But, there is going to be some growing pains regardless.
Best CB pairing
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But, there is going to be some growing pains regardless.
Bailly and Smalling. Not great on the ball, but defensively the best.
We all have our opinions, mine is that 3 CB's would allow more 'natural' width, particularly on the right, whether it's Valencia&Young, or Dalot&Shaw (even Darmian) as wing backs we should be able to play them higher up the pitch, I get your point about 2 or 3 CM's but like the 2 man CB situation, 3 CM's is'nt working either, somehow or another we need more creativity in the final third, I know we play very deep but that might change if 3 CB's gave the team more confidence to press higher, with what we have available the team below is'nt that defensive.
DDG
Bailly-Smalling-Lindelof
Valencia/Dalot..............................Shaw/Young
Fred............Pogba
Lingard...........................Sanchez
Lukaku
I'd say Smalling and Bailly are the most solid. Offer pretty much nothing on the ball but defensivel are the best two we've got.
I hope we will see the best of Mike Smalling like we did a few years ago and then with Bailly it can be a really solid pair. Otherwise maybe Jones instead of Mike, but he can be inconsistent.
I think it speaks volumes none of us know who the best pairing is..
I'd just stick with Bailly and Lindelof now. They are young and need time. Would rather try and build a good partnership than have a revolving door for the season. Keep Shaw in amongst it too.
I'd just stick with Bailly and Lindelof now. They are young and need time. Would rather try and build a good partnership than have a revolving door for the season. Keep Shaw in amongst it too.
Its abundantly obvious that there is no "best pair". There is a best grouping though. A back 3 of Smalling, Lindelof and Bailly is the best set up down back by a mile imo. Plenty of pace, decent enough on the ball and the formation means there is usually good cover so defensively its by far the best. And...because of this, players further forward can get a lot more attacking freedom hopefully. With this formation I feel like we can get away with not having a set attacking structure a lot more because this formation lends itself to creativity I reckon.
With all fit:
De Gea
Valencia Bailly Lindelof Smalling Shaw
Pogba Matic
Lingard
Lukaku Martial
^That is what I'd play. However Jose would obviously play Sanchez ahead of Martial. Maybe Young ahead of Shaw too.
A slight alternative to the formation above would involve playing Fred instead of Lingard and having more of a midfield 3, rather than a 2 with a CAM ahead of them. Lingard does bust a gut to track back and press though, so defensively things could still be sorta like a midfield 3.
With all fit:
De Gea
Valencia Bailly Lindelof Smalling Shaw
Pogba Matic
Lingard
Lukaku Martial
^That is what I'd play. However Jose would obviously play Sanchez ahead of Martial. Maybe Young ahead of Shaw too.
A slight alternative to the formation above would involve playing Fred instead of Lingard and having more of a midfield 3, rather than a 2 with a CAM ahead of them. Lingard does bust a gut to track back and press though, so defensively things could still be sorta like a midfield 3.
I agree that we need stability more than anything especially because the wide positions are likely to see a lot of rotation.
If you think about our worst defences its always been when we've had to swap and change constantly. Brown, Evans, Silvestre even Pique.
If i was Jose I'd go Smalling and Bailey, it might not be a title winning pairing but it's decent enough.
I think we definitely need to bite the bullet and just pick two and stick with them. This is our biggest issue and one of the reasons why Mourinho wanted a new CB.
a) we have no consistency in that area. Only Lindelof can stay fit for a period and his performances indicate he needs time.
b) we have no consistent leadership. Our experience is Chris Smalling and as above we can't keep him fit, nor does he have the qualities of our rivals experienced options (Kompany, Azpilcueta, VVD, Vertonghan, Alderweireld)
It’s one thing when fans are saying it’s Player X alongside either Player Y or Z (e.g. for Liverpool it’s VVD alongside either Gomez or Lovren) but in our place it’s “any 2 from 5”
When we started with Bailly and Rojo before the curse of the dreaded injuries, that's when we looked at our best. Doubt we'll ever see that again though.
Still this.
From this game so far Smalling has been very good, Jones shouldn't be near.
I'm still holding out hope for Lindelof. He and Smalling should be given a run.
Told you we don't have a best pairing. They are all crap.
Bailly and...Dalot? Or maybe even Fellaini.
Smalling sees the whole second goal unfold before his eyes and doesn't do anything.
Lindelof has been on for 15 minutes and been absolutely dreadful like nearly every appearance he’s made so far, nowhere near good enough.
I think we bought Damon Lindelof rather than Victor.
Just a bunch of perfectly flawed individuals, more flawed than Woodward and I ever thought it appears.
He needs to cover the area he does, it's not about defenders running around like headless chickens.
Smalling is the only decent CB we have
Smalling and a mirror.
He covered well there as well.
He's the better of a bad bunch but that isn't any achievement at all.
Idiot sold Blind 
Blind - Smalling
or
Jones - Blind - Smalling.
Or
Rojo - Blind - Bailly
Blind - Smalling
or
Jones - Blind - Smalling.
Or
Rojo - Blind - Bailly
If you've got alternatives I'd like to hear them?
Who was at worst case, our second best CB (I actually think that he was our best, but there is an extremely strong argument that Smalling was and still is our best CB). Spent 70m on two trash CBs, plays an agglomeration of Bran and Hodor everytime that terrible player is available, and then has the decency to complain.Idiot sold Blind
Blind - Smalling
or
Jones - Blind - Smalling.
Or
Rojo - Blind - Bailly
Smalling is absolutely shit too. Again, we don't have a single CB good enough to start regularly.
Sánchez’ 2 dogs might be worth a try
Tuanzebe and TFM. Lindelof should not have been bought with them around, except as an immediate first choice.
We have watched Smalling and Jones getting rinsed through the years, whoever is still trying to peddle the nonsense of them being the best CB pairing or individual defenders, is clearly a bandit.
at least Bailly and Lindelof get the benefit of the doubt for being new
at least Bailly and Lindelof get the benefit of the doubt for being new
any player rather then Phil f*ckface Jones, just bin that muppet back to Blackburn on a free, joke of a player
Wanted to start a new thread for this fact but not sure the Gods would allow it, but essentially... 7 goals in 3 games! That is fecking embarrassing for any top club.
We have been a shambles defensively. Even when you look back at the Leicester goal (which I don't we talked about enough due to the comfortable nature of the performance), it was a really bad goal to concede.
We have been a shambles defensively. Even when you look back at the Leicester goal (which I don't we talked about enough due to the comfortable nature of the performance), it was a really bad goal to concede.
Rio and Vidic.
Those four that we have are not good enough for any kind of "best", not even an answer to the question "who is the best of the 4 CBs we have"... there is no "best" in those four... they are all bad.
Those four that we have are not good enough for any kind of "best", not even an answer to the question "who is the best of the 4 CBs we have"... there is no "best" in those four... they are all bad.
He’s the worst of the lot by a long way, none of them are good enough but Lindelof is lower PL side level at best he’s nowhere near our level.
None of them are good enough let’s be honest.
Our CB options for a supposed top side are awful. It’s hilarious to see posters on here laugh at the prices banded about for Maguire and Toby, or the fee Liverpool paid for VvD.
Any of them in this side and tonight wouldn’t of happened.
Our CB options for a supposed top side are awful. It’s hilarious to see posters on here laugh at the prices banded about for Maguire and Toby, or the fee Liverpool paid for VvD.
Any of them in this side and tonight wouldn’t of happened.
At the moment he is the measure of our level.
I stand by this. What a shambles
People from the Ivory Coast and Sweden rather than Maidstone and Blackburn should not get that benefit. Only British and Irish players should be bought as developmental signings, foreigners should be bought only as immediate first choices (excluding foreign academy players such as TFM).
This is a club who opted to give Red Nev time rather than buy Zanetti, Panucci or Thuram.