Where do Mata and Di Maria fit?

I think this can work if we play them as wingers/attacking wide players. Mata can be effective on the right but it requires a fullback who is a threat, Valencia won’t cut it.

Di Maria is a bigger problem. I doubt van Gaal will ever play him in midfield, and I think we could get a better winger. As good as he was for Madrid, I just don’t see him in possession based team.
 
Simple 4-2-3-1:

-------Rooney-----
-DiMaria-Mata-WF
----Herrera--------
-------Carrick------
Shaw---------Rafael/RB
----LCB-Smalling--
------De Gea-------

with the WF being a goalscoring type and Di Maria being able to play on either side. You'd have Di Maria and Mata creating for Rooney and the WF and helping out Herrera + Carrick.
 
These formations are all devoid of power in midfield, like we are playing in La Liga. If we get our transfer business done well both can start on the bench.
 
NoPace said:
Simple 4-2-3-1:

-------Rooney-----
-DiMaria-Mata-WF
----Herrera--------
-------Carrick------
Shaw---------Rafael/RB
----LCB-Smalling--
------De Gea-------

with the WF being a goalscoring type and Di Maria being able to play on either side. You'd have Di Maria and Mata creating for Rooney and the WF and helping out Herrera + Carrick.
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Oh boy, If Ferguson had this team he would win the league so easily.
 
I'm not convinced Di Maria is coming back. If we're going to be brutally honest, he's been woeful but we can't blame that on a lack of class. He's just not right under Louis Van Gaal and the sooner we come to grips with that the better everyone will be.

Besides, rumors of Bale and Depay are rampant and there's no way we're keeping Di Maria if we bring in either of those two.

Mata is a very tidy solution already at right attacking mid. The key with getting the best out of Mata, it seems to me, is to pick up a right fullback who's effective going forward. The key to all of this, given what we see LvG is trying to do, is to pick up a strong 6 who can free Carrick to push forward. We've differed in the defensive mid role for years (Hargreaves, Fletcher, etc.) and while Carrick has done an excellent job sitting in front of the back four, we're simply too reliant on Carrick. Blind can do a job there as well and pairs up nicely with Carrick but we need to add depth and quality there to create those quality first passes on the counterattack and to pick out penetrating balls from the middle third. We're just not going to be good enough next season to walk the ball into the net as Barcelona does or Arsenal does from time to time. Address the midfield problem, strengthen our wide options and bring in a top striker and we're ready to bring the hardware home.
 
SonnyTheHaloPro said:
Oh boy, If Ferguson had this team he would win the league so easily.
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It's a very Ferguson side, yeah:

Rooney as the 9, Di Maria as the Giggs style winger cutting in and running around and Mata as the Cantona/Scholes style 10.

Needs someone productive on the right like Kanchelskis/Beckham/Ronaldo.

In defense, there's a pacey left-back who should be able to do a decent Evra imitation and a top keeper a la Schmeichel and VDS.

classy, Rio or Pallister style CB next to the pacey and strong Smalling.

So, yeah, if Ferguson announced he was coming back think we'd need a smaller summer investment, focusing on getting one of Depay/Bale/Reus or another top winger, a passing CB and then swapping Valencia out for a proper RB to play when Rafael is hurt.
 
Gannicus said:
I'm not convinced Di Maria is coming back. If we're going to be brutally honest, he's been woeful but we can't blame that on a lack of class. He's just not right under Louis Van Gaal and the sooner we come to grips with that the better everyone will be.
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I think Di Maria's final ball has been good enough that "woeful" is unfair, bu the general sentiment makes sense.

If we're sticking with Van Gaal and this 4-3-3, the logical thing for United and Di Maria is for him to go to PSG for around 45 million pounds and for us to spend that money on someone who fits the formation better like Koke (as a CM) or Bale (Winger)
 
Some are saying that Di Maria doesn't fit in our position based football style so I don't know how we're going to fit him in. Mata has done well on the right but im not convinced he will work long term there and I don't know if LVG wants a player of his ilk in the Fellaini role (AMF)
I am a massive fan of both players but I haven't a clue how to fit them in. Hopefully LVG knows how he is going to sort out the starting line-up.
 
Devil may care said:
These formations are all devoid of power in midfield, like we are playing in La Liga. If we get our transfer business done well both can start on the bench.
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This.

We need power, strength and/or tenacity through the spine of the team. Pace and trickery can stick to the wings. The frequency with which ADM gives away the ball in the BPL means he really can only be played in an attacking wide forward role. Mata is slightly stronger than Kagawa was but, ironically, Kags was the tidier player of the two and actually gave the ball away less. What Mata has going for him, like Herera, is the fact that he has goals and assists in him. This is why Kags went on his way. Other non productive players should watch out.
 
The problem is Di Maria is best in midfield, but LVG doesn't trust him there. So he has to play on the wing, where he's incredibly inconsistent. And add that to the fact he's an anti-possesion player, then things don't look good.

And with Mata, he's best as a #10, but LVG doesn't play with a traditional #10 in his 4-3-3 formation. So that leaves Mata as a 'winger' as he's been playing lately. But as he lacks pace, him playing there relies on the team playing well, and playing with those 'triangles' to get Mata into space. Which obviously can (and does) work, but isn't ideal.
 
Sam said:
The problem is Di Maria is best in midfield, but LVG doesn't trust him there. So he has to play on the wing, where he's incredibly inconsistent. And add that to the fact he's an anti-possesion player, then things don't look good.

And with Mata, he's best as a #10, but LVG doesn't play with a traditional #10 in his 4-3-3 formation. So that leaves Mata as a 'winger' as he's been playing lately. But as he lacks pace, him playing there relies on the team playing well, and playing with those 'triangles' to get Mata into space. Which obviously can (and does) work, but isn't ideal.
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He actually prefers playing with a traditional #10 or he will rather call it a second striker, Mata would fit that version i guess.
 
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