DOES POGBA STILL GET IN UNITED’S BEST XI?
OLE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HIS STRONGEST TEAM IS OR WHETHER A CERTAIN WORLD CUP WINNER SHOULD PLAY. SO SPORTSMAIL’S EXPERTS GIVE HIM A HAND
CHRIS SUTTON
At least Manchester United are consistent at being inconsistent. they’ll lose to Crystal Palace one week, beat Brighton the next. Concede six to tottenham, then put four past Newcastle.
Defeat Paris Saint- Germain and RB Leipzig on the European stage, but become the first Big Six side to lose at home to Arsenal since 2015.
the system I’d opt for is 4-2-3-1. David de Gea over Dean Henderson in goal — I’ve been critical of the Spaniard in the past, but he has not dropped any clangers of late.
A solid back four. A midfield pairing of Fred and Scott Mctominay — the same screen which protected the back line against PSG. that means there is no room for Paul Pogba.
A fine talent he may be, but I prefer my midfield to provide defensive stability. Bruno Fernandes is my No 10. On his left is Marcus Rashford, and on his right is Mason Greenwood.
that leaves Anthony Martial as my main striker, completing a winning combination which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ended the last season using.
MICAH RICHARDS
WHAT a challenge! this has actually made me have sympathy for Solskjaer, as I sat trying to come up with 11 names and trying to put them into a workable formation. Once I thought I had the team cracked, I’d scribble it out and start again. thank goodness I’m not a manager.
Manchester United’s best XI? You would assume De Gea would be an automatic pick but I found myself wrestling with Henderson’s name over and over again. De Gea did nothing wrong against Arsenal and gets my vote but, be sure, Henderson’s time is coming soon.
Once the goalkeeper was out of the way, I immediately thought of a back four. then I went to a back three, with wing backs. But I changed my mind as that wouldn’t suit Aaron Wan-Bissaka, so it was a back four again.
there are goals in my front three, I’m sure of it. the biggest puzzle was midfield. the more I tried, the less I could find a space for Donny van de Beek. So I have gone for experience — Nemanja Matic holding with Fernandes and Pogba in front.
IAN LADYMAN
‘BRUNO at double as Reds run riot’ was the headline in these pages on July 1. the night before United had beaten Brighton 3-0 as part of a run that saw Solskjaer’s team win six and draw three of their last nine Premier League games.
that was a United team running hot on confidence and that night against Brighton the front three of Rashford, Greenwood and Martial were devastating.
For the first time in a long time, United were benefitting from a settled side and it baffles me that Solskjaer has now drifted away from that this season.
He once again seems totally confused about whether to play Pogba and if so, where.
this has enabled Mctominay and Fred to infiltrate the starting 11 again and that is not a good sign. Both are honest players but have clear limitations.
Pogba often does not help himself but he showed at the end of last term that he CAN play as part of a holding duo — even if he doesn’t particularly want to. Solskjaer found his winning formula in the summer and he should go back to it now.
CHRIS WHEELER
TEAM selection and formation counts for nothing if the consistency and intensity aren’t there, as Manchester United have discovered to their cost.
Still, Solskjaer has yet to find a system that gets the best out of his players, and midfield is a particular problem.
Not surprisingly, Pogba is at the root of it.
I would persevere for now and use Pogba in the more advanced role he wants, sitting alongside Fernandes in support of Martial, Rashford and Greenwood.
It does mean there is only one holding midfielder and the much-improved Fred gets the nod ahead of Mctominay and Matic.
I would compensate for the loss of defensive midfield cover by playing Axel tuanzebe alongside Harry Maguire at centre back; an excellent defender who is more than capable of making up for his lack of first-team experience at United.
No 2 goalkeeper Henderson and new signing Alex telles are on the bench, but both could come into the reckoning.