12 Aug 2020 16:58:05
With our season reaching its crescendo Sevilla are now all that stands between us and a second Europa League final in four years!

I watched Sevilla against Roma and Wolves and they are a very good team. They press the ball very well and in possession they play with composure and authority.

I've been worried about our 4-2-3-1 formation for some time and whilst I think its been a success against the less talented teams I fear we can be dangerously exposed by the better sides.

Rashford and Greenwood play more as inside forwards than wingers and can often leave the full backs horribly exposed. I think Fernandes plays so advanced he's almost become a second striker and Pogba isn't the most disciplined or diligent from a defensive perspective.

Sevilla will provide a stern examination and provide us with a useful barometer for how much this team has actually progressed.

I expect Sevilla to press us high with aggression and intensity. We have struggled against teams that have adopted a high press and this will be a good examination of the teams composure and quality on the ball. Sevilla are also very comfortable in possession. They play with good fluidity and movement with runners off the ball and excellent rotation especially in midfield. This will test our concentration, ability to track forward runners and to win the ball back.

I expect Sevilla to provide Ole with a tactical dilemma. If we get outnumbered in midfield and try to continually play out from the back I think we could be in for a long evening.

Without wanting to sound negative I wonder if we should play any extra midfielder in order to try and help us get control of the midfield and get better possession of the football. I love Mason Greenwood and he no doubt provides us with a potent and clinical goal threat but he is only useful if we can feed him the ball in dangerous positions in and around the box. I thought Mata had an excellent game when he was introduced on Monday night. His intuitive movement and quality on the ball enabled us to better dominate possession and provided the likes of Pogba and Fernandes with more options on the ball. I wonder if there is case for starting Mata to try and get control of the midfield and secure better possession of the ball . Maybe Greenwood could provide a deadly option from the bench if we are chasing a goal.

I expect this is be an intriguing encounter and I'm fascinated to see how Ole approaches the game.

I think Sevilla probably start as slight favourites. They have wonderful pedigree in this competition and this is a young Utd side still searching for an identify despite playing some decent football since the turn of the year!


1.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 17:27:41
Regardless of how they play we should be beating these.

We have to much quality to not be able to beat these.

Play our strongest 11.


2.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 17:32:14
4231 is a very fluid formation . it will be 451, 433 and 244 at times.


3.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 17:46:55
Bolger- They finished 4th in La Liga on 70 points the same as Atletico Madrid underestimate them at your peril.

Jred - defensively our full backs are often exposed and outnumber as is our midfield. We've been getting away with it but against a good side I think we could be in trouble. This will be a very tough game in my opinion.


4.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 18:00:33
They played well yesterday and were solid at the back. I won't be surprised if we see 5 at the back or pack the midfield with a diamond. don't think we will have the majority of the ball. should be a good game.


5.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 18:04:21
DLIB it will be a tough game, but i don't expect a big change. Bruno may play a bit deeper in the transition. And the 2 wide men will prob have to be a bit more disciplined in the defensive formation but I don't think we will give up on our attacking intent to much .


6.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 18:23:55
DLIB In my opinion, we had far more success this season against stronger teams and playing on counter, than playing vs bunker teams (at least until Bruno joined) . Giving them some possession might not be that bad.


7.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 18:46:05
Jred - I may be mistaken but I think we might need to adjust tactically against the better teams especially if Ole wants to play Martial, Rashford, Greenwood, Fernandes and Pogba together in the same team.

I'm still not convinced by Pogba playing so deep as a holding midfielder in a double pivot and I'd like to see him further forward and Fernandes drop deeper into a three man midfield. I think this would give the team more balance and allow Greenwood and Rashford to play alongside Martial as a genuine front 3.

In my opinion Pogba is too deep and Fernandes is too advanced. I'm not sure Ole has got the balance of the team right just yet. I think we'd benefit enormously adopting a 4-3-3 formation where subtle changes in positions can make a big difference both defensively and offensively.

I think we've been decent since the re-start and even looked really good on occasions but I'm just not convinced 4-2-3-1 is the right system to use against the better teams.

Trololo - I agree we've been decent on the counter against the better teams but with the signing of Fernandes, the return of Pogba and the emergence of Greenwood this is now a different Utd team. I just don't see Rashford and Greenwood being defensively diligent occupying full back positions and waiting for opportunities to counter as maybe Lingard or James would have done earlier in the season. In some regard we're better than that now and I think we need to develop a system where we can be more authoritative against the better teams and start to play them on a more equal footing.

For this team it evolve it needs to learn different ways of beating the better teams rather than dropping deep, surrendering possession and waiting for a few opportunities to play on the counter.


8.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 18:57:09
Dlib like I say its a fluid formation and at times it will be 433 especially in the transition and building from the back .
But I still think it will look like a 244 in the attavking 3rd.


9.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 19:26:37
We have struggled against anyone who presses. We simply need to bypass their press. Play it long and bring your midfield into it. Enter Ighalo.


10.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 21:13:33
Shan you should change your name to big Sam.


11.) 12 Aug 2020
12 Aug 2020 22:05:32
DLIB I could agree on that, but should they be learning that right now, when so close to the trophy?
Also, I'm not sure we can change our tactics so easily right now, since its still the same season and the same team. No changes were made, and there was no preseason and control matches to practice different things.
I do hope we will learn how to control the game against better opponents soon enough.


12.) 13 Aug 2020
13 Aug 2020 05:25:15
I will jred when you change yours to LvG cause you are now boring.


13.) 13 Aug 2020
13 Aug 2020 06:15:58
Diamond formation would really suit us for this game, as our full backs already are not great at attacking, they can stay behind.
A diamond of Matic sitting, McTominay/ Fred on one side, Pogba on the other and Bruno as CAM.

I would start Martial as my CF and the other could be any of Mata, Rashford or Greenwood.

With Mata, you can get the technical ability to unlock the teams, Rashford can play wide, and Greenwood is class.
Ighalo too coule be a decent option to start, to hold up the ball and be physical against a Spanish side, with Martial around him.

We 100% need 2 dms for this game one of which should not be pogba.


14.) 13 Aug 2020
13 Aug 2020 10:13:40
I would go 433, win the midfield battle with Matic, Pogba and Fred then have Rashford or Greenwood on the right and Martial on the left to stretch the defense and have Bruno playing as the false 9.


15.) 13 Aug 2020
13 Aug 2020 12:11:03
Imagine if Ole played Ighalo and went long ball the deacon of Shan, sure you would be saying what a great job he has done if he did that!


16.) 13 Aug 2020
13 Aug 2020 13:34:00
Rooney said fergie should have done it v Barcelona in 2 cl finals gds2.
Im not sure we need to against seville but there is no harm on occasion particularly when your tecnically inferior.


17.) 13 Aug 2020
13 Aug 2020 14:54:18
Absolutely GDS, why wouldn't I? That's called plan B if the original idea isn't working. We have lacked that plan B and have struggled when teams haven't allowed us to play out from the back. There have been times when you could play it long and defeat the press. That is what irks me that Ole doesn't have that in game management where we can switch when one thing isn't working. I bet we will still play DeGea to Maguire to Williams back to Maguire for 90 minutes on Sunday and give it away.

Take it from me today, if we do have a tactical plan to beat their press and Ole shows that he can be flexible and not hellbent on playing one way, i would stand up and applaud and be the first to congratulate him on here come Sunday.