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Football News: Manchester United Tactics and the future

There has been a lot of talk about the current tactics used by our Manchester United manager as and the results and performance we are getting isn't at the level we hoped for.
Some say what else could he do with the players available to him, others disagree. That is football, a game of opinions.

For me three at the back isn't a problem in the premier league if played in the right manner. If you play three at the back then you need to be playing off the front foot rather than sitting back. In other leagues teams are weary of committing too many players forward, which means there is still time and space to play the ball into and space between the lines to use as well. But in the premier league teams will stay compact and either sit as a unit or push forward as a unit making it very hard to break down. On sunday LvG expected Koeman to send his players to go forward, they didn't they sat deep meaning we had too many players in our own half and not enough going forward to stretch his tight Southampton side. This lead to LvG coming out with his "he came for a draw" quote. Ultimately it completely negated the three at the back meaning we had possession but no space in which to use it apart from in front of Southampton, add that to the limited passing ability of our defenders then there was never going to be many opening at all and the game would come down to a moment of individual brilliance or a mistake.

Koeman knows LvG too well and knew he wouldn't change tact so set his team up in the best way to frustrate and get a result.

So why is LvG being so cautious in his approach? Quite simply as he doesn't have any trust in his defence. He wants to get a balance between defence and attack but in trying to protect his weak defence he is limiting our dangerous attack.

Personally i think LvG has over complicated the tactics and as such the players don't know whether their coming or going. So far this season he has used 5 different formations(433 once, 4141 four times, 3142 and 442 diamond(41212) five times each and 3412 on 6 occasions).
For me there should only ever be two systems a team uses, one for if you want to press a team and one if you want to sit deep and draw them out. These systems should be easy to switch between and then you just make tiny alterations between players and tactics depending on the opposition such as targeting a weak player or attacking with width or through the middle, short or long passes, low or high crosses or no crosses at all.

For me the two systems i would play would be 433 or 343 as its so easy to switch between the two and they are similar enough as to not cause confusion between the players.

Who would we need to bring in to implement such a system?

Well first off i wouldn't sign Falcao as although i believe he will get back to being one of the best strikers in the world but could we really justify 43m plus his astronomical wages on a player who'll be 29 by that time and may only have a few years left at the top, add to that with RvP Rooney and Wilson we are already well stocked in the striker department. That money would be better spent on someone like Reus who would cost half as much and be on much lower wages and would yet add a much more balanced and dynamic look to our attack. We could sign Reus and Depay and pay them both for the same sort of money. And personally that is what i would do.

A player will have to be sacrificed and for me as much as i love him that would be Mata, he is a great little player but is a square peg in a round hole. He will always contribute over a season due to his quality but he will never be the key player in those tough games due to him needing to be played as a free No.10 to get the best out of him. He could work very well as that man in Simeone's AM team, the player who adds a touch of class to his rugged and hard working team. I would certainly try moving him in that direction maybe even as a sweetener in a deal for the midfield player i think is key for us to sign Koke. His tactical flexibility and all round quality in ever role due to his well rounded game is perfect for us. He could play any role as one of a midfield three or in a two and could even play as an unorthodox winger in a flat midfield 4. If we could get Koke in exchange for Mata it would prove to be one of the best bits of transfer business of the summer. If we were unable to pull off such a deal then i would turn to Gundogan who could prove to be just as useful a player and maybe more of a bargain considering his contract situation.

We clearly need more competition at RB and Clyne for me would be the best option, he's english and knows the league and has shown he is a good at both ends of the pitch, and with no real genuine world class alternative someone who knows the league and bring up the number of english players in the team would be the best fit.

As for CB i would look to sign Garay over Hummels due to the Germans cost and injury history as well as slight issues in his game which i feel could be exposed more in England than they are in Germany. I would also look to sign Kongolo as he has stepped up massively this season and is ready to leave Holland to progress further, he is a very good passer of the ball, good in the air and quick along the ground as well as having a great reading and understanding of the game, in a few years time he could be one of the best CB's in the Premier league and he wouldn't cost a fortune atm. He can also cover at LB if needed giving us more options in defence.Written by James "Shappy" Shapland January 13 2015 15:56:36