We delve into the data once again this evening and assess some of the standout statistics over the weekend gone by. Arsenal’s fit-again midfielder, Chelsea’s Brazilian schemer, Sunderland, Swansea and West Ham’s frontmen, Palace’s defence and Everton’s raiding right-back are amongst our main topics this time around:
imagine if ramsey, theo and podolski had been fit this season.
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Imagine if Arsenal coaches didn't beat the players with cricket bats in training.
Open Controlsam i missing something? what you on about ahah
Open ControlsI just mean that they should perhaps start to buy consultation from that Dutch training expert whose been (correctly) mocking Moyes' stone age training methods whole season.
Check out how much injuries Arsenal players have got during last 5-6 seasons or so. Even longer time. They seem to always have bigger crop of players at infirmary than in playable squad.Open Controlsright, thought you were hinting at this. they have definitely had a real issue with injured players for a long time, though i do think some of these players are just injury prone players (wally, rosicky, diaby etc)
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don't forget wilshere and abou! (even though they are both shite)
we would have challenged, but still wouldn't have won with the donkey up frontOpen Controlsi think we could've won. i may be mistaken but i think we've been leading the league for more days then any other club this season. pod couldve played up front when the donkey misfires and we would have plenty of options on the wing.
Open Controlspod doesn't work up front though...main problem is ramsey and walcott being out so long...unbelievable players those two
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Wilshere and Diaby are both very talented players, just both often injured and also mistaken for DM's. Giroud upfront is excellent thing to have. Things he does for you.... he's so underrated, far from "donkey", very technically apt player. You would have had all the chances to win the title with just less injuries and more rotation.
It's very important to notice that Giroud and Özil got tired, and the latter also got injured with Ramsey, about at the same point of season, having played practically full minutes up to that point. They all should have been given rest at some points, you did have a big enough squad to play someone else time to time.
It's pretty stupid that players like Özil and Giroud are played full minutes even when you've already clearly won the match. Özil doesn't have the fitness to do that, especially as Wenger forces him to do defensive work. Giroud, on the other hand, does so immense work, he comes so far back down to get the ball that it is just impossible for him to do that all season, every game, from beginning to end.
It's no wonder these guys get jaded and injured. In addition, I suspect there's something wrong in Arsenal training methods, seen the amount of injuries the team has suffered season after season. That can no longer be merely bad luck, there must be a reason to it. Some players, like Rosicky, just have chronic problems, but many were not prone to injuries at all before joining Arsenal, and yet there they just keep on getting these nagging injuries.Open Controls
Giroud may be many things, but he is not technically adept. 🙂
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Open ControlsHe is. ffs, watch what he does with the ball for once and forget about his scoring record. Even his finishing, there's nothing wrong with his shooting technique, it's one of the best in the whole league. It's just that he tries too difficult things. Somebody should teach that guy some statistics. That move to Bayern would have done very good to him.
Open ControlsI have watched him. Over and over again, because of LateRiser12.
His technique with the ball is well below standard, at this level.
I agree that his positioning is excellent.Open Controls- Open Controls
check out his first touch in the lead up to the west ham goal...
Open ControlsI did. Out of the time I have watched him, this was the ONLY example, of really good gathering. Normally, it is woeful
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giroud is very underrated but he can't shoot. he is the most intelligent centre forward in the league but just about the worst finisher,has definitely cost us.
Open ControlsGood description of him.
Open ControlsWelbeck is brighter than he is. 🙂
Open Controlsi think hes too distracted by the ladies...
Open ControlsI would say almost the opposite. he has great shooting technique, but he makes stupid decisions.
Seen the goals he scores, I wonder how come anybody can say that he cannot shoot or has poos technique. Those goals are finished with amazing skill. Just outright amazing. It's just that those attempts - like a lob over the GK to back top corner when inside the penalty box - look just ridiculously bad when he fails them.Open Controlshe misses some sitters though. his positioning and reading of the play is amazing, he tries to be too fancy and seems to not yet have fully relaxed and handle the pressures of playing for a big club.
Open ControlsThat's true. But it's just that fanciness that is the problem imo. Again, for those missed sitters, I blame his tendency to go for too difficult attempt. To be too fancy, if you will. He seems to always try to score a magnificent goal, a kind of shot that GK just could not stop. And his goals usually are like that. But the thing that he should learn is that most of the times a lesser effort is enough. Very often from close range it is enough to put a reasonably easy shot that just goes against the goal. A spell in Germany or Italy would do very good to Giroud. There are people there who teach strikers how to score, and that is not half about how good your shot is.
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Agree on everything apart from the very first line.
Wilshere is overrated because he's English and Diaby has only had one or two actually good spells for Arsenal in recent years, he's no Yaya or Fernandinho or Matic.Open Controlsif you watched jack in his debut season there was potential there, just hasn't developed and now appears to have a chronic injury
abou is a talented box to box mid but he is always injured so what does it matter?Open ControlsOh yeah Wilshere looked like he was going to be England's next big thing, good work ethic, could dribble, was creative, could pass, could tackle...
But he got injured at a bad time and it halted his progression so much that he went backwards, doesn't look the same player anymore but people rate him massively because he's English, if he was Tunisian then people would have written him off by now.Open Controlsyeah i fear he wont be able to return to that level because he cant stay injury free 🙁 hes a bit of a bellend though so im actually not too upset
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Wilshere is obviously overrated, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't a very good player. he still is very good, just not as world class as his fans think. Diaby, on the other hand, you seem to forget that when he won the U19 EC, he was perhaps the most priced asset of all his generation. He is a very complete player, who started out his career very very well, and it is a good signal that almost everytime he has returned to play, he has almost immediately been called up for France. But with all those injuries, it is obvious that he has not developed much as a player. He makes often bad decisions, but you need to play matches to learn to do the right things on field, and he has played very little matches.
I mean, these are very good players. not world class, but very good and would be very helpful to get back into your team fit again. You may have forgotten, but still last season many Arsenal fans thought Ramsey is useless. he got a bit longer period fit, and lo and behold, he got to quite a top level and is now the fans' favourite. Give Wilshere and Diaby a decent spell of games, and they may get to a good level too.
But first: fire all Arsenal physios and Bould, and replace them with some people who are competent in their jobs.Open Controlsthis...diaby was a top prospect...sad really 🙁
i always thought ramsey had it in him! 🙂Open ControlsNice post, I agree both had massive potential, but both seem to be failing to live up to it due to their injuries.
Not sure how Arsenal's physios still have job there..Open Controls
nice post
yeah mate I know wilshere and diaby are talented lol just frustated with them atm
giroud is a limited striker but great at what he does well, he needs someone to support him up top
wenger overplayed ozil and ramsey which annoyed me...that was his fault
I also think theres something wrong with the training methods...these injuries aren't just bad luckOpen ControlsI think what Giroud really needs is that support. He has his limits, he will never be a player who will dribble past a couple of defenders and score a solo goal. But he was not bought to be that player either, Arsenal doesn't play that kind of football anyway. He is very much a player who wins the ball near the box and plays it forward with fast, neat moves with a team mate who should make a run for that ball so Giroud doesn't have to stop with the ball and just hold it.
For France, he played very well together with Ribéry and Valbuena. Especially Ribéry, who played some very nice a quick one-twos by Giroud to get a scoring chance. But what Arsenal usually is lacking are just these guys making those runs to the box. you are a bit too static on field sometimes, players like Podolski, who has a great shot, stick to the wide positions and I don't really know why they do that. Usually Walcott likes to make those runs for good scoring positions, he really has that thirst for goal, and to me both Walcott and Riroud are usually at their best for Arsenal when playing together. Last autumn it worked very well between Giroud, Özil and Ramsey. The moves they made were beautiful.
Maybe Podolski should be tried as a support striker behind Giroud, giving him always an obvious player to pass the ball to, and getting more constantly good scoring chances to Podolski who probably is the best finisher in the club. Maybe.Open Controlsfor that to happen wenger would have to leave...he is too stubborn to change form the 4-2-3-1
Open ControlsYeah. Maybe. He is a bit stubborn with that. Maybe he is right too. I have utmost respect towards Wenger, he's a great manager, and it may be a bit of easy thinking from me that you could just throw Pod in the middle with Giroud. Something would be sacrificed then too. Maybe that 4-4-1-1 would be disastrous for other reasons. I'm not sure what you would do with Özil in that situation. Play him a bit wider on left? Or right if Wally is away and Cazorla on left? It's probably not just that easy, but Wenger also is maybe very much a long-term project manager and that may make him a bit slow to try different things sometimes.
The way I recall it, Podolski scored all those goals at Cologne lurking behind the striker. Maybe he is used too much in that work horse role on left wing and that is not getting the best from him. I haven't watched Cologne all that much, so I may mistake here too, but I cannot remember him playing there as lone man upfront, nor on wing. he was always there with another player upfront, and that worked very well. I could imagine Giroud would be about the best player to support Podolski in that role.Open Controls+1
nice to see others appreciate wenger!Open Controls
That's the problem when the squad is too thin - I admire Wenger, but it was his fault.
Open Controlsthis...we needed a world class striker + a matic/fernandinho type player
Open Controlsshould have spent in january for sure.
Open ControlsTrue that. They were challenging for the title back then, and it was clear that key players like Özil, Ramsey and Giroud had started to get tired - especially Özil, who had played relatively poor for almost a month back then. Once again, almost all of their midfielders had subscribed to the injury list. It was clear that a fit midfielder (not an injured one like Källström) and a substitute striker, why not a creative wing player as well, were needed.
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I don't agree with this. They're happy to spend on their targets but if they aren't available for a fair price then it's smart to hold off. Why should Wenger pay top dollar for a player he doesn't want.
Open Controlsour team was fatigued and losing momentum, we had to buy to win the league. my point is get someone who isnt kim kallstrom, not necessarily spending big, surely he could have gotten someone around 10 mil who would be a decent squad player to help out with fatigue and injuries
Open ControlsBut there's also a real point that if no good options were available, it's no use to spend big money on players who don't really help your team. Very few really good transfers were made in January.
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It is only thin upfront, and even there they arguably do have options (Wally, Pod, Sanogo). Another real striker wouldn't hurt. But for example, the midfield that is in constant crisis. See how much they actually have midfielders. I'd wager Arsenal has more midfield players than any other team in PL. They've just been almost all injured for most of the season, once again. They hardly get 5 or 6 midfielders fit the same time.
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I think about that everyday.
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imagine if gerrard and suarez miss a few games through injury this season
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Hi all, is my team good to go or should I bench/captain differently?
Will do Gerrard -> Mata/Yaya and possible swap a defender for dgw-defender next week.
Mannone
Baines Ivanovic Coleman
Gerrard Eriksen Sterling Ramsey
Agüero Rooney Suárez(C)
Subs: Boruc Nasri Vlaar MariappaOpen Controls
Has Collins been dropped? Need to play one of Collins or maybe have to take a -4 to replace terry
Open ControlsErm... you've got pretty limited options, don't you? Maybe getting another defender wouldn't hurt.
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Replace terry with a double gamer to off set the pain of taking a hit for a defender
Open ControlsHe was dropped around Xmas. Only Reid's injury let him back in.
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My Current Team is:
Begovic
Zaba, Azpi, Cahill, Stones, Chambers
Hazard, Lallana, Ramsey, Eriksen, Sterling
Suarez, Lukaku, Sturridge
for a -8pt hit:
Hazard + Sturridge --> Mata/Nasri + Rooney/Aguero
Lukaku + Sturridge --> Aguero/Rooney + Podolski
Hazard + Lukaku --> Mata/Nasri + Podolski
which option would be best? thoughts? any other combinations?
Thanks 🙂Open Controls
Go for the 90min men . Nasri & Roo
(keep Lukaku, if you sell him he will score a hat-trick)Open Controls
Total FPL not reliable on picking up the Silva fall in values over last two nights-presumably as he's fallen 0.3 he can't drop any more-just holding off on my transfer....
Open Controls^ this
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Oy, morning lads. Already on -4, but looks set?
Mannone
Coleman Azpi Baines
Gerrard Eriksen Ramsey Punch
Suarez Aguero RooneyOpen Controlsif you captain the king, yes
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I've ended up with double EVE defence too, due to the DGW - they're proving hard to shift now, always a more important transfer needed. Do you think we can play them out to the end now?
Open ControlsYeah I'm thinking about it. Playing them both against Soton, Baines against City (maybe selling Coleman, or just bench him) and whoever I'm left with for Hull 😛
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Gtg. 🙂
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Since week 10 my season has been characterised by making slow process for a few weeks with captaincy safely on Suarez followed by a week of losing lots of ground by captaining someone else when Suarez has a tough fixture
So Ramsey or Rooney captain this week?Open Controls
Man I wish I had a 4th striker spot for Podolski. He's going to run riot this GW.
I'd captain him too if I had him. 🙁Open Controlscould score 4-5 goals in these 3 games the way hes going
haha balo at arsenal, wouldn't want that tbhOpen ControlsI prefer Balo to Mandzukic. Mercurial talent > work ethic for me in this regard.
Plus signing Balo would add so much ooomph to the Gunners.Open Controls
David Moyes' "Chosen One" Manchester United Banner on sale at ebay..anyone interested?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/David-Moyes-Chosen-One-Manchester-United-Banner-/321385852709?pt=UK_SportsMemorabilia_Football_Memorabilia_ET&hash=item4ad416ef25Open Controls
Guys who should I play? Dann (MCI) Baker (swa) or Chester (ful)? leaning towards Dann atm.
Also I'm captaining Suarez, could easily get a brace against a Terry and Cech-less ChelseaOpen ControlsDann
good option imoOpen ControlsThanks, it's who I have playing atm 🙂
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Chester
Open ControlsThanks, my choice is between Dann and Chester really cause I expect Bony to run riot against Villa
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Chester/Dann, wouldn't consider Baker.
Open ControlsAbsotively agree
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Chester for me. I can't see Palace holding City.
Open ControlsThat's what I'm thinking but Hull looked like they were on -relax until the Fa cup final- mode last week, both probably wont end up with a clean sheet tbh
Open ControlsA possibility alright.I hope the possibility of being dropped for the FA Cup livens them up a bit lol
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Good morning all.
How much more can Ramsey and Rooney rise in price this week please?Open Controls
Wish I was a fly on the wall in the United dressing room this week..
Open ControlsA nimble one, to be able to avoid all the flying shit.
Open ControlsBe plenty of that flying around in all directions..
Open ControlsIndeed. Not to much to say this is a tragedy.
Open ControlsTrouble is we have no way of knowing what factions have, or will, have opened up. Not sure I'd even pick Rooney if I didn't already have him...stats are pants anyway.
Open ControlsNow, now. We both know that that isn't true!!!
I am selling Mata. We also have the Nani factor to consider.Open ControlsOh hell .forgot about him..will he be back in the fold now?
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I wish I was a player on the bench in the United dressing room this week..
The principal just got fired and they hired your older mate in his place, attacking football on its way! 😉Open Controls
Wish I was a ladybug there!
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Just a quickie:
A) Hart & Nasri
OR
B) Mannone & YaYa (he should return to training this week)Open ControlsI'd nearly prefer Mannone and Nasri lol
Open Controlswhy is that?!? 😀
Open ControlsMannones uncanny ability to grab loads of points even in games they lose. City's knack of conceding all the time.
Yaya isn't on pens anymore and just back from injury. I think Nasri gets a lot of slack on here but think he's a pretty good option and a lot cheaper than Yaya.Open Controls
Probably B!
Open ControlsB but also like Nasri- not sure Yaya will play both dgw37 imo
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Why wouldn't he? He's back training and they will need their best players
Open ControlsYup he's back training i agree and he is massive for City but 2 games in one week is a big ask following injury imo
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If Yaya is fit he´ll play both games, nothing to save him for + they still think they´re in the title race hoping Liverpool to drop points!!!
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B
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Holding my 2 transfers this week will have cost me 0.8-0.9m. Hope I don't want to upgrade week 38
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This GW, undecided on:
A) Lukaku -> Rooney for a -4 hit
B) Lukaku -> Podolski for a -4 hit
C) Coleman -> Koscielny for additional -4 = -8 hit (defence stinks this GW)
???Open ControlsA or B, Southampton lost a lot of cutting edge due to JRod's injury so Eve def can last one last week. I'd go Podolski simply because ever since we learnt about Rooney's toe injury he hasn't even had a half decent game, or even a proper shot. Granted he's only played twice but he looks well off the pace
Open Controlsthe toe injury concerns me as well, and I doubt we'll get proper reports before the GW. If it heals, he certainly could score a few over the next three GW's
Open ControlsSimilar considerations Viking re Rooney's toe but with Adebayor to transfer out instead.
Ramsey comes into my thinking when looking at gw transfers and thinking he might (might!) be enough Arsenal which would push me towards Rooney instead of Podolski although very aware of the famous saying on here...'form over fixtures'Open Controls
Boruc / Mannone
Coleman Chester Ward Zaba Martin
Ramsey Mata Eriksen Mirallas Colback
Sturridge Suarez Aguero
0 FT 2.0 ITB
A Mirallas to (Sterling, Coutinho, Oscar, Nasri)
B Sturridge to ( Rooney, Bony, ?? )
C Both to above for -8
D Stick and just play Colback and MartinOpen Controls
Doubling up on the Chelsea defence for the run in really hasn't worked out well.
Open ControlsIt looked good in theory, but there were underlying weaknesses.
Open ControlsAh well, there's always next year, it was a decent decision in theory - keep making them and we'll come out on top more often than not 🙂
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This x1000... 🙁
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Yeah, it's been underwhelming. Got a pair of cleanies at Swansea that I didn't expect but it doesn't feel great to be stuck with them now 😀
Open ControlsI damn near tripled up when Hazard was ruled out - small mercies eh? 🙂
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Anyone else restructured their team without yaya and now a bit nervous for his DGW return as can't afford him back?
Open Controlsnope, I can afford him back!!! (this doesn´t help does it? :D)
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I think Rooney might get 7 or 8 goals in the last 4 gameweeks.
Open ControlsCarry on. You will forgive me if I don't join you.
Open ControlsYep. 🙂
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you must be jokin
Open ControlsI hope you're right.
Open ControlsI think he might not. Let's see who is right
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A - Yaya Nasri Cahill Koscielny
B - Mata Nasri Demichelis Cahill
C - Yaya Mata Kosc Kolarov
which one folks?Open Controls
Do people think Mourinho will follow through on playing a weaker team at Liverpool?
I was thinking about benching Sterling, which would be dubious anyway, but totally daft if he is up against Mikel and whoever else from the depths of the bench.Open ControlsNo he won't. Doubt he'd risk hazard and etoo but apart from that he'll pick the best team to try and win the game
Open ControlsProblem is though,Chelsea have a lot of depth in that squad (compared to Pool) so i can see a decent team anyway. Matic, Salah,maybe Hazard, Oscar, Lampard, Ba (or Torres) A.Cole, Mikel all could play......................
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Mikel & Lampard are suspended for the return leg of CL semi so they will play
Salah and Matic are cup tied so they will play
Throw in Shirely and Oscar and they should have a pretty decent teamOpen Controlsthere is no such weak team at chelsea, its a typical mind games by mourinho
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Manchester Uniteds new managers options aren't all that great
Looks like that Dutch bloke might get it by default
Will he be called "The One and Only One"Open Controlsvan Gaal, de Boer, or Ancelotti. Can't see anybody else taking the reins tbh
Open ControlsHands off our Carlo 🙁
Open Controlsrumblings that he'll be targeted by united in the summer (and that he'll be available, for some odd reason)
Open ControlsIf we don't win the CL or the league, there'll unfortunately be rumblings of getting rid.. Which is absolutely god damn ridiculous if ya ask me. Carlo has been fantastic and is one of the only people in the world that could keep all of those players happy.
He'd be a massive coup for United at the moment, but I think the football he implements can be a bit expansive at times and I'm not sure how he'd work at United..Open Controls^Fully agree with this.
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Speroni
Coleman Flanagan Azpi
Gerrard Eriksen Nasri Ramsey
Suarez Rooney Aguero
Gk Ward Burner Kasami
Already on a -4
Chasing a poor minimum top 100k finish, and a money finish in one of my ML.
Not liking my defenders fixtures, and thinking Mata in for Gerrard at some point
Would you do anything else?Open ControlsGood morning by the way 🙂
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Hart
Ivanovic | Baines | Coleman
Mata | Eriksen | Ramsey | Johnson
Suarez | Aguero | Rooney
All set for this week? Who to (C)?
The plan was to move Coleman/Baines out for either 1 Man U or Man City defender or both for one of each next week.
With their form though is it really worth it?Open ControlsHave money so would you not rather have Coleman become Zabaleta instead of Baines?
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personally i would love to see united revert to a 4-4-2 formation, with mata/kagawa given the same role as scholes before, then fellaini, carrick and fletcher fight for the other midfield role. then play with two strikers; rooney, rvp, hernandez and welbeck uptop, give much more balance to the team
Open ControlsThey should be looking at playing a similar system to what Man City have played in the past imo, no matter how much they would resent that.
2 Holding CM and 2 ACM. Silva & Nasri aren't really played as wingers there played as attacking midfielders that are free to move around. This does rely on having attacking full backs which in Evra and Rafael they do.
Play Mata & Kagawa in the same ACM roles imo.Open Controlsthe reason why i prefer 4-4-2 is that it brings more balance and stability to the team, playing with 2 strikers uptop will allow rooney and rvp to form a lethal partnership without having to fight for that lone striker. mata/kagawa will be given the central role they wanted, and wingers like valencia and young provide much more protection to the fullbacks
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The city formation is really a 4222 formation. I like it and I agree that United should try it, it'd certainly be in start contrast to their wide game under Moyes. Can the players adjust?
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Moyes' failure will cost Manchester United £211m. That includes severance packages, non-qualification for the Champions League and a £150m transfer fund that a new manager will need to turn the club around.
Open ControlsWell ... it wasn't his failure, alone. It is the club's, collectively.
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£150m transfer fund needed to turn the club around was Fergie's fault, not Moyes..
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dafuq? 😯
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what is a better option for the run in :
suarez / rooney / bony
or
suarez / aguero / wickhamOpen Controls
10 years, 14 days agoMourinho says(Scout tweets) that Chelsea will need to play in the UCL final in order for Terry to play again this season. Does that mean he's out for the season?