The Diamond

SuperRash

SuperRash

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Has to be the way forward now? Last night seemed like a bit of a let’s try it out and it was brilliant. We still get the two defensive minded midfielders, Pogba can operate with more freedom and Bruno is still in his favoured position. Also Rashford stays upfront which he looks like he is relishing - obviously one of Martial and Greenwood would miss out but again would give us an exciting option off the bench.

Obviously the lack of width is an option and you really need attacking full backs to make the system really prosper but I think it’s a formation persisting with for a bit.

It’s only one game and the real test would be making it work over a longer period of time but for me it makes sense.
 
I really don’t think it worked caught them out initially but after that they really got on top of us and if they had more quality could have caused us trouble. I don’t see how we pin a team back with this formation could we play Bruno in this system ahead of Matic and use Fred as the holder?

Having different strikers might help as you need to be able to go direct.

It worked well in this games but I’m not convinced by it in the long term think he will stick to the 4-2-3-1 system.

Good to have an alternative though for when you need to try something different.
 
For most of the first half this was a snore fest. Might be good when playing the likes of City and Liverpool but I don't think this is attacking enough for us. It's easy to get carried away with 5 goals but it was hardly a great attacking performance. It took Bruno and Rashford to kick start the game really and RBL were chasing by then.
 
Mr C said:
I think you need to change the formation depending on who you're playing.
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Like Arsenal, for instance. We were overrun, bereft of ideas, and outclassed by Les Arse with the diamond. It’s not just the formation but the personnel and both sucked today.
 
SuperRash said:
Okay diamond sucks.

What’s the next formation we can try?
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It's a problem. We don't have the players for any formation to be perfect. 4-2-3-1 and we desperately needed that right flank player. We are weak at tight wing back for 3 at the back. None of our holding midfield players are good enough to be the only holding midfield player.
 
jsp said:
Back to 4-2-3-1 I reckon it best fits our players just work on it and perfect it.

If that means benching some big names do it.
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Yeah that’s the only formation that does suit our players it seems but Ole has to play Fred and McT/Matic because Pogba cannot be trusted doing the defensive work. That kind of stifles the attacking creativity from the midfield and it’s up to Bruno.

I think we have missed Martial so much, I know he didn’t have the best start to the midfield but he holds the ball up well and he knows how to win a penalty! We will improve with him back in the side but right now Ole needs to get these players back up for it because in the league so far they’ve all looked so disinterested and laboured which is appalling!
 
SuperRash said:
Yeah that’s the only formation that does suit our players it seems but Ole has to play Fred and McT/Matic because Pogba cannot be trusted doing the defensive work. That kind of stifles the attacking creativity from the midfield and it’s up to Bruno.

I think we have missed Martial so much, I know he didn’t have the best start to the midfield but he holds the ball up well and he knows how to win a penalty! We will improve with him back in the side but right now Ole needs to get these players back up for it because in the league so far they’ve all looked so disinterested and laboured which is appalling!
Click to expand...

Yeah the where to fit Pogba thing for me has now been answered. It's on the bench.

Even the 4-2-3-1 doesn't really work as we have no right winger, Greenwood will do a job out there but he's not the most creative player but he can still score plenty of goals from that positions.

Sadly the defence has shown it's much more comfortable with the 2 protectors in front of it you wonder if now if the time to try and take some of that comfort away from them again as they didn't need it at the end of last season.

Depends which version of Martial you get he's not really done much in the games he has played this season but a confidence in form Martial is a hell of a weapon to have.

Yesterday for me was on the manager those players just didn't look comfortable in that system the whole team is crowded around Bruno meaning he's got no space, the strikers were so isolated, the full backs couldn't get forward as they were pinned in by their front 3 and with no direct ball to play they pressed the entire team on to us. When teams do that you do need a guy like Pogba in the middle who can get on the ball and turn because if you beat that press and get out you really are in business.

Arsenal in the first half did exactly what Leipzig did to us pushed the whole team on top of us and pinned us in the only difference was they had more quality in the attack to actually open us up and create some chances.

The diamond for me looks like a formation that needs a lot of work on the training pitch to perfect time we don't have so it probably needs to go back in the drawer for a while stick with the 4-2-3-1 that we know and in some games use the 3-4-1-2 if we want that extra security in defence. I think he had to try and get all his big guns on the pitch but I think he's realised now that it doesn't work.
 
Where's Williams been? I thought he did great outside Shaw, although Shaw has been really good lately.

Maybe 3 at the back again.

--------------------DeGea------------------
-----Tuanzebe----Maguire----Shaw------
AWB------------------------------Williams
-----McTominay----Matic----Bruno------
--------Rashford--------Martial-----------
 

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