2:03 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer excited by potential of new midfield partnership
Asked by Sky Sports whether the pair can play together, Solskjaer said: “Good players can always play together, so definitely, they can. It is a big yes. I think it is exciting.
“There’s many games coming up and I’m sure we can find a good connection between them. We’ve been discussing that as a coaching team of course, and we’re looking forward to it.”
The benefit to United if they are able to deploy Fernandes and Pogba together without compromising either man’s game is obvious. These are the two players who have created the most chances per 90 minutes of anyone at United this season.
Having them operate in tandem – two players with the vision to see the passes and the skill to execute them effectively – would make United a much more entertaining proposition.
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It would bring challenges defensively because the partnership of Nemanja Matic and Fred has also looked promising since the turn of the year, but former United winger Lee Sharpe surely speaks for many when outlining why he thinks the partnership could work.
“You would have to play someone with them to do the defensive bit because we know Pogba is a bit short when it comes to defensive duties,” Sharpe told Sky Sports. “But I think he is so good going forward in terms of scoring and creating that you can make allowances.
“Fernandes is also a natural forward-thinking player so if you sit someone in there – Fred or Matic – who can sweep up and make sure they are organised and they know where they are, going forwards I think they could cause all sorts of problems between them.
“I think they would be a good partnership. It could be just what United need.”
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The problem is that it is not as simple as putting two creative players together and expecting them both to make things happen in the same way that either man would be able to do as the focal point of the team.
Just as two out-and-out strikers cannot be put together and expected to plunder goals, the blend in midfield is crucial. There remains a risk that their approach will be too similar.
It is not merely that Fernandes and Pogba might want to take up similar positions. It is about the balance of the decisions that a team makes when in possession of the football.
The statistics show that Fernandes and Pogba are the two players at Manchester United who surrender possession most often. They are the ones who misplace the most passes too.
It is not because they are at bad at passing, of course. Quite the opposite. It is because they are good at it. They attempt the ambitious passes, the ones that can carve open opponents.
“He will try things,” Giggs said of Fernandes.
“If it does not come off then he will try it again.”
Every team needs a player like that. But do they need two?
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The danger of having two of the team’s three midfielders adopting that approach when in possession is that the balance between creativity and ball retention swings too far in one direction. Moves break down too quickly when too few are focused on keeping the ball.
It is possible that Fernandes – who had 110 touches of the ball on his debut against Wolves – would see a lot less of it with Pogba in the team. The same could be true in reverse too.
“You cannot answer that question of whether or not it is going to gel until they have played together,” said Giggs. “Good players should be able to play with good players. We will have to wait and see but they have both got lots of quality.
“It is about whether they can complement each other now.”
Solskjaer will be well aware of this balancing act and he will be wary of placing too many restrictions on his most gifted players. He must give them the chance to make it work – to play the game as they see it and feel out the right moment to pick their killer passes.
If they can figure that out between them, such is their ability, the rewards for getting it right could be huge – and transform what this Manchester United team are capable of achieving.
Sourse: skysports.com
