What one player would improve the team?

Originally Posted by Coracao

I think one of our strengths in recent years has been our ability to adapt to different formations. Not sure this will be something that Fergie will look to discard.

This

Originally Posted by The Watcher

If we're talking about realistic targets, then I think Niko Kranjcar is worth considering. Quality footballer, good age and not getting games at Spurs.

Originally Posted by The Watcher

I think a decision has to be made on what sort of shape we're going to play with before any midfield purchases (yea right ) are made. The (decent) ones we have and the most obviously available almost all work better in the 3. However, Berbatov is pretty shite up front on his own. Now there's talk of him getting a contract extension, so you have to wonder what direction we'll be taking. As it is, our current midfield options simply don't complement our best striker particularly well.

fabregas as scholseys replacement

or

if going for realistic suggestions

ashley young as giggsys replacement

Originally Posted by Coracao

I think you'd be placing a huge amount of work on the other player in the formation. May be less of a problem if you have a peak Roy Keane, unfortunately we don't. Neither does anyone else though tbf.

think the main idea is a total football midfield that quickly and seamlessly moves in and out of a 6. anderson's defensive abilities, fletcher's attacking abilities and gibson's abilities all hinder this currently imo.

anyway, if we can only sign one player to improve things right now then for me he'd be a donadoni, or another giggs, or a maldini. failing that, then schweinsteiger. so schweinsteiger then.

gibson's abilities

what you did there, i see it

nuri sahin could be one to watch for the CM. he plays pretty much in a 2 in a 4-2-3-1, but still gets a few goals and assists for himself

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Daniele De Rossi. Top class all round central midfielder, can tackle, pass, score the odd goal. Could build our midfield around him.

.

Our needs = Keeper>midfielder.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

sneijeder could work well in a diamond for us though, with shweinsteiger in there as well

sneijder could also work well when ferguson sets out to try and keep a back two (or three), with the full-back(s) pushed right on.

The diamond is something I've thought about, but it goes against the United philosophy of playing with great, expressive wingers.

The reason I like the idea though is that it would allow our two best strikers to play together, and Anderson to play in his most effective role as an attacking midfielder. The problem is we don't have anyone good enough to play the holding role. Hargreaves would have been perfect, as would Schweinsteiger, but both are about as unlikely to play for us as Rafael Benitez is of ever making a rational, astute tactical decision.

The diamond also demands for the wider midfielders to chip in and do a lot of defensive work to provide cover in central midfield, and whilst Park and Valencia would be more than capable of doing this, I think it would end up restricting Nani quite a bit, and he is one of our most important attacking threats whose ability shouldn't be compromised too much.

Its a conundrum that's tricky to solve but Fergie is the best man to work it out. Maybe the answer to the problem with central midfield could be staring us right in the face though? All this talk linking us with Ashley Young makes me think that Fergie might be planning on deploying Valencia more centrally when he comes back, similar to where he plays for Ecuador. Young and Nani on the flanks, with Valencia in the centre might be a possibility.

Originally Posted by Lok

Our needs = Keeper>midfielder.

Keeper + midfielder > anything else.

Originally Posted by Neo

The diamond is something I've thought about, but it goes against the United philosophy of playing with great, expressive wingers.

The reason I like the idea though is that it would allow our two best strikers to play together, and Anderson to play in his most effective role as an attacking midfielder. The problem is we don't have anyone good enough to play the holding role. Hargreaves would have been perfect, as would Schweinsteiger, but both are about as unlikely to play for us as Rafael Benitez is of ever making a rational, astute tactical decision.

The diamond also demands for the wider midfielders to chip in and do a lot of defensive work to provide cover in central midfield, and whilst Park and Valencia would be more than capable of doing this, I think it would end up restricting Nani quite a bit, and he is one of our most important attacking threats whose ability shouldn't be compromised too much.

Its a conundrum that's tricky to solve but Fergie is the best man to work it out. Maybe the answer to the problem with central midfield could be staring us right in the face though? All this talk linking us with Ashley Young makes me think that Fergie might be planning on deploying Valencia more centrally when he comes back, similar to where he plays for Ecuador. Young and Nani on the flanks, with Valencia in the centre might be a possibility.

carrick is perfectly capable of screening the defence and passing the ball out from the back. the problem with that is seen by his weakness when charged with dropping into the back line. people rarely present united's tactical formation as anything other than 4 at the back. the reality is that much of the time in any given match we are 3 or even 2 at the back. back in the day, when ferguson was widely criticised for his tactics, he would sometimes use his full-backs pushed right on and would %@#$&! them for dropping back into a 4. the diamond was also used with limited success when we had cruyff and/or poborsky in the side. seem to recall fenerbahce away 2-0 as being a good example (with beckham and cruyff). ferguson's use of quinton fortune as a strangely narrow left-back bombing on to inside left in the middle of the last decade was also a good indication of his tactical thinking, not that fortune was the best man for the job. valencia is well capable of either starting through or moving in off the flank as you say. there are few box-to-boxers being used because the problems created when it breaks down are a risk too easily punished without the rest of the side making the adjustment. it's far safer to start with the adjustment and to spring players forward from 5 or 6. tactical variation is key. the diamond - or a bastardised version of it - is something to move in and out of when the opposition is vulnerable to it, and the full-backs make it work. i'm not saying we should use it as standard, just that we do drop in and out of it sometimes if you look closely. all this tactical stuff is only about dictating the tempo and flow of a game. actually scoring goals for united is still largely going to be about route one, third man runs and setting up inside first to get it out to the flanks for crosses.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

carrick is perfectly capable of screening the defence and passing the ball out from the back. the problem with that is seen by his weakness when charged with dropping into the back line. people rarely present united's tactical formation as anything other than 4 at the back. the reality is that much of the time in any given match we are 3 or even 2 at the back. back in the day, when ferguson was widely criticised for his tactics, he would sometimes use his full-backs pushed right on and would %@#$&! them for dropping back into a 4. the diamond was also used with limited success when we had cruyff and/or poborsky in the side. seem to recall fenerbahce away 2-0 as being a good example (with beckham and cruyff). ferguson's use of quinton fortune as a strangely narrow left-back bombing on to inside left in the middle of the last decade was also a good indication of his tactical thinking, not that fortune was the best man for the job. valencia is well capable of either starting through or moving in off the flank as you say. there are few box-to-boxers being used because the problems created when it breaks down are a risk too easily punished without the rest of the side making the adjustment. it's far safer to start with the adjustment and to spring players forward from 5 or 6. tactical variation is key. the diamond - or a bastardised version of it - is something to move in and out of when the opposition is vulnerable to it, and the full-backs make it work. i'm not saying we should use it as standard, just that we do drop in and out of it sometimes if you look closely. all this tactical stuff is only about dictating the tempo and flow of a game. actually scoring goals for united is still largely going to be about route one, third man runs and setting up inside first to get it out to the flanks for crosses.

You boring, boring @#%&!.

You think by posting sheer volumes of drivel makes you look like a football sage. Most of what you post it shite and the majority of the forum thinks it. I don't know why you bother.

Such as this absolute bullshit:

"when ferguson was widely criticised for his tactics, he would sometimes use his full-backs pushed right on and would %@#$&! them for dropping back into a 4"

Any evidence behind this? No? Thought not.

Get a life.

Originally Posted by koppas

You boring, boring @#%&!.

You think by posting sheer volumes of drivel makes you look like a football sage. Most of what you post it shite and the majority of the forum thinks it. I don't know why you bother.

Such as this absolute bullshit:

"when ferguson was widely criticised for his tactics, he would sometimes use his full-backs pushed right on and would %@#$&! them for dropping back into a 4"

Any evidence behind this? No? Thought not.

Get a life.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

daniele de rossi. Top class all round central midfielder, can tackle, pass, score the odd goal. Could build our midfield around him.

what he said.

Originally Posted by Jack Duckworth

must admit i didn't wonder what his post said, but anyway... since you've repeated it...

£#%&! off koppas you #@&%!. if you aren't interested then why read it let alone comment on it you boring boring @#%&!

as for you trying to rubbish it? don't make me laugh.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

must admit i didn't wonder what his post said, but anyway... since you've repeated it...

£#%&! off koppas you #@&%!. if you aren't interested then why read it let alone comment on it you boring boring @#%&!

as for you trying to rubbish it? don't make me laugh.

Originally Posted by dodger

modric would get dogs abuse in our side, lieghtweight, lazy etc. Sniejder would be the one for us.

Marek Hamsik.

A realistic target in the summer imho.

(would take Modders or De Rossi in a heartbeat too)

Originally Posted by magic_cantona

Marek Hamsik.

A realistic target in the summer imho.

(would take Modders or De Rossi in a heartbeat too)

Yeah he's good but if (quite likely) Napoli get Champs League football I reckon he might hang about there for another year.

I don't think Hamsik is good enough for United.