Three formations Manchester United would thrive in

Formation 4-4-2

De Gea; Wan Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Telles; Pogba, Matic; Bruno, Rashford; Cavani, Martial

It would be a return to the old – with a modern twist. Kind of like the reboots Hollywood continually does these days now that they are out of ideas. Solskjaer may have gotten to that point. Getting back to basics is important. A flat 4-4-2 formation is often considered the easiest formation to defend in.

When it is well drilled, it can be so difficult to play through – Atletico Madrid under Simeone is more than a testament to that fact. The problem can become that its flatness mean that the depth needed to break teams is not there and the passing lanes are too straight.

This is where the modern shift comes in – as Ancelotti employed with Real Madrid in 13/14 or Deschamps with France during World Cup 2018. In possession, one of the wide men would tuck in, Di Maria as the most advanced 8 and Matuidi as the B2B option respectively.

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Even better, there is a genuine partnership up top. Two men playing parallel who can work off each other. Someone like Edinson Cavani, at the age he is, halving the work he has to do by confining him to one part of the pitch means you can get more out of him than as a no.9 having to work two or more CBs.

Cavani is incredible in the air and majestic movement isn’t reliant on the incessant intensity he pounds the pitch with. The most important thing off the ball is that one of them continually blocks passing lanes into midfield while the other presses the CB on their side when he has the ball.

The big worry is that it frees up the spaces in between the lines and although that will make players want to run into that space but when we are without the ball, it is about blocking passes and positioning yourself well for shadow pressing rather than filling the space.

Will Pogba and Matic be up to doing this for 90 minutes on a weekly basis? WIll the team be able to shift effectively from one side to the other? A good team circulating it properly and us not keeping a tight knit structure may leave us as open as we already are.

What is your preferred formation for us to play? 3-4-1-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2 or maybe a different suggestion? Comment below and why to start the discussion!