Manchester United were one of the most dominant sides in the 1990’s. Much of their supremacy came down to their efficient usage of wide-men, or ‘flying wingers’. With stellar names like Andrei Kanchelskis, Lee Sharpe, Giggs and Beckham assuming crossing duties, goals were sure to follow.
Sir Alex Ferguson implemented wing-play with extensive usage of the 4-4-2 formation. Ronaldo, Nani, Valencia to name a few, continued his legacy in the 2000’s. His retirement coincided with a time when Football was transitioning from wing-play to a more direct approach.
This rubbed off on Manchester United too, as David Moyes and Louis van Gaal used the 4-2-3-1 formation with frequent usage of Centrally minded attacking midfielders than pure wide-men.
Are we missing a trick here?
In a bid to evolve with others, clubs have reduced their crossing effectiveness to alarming levels. Maybe, changing back to wing-play suddenly might catch the opposition off guard?
Ivan Perisic, the Croatian winger has been in hot form of late. With captivating performances in Euro 2016 and with Inter Milan in Serie A, he has interested potential suitors to fight for his signature.
One among the interested parties is Manchester United.
While Inter Milan are playing hardball over keeping their star-player, it is only a matter of time before United improve their bid to sign the Croatian. Manchester United are falling short of Inter’s valuation of £55 million. Here is why they should not hesitate to pay up for his services.
Manchester United have shelled out £75 million for Romelu Lukaku and may think about re-signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic in January. One of their common traits is their astonishing aerial ability. Accurate crosses into their strides are sure to be met with ferocious intensity and at least 9 times out of 10, it would end up in the back of the net.
Enter Ivan Perisic, the ambidextrous, pacy and tricky winger is sure to provide the required service to the forwards. His overall tally of 16 goals and 10 assists proves he is not just an able provider but a potent goal threat. Should Manchester United pay £55 million for him? In today’s inflated transfer market, 10 assists and 16 goals may equal £55 million. Along with the stats, he brings with him tons of experience of playing in the Bundesliga and Serie A.
Manchester United would largely benefit from his services. Hence, Ivan Perisic and Manchester United is most definitely a match made in heaven.
