dieunitedfrance:

Yes he can, but if we're playing a fluid football with short passings and the front 4 changing changing positions, nani is more suited for this type of play. We need a LAM CAM and RAM for the front 3. Players that'll be able at one moment to be in welbecks place to score and at another as AM to assist the striker/AM with through balls and not crosses. in the same way kagawa is more suited at the LAM role cutting inside and interchanging his position, than an out and out winger.

Just replace Rafael with Valencia and that would be my lineup and formation with the current players we have. Front 4 players apply pressure higher up the pitch when we don't have the ball and actually protect our midfield and defense. Would love to get 2 more central midfielder's who can do a little bit of everything to replace Carrick and Scholes, but i know it's not going to happen. Shame the club did not treat Pogba with a little more respect, now it would cost 25 - 30 million to get a replacement like him. Hopefully Petrucci can fullfill his potential and step up to the first team.

Yes he can, but if we're playing a fluid football with short passings and the front 4 changing changing positions, nani is more suited for this type of play. We need a LAM CAM and RAM for the front 3. Players that'll be able at one moment to be in welbecks place to score and at another as AM to assist the striker/AM with through balls and not crosses. in the same way kagawa is more suited at the LAM role cutting inside and interchanging his position, than an out and out winger.

why not???

he is very talented and can adapt well to any new role...

He's capable of playing any role asked of him, that's the sort of pro he is. A 4-2-3-1 might be the only way we can get the best out of Nani on the left, which is going to be key if Valencia is going to start the majority of games on the right next season. Though I can't see us straying too far away from the 4-4-2 for most of our league fixtures.

To the guy who listed the great wingers? Fair point. But... Gaitan is an attacking midfielder, not a winger. Navas is an out and out winger yes, but gets nowhere near the Spanish starting eleven because of it. Valencia, Bale, yes great wingers, but would be phenomenal wing backs too, and would contribute more to games, and allow the team to play more football. Nani? again, good winger, but how often does he drift out of games? how often does he blow hot and cold? sometimes wingers can be so isolated, they just become redundant. Just like out and out strikers do sometimes. Spain have set the standard, they won the Euro's with NO strikers, NO wingers. Just a bunch of centre and attacking midfielders, and they go out there and pass it around like it's a school match. Now... yes, you need the quality of player to achieve that kind of football. But Utd can do it, and we can build on it and perfect it, and even surpass what Spain and Barca do. Man Utd have a work ethic and never say die attitude that no other club has.

Pros:

- Supply dangerous crosses

- Give us width. Allow CAM more room to work in.

- Defensive duties

Cons:

- Could limit free flowing football

- Right back can't overlap

- Gameplan could be predictable

SIMPLE.........YES!!! AV7

Its not really can he play in that formation.The question should be is he our best option in that formation. Redmacr summed it up. You would rely on your 3 behind the strikers to score goals.

Valencias natural instinct is always to go down the line. He is brilliant at what he does but for me he doesn't have the control or passing ability of Nani or Young. And for me Nani is the best finisher out of the 3 so for the team I would put him in place of Valencia.

GeorgeOsborne:

I think the days of the out and out winger, like Valencia, and even like Bale, are coming to an end.

The days of a wide midfielder like Beckham and Sebastian Larsson are coming to an end, but the days of an out and out winger are not over yet, not when you have players like Jesus Navas, Bale, Valencia, Shaqiri, di Maria, Gaitan, etc., still terrorising opposition defenders.

Yes... Valencia can fit into a 4.2.3.1. This is actually the main tactic I've been calling for us to play for a while now. I'd play the 4.2.3.1, but I'd play with two wing backs, playing very attacking football. And in my midfield three, I'd have an anchor man, who plays very deep, almost doubling up as a centre back at times he would play that deep. This is SORT of Barcelona style in a way, but where they play Busquets as the anchor man, and Alves as the attacking wing back, I'd be playing with two out and out wing backs. I think the days of the out and out winger, like Valencia, and even like Bale, are coming to an end. All the top teams are now playing with these incredible pass and movers in attack, everyone can cut in, can roam, can play with both feet almost, they all seem to have great link up play, teamwork etc. I'm thinking Moura, Mata, Silva, Iniesta, Fabregas, Xaxi, The Hazard brothers, Neymar, Oscar, Ganso, Sneijder, Modric, Wilshere, Messi... a serious amount of the top players now, all have similar traits. But... I don't think the old school pace and power and hugging the touchline football is dead completely. In terms of attacking winger maybe, but where I think it will flourish is in the wing back position, the attacking wing back position I should say, and I mean like 70% attacking, 30% defence here. The brilliance of it, is when one wing back is attacking on the opposite flank, the other can drop deeper to hold position, or catch his breathe. ight now, I think the two best wing backs in the world, and this will surprise people, but it's Bale/ Alba and Valencia/ Alves for me. What do they both have? incredibly energy, stamina, speed, work rate... they could run all day up those flanks. I would get Valencia playing there now, he's already played full back for us, I'd just play him a little further ahead now. Evra, Baines on the left flank can both do good attacking jobs. And in the future if we get a Bale? perfect. I'd play 4.2.3.1. Gk De Gea, Rwb Valencia, Cb Ferdinand, Cb Vidic, Lwb Baines, Anchor Carrick, Cm Anderson, Cm Cleverley, RAMC Kagawa, LAMC Rooney, Fwd Chicarito. Carrick would play very deep like Busquets does and just play it simple, Cleverley and Ando are the passers and movers, they're full of energy, are box to box... Scholes can come in to when we want to control games more. Valencia and Baines bombing down the flanks whipping balls in, which then allows Rooney and Kagawa to roam more, drop deep, go out wide, pick the ball up from anywhere on the field and play football. Chicarito up front, Welbeck in reserve, they would get changes galore from the team behind them.

jasper99:

why not,think the guy too good to ignore in any formation,just wish he"d use two feet for a change..

Thanks Jasper, my thoughts exactly.

I'm sure he can cut in and be as effective as he is out wide. Have you seen him and Welbeck link up? They have some chemistry. That said, Valencia is perfectly capable of playing in a 4-2-3-1 as he will be allowed to cut in and also get involved more in the middle. Sir Alex just brings the best out of Valencia when playing him out wide, but if he shows more of his central play like he did last season, I'm sure Sir Alex will give him as much freedom as Nani and Young.

The problem in this is that playing with one striker means we have less goal scorers ob the pitch in favour of a more fluid and stocked midfield. This is why when teams play with such formation they need their 3 attacking midfielders to contribute in goals scoring. If Valencia stays wide we lose some of that. Madeid can do it with Di Maria because they have Ronaldo scoring 50 on the other side.

Aejr:

realbeckham23:

Will his playing style complement our rumored formation and tactics?

I don't understand what you're asking. A 4-2-3-1formation usually has 2 wingers, one of which will be Valencia.

Show me one team that plays with a 4231 and has 2 wingers.

realbeckham23:

Will his playing style complement our rumored formation and tactics?

I don't understand what you're asking. A 4-2-3-1formation usually has 2 wingers, one of which will be Valencia.