So the 3-5-2

Ole's_toe_poke

Ole_Aged_Slow_Poke
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Jan 7, 2009
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How do you rate it 'tards?

Offensively it seems like a good solution to the Rooney/Van Persie/Mata conundrum.

Ofcourse it was a preseason friendly but with Herrara and another playing in there it really allows Mata to dictate the match. Also it reduces our reliance on wide players which is always a good thing. Although it can make teams a little narrow at times.

In the past I've been very much against it because we've generally looked awful playing 3 at the back and because of the space behind the wingbacks. So I'm still unconvinced that defensively it'll serve us in the premier league where teams play with a high tempo. But perhaps with the quality we have at the back in Evans, Smalling and Jones plus the general sexiness of Ander we can make it work.

I'm still undecided on the system but not a bad debut tonight.
 
Rafael will thrive in it.
 
I absolutely love it. Imagine Vidal instead of Fletch there, with RvP... my goodness.
 
With the players we currently have it suits us best IMO.
 
Obviously we played well tonight but I would prefer a front 3 than a back 3 with wingbacks, hopefully it's an option we can utilize if need be but not something we'll play regularly.
 
Defenders will need some getting used to it. We got caught down the flanks between Evans and Shaw early in the game. Also think (at least) one of the front two needs to be quick. Other than that, it looks great. More options for the man on the ball. More space to work when we turn over possession.

Edit - Thread title needs to be changed to 3-4-1-2 :angel:
 
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I am actually not sure how RVP - Rooney would work in this.

That becomes more static compared to even Welbeck with one of them or Januzaj.
 
Play Mata with two strikers. The only formation will work for this one is 4312 or 352 or we can say 3412. However we need another centre back if we are going to play 3 in the back, we only have Keane,Smalling,Jones and Evans. I'm not so sure Blackett is good for our backup. So I'm guessing we can end Di Maria rumours. But I think LVG's best and favour formation is 433. He uses this formation just because it's the best one for our current squad. So it depends on the players he's going to sign.
 
I really hope LVG uses this formation more on the tour. It would be interesting to see how it works for us in the league given how vulnerable we have been defensively.
 
I actually think we might be sticking with this as long as RvP and Rooney are both fit as it allows us to play both our top strikers as strikers. With Mata and Herrera behind them I also feel they won't be lacking supply.

That being said I'm still more of a fan of the 4-2-3-1/4-4-1-1 formation as I think it provides better width but we lack the top quality wide players atm to really play this formation. Bring in Di Maria and Reus and it would look different though.
 
on the evidence of tonight it's a great system, though LA Galaxy's defending was utter shite.

want to see this at some point:

GK: De Gea

RCB: Smalling
CB: Jones
LCB: Evans

RWB: Rafael
LWB: Shaw

CM: Herrera
CM: Cleverley (as Carrick is out)

CAM: Mata

ST: Rooney
ST: Van Persie
 
Not convinced but on paper it does solve a fair few problems. We'll see...
 
We really do not have the squad to really play it right now. We would need to make three to four signings to be able to play it consistently. I really hope he just plays the 4-2-3-1 like he did at Bayern.
 
We seem to have done quite well with it. Not sure why Van Gaal calls his system 1-4-3-3- when he plays 3-5-2
 
Ole's_toe_poke said:
Not necessarily. You have to be very precise defensively and Rafael can be a little rash.

I think Valencia will be the first choice.
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Should he? Wouldn't the presence of three CBs relieve defensive pressure? Add to that only one of Shaw and Rafael will bomb forward at a time.
 
A 3-5-2 depends on having clever wingbacks. If they're too cautious you're basically playing a Hull style back 5 with one less man in attacking areas which puts the team on the defensive. If they're too aggressive you've just swapped a defender for an attacker and end up going gung-ho.

They need to get that transition from one to another just right because they define the entire team. Not sure how I feel about rafael and shaw (or tony) in that regard.

My other worry is that the communication between 3 CBs is always harder than with a pair, particularly when it comes to offsides and dealing with counter attacks with people out of position.

If they do work it right tho it can be a great system. Check out Ajax vs Real away from 1995 or 96 to see back 3 perfection. One of the all time great performances. It just looks like you have an extra man on the pitch because it always gives you a passing option for the man on the ball, particularly against a 442.
 
No other solution, tbf. We have crap wingers and a bunch of good 10s and strikers.

We probably need to buy another CB or two and another central midfielder.
 
I guess i was wrong about the system(hard to say so far). I taught it will be too defensive with the extra center back, but instead it allows us to have a more open field to pay in without shunning our proficient central players out wide. We just need a number 6 and a experienced centerback and that system will be flawless. The only concern I do have is whether Rooney and Van Persie will complement each other in this system and whether the lack of movement between those two will be a problem.
 
I don't think Rooney + van Persie will have enough mobility for the big matches. Welbeck and possibly Chicharito could be very important if van Gaal sticks with this.
 
moonred said:
Mata, Kagawa, Rooney & Herrera I guess.
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I was thinking that, but I can imagine when the season starts, if we continue to play 3412, Rooney will play up top, which is his natural position, and Herrera will play in front of the back three, leaving Mata and Kagawa as our number 10's.
 
moonred said:
Mata, Kagawa, Rooney & Herrera I guess.
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It doesn't make sense does it? If you include Herrera (he showed last season he can play there), then that means he doesn't view him as a proper midfielder. If he views Rooney, then is he playing two #10s as the attack will feature a #10 + two forwards? Januzaj, Kagawa, and Mata are our #10s.

I don't get it.
 
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