I won't be surprised if Man utd put 'Angel Di Maria', I mean they put 'Ander Herrera' and 'Marcos Rojo' which creates a semi circle on the back of the shirt.
I don't think that is the club's decision. Surely the player decides?
Angel Di Maria | £59.7M fee agreed I Maybe tomorrow...or the day after...
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I don't think that is the club's decision. Surely the player decides?
Again, RvP is the better no. 9. There is no formation that can bring the best out all four of them without ruining the team balance.
Its depressing seeing people bang on about pace like its the holy grail. Rooney, Di Maria, Januzaj, Kagawa hell even RVP and Mata aren't slow players. Please explain to me the exact necessity of having 2 speed demons on the wing?
Now it becomes obvious why we'd let Welbeck (and probably Kagawa) leave. ADM is a brilliant signing now we need one quality midfielder and we're set
Counter attack, it's a quality that can help lessen the impact of a suspect defence or even a lesser midfield.
I think it's a typo in that he meant mufc. Same with his other tweet RE looking at him in portugal
And you don't feel those players are able to effectively counter attack? They have more than enough pace to do that.
You also have to consider the impact on the opposition. Regardless of the other players, di Maria is quite a bit quicker - meaning it stops defences pushing up on our attackers and they drop deeper due to fear of ADM pace. Theoretically, mata et al then have more space to play in.
I like how the price has gone up by 20 million Euros already according to these papers...
Hopefully we won't overpay too much, but again, at this stage in the transfer window we cannot be too picky when it comes to signing a player of his quality.
Hopefully we won't overpay too much, but again, at this stage in the transfer window we cannot be too picky when it comes to signing a player of his quality.
Rafa----Jones----Smalling----Shaw
--------Carrick-----Herrera--------
----Di Maria--Mata--Rooney-------
-----------Van Persie-----------
Di Maria to add width and pace on the right wing, Mata to link midfield to attack with Rooney with the freedom to roam behind RvP.
--------Carrick-----Herrera--------
----Di Maria--Mata--Rooney-------
-----------Van Persie-----------
Di Maria to add width and pace on the right wing, Mata to link midfield to attack with Rooney with the freedom to roam behind RvP.
We're quite a sluggish side in the final third at the moment, Rooneys probably the quickest, Di Maria just gives us a huge injection of pace, we've not seen those lightning attacks that the Roonaldo combination used to achieve in so long.
Our current wingers just aren't direct enough, AdM is going to add so much going forward.
Mata has operated from out wide for all teams he had played prior to joining United. It is not a position that is completely alien to him, the only reason people feel that way is because Moyes put him there last season and asked him to play like a classic winger.
Mourinho will not allow for two people out wide who are not that good defending. Hence the likes of Willian/Salah/Schurrle play on the opposite wing to Hazard who is not the best when it comes to defending. It has got nothing to do with Mata not being good there. Sure that is not his ideal position but he was devastating in that role under Benitez where he could drift in off the wings and dominate games.
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I'm still baffled Real are willing to sell Di Maria. Easily their best player last season. Also the player that won them the CL, he was the most threatening going forward in that game against Atletico.
Sunday supplement will be interesting
I think he is as good as ours. So rejoice instead of trying to understand the way a club like RM operates.
if i m not wrong, lvg recently praised 5 3 2 or 3 5 2 system indicating that it s here to stay so i can't see 4 2 3 1 being used, except for brief periods of play
Speed of thought does this too, this is a lot more credible if Di Maria was being left up top which he isn't. I'm not disputing the pace of Di Maria will be an asset but we've gotten to the point where if you don't have a blistering front 4 then you might as well not bother turning up.
He does because he is a phenomenal player, however this quintessential idea that you must have pace on both wings is getting out of hand though.
Then the simple thing is to not play all 4 of them because quite clearly they don't bring out the best in each other or the team, hence the results we've been having. Look at the blueprint for the past few CL winning sides... both teams had world class wide-players with pace and trickery in abundance, supported by top class midfields and weak defences.
Pace = success, you go through history and it is the teams with pace as well as quality that win out more often than not... in fact when Fergie put Mourinho back in his place, it was because he got rid of Ruud and put pace at the forefront of his philosophy once again. Chelsea's most attractive side was the jose 04-05 side with Duff/Robben. LVG is going to have to be ruthless, can't go around massaging ego's with this under-performing team.
The team has to be build around the players who have pace, quality and the ability to beat a man. Athletically gifted players who can play at a high tempo...
Di Maria??, Rojo, shaw, Herrera.. I'm so pleased with the signings we've made this summer if we do land Di Maria. Each one is a United-type player, all have bags of commitment and play at a high fecking tempo... about time!!!
*If we don't get Di Maria, I still think the other 3 signings have been solid ones.
He didn't play like a classic winger at all last season he roamed just like Kagawa did from out wide. He simply hasn't shown great qualities when played wide in the premier league.
He's our best 10 by far, sod Rooney
Did Mata playing out wide lead to Valencia being a champions league winning team? was he a leading winger in world football... an unstoppable force out wide, just because he can play there, does that mean he is capable of hurting teams from out wide. Rooney can play out wide too but lets not remember how Puyol kept him in his back pocket in the CL final of 08/09 or how he played v Italy in the world cup where bar his assist he was utterly dreadful.
People seem to think signing Di Maria suddenly enhances everyone's versatility and now we're capable of playing total football. He is a fantastic player in his own right but he can't suddenly make Mata and Rooney into world-class wingers.
I personally still think we're a top class winger short.. a right footed one.
Yeah I know, I was just trying to make a first XI accommodating Mata, Di Maria, Rooney and RvP. And still have the defensive side to the team. I know my above team won't be used.
I don't believe the €75m fee that is coming from the Spanish media. Real Madrid love to lie about fees they pay/receive to suit their agenda. When this broke the fees from here stated €50-60m.
And why would we up our bid from a few weeks ago when quite frankly our position has strengthened? PSG have admitted openly that they can't afford him, no-one else has put in a bid and Di Maria has told Madrid that he wants to come to us. They're even leaving him out of squads, there would be no need for us to chuck another €25 on our offer.
And why would we up our bid from a few weeks ago when quite frankly our position has strengthened? PSG have admitted openly that they can't afford him, no-one else has put in a bid and Di Maria has told Madrid that he wants to come to us. They're even leaving him out of squads, there would be no need for us to chuck another €25 on our offer.
I agree with the general consensus we need pace but I am sure Rooney was not quick even when we had the trio of Rooney/Ronaldo/Tevez at the peak of our powers in 2006-2009. We just need fluidity with the likes of Mata/Rooney/Di Maria interchanging and providing creativity behind a lethal striker like RvP. Think that can easily bring out the best (or close to it) of all the top players we have at this moment.
The difference with that side was that we still had Giggsy (a ball carrier), we also had Tevez instead of RVP.. another top class ball carrier.. and Ronaldo, whose ability to run with the ball was second to none at that stage. Then you have a younger pacier Rooney who didn't really need to dribble when surrounded by such top class talent. RVP is a better player than Tevez, but he lacks the same drive with the ball and the ability to beat players isn't the same despite him being more technically gifted. Giggsy also alot quicker than a Mata.
The 07/08 team was quick, this current side is ponderous all over the pitch. Di Maria is a good first step, but even Januzaj isn't quick in my opinion .. for a wide player, hence why I see him as a 10. Another winger is ideal in my opinion going forwards. If you want to take on the likes of Madrid, Barca, Bayern.. we need quick players.
feck it even to be competitive in the EPL, we need abit of energy and pace in the side, sick and tired of us being overrun by every tom, dick and harry in the premiership.
A segment on him coming up on The Sunday Supplement now.
Suppose that was just our traditional way but the advent of the 3-5-2 wingback or 4-3-3 inside winger can allow for a lack of pace but we're severely lacking it right across the front. Pace is important in any team and even if it's not coming in the form of traditional outside wingers it's still vital that it exists somewhere across the front, AdM has it in spades and will force our opponents to sit a deeper line and allow the quality of Mata space to shine, it will affect the whole balance of the opponents setup.
4222 is the way to go if you want to play all 4 of Rooney, RVP, Mata and Di Maria like how City do it.
In any case the main issue IMO is that Rooney and RVP are not the best combo out there. It is not as if they don't work at all but they do not complement each other as well as you would want a striker combo at top club to.
In any case the main issue IMO is that Rooney and RVP are not the best combo out there. It is not as if they don't work at all but they do not complement each other as well as you would want a striker combo at top club to.
Not watching it but I'll guess that they're going to label it a panic buy.
Honestly, a major part of Van Gaal's 3-5-2 being so successful at the WC was that one of the strikers was Robben, pelting about at 37kph.
We had Park in many of those games and he was also not the quickest. Januzaj is deceptively quick and regularly beats his man with pace and skill so don't know how you think he is not ideal. I think he is easily quicker than Giggs of the last 5 years. Also, Mata is not a slouch. Don't think in terms of pace there is much difference between him and Tevez of that time. Now obviously Ronaldo was the best player in the world at that time but someone like Di Maria would help us with that blistering pace and ability to run with the ball that we have lacked ever since Nani decided he likes the treatment table more than the pitch.
Point is the system can work and work well if we do decide to carry it forward. You have decent pace in 3 of the 4 players at the top and one with blistering pace in Di Maria. Bayern have two players on the wings who are absolutely lethal in their ball control and speed. But up top they still had the likes of Muller/Gomez who are nowhere near quick. In the midfield too they had the likes of Kroos/Bastian/Lahm. Again not people with a lot of pace.
Pace in a team is not only about what top speeds players can achieve. It's also about how quickly the ball can transition from one end to another. That famous 4-5 touch move from our pen box for our third goal against Arsenal in the CL semis included just 3 players. Ronaldo/Park/Rooney. Barring Ronaldo, neither of the other two were very quick. Yet we moved the ball with pace and that was aided because we were quick in our thoughts and not ponderous with the ball at the feet. That is the main thing which even you have alluded to.
We need players with quick thinking. Not players like Valencia and Young, who are perhaps one of the quickest if you ask them to have a foot race, but are absolutely dull as feck with the ball at their feet and take ages to take a decision and move the ball forward (which they rarely do nowadays anyway).
Could this be announced today and medical monday ?
That's only valid when the opposition doesn't have a quick back line or who aren't putting additional numbers in midfield.
We aren't severely lacking it, I'm not disputing the benefits of Di Maria's pace its this assertion that you must have speed demons on both wings. A. Madrid proved you can be a very good team on the counter without having Olympic Sprinters on the wings.
Exactly. If only top speeds are what that matters we have Valencia who is perhaps one of the fastest athletes around yet we play some of our slowest football with him on the wings.
It's Real Madrid.
They don't need logic when it comes to transfer dealings. Perez wanted some shiny new toys (James/Kroos).
This 60m fee is coming from Man City. Apparently they were offered Di Maria and they refused. Let's wait and watch for real news. The person who broke the story is saying 48m.
His speed doesn't count for much when defenders know exactly how to defend him because of how one-footed he is.
I think it was said all will be done early next week.
Because their president is an idiot.
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