Isn't RW a bit more urgent than LW

Pavl3n

New Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Messages
1,912
All summer long I was supporting the thesis we need cover at the left attacking wing.
We all know Martial and Rashford are pretty much our first choice in that area of the field. While on the right our options are Mikhi, Mata and Lingard. None of those are the players who would cover their boots with chalk and both Mikhi and Mata seem much more comfortable playing through the middle.
If we are to assume Martial and Rashford sustain the form they showed in the last game, wouldn't it be wise to look for out and out winger playing through the right?

Any thoughts?
 
I think we're weaker on the right than the left both in terms of man power and strength. Which I guess agrees with your opinion. We only have Valencia who we have been riding out luck in in terms of injury avoidance. If he gets injured we only have untested people to replace him.
 
It all depends on what formation we play.

If we played a formation that required out an out and out winger on the right, then I could see Mourinho happily using Valencia in that position (obviously I injury depending).
 
It depends on what our formation is going to be. I think if we signed Perisic then we would be going for a 3-5-2 with him on the left. Two forwards, two wide men, lots of crosses.

But we didn't sign him. So now we might be looking at 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. In these cases I agree we would need someone better on the right. Someone with pace, creativity and goals.
 
I would have have thought so too. I think it is easily ignored because of the opinion that Valencia 'owns' the whole right flank, which is rubbish imo. Marcelo owns a flank and that is a far cry from what we have. Get a RW and let Martial play.
 
It's more 'left side' being more urgent than 'right side' than it being about wingers specifically. We have no left-back, but conversely have one of the best right backs in the league.

Of all 4 wide positions (both full backs and both wingers) - right back is the only position we have a first choice and settled option.
 
Considerably. With games, Martial is good enough to be brilliant for us down the left.

On the right, we have some good options through Mata and Mkhitaryan (who are both better when allowed to float centrally) but nothing brilliant. Ideally, we need a Bale/Robben type of winger that will score, assist and beat players from a stand still.

A front three of Lukaku, Martial, plus another would be a tidy prospect.
 
robinzx said:
In order of urgency: LB > RB > RW > LW
Click to expand...
Agree. I didn't know that Danilo could play on both wings. We should have tried to sign him. Would have covered both our flanks. I don't think we need wingers at all unless its someone like Bale.
 
We have no really good attacking left-backs but we do have a good attacking right back. So to provide horizontal attacking balance a proper left winger makes sense if Mourinho wants three defenders who stay primarily back with one DM in front of them. I'd also add having this extra defensive solidity gives Pogba more free reign going forward which makes sense if you want the best out of your most expensive signing
 
Pavl3n said:
All summer long I was supporting the thesis we need cover at the left attacking wing.
We all know Martial and Rashford are pretty much our first choice in that area of the field. While on the right our options are Mikhi, Mata and Lingard. None of those are the players who would cover their boots with chalk and both Mikhi and Mata seem much more comfortable playing through the middle.
If we are to assume Martial and Rashford sustain the form they showed in the last game, wouldn't it be wise to look for out and out winger playing through the right?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Kag said:
Considerably. With games, Martial is good enough to be brilliant for us down the left.

On the right, we have some good options through Mata and Mkhitaryan (who are both better when allowed to float centrally) but nothing brilliant. Ideally, we need a Bale/Robben type of winger that will score, assist and beat players from a stand still.

A front three of Lukaku, Martial, plus another would be a tidy prospect.
Click to expand...

Just seen the Fabinho rumour poke its head out again. He has played RB before right?
 
Presumably, Jose thinks that a good cross from the left side is what Lukaku will thrive on. He sees that we have nobody on that side capable of producing decent crosses (at least not regularly) and wants someone there who can beat their man and whip in a cross for Lukaku. I guess that he sees this as the optimal side for this for whatever reason (maybe Lukaku prefers crosses from there) and that's why he wanted Perisic/Rose etc.
 
We have very good left winger Martial but none of our RW stays wide.

We should encourage fullbacks to attack more and provide the width.
 
I would say so. I think Martial and Rashford are fine for the left - neither are the crossing winger type a la Perisic that some sections of the Caf are craving but both have plenty of pace and offer something different.

I quite like Mkhitaryan on the right but if we continue to play 4-2-3-1 against the weaker sides, he could easily play behind the striker with someone else on the right. I think the 'keeping the width' argument that has been applied to our left side is probably truer of the right - Mata and Mkhitaryan were occupying similar spaces against West Ham and Valencia is the only one who really stretches the play on that side in attack.
 
Pavl3n said:
All summer long I was supporting the thesis we need cover at the left attacking wing.
We all know Martial and Rashford are pretty much our first choice in that area of the field. While on the right our options are Mikhi, Mata and Lingard. None of those are the players who would cover their boots with chalk and both Mikhi and Mata seem much more comfortable playing through the middle.
If we are to assume Martial and Rashford sustain the form they showed in the last game, wouldn't it be wise to look for out and out winger playing through the right?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I think its part of the plan to have a wide winger on one side and a player on the other side who will drift and come inside. On the right we have Mata or Mkhi who will drift in, but a very attacking full back providing the width. On the left we seem to favour Rashford or Martial, who will stretch the game more, but with a more cautious full back behind.
 
We have strikers playing left wing, an aging former winger playing at RB, CB/DM/RB (Blind/Darmian) playing at LB and #10s playing at RW. That's a massive patch-up job whichever way you slice it.

Ideally, we should bid for Rose, one of Aurier or Fabinho and our fullback options would be sorted if we get them. That's far more pressing than LW or RW at the moment. But for some reason, the club doesn't seem to want to do much business this window.
 
I agree. RW is the most urgent now I think

For LW, Martial/Rashford will do okay to good. So much potential in them.

For LB, I think Jose is giving Shaw "last chance", with Blind/Darmian/Young as backup.

For RB, Darmian/Young as backup.

For RW......

Mkhi/Mata/Lingard, and if all 3 injured, Rashford is the last option. They will do just okay on RW. They tend to cut inside with Valencia going forward.

There is a chance that Jose is waiting for Griezmann. Jose could play him as AM/SS/RW depending on the system.

It is also possible that Perisic, if we sign him, could play as RW if needed.

It is also possible that there is no many good options on the market
 
Not really. We seem to play attacking right full back, inverted winger. Defensive left full back. Wide winger.

I know Rashford and Martial are both right footed and looking to cut in, but the played a lot wider on the left than Mata and Miki against West Ham.
 
Pavl3n said:
All summer long I was supporting the thesis we need cover at the left attacking wing.
We all know Martial and Rashford are pretty much our first choice in that area of the field. While on the right our options are Mikhi, Mata and Lingard. None of those are the players who would cover their boots with chalk and both Mikhi and Mata seem much more comfortable playing through the middle.
If we are to assume Martial and Rashford sustain the form they showed in the last game, wouldn't it be wise to look for out and out winger playing through the right?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

We may need both but you are bang on about the right wing. I saw a map after the game showing the average positions of all the players, and Mata was essentially right on top of Miki in the 10 position.
 
Annihilate Now! said:
I'd say RB and LB are more urgent then both.
Click to expand...
Valencia and Axel are more than adequate for right back. A fit Shaw and Blind ditto for left back, also have Darmian & Young who can cover both.
Sign Perisic and he can do both left and right wing.
 
We don't need anything without moving players on imo.

We have Martial, Rashford, Lingard and Mkhitaryan who can play LW, with Mata a further option from the right. Pereira can even cover where necessary.
Shaw will get this season as a final chance to prove his worth at LB. We also have Blind as a more reliable option and Darmian as a more defensive choice.
Valencia is one of the better full backs in the league. We also have Darmian, Lindelof and Tuanzebe to fill in there. Young can also play at either full back position.

Any further signing is likely to push players further down the pecking order, which is pointless in my opinion. We have enough cover to rotate throughout the season. The only signings that we should be making now must be significant improvements on what we have. Our squad is fantastic, the deepest in the league, but we need to improve our first eleven and nothing more. There is no point reducing the playing time and restricting the development of our top attacking talents for any player that isn't a significant improvement - and of that there aren't many around.
 
Even Lingard isn't a proper winger.
I never understood this notion that a LW is more of a priority.
The reason why the vast majority of our attacks are from the right is because we have only one outlet, Valencia.
It would shock people by how much an attacking LB would transform our attack.
 
I'd echo what a lot of people are saying: LB is our biggest concern if Shaw doesn't come good, although I suppose Tony V's knee is another worry at RB.

While I'd like a traditional winger who could if asked hug the touchline, race up and down for 90 mins and put great balls in for our big guys in the middle I'm fairly happy with our current wide options, but would be much happier if we could compliment them with reliable fullbacks. It was interesting that, against an admittedly poor West Ham, both our fullbacks easily dealt with their defensive duties and could attack in tandem, which we have rarely seen under Jose.

My main concern is when Tony V and Blind are asked to perform serious defensive duties our wing options do not pose enough of a consistent threat as they are continually looking to come infield.
 
Crashoutcassius said:
We have Mhikitarian down the right who isn't bad, just needs to get it right. He is the highest quality attacker we have.
Click to expand...

But i think we saw his best position on Sunday. A mercurial no 10 who can drift into space.

But oh for the days of Giggs and Beckham! when wingers could cross and so could wingbacks! Now we need all sortz of hitec explanations to explain our unbalanced squad.
 
I don't understand the fascination with proper wingers all out of a sudden. Hardly any other team plays with them anyway and we have some very good #10s or wide forwards. Why do we need to go looking for unicorns?

Rashford and Martial got the left side covered. Mkhi can play on the right admirably and I reckon Rashford could be as good on the right as on the left.

The need for attacking fullbacks is greater. Especially so on the left, but also on the right. Valencia's solid defensively and supports the attack very well but his delivery in the final third is very poor, very frequently hitting the first defender.
 
Icemav said:
But i think we saw his best position on Sunday. A mercurial no 10 who can drift into space.
Click to expand...

Sure, but we don't always play with a #10. Some games we play 4-2-3-1 and other games we play 4-3-3. In which case Mkhi can play on the right well enough. He has a very decent cross on him.

If we sign these RWs and LWs people in here want, when exactly are Martial, Rashford and Mata gonna play? And will the team actually be better for it or not?
 
Cliche Guevara said:
We need somebody who can cross the ball, and take a dangerous set-piece. That much is clear.
Click to expand...

Mkhi can cross pretty well. We scored from a set-piece delivery of his against West Ham. He was underwhelming in his first season, but certainly has the quality to get it right this time round.

Successful said:
Those of you who say LB while we have Shaw, Darmian and Blind in the squad should be totally ashamed of themselves.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm awash with shame :lol:
 
It really depends on what formation Jose wants to go forward with. If it's 352 then there isn't really a need for a winger like a Dembele or someone like that. Would certainly need a better RB/RWB in my opinion if that is the case.

Valencia is solid, he does a job, he excels in averagness, the idea floated by some he was the best in the league is ridiculous to me. He was consistent but really his quality is very questionable. He was caught out defensively and lacked any real quality of delivery and his numbers were only where they were because Fellaini or Zlatan could make something of his rubbish catching practice crosses. For me we need an improvement in that area rather than LB. I think if Shaw can stay fit then that area is taken care of and Bothwick and Mitchell looked like great future options.

Now if it's 4231 or 433 I would say we need someone more dynamic than Mata. I really like Mata but he just never seems to do enough, never really bosses a game or looks like the maverick winner type. He is undoubtedly quality but if we went with one of those shapes I'd imagine with an addition like Dembele we'd be frightening. The left seems covered for me and agree it's the right that has question marks
 
Just because he started there on Sunday, Rashford is definitely no more a left winger than he is a right one. He normally plays on the right if I'm not mistaken.
 
Rozay said:
Just because he started there on Sunday, Rashford is definitely no more a left winger than he is a right one. He normally plays on the right if I'm not mistaken.
Click to expand...

Based on all of last season, you'd be mistaken. But yeah, he can play on the right. He did so in some pre-season friendlies.
 
MadMike said:
Sure, but we don't always play with a #10. Some games we play 4-2-3-1 and other games we play 4-3-3. In which case Mkhi can play on the right well enough. He has a very decent cross on him.

If we sign these RWs and LWs people in here want, when exactly are Martial, Rashford and Mata gonna play? And will the team actually be better for it or not?
Click to expand...

Yes i hope we would be a better team with a more diverse squad tactically. Putting Bale on the right wing would hardly be a regression. Sometimes you just have games where we need someone to stretch the play and whip in crosses.
 
Andersons Dietician said:
It really depends on what formation Jose wants to go forward with. If it's 352 then there isn't really a need for a winger like a Dembele or someone like that. Would certainly need a better RB/RWB in my opinion if that is the case.

Valencia is solid, he does a job, he excels in averagness, the idea floated by some he was the best in the league is ridiculous to me. He was consistent but really his quality is very questionable. He was caught out defensively and lacked any real quality of delivery and his numbers were only where they were because Fellaini or Zlatan could make something of his rubbish catching practice crosses. For me we need an improvement in that area rather than LB. I think if Shaw can stay fit then that area is taken care of and Bothwick and Mitchell looked like great future options.

Now if it's 4231 or 433 I would say we need someone more dynamic than Mata. I really like Mata but he just never seems to do enough, never really bosses a game or looks like the maverick winner type. He is undoubtedly quality but if we went with one of those shapes I'd imagine with an addition like Dembele we'd be frightening. The left seems covered for me and agree it's the right that has question marks
Click to expand...

I would say he excels in above averageness and is also blessed with great physicality. However sometimes top teams require inspiration not just perspiration, and he never provides the former. This is where we can improve and offer alternatives.
 
MadMike said:
I don't understand the fascination with proper wingers all out of a sudden. Hardly any other team plays with them anyway and we have some very good #10s or wide forwards. Why do we need to go looking for unicorns?
Click to expand...
Mata and Rashford can be very good. Rashford is a player who could be like a second striker running in behind from the left (a la Cristiano) and Mata is the playmaker inside winger type. Perhaps we have the exact set-up we need going forward, it just needs more depth.
 
Icemav said:
Yes i hope we would be a better team with a more diverse squad tactically. Putting Bale on the right wing would hardly be a regression. Sometimes you just have games where we need someone to stretch the play and whip in crosses.
Click to expand...

There's a point at which you have to look at squad depth and consider whether it's causing issues because you can't give players enough minutes.

By bringing in 2 forward players (a RW and a LW) we'd definitely lose one or maybe two of the current players. Martial would be a gonner for sure as his participation would be very limited, Mata perhaps the same. Rashfords development would be impeded too.

It might turn out to be good for the team it if the players being brought in are Bale and Dembele. But if it's Perisic and Moura would that be an improvement? Or not?
 
notcool said:
Mata and Rashford can be very good. Rashford is a player who could be like a second striker running in behind from the left (a la Cristiano) and Mata is the playmaker inside winger type. Perhaps we have the exact set-up we need going forward, it just needs more depth.
Click to expand...

Or plan B options. We dont need to dispense with one to have the other. Hence the Perisic interest.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.