Manchester United look set for an alternative approach this season...
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has indicated that the Premier League champions will adjust their tactics to fill the void left by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese winger fulfilled a lifelong dream by joining Real Madrid earlier in the summer for a record breaking fee in the region of €94 million.
Ronaldo had proved to be the focal point of the United attack for the last few years, notching up an incredible tally of 66 Premier League goals over the past three seasons.
While Ferguson accepts the loss of the 24-year-old World Player of the Year is undoubtedly a severe blow, the 67-year-old Scot is confident that his United team can adapt to a new system and style of football.
"Obviously Cristiano is a big loss in terms of the goals he gave us," the former Aberdeen boss told Inside United.
"But we'll just have to find the goals from somewhere else, and our tactics will adjust accordingly. Fans will see us playing a slightly different style of football this season.
"The team has adapted well to whatever system we've played, whether it's 4-4-2 or three in midfield.
"We've got that flexibility in the squad. With Antonio Valencia coming in, it might be a bit more of a rigid 4-4-2 system, but we'll have to see."
Ferguson went on to claim that he expects the Red Devils to cope without Ronaldo's goals, adding that he is confident that his whole squad is capable of stepping up to the plate.
"Usually you look to score about 100 goals in all competitions, so we're aiming for that again," he said.
"If we're going to win the league again, or do well in Europe, we certainly need players to step up and help fill [the gap left by Ronaldo].
"Wayne [Rooney] is capable of scoring 18 or more, and if Michael [Owen] plays 25 games for me next season, I think he'll get 15 goals.
"I'll be looking to Park [Ji-Sung], Nani, Valencia - even [Danny] Welbeck and [Federico] Macheda - to contribute 40 goals between them. The defenders will contribute a few from set-pieces too."
United lost the Audi Cup final last night, beaten 7-6 on penalties by German giants Bayern Munich.
0 comments:
Post a Comment