*Official* English Football Season 2013-14

[Neil Pickup]

Japan v USA in the last women's WC final was pretty appalling. This may have been worse, mind, as both teams were responsible...

 

[GIMH]

#InMoyesWeTrust

 

[BoyBrumby]

Was all a tad special olympics, wasn't it?

ManU being poo definitely hasn't got old yet, anyway.

 

[grecian]

A back page that may change, I'm guessing.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Thank you David De Gea for spectacularly outdoing my stoppage-time Peter Enckelman in the six a side tonight.

 

[BoyBrumby]

The Mata thing is happening tho.

Rat joining a sinking ship and all that...

 

[cpr]

Nah, he's just done a u-turn at Keele services and his on his way back as fast as he can.

 

[grecian]

Well, it's a brilliant signing, not sure where he'll play, and if it means the likes of Wayne will be there for long, I'm getting a little suspicious about his injury. Strange Chelsea would agree to this without getting something back, I mean money surely is a bit irrelevant to Chelsea.

Doubt Khawaja will get a game.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Well, it's a brilliant signing, not sure where he'll play, and if it means the likes of Wayne will be there for long, I'm getting a little suspicious about his injury. Strange Chelsea would agree to this without getting something back, I mean money surely is a bit irrelevant to Chelsea.

Depends how seriously they're taking FFP.

 

[Pothas]

Well, it's a brilliant signing, not sure where he'll play, and if it means the likes of Wayne will be there for long, I'm getting a little suspicious about his injury. Strange Chelsea would agree to this without getting something back, I mean money surely is a bit irrelevant to Chelsea.

Doubt Khawaja will get a game.

Yeah dear old Usman will be off you would have thought, although maybe not until the summer. Arsenal should buy him, last player they need but it would just be funny.

 

[Uppercut]

If he displaces Kagawa instead of Young or Valencia we'll know Moyes isn't right in the head and it's time to let go.

 

[Pothas]

Would get a lot more money back on Kagawa than the others though, not sure how much that is a factor though.

 

[Jarquis]

If he displaces Kagawa instead of Young or Valencia we'll know Moyes isn't right in the head and it's time to let go.

Playing with two central attacking midfielders (plus RVP and Rooney potentially) isn't very Moyes though. So by playing both, one will have to play wide and you're either going to be playing a player out of position where he's nigh on ineffective (Kagawa) or choose to play a player in a position he's adept in but in a system which will prove suicidal (Mata).
Honestly, signing Mata when you have Kagawa and he's not getting a run in the #10 role is like buying a Lambo for track driving because you didn't get on with your Ferrari in the garage when you took it off roading.
Both quality cars but if you actually used the one you've already got for its best purpose I'm not convinced you'd need the second

 

[Cevno]

Mata is proven to be top class in the premiership though and a better player than Kagawa overall whose game is limited and struggling to adapt to the premiership.

Plus United need someone who can give direct assists and goals from individual creativity in the 3 positions behind the striker. Mata can do that. Kagawa really isn't so far.


Besides when RVP and Rooney come back, Januzaj is ahead of Kagawa by a reasonable margin anyway and by a distance if you want someone playing from out wide as a false winger.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Admittedly I don't watch as much (read: none) foran footy as some here do, but I've never got the Khawaja love based on what I've seen.

Strikes my jaded eyes as yer archetypal fancy Dan Johnny; all nice touches and "vision" who goes missing after the proverbial early doors boot.

 

[Furball]

I'd take him at Arsenal, or back at Dortmund, in a heartbeat.

 

[TT Boy]

Never mind worst penalty shootout ever, how bad was the commentary?

 

[Uppercut]

Admittedly I don't watch as much (read: none) foran footy as some here do, but I've never got the Khawaja love based on what I've seen.

Strikes my jaded eyes as yer archetypal fancy Dan Johnny; all nice touches and "vision" who goes missing after the proverbial early doors boot.

A lot of it's more that we love him than that we rate him. He's small, weak, not especially quick, not a great finisher. But sometimes he thinks so quickly it's spectacular. You get these amazing little turns and flicks and dummies in tight spaces that get us out of a hole and start a counter-attack. I mean, as a player it's not enough to make up for his lack of pace and strength and goals. But it's lovely to watch and you never really see players like that in the Premiership.

 

[Uppercut]

Playing with two central attacking midfielders (plus RVP and Rooney potentially) isn't very Moyes though. So by playing both, one will have to play wide and you're either going to be playing a player out of position where he's nigh on ineffective (Kagawa) or choose to play a player in a position he's adept in but in a system which will prove suicidal (Mata).
Honestly, signing Mata when you have Kagawa and he's not getting a run in the #10 role is like buying a Lambo for track driving because you didn't get on with your Ferrari in the garage when you took it off roading.
Both quality cars but if you actually used the one you've already got for its best purpose I'm not convinced you'd need the second

It's hardly suicidal. Citeh have played the exact same system with two strikers + Nasri and Silva for a few years now.

I'm happy with Januzaj and Mata wide and Rooney+RVP in the middle. I don't think it's too attacking. Against the more dangerous teams we can always recall Welbeck or Valencia to do a job on one side.

 

[Pothas]

The whole Mata can't play on the wing without it being a disaster defensively has been pretty much invented by Mourinho.