Man Utd ‘in contact with Serie A boss and inventor of bizarre 2-7-2 formation to replace Erik ten Hag’
MANCHESTER UNITED have been in contact with Thiago Motta, according to reports.
Pressure has been mounting on Erik ten Hag following a poor run of form with just one win in seven games.
SunSport exclusively revealed earlier this month how Man Utd players expect Ten Hag, 54, to be sacked in the summer.
The Sir Jim Ratcliffe led Ineos takeover of the club’s sporting operation has led to reports the Red Devils are looking for a new manager in line with their philosophy.
The likes of England boss Gareth Southagte, Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann, former Chelsea boss Graham Potter and Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi have all been linked.
However, recent reports from Italy revealed Bologna boss Motta, 41, had emerged as a candidate to take the Old Trafford hot seat.
And a new report from CaughtOffside suggests Man Utd bosses have been in contact with the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star.
After a glittering player career, in 2018 Motta made waves in the football coaching scene when he announced his philosophy to be a 2-7-2.
While on paper the formation sounds unorthodox, it is actually because Motta reads the his team sheet from left to right and includes his goalkeeper, rather down to up without.
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Asked about his ideals, Motta said: “My idea it to play offensively. A short team that controls the game, high pressure and a lot of movement with and without the ball.
“I want the player that has the ball to always have three or four solutions and two team-mates close by to help.
“The difficulty in football is, often to do things simply but to control the base, pass and get free.
“I don’t like the numbers of the field because they trick you. You can be super offensive with a 5-3-2 and defensive in a 4-3-3.
“Depending on the quality of the guys. I had a game a while ago where the two full-backs ended up playing as the 9 and 10.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t like people like Samuel and Chiellini, born defenders…
“The goalkeeper counts as one of the midfield seven. For me, the attacker is the first defender and the goalkeeper is the first attacker.
“The goalkeeper starts the play, with his feet and the attackers are the first to put pressure to recover the ball.”
Bologna have reaped the rewards of this style, sitting fourth in the Serie A and putting them in line for a shock spot in the Champions League.
But Man Utd are not the only club after Motta, with Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus all being linked.
His contract expires at the end of the season but the report adds Motta has not made a decision on his future yet.
Man Utd are LUCKY to be seventh in the table... one particular stat is terrible, say Dave Kidd
By Dave Kidd
THE frightening thing about Manchester United’s season is that they should really be LOWER than seventh in the Premier League.
Even during their current run of one win in seven league matches, United’s results have been better than their performances.
Erik ten Hag’s team deserved to lose each of their last three drawn games against Brentford, Liverpool and Bournemouth.
On goal difference, United are ninth in the league, while only seven teams have scored fewer than their 47 goals.
And if we give any credence to ‘expected points’, then that stat would have them 15th in the table.
If Ten Hag’s men lose Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final to Championship side Coventry, it should not come as a major surprise.
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