Are we witnessing the permanent downfall of Manchester United as THE top club?

[Special Juan 27,104]

I've thought this ever since the Mata transfer and I'm not sure if it's been discussed. But why hasnt this been tried? Since the acquisition of Mata it seems to me like the best solution to accomodate Mata, Rooney and RVP.

United

4-3-1-2-

De gea

Rafael - Ferdinand- Vidic - Evra

Fellaini - cleverley/carrick - Jones

Mata

Rvp - Rooney

Two wing backs who provide the team width, could even slide Valencia in as one of the wingbacks.

Three central midfield players to provide defensive platform for wingbacks and lack of defensive contribution from front 3.

Fellaini and Jones as the destroyers and Carrick/Cleverley to distribute.

Mata, Rvp and Rooney given enough license from midfield to attack.

It's definitely not the best system in the world but it accomodates their three star players and makes up for their deficiencies by having width from the fullbacks and aggression/possession from the stacked midfield.

I prefer Jones as a CB but United are just so weak in midfield that in this 3 man midfield he'd have to play.

I just dont think you can play a 4-2-3-1 with Mata Rooney Januzai behind RVP. Defensively its just asking to be attacked and with Mata you can't have an effective high press. So with this idea it just seems to make the most sense.

Thoughts?

Fellaini and Jones can never be described as destroyers and Cleverley has a problem as he struggles to do anything basic at all. Evra is an accident on a match by match basis, Rooney is nigh on a defender because he drops so deep and as for Mata I'm not sure who looks more dumbstruck...him or Moyes.

[Fulham Broadway 16,411]

Leave it to The Chosen One, he knows what hes doing.

[Fernando 6,376]

Hardly.. Did Ferguson build for the future? No he didn't and that's obvious. He knew what he was doing when he left.

Well leaving the club as one the most valuable clubs in the world is building for the future for me.

Transition periods can always be ugly, look at what happen to us?

And we had an owner willing to spend more....ie 50 million on Torres.

Also having a piss poor manager does not help, but United are still a strong brand worldwide that racks in big figures. They should be up and running in two or three seasons.

But if Moyes continues at the helm, it will seriously handicap them.

[GeeMon 34]

Fellaini and Jones can never be described as destroyers and Cleverley has a problem as he struggles to do anything basic at all. Evra is an accident on a match by match basis, Rooney is nigh on a defender because he drops so deep and as for Mata I'm not sure who looks more dumbstruck...him or Moyes.

Fellaini and Jones are still physical players, i see it slightly like a luiz-matic combo (although significantly worse). They are both physical players and you can replace cleverley with carrick if you want.

Evra, yes is an accident but he is contributing more offensively and thats what his role would be. Could try slotting valencia in there, azpilicueta style but imo thats just too much FM.

Rooney dropping deep would just help link midfield and attack and if him dropping deep is a problem that can be remedied by instruction.

I don't think its a perfect system by any means but at least on paper for me its the best way to accomodate the three.

[enes 153]

United is the new Liverpool.

[1chelsea 864]

man united player: let win the champions league

Moyes: can we do this

Obama: yes you can

[bushman 2,043]

Manures are not going to be out of it permanently, as wrongly written in the heading.

I see them out of a real challenge for 2-3 years. The club has too much money to be set aside much longer.

[Special Juan 27,104]

Manures are not going to be out of it permanently, as wrongly written in the heading.

I see them out of a real challenge for 2-3 years. The club has too much money to be set aside much longer.

It's not the money but were it's invested into. Whilst they have people like Moyes in charge there will be problems and people like the Glazer's who have no clue about what they are doing there will always be a rocking ship. United are rotten from top to bottom and this means a few 100M over summer and all will be fine, it won't be, period.

The Ferguson factor was the biggest thing at that club, it's gone, and with it the whole outlook on football.

[Ze Mario 638]

MU should loan moyes to mid table team to gain experience. win win solution for both of them

[bushman 2,043]

It's not the money but were it's invested into. Whilst they have people like Moyes in charge there will be problems and people like the Glazer's who have no clue about what they are doing there will always be a rocking ship. United are rotten from top to bottom and this means a few 100M over summer and all will be fine, it won't be, period.

The Ferguson factor was the biggest thing at that club, it's gone, and with it the whole outlook on football.

I agree. Still Manures are world known mark & there are players who will sign with the team. Perhaps, not many, I hope, but some will come to play.

[Special Juan 27,104]

I agree. Still Manures are world known mark & there are players who will sign with the team. Perhaps, not many, I hope, but some will come to play.

The problem they have right now is the possibility of missing out on CL football, that will be a huge blow if that happened. The big players will be attracting the interest of the big teams also, the big money payers, the trophy winners, the trophy challengers, the big name managers....I mean christ on a bike even Liverpool look more attractive than United now.

Look up problem in the dictionary and I am sure there will be a picture of Old Trafford next to it.

[Eligius 121]

When they sack Moyes, get a new international manager.

International players will come in and make them relevant again.

However, all the top teams in England are no where near their peak, so United have ways to go.

[bushman 2,043]

The problem they have right now is the possibility of missing out on CL football, that will be a huge blow if that happened. The big players will be attracting the interest of the big teams also, the big money payers, the trophy winners, the trophy challengers, the big name managers....I mean christ on a bike even Liverpool look more attractive than United now.

Look up problem in the dictionary and I am sure there will be a picture of Old Trafford next to it.

I did look it up & the clueless one was there. lol.

I believe, you are right. Still, some players will come aboard. I just do not see them as Liverpool being out of it for so long.

As far as I am concern, I always despised manures, their fans, the club, I even hate the color of their jerseys.

[zolayes 14,489]

when the glazers stop robbing the petty cash ,, the n Manure will rise again

[Paul1970 250]

What were man u like before Ferguson...always finishing 2nd behind liverpool but never really looked like winning the title and the occasional fa cup win.

well that`s what they`ll end up doing from now on (top 5) but only if they get someone better than moyes.

[Amblève. 4,995]

It's not the money but were it's invested into. Whilst they have people like Moyes in charge there will be problems and people like the Glazer's who have no clue about what they are doing there will always be a rocking ship. United are rotten from top to bottom and this means a few 100M over summer and all will be fine, it won't be, period.

The Ferguson factor was the biggest thing at that club, it's gone, and with it the whole outlook on football.

United have been living in their own world for years in terms of organising and managing a club. With Ferguson gone it's like somebody popped the bubble that was protecting them. They've entered modern-day's world of football and they're lost like a fish out of water now.

[Steve 10,227]

Well leaving the club as one the most valuable clubs in the world is building for the future for me.

Transition periods can always be ugly, look at what happen to us?

And we had an owner willing to spend more....ie 50 million on Torres.

Also having a piss poor manager does not help, but United are still a strong brand worldwide that racks in big figures. They should be up and running in two or three seasons.

But if Moyes continues at the helm, it will seriously handicap them.

Go look at the players that were left at his desposel last season and tell me Ferguson built for the future.... United won the League last season because the other teams around them were simply not good enough. Last season was one of the worst I have watched.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Well leaving the club as one the most valuable clubs in the world is building for the future for me.

United aren't building for the future, nor are they in a transition period. They don't have an identifiable footballing identity (80 crosses one week, trying to play through the middle with Mata and Kagawa the next), they don't have a cohesive transfer policy and they're even falling behind in the youth development side.

Do you know what else used to be valuable? Myspace. But that bubble burst too.