So Coentrao actually....

will play as a midfielder,alongside sahin and xabi according to AS.

what do you guys think about this?Seems like Carvalho will start for one more season

I think he is being tried out in various positions, because he is that versatile, but he wont be a starter midfielder with sahin and and xabi i think.

Mourinho was trying to sign players that can play many positions, attack and defend, so he can have tactical variety.

It's a page out of the total football rule book, not saying we will play total football, but he does want the most complete players possible. Being able to attack from anywhere and defend as well, crucial in the high pressing game we will play.

It is possible just because he's such a great athlete.

With Sahin out for the preseason, Lass gone, Gago + Di Maria in Copa America... we need some depth play in the the defensive midfield role. No need to kill Khedira and Alonso before the season starts lol.

how hard is it for a talented man like him that can play in various positions, and has managed to go from a winger to one of the best lbs to use his right foot?

i think he will do great if given spot at RB.

Watch the complation above, he had several good scenes playing from the right. Albeit further up the field as a winger. But I think he can be great at the right wing. And I think Mourinho likes the idea to do something that's barely been done to great effect. Playing with two inverted players at the same wing (Di Maria and Coentrao or Özil and Coentrao), there could be some interesting plays.

The Pepe and Ramos partnership is what I've been waiting for. With two fast defenders who barely loose a aerial ball we can play a very high defensive line. This is what Barcelona do, they basically always play in the oppositions half. With their defenders just behind the half way line. This means the other team need to be compact at their own half. When you loose the ball you have to pressure the ball holder all the time, while keeping the high defensive line. This is football tactical rules 101, high line = ball pressure. So the player with the player with possession don't have time to put a good ball behind our defense. If they happen to do it, the central defenders is fast enough to stay ahead of the attackers. I think even Ronaldo and Kaká will find it much easier to pressure when there actually is a point, your team is so aggressive that you are pressuring with real intent of taking the ball. Not just the tactical but pretty meaningless pressuring Higuain and Di Maria often is forced to do currently (which Ronaldo just don't do). With all the space in midfield and defense the opposition gets, they run 20-30 meters just to put som pressure and then the player just plays it away, with no other player pressuring with them. Wasted energy. Higuain and Di Maria does this to show working spirit and intent, to show they deserve the starting spots, Ronaldo don't need those qualitys to start. So he doesn't do it when he knows it's often in vain when we play such a parted team.

im pretty sure coentrao was given the opportunity to play as a midfielder in the friendly so mourinho could see more of him. if was a very easy match defensively, playing him as a RB would not have allowed him to shine like he did as a midfielder.

I think Coentrao is the ace in the deck.

If one of our players got injured or sick, Coentrao will cover. He can do the job that Lass couldnt (or shall we say didnt want to do?). An Anti-Messi Vaccine. He's going to be a pain Xavi's and Iniesta's asses. A defensive midfield troublemaker. An attacking mmidfield viagra.

Basically, he is mourinho's answer to the UEFA's unjustified biasness. If Mr. Referee wants to give Pepe a red card for playing rough defense, or double yellow cards in seperate games, then Mr. Referee is free to do all that he wants and more.

If Khedir's injured again and Xabi's tired, then Coentrao is there to take over. Dont forget that our wing-backs cant make decent cross-overs, whereas he can generate goals from them.

He's one of the good signs we made this season along with Kaka.

We're getting there. We need a couple of good forwards, a centre back and a fearless goalkeeper. Situation isnt critical ofcourse, we can do with what we have, but we would be out of this world if we opt to fix those weaklinks i pinpointed for you.

he reminds me of how mou used zanetti. like every defensive position but he was still a lb

Zanetti is naturally a right back and was displaced to left back and wide midfield due to the arrival of Maicon.

buddytaller wrote:Zanetti is naturally a right back and was displaced to left back and wide midfield due to the arrival of Maicon.

I didn't know but Zanetti plays every defensive position anyways. CB, LB, RB, DM

i didnt know zanetti was an rb, coentrao can really be a swiss army knife for us, many players can like di maria, didnt go sell well with him against lyon though did it?