12 Feb 2018 19:08:15
All season people have said we are unbalanced as a team going forward, with Martial and Rashford on the left we have a threat, but nothing on the right.

If we can balance out our front line and have threats from both sides then we would be a more complete and compelling offensive unit. Or at least that was how the logic goes.

So we sign Sanchez a player who admittedly has in recent years played excellently on the left, but has a history of playing equally at a world class level on the right.

Then we play him on the left and remain as unbalanced as before. Where is the logic in that?

People saying Martial will have to adapt on the right, if it was that simple then don't you think Mourinho might have tried that at some point between August and the end of January? Or even at some point last season. The guy has been been here for 18 months and never played Martial on the right once.

Martials trademark is darting in from the left and finishing across the goalkeeper into the far corner. Very similar to Henry back in the day.
Playing him on the right and he can't do that unless he uses his weaker left foot. So now he has to try and beat the keeper at his near post or shoot across goal with his right foot meaning the ball is naturally moving away from goal.

The only reason Mourinho is playing him there is because he wants to play Sanchez on the left and Martials form is too good to drop him.

Of course there is a way to play everyone in their favoured position. If we play 442 diamond then Sanchez plays off the strikers in his favoured role, Lukaku has a strike partnership and Martial is playing more as a striker and is still able to find space in the inside left channel to cut in from.
As a brucey bonus that would require a midfield three which might be to Pogba's benefit.

1.) 12 Feb 2018
12 Feb 2018 19:24:13
Shappy,
No not really, since Jose has been at the club we have played with 1 player player with dribbling and pace almost an inside forward normally the left sided player.
This has normally been Rash or Martial.

On the other side we have played with a player who comes inside plays the 10 role and also links up in midfield. Mata, Linders, Miki. That is now Sanchez role.

Martial should of and on any other day would of had at least 2 goals on Sunday.
The only big difference on Sunday was he never put the ball in the net.

2.) 12 Feb 2018
12 Feb 2018 20:08:05
I agree Shappy, Jose needs to come up with a more creative solution to get the best out of the players he has in our squad.

I like the idea of a 4-4-2 diamond or 4-3-1-2. Maybe it lacks a little bit of width but Martial is great at pulling into that left channel as you've said and to be honest we don't play with much width anyway.

Martial would play higher up the pitch and be relieved of his defensive duties. He wouldn't have to track runners into full back areas where he's never looked comfortable.

Pogba could operate in a 3 man midfield and he could even provide some width at times like he did in his stand out performance at Everton playing from the left.

Sanchez could be given a free role to buzz around the pitch, linking up with Martial and Lukaku.

I think we could have been playing this system even before Sanchez arrived with either Lingard or Mata playing behind the strikers.

I'm a massive Jose fan but even I have to admit he's starting to run out of excuses. It's time to deliver.

If he can't build a successful and exciting team from the likes of De Gea, Bailly, Valencia, Pogba, Matic, Sanchez, Martial, Rashford and Lukaku then there is something seriously wrong. That's without even mentioning the likes of Mata, Herrera, Lingard, Jones, Shaw, Rojo and Lindelof. Make no mistake this is a very talented Utd squad.

Jose's signings in general have been excellent he just needs to find a way of making them all gel now.

3.) 12 Feb 2018
12 Feb 2018 21:25:10
Boys if the players played with a bit of heart, a bit of passion, a bit of aggression, we would do a lot better, to handy they have it to collect a big wage and be pampered
There should be clauses in all their contracts, half the wage if injured, deduct the wage if dropped,
If they lose give a quarter of the wage to charity.
If you play at the big clubs with the big money hurt them where it hurts their pocket,
Run them in to the ground Monday morning
Too much political correctness everywhere now.

4.) 12 Feb 2018
12 Feb 2018 21:53:12
12 is that you, there is a guy with a similar avatar, a similar name and he says completely the opposite. Lol
I can't believe the sense i'm reading.

5.) 12 Feb 2018
12 Feb 2018 22:14:32
Lol Steve. I'm fed up with the way the modern day player is going.

6.) 12 Feb 2018
12 Feb 2018 22:53:57
Leahy, it's not the 80's anymore mate. Footballers aren't working class hero's anymore, and they for the most part live in a bubble with their head up their arse.

However, that is the same for every club not just ours. I used to know Ricky Lambert and when he moved from Bristol Rovers to Southampton they tripled his wages. Both teams were in league 2 at the time, or what used to the old conference back in the day. His wages went from 7k a week to 21k PER WEEK in the forth tier of English football.

Admittedly he was the highest paid player in that league, but to think a player in the forth tier of English football was earning more in one week than the average person earns in a year just goes to show you how far off the scale football has gone.

On the day I found that out I knew the good old game was dead and with it the good old way of playing.

It's no good saying we should dock wages for bad performances or for not making the starting 11. But the truth is you just can't do that. Legally.

How well someone has played or why a manager picks a player is subjective, you can have someone's income open to such levels of change based on subjectivity. Imagine if your boss pulled you to one side and said he wasn't paying you your full wage this week because he thought you hadn't worked as hard as one of your colleagues this week in his opinion.

Plus let's say it wasn't illegal and the club did just that, how long do you think top players will want to play for us when they could just go to another team and not worry whether they'll get their full wages this week.

And ultimately I don't think it makes a huge difference, players work hard if their manager inspires them to do so, players and teams look good if the manager get his tactics right, if he plays players in their best positions, if the manager successfully gets his ideas across to his team in a way they understand and appreciate.

Look at the FA cup or the league cup, lower league teams will always try harder than their EPL counterparts. They will run harder, put more effort in and fight harder. Yet 9 times out of 10 the EPL side come out on top.

Why? Better players, better managers, better training facilities, better sports science departments, better preprations ect ect ect.

Nothing to do with working harder.

7.) 12 Feb 2018
12 Feb 2018 23:45:01
Everything to do with working harder.

8.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 04:37:08
Shappy - not saying I agree with Leahy12 but surely the point is working hard to the maximum of your ability. That's why the lower teams mostly lose, yes they work hard but they have a limit to their ability which is why they play at that level.
Jamie Vardy is a great example of working hard to the maximum of your ability, without his work rate he wouldn't be anywhere near an England international.

9.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 08:48:52
Leahy, that's just not true.
I'm not a heart surgeon, but if I work really hard on your open heart surgery I'm sure I'll still end up killing you as I don't know what I'm doing or have the required skills.

Hard work is important, but without skill or know how it won't get you very far.

One of the biggest lies we tell our children and was probably told to us is you need to work hard to achieve your goals.

Hard work will probably improve your chances, but the fact is some dreams are impossible no matter how hard you work.

I bet every one on this site at some point wanted to be a footballer, yet how many are? Is that down to a lack of hard work? Or a lack of talent? Or just never being in the right place at the right time?

Are you saying if I work hard enough I will be able to out sprint Usain Bolt?

The hardest working people in society are the working class, yet they have the least.

So hard work isn't everything, privilege plays a part.

Natural ability plays a part.

Opportunity plays a part.

Has no one told Daley Blind he can be as good as Messi if he just works harder?

Valencia is probably our hardest working player we have, yet the guy gets abuse on this site all the time, we hear he isn't good enough, he can't cross, his defending is poor, he isn't a defender.

So is it all about hard work then?

10.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 10:45:14
Ronaldo worked very hard at his game, stayed back after training practising his ball striking. Roy Keane worked hard only ever passed the ball ten yards but drive the team on.
How would us an bolt do in a marathon.
A bit of hard work and passion gives a team that extra bit to win. The will to win.

11.) 13 Feb 2018
13 Feb 2018 11:24:42
First time this season I worry about top 4 on form we are worse than spurs and Liverpool use game against Chelsea next.