RetroUnited.com is the number one website for Manchester United news, statistics and memorabilia. Run by former players of the club, regular exclusive opinion is featured on the website.
Firstly, Nev is wrong in saying that we always play 4-4-2 with 2 wide wingers. Sure there’s Becks, Kanchelskis, Valencia. We’ve often had direct players who like to cross on the right,
But players like Ronaldo, Park, Young, Nani and Sharpe weren’t really wingers with chalk on their boots like those guys. They’d come into the middle near the penalty box, play in the inside channel or even just (in the case of Ronaldo) play as an extra striker.
However, that aside I think that if you look at our personnel now a 4-2-3-1 is actually way more natural for us. RVP up top with Mata-Rooney-Januzaj behind suits all those players. Rooney can alternate between playing alongside RvP and just behind. Mata plays behind the two, or pulls to the inside left/right channel, Januzaj can play further wide than Mata and stretch the game. Both Mata and Januzaj can play either side.
But it also suits the rest of the squad. Carrick and Jones as the 2 in a 4-2-3-1 makes a load of sense. Carrick to keep the ball moving, Jones to intercept and act as defensive cover. Neither are good 30 yards from the opposition goal playing the (1990s) Scholes role, bursting into the box. But sat in front of the back four they look way more comfortable as a pair. It also makes Cleveley’s painfully safe passes more bearable (not sure where it leaves Fellaini though).
It means you have to have width provided by the full backs – but Rafael and Evra are both good going forward, so that’s no problem. And with Jones covering their runs forward we get protection from the counter attack.
Firstly, Nev is wrong in saying that we always play 4-4-2 with 2 wide wingers. Sure there’s Becks, Kanchelskis, Valencia. We’ve often had direct players who like to cross on the right,
But players like Ronaldo, Park, Young, Nani and Sharpe weren’t really wingers with chalk on their boots like those guys. They’d come into the middle near the penalty box, play in the inside channel or even just (in the case of Ronaldo) play as an extra striker.
However, that aside I think that if you look at our personnel now a 4-2-3-1 is actually way more natural for us. RVP up top with Mata-Rooney-Januzaj behind suits all those players. Rooney can alternate between playing alongside RvP and just behind. Mata plays behind the two, or pulls to the inside left/right channel, Januzaj can play further wide than Mata and stretch the game. Both Mata and Januzaj can play either side.
But it also suits the rest of the squad. Carrick and Jones as the 2 in a 4-2-3-1 makes a load of sense. Carrick to keep the ball moving, Jones to intercept and act as defensive cover. Neither are good 30 yards from the opposition goal playing the (1990s) Scholes role, bursting into the box. But sat in front of the back four they look way more comfortable as a pair. It also makes Cleveley’s painfully safe passes more bearable (not sure where it leaves Fellaini though).
It means you have to have width provided by the full backs – but Rafael and Evra are both good going forward, so that’s no problem. And with Jones covering their runs forward we get protection from the counter attack.
I think that’s where were going.