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Manchester United's midfield issues were the talking point of every pundit's discussion during last season. The summer transfer window was seen by many as a chance to fix those.
Manchester United had a superb summer transfer window, bringing in some of the brightest (Jadon Sancho) and proven (Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo) names in world football.
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But something still looks missing. Despite all their attacking options, midfield remains a problem that needs to be solved.
When the transfer window opened, the need for a defensive midfielder was thought of as an integral piece of the rebuilding jigsaw. But now, with the transfer window shut and no new defensive midfielder signed, Solskajer has a potential midfield puzzle to solve.
If left unsolved it could damage Manchester United's chances of achieving silverware this season.
So how does Solskajer fix Manchester United's midfield puzzle? The answer may lie within his squad, along with some tactical tweaks.
Perhaps one of the ways below is how Solskajer can address the midfield imbalance.
1.The complex way; the midfield magic square
The biggest problem for Solskajer at Manchester United is that he has plenty of midfielders. But none of them except the 33-year old Matic is truly a holding or defensive midfielder.
Most of them are either box to box (Van de Beek, Scott McTominay, Fred) or attacking midfielders (Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata). So there is no way to play with one holding midfielder.
Solskajer can take a leaf out of France's 1984 European Championship winning side's formula. They used the attacking flair of Michel Platini and Alain Giresse. They put it in combination with the defensive shield provided by Luis Fernandez and Jean Tiagana in a square formation to dominate and win games.
Solskajer can replicate the same setup by using Bruno and Pogba as attacking inward forwards to support Ronaldo and Greenwood. He can then use his favored double pivot of Fred and McTominay for defensive cover.
The full-backs provide the required width; Dalot replaces AWB as the right-back due to his superior attacking abilities. And with a bench full of attacking talents such as Sancho, Cavani, Rashford, and Martial to call upon, Solskajer has the necessary game-changers to call upon.
2.The midfield positional tweak
Along with the midfield imbalance, the long-term issue of Pogba's best position at Manchester United is something Solskajer needs to address this season.
Pogba possesses skill and flair but lacks the discipline to command a midfield two and boss games. This often leads to United's tempo dropping and being unable to force the issue.
The most recent example was the game against the Wolves at Molineaux. The hosts were running riot. United's midfield of Fred and Pogba were getting hammered. They stayed in the game only thanks to the hosts' sloppy finishing and their super goalkeeper DeGea.
Solskajer has even tried putting Pogba on the left wing, though not a long-term solution. It required him to drop one of the forwards and play Mc-Fred as a defensive double-pivot lacking creativity and drive.
Solskajer should revisit the tweaks he made in last season's 3-1 win against Spurs. Pogba played as No.10 and Bruno played as a No.8, as United ran riot. They dismantled Spurs in a devastating second-half display to win after trailing 1-0 at halftime.
Playing Bruno deeper may offset his goal-getting chances, though it benefits the team as a whole. This allows Pogba to assert his influence and allows Bruno to control the midfield from a slightly withdrawn position.
From a defensive standpoint, this would suit Bruno as he has the knack of dropping deep into midfield to break up play and start counterattacks.
Bruno has experience playing in a traditional 4-4-2 midfield for Portugal, where he often plays as a central midfielder. This will come in handy if used in a slightly deeper role to ease out Man Utd's midfield woes.
3. Midfield double pivot with changes
Solskajer would like to be set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with McTominay and Fred as midfield pivots. Here is where the problems begin: their partnership is effective in providing stability.
They lack individual influence and control. Moreover, their inability to score goals and open up tight defenses leads to a painful overall attacking output for Manchester United.
The problem doesn't end here. Solskajer cannot afford to play Pogba in midfield two, and neither Fred nor McTominay provide a cutting edge.
The alternative for Solskajer is to use Donny as one of the two holding midfielders and use Pogba on the left wing. He can rotate him with other forwards such as Rashford, Sancho and Martial.
Donny's presence will provide United's midfield with much-needed dynamism, something which it currently lacks. Apart from all this, Donny will bring a keen eye for goals. This will add another dimension to Manchester United's attack and a much-required goal threat from midfield.
Solskajer's lack of use of Donny has led to widespread criticism, and it could continue. It may cost Solskajer his position if he still ignores him and United struggle to control and finish games off.
Manchester United have pretty much everything required to win silverware this season. Only their midfield woes can seriously undermine their season if their manager cannot find a way to overcome this imbalance.
