03 Jun 2019 20:27:23
James Maddison is linked and the only reason i am happy is Rashford won't be taking Free kicks. :P.
03 Jun 2019 21:12:42
Maddison is said to be a boyhood United fan (as supposedly is Maguire) . Maddison has real potential.
03 Jun 2019 21:23:00
I would love us to sign them both.
03 Jun 2019 21:53:18
Maddison is quality. I would love us to sign him. Plus he’s deadly from free kicks and has the type of quality we so desperately need from set pieces.
03 Jun 2019 22:25:10
Mata is deadly at free kicks. Unfortunately he never plays or is played out of position every single match.
04 Jun 2019 07:04:32
Yes Eric.
Mata doesn't really fit into the 4-3-3 formation.
His best position seems to be no 10.
On the wings, he slows down play because of his lack of pace.
Maddison btw would be a quality signing.
04 Jun 2019 07:46:16
I like maddison my only issue is this would imo mean we have no interest in felix which would be a shame .
04 Jun 2019 10:47:39
Joao Felix looks like he is going to be a top player. Yet is it likely he would spend the next 10 years with our club if he signed? Or would he do a Ronaldo and hit his peak and move to Real Madrid or Barcelona? Also how long will it take him to settle in a new country, league and club?
Felix has a lot of upside, but when you consider all aspects he is also a bigger risk.
04 Jun 2019 10:00:03
jred. It is possible we may get both.
Felix and Maddison play in different positions.
Felix plays as a forward mostly on the left side and drifts into central areas.
Whereas Maddison plays as an attacking midfielder.
04 Jun 2019 12:32:16
True red they do I similar job . I can't see the club paying 100 for felix then another 50 on maddison do do similar job .
04 Jun 2019 13:40:20
The interest in Felix is very real from us.
However the competition is fierce and the along price is also very high.
Maddison plays in the same position as fernandes. They are nough more comparable.
Stevie got me watching maddison over last 6 months. I like him. I think he has a good future. I thought spurs may go for him if Eriksson leaves. Good player.
04 Jun 2019 15:02:59
If we were to play a 4222 type system then Bruno Fernandes and James Maddison could play very well in the advanced midfield two, with Lingard and Andreas Pereira as cover. Then we would just need a defensively solid box to box midfielder or two. Rabiot, NDombele or Rice would all fit the bill. If we sold Pogba to Juventus and got Dybala as part of the deal then suddenly the team looks packed full of creativity and goals. Bring in an offensive RB such as Meunier and a solid CB and we have the basis of a great team.
DDG, Meunier, Alderweireld, Lindelof, Shaw, McTominay, Rabiot, Bruno Fernandes, Maddison, Dybala, Rashford.
Bench: Romero, Dalot, Smalling, Tuanzebe, Fred, Lingard, Martial.
04 Jun 2019 18:47:31
Shappy, a question for you with your tactical experience,
Can you explain how a 4222 would work? I see it as being way too narrow and too easy to play around if other teams have good full backs and wingers? Surely we would have no width at all? Not really the United way.
04 Jun 2019 20:15:52
Perthredmike, the thing to remember is that a formation is a loose starting point and not a shackle to fix players in one position. Often the numbers can be difficult to appreciate in reality.
442 for example, can look quite different depending on the players you have, the team your playing and the tactics and the way the game unfolds. You might create over loads down one side to take advantage of a particular skill set in your players or of a weakness of your opponents.
Often each new line in a formation infers a different line across the pitch. The idea is you break a pitch up into zones both across the pitch and down the pitch. When you hear people speak about playing between the lines or in half spaces these are the lines they are referring to.
4222 doesn't mean that all the players playing in the 222 are in line with each other vertically on the pitch. 4222 can during a game look like 2422 or 2224 or 2242 or anything in between. It works best with offensive full backs who can get forward with defensive midfielders who can cover for the full backs. The 2 advanced midfielders will be often start in the half spaces between the wide areas and the central areas. From this position they can move wide or in field. The reason for positioning them there is to find space unmarked. The strikers will also often pull wide and cut in on to their stronger foot.
This system is ideal if your looking to play quick counter attacking football as you have players vertically up the pitch sitting in half spaces free to receive the ball turn and pass quickly to the forwards who are cutting in at pace from wider areas. The hard working defensive midfielders look to win the ball back quickly. You would look to have ball playing centre backs who can play quick accurate passes bypassing the holding midfielders to the attacking midfielders to start the counter.
05 Jun 2019 10:19:13
Thanks Shappy, sounds like a fresh approach going forward, but still not convinced it has enough width to it when it comes to defending against PL teams that traditionally play with width. I would be interested to see it in practice though. Do you know of ant teams using this formation currently? Regularly as opposed to a transitional formation during games.
05 Jun 2019 11:54:44
Atletico Madrid play a similar system, although they give Griezmann more freedom to float around to find space.
Opposition playing with width actually helps this type of system, as it opens up more space in between the lines. A team playing narrow would mean the full backs would tuck into the half spaces and make it hard for the advanced midfielders to find space.