off.

 

[DomM]

Both poor players and when paired together we struggle so much, don't really offer much protection, don't seem to get stuck in, woeful passing and can't read the game at all well.
They both need replacing, Fred first though.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

McTominay is so ponderous at the moment. He takes ages to choose a pass and then often ends up going sideways, backwards or giving it away.

Fred had some decent moments today but then in a crucial moment didn’t get the job done.

Very frustrating. This team lacks intelligence and ability in the engine room.

Sums it up perfectly. Scott is fecking terrified of making a mistake on the ball, while Fred is perfectly happy to feck up constantly and be responsible for at least one big chance for the opposition a game.

 

[Josep Dowling]

Van De Beek must be really shit in training to never get a sniff.

We need to find a better system.

Manager, manager, manager. He’s the problem. Has his favourites and won’t even given others a chance. Same with Rashford playing all last season when he was injured.

 

[norm87cro]

He didn't even need to be physically strong all he had to do was pull him down.

You need some muscle (and brian i suppose) for that too

 

[PlayerOne]

The writing was on the wall when we didn't sort this position out in the summer. It'll never ever make sense to me.

Couldn't spend £90m on Rice. I would guess that was the plan for this coming summer, which is insane.

 

[#07]

I just can't believe that Man Utd has ended up with Fred and McTominay as first choice players. It's absurd.

 

[Isotope]

Would be interesting how far down the table you'd have to go before finding central midfield that is weaker. Can't see West Ham wanting to swop Rice-Soucek and Leicester have nice combination of Ndidi and Tielemans when on form so to me it's bottom half unless I've missed obvious team with weak central midfielders, perhaps Arsenal but Partey had years of excellence at Atletico Madrid.

United have spent close to half billion under Ole. And we still have these two as the main CMs.

It's just insane.

 

[Jeppers7]

An absolutely useless pairing. Neither of them is better than mediocre so have to be played together. It’s pathetic.

 

[Ixion]

I don't mind either player, I quite like McTominay really and think there's no problem having players like them in the squad but there is absolutely no other top side that would take those 2, if we sold them it would be to a midtable side. Over the course of a season and a title challenge you're asking a lot to sustain it with them as the heartbeat of the team. Fred gives the ball away so often it's crazy he's guarding the back 4.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

I thought the idea was that together they could equal one N'Golo Kante??

Currently they barely equal one Djemba-Djemba

 

[RedIan]

Dire today. Watched them closely. Zero creativity. Fred making mistakes all over the place, piss weak on their counter. MCT was knackered and ineffective, should have been replaced on 60 mins But ole had blown his subs taking of Cavani who was playing welll.

 

[MUFC OK]

Last 2 games… both teams likely to finish in mid table.

Better midfields than ours.

id swap mcfred for mcginn/luiz or Allan/docourae in a heartbeat..

and it won’t be the last mid table midfield to out class them this season.

Matic has to be playing.

Ole loves them though. It makes no sense and it’s clear that even he can’t figure out that the only time we looked decent during his tenure was with matic, pogba, Bruno in midfield. we lost 6-1 to Spurs and he barely played them together ever again.

This duo is what will cost him his job. They aren’t even competent defensively ffs.

 

[kouroux]

Ole loves them though. It makes no sense and it’s clear that even he can’t figure out that the only time we looked decent during his tenure was with matic, pogba, Bruno in midfield. we lost 6-1 to Spurs and he barely played them together ever again.

This duo is what will cost him his job. They aren’t even competent defensively ffs.

True and that game we had Martial sent off right ?

 

[MUFC OK]

True and that game we had Martial sent off right ?

Yeah. After that he sh*t himself and came up with the idea of McFred to “protect” the defence and keep games tight. The problem is it means games are literally a coin toss now. It’s cowardly to keep picking them and worrying that he thinks they’re doing well.

 

[::sonny::]

 

[::sonny::]

They are a nullity upfront but even defensively are non existent

 

[KiD MoYeS]

I swear Fred loses every 50/50. Christ, he loses every 70/30 that is in his favour. He is too small and does not have the physicality for the Premier League.

 

[red4ever 79]

They remind me of the Chuckle brothers tv show from when i was a kid

 

[El Zoido]

Ole loves them though. It makes no sense and it’s clear that even he can’t figure out that the only time we looked decent during his tenure was with matic, pogba, Bruno in midfield. we lost 6-1 to Spurs and he barely played them together ever again.

This duo is what will cost him his job. They aren’t even competent defensively ffs.

True. But a big problem is that Matic can’t even last 90 minutes without looking gassed, let alone play every week.

 

[Tony247]

Van De Beek must be really shit in training to never get a sniff.

We need to find a better system.

Well if these two are excellent in training matches against own teammates so much to command start in every match then I am shit scared of the quality of rest of the squad. I hope Ole is playing both just because he fancies them or thinks both are his lucky charm, and not for any footballing reason.