So the 3-5-2

I'm getting a rare green card from the wife to go and watch this down the pub on Sunday afternoon, as I've convinced myself that this will be the first game in our brave new dawn under Van Gaal

If I see us lining up in this poxy goddam formation I think I might cry...
 
Speak said:
This is better, I think. It simply has to be one up top, in my opinion. Get some proper width into the side while keeping us solid in the centre. Plus Rooney/Falcao are solo strikers at best. Essentially it's very similar to 4-3-3 too, with the major difference coming off the ball.

I'd aim to put Di Maria in Mata's place and look for a pace merchant for the opposite wing to Januzaj though.
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In all honestly I prefer it too, really.

I just dont expect it.

Im actually contradicting posts I made a week or so back on this general subject, that Van Gaal would have the balls to do what is best for the team and would not pick players based on reputation or wage. This is what we all cried out for last season.

I hope I was right when I said that. Sitting here now I cant imagine him dropping Rooney or Falcao. I can imagine him dropping Mata. But why? Because the media expects him to? Because everyone on here expects him to? It makes no sense to me but Ive read that it will happen so many times Ive started to believe it.

Im going to bury my head in the sand until KO.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I'm getting a rare green card from the wife to go and watch this down the pub on Sunday afternoon, as I've convinced myself that this will be the first game in our brave new dawn under Van Gaal

If I see us lining up in this poxy goddam formation I think I might cry...
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I feel your pain. I plan on saying a prayer saturday night/sunday morning asking for the end of the 3-5-2.

One would think with 2 of our 4 established cb's injured we would go to 4 at the back.
 
Makes me laugh that people are suggesting using Rooney behind RVP and Falcao.. The most one dimensional, imabalanced attack I've ever seen.
 
REJE said:
Makes me laugh that people are suggesting using Rooney behind RVP and Falcao.. The most one dimensional, imabalanced attack I've ever seen.
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Yeah, it would/will be horrible. But we're probably going to see it quite a bit.
I know we all like Mata, but I think the 'no.10' role has to go, especially if there are two strikers - which should also go.
 
So his opening lines in the press conference offer some hope that 3-5-2 might not necessary be the way we go from now on, not by any means certain but some hope at least.
 
Surely the injuries to centre halves will mean we don't have enough for this 3 centre halves bollocks. Although if he is insistent that a team without Kevin Strootman in it cannot play with 4 defenders, then he coukd probably play Evans, Rojo and Blind, which would further have the negative effect of having Fletcher in midfield.

If we are going to play with 3 up top, Angel has to be one of them. No more of this one paced nonsense with no runners.
 
After January I doubt we'll see 3-5-2 ever again, nor do I expect to see 2 strikers. At the moment? anything goes.
 
If we play 352 surely 2 from Mata, Di Maria, Rooney, RVP and Falcao are not playing? I hope we are dropping it!
 
Van Gaal has made no bones about the fact the 3-5-2 is/was picked due to personnel issues. With the last push in the market--especially Blind--is it a squad he would feel up for the 4-3-3?

Furthermore, does he still favor it philosophically?
 
Sparky Rhiwabon said:
If we play 352 surely 2 from Mata, Di Maria, Rooney, RVP and Falcao are not playing? I hope we are dropping it!
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4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 would also mean dropping 2 of those players from the XI (or shunting one of the central players into an unfavourable wide position). The only way you could really limit the number of those players dropped to 1, would be with narrow diamond or Christmas tree formations. I'm not sure the primary concern at the moment should be trying to shoehorn everyone into the XI though.
 
Distracted Steward said:
Van Gaal has made no bones about the fact the 3-5-2 is/was picked due to personnel issues. With the last push in the market--especially Blind--is it a squad he would feel up for the 4-3-3?

Furthermore, does he still favor it philosophically?
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I'm really hoping we move to 4-3-3 now. Even though it would mean a selection head-ache up front, I still think we'd be a better team with that system.
 
From BBC: Louis van Gaal reiterates the fact that he ditched a back three today as Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were out injured. "I was more or less forced to play with four defenders," he says.
 
Mali_Zeus said:
From BBC: Louis van Gaal reiterates the fact that he ditched a back three today as Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were out injured. "I was more or less forced to play with four defenders," he says.
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I still hope he sticks with 4 at the back like today. The 4-3-1-2/4-1-2-1-2 works much better imo going forward as it allows us to field all of our best players imo.
 
NoLogo said:
I still hope he sticks with 4 at the back like today. The 4-3-1-2/4-1-2-1-2 works much better imo going forward as it allows us to field all of our best players imo.
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formations with 4 at the back are far more logical than 3-5-2. I hope LVG will see that.
 
Am hoping that's it now for this silly waste of points.
 
Mali_Zeus said:
From BBC: Louis van Gaal reiterates the fact that he ditched a back three today as Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were out injured. "I was more or less forced to play with four defenders," he says.
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I hope he is really not seriously said that. If he does then I must say he is one of the most stubborn manager out there.

Doesn't make any sense to me when we have Rojo, Evans and Blackett. He probably just relize that 352 is too hard and take way too long to settle. He is just a man with pride.
 
JSMHE said:
I hope he is really not seriously said that. If he does then I must say he is one of the most stubborn manager out there.

Doesn't make any sense to me when we have Rojo, Evans and Blackett. He probably just relize that 352 is too hard and take way too long to settle. He is just a man with pride.
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Thats your classic Leo for you. Nice observation!
 
Hopefully we stick with today's formation.
 
JSMHE said:
I hope he is really not seriously said that. If he does then I must say he is one of the most stubborn manager out there.

Doesn't make any sense to me when we have Rojo, Evans and Blackett. He probably just relize that 352 is too hard and take way too long to settle. He is just a man with pride.
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Yes a bit of slight of hand from Van Gaal I think. He could easily have played 3-5-2 today had he wished to do so, with Blind moving to left wingback. A 'lack of defenders' seems like a convenient excuse to abandon a system which wasn't working, without any danger of losing face. I hope we stick with the diamond for a while; we may find it necessary to alter the system on the occasion we come up against a decent side with attacking fullbacks, but for games like today, 4-3-1-2 is ideal.
 
Infra-red said:
Yes a bit of slight of hand from Van Gaal I think. He could easily have played 3-5-2 today had he wished to do so, with Blind moving to left wingback. A 'lack of defenders' seems like a convenient excuse to abandon a system which wasn't working, without any danger of losing face. I hope we stick with the diamond for a while; we may find it necessary to alter the system on the occasion we come up against a decent side with attacking fullbacks, but for games like today, 4-3-1-2 is ideal.
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Yep, perhaps even to keep the opposition guessing what formation we will play.

Like you say, he could have played it today with Blind/Shaw at left wing back.

I certainly can see why we tried the 3-5-2, but we do look more comfortable with the back four. That's the way to go I think.
 
The hatred of the 3-5-2 is hysterical made even worse by using today as a vindication to sacking it off. I wonder how we would've performed in this diamond with young, Valencia, fletcher and cleverley in the starting 11.
 
ivaldo said:
The hatred of the 3-5-2 is hysterical made even worse by using today as a vindication to sacking it off. I wonder how we would've performed in this diamond with young, Valencia, fletcher and cleverley in the starting 11.
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Better than with those same three players and an extra centre back, that's for sure.
 
3-5-2 and the diamond are really similar systems, the latter undeniably suits us better however in terms of personnel. It looked great today providing most of the same benefits whilst keeping a back line that our defence is more comfortable with.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Better than with those same three players and an extra centre back, that's for sure.
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Everything good about today had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the formation, it was the personnel. I'm not saying 3-5-2 is the better formation but its being judged under ridiculous circumstances.
 
I can't believe we'll go back to it again now

That's not me saying we'll stick with the diamond either (although I can't see a better way of getting the most of the players we have)
 
ivaldo said:
Everything good about today had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the formation, it was the personnel. I'm not saying 3-5-2 is the better formation but its being judged under ridiculous circumstances.
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The formation goes some way towards determining the personnel, and vice versa.
 
surf said:
The formation goes some way towards determining the personnel, and vice versa.
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1 player difference between the two formations. When we have the ball it players almost exactly the same, 1 CB steps forward to a DM style role and a midfielder pushes further up to an advanced playmaker.
 
Theon said:
3-5-2 and the diamond are really similar systems, the latter undeniably suits us better however in terms of personnel. It looked great today providing most of the same benefits whilst keeping a back line that our defence is more comfortable with.
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That's how I see it too.

With Blind sitting deep in the diamond, it's a very similar system anyway, and Blind has experience of playing across the defence so he can easily drop back and cover when we're under pressure. Just means we have an actual midfielder distributing from deep rather than a Centre-back.

The rest of the team is pretty much the same, albeit the full-backs will have a little less freedom to attack, but can still get forward to provide width.

This system will also allow us to accommodate 3 of Mata, Rooney, Van Persie and Falcao, all in their best positions to boot. Plenty of playing time for all of them. Any injuries to that four should see game time for Wilson and Januzaj too.
 
If LvG wants to stick with the Blind-Herrera-Di Maria midfield (and why wouldn't he ffs) then we can't play 3-5-2 as that would mean we have to drop two of Mata, Rooney, RvP, Falcao. That just won't happen. Blind has to play, Di Maria-Herera has to play and 3 of Mata, Rooney, RvP, Falcao also has to play.
 
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