so this diamond formation then

Originally Posted by Alan

Not sure why you think he's overweight. Didn't look it when he played in the league cup. He certainly won't get fit sitting on the bench.

he'll get fit training ffs, not playing.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

anyway, as I said earlier, the biggest reason United are predictable on the flanks is because they are predictable through the centre.

Well that, and the fact that our right winger/midfielder does the same thing over and over and over.

Originally Posted by Alan

Not sure why you think he's overweight.

They're called eyes.

Originally Posted by utd99

Well that, and the fact that our right winger/midfielder does the same thing over and over and over.

no he doesn't.

when he gets the ball early enough and in the right areas he is devastating

when he gets the ball after a period of librium space invaders and the inevitable bobble off the strikers shins in link-up routine then he becomes part of the same process

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

okay jemmy wemmy

where's the one with Rooney as a deep-lying ahem playmaker

ugh.... you're so stupid.

in all of those he had a free role. in fact, two of them were like totally fluid systems.

we're as different as two different peas in a pod.

Originally Posted by utd99

They're called eyes.

Assumed Alan was joking

Like borsers said, there's being fit and there's being match fit. Anderson needs to deal with the former before he should have the opportunity to get to the latter.

Just hope we're not paying his wages whilst he's such a fat @#%&! but alas, I suspect we are.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

no he doesn't.

when he gets the ball early enough and in the right areas he is devastating

when he gets the ball after a period of librium space invaders and the inevitable bobble off the strikers shins in link-up routine then he becomes part of the same process

Then we must be watching a different player. The Valencia I'm talking about clearly likes to receive the ball very wide, usually 25-35 yards out on the right, where he then proceeds to advance it very slowly towards the box, standing the full back up, before either using his acceleration to the byline or knocking it inside/backwards. He has no left foot, hence his ability to cut inside and either shoot or cross is severely hampered and little imagination beyond hard crosses to generalized areas. At least that's what I see.

If I'm wrong, can you tell me the last time Valencia cut inside the full back to shoot with his left or made a run beyond the defender to create penetration with an off the ball run?

Tony V is strong, fast and athletic, which makes him productive in certain circumstances, but his inability to change his approach when adaptation is required is virtually non existant. Part of being a successful wide player is the ability to do the unexpected, to keep full backs and the defence in general on their toes and thus off balance. I just don't see that in his play, and his indecisiveness seems to be becoming chronic, as typified by the move against Liverpool which led to the penalty.