Tactical changes will inevitably be part of the transition between the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons at Manchester United. After all, the principle architect of last season’s tactics has been replaced.

Jose Mourinho has arrived in Louis van Gaal’s stead, and he is tasked with addressing two specific tactical issues that resulted in United’s undoing last season.

The first is the plodding, desperately uninspired, safety-first approach to attacking football that caused so much frustration during the first half of last season. The second is the chaotic, rudderless approach to defending that came about when the midfield became less concerned with providing defensive stability.

The first problem was exemplified in games against PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Sheffield United at home and Crystal Palace away, which were either 0-0 draws or extremely laboured 1-0 wins.

The second reached its most problematic against Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur at West Ham United on the road, all games in which United conceded three and were the architects of their own demise.

Van Gaal’s template will obviously be torn up, and Mourinho will write a new one. Thus the bedrock of last season’s tactical approach—using possession and passing to try and work openings, taking as few risks with possession and shape as possible, with the impetus on the forwards to convert an unsustainable percentage of their chances—will be gone.

In its place will come Mourinho-ball.

Sometimes, that will mean a dominant, ruthless aggression against teams United are expected to beat—the essence of his first spell at Chelsea in the Premier League.

Sometimes, it will mean canny counter-attacking against possession-oriented teams with defensive weaknesses—witness Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in February 2014 as a prime example.

And occasionally, it will mean the absolute football-cliche dictionary definition of parking the bus, as embodied by Inter Milan during their Champions League semi-final second-leg win over Barcelona in 2010.

His defensive instincts have perhaps been overstated by that game, which has become a kind of shorthand for his career. The truth is United will play plenty of attacking football under Mourinho, albeit in a different manner than they attempted under Van Gaal.

Michael Cox wrote the following for the Guardian in May: 

Where [Mourinho’s] first Chelsea side were packed with physical midfielders and functional attackers, he has recently accommodated more technical, creative footballers. He has not determinedly searched for a Claude Makelele figure, using the deep-lying playmaker Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid.

The creative but positionally undisciplined Cesc Fabregas played a deep midfield role in his second spell with Chelsea—albeit rarely in big games—and Mourinho also turned Wesley Sneijder and Mesut Ozil into world-class No.10s by freeing them from defensive responsibilities.

The same applies out wide: Mourinho’s most recent left wingers have been Cristiano Ronaldo and Eden Hazard, who have pinned the opposition right-back rather than tracking them.

This take provides food for thought about what could happen at United. There is certainly no Makelele figure in the squad at the moment. Morgan Schneiderlin comes closest, but he was much less effective as the kind of shuffling water-carrier Van Gaal tried to turn him into than the box-to-box player he had been at Southampton.

Van Gaal’s central midfield was endlessly frustrating. They were adept at retaining possession—it became the kind of second nature that the Dutchman’s coaching facilitates—but there was so little urgency, so little attacking impetus.

It repeatedly brought to mind a quote from Marti Perarnau’s Pep Confidential: The Inside Story of Pep Guardiola’s First Season at Bayern Munich (h/t the Telegraph). Guardiola had explained why “tiki-taka” did not describe his approach:

I hate tiki-taka. Tiki-taka means passing the ball for the sake of it, with no clear intention. And it’s pointless.

Don’t believe what people say. Barça didn’t do tiki-taka! It’s completely made up! Don’t believe a word of it! In all team sports, the secret is to overload one side of the pitch so that the opponent must tilt its own defence to cope. You overload on one side and draw them in so that they leave the other side weak.

And when we’ve done all that, we attack and score from the other side. That’s why you have to pass the ball, but only if you’re doing it with a clear intention. It’s only to overload the opponent, to draw them in and then to hit them with the sucker punch. That’s what our game needs to be. Nothing to do with tiki-taka.

Van Gaal played tiki-taka, in the pejorative sense. Those overloads were not created. One of the reasons for this was how often both deep-lying midfielders were stationed behind the ball, even when United were in possession.

Having one or both of those players—assuming Mourinho plays 4-2-3-1—free to break forward more often, providing another passing option for the man on the ball, will be a tactical revelation.

At No. 10, perhaps Juan Mata and Mourinho could work together in spite of their issues at Chelsea—where, incidentally, it seemed Mourinho was not prepared to have a No. 10 freed from defensive responsibility.

There are other options. Zlatan Ibrahimovic could drop into that position, Marcus Rashford played there at youth level and Wayne Rooney, of course, remains a puzzle piece to be accommodated in spite of the lack of an obvious available slot for him.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s move to United has been confirmed by Borussia Dortmund (h/t Mark Critchley of  The Independent), and he is certainly an option as an attack-minded No. 10.

On the left, Anthony Martial certainly has potential to be the kind of winger who pins back opposition right-backs—that was just about the only part of United’s attack that was working under Van Gaal before Rashford’s emergence. And Luke Shaw’s return from injury means he will have the support he needs to achieve this.

Shaw was a revelation at full-back before his injury last season and is a virtual archetype for a contemporary left-back: defensively sound with the physical attributes and technical ability required to contribute in attack. His presence will allow Martial a lot of freedom.

And all this should mean Mourinho’s game plan can be executed. It should also mean United’s defence is more solid when the midfield are not offering constant protection. Daley Blind’s role in the side as a play-making centre-back will surely be revised under the new manager, who will likely want to assemble a much more solid centre-back pairing.

When Chelsea beat City at the Etihad in February 2014, Jonathan Wilson broke down the tactics for the Guardian, taking a look at how Chelsea’s centre-backs operated. He wrote: 

Sides such as Bayern Munich and Barcelona deny opponents access to that key sector by pressing high up the pitch, squeezing them back in their own half and then denying them possession. Chelsea do it with guards, stationing [John] Terry and Gary Cahill within the zone—one of the reasons Terry suddenly looks so good again is that he is defending deep, playing with with the game in front of him so his lack of pace and consequent vulnerability to balls played behind him is no longer an issue.

Eric Bailly has already arrived, and it would not be a surprise to see another guard-type defender brought in to play alongside Chris Smalling. Blind will be moved on or used as the kind of utility man he was during 2014-15.

At the tail end of that season, United faced Chelsea. The Red Devils were resurgent. Van Gaal’s influence had finally begun to be felt and United were playing some free-flowing, attack-minded possession football.

They had won four games in a row, which included victories against Manchester City and Liverpool, and they had put themselves in pole position for Champions League qualification. But then they ran into Mourinho’s Chelsea. United dominated possession but lost 1-0.

As Nick Miller observed for ESPN FC at the time: 

Rooney and Van Gaal may think their team dominated the 90 minutes, but that very much depends on your definition of domination. If it means having the majority of the ball and some nice stats, then the United men can take comfort. If it means whose plan did the game most resemble, then Jose Mourinho takes home the moral victory as well as the actual one. United may have controlled possession of the ball, but it was Chelsea who controlled the game.

Van Gaal’s United never again hit a patch of form like they did in the spring of 2015. Almost every other manager in the league adopted the approach Mourinho had done, and Van Gaal never seemed to find a way to beat it.

Now the Red Devils will be the ones using the Mourinho game plan. They will be the ones more likely to hamper their opposition and use counter-attacking as their primary weapon.

To a fanbase worn down by tiki-taka, passing for the sake of passing and possession for the sake of possession, it will likely come as a welcome tactical change.

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Tactical changes will inevitably be part of the transition between the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons at Manchester United. After all, the principle architect of last season’s tactics has been replaced.

Jose Mourinho has arrived in Louis van Gaal’s stead, and he is tasked with addressing two specific tactical issues that resulted in United’s undoing last season.

The first is the plodding, desperately uninspired, safety-first approach to attacking football that caused so much frustration during the first half of last season. The second is the chaotic, rudderless approach to defending that came about when the midfield became less concerned with providing defensive stability.

The first problem was exemplified in games against PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Sheffield United at home and Crystal Palace away, which were either 0-0 draws or extremely laboured 1-0 wins.

The second reached its most problematic against Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur at West Ham United on the road, all games in which United conceded three and were the architects of their own demise.

Van Gaal’s template will obviously be torn up, and Mourinho will write a new one. Thus the bedrock of last season’s tactical approach—using possession and passing to try and work openings, taking as few risks with possession and shape as possible, with the impetus on the forwards to convert an unsustainable percentage of their chances—will be gone.

In its place will come Mourinho-ball.

Sometimes, that will mean a dominant, ruthless aggression against teams United are expected to beat—the essence of his first spell at Chelsea in the Premier League.

Sometimes, it will mean canny counter-attacking against possession-oriented teams with defensive weaknesses—witness Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in February 2014 as a prime example.

And occasionally, it will mean the absolute football-cliche dictionary definition of parking the bus, as embodied by Inter Milan during their Champions League semi-final second-leg win over Barcelona in 2010.

His defensive instincts have perhaps been overstated by that game, which has become a kind of shorthand for his career. The truth is United will play plenty of attacking football under Mourinho, albeit in a different manner than they attempted under Van Gaal.

Michael Cox wrote the following for the Guardian in May: 

Where [Mourinho’s] first Chelsea side were packed with physical midfielders and functional attackers, he has recently accommodated more technical, creative footballers. He has not determinedly searched for a Claude Makelele figure, using the deep-lying playmaker Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid.

The creative but positionally undisciplined Cesc Fabregas played a deep midfield role in his second spell with Chelsea—albeit rarely in big games—and Mourinho also turned Wesley Sneijder and Mesut Ozil into world-class No.10s by freeing them from defensive responsibilities.

The same applies out wide: Mourinho’s most recent left wingers have been Cristiano Ronaldo and Eden Hazard, who have pinned the opposition right-back rather than tracking them.

This take provides food for thought about what could happen at United. There is certainly no Makelele figure in the squad at the moment. Morgan Schneiderlin comes closest, but he was much less effective as the kind of shuffling water-carrier Van Gaal tried to turn him into than the box-to-box player he had been at Southampton.

Van Gaal’s central midfield was endlessly frustrating. They were adept at retaining possession—it became the kind of second nature that the Dutchman’s coaching facilitates—but there was so little urgency, so little attacking impetus.

It repeatedly brought to mind a quote from Marti Perarnau’s Pep Confidential: The Inside Story of Pep Guardiola’s First Season at Bayern Munich (h/t the Telegraph). Guardiola had explained why “tiki-taka” did not describe his approach:

I hate tiki-taka. Tiki-taka means passing the ball for the sake of it, with no clear intention. And it’s pointless.

Don’t believe what people say. Barça didn’t do tiki-taka! It’s completely made up! Don’t believe a word of it! In all team sports, the secret is to overload one side of the pitch so that the opponent must tilt its own defence to cope. You overload on one side and draw them in so that they leave the other side weak.

And when we’ve done all that, we attack and score from the other side. That’s why you have to pass the ball, but only if you’re doing it with a clear intention. It’s only to overload the opponent, to draw them in and then to hit them with the sucker punch. That’s what our game needs to be. Nothing to do with tiki-taka.

Van Gaal played tiki-taka, in the pejorative sense. Those overloads were not created. One of the reasons for this was how often both deep-lying midfielders were stationed behind the ball, even when United were in possession.

Having one or both of those players—assuming Mourinho plays 4-2-3-1—free to break forward more often, providing another passing option for the man on the ball, will be a tactical revelation.

At No. 10, perhaps Juan Mata and Mourinho could work together in spite of their issues at Chelsea—where, incidentally, it seemed Mourinho was not prepared to have a No. 10 freed from defensive responsibility.

There are other options. Zlatan Ibrahimovic could drop into that position, Marcus Rashford played there at youth level and Wayne Rooney, of course, remains a puzzle piece to be accommodated in spite of the lack of an obvious available slot for him.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s move to United has been confirmed by Borussia Dortmund (h/t Mark Critchley of  The Independent), and he is certainly an option as an attack-minded No. 10.

On the left, Anthony Martial certainly has potential to be the kind of winger who pins back opposition right-backs—that was just about the only part of United’s attack that was working under Van Gaal before Rashford’s emergence. And Luke Shaw’s return from injury means he will have the support he needs to achieve this.

Shaw was a revelation at full-back before his injury last season and is a virtual archetype for a contemporary left-back: defensively sound with the physical attributes and technical ability required to contribute in attack. His presence will allow Martial a lot of freedom.

And all this should mean Mourinho’s game plan can be executed. It should also mean United’s defence is more solid when the midfield are not offering constant protection. Daley Blind’s role in the side as a play-making centre-back will surely be revised under the new manager, who will likely want to assemble a much more solid centre-back pairing.

When Chelsea beat City at the Etihad in February 2014, Jonathan Wilson broke down the tactics for the Guardian, taking a look at how Chelsea’s centre-backs operated. He wrote: 

Sides such as Bayern Munich and Barcelona deny opponents access to that key sector by pressing high up the pitch, squeezing them back in their own half and then denying them possession. Chelsea do it with guards, stationing [John] Terry and Gary Cahill within the zone—one of the reasons Terry suddenly looks so good again is that he is defending deep, playing with with the game in front of him so his lack of pace and consequent vulnerability to balls played behind him is no longer an issue.

Eric Bailly has already arrived, and it would not be a surprise to see another guard-type defender brought in to play alongside Chris Smalling. Blind will be moved on or used as the kind of utility man he was during 2014-15.

At the tail end of that season, United faced Chelsea. The Red Devils were resurgent. Van Gaal’s influence had finally begun to be felt and United were playing some free-flowing, attack-minded possession football.

They had won four games in a row, which included victories against Manchester City and Liverpool, and they had put themselves in pole position for Champions League qualification. But then they ran into Mourinho’s Chelsea. United dominated possession but lost 1-0.

As Nick Miller observed for ESPN FC at the time: 

Rooney and Van Gaal may think their team dominated the 90 minutes, but that very much depends on your definition of domination. If it means having the majority of the ball and some nice stats, then the United men can take comfort. If it means whose plan did the game most resemble, then Jose Mourinho takes home the moral victory as well as the actual one. United may have controlled possession of the ball, but it was Chelsea who controlled the game.

Van Gaal’s United never again hit a patch of form like they did in the spring of 2015. Almost every other manager in the league adopted the approach Mourinho had done, and Van Gaal never seemed to find a way to beat it.

Now the Red Devils will be the ones using the Mourinho game plan. They will be the ones more likely to hamper their opposition and use counter-attacking as their primary weapon.

To a fanbase worn down by tiki-taka, passing for the sake of passing and possession for the sake of possession, it will likely come as a welcome tactical change.

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Liverpool have reportedly been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb winger Marko Pjaca with the Croatian set to join Inter Milan, while Christian Benteke is open to making a move to Crystal Palace.

According to SportMediaset (via FootballItalia), Pjaca, 21, will have a medical with Inter on Monday, having drawn interest from AC Milan and Napoli, as well as Liverpool.

The report continued that Inter’s good relationship with Dinamo—they have signed Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic from them in recent times—gave them the edge in the negotiations.

Pjaca made an excellent impression playing for Croatia at Euro 2016, particularly in his 90 minutes on the left flank in their defeat of Spain, per beIN Sports’ Matteo Bonetti:

Most comfortable playing out wide, he can also operate as a central striker and could fit well into Liverpool’s front line of Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho.

Pjaca is both creative on the ball while also being an effective goalscorer—see what he can do in the video below—but it seems as though Liverpool will have to look elsewhere in order to strengthen their attacking unit:

Meanwhile, per David Anderson in the Mirror, Belgian striker Benteke has reportedly “[conceded] his Liverpool career is over after just one season” and Palace manager Alan Pardew is looking to “lure” Benteke to Selhurst Park this summer.

Anderson added that Liverpool’s recent signing of Sadio Mane has made Benteke’s battle to feature in the starting XI even more difficult under manager Jurgen Klopp. The 25-year-old is thus willing to move to Palace, who will offer him more first-team opportunities and can pay him the majority of the £140,000-a-week salary he makes playing for the Reds.

Brendan Rodgers was the man who bought Benteke for Liverpool from Aston Villa last summer for £32.5 million, and even then it seemed unlikely he would fit into the Northern Irishman’s system.

When Klopp was appointed as Rodgers’ successor in October 2015, Benteke’s first-team chances were dashed further as he does not fit well into the German’s intricate attacking system.

Benteke only made 14 Premier League starts last season and, while he still managed to net nine goals, he rarely looked as threatening as he often did in his Villa days, per WhoScored.com.

He remains a top-quality striker, though, hence Liverpool are demanding that Palace stump up £30 million for him, per Chris Bascombe in the Telegraph.

If the Eagles are prepared to meet the asking price, it would likely be a good move for all involved, as Benteke is currently wasted at Liverpool but could thrive under Pardew.  

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s storied career has taken another intriguing twist, as the forward has agreed to join Manchester United.

The 34-year-old striker’s switch to the Premier League club was confirmed by the man himself via Instagram:

Ibrahimovic has played for Paris Saint-Germain since 2012 but opted against signing a new deal, allowing his contract to run out instead. During his spell with PSG, the Swede became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and won the Ligue 1 title on four occasions.

As noted by Bleacher Report, his previous campaign was one to remember, setting remarkably high standards at the Parc des Princes:

While Ibrahimovic is beyond what many consider to be the traditional peak years of a footballer’s career, he only seems to be getting better with age. His touch, technique and ruthlessness in front of goal are all as evident as they’ve ever been during his playing days.

The Swede is still one of the finest frontmen around, and he has a canny knack for spearheading league title charges, having won domestic championships with Ajax, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and PSG.

Now, he’ll be looking to do the same at Old Trafford. United’s last triumph in the league came in 2013, and although former boss Louis van Gaal clinched the FA Cup in the last game of his tenure, the club looked a long way off in pursuit of the Premier League’s top spot.

Despite his advancing years, Ibrahimovic can bring a winning mentality to a young team. Players like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford may find themselves vying with the veteran for a spot in the first XI, but having someone who sets such high standards around the football club will be a huge asset.

Here’s a look at what the forward is capable of doing:

The Old Trafford faithful will be delighted to see Ibrahimovic strutting his stuff on their turf. It’s a crowd that’s always cherished mercurial footballers, including George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. But there are few players in world football who enchant quite like Ibrahimovic does.

Granted, it’s not all good when it comes to Ibrahimovic. His egotistical tendencies aren’t to everyone’s taste, for example. The veteran said he “came like a king, left like a legend” when assessing his time in the French capital recently, per his Twitter feed.

There have been plenty of times when Ibrahimovic has lost his temper, too, both on the field and on the odd occasion after matches. In April 2015, he was hit with a four-game ban following strong criticism of referee Lionel Jaffredo following a 3-2 loss to Bordeaux, per Sky Sports.

But these edgy flashes have long littered Ibrahimovic’s career, and although the Red Devils would prefer it if the forward was placated, it’s part of what makes him such an absorbing individual.

The fact remains that even at 34 years old, Ibrahimovic is one of the best footballers around and a player capable of delivering on the highest stage. For United, he’ll be a welcome addition and a huge draw for the Premier League. After all, there are few connoisseurs of the beautiful game who’ll flick the channel over when Zlatan is on the field.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s storied career has taken another intriguing twist, as the forward has agreed to join Manchester United.

The 34-year-old striker’s switch to the Premier League club was confirmed by the man himself via Instagram:

Ibrahimovic has played for Paris Saint-Germain since 2012 but opted against signing a new deal, allowing his contract to run out instead. During his spell with PSG, the Swede became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and won the Ligue 1 title on four occasions.

As noted by Bleacher Report, his previous campaign was one to remember, setting remarkably high standards at the Parc des Princes:

While Ibrahimovic is beyond what many consider to be the traditional peak years of a footballer’s career, he only seems to be getting better with age. His touch, technique and ruthlessness in front of goal are all as evident as they’ve ever been during his playing days.

The Swede is still one of the finest frontmen around, and he has a canny knack for spearheading league-title charges, having won domestic championships with Ajax, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and PSG.

Now, he’ll be looking to do the same at Old Trafford. United’s last triumph in the league came in 2013, and although former boss Louis van Gaal clinched the FA Cup in the last game of his tenure, the club looked a long way off in pursuit of the Premier League’s top spot.

Despite his advancing years, Ibrahimovic can bring a winning mentality to a young team. Players like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford may find themselves vying with the veteran for a spot in the first XI, but having someone who sets such high standards around the football club will be a huge asset.

Here’s a look at what the forward is capable of doing:

The Old Trafford faithful will be delighted to see Ibrahimovic strutting his stuff on their turf. It’s a crowd that’s always cherished mercurial footballers, including George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. But there are few players in world football who enchant quite like Ibrahimovic does.

Granted, it’s not all good when it comes to Ibrahimovic. His egotistical tendencies aren’t to everyone’s taste, for example. The veteran said he “came like a king, left like a legend” when assessing his time in the French capital recently, per his Twitter feed.

There have been plenty of times when Ibrahimovic has lost his temper, too, both on the field and on the odd occasion after matches. In April 2015, he was hit with a four-game ban following strong criticism of referee Lionel Jaffredo following a 3-2 loss to Bordeaux, per Sky Sports.

But these edgy flashes have long littered Ibrahimovic’s career, and although the Red Devils would prefer it if the forward was placated, it’s part of what makes him such an absorbing individual.

The fact remains that even at 34 years old, Ibrahimovic is one of the very best footballers around and a player capable of delivering on the highest stage. For United, he’ll be a welcome addition and a huge draw for the Premier League. After all, there are few connoisseurs of the beautiful game who’ll flick the channel over when Zlatan is on the field.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s storied career has taken another intriguing twist, as the forward has agreed to join Manchester United.

The 34-year-old striker’s switch to the Premier League club was confirmed by the man himself via Instagram:

Ibrahimovic has played for Paris Saint-Germain since 2012 but opted against signing a new deal, allowing his contract to run out instead. During his spell with PSG, the Swede became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and won the Ligue 1 title on four occasions.

As noted by Bleacher Report, his previous campaign was one to remember, setting remarkably high standards at the Parc des Princes:

While Ibrahimovic is beyond what many consider to be the traditional peak years of a footballer’s career, he only seems to be getting better with age. His touch, technique and ruthlessness in front of goal are all as evident as they’ve ever been during his playing days.

The Swede is still one of the finest frontmen around, and he has a canny knack for spearheading league-title charges, having won domestic championships with Ajax, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and PSG.

Now, he’ll be looking to do the same at Old Trafford. United’s last triumph in the league came in 2013, and although former boss Louis van Gaal clinched the FA Cup in the last game of his tenure, the club looked a long way off in pursuit of the Premier League’s top spot.

Despite his advancing years, Ibrahimovic can bring a winning mentality to a young team. Players like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford may find themselves vying with the veteran for a spot in the first XI, but having someone who sets such high standards around the football club will be a huge asset.

Here’s a look at what the forward is capable of doing:

The Old Trafford faithful will be delighted to see Ibrahimovic strutting his stuff on their turf. It’s a crowd that’s always cherished mercurial footballers, including George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. But there are few players in world football who enchant quite like Ibrahimovic does.

Granted, it’s not all good when it comes to Ibrahimovic. His egotistical tendencies aren’t to everyone’s taste, for example. The veteran said he “came like a king, left like a legend” when assessing his time in the French capital recently, per his Twitter feed.

There have been plenty of times when Ibrahimovic has lost his temper, too, both on the field and on the odd occasion after matches. In April 2015, he was hit with a four-game ban following strong criticism of referee Lionel Jaffredo following a 3-2 loss to Bordeaux, per Sky Sports.

But these edgy flashes have long littered Ibrahimovic’s career, and although the Red Devils would prefer it if the forward was placated, it’s part of what makes him such an absorbing individual.

The fact remains that even at 34 years old, Ibrahimovic is one of the very best footballers around and a player capable of delivering on the highest stage. For United, he’ll be a welcome addition and a huge draw for the Premier League. After all, there are few connoisseurs of the beautiful game who’ll flick the channel over when Zlatan is on the field.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/29iaXZp
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s storied career has taken another intriguing twist, as the forward has agreed to join Manchester United.

The 34-year-old striker’s switch to the Premier League club was confirmed by the man himself via Instagram:

Ibrahimovic has played for Paris Saint-Germain since 2012 but opted against signing a new deal, allowing his contract to run out instead. During his spell with PSG, the Swede became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and won the Ligue 1 title on four occasions.

As noted by Bleacher Report, his previous campaign was one to remember, setting remarkably high standards at the Parc des Princes:

While Ibrahimovic is beyond what many consider to be the traditional peak years of a footballer’s career, he only seems to be getting better with age. His touch, technique and ruthlessness in front of goal are all as evident as they’ve ever been during his playing days.

The Swede is still one of the finest frontmen around, and he has a canny knack for spearheading league-title charges, having won domestic championships with Ajax, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and PSG.

Now, he’ll be looking to do the same at Old Trafford. United’s last triumph in the league came in 2013, and although former boss Louis van Gaal clinched the FA Cup in the last game of his tenure, the club looked a long way off in pursuit of the Premier League’s top spot.

Despite his advancing years, Ibrahimovic can bring a winning mentality to a young team. Players like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford may find themselves vying with the veteran for a spot in the first XI, but having someone who sets such high standards around the football club will be a huge asset.

Here’s a look at what the forward is capable of doing:

The Old Trafford faithful will be delighted to see Ibrahimovic strutting his stuff on their turf. It’s a crowd that’s always cherished mercurial footballers, including George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. But there are few players in world football who enchant quite like Ibrahimovic does.

Granted, it’s not all good when it comes to Ibrahimovic. His egotistical tendencies aren’t to everyone’s taste, for example. The veteran said he “came like a king, left like a legend” when assessing his time in the French capital recently, per his Twitter feed.

There have been plenty of times when Ibrahimovic has lost his temper, too, both on the field and on the odd occasion after matches. In April 2015, he was hit with a four-game ban following strong criticism of referee Lionel Jaffredo following a 3-2 loss to Bordeaux, per Sky Sports.

But these edgy flashes have long littered Ibrahimovic’s career, and although the Red Devils would prefer it if the forward was placated, it’s part of what makes him such an absorbing individual.

The fact remains that even at 34 years old, Ibrahimovic is one of the very best footballers around and a player capable of delivering on the highest stage. For United, he’ll be a welcome addition and a huge draw for the Premier League. After all, there are few connoisseurs of the beautiful game who’ll flick the channel over when Zlatan is on the field.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/29iaXZp
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s storied career has taken another intriguing twist, as the forward has agreed to join Manchester United.

The 34-year-old striker’s switch to the Premier League club was confirmed by the man himself via Instagram:

Ibrahimovic has played for Paris Saint-Germain since 2012 but opted against signing a new deal, allowing his contract to run out instead. During his spell with PSG, the Swede became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and won the Ligue 1 title on four occasions.

As noted by Bleacher Report, his previous campaign was one to remember, setting remarkably high standards at the Parc des Princes:

While Ibrahimovic is beyond what many consider to be the traditional peak years of a footballer’s career, he only seems to be getting better with age. His touch, technique and ruthlessness in front of goal are all as evident as they’ve ever been during his playing days.

The Swede is still one of the finest frontmen around, and he has a canny knack for spearheading league-title charges, having won domestic championships with Ajax, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and PSG.

Now, he’ll be looking to do the same at Old Trafford. United’s last triumph in the league came in 2013, and although former boss Louis van Gaal clinched the FA Cup in the last game of his tenure, the club looked a long way off in pursuit of the Premier League’s top spot.

Despite his advancing years, Ibrahimovic can bring a winning mentality to a young team. Players like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford may find themselves vying with the veteran for a spot in the first XI, but having someone who sets such high standards around the football club will be a huge asset.

Here’s a look at what the forward is capable of doing:

The Old Trafford faithful will be delighted to see Ibrahimovic strutting his stuff on their turf. It’s a crowd that’s always cherished mercurial footballers, including George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. But there are few players in world football who enchant quite like Ibrahimovic does.

Granted, it’s not all good when it comes to Ibrahimovic. His egotistical tendencies aren’t to everyone’s taste, for example. The veteran said he “came like a king, left like a legend” when assessing his time in the French capital recently, per his Twitter feed.

There have been plenty of times when Ibrahimovic has lost his temper, too, both on the field and on the odd occasion after matches. In April 2015, he was hit with a four-game ban following strong criticism of referee Lionel Jaffredo following a 3-2 loss to Bordeaux, per Sky Sports.

But these edgy flashes have long littered Ibrahimovic’s career, and although the Red Devils would prefer it if the forward was placated, it’s part of what makes him such an absorbing individual.

The fact remains that even at 34 years old, Ibrahimovic is one of the very best footballers around and a player capable of delivering on the highest stage. For United, he’ll be a welcome addition and a huge draw for the Premier League. After all, there are few connoisseurs of the beautiful game who’ll flick the channel over when Zlatan is on the field.

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Atletico Madrid aren’t messing about this summer in the pursuit of a big-name striker, with recent reports claiming Los Rojiblancos have bid for four of the best No. 9s in Europe.

With Fernando Torres set to sign a new deal, per Marca, and Antoine Griezmann having already done so, Atleti are looking for a new first-choice centre-forward to complement their French star and push their homegrown hero into maintaining his good form from the end of 2015-16—as well as make up for the disappointing returns of last summer’s signings, Luciano Vietto and Jackson Martinez. 

To that end, Diego Simeone and the Atleti board have been identifying players who could perform much better once the 2016-17 campaign gets underway, with huge offers going in for stars from all over Europe.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reported (h/t Marca) Inter Milan recently rejected an Atletico bid of just under €50 million for Mauro Icardi, while Marca reported there are a further three offers on the table, one for each of Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Costa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Naturally, ongoing discussions will inevitably lead to only one of the quartet being chosen—or indeed being allowed to move—so who would suit Atletico best, both for this coming season and beyond?

Stat Watch

Each of the four strikers was first choice at his club last term, but Chelsea‘s Costa was the only one who wasn’t both invaluable and impressive. A former Atletico striker, he is known to Simeone and is an easy link back to Atleti, but his performances in 2015-16 were well below the expectation of him and also below the level of his rivals in this particular transfer tussle.

Costa was left out of the Spain squad for UEFA Euro 2016. Icardi also missed out on Argentina’s Copa America Centenario squad—but given his competition and age, it’s rather more understandable. One of those competitors was Higuain, who was in the squad and played a central role in Argentina’s run to the final.

Icard played the fewest minutes in 2015-16, with Inter not in any European competition, but all four targets were within 600 minutes of each other in terms of league play, making comparisons extremely worthwhile. Atletico No. 7 Griezmann is included as reference.

Pure totals give a good indication of the relentless ability of the strikers to hit the back of the net or beat men compared to how often they perform the other actions. But for a man-to-man comparison, it’s more beneficial to consider a per-90 minutes comparison, allowing for the discrepancy in game time.

While it’s marginally interesting to note Griezmann doesn’t win in any of these key areas, he was also the only one of the quintet to play a different role last season, featuring on the wing for Atletico either from the start or because of in-game switches at times. The player Atleti sign is intended to complement, not displace, Griezmann, so filling the areas in which he is lacking—getting shots away inside the penalty box more regularly for example—is the key to identifying the new signing.

Unsurprisingly, the two with the greatest number of shots are the two who averaged around a goal per game.

With Barcelona and Real Madrid both having players capable of hitting that mark, it’s imperative Atletico find their own star who could achieve the same.

Style and System

Atletico aren’t an all-out-attack team and won’t be even if they break their transfer record (€40 million) to sign a world-class striker.

The new face will have to operate within the constraints and work ethic of the rest of the team, utilising intelligent movement and clinical finishing to add to what Atletico already have in the offensive third of the pitch. Chances are there for a goalscorer to shine; Yannick Carrasco and Angel Correa bring trickery and pace, and Koke, Saul Niguez and others in midfield offer creativity.

Atletico lack a killer touch in the box, or someone to instinctively be on the shoulder of the defence to make the most of quick breaks, defensive errors or long periods of attacking possession that are frustrated by the noncommittal approach of the deeper players to burst beyond the forward line.

Costa and Aubameyang are, quite comfortably, the best of the four at working the channels, running beyond and between defenders and providing an out ball for the team. What they do once in possession in those areas is extremely different, however: Costa will drive at defences, dribble and barge his way past challenges and try to give his team-mates time to join in from deep, while Aubameyang is more inclined to head straight toward the penalty area.

Pace, exploitation of space and confidence make for an explosive mix in a striker, and the Borussia Dortmund forward has each attribute in abundance.

Higuain is not just about his penalty-box play, but he is a natural predator who has the team built for him at Napoli and who enjoyed the season of his life in 2015-16.

His haul of 36 goals in 35 games was impressive, but so too was the variance in the goals he scored. One common theme of his strikes was an ability to move off the back of defenders, running behind them to catch them unaware and rattle a quick strike in with either foot.

Elsewhere, though, four came from outside the box, two were superb individual goals—particular his effort against Frosinone in May—and seven came from sprinting across the face of goal and scoring inside the six-yard box.

While Costa and Aubameyang play the full width of the pitch, Icardi and Higuain are far more likely to stay in the lines of the penalty area, true central strikers—exactly what Atleti require, with Griezmann the roaming forward and the wide players cutting inside when the team switches to 4-3-3.

Best Pick

The Marca report suggested the offers for Costa, Higuain and Aubameyang are all similar and between €50 million and €60 million. In age, only Icardi breaks the mould, being 23, with Higuain at 28 and the other two 27.

There are other factors to consider. Owner Miguel Angel Gil has said he has to control risks when spending huge sums, per Marca. And as reported by German outlet Bild (h/t F365), after considering his options, Aubameyang has opted to stay with BVB. Higuain, by contrast, has had his agent, Nicolas Higuain, openly speak on Italian station Radio Continental (h/t Marca) about his resistance to signing a new deal at Napoli after promises of silverware were not met.

Atleti desperately need a player to come in and make an immediate impact, a player at his peak who has no big fitness issues, a history of huge goal hauls and with the work rate to quickly adapt to the side.

Of the four, Higuain fits the bill near perfectly, perhaps aside from a lack of dominant aerial prowess, where Icardi and Costa are standouts. Either Argentinian would be a superb signing for Los Colchoneros, but it’s Higuain who is in his prime, most likely to be available for a move and who would guarantee goals—and another shot at winning La Liga.

Follow @karlmatchett

Stats matrix via Squawka.com.

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