What does the fox say?

while both would be good signings, we need a change in tactics too... less playing in straight lines, less knocking the ball wide and sending an endless supply of hopeful balls into the box ... Moyes preferred tactic isnt a hoof long ball system as some would claim, but it does involve overloading the wings and crosses... and it aint bloody working... putting Mata into this system is a waste of time

we are NOT playing a 4-2-3-1 system imo... we are currently 4-4-1-1... there is a slight difference... but its why our midfield often looks so far away from our attack in most games.

We deffo need creativity badly though. We're creating little in the way of clear cut chances, even when we dominate posession and put teams under pressure.

Chelsea would really see us struggling and sell us Mata to get us out of the fix we're in?

If we miss out on CL Chelsea know they will get Rooney, why help is out?

SLM

With Jose saying publicly that Mata is for sale the player will be unsettled and will be off. If we offer enough and no-one is in for him then we can get the guy. if other big clubs come in for him of course i'd not have us as favourites.

Shugs

Baines is the best crosser in the PL (full back rather than winger). He is perfect for the system we play. Moyes has Kagawa playing on the left but he really doesn't seem suited for the Prem and that role whereas last season that is precisely where Mata did most of his damage.

comment by Robb - Australia for the 2014 World Cup. The d... (U9808)
posted 34 seconds ago
SLM

With Jose saying publicly that Mata is for sale the player will be unsettled and will be off. If we offer enough and no-one is in for him then we can get the guy. if other big clubs come in for him of course i'd not have us as favourites.
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NO HE DIDNT. Don't read the headline.

Mourinho, clearly aware of his player's unhappiness, said: ‘I don’t want him to go, that is my opinion and that is my wish - but my door is open.

‘The club door is open too, so when a player wants to speak with us we are there waiting for them. But if you ask me do I want to sell him, I don’t want to.

‘I didn't see the reaction, his frustration was because of the result - we have to win.

‘If we don’t win this game then the difference to the leaders is bigger. at the end of the game everyone including him it was celebrating the victory.’

Dream on, united will sign fook all! And your right about rooney he'll be a chelsea next season or this jan. if a daft offer is made united well sell to make up for no champions league next year. Van persie will follow and its mid table drab football for a good number of seasons now. There seems to be a mental block at united about buying a fooking midfield player that is needed, started by fergie and moyes was badly let down by that idiot woodward!!!

SLM, if you don't think Mata has one foot outside the door then you're more naive than you look.

comment by Robb - Australia for the 2014 World Cup. The d... (U9808)
posted 1 minute ago
SLM, if you don't think Mata has one foot outside the door then you're more naive than you look.
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You thought Rooney had both feet outside the door in the summer.

To paraphrase you: "After the Chelsea game the Rooney deal will be done"

SLM

Rooney did want to leave and it was a credit to Moyes that Rooney stayed and is playing his best stuff in ages.

And you really can't compare the two situations. Moyes said Rooney wasn't going anywhere but Jose is not so sure about Mata.

comment by Robb - Australia for the 2014 World Cup. The d... (U9808)
posted 31 seconds ago
SLM

Rooney did want to leave and it was a credit to Moyes that Rooney stayed and is playing his best stuff in ages.

And you really can't compare the two situations. Moyes said Rooney wasn't going anywhere but Jose is not so sure about Mata.
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Robb, get this into your head.

If Chelsea and effectively stop us qualifying for the CL and in turn that will help them get Rooney, they will not sell us Mata. No Mata (see what I did there?) what.

Evra needs to go I agree.

We also need a quality winger, Valencia has failed for 2 years now, it's not good enough.

12 crosses failed to meet a Man Utd player yesterday, 1 did and that was an overhead kick from the edge of the 18 yard box.

comment by Robb - Australia for the 2014 World Cup. The darkest of horses. (U9808)
posted 6 minutes ago
Shugs

Baines is the best crosser in the PL (full back rather than winger). He is perfect for the system we play. Moyes has Kagawa playing on the left but he really doesn't seem suited for the Prem and that role whereas last season that is precisely where Mata did most of his damage.
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i'm not arguing the point of him being a good crosser... i agree he would be a decent enough signing... but it wouldn't change how mind numbingly predictable our attacking is... it would just guarantee we would continue to fire balls out wide and look to get lots of crosses in. Its proving easy for most teams to work out so far, just keep loading the wide defensive areas and either block the crossing or limit the space the attacker has to put the crosses in.

Our lack of ideas outside of this tactic is our major problem... its why our wingers are looking so poor... teams know we're attacking down the wings so double up/load to defend against it.

we need variety... a plan B/C/D... Valencia/Nani etc in the past have scored goals, got assists and looked decent... if we had creativity coming from elsewhere, it gives our widemen more space, makes us less predicatable, stops teams doubling up and closing off space.

our tactics are to blame as much as the personnel. IMO the players are (and have shown in the past) they are capable of better. This has gone beyond a poor spell of form for me (poor form lasts 7/8 games)... we've been rubbish all season bar 3 or 4 games... we need a different approach in our play

Shugs, if we had a winger capable of crossing a ball we'd have win yesterday.

Mata is totally the wrong player for us. He's a number 10. We don't need a number 10.

We need a left back, a central midfielder capable of scoring and creating and another winger too. Mata is none of these. He's a number 10 and a lazy albeit a talented one.

Not for us.

I'd take Baines though now. Evra is gone.

comment by BusbysBabes - Gatorade me b1atch (U9083)
posted 7 minutes ago
Shugs, if we had a winger capable of crossing a ball we'd have win yesterday.
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our crossing was poor agreed... but watching our midfielders constantly knocking the same passes out wide... relying on the same tactic over and over again... you really think the lack of variety doesn't make us easier to defend against?

I'm all for buying a new winger... I'd love us to sign Alessio Cerci... his ability to switch wings, stretch play, go on the inside or outside of players would be ideal

i just feel we need a bit of variety... not just a reliance on playing the ball wide

You do have a point. Having just watched the highlights soon as Januzaj went got he right we were a different animal.

I've said all along he is better cutting inside than on the left, and it's fair to say Young is more dangerous than Valencia.

I'd like to see that against Swansea.

I still thinks welbs dived yesterday but Webb made a couple if awful decisions in booking Januzaj and no pen/ red card for Lloris, Moyes correctly states anywhere else that's a red card for a dangerous tackle.

Se85

Mata isn't a #10 in the sense that you mean. The guy can play anywhere across the '3' in a 4-2-3-1 and would be perfect for us in the position Kagawa has been failing in for the past year.

We need to be realistic about what we actually need.

We have 4 players for 2 roles in the '2' of the 4-2-3-1 and we have 3 strikers for the '1' of the 4-2-3-1.

What we really need is to get the '3' of the 4-2-3-1 all playing well, creating chances and scoring goals.

Now Rooney has the #10 spot secured so it's the left and right side of that '3' that is of biggest concern. Januzaj showed last night that he is good on the right so that leaves the left. For a couple of seasons Mata has been coming in off the left and scoring goals for fun. He would be PERFECT for what we need.

We may not get him, Chelsea may not sell but IF he is available he is by far and away our best bet to start clawing our way up the table again.

As for the '2', like I said, we have 4 players all going to be in our side until at least the end of the season. After that, we can speculate but right now we need a left back and a goalscoring attacking midfielder more than anything.

Mata isn't a #10 in the sense that you mean. The guy can play anywhere across the '3' in a 4-2-3-1 and would be perfect for us in the position Kagawa has been failing in for the past year.





I don't think we have the midfield to make this work, we look awful defensively as it is can you imagine the full backs with no support fro, the wingers?

You need energy and defensive nous in the middle for this. We look slow and lethargic in the middle to say the least. I'd not be against playing Rooney in there, his cameos recently have been good, which says is all about our current crop of midfielders.

Busby

It would be no different from having Kagawa there on the left except this time we'd have someone who could actually do damage to the opposition.

comment by Robb - Australia for the 2014 World Cup. The d... (U9808)
posted 2 minutes ago
Busby

It would be no different from having Kagawa there on the left except this time we'd have someone who could actually do damage to the opposition.
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True, just don't see it happening unfortunately, don't get me wrong he's a great little player.

Chelsea would be fools to let him go to us, as mentioned no top 4 and Rooney is theirs, be it this summer or for free next.

Yeah, agreed Busby. I am 100% sure Mata is off but would be surprised if we got him. I'd love to see us throw a ton of money at Chelsea.

They reported a £49 million loss this week. Perhaps they could do with a sizeable chunk of that money from us for Mata

Or Hazard

W&R would spaff all over his carfe.

I would get Baines just for his free kick. There are goals there. We get plenty of free kicks just outside the box... which Rooney mostly squanders.