[A-man]

Yeah, to be fair in that game both Shaw and Tuanzebe had the pace, strength and composure on the ball to play out from the back more efficiently. That wouldn't work without Lindelof or Maguire in the middle though, but point still stand. Different vibe with Tuanzebe, just because his profile is different. It shows us that different skills in that position could do a lot for this team.

Absolutely agree that with a different skill set you get a different player profile which means you can play a different type of football. However Tuanzebe is, for now at least, a level below Lindelof and Maguire. That could change with matches, he still has only played one full PL match as CB and is inexperienced for his age.

He is fast, but just like with Bailly and James, fast is not enough. It’s more a bonus and can never compensate for positioning, decision making, reading the game, etc. A lot of people think we can play a high line if we just play Tuanzebe, but I don’t think they understand the space Lindelof has to cover. It’s not only behind Maguire and his own, but also for AWB. We saw against Istanbul away that speed is not enough, and Tuanzebe was simply not good enough to manage that difficult task. Lindelof is not as fast as Axel, but he is rarely beaten for counters, while Tuanzebe struggled. He lost to Demba Ba, which cost him a yellow, suspension and we lost the possibility to play with 3 at the back vs PSG. It’s not because he is a poor player. It’s because it is very difficult to be the last CB in today’s high lines. It’s a huge space.

 

[MadDogg]

I don’t get this myth that he’s terrible in the air. He’s had plenty of games with a 100% winning rate at headers, vs big powerful forwards too. He’s often making smart heading clearances. He’s good at heading or passing enemy crosses straight to team mates feet. He doesn’t just clear them. I see this all the time in always every game.

Lindelof's not terrible in the air, and people who go on about it either don't watch other teams or just like going overboard to try to get attention. Quite a few of the highly-rated defenders we've been linked with over the last few years are noticeably worse. However I wouldn't say he's good either. He's pretty much bang average for a central defender. As such we definitely want his partner to be better in that aspect (first Smalling and now Maguire had that covered) and in a perfect world we'd want him better as well, but he's good enough to get by as long as the rest of his game is good enough.

 

[Adam-Utd]

He's been a lot better recently, hope it continues. Maybe he needs a bad back more often.

 

[A-man]

Lindelof's not terrible in the air, and people who go on about it either don't watch other teams or just like going overboard to try to get attention. Quite a few of the highly-rated defenders we've been linked with over the last few years are noticeably worse. However I wouldn't say he's good either. He's pretty much bang average for a central defender. As such we definitely want his partner to be better in that aspect (first Smalling and now Maguire had that covered) and in a perfect world we'd want him better as well, but he's good enough to get by as long as the rest of his game is good enough.

The problem in this department is that no one can really be backup for Maguire without us loosing aerial dominance. Axel seems to be on the same level as Lindelof for headers, and Bailly is much worse. It worked against PSG but they play on the ground.

 

[iammemphis]

Get rid of this wasteman. Fuming with his pathetically casual pass to Pogba giving possession away for their third goal.

 

[Henrik Larsson]

First three things I remember from him tonight are completely failing to shout or attempt any type of coaching to get AWB into the fecking right position to cover Angeliño despite being the CB at that side. Then looking shooked after their quick goal and playing a hopeless long ball to no one. And then three minutes later he tried another pass into midfield, straight into a RB Leipzig player of course.

Honestly this guy might be the CB personification of Ole as a coach, and maybe that's why he's been using him (over someone like Smalling). He's not extremely bad, good moments here and there, but just so spineless and uninspiring and you never feel like he's the man to bring you to next level when it's crunch time.

 

[Devil may care]

Crap tonight but no worse than Captain Pugwash, he'll just be the sacrificial lamb as we didn't get sodomized with a rusty pole on the fee for him.

 

[MikeKing]

Get rid of this wasteman. Fuming with his pathetically casual pass to Pogba giving possession away for their third goal.

He always has one of those each game. It really is infuriating.

 

[Ekeke]

Get rid of this wasteman. Fuming with his pathetically casual pass to Pogba giving possession away for their third goal.

A lot of people seem to be letting him off for this for some reason, probably their desire to blame AWB.

The whole defence made mistakes today. This was Lindelof's one, Maguire and DDG's was right after it, AWB's was the first goal and Shaw & Telles was the 2nd

 

[criticalanalysis]

First three things I remember from him tonight are completely failing to shout or attempt any type of coaching to get AWB into the fecking right position to cover Angeliño despite being the CB at that side. Then looking shooked after their quick goal and playing a hopeless long ball to no one. And then three minutes later he tried another pass into midfield, straight into a RB Leipzig player of course.

Honestly this guy might be the CB personification of Ole as a coach, and maybe that's why he's been using him (over someone like Smalling). He's not extremely bad, good moments here and there, but just so spineless and uninspiring and you never feel like he's the man to bring you to next level when it's crunch time.

This many times.

My last post was 'acceptance' of his standard but tonight just showed again his typical performance.

Everyone deserves criticism including Maguire (especially on that third goal) but at least he was everywhere trying to take responsibility. Numerous headers, tackles, fouls and progressive passing. You can say the end product was poor but he was there where you expected him to be and then some.

Wheretf was Lindelof? He plays as a sweeper but goes missing as the last man, doesn't press high, doesn't force the opposition into mistakes, doesn't pass into space or drive with the ball and needs AWB to babysit his right side of the pitch. Did his usual job of being completely annonymous and a passenger in a central defensive partnership as much as he can get away with. Then when there's some urgency from the team, he'll step up a little and show some a little fight when it's all too late. Symptomatic of the team under Ole, yes but that is also his base level.

6/10 coward at best.

I look at AWB and think 'what a bumbling fool of a footballer with pitiful composure and technique' but you can partly excuse he's being exposed for his limitations. With Lindelof he does nothing inspiring, just mere subsistence.

 

[arnie_ni]

Get rid of this wasteman. Fuming with his pathetically casual pass to Pogba giving possession away for their third goal.

Absolutely horrendous. Was it even a metre pass? Awful

 

[I'm David Moyes damnit]

Not as poor as McGuire tonight, but pretty bad nonetheless. Shame as he’s been in the beer form of his United career in recent months.

Good squad option, but not someone you have faith to put in consistently solid displays in matches of these magnitude.

Could make a decent case that McGuire-Lindelof should be backups to 2 new CBs. Think we only have the money for one in the summer though, so it’ll be McGuire plus one for the foreseeable as he’s still our best CB overall.

 

[A-man]

This many times.

My last post was 'acceptance' of his standard but tonight just showed again his typical performance.

Everyone deserves criticism including Maguire (especially on that third goal) but at least he was everywhere trying to take responsibility. Numerous headers, tackles, fouls and progressive passing. You can say the end product was poor but he was there where you expected him to be and then some.

Wheretf was Lindelof? He plays as a sweeper but goes missing as the last man, doesn't press high, doesn't force the opposition into mistakes, doesn't pass into space or drive with the ball and needs AWB to babysit his right side of the pitch. Did his usual job of being completely annonymous and a passenger in a central defensive partnership as much as he can get away with. Then when there's some urgency from the team, he'll step up a little and show some a little fight when it's all too late. Symptomatic of the team under Ole, yes but that is also his base level.

6/10 coward at best.

I look at AWB and think 'what a bumbling fool of a footballer with pitiful composure and technique' but you can partly excuse he's being exposed for his limitations. With Lindelof he does nothing inspiring, just mere subsistence.

Wasn’t his best match but your hate towards Lindelof shines through a bit to much again. Wouldn’t say AWB was baby sitting anybody tonight. Instead, it must be very difficult to play CB next to a defender with such a poor positioning. He was never where he was supposed to be. And I didn’t see all those numerous headers and tackles by Maguire, I think it was more Lindeof who tried to win back the ball high up. (stats say 1 defensive aerial won, zero tackles, zero inteceptions for Maguire and Lindelof 1 tackle and 2 interceptions.)

 

[100]

First three things I remember from him tonight are completely failing to shout or attempt any type of coaching to get AWB into the fecking right position to cover Angeliño despite being the CB at that side. Then looking shooked after their quick goal and playing a hopeless long ball to no one. And then three minutes later he tried another pass into midfield, straight into a RB Leipzig player of course.

Agree on the second part but blaming Lindelof for the first goal is a huge reach.

 

[ghaliboy]

His inability to marshal AWB and form a coherent tandem on that flank is becoming glaringly obvious. Their positioning together is almost always atrocious.

 

[Oldtraffordboy]

Maguire has been far worse this season.

Anyone who believes Smalling would have been better has serious selective memory. We'd be slaughtering the lad X10 more for his ability on the ball.

 

[Manny]

Hes not good enough. I dont know why we are persisting with him.

If this is the quality of our first choice CB, then we deserve to be in the Europa.

 

[Red00012]

Axel must be shit in training if this fella is ahead of him

 

[criticalanalysis]

Wasn’t his best match but your hate towards Lindelof shines through a bit to much again. Wouldn’t say AWB was baby sitting anybody tonight. Instead, it must be very difficult to play CB next to a defender with such a poor positioning. He was never where he was supposed to be. And I didn’t see all those numerous headers and tackles by Maguire, I think it was more Lindeof who tried to win back the ball high up. (stats say 1 defensive aerial won, zero tackles, zero inteceptions for Maguire and Lindelof 1 tackle and 2 interceptions.)

Let's be honest, there is no compelling evidence to suggest he is anything more than a 6/10 of a player. My 'hate' is as strong as your bias and leniency. Except when it comes down to it, Lindelof is simply just not good enough so we/Utd both don't win but at the very least I'm more rationally correct in my subjective opinion even if that is an oxymoron.

AWB is positionally poor in his reading of the game in front of him but he is a defensive first and conservative player, who always tucks in and overly protects the middle. That's to Lindelof's advantage and the fact he doesn't call him out on it is because he very well knows AWB is doing him a massive favour. When AWB goes missing, Lindelof seldom ventures from his area to cover when the going get toughs and engages with the least amount of effective effort. He's happy to 'sweep' aka hide behind AWB and Maguire. At times he does it well enough to look good. The other times, he's just another passive body filling in a position.

As for those stats, that is absolute bollocks. Let's ignore whatever the interpretation of those 'defensive aerials' or 'tackles' mean because there is no way Maguire wasn't more involved using his head and feet than Lindelof was.

 

[Bwuk]

I think he's our best CB and that's saying something. Maguire is worse.

 

[A-man]

Let's be honest, there is no compelling evidence to suggest he is anything more than a 6/10 of a player. My 'hate' is as strong as your bias and leniency. Except when it comes down to it, Lindelof is simply just not good enough so we/Utd both don't win but at the very least I'm more rationally correct in my subjective opinion even if that is an oxymoron.

AWB is positionally poor in his reading of the game in front of him but he is a defensive first and conservative player, who always tucks in and overly protects the middle. That's to Lindelof's advantage and the fact he doesn't call him out on it is because he very well knows AWB is doing him a massive favour. When AWB goes missing, Lindelof seldom ventures from his area to cover when the going get toughs and engages with the least amount of effective effort. He's happy to 'sweep' aka hide behind AWB and Maguire. At times he does it well enough to look good. The other times, he's just another passive body filling in a position.

As for those stats, that is absolute bollocks. Let's ignore whatever the interpretation of those 'defensive aerials' or 'tackles' mean because there is no way Maguire wasn't more involved using his head and feet than Lindelof was.

If he’s a 6/10 player or not is of course subjective, but if we look at his average rating from Cafe forum members this season he is spot on, 6.0. Maguire has 5.6, Shaw 5.5, AWB 5.7.

Most people who have watched the matches have seen that it is more Lindelof who covers for AWB. Lindelof is often facing a player down the channel behind AWB. The reason he often is positioned behind the others is because his role is to cover for them as he is last man.

It’s not me who made up the stats. I personally don’t think the people who report the stats have some agenda against Maguire and trying to make him look worse than Lindelof.

 

[simmee]

Let's be honest, there is no compelling evidence to suggest he is anything more than a 6/10 of a player. My 'hate' is as strong as your bias and leniency. Except when it comes down to it, Lindelof is simply just not good enough so we/Utd both don't win but at the very least I'm more rationally correct in my subjective opinion even if that is an oxymoron.

AWB is positionally poor in his reading of the game in front of him but he is a defensive first and conservative player, who always tucks in and overly protects the middle. That's to Lindelof's advantage and the fact he doesn't call him out on it is because he very well knows AWB is doing him a massive favour. When AWB goes missing, Lindelof seldom ventures from his area to cover when the going get toughs and engages with the least amount of effective effort. He's happy to 'sweep' aka hide behind AWB and Maguire. At times he does it well enough to look good. The other times, he's just another passive body filling in a position.

As for those stats, that is absolute bollocks. Let's ignore whatever the interpretation of those 'defensive aerials' or 'tackles' mean because there is no way Maguire wasn't more involved using his head and feet than Lindelof was.

Lindelof calls AWB out more or less every game. Are you even watching the matches? And arguing that AWB is "overly protecting the middle" by marking no one is a bit of a reach. "The stats are wrong because they don't support my opinion"

 

[Adam-Utd]

Lost the ball for the 3rd goal with a slack pass, and then decided to run out of the goalmouth to mark somebody on the edge of the box, and leave maguire with 2 people to mark in the centre of goal.

The guy just doesn't have any proper decision making.

Priorities lie in defending the goal first, why is he worrying about people running into the channel?!

 

[A-man]

Lost the ball for the 3rd goal with a slack pass, and then decided to run out of the goalmouth to mark somebody on the edge of the box, and leave maguire with 2 people to mark in the centre of goal.

The guy just doesn't have any proper decision making.

Priorities lie in defending the goal first, why is he worrying about people running into the channel?!

There was a guy running free down the channel, That’s why Lindelof went there and don’t think that is strange, instead it was the right decision. 99/100 that’s not a goal, Maguire and DDG can normally handle that but they just didn’t the time.

 

[Adam-Utd]

There was a guy running free down the channel, That’s why Lindelof went there and don’t think that is strange, instead it was the right decision. 99/100 that’s not a goal, Maguire and DDG can normally handle that but they just didn’t the time.

Yes I can see that with my eyes, and i'm asking why he's doing it? leave that to the midfielders to track runs away from goal. that is definitely NOT the right decision

Lindelof needs to see the imminent danger is 2 men standing slap bang in the middle of the goal waiting for a cross.

He's walking off AWAY from 2 strikers to follow a much less danger and leaving Maguire all by himself - that is god damn stupid.

 

[Craig Ward]

Bang average player, cannot pass, poor in the air and offers no leadership.

Him and Maguire are rotten together - both have major flaws and neither make the other better.

He was supposed to be a ball playing CB. He can only pass well sideways and thats being generous.

Awful player

 

[A-man]

Yes I can see that with my eyes, and i'm asking why he's doing it? leave that to the midfielders to track runs away from goal. that is definitely NOT the right decision

Lindelof needs to see the imminent danger is 2 men standing slap bang in the middle of the goal waiting for a cross.

He's walking off AWAY from 2 strikers to follow a much less danger and leaving Maguire all by himself - that is god damn stupid.

There was no midfielder picking him up so Lindelof did it, which is the right thing to do. Maguire and Shaw just have to move over a little which Maguire did, but not Shaw. This is quite standard defending and something they do several times per game, as Lindelof very often has to cover behind AWB. Just like Lindelof anticipated, the guy he chose to follow also got the ball, flicked it with his arm(it looked like) to the centre and Maguire/DDG/Kluivert.

 

[Adam-Utd]

There was no midfielder picking him up so Lindelof did it, which is the right thing to do. Maguire and Shaw just have to move over a little which Maguire did, but not Shaw. This is quite standard defending and something they do several times per game, as Lindelof very often has to cover behind AWB. Just like Lindelof anticipated, the guy he chose to follow also got the ball, flicked it with his arm(it looked like) to the centre and Maguire/DDG/Kluivert.

How is it the right thing to do! He’s already marking somebody slap bang in the middle of the box?! Why is that more important to leave him and wonder off and mark somebody else wider?!

you are making zero sense.

 

[lex talionis]

The Iceman isn’t getting it done IMHO, but we’ve got problems everywhere apart from Bruno. Let’s stick with him the rest of the season, giving Axel and Timothy a reasonable of run of games and assess our situation in May, but I think we all know we need to strengthen at CB going into next season.

 

[kundalini]

I thought he had a good game. Defended well. Super long pass for Fernandes' attempt in the first half. A bit unlucky with his near post headers from corners, especially the first one that bounced over McTominay's foot as he stretched to try to reach it.

 

[elmo]

He and Shaw have been our best defenders so far this season.

 

[kiristao]

Had an excellent game. Did really well to cover for AWB and Maguire as well when required. Even the few times he was 1v1 against Sterling, he came out on top comfortably.

 

[Andre Kagawa]

MotM.

 

[MrBest]

I'd like to see him with Tuanzabe rather than Maguire. I feel his ability is hindered because he spend 50% of the timing covering for Maguires lack of pace, speed and urgency. That game in Paris when he started with Tuanzabe, they were excellent together and had great chemistry. We need to be playing players who can make a difference, not because they cost 80m or they are your bum boy.

 

[Baneofthegame]

He’s pretty much like our squad, when he’s good he’s great, but can never consistently achieve it for whatever reason, picked him as MOTM today.

 

[A-man]

There’s been a lot of talk about how Lindelof and Maguire don’t complement each other. Today I think they did just that; complemented each other. Both had a good game, as well as Shaw.
Ole said he picked the players today who he thought were good with the ball under pressure and I think that was critical today. City tried to put intense pressure but didn’t win much from doing it. Picked Maguire as my MOTM but happy with the whole defence.

 

[Ekeke]

He was okay defensively, the fullbacks had most of the work. But he did play another nice pass from the back over the top to Bruno who didnt connect. Hopefully he keeps those long passes coming into the forwards

 

[Foxbatt]

I wonder how he would be with a better RB and a right sided midfield or attacking player? He has to deal with AWB who has no clue as how to play in a defensive team and a non existent right sided forward who never defends.

 

[FrankDrebin]

 

[Ekeke]

When the ball is in the air our defence is in despair