Yeah and Lars looked awful against Giggs and Clevs as our CM partnership when we beat them 5-0 right?
Search for the Chosen CM to bring balance to The Force...errr Formation
- Thread starter Devil may care
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Yeah and Lars looked awful against Giggs and Clevs as our CM partnership when we beat them 5-0 right?
Isn't he about 28?
He wouldnt come cheap and I'd rather we concentrate on players who are younger and can play 6-7 years together. To me
thats the great opportunity we have right now with LVG.
Probably, I can't remember. He was decent at Old Trafford I think though. Anyway I doubt we'd be in for him and Leverkusen are difficult to buy from, Arsenal have been after him for a few years.
Dont think we need a replacement for Carrick just yet as a flat track DM I'd be happier with a box to box and rotate Carrick and blind next season.
Thanks
Turan is a good player but he's more of a wide man than a CM, plus I think LvG is looking for a true, powerful box to box CM like Vidal or his boy Strootman before he got crocked.
Doubt it, we already have midfielders with great work rate like Herrera and Fellaini. What we need is a pure playmaker like Fabregas. Without Carrick, we have no one who can play long accurate passes.
LvG talked about needing to balance out the attacking players, right now he's using Fellaini as a AM and Herrera is having to play a more conservative game. I think the idea will be to get in a powerful dominating CM that will help Carrick defensively and give Ander freedom to create and link with the front 3.
Bazoer would really fit this description, but I don't expect him to come in yet. Only 18 and so on. Maybe in a year or two.
Schneiderlin, but there is many in for him and Arsenal have a group of french players which will probably be important to his decision.
Then there is the likes of: Allan, Bender, Nainggolan, Kramer, Kondogbia etc.
An interesting choice would be Morgan Sanson, but i'm not sure if he is more of a playmaker than box-to-box, statistic wise it seems like he is putting in a decent defensive shift while also producing goals and assists.
Then there is the likes of: Allan, Bender, Nainggolan, Kramer, Kondogbia etc.
An interesting choice would be Morgan Sanson, but i'm not sure if he is more of a playmaker than box-to-box, statistic wise it seems like he is putting in a decent defensive shift while also producing goals and assists.
I was reading the new posts in his thread earlier, seems like the kind of CM we should buy now and leave on loan at Ajax to continue his development.
He's close to signing a new contract (or so it's rumoured at least). It all went very fast for him too, before the winter break he was a non-factor but convinced de Boer to take him on the training camp in Qatar. When the eredivisie started again he silently made it into the starting XI. I would like the idea of buying him now and letting him stay at Ajax for some time but that's way to sensible for United.
Moussa Sissoko of Newcastle looks very good to me.
Too inconsistent. Good workrate but doesn't have enough goals/assists. Yaya Toure light. Not good enough for Man Utd.
On a side note, Ayoze Perez looks interesting.
I don't think we need goals in midfield necessarily. The guy is good on the ball and can even dribble. I haven't seen him linked to us even by the biggest conjures out there so I don't see it as a possibility.
Sissoko is nowhere near good enough. He's at his best as a #10 or even out wide. He is physical, has some pace and can sometimes pull something off but he is nowhere near good enough to command an attacking role at a club like ours. He simply isn't good enough to play deeper either, doesn't read the game well, is a lazy sod half the time when it comes to defensive duties. He has the freedom to do whatever he wants at Newcastle which he won't get at a better club. Fellaini reads the game better than him.
His passing is nowhere near good enough for a club like Manchester United. His passing is worse than Fellaini's and he is the worst passer of our midfielders.
I was wondering though why Sissoko was at a club like Newcastle even if he was tenously linked with Arsenal during the January window. I guess he aint as good as I thought but I still like his attributes.
I'm always alone when I propose this player but Marchisio would be an excellent option, he is a true #8, he is solid in everything.
--------- Rooney
Depay------------- Mata
----Marchisio--Herrera
-----------Carrick
--------- Rooney
Depay------------- Mata
----Marchisio--Herrera
-----------Carrick
He doesn't excel in anything. That's the problem. Decent but not great. I think we need to aim higher if we want to win the biggest trophies.
Individually you are right but I think that a player like Nainggolan, Marchisio, Ramsey(not happening) would change the team greatly mainly because they play at the same level for 90mn, we have a good group of players we already have special talents in Rooney, Mata, Herrera, Di Maria and De Gea.
And in my opinion we need 1 player who is pure talent that's Memphis and another player who unlike Fellaini play at the same consistent level for the duration of a game that would be the new #8.
Obviously if we can sign Pogba, verratti, Koke or Modric that's even better, the other option would be to try to transform Herrera into a proper #8 and go all-in on Pjanic.
To be honest, I don't even think we need a starting midfielder for the majority of our games.
Would be fine for the majority of games. Against the stronger sides something who can come in and sit to help make a three, similar to what Chelsea do with Mikel/Ramires when the move Cesc forward. Although to be honest - Fellaini adds physicality that I'm more than fine with him as a option.
Mata
Carrick - Herrera
Carrick - Herrera
Would be fine for the majority of games. Against the stronger sides something who can come in and sit to help make a three, similar to what Chelsea do with Mikel/Ramires when the move Cesc forward. Although to be honest - Fellaini adds physicality that I'm more than fine with him as a option.
I know that it's tiring but you need to remember one thing: LVG = possession
We need more midfielders, like Barcelona everything is about the midfield, the more crowded, the more composed, the more talented our midfield will be the better we will be, with a stronger midfield we won't even need to reinforce the defense.
With LVG's style crowding the attack won't help us.
Imo we will be back in for Vidal.
It was plainly obvious last summer that we wanted him and Vidal has got better and better since he's come back from injury.
I expect all the rumors to start again in the not too distant future.
The 'Vidal 2' thread will be legendary i predict.
It was plainly obvious last summer that we wanted him and Vidal has got better and better since he's come back from injury.
I expect all the rumors to start again in the not too distant future.
The 'Vidal 2' thread will be legendary i predict.
I think our current options are good but I'd love us to bring in Pogba or Veratti, even though it'd cost an arm and a leg.
I know it is a bit unpopular opinion, but i would actually like to see Strootman here if we could somehow get assured he won't break Again.
How many cases is there in football where players have gone Hargreaves or Diaby suddently in the middle of their career?
How many cases is there in football where players have gone Hargreaves or Diaby suddently in the middle of their career?
You can never be 100% assured with any player of course, i'm thinking more in terms of if his old injury isn't likely to hunt him in the future.
Strootman is actually on his way back. He tore his ACL, got it reconstructed and got back to football. After a few matches he felt something and had it checked out by a small operation, they found some scar tissue from the previous surgery which they removed. He's back on schedule to be ready before preseason. Reports that his carreer is over are bollocks, but he sure will be a risk.
Personally I'm a massive Strootman fan (I've seen all his Eredivisie matches and many of Roma's too) and I think he's exactly what we're missing. Players usually take around 6-9 months to recover from an ACL injury so it might not be wise to go for him. I'm sure van Gaal wanted him to recover at Roma before buying him in the summer. Not sure if he's still interested but we definately want someone like him, not sure who that will be.
Verrati isn't going anywhere, neither is Modric. Pogba is a massive talent but not quite the defensive minded box-to-box player we need.
He is the perfect box-to-box, got it all really, leadership, creativity, desire, great passer, hard worker + LvG knows all about him.
I'm on the same page as you with regards to Pogba, i see him as the more creative player in a 3 man midfield, and i don't see him as a box-to-box.
I guess Van Gaal will have contact with him as they seem pretty close, and if things look good in his process of coming back then their is a chance we go for him, that is pure speculation on my part though. i can't really see the perfect alternative to him right now, sure there is great defensive box-to-box players out there, but i don't think they got the same technical/attacking part to their game.
This is what I was thinking. There's not many out there at the moment who has the engine of a box to box midfielder, but also has a great passing range. It's either no engine and great passing range or great engine and no passing range. If we can find a player with both - similar to Strootman, like you said, it'd be perfect.
In the few games I've seen Nainggolan play, I really feel he is the closest to that after Strootman. From what I've seen anyway. However, people who watch him more often than myself have said he wouldn't be good enough.
A fit Strootman was the full package, I agree. Always found it weird no bigger club than AS Roma was in for him, although it seemed like a good step for him personally at the time. He was great for Roma, kept Nainggolan on the bench and was rated as one of the better midfielders in the league.
At the moment we have no real #8 so I don't think it's wise if we only got a just-started-training Strootman. For van Gaal to effectively play 433 he wants a CDM as #6, defensive BTB as #8 and creative as #10. We've currently only got Blind and Carrick for #6 and enough #10's. This means he has no players for his last piece of the puzzle in his midfield, so we might even buy 2 players.
I think Herrera is more than capable of playing as a back up number 8, and he's shown that in the last few games. In the harder games, we can go with a more solid number 8 and push him further forward.
#6 - Carrick/Blind
#8 - B2B/Herrera
#10 - Herrera/Fellaini
He could get fit in pre-season with us
But i agree it's a risk going into a new season with him as our only btb, altough we have a midfield now that actually functions and which we could always fall back on should the worst thing happen.Have to muppet a bit:
Strootman Herrera
Carrick
That is to me.
Carrick
That is
to me.bite the bullet and get pogba/veratti in. secondary options in strootman if he recovers and maybe that lad in the dutch league teilemans?
I personally like Herrera there, but I'm not sure if van Gaal does. Fellaini at #10 does provide some sort of defensive cover for Herrera at #8. I don't think he'd trust a Carrick/Blind-Mata-Herrera MF, so he'd have to play Fellaini.
If Herrera becomes a #10 next season (which I think will happen) it will be difficult for him to seperate tasks. Those 2 roles are completely different for van Gaal: #10 can lose the ball, #8 can't. I think it's just for this season as we have no BTB player.
Even then we'd only have 3 defensive minded players in our squad. A 34 year old Carrick, Blind who's sometimes needed at LB and the new midfielder. That's why I think we'll maybe buy a player for depth too.
He could get fit in pre-season with us
Have to muppet a bit:
Strootman Herrera
Carrick
That is
If Strootman gets back to his best he'd be great, I'd love a midfield like that. But for the money we'd have to spend I'm not sure, even though I'm a big fan.
Verrati isn't leaving. He's the brightest prospect of PSG and they don't need money. I doubt they'll even listen to offers for him, like with Marquinhos.
Pogba is a great flair attacking player, but is he really what we need: a defensive minded box-to-box player?
Tielemans plays in the Belgium league, not the Dutch one
. Haven't seen anything of him.He would be ideal, but I doubt he will leave Juventus. He is a well balanced midfielder and would fit extremely well into what LVG seems to want from an 8.
Marchisio is 29 and Juventus born and bred, he's a lifer like Totti and De Rossi at Roma.
The Strootman and Vidal ships have set sail and should be left to float on Italian waters.
Schneiderlin, Xhaka and Kramer all seem to fit the bill to me if size is part of the requirement.
The Strootman and Vidal ships have set sail and should be left to float on Italian waters.
Schneiderlin, Xhaka and Kramer all seem to fit the bill to me if size is part of the requirement.
I wouldn't say he doesn't like him there. I mean, large amounts of Van Gaal judging Herrera as a number 8 come when we were playing a 352 or 442 diamond, which had no balance whatsoever. Since we've played a 433; however, Herrera's looked really good, both on and off the ball, in my opinion, and we've looked a lot more solid as a unit. I think, between now and next season, although we do need another number 8, Van Gaal will decide whether Herrera can be that back up number 8.
As for him playing 10 and 8, I pretty sure he'll be able to transition from one position to another, without any massive problems. Fabregas and Cazorla do it for their teams pretty well. If Herrera can successfully transition from a 10 to 8, then we'd have four defensive minded players in our squad, although I'm not so sure Van Gaal will particularly like Herrera as a 10. From what I've read, Van Gaal likes his number 10's to score quite a lot of goals, as well as assisting. Herrrea could pick up a good amount of assists, but despite him picking up a few goals this season, he's never really been a goalscoring number 10 like Rooney or Mata.