O'Shea's best position?

redanton

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He can't do much wrong this lad. Top draw in the making.

But where should be regularly played. I used to say centre-back, but he is so effective going forward and Wes, Rio and Mikael can take those positions.

I wouldn't be surprised if Gaz Neville finds himself underthreat when those three are fit. O'shea is a good tackler, better going forward, faster, better in the air.
 
its a nice problem to have IF everyone is fit, but with Brown & Ferdinands injury records i doubt everyone would be fit at the same time anyway.
Everyone of them will get 25+ games a season each, Fergie can keep them all happy.
As for O'Shea he has shown he has the talent to play all across the back-four so he'll always get a game.
 
Originally posted by golden_blunder:
<strong>its a nice problem to have IF everyone is fit, but with Brown & Ferdinands injury records i doubt everyone would be fit at the same time anyway.
Everyone of them will get 25+ games a season each, Fergie can keep them all happy.
As for O'Shea he has shown he has the talent to play all across the back-four so he'll always get a game.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Good points, but when everyone is fit, I think O'Shea may be the one who is on the outside looking in, mainly because he's the youngster of the group and it's easier to leave him on the bench. His performances don't merit that though.
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O'shea should be on the left, with Gaz on the right, Ferdinand and Silvestre in the middle.

Wes has been good but fact is Silvestre and Brown are the best we have for the middle and O'shea outshines anybody on the left.
 
Originally posted by Red Till I Die:
<strong>O'shea should be on the left, with Gaz on the right, Ferdinand and Silvestre in the middle.

Wes has been good but fact is Silvestre and Brown are the best we have for the middle and O'shea outshines anybody on the left.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Sorry mate but i don't agree with you there, Wes should not be left on bench, we should play him and Rio in the center and move Mickey back to left back, O'Shea should then go to the bench and take some valuable experience with him.
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Sorry I dont agree with either of you.

Cant see beyond a G Nev-Brown-Mickey-O'Shea back four.

Dropping anyone of them at the moment would be a hideous crime.
 
Early doors yet. Full-back may be a false dawn for O'Shea. I remember Wes storming down the right when he first burst onto the scene. Wes and John are both obviously central defenders, but what do you do if you are Fergie. When they first break into the squad they are young, raw, athletic and full of talent.
What do you do?...you take the sensible option and play them at full-back.
If O'Shea plays a heap of games at left back he may prove as effective as Mickey has. No doubt about it, he has the talent.
It's just when I look at him, his build etc...he is so obviously a central defender. But like Silvestre, it may take a couple of seasons out wide before he is ready for his true vocation.

This is why I find it such a wheeze that Rio and Blanc are being so easily dismissed on the forum.

Central defence has both the stench of the battlefield and the tension of the chessboard. It's a physically bruising, nerve shredding arena. Experience is everything in this position.
Brown and Silvestre have had to make plenty of mistakes over a number of seasons and learn from them to get where they currently are.
I see the same career path for O'Shea. He'll make a decent fist of playing full-back, but we all know he's a central defender.

As for Rio...false start to his United career just like Stam and Pallister. But soon enough it will again be a case who partners him.
Blanc?...I think too many of you have him already queing up at the post office collecting his pension. More of a squad player this term certainly, but still a valuable player with invaluable experience.

I've rambled on, but the bottom line is I think central defence will still eventually prove to be John O'Shea's true position. If Silvestre re-signs and Brown stays fit it should be interesting to see who eventually gets to partner Rio!
 
Originally posted by One Remi Moses:
<strong>Cant see beyond a G Nev-Brown-Mickey-O'Shea back four.

Dropping anyone of them at the moment would be a hideous crime.</strong><hr></blockquote>

...leaving the world's most expensive defender as backup within six months?

I agree - they deserve to keep their places. The problem might be that Fergie will need to play Rio to justify the expense and the current back four have set a very high standard as a unit. Rio might not fit in at that standard.

It seems mad that some people were saying we needed a new back four. We signed the best defender at the World Cup for a world record fee and now he might not be first choice. Talk about a turnaround.
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O'Shea's best position is in the centre of defence. What SAF has achieved by playing him on the left side and even in central midfield is to develop his ball playing skills.

As for United's best back four, all I would say is that I don't think Rio should automatically win his place back when he is fully fit. He should have to fight for it like everybody else. If somebody were to be dropped for Rio when he returns I think it would be a disgrace as nobody in the back four deserves to be left out, and more importantly what sort of message does that send to the fringe players - "no matter how well you play you will lose your place when a more senior player returns".
 
A few weeks ealier I also think he's a CB. But he has adapted perfectly on the left now. He is still young for the standard of a defender, so may be it's too early to determine which is his best position. After Rio recovers, SAF will use O'Shea as a cover for the whole backline in case anyone of the back four is injured or out of form.
 
I would leave O'Shea out on the left. Not only is he great in defence, he just gives us that extra option in attack. Silvestre is certainly a better dribbler, but how many times have we seen him run up to the penalty area and then lose the ball.

Then I would experiment to see who is the best central combination between Rio, Wes and Silvestre. I think the best possible combo would be Rio and Wes, but if it doesn't work out then I'd try Micky with both of them.

And Gazza obviously on the right.
 
Left bacl,he has excellent defending and very smart break through against enemy base.Just like the position Roberto Carlos playing as.Such extensive player deserve for that position.(U know Fergie will never Giggsy's position until his retired in Man Utd,O'shea has better play as left back). <img src="graemlins/snowman.gif" border="0" alt="[Snowman]" />
 
My defense

GAZ/BROWN - RIO ---------SILVESTRE-----OSHEA

Everyone happy and the best defense in England
 
Originally posted by Zheng Khai Xiang:
<strong>Left bacl,he has excellent defending and very smart break through against enemy base.Just like the position Roberto Carlos playing as.Such extensive player deserve for that position.(U know Fergie will never Giggsy's position until his retired in Man Utd,O'shea has better play as left back). <img src="graemlins/snowman.gif" border="0" alt="[Snowman]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

you cant compare O'shea with roberto carlos. they are two different types of players.
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How about O'Shea v G.Neville. I think the only thing he is lacking is experience otherwise I think he is taller, faster, harder to beat, more attacking.

I think the back four should be:

O'Shea Brown Ferdinand Silvestre
 
1st choice

Gaz----RIO-------MICKEY----OSHEA

Second

OSHEA---RIO------BROWN------SILVESTRE
 
Originally posted by devilish:
<strong>1st choice

Gaz----RIO-------MICKEY----OSHEA

Second

OSHEA---RIO------BROWN------SILVESTRE</strong><hr></blockquote>

Brown not in your first choice? :confused: He's been absolutely magnificent recently. Glorious.
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To be honest:

Neville Brown Silvestre O'Shea

have all hit their best form together. It all started v basle when Fergie moved Silvestre inside for O'Shea.
 
id be careful about pairing Brown-Ferdinand. on paper it sounds enticing but in reality neither are agressive enough. We've kept 5 clean sheets in a row since Mickey was moved into the middle and i dont think thats a co-incidence. His aggression alongside a more subtle partner works well. For me its who gets to play alongside him long term...Brown or Ferdinand? for now, its Brown and deservedly so.
 
What's important is that we have players playing well as we do at the moment. O'Shea may well be a future CB rather than FB but judging by the way he's playing I'd say he could play anywhere all career long. To my mind he's got more than Wes did at the same age. But all this talk of a starting back four is a red herring really because injuries and internationals and the need for rest will always play their part in determining a line up. We should just be thankful that they are all playing well, and that if one of them is injured the other 3 are so versatile that Rio can step in and cover with ease ;)
 
I should add that with his emergence as a more than competent full back we have solved our "need an extra full back as cover" problem imo.
 
Originally posted by Dans:
<strong>I should add that with his emergence as a more than competent full back we have solved our "need an extra full back as cover" problem imo.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Agree with you there, O'Shea's full back performances have been a revelation this season, I'd be quite surprised if we bought Escude in the Summer now. With Tierney to come back from a successful loan, there really doesn't seem to be any need anymore for a new backup left back. More of a need for a backup left winger imo.
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Originally posted by Neil Thomson:
<strong>
Agree with you there, O'Shea's full back performances have been a revelation this season, I'd be quite surprised if we bought Escude in the Summer now. With Tierney to come back from a successful loan, there really doesn't seem to be any need anymore for a new backup left back. More of a need for a backup left winger imo.</strong><hr></blockquote>

agreed the winger business, although i think saf will still want to press ahead for a fullback. john oshea is a centre back, and a very promising one.
with the emergence of tweetie as a credible centreback, oshea coming through, that expensive feller and the grand return of golden brown it's turned a weakness into a strength hasnt it?
:) the abu's lambasted us and ripped the piss out of our defence, and now who's laffin?
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Originally posted by LenSharkey:
<strong>

...and now who's laffin?</strong><hr></blockquote>

and the answer is not arsenal or liddypool now hyypia the rock has turned out to be a dry stone wall <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />
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Time will tell, but already JOS is better going forward than Wes and Gaz. Agree he 'looks' like CB, but being a good CB seems to be mostly in the head- and no substitute for experience.

When Rio settles he will lead the defence brilliantly- 30mil was for a longterm core player.

It would be great to see us with the England pairing in Wes and Rio, if that in fact turns out to be our best partnership.
 
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