Please clarify? So Hummels and Vidal weren't United targets, what part will I be corrected about? That Di Maria upgraded your team more than Hummels would have? So replacing Mata with Di maria will improve your team more than replacing say Smalling or Jones with Hummels? Pull the other one....... They made decent signings of World Class players. But you are kidding yourself if you think this was LvG's plan. Hummels and Vidal were the initial targets for a reason. Because they would have improved your squad more than probably any other signings (unless you swapped Vidal with say Pogba, but that would never happen).
Falcao wasnt part of the plan, he only became available at the Last minute when his Madrid transfer fell through, and United had no idea Real would dump Di Maria either. They weren't part of LvG's initial plan, that much is clear. That was Hummels and Vidal
I'd say Herrera and Shaw probably weren't his either but he's no doubt happy to have them. Probably only Blind and Rojo were genuinely in his plans and probably only because the first choice signings fell through. Sometimes you get lucky with players becoming available at the right time and I think that happened with Di Maria and Falcao. Much as it did with Ozil for Arsenal last year. Madrid's transfer policy continues to baffle everyone!
Yeah but Falcao was in talks with everybody back in June, once Monaco made it clear they wanted rid, and he had decided on Real. Anyway, its not so much Falcao I am talking about, Who WOULDN'T want one of the best strikers in the world on loan for pittance, it was a no brainer. I aint really saying United have done anything wrong, just that, in my opinion, Signings Vidal, Hummels and Falcao (along with Herrera and Blind) would have made you title contenders. But imo, signing Di Maria, Rojo and Falcao (along with Herrera and Blind) makes you top 4 contenders for me.
Aye, Like I said, not anything wrong with it to be honest. The only point I was making was that if he had gotten his originally intended targets of Hummels and Vidal, I would have been fearful of United, well, if your guys manage to adapt to LvG's bizarre formations anyway
If we'd signed Vidal it wouldn't have made much difference as he's injured already. 3-5-2 isn't a bizarre formation.
Oi we're the new Arsenal (according to you last season) so get your own nickname You said you only go for trophies, as we know you dont get a cup for top 4
It is with your squad. I can see what he is trying to do by utilising your wingers, since you have decent wingers in Mata, Di maria and Januzaj, but it also relies on having at least one great defensive midfielder and 3 decent defenders who are spot on positionally at the back. Also, good luck getting Mata to track back on the wing to help out the back three if he is stuck on the wing in a 3-5-2.
In all fairness Drogs and Bodanki talks sense. As for 100 years of history, just a Wum of poor quiality
I think the system is being used as our attacking players are superior to our defensive players. It's why he used it with Holland in the World Cup. I'm surprised that people are surprised it hasn't been an overnight success! It's incredibly short sighted to say "nope, they've conceded 3 goals in 3 games, the system doesn't work, he needs to try something else!" It's not a f**ing computer game! I don't think he'd pick Mata as a wing back, he hasn't done so in a single game so far. Not sure where you got that one from or why you referred to him as a winger at all.
It will take some time for them to get used to it. But I personally wouldnt have tried it in the first 3 games with all the injuries you had. A back 3 of Blackett, Smalling and Lindegard (sp?) was asking for trouble. Depends where you play Mata to be honest. I have noticed a lot of you having him in a deeper role in your formations, but as far as I know, he has never played in that position for anyone. If he is going in the middle it should be at No.10 behind the strikers, which is where you play Rooney. If you stick him on the wing in the 5 of a 3-5-2, then he will surely be expected to track back at times to help out the back 3, which, as Jose realised, is a totally alien concept to him, and is why he was sold. Since Jose has this thing where you play as a team, you defend as a team. If a player is purely an attacker, Jose gets his panties in a bunch and **** cans them. Just his way, always has been.
Lingard played as a wing back not a centre back. It's the system he wants to try and implement, no point putting it off and if anything he had 3 "easy" games to try and imbed it. It would be madness to stick to the old system and then give the new one a whirl against City! He may of course have had a rethink over the international break and after he'd concluded his transfer business. Mata should only really play as a 10, which is where he's been playing since LVG took over. It's a squad game, not every player plays in every match.
Just a difference of approach between me and LvG then I guess. Not that I am claiming to have half the footie knowledge he has, but I personally wouldn't gone to 3-5-2 in the easy games with all the injuries you had, I would have made sure I got the 3 points early on to: a) Not fall behind the pack so early in the league b) Give the squad confidence after a ****ty season last time c) Take the early pressure off myself as a new manager by getting a few good results early on. Then would have implemented it in the first easy home fixture after the return of the injured players and the arrival of Rojo.
Which injured players should he have been waiting for? And how long should he wait? By the way, I maintain that our defensive deficiencies have been overstated and our front players have somehow dodged a lot of criticism. Against Swansea we had 59% possession and 14 shots on goal with only 5 on target. They had 5 shots on goal, 4 on target. Our strikers failed to put the ball in the back of the net often enough whereas Swansea's didn't! Against Sunderland we had 55% possession and put the ball in the net once. 10 shots on goal, 3 on target. Not good enough. Against Burnley we had 64% possession kept a clean sheet but managed a whole 7 shots on goal with 2 on target. Not good enough. Anyone who says we didn't need players like Di Maria and Falcao is talking out of their hole.
