Really liking the balance of the team at the moment...

[alias75]

The midfield is very strong, Mascherano is a tiger, Xabi is looking like hes getting that match sharpness back and Stevie can play where he can do the most damage.

 

Defensively Skrtel has settled in well looks to have a bit of pace and decent quality on the ball and we have Agger to come back too.

 

Up front Torres is obviously a class above any striker we've had for a long time and Babel is improving every game and has so much potential.

 

The last couple of games that high tempo pressing game that was there at the start of the season is back im sure a more consistent team selection is a huge reason for that. Whats also encouraging is that there are obvious positions that can be improved upon, Kuyt on the right is doing a good job for the team and his confidence is coming back but we can improve there and also at left back. But what happens with more consistent team selection is that those players like Kuyt or Risse that are maybe not good enough raise their level a little because they're playing in a much more settled team.

 

Personally i have no problem with rotation as long as your doing it from a position of strength i think its quite telling at the moment that Rafa seems to be working with a smaller squad in his own mind, the core of 8 or 9 is staying the same with only a few changes each week this means you can replace quality with quality like today moving Carra to CB and playing Arbeloa and Riise for Aurellio doesn't weaken us because the rest of the team is strong. This is what id like to see much more often.

 

Some really good signs at the moment, and Rafa has found a formation that gets the best out of our best players, with a couple of new players in certain positions its only going to get stronger, but with the age of the current team also being very young we should see the need for fewer players in the coming season, and i think the one thing we need that we haven't had for 3 seasons is consistency in the playing staff.

[ManOfSteel]

I am too, and I think it's helping with Babel's progression as a player.

[billybunter]

we need some more goalscorers. Take Torres and Stevie out of the equation and we are really limited.

 

A decent winger who can contribute 15 or so goals a season and a good striker to compliment Torres and we should be in pretty good shape.

[growler]

Take Tevez and Ronaldo out of united....

 

Most teams have a higher dependency on a couple of players or few core players. Take them away and any team would struggle.

 

We have a good spine in Reina, CarrAggerSkrtel, Masc, Alonso, Lucas, Babel, Gerrard, Torres with good support from Finnan, Benayoun, Arbeloa, Kuyt and a few others.

 

4231 is my preferred formation too, so providing we use that as our main formation, I think we could really kick on from here. Give us a decent right sided striker/winger (Anderson maybe?) and get rid of some of the excess, and we will be flying.

 

Throw in the youngsters stepping up and the future looks good.

 

Its frustrating when we do look good as to why we messed up earlier.

[Ginu]

The issue for me is that, now that we've found our balance, will Rafa start next season with what he knows works? Or will he go back to playing two from Xabi, Gerrard and Masch in the middle, and playing a sub-par player in their place on the wing? Every year we seem to end the season realizing that Gerrard on the wing gives the team more balance because of the abilities we gain by having a Xabi over a Pennant or Benayoun, but the next season it seems we go back to square one and try to find our team balance again. For once, I want Rafa to keep this team and it's shape, and keep it again in August with what he knows works.

[John am Rhein]

CarrAggerSkrtel

 

T'riffic player that one!

[fred milne]

The issue for me is that, now that we've found our balance, will Rafa start next season with what he knows works? Or will he go back to playing two from Xabi, Gerrard and Masch in the middle, and playing a sub-par player in their place on the wing? For once, I want Rafa to keep this team and it's shape, and keep it again in August with what he knows works.

Agree with that. This 4-3-3/4-5-1 thing looks the way forward.

 

Assuming Rafa hangs around in the summer, then he needs to have this formation in mind when he's working out who his targets are. Kuyt's form has improved in recent weeks but I still think we can do better in his position. The full-backs are another area that can be looked at.

[Hassony]

Agree with that. This 4-3-3/4-5-1 thing looks the way forward.

 

Assuming Rafa hangs around in the summer, then he needs to have this formation in mind when he's working out who his targets are. Kuyt's form has improved in recent weeks but I still think we can do better in his position. The full-backs are another area that can be looked at.

 

Aguro in place of Kuyt, Alves at right back and a simmilar player at left back and we are sorted

[johngibo YPC]

Every year we seem to end the season realizing that Gerrard on the wing gives the team more balance

 

He's not playing on the wing

[Hassony]

He's not playing on the wing

 

Strange how some people can't get past 4-4-2, some think gerrard is playing on the wings, others think Crouch should partner torres upfront!

[MFletcher]

I really like this formation. We're taking advantage of our strongest department - central midfield, playing the likes of Babel and Torres in the positions they played previously at Ajax and Atletico respectively and we seem to be going along nicely at the minute.

 

Two hat tricks in two home league games for Torres. I wonder if he can get a hat trick of hat tricks against that shambolic Newcastle defence...

[Hassony]

I really like this formation. We're taking advantage of our strongest department - central midfield, playing the likes of Babel and Torres in the positions they played previously at Ajax and Atletico respectively and we seem to be going along nicely at the minute.

 

Two hat tricks in two home league games for Torres. I wonder if he can get a hat trick of hat tricks against that shambolic Newcastle defence...

 

Gerrard seems really happy playing this formation, and A happy Gerrard = A good liverpool side

[Swagger]

Aguro in place of Kuyt, Alves at right back and a simmilar player at left back and we are sorted

 

Now that would be something.

[realtarragona]

Gerrard seems really happy playing this formation, and A happy Gerrard = A good liverpool side

 

Yep, it does seem to get the best out of him. He's not playing with his back to goal as he sometimes has in the past yet has plenty of freedom to go forward with Alonso and Mascherano controlling things in the centre behind him. It's also ideal for Babel who for me, doesn't seem to be an out and out 'winger' or 'striker' as such.

[beejay]

Gerrard seems really happy playing this formation, and A happy Gerrard = A good liverpool side

 

Caught Gerrard's sky interview when I got back from the game - he looked happier than I've seen him for ages, even a few smiles!

 

This system is tailor-made for Stevie G and the balance is good, albeit that we are less compact than previously and have sacrificed a bit of our "stifling" set-up in the pursuit of a far more fluid, attacking game.

 

Kuyt has been pivotal in this, strangely enough. His work rate in tracking back is crucial but he's also needed to get up in support of Torres and last night he provided the assists for 2 of his goals. I'm sure we can do better in the summer but whoever it is will have to work just as hard as Kuyt when the opposition have the ball or we could be exposed.

[David Hodgson]

Take Tevez and Ronaldo out of united....

 

Most teams have a higher dependency on a couple of players or few core players. Take them away and any team would struggle.

 

We have a good spine in Reina, CarrAggerSkrtel, Masc, Alonso, Lucas, Babel, Gerrard, Torres with good support from Finnan, Benayoun, Arbeloa, Kuyt and a few others.

 

4231 is my preferred formation too, so providing we use that as our main formation, I think we could really kick on from here. Give us a decent right sided striker/winger (Anderson maybe?) and get rid of some of the excess, and we will be flying.

 

Throw in the youngsters stepping up and the future looks good.

 

Its frustrating when we do look good as to why we messed up earlier.

 

 

...and United can still call on Rooney, Giggs and Scholes.

 

We need two more to join the Torres/Gerrard axis and we'll be away.

 

Having said that, I was thinking about the best half dozen players in the world, and there's an argument to say we've got two of them. A team with two of the world's top six could/should go places.

[usualsuspect]

Caught Gerrard's sky interview when I got back from the game - he looked happier than I've seen him for ages, even a few smiles!

 

This system is tailor-made for Stevie G and the balance is good, albeit that we are less compact than previously and have sacrificed a bit of our "stifling" set-up in the pursuit of a far more fluid, attacking game.

 

Kuyt has been pivotal in this, strangely enough. His work rate in tracking back is crucial but he's also needed to get up in support of Torres and last night he provided the assists for 2 of his goals. I'm sure we can do better in the summer but whoever it is will have to work just as hard as Kuyt when the opposition have the ball or we could be exposed.

A very defensive mindset that. On the other hand we have Masch patrolling in the middle and don't need the extra defensive cover up front. maybe a good attacking player who keeps the opposition on the back foot?

[fred milne]

Take Tevez and Ronaldo out of united....

Drogba and Lampard/Adebayor and Fabregas would be better examples.

[Hassony]

...and United can still call on Rooney, Giggs and Scholes.

How many have Giggs and Scholes scored this season?

 

Having said that, I was thinking about the best half dozen players in the world, and there's an argument to say we've got two of them. A team with two of the world's top six could/should go places.

 

We also have one of the best 3 keepers in the world, and probably the best holding midfielder in the world

[alias75]

Drogba and Lampard/Adebayor and Fabregas would be better examples.

 

I think its a fair point actually haven't Man Utd lost 5 games all when Rooney didnt play and Ronaldo/Tevez have a very high percentage of their goals, i don't think theres anything wrong with that, but in the media it seems only Liverpool get accused of being reliant on a couple of players.

 

Of course ideally you want as many attacking threats as possible and i do think we need a couple more top attacking players but theres nothing wrong with your better attacking players scoring most of the goals, it happens at every team.

 

I think the important point is that the team selection has been pretty consistent since Barnsley, yes we've rotated a little but the core of the team has stayed the same and that means the players coming in are coming into a much more settled side. Listening to Rafa a few weeks ago i wondered if he'd changed his approach slightly, and it certainly looks that way at the moment. of course being out of 2 competitions obviously means he doesnt have to change things as much, it'll be interesting to see if it remains more like this next season.

 

I do think we'd benefit from an off season where we don't have to blood 5 or 6 new players, the core of a very good very young squad is here, i do think we need to get rid of a few but that doesn't mean we have to replace the same number of players. 2 players to go straight into the first team would be enough for me.

[Rimbeux]

I think its a fair point actually haven't Man Utd lost 5 games all when Rooney didnt play and Ronaldo/Tevez have a very high percentage of their goals, i don't think theres anything wrong with that, but in the media it seems only Liverpool get accused of being reliant on a couple of players.

 

Of course ideally you want as many attacking threats as possible and i do think we need a couple more top attacking players but theres nothing wrong with your better attacking players scoring most of the goals, it happens at every team.

 

I think the important point is that the team selection has been pretty consistent since Barnsley, yes we've rotated a little but the core of the team has stayed the same and that means the players coming in are coming into a much more settled side. Listening to Rafa a few weeks ago i wondered if he'd changed his approach slightly, and it certainly looks that way at the moment. of course being out of 2 competitions obviously means he doesnt have to change things as much, it'll be interesting to see if it remains more like this next season.

 

I do think we'd benefit from an off season where we don't have to blood 5 or 6 new players, the core of a very good very young squad is here, i do think we need to get rid of a few but that doesn't mean we have to replace the same number of players. 2 players to go straight into the first team would be enough for me.

 

 

No offence to you, but this stat is really annoying me. It's a statistical anomaly, nothing else, that's being used by the English media to big up the contribution of Rooney in the face of Ronaldo clearly being their most important player. He's not having an outstanding season, Tevez may well be more important as well as better, and the English media cannot take that Rooney may not be, and may never be the player he was and is hyped to be.

 

On the rest, we've gone out of two competitions in the last 12 weeks, one especially low priority, which of course cuts down the number of games to play and therefore the number of players used, nothing much else has changed apart from one more player, Babel, starting a lot, and recently playing 4-5-1 more than 4-4-2.

Edited March 6, 2008 by Rimbeux

[Flasher]

4 -2 -3 -1 is an excellent formation and suits Gerrard perfectly. He's free to do whatever the feck he likes, and he does just that, causing havoc.

 

Really, really hope Rafa sticks with this formation next year, from the start.

 

4-4-2 doesn't suit us at all. Alonso, Mascherano & Gerrard all need to be playing, with the latter not restricted by either a CM or right mid position.

[fred milne]

Nothing much else has changed apart from one more player, Babel, starting a lot, and recently playing 4-5-1 more than 4-4-2.

Alonso has made a difference in the last two games. We're keeping the ball much better than we were a few weeks ago.

[chliverpool7]

I think the key for me was always alonso. We've badly missed him...and its not as if his getting back to his best...but a 70% alonso is still massively important to the way we play...his ball distribution for one is so Key...and i think Rafa has got it totally right in playing him and masch with Gerrard roaming around where he wants. It works. I hope he sticks with it. The emergence of Babel's progression was always just a matter of time and even though i dont believe Kuyt is the answer at right mid...you cant really question his contribution for the last few weeks.

[D.Boon]

Seems odd that Rafa has taken so long to go with this formation. Alonso being injured of course doesnt help.

 

Seem like this is his system now and he has the confidence in Babel to give him a run.

 

Good stuff