Todays Transfer Rumours

Kimbo wrote:Eto'o signing for Everton

smart move - should be a good player for Lukaku to learn from.

debaser wrote:

Kimbo wrote:Eto'o signing for Everton

smart move - should be a good player for Lukaku to learn from.

Agree, very happy with this signing.

Super Progress wrote:

Deluded F*ck™ wrote:It's like the Mata signing - it's big name desperation.


If you bring Di Maria in, they won't be able to get the best out of all 4 of him and Rooney/RVP/Mata consistently.

Di Maria being the world's most expensive Wing-back?


--------------De Gea

------Jones---Evans----Smalling

Valencia--Herrara--MC/DF*-----Di Maria
---------------Mata

----------Rooney-----RVP

* = Mchael Carrick/Darren Fletcher.

Luke Shaw gets screwed over by the above formation.

Or he plays in his best position on the right of the 3 behind the striker but one of Rooney/RVP becomes ineffective.

It would be madness if he keeps the same system now that they have Di Maria. I expect them to go over to a 4-3-3. The question is if they will use Di Maria in central midfield like he did last year where he flourished or if he will play as a winger. If it is the former than Mata could play on the right and Rooney on the left with Shaw at leftback. It may work out that way.

It's difficult to play 4-3-3 for them, because (even van Gaal stated it) they can't use Rooney and van Persie there. Plus it's also not a perfect formation for Mata.

If van Gaal plans to keep 3-5-2 only place for Di Maria is IMO to play him as one of the forwards, really don't think making him a wingback makes any sense and with Herrera they also can't use him as one of the CMs. But of course playing Di Maria as forward (in Robben mould) makes it again necessary to drop Rooney or RVP.

Since MU still is unable to sign any wingers only thing that makes sense is narrow diamond: De Gea - Rafael, Jones, Evans, Shaw - Carrick - Di Maria, Herrera - Mata - Rooney, van Persie. Its still far from perfect, but more or less would allow to bring some good performances from their top players.

Eto'o is a solid buy for Everton. I would have been happy with him here as a third/4th choice striker.

4-4-2 diamond is the best formation for the current Man U squad (same for us btw).

---------Rooney-Van Judas
---------------Mata
---Di Maria--Carrick----Herrera----
Shaw------Rojo----Evans---Rafael
---------------De Gea

Di Maria played in a similar position for Argentina under Sabella. I think he had a dual role (probably coz of his lungs and being naturally a wide player), provided them width when he was on the ball but dropped back to CM without the ball.

This formation gets the best out of Rooney, Mata and Van Judas.

It also suddenly gives them a lot of depth at CB; 5 CBs (Smalling, Jones, Evans, Rojo, Blackets) all fighting for only 2 spots.

Stinger
They could use RVP as the striker and Rooney on the left cutting in and Mata doing the same from right. Di Maria+Shaw will take care of the wing play anyway. Mata will be further up the field but it isn't ideal of course. The diamond makes perfect sense.

The Pröfessör wrote:4-4-2 diamond is the best formation for the current Man U squad (same for us btw).

---------Rooney-Van Judas
---------------Mata
---Di Maria--Carrick----Herrera----
Shaw------Rojo----Evans---Rafael
---------------De Gea

Di Maria played in a similar position for Argentina under Sabella. I think he had a dual role (probably coz of his lungs and being naturally a wide player), provided them width when he was on the ball but dropped back to CM without the ball.

This formation gets the best out of Rooney, Mata and Van Judas.

It also suddenly gives them a lot of depth at CB; 5 CBs (Smalling, Jones, Evans, Rojo, Blackets) all fighting for only 2 spots.

The defence still looks shite to me.

The Pröfessör wrote:4-4-2 diamond is the best formation for the current Man U squad (same for us btw).

Interesting, I never thought about this one. How would you lined-up Arsenal in this formation?

The Pröfessör wrote:

This formation gets the best out of Rooney, Mata and Van Judas.

It also suddenly gives them a lot of depth at CB; 5 CBs (Smalling, Jones, Evans, Rojo, Blackets) all fighting for only 2 spots.

I don't think it gets the best out of Rooney, RVP and Mata. First two don't seem to be perfect striker partnership (lack of pace between them on Top level has to be one of the reasons), plus Mata potentially can feel better playing behind lone striker. But it's better than any other formation van Gaal can use at the moment.

But now I think it would make more sense to play Rojo as LB and drop Shaw - you don't need your left back to offer width so much, cause Di Maria (and Mata too) will be naturally drifting there. Plus you have extra body for set pieces.

More LOLLING at Man United. Doesn't even include the £60m pound man

The Pröfessör wrote:4-4-2 diamond is the best formation for the current Man U squad (same for us btw).

---------Rooney-Van Judas
---------------Mata
---Di Maria--Carrick----Herrera----
Shaw------Rojo----Evans---Rafael
---------------De Gea

Di Maria played in a similar position for Argentina under Sabella. I think he had a dual role (probably coz of his lungs and being naturally a wide player), provided them width when he was on the ball but dropped back to CM without the ball.

This formation gets the best out of Rooney, Mata and Van Judas.

It also suddenly gives them a lot of depth at CB; 5 CBs (Smalling, Jones, Evans, Rojo, Blackets) all fighting for only 2 spots.

- No depth in midfield at all
- Defence is bang average
- Mata / Rooney / RVP is not looking like it will ever be an effective threesome
- Very little pace in the team still

They will still be struggling around 4th/5th/6th with this side

I think Van Gaal is too proud to change his new favorite system so he is gonna stick with the 3-4-1-2:

---------------DDG
------Jones---Evans---Rojo
Valencia--Herrera--Carrick--Di Maria
---------------Mata
----------Rooney--RvP

Di Maria has an amazing work rate (and someone above has mentioned that he has amazing lungs) so it won't be a problem for him to go up and down covering the left flank.

That team looks horrible Pras

You can play around with the formation as much as you like, until they get a dominant CB and CM they aren't finishing top 4.

COTR wrote:That team looks horrible Pras

It hasn't been played yet so we don't know it yet

Kimbo wrote:You can play around with the formation as much as you like, until they get a dominant CB and CM they aren't finishing top 4.

Di Maria won't be the last,, We've made bid for Vidal again

Pras_tama wrote:

COTR wrote:That team looks horrible Pras

It hasn't been played yet so we don't know it yet  

Kimbo wrote:You can play around with the formation as much as you like, until they get a dominant CB and CM they aren't finishing top 4.

Di Maria won't be the last,, We've made bid for Vidal again

Pras, like we discussed before, if I were LvG, the 3 players I would have bought were Benatia, Vidal and Cuadrado.

Benatia just joined Bayern for Eur 26m + 4m bonuses. I am surprised Man Utd let this one go, he could have been that solution in the defense. Top CBs are not easy to find in the last week of the window...

Vidal will not be easy in the last week. I can see Juve raising their price.

PS: If its a wingback LvG wanted, then Cuadrado was a better option than Di Maria - and would have cost half as much. You already invested so much on Luke Shaw for the left wing. Di Maria can be an improvement on Mata though.

bluenine wrote:

Pras_tama wrote:

COTR wrote:That team looks horrible Pras

It hasn't been played yet so we don't know it yet  

Kimbo wrote:You can play around with the formation as much as you like, until they get a dominant CB and CM they aren't finishing top 4.

Di Maria won't be the last,, We've made bid for Vidal again

Man Utd target Benatia just joined Bayern for Eur 26m + 4m bonuses. I am surprised Man Utd let this one go, he could have been that solution in the defense. Top CBs are not easy to find in the last week of the window...

Vidal will not be easy in the last week. I can see Juve raising their price.

PS: If its a wingback LvG wanted, then Cuadrado was a better option than Di Maria - and would have cost half as much. You already invested so much on Luke Shaw for the left wing. Di Maria can be an improvement on Mata though.

Benatia wants Champions League football which we don't have at the moment.

Cuadrado's best position is the right flank where we already have Valencia there. And we need big name signing to bring the excitement back.

Not sure why you say that Di Maria is an improvement on Mata as they play in different positions

stinger wrote:

The Pröfessör wrote:4-4-2 diamond is the best formation for the current Man U squad (same for us btw).

Interesting, I never thought about this one. How would you lined-up Arsenal in this formation?

The Pröfessör wrote:

This formation gets the best out of Rooney, Mata and Van Judas.

It also suddenly gives them a lot of depth at CB; 5 CBs (Smalling, Jones, Evans, Rojo, Blackets) all fighting for only 2 spots.

I don't think it gets the best out of Rooney, RVP and Mata. First two don't seem to be perfect striker partnership (lack of pace between them on Top level has to be one of the reasons), plus Mata potentially can feel better playing behind lone striker. But it's better than any other formation van Gaal can use at the moment.

But now I think it would make more sense to play Rojo as LB and drop Shaw - you don't need your left back to offer width so much, cause Di Maria (and Mata too) will be naturally drifting there. Plus you have extra body for set pieces.

--------Alexis----Theo
--------------Ozil
----Wilshere-Arteta-Ramsey------
Gibbs----Kos-----Merte---Debuchy
-------------Chesney


Our best/most talented players IMO are : Ozil, Ramsey, Sanchez, Wilshere and I believe they are all at their best playing central, therefore, we should play a formation that gets the best out of them (ie allows them to play central). Besides, almost all the other players in our squad look better in central areas too:

Theo, who is our most effective player along with Ramsey, is often listed as a wide player, but he plays a lot in a 2nd striker role in practice (in the last few years). Podolski also works best in a front 2 IMO.

Cazorla is a liability out wide without the ball in the 4-2-3-1 we played last season. He's much better playing as part of a midfield 3 or behind the striker. Playing him and Giroud as part of a front 3 away from home when we are clearly set up to play on the counter is one of the most idiotic things Wenger has ever done.

An upgrade on Arteta (should be at least 6ft tall) is an absolute must though, I'd personally play Chambers ahead of him if we bring no one in, at least his strength in the air would allow us to play 2 midgets upfront.

Really hoping to see that front 3 (Ozil behind Alexis and Theo), sick and tired of that slow intricate tika taka nonsense which allows teams to camp around their box waiting to intercept one of the billion passes we try to thread through congested areas and see them have a free run at our goal. More vertical passes to go with a lot of pace and movements upfront please.

Yeah I agree with you Rooney and RVP haven't looked good in a partnership so far, Welbeck playing with 1 of them could work better as he adds a lot of depth to their attack.

There is a very good chance Rojo starts ahead of Shaw at LB, Van Gaal doesn't seem too keen on Shaw according to whispers from the press.

van Gaal is gambling, he doesnt want Vidal, he wants Strootman, but he is fit in the winter. So he wont get a cm at all this window.

Pras_tama wrote:

bluenine wrote:

Pras_tama wrote:

COTR wrote:That team looks horrible Pras

It hasn't been played yet so we don't know it yet  

Kimbo wrote:You can play around with the formation as much as you like, until they get a dominant CB and CM they aren't finishing top 4.

Di Maria won't be the last,, We've made bid for Vidal again

Man Utd target Benatia just joined Bayern for Eur 26m + 4m bonuses. I am surprised Man Utd let this one go, he could have been that solution in the defense. Top CBs are not easy to find in the last week of the window...

Vidal will not be easy in the last week. I can see Juve raising their price.

PS: If its a wingback LvG wanted, then Cuadrado was a better option than Di Maria - and would have cost half as much. You already invested so much on Luke Shaw for the left wing. Di Maria can be an improvement on Mata though.

Benatia wants Champions League football which we don't have at the moment.

Cuadrado's best position is the right flank where we already have Valencia there. And we need big name signing to bring the excitement back.

Not sure why you say that Di Maria is an improvement on Mata as they play in different positions

Maybe Real Madrid fans can throw some more light into this, but last season whenever I saw Di Maria really perform well, he was playing as a CM not a winger...

In 3-4-1-2 definitely the best position for Di Maria and Mata is the same - Central Attacking Midfield.

In 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 its a little bit different - Mata is better in tight spaces, so playing behind lone striker suits him. Di Maria has much better workrate and much better engine, so attacking from deeper positions is probably better for him.

Playing Di Maria as wingback would be a waste - he definitely has lungs for it, but would have awfully lot defensive responsibilities.

I don't think their best team can feature both Rooney and RVP.. Just can't see them working in any of the systems.

The Diamond will get the best out of their attacking talents but the defence will be even more exposed. If they go balls to the wall attacking football then maybe they could overwhelm a lot of teams and repeat what Liverpool did last season.

Oh and Welbeck is coming to Spurs (I hope).

RVP hasn't looked assed since Fergie left.

Di Maria's very good, but I reckon they've paid nearly double what he's worth. considering where he plays, his career goal return is woeful: averages about 1 in 6.

okay, he's more creator than scorer, but still you'd expect an attacking player in his price category to have a much better rate.

debaser wrote:Di Maria's very good, but I reckon they've paid nearly double what he's worth. considering where he plays, his career goal return is woeful: averages about 1 in 6.

okay, he's more creator than scorer, but still you'd expect an attacking player in his price category to have a much better rate.

Yep. He's no better than Sanchez. This smacks of nothing other than appeasing the fans and a panic buy.

Luis wrote:

debaser wrote:Di Maria's very good, but I reckon they've paid nearly double what he's worth. considering where he plays, his career goal return is woeful: averages about 1 in 6.

okay, he's more creator than scorer, but still you'd expect an attacking player in his price category to have a much better rate.

Yep. He's no better than Sanchez. This smacks of nothing other than appeasing the fans and a panic buy.

This is true

bluenine wrote:

Pras_tama wrote:

bluenine wrote:

Pras_tama wrote:

COTR wrote:That team looks horrible Pras

It hasn't been played yet so we don't know it yet  

Kimbo wrote:You can play around with the formation as much as you like, until they get a dominant CB and CM they aren't finishing top 4.

Di Maria won't be the last,, We've made bid for Vidal again

Man Utd target Benatia just joined Bayern for Eur 26m + 4m bonuses. I am surprised Man Utd let this one go, he could have been that solution in the defense. Top CBs are not easy to find in the last week of the window...

Vidal will not be easy in the last week. I can see Juve raising their price.

PS: If its a wingback LvG wanted, then Cuadrado was a better option than Di Maria - and would have cost half as much. You already invested so much on Luke Shaw for the left wing. Di Maria can be an improvement on Mata though.

Benatia wants Champions League football which we don't have at the moment.

Cuadrado's best position is the right flank where we already have Valencia there. And we need big name signing to bring the excitement back.

Not sure why you say that Di Maria is an improvement on Mata as they play in different positions

Maybe Real Madrid fans can throw some more light into this, but last season whenever I saw Di Maria really perform well, he was playing as a CM not a winger...

But Mata isn't a CM so I still don't understand the comparison

stinger wrote:In 3-4-1-2 definitely the best position for Di Maria and Mata is the same - Central Attacking Midfield.

In 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 its a little bit different - Mata is better in tight spaces, so playing behind lone striker suits him. Di Maria has much better workrate and much better engine, so attacking from deeper positions is probably better for him.

Playing Di Maria as wingback would be a waste - he definitely has lungs for it, but would have awfully lot defensive responsibilities.

We shall see

COTR wrote:

More LOLLING at Man United. Doesn't even include the £60m pound man

Whats the source? Is this before this summer's spending? Coz Everton are at 80m, when they spent like 40m to get Lukaku...