Manchester United got off to the perfect start to their first
Premier League campaign under new manager David Moyes, beating Michael
Laudrup's highly-rated Swansea side 4-1 at the Liberty Stadium.
Moyes' first ever Premier League starting XI was as follows: David de
Gea; Phil Jones, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra; Antonio
Valencia, Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Ryan Giggs; Danny Welbeck,
Robin van Persie. Welbeck and Van Persie helped themselves to two goals each and Wayne
Rooney was excellent when brought off the bench, getting two assists to
his name. Anderson also got a run out, and judging by the amount
of game time he was given by Moyes during United's pre-season tour of
the Far East, he will be a crucial part of the Scot's plans for the
season. The likes of Wilfried Zaha, Shinji Kagawa, Javier "Chicharito"
Hernandez, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard, Adnan Januzaj, Nani and Chris
Smalling weren't even utilised by Moyes, which goes to show the strength
in depth that the current United squad possesses. Despite the fact that Moyes inherited a squad with a fantastic
combination of youth and experience, and has gotten his United career
off to a promising start, it is an opinion widely held by fans and
critics alike that the Scot will have to bolster his squad by bringing
in at least one or two fresh faces if he is to succeed in defending
United's league crown. Moyes tried and failed to sign even one of Thiago Alcantara, Cesc
Fabregas and Kevin Strootman in his persistent attempts to bolster his
midfield, and - if rumours are to be believed - is currently set on
bringing Marouane Fellaini and Luka Modric to United. He has
been linked with Fellaini, his former player at Everton, for a long time
now, and has reportedly put in several bids for the player, all of
which have been rejected by the Toffees' management. While no
official contact has been made with Real Madrid concerning the
possibility of a bid for Modric, it is widely believed that the Croatian
sees Old Trafford as his preferred destination. With just over a week of the transfer window left to go, it remains
to be seen whether Moyes will be able to secure deals for the players he
wants to add to his squad. As Moyes, vice-chairman Ed Woodward
and other United officials continue to tirelessly persevere outside the
spotlight in order to help acquire the right players for the club, we
take a look at the best starting XI that United could send out if they
do succeed in signing one or two big players. I have gone with a 4-1-2-2-1 formation, which is just a fancy
adaptation of the 4-3-3, with one striker up top and two central
midfielders acting as the creative fulcrum of the team, in front of one
defensive anchorman. For reasons I shall explain below, I have
named Rooney as a midfielder, but his starting position is merely
trivial; he will surely be utilised more as a second-striker to Van
Persie than a midfielder, and my starting XI makes room for that
possibility.
Goalkeeper: David de Gea
There can be no doubt that former Atletico Madrid keeper David de Gea is the indisputable number one at Old Trafford. In
his two years as a United player, De Gea has evolved into one of the
most assured keepers in the Premier League, and now provides a stark
contrast to the player he was when he first joined the club. Infinitely
more confident of his aerial ability, De Gea has adapted admirably to
the physical nature of the Premier League, and is no longer a target for
scathing criticism by the English media. One of the best
shot-stoppers in the world, De Gea was voted into the PFA Premier League
Team of the Year at the end of the 2012/13 campaign, and started the
season in goal against Swansea. It is unlikely that he will be displaced
from Moyes' starting XI in the near future.
Right-back: Rafael da Silva
Once an impetuous, rash wing-back with an extremely short temper on
the pitch, Rafael has matured into a dependable figure at the back for
United. Having shored up his defensive skills and worked on his
attitude, the young Brazilian has very much established himself as the
long-term replacement for Gary Neville at the club. As capable
of launching counter-attacks and supporting his winger in the opposing
team's half as he is of defending deep in his own half, Rafael is the
model right-back, and certainly the best option Moyes has to choose
from, seeing as Phil Jones was less than convincing in the game against
Swansea, which Rafael missed through suspension.
Centre-backs: Rio Ferdinand & Nemanja Vidic
Despite their advanced years and the stiff competition provided by
the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans, the duo of
Ferdinand and Vidic look set to renew their partnership in the centre of
United's defence. Considered by many to be the greatest
centre-back partnership in recent footballing memory, the two defenders
complement each other perfectly, with Ferdinand's silky ball control and
vision providing the perfect foil for Vidic's no-nonsense approach to
defending. It is difficult to say how many years the two
behemoth defenders have left of their careers, since they have both
suffered from numerous injury problems down the years; but it is fair to
say that they will be among the first names on Moyes' team-sheet when
fit.
Left-back: Patrice Evra
Since joining United in January 2006, Evra has gone on to establish
himself as one of the world's best left-backs; determined, pacey,
athletic, excellent in the air, great going forward, dependable at the
back and a genuine leader, Evra has everything you'd want from a
modern-day full-back. Granted, age might have start to catch up
with him, as he has had to endure uncharacteristically slow starts to
the last two Premier League campaigns before coming into his own towards
the end of each season, but there is still no evidence suggesting that
the French international is a liability to the team. In light of
this, it is slightly peculiar that David Moyes seems intent on bringing
Leighton Baines to Old Trafford, when he already has a proven
world-class left-back in Evra, with able replacements in Alex Buttner
and Fabio da Silva. If United and Everton are unable to strike a
deal for Baines, Evra will likely continue to maintain his firm
stranglehold of the left-back position at Old Trafford.
Defensive midfield: Marouane Fellaini
Forget Baines, the one player from Everton that Moyes should leave no
stone unturned in his attempts to sign is the colossal Belgian
midfielder Marouane Fellaini. Originally an anchorman by trade,
the from Standard Liege player was predominantly utilised as a second
striker by Moyes during the last two seasons in a move that saw Everton
profit from his immense physicality and ability to wreak havoc in the
opposing team's penalty area. However, if Moyes were to succeed
in bringing the midfielder to United, the most natural position for the
player would undoubtedly be in the centre of midfield, for reasons not
restricted to the fact that Fellaini has openly admitted to preferring a
defensive role in midfield to an attacking one. Fellaini would
be perfect in the holding role at United, not only because the club does
not currently have a player capable of playing that role on a regular
basis, but also because he is holding down the fort at the back would
grant the likes of Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs the licence to
exercise their creativity more freely. Fellaini would be a
crucial piece to the jigsaw puzzle that is United's squad, and would
certainly prove to be worth the immense amount of money that Moyes will
most likely have to spend on him.
Central midfield: Luka Modric & Wayne Rooney
Recent reports
have linked United with interest in Chelsea's Juan Mata and Real
Madrid's Mesut Ozil, as the club continues the search for a world-class
creative midfielder. It seems unlikely that Chelsea will part
ways with their two-time Player of the Year Mata, unless Rooney makes
the move in the opposite direction, while Mesut Ozil should reprise his
role as playmaker in chief at the Bernebau irrespective of the situation
surrounding the transfer of Gareth Bale. In the extremely
likely event that United fail to sign either of the two, the player they
should seriously consider signing is Luka Modric. The Croatian
was linked with a move to United before actually joining Madrid, but the
arrival of the likes of Isco and Asier Illarramendi could be the reason
behind his reported desire to join United. Often compared to
United legend Paul Scholes for his style of play, Modric would fit into
the United side without any problems, and his vision, incisive passing
and ability to control the speed and direction of the game while in
possession would give United the upper hand against almost any time. Despite Mourinho showing no signs of letting up in his pursuit of
Wayne Rooney, it is highly unlikely that Moyes will agree to part with
the man he introduced to Premier League football over a decade ago. While
Rooney has lost a yard or two of pace, he remains an extremely skilful
and talented footballer, and a source of regular goals, which is
something Moyes will be loath to lose this late in the transfer window. Reports
have suggested Rooney doesn't want to play to Van Persie, and did not
take kindly to being played in midfield by Sir Alex Ferguson last
season, which are the main reasons behind his seeking a move away from
Old Trafford. However, it is my opinion that Rooney's best
position over the next few years could well be in midfield, owing to his
creativity and eye for a long ball. He would do well as a
box-to-box midfielder, and his presence on the pitch would afford Moyes
much the same level of tactical versatility as Fellaini did at Goodison
Park.
This lineup follows a 4-1-2-2-1 set up, but Rooney's desire to play
as a striker could see Moyes change it to a 4-2-2-2 (or a 4-4-2) by
playing Modric alongside Fellaini and pushing Rooney up to join Van
Persie in attack. He could also field Rooney as a second striker
in a 4-2-3-1 formation, similar to the system France utilised in the
2006 World Cup, with Zidane playing off Thierry Henry, supported by
Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery on the wings. Being able to
switch tactics without making substitutions is a luxury that few
managers are allowed to experience, but Rooney's presence in midfield
would allow United to shuffle things up during games, which is a great
asset to have when going up against Premier League sides that are
becoming increasingly tactically sophisticated.
United have showed signs of evolving from their traditional flat-four
midfield to a three-man midfield in recent years, and Rooney has been
key to this change. Losing the number 10 would be a blow to United's squad, whereas
managing to convince him to stay and adopt the kind of role that has
been described above would serve the best interests of both the club and
the player. Rooney and Modric would complement each other very well; the former
would provide the penetrating runs from midfield, while the latter would
sit back and maintain distribution of possession effectively, making
United a much deadlier team when in possession.
Wingers: Wilfried Zaha & Antonio Valencia/Ashley Young & Nani
In the four players above mentioned, United boast four excellent
wingers who can collectively offer different threats from the wing: Zaha
and Valencia love nothing more than to stick to the wing, beat players
down the touchline and deliver crosses from the byline, while Nani and
Young are adept at cutting in from the flanks and linking up with the
central striker and midfielders, which is why they have been divided
into pairs. If Moyes is looking to play with traditional wingers who stay out
wide rather than play in the inside wide channels, then Zaha and
Valencia would provide the perfect combination. The fact that
both players are so good at beating defenders with their raw pace, and
do their best work when sticking to the flanks makes them the perfect
wingers for a 4-4-2 system. We all know what Valencia is about
in terms of his approach to wing-play, but it will be interesting to see
how Moyes utilises the young and impressive Zaha. The
Englishman is capable of playing on either wing, and has showed signs of
coming close to Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of his playing style and
affinity for beating defenders with his dribbling ability and raw
physicality. On the other hand, Young and Nani are the kind of players who prefer
to cut in across full-backs towards the centre of the pitch.
Young
plays on the left flank, and excels at showing the opposing right-back
the outside line and changing direction at the last moment to enter the
inside left channel of the pitch, from where he can either deliver deep
crosses or take on shots (the goals he scored against Arsenal in the 8-2
victory serve to illustrate this idea). Nani does the same on
the right flank, and routinely cuts in onto his left foot and takes
shots. Both players are known for their trickery and excellent delivery
of crosses, and with a striker like Van Persie up front, you can expect
these qualities to be fully utilised over the course of the season. Moyes will select his two wingers depending on what kind of tactical
set up he uses. What cannot be doubted is that he has sufficient
ammunition from the wings for the season, and should rely on the four
players already mentioned to supply him with a considerable number of
goals and assists.
Striker: Robin van Persie
Need any more be said? The Dutchman is without doubt the best striker
in the Premier League, and has showed that he is more than capable of
carrying this young United side on his shoulders as it embarks on the
journey into a new era in the history of the club. Van Persie
will undoubtedly be the first name on the teamsheet this season, and can
be expected to score goals on a regular basis.
Capable of playing as a target man in the penalty area, or dropping
deep to support his midfielders, he is the perfect lone striker. He
is also capable of playing alongside another striker, and has showed
signs of forging a formidable understanding with Rooney that, if allowed
to flourish, could be the difference between United and the other five
teams vying for Champions League football. The United team looks like it has more than sufficient strength in
depth to face the dual challenges of domestic and continental football
this season, and can be expected to mount a sturdy defence of the
Premier League title they won in breathtaking fashion last season, while
attempting to return to the summit of European football.
