Manchester United Banter Archive May 04 2015

04 May 2015 20:59:50
Two players i really like and think would be great additions are available in depay and garay. Memphis Depay i have followed him for some time and even told my mates prior to the world cup he would emerge as a star. The kid has the lot and many attributes we need. He's got pace,skill and unlike many wide players we have a good final delivery.

Garay should be high on the list for defensive options and he wants to leave Zenit. He's excellent in the air. He's strong and physical as well as good on the ball which lvg demands. These two players alone would improve us greatly and probably only cost 40 to 45 million.

04 May 2015 21:28:52
I agree with Depay and Garay but i also think we need two class cdm/cm and a finisher maybe even two .For midfield i would go for Carvalho from sporting and Javi Martinez from Bayern both ball winning midfielders and Dybala or Volland as the strikers

04 May 2015 22:14:36
we certainly would need a right back,midfielder and forward along with Depay and Garay. Gundogan has been linked and would be a good replacement for Carrick long term. The two strikers you mentioned i haven't seen enough to judge. I would be against a move for ings.

For me it would go like this. Right back looks like Clyne is the target. Centre back Garay or de vrij. Varane would be great but madrid are unlikely to sell. I am not a huge admirer of Hummels. Gundogan would be a good long term replacement for Carrick. I still would like tom see another strong defensive midfielder in the ilk of Kondogbia or Carvalho. A winger and for me Depay easy one. A forward with pace which is why i lean towards Lacazette.

04 May 2015 14:04:55
I like Benteke - he is ideally suited to the EPL - and coupled with parting ways with Falcao and RVP it would reduce our salaries substantially, leaving us room to pay for a major signing like Bale, as well as Depay. I've been a staunch Rooney supporter but believe we could do better deploying the resources elsewhere. I'd move him on too, but can't see that happening this summer.

The key to winning championships is consistently grinding out results against the lesser teams. There are 90 points at stake - often enough to win the EPL - after taking out the 8 games against Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and City. Most of those teams will set up in a defensive posture, so it's essential to have players who can eke out a goal from somewhere - a great pass, beating a man on the dribble, an exceptional piece of acceleration, an outside shot, a free kick specialist or someone who can bully one in from the combat zone of the goal area. Right now we're missing all of those players which is why our performances against the also-rans have been desultory for the last 2 years. We have some excellent players, but are they the right sort of players for the EPL?

Nor does it matter how much possession a team has. It is quite clear that every team in the EPL can sit back and defend all day against mere possession 15 yards outside the penalty area. So, to me, (in a 4-3-3) with a forward line of Benteke, Depay, Bale and/or Di Maria, a new right back and an understudy for Carrick we would have all the ingredients we need for a title challenge.

As for Europe I don't know. Is it possible that because English teams are built to compete in the EPL primarily - domestic success being a prerequisite for international participation - that the one makes the other impossible? Perhaps, but with these changes to the squad, we should be able to make a reasonable fist of it.

{Ed004's Note - I was wondering if we could ever get the best out of playing Di Maria in a midfield 3. Your point about this league being different to European ones is important to note. I feel Madrid got away with it because most teams they will play aren't as physical as the likes of West Ham, Stoke etc if we want to play a midfield 3 with Di Maria I think we are lacking a real physical presence. We are eventually going to have to replace Carrick but if we are this summer maybe we should look for a stronger CDM (such as Schneiderlin, Martinez and Carvalho) to add a more physical presence.}

04 May 2015 14:17:16
@Ed004

Radja Nainggolan would be the ideal Carrick replacement.

Also I have to disagree about Di Maria and physicality. He seemed to thrive at the start of the season and was going past players with ease. The downturn came when Van Gaal played him as a striker in the much maligned 3-5-2. Now he just looks short of any confidence.

Not so physical players playing in midfield? Scholes, Silva, Nasri have all thrived in the EPL. Eriksen isn't exactly physical but does fine. Modric was pretty lightweight too.

Di maria needs a proper pre season and some gym training and van gaal has gone on record saying he believes di maria will be better next season. Evra and vidic struggled to adapt for a year after they came here. It takes time to get used to the EPL for some. Also allowing him to play his natural game of dribbling would be a good place to start.

{Ed004's Note - I expect him to do a lot better next season in just wondering if LvG will ever play him through the middle again. He seems destined to play on the wings for us but I would love to see Bale or Depay signed to play in the left and cut inside like Ronaldo did for Madrid last season. Giving Di Maria the chance to drift out wide in games}

04 May 2015 15:28:34
I think we need much greater tactical flexibility, that for me is the main problem. First and foremost, we need two different formations for the League and for Europe.

Under Sir Alex, Carlos Queiroz was in charge of the 4-3-3 for European games, he put an extra midfielder in playing a midfield 3 with 3 at the top. This gave us much more possession and a better balance to face some of Europe's top sides. In the League however we usually played 4-4-2, Sir Alex recognized that for most teams, we did not need an extra man in midfield, we had a solid defense and we let the forwards wipe the opposition aside.

Why can we not do this now?

Our performance against West Brom epitomised getting tactics wrong. Most of the time we only had Fellaini to aim at in the box with RVP and Rooney playing behind him in a very bizarre tactical decision. Why do you need 80% possession against the likes of West Brom? Would it not be better to sacrifice the extra man in midfield and play with a couple of strikers up top and get good service to them, quickly.

Tactics will be crucial next year will be important. Having a 3 in midfield of say Gundogan, Herrera and Carrick will allow us to control the ball against the European sides. But that quite simply is not needed against 75% of teams we face domestically. A 4-2-3-1 / 4-4-2 domestically would yield much better results and I am sure we would not take so long to break down the opposition. But to do that we need a striker that doesn't go walkabout - say Benteke to just stay in the box, win headers, challenge for the ball and win knockdowns.

Thoughts guys?

{Ed004's Note - I would far rather we spent our time and effort getting players who are better than Benteke tbh. He is having a great run of form but I'd still prefer a fully fit and firing RVP. I do however accept what you are saying though. A midfield of Carrick, Herrera and Gundogan in Europe vs big teams and then a more attacking line up with Carrick, Herrera/Gundogan, Mata/Di Maria for lower opposition in premiership.}

04 May 2015 14:54:45
Ed004, could we add Kondogbia to your list of stronger CDMs? I think we need a deep and versatile midfield. Currently, if either Carrick or Herrera are injured, their absence is critical. I would like to see two center mids come in, a combative one (Kondogbia, Schneiderlin, Carvalho, Vidal, Matuidi) as well as a creative one (Gundogan for example).

{Ed004's Note - Forgot to replay to Redfaith above about Nainggolan. Haven't had the chance to watch him play so can't comment but think we need a CDM with a more physical presence. Currently we have quite a small team and not many players good on set pieces that's why I'd like someone like Schneiderlin, Martinez or Carvalho. Haven't seen much of Kondogbia except vs Arsenal and he was very good that day but isn't he more of a box to box midfielder. Not sure he is suited to Carricks role in the team}

04 May 2015 15:44:58
Yes, we really don't need so much midfield cover in the majority of games. I'd rather we surrender a little bit of possession and invite a little bit more pressure onto ourselves as realistically we would score a lot more and more easily.

And the fact that I think RVP stays is a good reason why we should go for someone like Benteke. RVP will probably be first choice when fit, but Benteke offers such a different option and in all honesty will be happier to sit out some games than someone like Cavani or Benzema.

{Ed004's Note - I don't think the money is there to sign a striker this summer. That's why I would be happy enough to go into next season with RVP, Rooney and Wilson as our main strikers. Would prefer we strengthened rb, cb, cm and the wings. If any money is left available then a CDM}

04 May 2015 16:14:16
A free transfer for Ings might be our only striker to come in, we do need one though. The starting XI will be much improved with say Clyne, Hummels, Gundogan and Depay - that would come to £90-100 million spend I would think. I don't honestly believe that we will get Bale, he will be too much and we won't have the money. We could perhaps get Benteke and William Carvalho, Naingolan or Kondogbia with the remaining cash. That would be a far better squad, we could then try for Bale again the following year if RM don't find a buyer this year.

{Ed004's Note - As you said those first 4 alone will improve us massively. I do think if Bale becomes available we will move for him hopefully. A front four of Bale, Di Maria, Deoay and RVP would score for fun I think. Two players there capable of scoring a minimum of 20 goals a season}

04 May 2015 16:44:20
You would like to think so, but Rooney won't be dropped I'm sure. The first 4 would make us into an excellent team, Bale would add that final dimension that the world's best players do - even if it is just the scare factor. I still think to fund the moves for the players we want we would be willing to listen to offers for Di Maria, but if he had a Bale alongside him he would enjoy much more space as would the rest of the team.

My front 4 would be Bale, Di Maria, Rooney and RVP with Depay and Di Maria fighting it out for places and Mata sometimes coming in behind Rooney when RVP sits out.

But we have to sort the defense out first and this defensive midfield role that is so important to LVG's system. Gundogan could well be the one, but I think we could do with one more option in there too.

{Ed004's Note - I don't think it is likely at all. Will cost way too much and we need to bring other players in for other positions. It'll be Depay or Bale. Certainly not both unfortunately. We still have Rafael, Evans, Nani, Hernandez etc to sell which will bring in a bit hopefully}

04 May 2015 16:50:14
one thing i don't get is who madrid will go for in case bale leaves?(for anywhere). Surely they won't let bale go and not buy their next superstar. I can only think of hazard and he'll either not be for sale or even worse,if he does go,i see no reason why jose won't want bale in exchange. Bale seems more suited to chelsea and hazard more to madrid.

04 May 2015 17:05:01
I read some lazy journalism last week that said if RM want Hazard, Jose would want 200 million + Ronaldo.
Gotta love the press :-)

04 May 2015 17:08:46
I think Hazard, Reus and Aguero are all high on Madrid's shopping list. I think they may have to wait a year to flog Bale though, no one will be able to afford him.

I have to agree with you ed, if we don't get Bale then I really do hope we move for Benteke or a striker of that type that is different to what we have. We need more firepower (surprising to say when you look at the forwards we have).

04 May 2015 17:13:19
You also have to ask if RVP and Rooney will work well together, that is another potential problem we face as if both are fit, then both play.

{Ed004's Note - I don't think Rooney and RVP will ever work well together unfortunately}

04 May 2015 18:12:09
Why not ed? Too similar do you think? If RVP is told to stay up top and stop dropping deep then Rooney can work around RVP with RVP staying central and hopefully getting the goals. He is still a far better striker than Rooney.

{Ed004's Note - If you intend to drop Rooney deeper then just play Mata there. Both Rooney and RVP are best when they are playing as strikers. So play them there and no were else unless injuries force us to.}

04 May 2015 19:01:34
It will have to be two up top then!

04 May 2015 19:45:20
I still don't get the RVP love. He has about the same goal per game ratio as Rooney who has had to play in very different positions for the good of the team and who, overall, has scored at least 50 more goals over the same period of time. RVP's had 2 great years and that's it. Technically gifted but not particularly fast, and too physically frail for the EPL, and that's not going to get better as he gets older. You can look at United and trace the downturn to the failure to get Hazard and the signing of RVP. Yes, yes, yes, I know, he was a big factor in bringing us some short term success, but in the longer term, he was not what we needed. What was required was creativity to replace the likes of Scholes and Giggs, because strikers need someone to dish them the ball.

I still maintain we'd do better parting company with both Rooney and RVP, neither of whom are now in the elite tier, and we'd do better with Benteke and Chicharito, plus the creative players like Bale and Depay around them to create the opportunities, and who can score themselves. Without creativity it doesn't matter who you put up there, or whether there's 1 forward or 2.

03 May 2015 23:59:52
Is Manchester United signing this 16 year old Belgian keeper sebtaoui,if so ronnie will be thrilled

04 May 2015 07:37:17
JMB will too!😊

04 May 2015 13:02:54
Damn Straight. Sack LVG, get Marc Wilmots!