Wing play has been our biggest strength over the years. I can't see us completely ignoring that by leaving Valencia and Nani out.
Robin van Persie | 2012-14 Performances
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Wing play has been our biggest strength over the years. I can't see us completely ignoring that by leaving Valencia and Nani out.
Maybe the answer is to play 3 at the back....?
*leaves thread and doesn't look back*
*leaves thread and doesn't look back*
Modric is different though, he played as a centre mid in the Euros and showed he was a midfielder. I think he's more comparable to Oscar - played out wide but a central player at heart. Mata, Silva, Hazard, Nasri, Kagawa are a different kettle of fish in my view because they're as much attackers as they are midfielders, if not more so. I'm sceptical as to how well it would work but I do think it's inevitable he'll play a fair amount as a centre mid, and it's the best option we have now. Sir Alex is good at moulding players so maybe he'll work his magic here and bring out a side of his game that even Kagawa himself wasn't aware of.
We can play a three but it would have to be that formation running through the club. If you had the right balance, it could be quite devastating.
I think that we're going to play a hybrid system between ours and Barca. We will probably us the traditional 4-4-2 system but the two strikers will be dropping deep (two between Welbeck, RVP and Rooney), giving the impression that we've got no strikers upfront. Kagawa will be used either as Rooney's cover/competitor or else on the left flank, providing the same covering Park used to give but with more technique. At this point, no one (apart from Carrick and Evra) is guaranteed a first team role and everyone has to work hard or else...
I'm beginning to get a little nervous. 
Come on, Robin! We're all waiting.
Come on, Robin! We're all waiting.
Thing is though, Kagawa is 23 and has played as an attacking midfielder for years now. Scholes is the example everyone is using but he was 20/21 and hadn't even played in the first team at the time.
The players you've listed above are not the sort of wide players we would use either, are they? I remember getting laughed at by you and a few others a while ago for suggesting Silva is considered a central midfielder, yet now people are saying Kagawa can be used there? Hmm.
What do you mean? Scholes showed in 02/03 that his best position was probably in behind the striker but he was still an excellent centre mid. I'm hoping Kagawa can show the same. Silva's not a centre mid, just like Kagawa's not a centre mid. They play in the same position as Rooney...that's what I said. I didn't say Silva couldn't be moulded into a centre mid.
When Torres left Liverpool, Sky staff were handing-out shirts to 'fans', just so they could film their so-called outrage.
Why do people do that
Shirts a shirt, donate it if you really don't want it anymore.
Anger I suppose. Yes, just give it away.
We've already done that at the beginning of last season and for a month or so we were the best team on the planet. Hard to emulate for a prolonged time. Injuries obviously didn't help. In that 8-2 game against Arsenal we ran roughly twice as many km as we did against Blackburn at home. It was no surprise we murdered them and the turmoils they were undergoing at that time aren't the only explanation. Perhaps we weren't prepared to continue in this way and lost freshness due to injuries and fatigue of the players who suddenly didn't have equal replacements.
I hope we can repeat it and retain it as the main system.
Why do people do that
Shirts a shirt, donate it if you really don't want it anymore.
Exactly what I did with my Tevez shirt
Have to disagree there, I always thought Scholes was at his best as a central midfielder alongside Keane, capable of still utilizing his full game whilst being in a 2 man midfield. I don't think Shinji has the same in him.
Meh, maybe I'm being a bit anal, maybe he can become a CM, but personally I'd like him kept similar to where he played for Dortmund, certainly not moved out wide, because he is not the sort of winger we use.
What am i missing?
It's still surreal. I remember him banging 3 past Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season and thinking 'What. A. Player' and now he's coming to us...
Exactly what I did with my Tevez shirt
I've still got a Tevez shirt, its become a "work" top for those times when I need to do a bit of house painting.
A picture of van Persie standing with Vermalen and Kompany. Exhilarated.
The previous conversation was:
Kompany: "So you are coming to City, Mancini is joking right?"
Vermalen: "Don't be stupid, you are staying at Arsenal right?"
Van Persie: "... "
Why do people do that
Shirts a shirt, donate it if you really don't want it anymore.
He's a thick twat too, trying to light it in the middle of the shirt.
Agree with this. Sir Alex loves pace and proper width, Kagawa just can't give us that. We went in for Ronaldinho as a Beckham replacement and Silva as a Ronaldo replacement though, didn't we? It's hard to see where they would've slotted in without playing out wide. The closest thing we've had to an attacking midfielder out wide is Giggs in 06/07, roaming about and using his playmaking skills more than his wingplay...but he still offered wingplay. That's not happening with Kagawa.
Why?
Like in the Kagawa thread, 3 days later we have signed RVP, and both him and Rooney will start, so where does Kagawa fit in?.
Does he play off the left, does he play as a CM?
Personally i think he could play off the left wing with nani right wing and valencia RB, or have him as a centre mid.
We will obviously sculpt our team for certain fixtures, but it gives us a hell of a lot more options!.
Exciting times ahead.
Brwned Kagawa plays left wing for Japan in a 4-2-3-1, and plays pretty well there. Why could he not do it for us? He could be our Silva from the left wing.
I feel like I've been reading that 'RVP fails medical...' tweet for all my life & several past ones...
Kagawa will play multiple positions. We'll probably see Rooney and Valencia do the same.
-----------De Gea-------------
Rafael----Vidic----Rio------Evra
-------------Carrick------------
------Scholes------Kagawa-----
-Nani-------------------Rooney-
----------Van Persie------------
?
Rafael----Vidic----Rio------Evra
-------------Carrick------------
------Scholes------Kagawa-----
-Nani-------------------Rooney-
----------Van Persie------------
?
Medical's rumoured to be at 5pm UK-time.
If he failed the medical better we find out about it; given his injury record I would hope they would do a pretty thorough job on him, rubber gloves and all. We don't want another Hargreaves.
It's a lame joke tweet, evra, that's been repeated on Twitter about a zillion times since yesterday:
looking sweet, isn't it. My only complain is I don't want Valencia to lose his starting place. He's so damn good at everything he's supposed to do it's unbelievable.
Nani on the other hand...becoming truly world-class player.
Exciting times indeed.
Is this some FC Barca type shit?
it's getting to the point that.....
a) making a team selection is a real mind feck
b) there are no undroppable players
c) some players may want to leave the club (if that's the price for the success then so be it)
What's everyone thinking about squad numbers?
Obviously the obvious one is 9, but you can't give it to him before Berbs has gone - and he'd have to have one for Monday. Is he then set with it for the season?
Only available ones that spring to mind are 2 (no), 13 (no) and 20 (maybe).
To be honest though, I'd like to see Welbeck given the number 9. Won't happen now mind.
Obviously the obvious one is 9, but you can't give it to him before Berbs has gone - and he'd have to have one for Monday. Is he then set with it for the season?
Only available ones that spring to mind are 2 (no), 13 (no) and 20 (maybe).
To be honest though, I'd like to see Welbeck given the number 9. Won't happen now mind.
Far more likely to be Nani.
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