well wasn't that more out of necessity than choice last season? Rooney was the only striker firing, Owen was crocked and Berba was underperforming... Maybe in the bigger games against Arsenal, Chelsea, City, Spurs, Liverpool he'll play one striker, but I imagine now you have Hernandez and Owen back to fitness he'll play two strikers against most of the other teams?
** Official ** Summer 2010 Transfer Thread - Signings, Sightings and Rumor's in Here
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Caporegime
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nah i would not have thought so.
because our centre midfield pairings are so deficient its just not possible, regardless of how much percieved firepower we have up top.
the days of 442 were Dwight and Cole...those days are 10 years ago.
because our centre midfield pairings are so deficient its just not possible, regardless of how much percieved firepower we have up top.
the days of 442 were Dwight and Cole...those days are 10 years ago.
Utd need central creativity desperately imo - rather than 9/10 relying on the wingers to bomb forward and supply a goal or a good cross
We should be aiming for a 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 formation imo with Rooney or Hernandez/Macheda right up top, with Valencia and Nani on the wings (or Giggs / Park when Nani is being unproductive) and hopefully Ozil in the centre , and Fletcher + AN Other midfielder behind (lots of rumours of another German midfielder being chased by Utd as well as the Ghanian Annan)
There will be times when Utd need to play 4-4-2 in which case with a DM and creative midfielders in addition Utd would have a lot more options
Fergie will be forced into the market at least once, as I strongly believe he will have given up on Anderson after the car crash and with OH being unavailable for at least another few months - in the last year of his contract - the squad cant afford to carry two central midfielders who arent going to be used ......+ Cleverly is being loaned out somewhere, which would be unlikely if Utd werent preparing to TRY and buy someone at the very least
We should be aiming for a 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 formation imo with Rooney or Hernandez/Macheda right up top, with Valencia and Nani on the wings (or Giggs / Park when Nani is being unproductive) and hopefully Ozil in the centre , and Fletcher + AN Other midfielder behind (lots of rumours of another German midfielder being chased by Utd as well as the Ghanian Annan)
There will be times when Utd need to play 4-4-2 in which case with a DM and creative midfielders in addition Utd would have a lot more options
Fergie will be forced into the market at least once, as I strongly believe he will have given up on Anderson after the car crash and with OH being unavailable for at least another few months - in the last year of his contract - the squad cant afford to carry two central midfielders who arent going to be used ......+ Cleverly is being loaned out somewhere, which would be unlikely if Utd werent preparing to TRY and buy someone at the very least
I really do hope so. Our central midfield is shocking considering how well we do as a team. We havnt got a single world class central mid have we?
Then their is other German that Man Utd where liked with today along with Ozil. (http://bit.ly/bxbXv8)
Trochowski what is peoples views on him who is another Midfielder!
Trochowski what is peoples views on him who is another Midfielder!
Caporegime
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he's more of a breaker up'er than a creative force...like hargreaves basicallly.
we cant do 442 because we dont have keane+scholes
we have carrick, naff, fletcher, ok but he's not keane, and er... loads of other half decent players. we dont need half decent player who can only do half of the job, we need 2 great players who can both do a proper job.
until that happens we will have to stick to 3 central midfielders or get overrun.
we cant do 442 because we dont have keane+scholes
we have carrick, naff, fletcher, ok but he's not keane, and er... loads of other half decent players. we dont need half decent player who can only do half of the job, we need 2 great players who can both do a proper job.
until that happens we will have to stick to 3 central midfielders or get overrun.
To be honest it would very unlike fergie to go out and buy 2 players!
I could see him trying to bring in Ozil and if that doesn't come to anything he will go for Trochowski who would be the cheaper option it seems.
I just can't see him going for both!
I could see him trying to bring in Ozil and if that doesn't come to anything he will go for Trochowski who would be the cheaper option it seems.
I just can't see him going for both!
Not so much I disagree I just dont think we're in desperate need for one like you eluded to, people seem to just dismiss how close we came to winning the Premiership last season just like they dismiss how many defenders we had injured all at the same time which if things were different could have made the difference certainly in games like the one at Fulham
It was only our defence that let us down against Bayern also so who knows we could have quite conceivably got to the Champions League final without the injuries as well
Personally I dont think our attacking problem was creating chances last year it was that without Rooney we had no one to put them away, hopefully with Hernandez and a fit Owen we wont have that problem this year.
I think we have more than enough creativity with Nani, Valencia, Berbatov, Rooney, Fletcher, Scholes, Giggs & Carrick
I'm never going to not want us to sign attacking players though
Man Utd were close last season nobody is dismissing it, I just felt that for relatively large periods last season (especially before Valencia started playing well) that there was a heavy reliance on Rooney. There are several games I remember watching and thinking that the only difference between X and Man Utd was that Rooney was on fire. I'm not saying he can't have just as good/a better season this year but it's quite dangerous to rely on him as heavily, especially with expectations as high as they are at Man Utd.
You only need to take a look at RvP and Arsenal last season, he was amazing in the opening months and made the attack work. Then he got injured and that was it, Arsenal's attacking threat was noticeable less potent as soon as he went and subsequently the team suffered and the confidence that the team started with disappeared. It could happen to Man Utd this season and in that eventuality they'd probably struggle. But that's ok at Arsenal as nobody really expects them to win the league anyway
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Caporegime
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Was he the one that started instead of Muller and came on as a sub a few times, if so, he looked very average, he looked no where near as good as Muller, but then he was player of the tournament so that doesn't necessarily mean he was bad, just looked bad in comparison. Nothing about him screams out future best player in the world, but then neither do all players have to.
Also not sure why people think Ozil is a bargain, a half dozen clubs were in for Chamakh and thought 8mil to "clinch" the deal was worth it for a season.
Same goes for Ozil, remember, Real can afford 12mil, so can Utd, so if they'd both be in for him now, they can both be in for him next summer, except he's 12mil less next year for everyone involved.
Fact is if someone offers 12mil, theres basically not a single top 4 club in any top league that can't afford it, so putting in a 12mil bid won't stop the fight, in any way at all, its also really quite unclear how good he is. THe papers still keep saying he was fantastic at the world cup, in reality, it was one great game, one good game, several very very average games.
Just because he's on a free doesn't automatically mean Real and Barca will be in for him next season either, its daft so suggest so.
If you were Ozil, considered decent but not brilliant yet and not world class by any stretch of the imagination, Real, would you really sign for them. Who would he start ahead of exactly, Kaka, Ronaldo, and potentially several other people Mourinho might bring in? Barca, well they seem to be ousting anyone not Spanish for a start, and right now to get consistant games he'd need to be starting ahead of Alves, Messi, Pedro, Iniesta, and Villa if they go with their 80million ish Ibra in the middle and Villa on the left. I certainly wouldn't sign for Barca as any part of the front 3, I wouldn't sign for Real unless Kaka had another flop season and they sold him off.
If you're a CERTAIN starter, established and can get the same offer right now I'd choose Barca/Real for location, league, players, taxes. If you wouldn't start and would also likely get a lower wage(considering SPanish tax is going up to 43% is it?) Then I would prefer an English team and starting on a higher wage.
Ozil will probably be a fight out between several English clubs on a free next summer.
Boro should have taken it.
Soldato
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I have to say I'm feeling better and better about our chances this season- the addition of an Ozil-type would give us a great chance at both the PL and CL.
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Not convinced by our Champs League hopes tbh, unless Ozil comes in, Nani decides he can play football for more than once a year, and Rafael and J.Evans turn in to quality players
I think you are spot on with how far you have gone without doubt, but its worth considering
1) Valencia's 2nd season should at least start well - no need to get "used" to his team mates etc, there is the 2nd season syndrome to counter balance that though admittedly (but hopefully he will step on even further and totally outclass Nani on the other wing)
2) Hernandes is already looking really good - and Macheda was out majority of last season, so hopefully together these two can take some of the pressure off Rooney
I think there was a period in Oct/Nov last season where Rooney didnt score for ten games or something, its these periods where the midfield /any other striker really needs to show up, so that WR can get on with his game with less concern for the club
edit - Ive actually got a feeling SAF may buy two more experienced central players in the next few weeks - one as a DM cover for Fletcher - who while doing that role has always played further up the pitch rather than just infront of the back 4 - as well as a more creative player as a "replacement" for Anderson who just isnt working (I think he was on his last straw with the club before the recent car crash, whether his fault or not , he shouldnt have been there in the first place)
Chelsea have already strengthened and sounds like they will be adding further - undoubtedly City have, and sounds like Spurs and Arsenal are looking into some deals also (in fact Arsenal have already signed one or two players) - and with Scholes and Giggs being that much closer to retirement, Utd are looking a little threadbare in the middle with Hargreaves and Anderson both unlikely to play for the first few months at the very least.
SAF rarely buys more than 2 players at a time - but its not unheard of (Vidic and Evra in the same Jan window, and Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson in the same summer window) and as Smalling was bought in Jan of '10 officially, its only Hernandes who has actually been bought this summer so far
Not convinced by our Champs League hopes tbh, unless Ozil comes in, Nani decides he can play football for more than once a year, and Rafael and J.Evans turn in to quality players
Jonny Evans and Rafael are already quality players. Without JE we would undoubtedly have been 3rd or worse last season, and Rafael only needs more experience before he (and his brother) will be fantastic defenders / wing backs
edit - forgot about this constant "rumour" (if its even that cough high cough quality) about Diarra from Real
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Not convinced by our Champs League hopes tbh, unless Ozil comes in, Nani decides he can play football for more than once a year, and Rafael and J.Evans turn in to quality players
Rafael already is a quality player, yes he's naive defensively but name a 19 year old that isn't (okay so he's just turned 20). I cant think of another RB at his age (or there or thereabouts) that's as promising as him. For me Fabio is the one that has it all to prove definitely not Rafael
As for Evans, he'll never be considered to be one of the best in the world the same was Giggs has never been simply because of his country of origin but Evans is and will be a pretty good defender for us for the next 10 years or so IMO. I've seen nothing to think to the contrary.
Again people forget the battering we were giving Bayern last season and it was only the Rafael's inexperience and Rooney clearly not being fit that cost us that game - well hopefully with Hernandez, Owen and Macheda this season we wont rely on Rooney as much and Rafa will have learnt from the mistakes of last season only making him a better play (that's the theory anyway)
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