System Made For Attacking Trio

Sky Sports News HQ pundits Paul Walsh, Alan Curbishley and Dwight Yorke believe the proposed 3-5-2 formation will be a success at Manchester United.

Louis van Gaal is well known for adopting the system and following the Dutchman’s success in the World Cup with Holland, there has been plenty of suggestions United will adopt a similar way of playing.

Former United striker Dwight Yorke said: “It’s totally different to what any Manchester United fans are used to, the old traditional way of 4-4-2 system.

“This manager has come in with his own ideas, his own way of play. You’ve seen he is the manager of Holland; we have seen the system he has played and are very familiar with it.

"He has done it wherever he has been as a manager so he has brought the same idea, the same philosophy; he has just given that assurance at the back. He likes that.

“The two guys who are playing on the right and left side of the defence, they are no longer full-backs, they are wing backs who will be seeing most of the ball, a lot of the ball so they will have to be pretty good players.

“The likes of Valencia, the likes of Ashely Young those types of players will be seeing a lot of the ball so it’s all about giving that assurance at the back with the extra defender, but also giving them the licence to go forward and interact with the front players and the midfielders,

“So it will be new to the fans but I’m sure once they get winning the games and playing in that way I don’t think they will be too bothered in terms of the system or the formation the team is playing at the moment.”

Asked whether Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata could adapt to this formation Yorke said: "I think the system is set up perfectly for them.

“I mean I remember playing the same system at Aston Villa in 1996 under Brian Little. We had three centre-halfs with Paul McGrath, Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate with me and Savo Milošević at the top and I think that’s how Man United will play."

Former Tottenham striker Paul Walsh believes the 3-5-2 formation is exciting and allows two strikers to form a partnership something that he thinks has been missing from the modern game.

"I think it’s an exciting formation because you can always have three in midfield," he said.

“Then you can mix the balance of types of players in there in that three depending on how attacking or defensive you want to be. What’s gone out of football in recent years is the partnerships at the top end of the pitch.

“I like to see that, I like to see two players working together and it gives you more options in the box. Full-backs in football full stop are not really defenders. Even in a four they play high up the pitch.”

Former West Ham Manager Alan Curbishley believes the formation is set up perfectly for the current Manchester United squad and will benefit United’s attacking players: “In Manchester United’s case it gets the three players Rooney, Van Persie and Mata in the areas that they all want to play in.

“Three at the back gives you the opportunity to play two strikers. Liverpool played it last year when Suarez came back and Sturridge was doing so well.

"I think Man United at the moment are set up more to play that way. They have got three centre backs Evans, Jones and Smalling who have perhaps not been that commanding in a flat back four so they have got three.

“I think Van Gaal has come out and said I haven’t got a proper winger, I don’t know how that went down with Valencia and Ashley Young, but when you look at them both they don’t really go past people anymore, so perhaps playing as wing backs suits them.

“So what I think he’s done is looked at his squad and said, I’m not happy with a flat back four, the full-backs don’t perhaps get forward enough. The wide men don’t take their men on enough.

"I think you look at the squad and you try and get the best out of it and I think he is getting the best out of the Man United squad at the moment.

Credit: Skysports.com