Di María's position at United

LawCharltonBest

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Where do you think he will play?

I saw his interview on MUTV where he says he thinks he will play at the left-sided CM in a midfield 3. This of course would likely mean a 4-3-3 switch. I can't really see a place for him in 3-5-2.

So what's the thinking?

Di Maria--Herrera
------Carrick

Feel free to go formation's crazy...
 
LVG did also hint of using him as he did Robben, so if we persist with the 3-5-2 we might see him as one of the front 2.
 
Basically what the OP say.

I think that's what he'll come around to eventually, anyway. Then we'll see who gets dropped out of Mata, Rooney and RvP. One of them have to go whatever formation we play, IMO.
 
Di Maria Carrick Herrera
Rooney RVP Janzuzaj

I don't want him being considered for the front 3, not that he can't do a job there, but we clearly lack in the middle line and back line more than the top.
 
Perhaps a 4-3-3 with Mata on the left drifting infield whilst di Maria occupies the wide space he leaves behind would work.
 
LawCharltonBest said:
I saw his interview on MUTV where he says he thinks he will play at the left-sided CM in a midfield 3. This of course would likely mean a 4-3-3 switch. I can't really see a place for him in 3-5-2.
Click to expand...

Well, 3-5-2 still has three midfielders, one of whom will be on the left, so don't rule it out.

Not saying it's a good idea, just that the MUTV interview doesn't rule it out at all.
 
LawCharltonBest said:
Where do you think he will play?

I saw his interview on MUTV where he says he thinks he will play at the left-sided CM in a midfield 3. This of course would likely mean a 4-3-3 switch. I can't really see a place for him in 3-5-2.

So what's the thinking?

Di Maria--Herrera
------Carrick

Feel free to go formation's crazy...
Click to expand...

I definitely don't think we would play like that, because that would surely mean either dropping two of Mata/Rooney/Van Persie, or dropping one and playing another out wide.

Considering Van Gaal has shown that he wants to play those players in their best positions and switched to a 3-5-2 to try and do that, I can't see him going so dramatically the other way.
 
I think the second we can get Rojo's permit or Shaw back, we can start looking at bringing back fullbacks .... moving toward a 4-3-3
 
Can't see him displacing Young or Valencia tbh. Will make the bench at best.
 
I personally think he'd be wasted as a wing-back, his ability going forward is too good to not give him much opportunity to use it and I doubt we bought him for his defensive capabilities. However we're overcrowded in the center right now and the last thing we need is another CAM, so I'm going to bet he's going to be an all out winger, or maybe just one of the wider midfielders in a 4-3-3, since that's what I reckon van Gaal will want to start playing now.

When everyone's fit/available i see something like this;

DDG
Rafael---Smalling---Rojo---Shaw
Herrera---Mata---Carrick
Di Maria---RvP---Rooney
​
Which to me, on paper, is looking much more like a United level team. Sure Vidal instead of Carrick would be lovely, and I'd like to see Smalling step his game up a little too. Or a 4-2-3-1 would be even better IMO, with Di Maria, Mata and Rooney taking up the attacking mid positions and Herrera and Carrick further back. With something like that it would seems we'd even have reasonable depth (except in defense) and be good enough to get a place in Europe if all goes to plan, even with the crappy start.
 
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One of the reasons he was so good there for Madrid was that he covered for Ronaldo constantly cutting in on the left. If we played Rooney there I suppose he could offer something similar, though our utter lack of quality wingers suggests he should surely play there.
 
daniel9988 said:
If he plays at the left-sided CM, we'll need to get a defensive midfielder to complement him.
Click to expand...

Not if its a 3 of Di Maria - Fletch - Herrera for example. I doubt he'd play as a midfield two in the system we've played so far.
 
Angel mentioned in his interview that he felt comfortable playing in CM last season and that he expects to play in the same position for United. Surely there was a discussion involving his role on the field
 
I really don't know how I'd feel about a midfield consisting of:
Herrera Mata di Maria​
No doubt it's incredibly talented, but I'm unsure it'd work in the Premier League.
 
daniel9988 said:
I guess that would be good. But then our wingers would still be Young and Valencia :wenger:
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I'd have Welbeck - Rooney - Januzaj. So not wingers more wide forwards I guess.

Or van Persie in the central role depending on your preference.
 
KiD MoYeS said:
I really don't know how I'd feel about a midfield consisting of:
Herrera Mata di Maria​
No doubt it's incredibly talented, but I'm unsure it'd work in the Premier League.
Click to expand...

Me neither only because I don't think Mata can play in central midfield.
 
Trigg said:
Me neither only because I don't think Mata can play in central midfield.
Click to expand...
He'd still be no. 10. If you look at van Gaal's Netherlands side he had van der Vaart or Sneijder in that role, surely they'd be similar to Mata?
 
Trigg said:
I'd have Welbeck - Rooney - Januzaj. So not wingers more wide forwards I guess.

Or van Persie in the central role depending on your preference.
Click to expand...

Or Rooney Van Persie Welbeck

With Rooney cutting in from the left and taking up central positions. Although he'll probably be quite a shit winger :lol:
 
KiD MoYeS said:
I really don't know how I'd feel about a midfield consisting of:
Herrera Mata di Maria​
No doubt it's incredibly talented, but I'm unsure it'd work in the Premier League.
Click to expand...

That's the one I think the big question mark is over, no doubt they're fantastic players but I agree with you it does not scream balance.

That doesn't mean it won't work though, Kroos/Modric doesn't scream balance either but it'll work fine and they only have two centre backs behind them - whereas in Van Gaal's current 3-5-2 we would have three.
 
I like the idea of a 4231 with Di Maria on the left of the three but playing a but narrow.

The wide guy on the right and the fullback on the left can keep our width
 
Theon said:
That's the one I think the big question mark is over, no doubt they're fantastic players but I agree with you it does not scream balance.

That doesn't mean it won't work though, Kroos/Modric doesn't scream balance either but it'll work fine and they only have two centre backs behind them - whereas in Van Gaal's current 3-5-2 we would have three.
Click to expand...

They have Xabi Alonso though. That's the difference.
 
daniel9988 said:
They have Xabi Alonso though. That's the difference.
Click to expand...

Alonso is not going to play all of the time at all now that they have James, Madrid won 2-0 at the weekend without Alonso and Modric/Kroos in midfield. And then unlike us, they only have two centre halves.

Madrid in general have been successful with some very, very attacking line ups.
 
KiD MoYeS said:
I really don't know how I'd feel about a midfield consisting of:
Herrera Mata di Maria​
No doubt it's incredibly talented, but I'm unsure it'd work in the Premier League.
Click to expand...
No way, Mata is an attacking mid and Di Maria himself is not a natural cm, so he would need 2 cms next to him. It will be interesting how we'll play, a lot (media, too) have been saying how Mata could be dropped as it is the easiest thing for them to write (Rooney captain, RvP van Gaal's boy). But if we play a 433 and use Di Maria like Real were using him last season, then not only Mata, but one of Rooney/RvP HAS to either play on the wing or be on the bench.

I think he will try both Rooney and Mata at times on the wing when Di Maria plays in midfield, and will also try both Rooney and Mata (not at once) as the most advanced midfielder in a 433 but then he will have Di Maria on the wing.
 
1085599_Champions_League_Team.jpg


With the freedom to run beyond the last line of defence.
 
Theon said:
Alonso is not going to play all of the time at all now that they have James, Madrid won 2-0 at the weekend without Alonso and Modric/Kroos in midfield. And then unlike us, they only have two centre halves.

Madrid in general have been successful with some very, very attacking line ups.
Click to expand...

That's only if you play against weaker opposition.
 
KiD MoYeS said:
He'd still be no. 10. If you look at van Gaal's Netherlands side he had van der Vaart or Sneijder in that role, surely they'd be similar to Mata?
Click to expand...

From what I've seen so far of Mata at United he doesn't have the discipline to track back and make it a 3 in midfield really. Sneijder worked his socks off for that Netherlands team in the World Cup.
 
Drop one of RvP/Rooney (preferably Rooney, though he is captain I know this won't happen):

Carrick
Herrera - Mata
Januzaj - RvP/Rooney - Di Maria​

Carrick
Herrera - Di Maria
Mata
Rooney - RvP​

If Ed pulls off the Vidal signing, Carrick misses out against the weaker teams, while we need him in there against the top dogs IMO:

Herrera
Vidal - Mata
Januzaj - RvP/Rooney - Di Maria​

Carrick
Herrera - Vidal
Januzaj - RvP/Rooney - Di Maria​


It all depends on us signing Vidal though, I think LVG will play Di Maria as a winger if we manage to get the Chilean. Carrick, Vidal, Herrera and Mata for three midfield spots in that case, we won't need Di Maria in there.
 
i'd like us to play him pretty much how madrid did last year.

Carrick in the Alonso role, and Herrera in the Modric role. Januzaj and Mata on the wings, with Mata especially drifting inwards. Let di Maria drift outwide from deeper and have Shaw there to overlap.
 
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