21 Oct 2020 08:16:44
That was a near faultless away performance.

Our defence limited Mbappe, Neymar and Di Maria to very few shots, and even when they had a sniff at goal DDG swatted them away.

AWB gave Mbappe the hardest nights work he probably has ever had. So much so he ran away to the other wing.

Tuanzebe was a giant, when you think that was his first game since last December. He was immense.

Shaw for me has always looked far more comfortable at LCB than at LB. I think the lessened vertical movement means he gets less exposed.

Alex Telles made a very promising debut.

Even Lindelof looked very assured. Although one note I would make is that PSG hardly played any aerial balls into the box, so none of our defenders really had to deal with that aspect of the game.

Fred and McTominay show that sometimes a functional hard working midfield can be more impactful than a talented one. Both were excellent.

Martial had a mixed night, he did well winning the penalty and to be honest he seemed to scared the PSG defence every time he ran at them. Sadly a good night's work will more likely be remembered for a poor bit of defending.

Rashford could have scored a hat trick and then we would be looking at a 4-1 away win, and a deserved win at that.

Overall a great night.

1.) 21 Oct 2020
21 Oct 2020 09:44:32
Shappy - what did you make of the switch to a back four and the use of a midfield diamond when Pogba came on?!

The back five worked really well but I thought we looked much better offensively when Pogba came on and Ole reverted to a back four and a midfield diamond.

A 1-1 that was a very brave substitution. I must admit I was worried how'd we'd cope defensively with Pogba but It actually really helped as we controlled possession much better and looked a lot more threatening.

I think some have suggested a midfield diamond might just be our best formation and I think we got a glimpse of what it can offer for the last 20 minutes of the game.

It really was a fantastic tactical switch.
We retained the energy and industry of Fred and Mctominay in midfield but I thought Pogba added a real quality and threat to our play and we still had the pace of Martial and Rashford on the break, it was very very very good.

Ole deserves great credit for his tactical acumen. He made a brave, offensive substitution with the game in the balance at 1-1 against a very good team away from home. The last 20 minutes of that game were absolutely brilliant in my opinion and we thoroughly deserved to win the game.

Games are normally won by teams that win the midfield battle. I think this was an area where we dominated when Pogba came on. I just think our strength is in midfield and it wasn't until Pogba and VdB came on against Newcastle that we really ran away with the game.

The diamond can lack width at times but Martial, Rashford, Greenwood and even Cavani are all comfortable in wide areas so I don't see this as being that big of a problem. Telles should give us an extra attacking outlet down the left and even Pogba is decent in wide areas playing to the left of the diamond. I'm not getting carried away but I think there was compelling evidence last night that a midfield diamond could really suit us.

2.) 21 Oct 2020
21 Oct 2020 10:45:44
DLIB, ultimately the difference between 3412 and 4121 is the pushing up of one central defender into midfield, while slightly more defensive reliance on the full backs/ wing backs.

What the can effectively does is move the focus from having an extra body deeper to an extra body in midfield. It’s the best way to shift from a defending without the ball to being more able to get on the ball and therefore defend with the ball by holding possession. While the shift to having the ball higher up the pitch means you are closer to the opposition goal, potentially opening up more goalscoring chances.

The two shapes are very similar and only require the change of one player and the slight adaption to new tactics for a couple of players.

343 or variations of that shape are the most tactically flexible, due to the balanced shape you can effectively and easily change the shape of the team with a single substitution or even just moving a tactically intelligent player into a new position during the game.

For example, we could be set up in the 3412 shape, but be struggling to create as the opposition have blocked up the middle. We have the option of taking off either a CB, or one of the midfielders and bringing on a winger and changing to either 343 or 433, or even 4231. All from one change.

I think for the most part due to our squad not being built for one specific system, due to a number of quick changes in managers who all want different players for different systems. The best way forward is to create a flexible system that can change quickly and adapt to situations in game easily.

This sort of shape system works with most of our players, either playing to their strengths or mitigating their weaknesses. For me, the only two players who stand out as a problem in this system are Pogba and AWB.

Pogba due to his lack of work rate which is needed in the midfield in this system. While AWB isn’t yet consistent as an attacking threat from full back/ wing back.

However, Pogba isn’t likely to be here long term and might have to take a back seat. While AWB used to be a winger at youth level and with the right coaching I’m sure he can become a good offensive outlet from full back.

This shape is flexible, and it will look and feel different depending on the game, the players selected, and the tactics of the game in question. Yet I feel it gives us the best chance to get the most out of most of our players.

3.) 21 Oct 2020
21 Oct 2020 11:30:03
In the last 20 minutes of both the Newcastle and PSG games I've been very impressed with the quality and rotation of our midfielders. We've been able to really take control and dominate the midfield area which has ultimately helped us win both games.

I think there's an argument that we've become too obsessed with width in recent years when the modern game has moved more towards intensity with quicker more mobile players, using short passes and rotation of positions in order to dominate the ball and create space.

The width in the modern game is predominantly provided by the full backs and this may explain why we've struggled in recent years.

I genuinely believe we now have the midfielders that have the ability, mobility and intelligence to rotate positions and move the ball quickly enabling us to dominate the midfield area and retain possession of the ball. This is an area of the pitch I feel we can now really exploit and I feel there has been enough evidence in recent games to suggest that Ole should more away from playing two wingers/ wide forwards and flood the midfield with the likes of Fernandes, Pogba or VdB whilst retaining the defensive balance playing any two from Mctominay, Fred or Matic.

I agree AWB needs to improve offensively but the signing of Telles should provide us with a better attacking option down the left. Pogba remains a frustration but his quality is unquestionable. Hopefully Ole has demonstrated by leaving him out for the last couple of games that grit is equally important to guile and he must work harder for the team if he wants to play.

Is this evidence that Ole is finally adapting and evolving to make the best out of what he has or just a couple of decent results remains to be seen but in my opinion our strength lies in midfield and the key to our season will depend on unlocking this potential and finding a system that gets our best players on the pitch. I'd love to see a midfield diamond used more often and think this could be a really effective system for us.

4.) 21 Oct 2020
21 Oct 2020 12:42:22
I think Ole could sense what we all could see. PSG were there for the taking, hence the switch. I think most thought he would settle for a point after the equaliser, so kudos to him for going for it.