Post by RazmanRat on Jul 12, 2014 13:02:20 GMT
Before the World Cup I have to admit that the thought of next season as a Manchester United fan did not fill me with excitement, especially when you considered our weirdly constructed squad of mostly average (at best) players. When I say weirdly constructed I am referring to the fact our 3 best players in Rooney, Van Persie and Mata, seem unable to play together without sacrificing the use of pacey wide players that are associated with United. Our squad seemed a long way away from being in a position to be able to challenge for the top 4, let alone the league title.
However, having seen Van Gaal in action and the way in which he has set up the Dutch side has removed this sense of pessimism and I am now feeling quietly optimistic about our chances of returning to the Champions League in 2015-2016 (especially now that Liverpool have sold Suarez).
With this in mind I am hoping that United opt to play a 3-5-2 formation next season, as Holland have played at the World Cup. This will enable us to play Rooney and Van Persie up front, with Mata in the hole behind them, giving each of them the opportunity to play in their preferred position. Playing a central attacking midfielder/playmaker will also give Kagawa and more importantly Januzaj the chance to shine in this position when the squad is rotated.
This formation will also mean we can play with width, as our two promising young full backs in Rafael and Shaw will have more than enough energy to bomb up and down the respective flanks, whilst also compensating for the occasional defensive error that being young players they are bound to make with the three centre backs that be situated behind them.
Central defense is an obvious area for concern given the departures of Ferdinand and Vidic, but I am hoping to see LVG stick with Evans and give Jones a run in his preferred position at the back. We would still need to sign a player of real quality to sure up this defence, and maybe add another promising centre back to provide competition/cover for injuries.
The final area of our starting XI that needs improving, and has needed improving for the past 5 years is central midfield. The addition of Ander Herrera is a welcomed one but will by no means be enough. I feel we need a truly world class box to box player (Pogba would have been ideal... Infuriating that we let him leave) to control the midfield.
With that in mind here is how I would like to see United line up next year;
Starting XI
Van Persie CF, Rooney CF
Mata AM
Vidal CM (£40 million + Nani), Herrera CM
Shaw WB, Rafael WB
Evans CB, Hummels CB (£35 million), Jones CB
De Gea GK
Bench:
Lindegaard GK
Indi Martins CB (£15 million)
Blind WB (£10 million)
Carrick CM
Januzaj AM
Kagawa AM
Welbeck CF
Reserves:
Amos GK
Smalling CB
Fletcher CM
Cleverly CM
Fellaini CM
Wilson AM
Hernandez CF
Henriques CF
Total spend: £100 million.
With a reported £150 - £200 million to spend this squad should not be considered unrealistic and I feel it will stand us in good shape for the following seasons.
What do you think of that team/formation and what players would you like to see United sign?
However, having seen Van Gaal in action and the way in which he has set up the Dutch side has removed this sense of pessimism and I am now feeling quietly optimistic about our chances of returning to the Champions League in 2015-2016 (especially now that Liverpool have sold Suarez).
With this in mind I am hoping that United opt to play a 3-5-2 formation next season, as Holland have played at the World Cup. This will enable us to play Rooney and Van Persie up front, with Mata in the hole behind them, giving each of them the opportunity to play in their preferred position. Playing a central attacking midfielder/playmaker will also give Kagawa and more importantly Januzaj the chance to shine in this position when the squad is rotated.
This formation will also mean we can play with width, as our two promising young full backs in Rafael and Shaw will have more than enough energy to bomb up and down the respective flanks, whilst also compensating for the occasional defensive error that being young players they are bound to make with the three centre backs that be situated behind them.
Central defense is an obvious area for concern given the departures of Ferdinand and Vidic, but I am hoping to see LVG stick with Evans and give Jones a run in his preferred position at the back. We would still need to sign a player of real quality to sure up this defence, and maybe add another promising centre back to provide competition/cover for injuries.
The final area of our starting XI that needs improving, and has needed improving for the past 5 years is central midfield. The addition of Ander Herrera is a welcomed one but will by no means be enough. I feel we need a truly world class box to box player (Pogba would have been ideal... Infuriating that we let him leave) to control the midfield.
With that in mind here is how I would like to see United line up next year;
Starting XI
Van Persie CF, Rooney CF
Mata AM
Vidal CM (£40 million + Nani), Herrera CM
Shaw WB, Rafael WB
Evans CB, Hummels CB (£35 million), Jones CB
De Gea GK
Bench:
Lindegaard GK
Indi Martins CB (£15 million)
Blind WB (£10 million)
Carrick CM
Januzaj AM
Kagawa AM
Welbeck CF
Reserves:
Amos GK
Smalling CB
Fletcher CM
Cleverly CM
Fellaini CM
Wilson AM
Hernandez CF
Henriques CF
Total spend: £100 million.
With a reported £150 - £200 million to spend this squad should not be considered unrealistic and I feel it will stand us in good shape for the following seasons.
What do you think of that team/formation and what players would you like to see United sign?
