So what happens with our backline once Maguire is back in the mix?

Fortitude

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Tuanzebe was instrumental in what we were able to do tonight. His pace, mobility and recovery on the turn absolutely matched him to two of the best attackers in the world, with ease. What he has, nobody else here does; we can play as high a line as we want with him at the back. How can we drop him?

Lindelof looked like a different player with that assurance beside him.

Do we go for a 3 with both of the above plus Maguire? Does Tuanzebe get dropped? Lindelof?

What happens from this point onward?
 
Not sure when Maguire is back but for now I'd go with rotating him. He's been out for a while and our games are coming thick and fast. I wouldn't make a habit of playing him twice a week at the moment but I guess Lindelof drops out in place of Maguire, eventually.
 
If we are going to play 3 at the back, play the same 3 as tonight. If we go back to 2 we might as well try Tuanzabe and Lindelof together after that performance earned them some credit. Maguire should wait till we look vulnerable again for his chance
 
Taunzebe is the partner Maguire has been crying out for, pace to burn and cover for him as he pushes the line up.
 
Want to see more of Lindelof and Axel. Maguire can rest a little bit.
 
I don't think Tuanzebe is better than Maguire. Let's not hype him up too much.
We could keep playing with 3 defenders and wingbacks though.
 
Lindelöf + Tuanzebe is the way to go.
 
Pexbo said:
Taunzebe is the partner Maguire has been crying out for, pace to burn and cover for him as he pushes the line up.
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If Pogba can be benched, Van de Beek be consigned to 10 minute cameos and entertaining the idea of Henderson as #1, there's no reason why we should be building our defence around Maguire. Just doesn't make any sense.
 
Your 80m world record CB and Captain will always play and tbf Maguire's signing did level up our defence so it's him and Tuanzebe. It would have established itself last season had it not been for Tuanzebe's injury
 
Fortitude said:
Tuanzebe was instrumental in what we were able to do tonight. His pace, mobility and recovery on the turn absolutely matched him to two of the best attackers in the world, with ease. What he has, nobody else here does; we can play as high a line as we want with him at the back. How can we drop him?

Lindelof looked like a different player with that assurance beside him.

Do we go for a 3 with both of the above plus Maguire? Does Tuanzebe get dropped? Lindelof?

What happens from this point onward?
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Well first of all I think we should be vary that Tuanzebe could pick up a injury again, he's come back from a long long injury break. But all that time away, and he does that? Absolutely mental.

It's a very interesting problem magnified by Maguire being the captain.

IF - this is the version of Tuanzebe we get frequently, I can't bring myself to want to drop him. This is the type of problem Ole wants, and probably doesn't want. A player to come in and threaten to bench your captain.
 
Tuanzebe and Lindelof should stay. But it will be Harry and Lindelof. Ole will not bench captain
 
As much as people hate Maguire, we need a physical British CB against an average British forward. Maguire is still needed in EPL particularly in a 4 back defence. Lindelof is always shaky against aerial threat, no confidence in the other CB apart from Smalling, unfortunately gone.
 
cyril C said:
As much as people hate Maguire, we need a physical British CB against an average British forward. Maguire is still needed in EPL particularly in a 4 back defence. Lindelof is always shaky against aerial threat, no confidence in the other CB apart from Smalling, unfortunately gone.
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That's not Maguire in his time at OT. He's been bullied plenty of times. I would not start him until the players who proved themselves today show otherwise.
 
Tuanzebe can really push Maguire for a starting place.

This of course would be a welcome change from Maguire pushing Shaw out of the way of making a vital clearance.
 
Let's be honest can you imagine what would have happened with Maguire's pace against Mbappe, if he had played instead of Axel ? I don't want to imagine it personally.

Let's test Axel and Victor partnership in the next few games and see if it'll work consistently or not.
 
We who go to reserve games have known for years that Axel has everything to be a top class CB its his injuries that hold him back but it's his first game in 10 months . I don't expect him to play at the weekend and I expect him to be brought back in gradually. In a months time if fit he will be our CB with Maguire
 
We need a CB with blistering pace. Tuanzebe has that. If he can push on and stay fit he must take Maguire's place. Maguire is glacial. Any organisational or communication skills he may have to cover that, and they are debatable, are nowhere near being good enough to consider him undroppable.
 
How many times have we seen defenders produce top class performances when having to defend deep? Tuanzebe was always a good talent and could progress to be a top defender but tonight says nothing really. The challenge we face regularly is very different from what we faced tonight in terms of how we set up.
 
He improves it as he's our best CB (unless Tuanzebe carries on like tonight).
 
We should see if Tuanzebe can stay fit for more than 10 seconds before we do anything. Maguire's ariel presence is amazing, we'd be very vulnerable if we lost that.
Theonas said:
How many times have we seen defenders produce top class performances when having to defend deep? Tuanzebe was always a good talent and could progress to be a top defender but tonight says nothing really. The challenge we face regularly is very different from what we faced tonight in terms of how we set up.
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That's true but Tuanzebe's best two moments came when we weren't defending deep, they were the recovering runs against Mbappe.
 
Maguire and Tuanzebe seems like the obvious partnership
 
It's still Maguire and Lindelof for now, bit if Tuanzebe stays fit and firing then it should be Tuanzebe and Lindelof.

Doubt we'd drop our 80m man though.
 
Axel needs to show that he can stay fit long-term. He’ll get enough games in rotation for now.
 
AltiUn said:
We should see if Tuanzebe can stay fit for more than 10 seconds before we do anything. Maguire's ariel presence is amazing, we'd be very vulnerable if we lost that.

That's true but Tuanzebe's best two moments came when we weren't defending deep, they were the recovering runs against Mbappe.
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Yeah that is true, which is why he is a very talented defender and should be given a chance IMO. But my point is more about the mindset and focus. Setting up deep against top opponents in a CL game can generate a level of intensity and focus that you just can't find replicate in your run of the mill PL games. As I said, there is a reason there are countless heroic defending performances throughout the years from defenders you would not call necessarily world class. The only barometer of a top defender, like any other position really is a solid run of games.
 
Well he's only 22 so he's not going to play that well every time. But deff keeps his place at the weekend.
 
Main thing is, if Tuanzebe can stay fit, then we're sorted at the back.
 
Lindelöf and Tuanzebe would get bullied in the air domestically.

Maguire + Tuanzebe or Maguire + Tuanzebe + Shaw. The rest is nonsense. PSG are not an average PL side.
 
Theonas said:
Yeah that is true, which is why he is a very talented defender and should be given a chance IMO. But my point is more about the mindset and focus. Setting up deep against top opponents in a CL game can generate a level of intensity and focus that you just can't find replicate in your run of the mill PL games. As I said, there is a reason there are countless heroic defending performances throughout the years from defenders you would not call necessarily world class. The only barometer of a top defender, like any other position really is a solid run of games.
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Yeah valid points, I agree with all that. Let's hope he stays fit for a few more games, we've another few big tests in the form of Chelsea and Arsenal coming up, let's see how he manages if he plays those.
 
It would be harsh to drop Lindelof because he was good tonight too. However you have to think long term and think who your first choice CBs are going to be going forward, Axel has to stay because we've been crying out for some pace. If we're playing 4 at the back go with Tuanzebe-Maguire. If back 3 Tuanzebe-Maguire-Shaw.

Shaw is fantastic on the left side of a 3, he got major praise last season when he played there also.
 
Imagine a Tuanzebe Bailly partnership. Maybe the fastest backline going.
 
AltiUn said:
Yeah valid points, I agree with all that. Let's hope he stays fit for a few more games, we've another few big tests in the form of Chelsea and Arsenal coming up, let's see how he manages if he plays those.
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Yeah let's hope so. I would be very surprised if he starts Saturday though. Playing two high intensity games in 4 days after a 10 months layoff is asking a bit too much I would think. But that's something for the fitness coaches to decide in the coming days. We have a game every three days until February, plenty of game time for 4 central defenders of Bailly and Tuanzebe stay fit.
 
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