Kagawa

[Stew]

Excellent Mox. Good read.

[Bestie]

Jun 22, 2012 18:42:33 GMT Tatty said:

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

[Dan United]

Although those pictures are pleasing, I'd prefer if they didn't put the kit on the table. It only serves to reinforce everyone's belief that it would be a better tablecloth.

[Deleted]

Jun 23, 2012 0:53:48 GMT Dan United said:

Although those pictures are pleasing, I'd prefer if they didn't put the kit on the table. It only serves to reinforce everyone's belief that it would be a better tablecloth.

[jimbonda]

Jun 22, 2012 13:44:57 GMT Bestie said:

Jun 22, 2012 12:16:02 GMT jimbonda said:

4-4-1-1 is just another way of expressing 4-4-2, unless neither of the strikers drop off which is pretty rare these days.

Nah, there's a difference. With 4-4-2, at the end of it you're always still expecting two guys in the oppo box. 4-4-1-1 doesn't have that. Dropping off as a striker and playing as the advanced mid aren't inter-changeable, I don't think. An AM couldn't necessarily play right up front and vice versa.

hmm i think we are arguing the same point.

if we play rooney in the hole behind hernandez, with a midfield 4 and back 4 that's still as much a 4-4-2 formation as say newcastle back in the day with shearer and ferdinand both advanced and neither dropping into the 'hole'.

you could describe sides with that number 10 type striker who drops off deep as a 4-4-1-1 but it's usually just regarded as 4-4-2. no-one remembers the arsenal side with bergkamp and anelka as 4-4-1-1 do they?

[jimbonda]

nice pic of kags with the '68 on the wall behind him.

so we've bought two mids, a goal-scoring, goal-making attacking mid/forward and a wonderkid. bit to do yet but i'm hoping this is the summer we've been waiting for

[Dan United]

It's the same with a lot of talk about formations. A lot of people advocate the us of a 4-2-3-1 formation, but would shudder if you suggested a 4-5-1 formation, despite the fact that they both mean the same thing.

For some reason, these days you have to name a formation based on the role each player performs. So instead of a normal 4-4-2, if one CM is more defensive it becomes a 4-1-3-2, if one CM is more attacking, it's a 4-3-1-2.

Most of the time it's all nonsense.

[jimbonda]

that is totally true dan in a lot of cases.
another example of 4-5-1 is when a side playing 4-3-3 loses the ball and become a 4-5-1. there are countless examples of sides that play like this

george grahams arsenal back 4 lined up like this

_____________Seaman

________Adams______Bould
Dixon______________________Winterburn

X_________X___________X_________X_

___________X_________X_____________

with the full-backs ahead of the center halves for the purposes of the offside trap. no-ones gonna call this 2-2-4-2. it's still 4-4-2.

[mightyez]

whatever the formation, fergie and the coaches have to play players in their best position especially our best players.
some players are good enough to adapt anywhere others more rigid.

[redcase]

Jun 23, 2012 11:00:24 GMT jimbonda said:

that is totally true dan in a lot of cases.
another example of 4-5-1 is when a side playing 4-3-3 loses the ball and become a 4-5-1. there are countless examples of sides that play like this

george grahams arsenal back 4 lined up like this

_____________Seaman

________Adams______Bould
Dixon______________________Winterburn

X_________X___________X_________X_

___________X_________X_____________

with the full-backs ahead of the center halves for the purposes of the offside trap. no-ones gonna call this 2-2-4-2. it's still 4-4-2.

Agree with both of you. Football now has become so immensely fluid and constantly changing on the pitch. A formation never stays the same. Look at that Germany side which took the field yesterday. Everyone was everywhere. Automatically covering in case somebody is out of position, making switches on the fly etc. And I don't think there is a single blade of opposition turf Ozil didn't cover. Fantastic performance I thought it was from him. That's where the importance of box-to-box players came in. Khedira and Schweini were up fron and at the back whenever called for, assisting defense and attack. It was glorious. And that's why I think with Shinja Ninja now secured, a box to box would be perfect for the next signing.

[jimbonda]

Jun 23, 2012 11:42:51 GMT redcase said:

with Shinja Ninja now secured, a box to box would be perfect for the next signing.

100% no doubt.
if we can get a good box to box player who can put his foot in as well as play a bit we would be laughing

[karthy]

Agreed on that Jim, although the euros are still on and we need to tie up a few Contracts , i do have my doubts that we may end up signing another Full back and a Winger/Striker than a Mid field.

I hope that i am wrong and we actually have the summer all hope for

[Chris]

Manchester United's new Japanese midfield signing Shinji Kagawa has talked of his excitement at joining the Red Devils, confirming that he turned down the chance to wear the club's famous number seven shirt.

Kagawa, 23, flew into Manchester on Friday to complete a medical and sign terms on four-year deal at the club, but wants to make his name at Old Trafford before possibly stepping into the iconic shirt worn by the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I've just joined the team and haven't accomplished anything yet," Kagawa told journalists in Japan after his 12-hour return flight. "I want to make a name for myself [at United] on my own terms."

Kagawa added that he had asked for a number "with personal meaning", leading to speculation in the Japanese media that the player could wear the 8, 26, or 29 as he did at Cerezo Osaka, or the 23 shirt he donned at Dortmund.

"The contract was as long as I'd expected from a club [like United]," Kagawa added. "When I was at [Old Trafford], I thought about how incredible it would be if I could score there."

Kagawa follows countrymen Junichi Inamoto, Kazuyuki Toda, Hidetoshi Nakata and Ryo Miyaichi into the Premier League, following two seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 21 times in 49 league matches.

[Raf's Hairdryer Treatment]

Ando to make way then? (Always thought that 8 was a Chinese not Japanese thing.)

[Bestie]

Jun 24, 2012 11:01:01 GMT Chris said:

Manchester United's new Japanese midfield signing Shinji Kagawa has talked of his excitement at joining the Red Devils, confirming that he turned down the chance to wear the club's famous number seven shirt.

Kagawa, 23, flew into Manchester on Friday to complete a medical and sign terms on four-year deal at the club, but wants to make his name at Old Trafford before possibly stepping into the iconic shirt worn by the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I've just joined the team and haven't accomplished anything yet," Kagawa told journalists in Japan after his 12-hour return flight. "I want to make a name for myself [at United] on my own terms."

Kagawa added that he had asked for a number "with personal meaning", leading to speculation in the Japanese media that the player could wear the 8, 26, or 29 as he did at Cerezo Osaka, or the 23 shirt he donned at Dortmund.

"The contract was as long as I'd expected from a club [like United]," Kagawa added. "When I was at [Old Trafford], I thought about how incredible it would be if I could score there."

Kagawa follows countrymen Junichi Inamoto, Kazuyuki Toda, Hidetoshi Nakata and Ryo Miyaichi into the Premier League, following two seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 21 times in 49 league matches.

Kagawa takes 23, Cleverley takes the 7 shirt. Perfect.

Also, this guy's attitude makes me clap my hands in glee.