Our formation then boys

Need more solidity for big games? No problem:

De Gea

Rafael Jones..... Rojo Shaw
Carrick
Vidal.............Hererra

Januzaj .......Rooney......Di Maria

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

Yeah, I have read a few articles championing it. He did well for Madrid there last season. It will be interesting where he plays him. The way he's been talking about wanting a top level winger suggests he will use him from a starting wide position with freedom I presume.

Even with this signing and a £200 mill spend Utd still have a very mismatched squad, a lot of talent who do not really fit together. Mata, Van Persie and Rooney as a front 3 sums this up. 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2, in whatever system that issue will still be the foremost problem

DDG
Jones
Evans
Rojo

Valencia
Carrick
Herrera
Di Maria
Shaw

Rooney
Van Persie

Still a team with a lack of pace, 2 wing backs who have to learn the role and topped off with a front pair who do not work.

4-3-3

DDG
Rafael
Jones
Evans
Shaw
Carrick
Herrera
Kagawa
Januzaj
Rooney/Van persie
Di Maria

Prefer that set up, much more mobile, natural width, 2 attacking full backs, quick movement of the ball in midfield, Kagawa behind the main striker. Still have issues at the back and lacking power in midfield though.

Originally Posted by Tiberian

Even with this signing and a £200 mill spend Utd still have a very mismatched squad, a lot of talent who do not really fit together. Mata, Van Persie and Rooney as a front 3 sums this up. 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2, in whatever system that issue will still be the foremost problem

DDG
Jones
Evans
Rojo

Valencia
Carrick
Herrera
Di Maria
Shaw

Rooney
Van Persie

Still a team with a lack of pace, 2 wing backs who have to learn the role and topped off with a front pair who do not work.

4-3-3

DDG
Rafael
Jones
Evans
Shaw
Carrick
Herrera
Kagawa
Januzaj
Rooney/Van persie
Di Maria

Prefer that set up, much more mobile, natural width, 2 attacking full backs, quick movement of the ball in midfield, Kagawa behind the main striker. Still have issues at the back and lacking power in midfield though.

Agreed, but you have forgotten one small thing....

Vidal.

Originally Posted by Tiberian

Even with this signing and a £200 mill spend Utd still have a very mismatched squad, a lot of talent who do not really fit together. Mata, Van Persie and Rooney as a front 3 sums this up. 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2, in whatever system that issue will still be the foremost problem

DDG
Jones
Evans
Rojo

Valencia
Carrick
Herrera
Di Maria
Shaw

Rooney
Van Persie

Still a team with a lack of pace, 2 wing backs who have to learn the role and topped off with a front pair who do not work.

4-3-3

DDG
Rafael
Jones
Evans
Shaw
Carrick
Herrera
Kagawa
Januzaj
Rooney/Van persie
Di Maria

Prefer that set up, much more mobile, natural width, 2 attacking full backs, quick movement of the ball in midfield, Kagawa behind the main striker. Still have issues at the back and lacking power in midfield though.

I got round that issue by dropping all 3 (#74)

Kagawa seems to be offski to me, sadly

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

I got round that issue by dropping all 3 (#74)

Kagawa seems to be offski to me, sadly

Terrible waste, but it looked inevitable from the moment Fergie signed Van Persie. He opened the door for him a little towards the end of that season when he dropped Rooney and played Kagawa off Van Persie, looked as if he had quickly come to the conclusion that the 2 main strikers as a pair did not work. Prepared the fan-base for selling Rooney, Moyes would have had a free pass on that issue. Moyes buys Mata 6 months later with the exact same problem inevitable.

I would be happy to see Utd start with a front 6 of Carrick-Herrera-Kagawa-Januzaj-Di Maria-Welbeck, pace, movement, pressing from the front, the threat of the counter. The Rooney issue has been building over the last 2 years, as you have said a team has to change the attacking focus at some point, stay too long with the same set up and staleness is inevitable, Rooney thumping 60 yard cross field passes to Valencia sums this up.

Originally Posted by Tiberian

Terrible waste, but it looked inevitable from the moment Fergie signed Van Persie. He opened the door for him a little towards the end of that season when he dropped Rooney and played Kagawa off Van Persie, looked as if he had quickly come to the conclusion that the 2 main strikers as a pair did not work. Prepared the fan-base for selling Rooney, Moyes would have had a free pass on that issue. Moyes buys Mata 6 months later with the exact same problem inevitable.

I would be happy to see Utd start with a front 6 of Carrick-Herrera-Kagawa-Januzaj-Di Maria-Welbeck, pace, movement, pressing from the front, the threat of the counter. The Rooney issue has been building over the last 2 years, as you have said a team has to change the attacking focus at some point, stay too long with the same set up and staleness is inevitable, Rooney thumping 60 yard cross field passes to Valencia sums this up.

yup

also worth saying that a natural progression within that 6 is easily achievable - should be able to keep the same pattern and improve it with a better (younger) player than Carrick at dropping in to make a 3 (or sweeping), a more prolific striker than Welbeck slotting in and running the front etc

with the current lot, especially because of the Rooney issue, all options involve indulging him or ripping it up and doing something different - with much of the wasted money these past few seasons being directly linked to falling between the two

Originally Posted by Tiberian

Even with this signing and a £200 mill spend Utd still have a very mismatched squad, a lot of talent who do not really fit together. Mata, Van Persie and Rooney as a front 3 sums this up. 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2, in whatever system that issue will still be the foremost problem

DDG
Jones
Evans
Rojo

Valencia
Carrick
Herrera
Di Maria
Shaw

Rooney
Van Persie

Still a team with a lack of pace, 2 wing backs who have to learn the role and topped off with a front pair who do not work.

4-3-3

DDG
Rafael
Jones
Evans
Shaw
Carrick
Herrera
Kagawa
Januzaj
Rooney/Van persie
Di Maria

Prefer that set up, much more mobile, natural width, 2 attacking full backs, quick movement of the ball in midfield, Kagawa behind the main striker. Still have issues at the back and lacking power in midfield though.

Think Neo first mentioned it on here, but with complete control over transfers he could be planning to go for his old Ajax system, with a back three and wingers. Get Di Maria, Adnan and two forwards in the same side



Build your United

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Think Neo first mentioned it on here, but with complete control over transfers he could be planning to go for his old Ajax system, with a back three and wingers. Get Di Maria, Adnan and two forwards in the same side



Build your United

essentially you can do what you want if you have a top keeper, and proper defender flanked by two fast side backs, and a libero type to back them up


remember cruyff saying if he could he'd buy stam so that he could play with 9 attackers. wouldn't go that far, but that's the mindset

..................De Gea................
........Jones....Rojo....Shaw.......
..................Carrick................
..........Vidal.........Herrera........
.Januzaj........Mata......Di Maria.
...........Rooney/van Persie.......

Or two strikers.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

essentially you can do what you want if you have a top keeper, and proper defender flanked by two fast side backs, and a libero type to back them up


remember cruyff saying if he could he'd buy stam so that he could play with 9 attackers. wouldn't go that far, but that's the mindset

Seriously can't wait for this shit

Scholes needs to have a word if he thinks it's 3-5-2 - he'd know full well if he came on here that it's actually 2-1-4-2-1 or some shit like that

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/f...d-9695599.html

Worth a read....

The comedians were out in force on Wednesday. Images of Angel di Maria as a startled Dobby, the house elf in the Harry Potter films; of him looking distraught, already pleading for escape; of his former team-mates at Real Madrid mocking his fate; of Louis van Gaal as a grinning David Moyes in disguise.

Nothing, however, was as comically far-fetched as the truth. Asked where Di Maria would play in his much-vaunted Dutch school, Van Gaal appeared uncommonly hesitant. ‘The process needs time,’ he said. ‘We shall see whether with Di Maria we have to change the system or not.’

The conclusion? There was no grand plan after all, no long-term vision. Di Maria is £60million-worth of opportunism; a Juan Mata upgrade. He may fit straight in, he may require Van Gaal to throw the magnetic counters pots up in the air. It really is a quite astonishing admission.

Di Maria was a magnificent player for Real Madrid last season and may be for Manchester United, too — but what he is not is a square peg in a square hole.

His signing is further evidence of a club thrashing around frantically as it seeks to recover its place among the elite. United have shown, once again, that they are a big club financially but little beyond the size of the cheques impresses right now.

What the fans wanted to hear was that their coach had coveted Di Maria all summer, knew exactly where he would play and how he would link with his expensively- recruited team-mates. What they are getting is another transfer high on hope.

Van Gaal says Di Maria can play wide or inside but is not ruling out abandoning three at the back as a result.

For one so single-minded this would represent a remarkable U-turn. Van Gaal has made 3-5-2 his trademark at Old Trafford and has spent the summer insisting on its implementation throughout the club. It is impossible, then, to view this latest acquisition as anything less than panic if it necessitates a rethink.

Manchester United have been poor under him so far, but even if his players are struggling to adapt, at least it could be said he knows what he wants. Not any more.

If United can change for Di Maria, maybe they should have changed for some of the lesser names that have been left so exposed in the early weeks of the season. The defenders are not good enough, but Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett may have looked a little more assured had they not been playing in an unfamiliar system.

Ashley Young, too. He has been given a left wing-back role that looks as familiar to him as the flight controls of a Boeing 787. Clearly, the well-being of Di Maria, a player costing £60m plus £200,000-a-week in wages, will be of more concern to the manager than the comfort of a team-mate who might not even be at the club beyond September 1.

Yet if Manchester United’s players had been more comfortable in their skin going into this season, perhaps their first three games would not have been so dismal. Certainly, Van Gaal’s decisions may face greater scrutiny now he has suggested he is ready to be flexible. Until this point, it was presumed United’s manager was not for turning. Now we are not so sure.

Maybe Van Gaal is increasingly convinced that his players are not technically gifted enough to switch to a back three. It would be a painful indictment of English football were that the case.

Equally worrying is the suspicion that Di Maria is another Mata: a marquee signing that would make perfect sense as the last piece in a jigsaw, less so at a time when United’s biggest problems are plainly elsewhere. This is a supposed elite club that has kept a clean sheet on two occasions since March and looks vulnerable no matter the standard of the opposition.

United’s weaknesses have not changed in close to a year now, yet only last January the club spent close to £40m on Mata, whose best position is the one already occupied by Wayne Rooney. Mata was a prolific goalscorer at Chelsea but Jose Mourinho saw him as more of an individual than a team player.

It is interesting that Van Gaal says the opposite of Di Maria. Might Mata be the one to make way for the Argentinian? And what would this say of the coherence of United’s transfer policy? Nothing that we did not already know, sadly.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz3BgG21EFq

no-one worth listening to has ever said that van gaal is always going to play 3-5-2

everyone has said all along that it's not his usual system and that at some point sooner rather than later he will begin to vary the tactics

basically the premise of the article is complete and utter bullshit regardless of any actual fair points the article itself may or may not touch upon in passing.

Originally Posted by ashtonred

Worth a read....

What a load of old shit that was.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

What a load of old shit that was.

Indeed. Time wasted.

Originally Posted by ashtonred

Worth a read....

The comedians were out in force on Wednesday. Images of Angel di Maria as a startled Dobby, the house elf in the Harry Potter films; of him looking distraught, already pleading for escape; of his former team-mates at Real Madrid mocking his fate; of Louis van Gaal as a grinning David Moyes in disguise.

Nothing, however, was as comically far-fetched as the truth. Asked where Di Maria would play in his much-vaunted Dutch school, Van Gaal appeared uncommonly hesitant. ‘The process needs time,’ he said. ‘We shall see whether with Di Maria we have to change the system or not.’

The conclusion? There was no grand plan after all, no long-term vision. Di Maria is £60million-worth of opportunism; a Juan Mata upgrade. He may fit straight in, he may require Van Gaal to throw the magnetic counters pots up in the air. It really is a quite astonishing admission.

Di Maria was a magnificent player for Real Madrid last season and may be for Manchester United, too — but what he is not is a square peg in a square hole.

His signing is further evidence of a club thrashing around frantically as it seeks to recover its place among the elite. United have shown, once again, that they are a big club financially but little beyond the size of the cheques impresses right now.

What the fans wanted to hear was that their coach had coveted Di Maria all summer, knew exactly where he would play and how he would link with his expensively- recruited team-mates. What they are getting is another transfer high on hope.

Van Gaal says Di Maria can play wide or inside but is not ruling out abandoning three at the back as a result.

For one so single-minded this would represent a remarkable U-turn. Van Gaal has made 3-5-2 his trademark at Old Trafford and has spent the summer insisting on its implementation throughout the club. It is impossible, then, to view this latest acquisition as anything less than panic if it necessitates a rethink.

Manchester United have been poor under him so far, but even if his players are struggling to adapt, at least it could be said he knows what he wants. Not any more.

If United can change for Di Maria, maybe they should have changed for some of the lesser names that have been left so exposed in the early weeks of the season. The defenders are not good enough, but Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett may have looked a little more assured had they not been playing in an unfamiliar system.

Ashley Young, too. He has been given a left wing-back role that looks as familiar to him as the flight controls of a Boeing 787. Clearly, the well-being of Di Maria, a player costing £60m plus £200,000-a-week in wages, will be of more concern to the manager than the comfort of a team-mate who might not even be at the club beyond September 1.

Yet if Manchester United’s players had been more comfortable in their skin going into this season, perhaps their first three games would not have been so dismal. Certainly, Van Gaal’s decisions may face greater scrutiny now he has suggested he is ready to be flexible. Until this point, it was presumed United’s manager was not for turning. Now we are not so sure.

Maybe Van Gaal is increasingly convinced that his players are not technically gifted enough to switch to a back three. It would be a painful indictment of English football were that the case.

Equally worrying is the suspicion that Di Maria is another Mata: a marquee signing that would make perfect sense as the last piece in a jigsaw, less so at a time when United’s biggest problems are plainly elsewhere. This is a supposed elite club that has kept a clean sheet on two occasions since March and looks vulnerable no matter the standard of the opposition.

United’s weaknesses have not changed in close to a year now, yet only last January the club spent close to £40m on Mata, whose best position is the one already occupied by Wayne Rooney. Mata was a prolific goalscorer at Chelsea but Jose Mourinho saw him as more of an individual than a team player.

It is interesting that Van Gaal says the opposite of Di Maria. Might Mata be the one to make way for the Argentinian? And what would this say of the coherence of United’s transfer policy? Nothing that we did not already know, sadly.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz3BgG21EFq

What a load of shit.

Originally Posted by ashtonred

Worth a read....

The comedians were out in force on Wednesday. Images of Angel di Maria as a startled Dobby, the house elf in the Harry Potter films; of him looking distraught, already pleading for escape; of his former team-mates at Real Madrid mocking his fate; of Louis van Gaal as a grinning David Moyes in disguise.

Nothing, however, was as comically far-fetched as the truth. Asked where Di Maria would play in his much-vaunted Dutch school, Van Gaal appeared uncommonly hesitant. ‘The process needs time,’ he said. ‘We shall see whether with Di Maria we have to change the system or not.’

The conclusion? There was no grand plan after all, no long-term vision. Di Maria is £60million-worth of opportunism; a Juan Mata upgrade. He may fit straight in, he may require Van Gaal to throw the magnetic counters pots up in the air. It really is a quite astonishing admission.

Di Maria was a magnificent player for Real Madrid last season and may be for Manchester United, too — but what he is not is a square peg in a square hole.

His signing is further evidence of a club thrashing around frantically as it seeks to recover its place among the elite. United have shown, once again, that they are a big club financially but little beyond the size of the cheques impresses right now.

What the fans wanted to hear was that their coach had coveted Di Maria all summer, knew exactly where he would play and how he would link with his expensively- recruited team-mates. What they are getting is another transfer high on hope.

Van Gaal says Di Maria can play wide or inside but is not ruling out abandoning three at the back as a result.

For one so single-minded this would represent a remarkable U-turn. Van Gaal has made 3-5-2 his trademark at Old Trafford and has spent the summer insisting on its implementation throughout the club. It is impossible, then, to view this latest acquisition as anything less than panic if it necessitates a rethink.

Manchester United have been poor under him so far, but even if his players are struggling to adapt, at least it could be said he knows what he wants. Not any more.

If United can change for Di Maria, maybe they should have changed for some of the lesser names that have been left so exposed in the early weeks of the season. The defenders are not good enough, but Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett may have looked a little more assured had they not been playing in an unfamiliar system.

Ashley Young, too. He has been given a left wing-back role that looks as familiar to him as the flight controls of a Boeing 787. Clearly, the well-being of Di Maria, a player costing £60m plus £200,000-a-week in wages, will be of more concern to the manager than the comfort of a team-mate who might not even be at the club beyond September 1.

Yet if Manchester United’s players had been more comfortable in their skin going into this season, perhaps their first three games would not have been so dismal. Certainly, Van Gaal’s decisions may face greater scrutiny now he has suggested he is ready to be flexible. Until this point, it was presumed United’s manager was not for turning. Now we are not so sure.

Maybe Van Gaal is increasingly convinced that his players are not technically gifted enough to switch to a back three. It would be a painful indictment of English football were that the case.

Equally worrying is the suspicion that Di Maria is another Mata: a marquee signing that would make perfect sense as the last piece in a jigsaw, less so at a time when United’s biggest problems are plainly elsewhere. This is a supposed elite club that has kept a clean sheet on two occasions since March and looks vulnerable no matter the standard of the opposition.

United’s weaknesses have not changed in close to a year now, yet only last January the club spent close to £40m on Mata, whose best position is the one already occupied by Wayne Rooney. Mata was a prolific goalscorer at Chelsea but Jose Mourinho saw him as more of an individual than a team player.

It is interesting that Van Gaal says the opposite of Di Maria. Might Mata be the one to make way for the Argentinian? And what would this say of the coherence of United’s transfer policy? Nothing that we did not already know, sadly.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz3BgG21EFq

Yeah I'm sure that fat slug would be saying the same things if the the club he loves to champion city had signed Di Maria

Originally Posted by ZiggyStardust

Yeah I'm sure that fat slug would be saying the same things if the the club he loves to champion city had signed Di Maria

Remember when they signed Robinho.

"This is statement..blah blah blah." press £#%&!ery.

It's open season on us at the minute and unlike last time they haven't got their matey mate David Moyes in charge so they won't hold back.

Martin Samuel is a festering mound of shit.

Originally Posted by witter87

What a load of shit.

This. Worth a read about as much as the Tameside £#%&!ing Advertiser.