Mauricio Pochettino’s first job at Manchester United is the midfield pivot. United have conceded 19 goals while Lammens has been on the pitch for 900 league minutes, and the BBC’s Sami Mokbel reports a feeling inside the club that there was too little progress in team structure across the Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa games, when eight goals went in. A squad problem at Man Utd begins with who protects the back four, and right now the honest answer is almost nobody.

The squad Pochettino inherits, position by position

Minutes and expected involvements below are from official Fantasy Premier League data on 13 November. Status is the FPL injury flag.

Nobody sits in front of the back four

Ugarte hasn’t played a league minute this season and Baleba is out with a hamstring problem, with no return date. That leaves Mainoo and Tielemans. Pochettino describes his teams as ones that “always press high”, per the BBC’s tactical piece, and in our reading a high press leaves space behind the midfield, so the two players asked to cover it decide a lot.

Carrick tried to solve the same problem by sitting in a narrow 4-2-4 press, which the BBC’s Umir Irfan said worked until opponents worked it out. Pochettino has to settle on a partner for Mainoo fast, and the other fit option is Andrey Santos on 327 minutes. That’s thin.

The centre-backs are one injury from a crisis

Maguire has played 855 of a possible 900 league minutes. He’s the only United defender who has been a constant, and he’s a 75% doubt with his back, as our injury page has it. Martinez has 582 and Yoro 440. De Ligt has none.

If Maguire misses Anfield, Pochettino starts Yoro and Martinez against Liverpool’s front line with four days of training. Nobody would pick that pairing for Anfield if they had a choice.

Left-back is a patch job

Shaw has played 425 minutes and is out with an unspecified injury and no return date. Heaven and Dorgu have 419 between them. Dalot has 712, more than any United defender bar Maguire. Whichever of them plays left-back, it’s an improvisation, and Pochettino has to decide quickly whether his full-backs stay wide or tuck into midfield, the way the BBC’s Irfan described Robinson doing for the USA at the World Cup.

The strikers have barely played

Zirkzee and Šeško have 165 league minutes between them. Mbeumo (5.92 expected goal involvements) and Bruno Fernandes (6.11) lead the club on that measure, with Cunha on 2.79. With the goals coming from midfield and wide, Pochettino can live without a striker for now. It’s harder when Šeško’s shin, like Rashford’s hip, keeps a forward on the treatment table.

In 2014 Pochettino said his “philosophy is to give a freer style with a good organisation”, a line the BBC quotes in its tactical piece.

He faces Liverpool away on Sunday 22 November (4.30pm UK time), then Brentford at home on 28 November and Newcastle away on 2 December, the first stretch of the run he inherits. United are third bottom of the Premier League, per Mokbel’s BBC piece.