Manchester United vs Sporting Braga preview - Ferguson open to new tactics

Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2012 by PA

Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing to launch a personal revolution by switching to a diamond formation.

Throughout his near 40-year time in management, the Manchester United boss has remained wedded to his ideal of playing with wide men.

As it is part of United's tradition as well, the pair appeared to be growing old together.

However, at the age of 70, Ferguson has had a radical rethink.

The summer arrival of Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund, plus Tom Cleverley's emergence as a player of international calibre triggered Ferguson into an experiment.

From the Capital One Cup, through the Champions League and into domestic league action, the diamond has sparkled and brought success.

With Kagawa and Cleverley both set to face Braga, the diamond could be twinkling again at Old Trafford.

And Ferguson is considering changing the habit of a lifetime by making it permanent.

"If it turns out we play the diamond consistently it would be revolutionary because it is going against our history," said Ferguson.

"But the level of the game in England and Europe now is so high that making yourself unpredictable is going to be a strength.

"Teams will have to think if we are going to use two out wide or the diamond because we have players capable of doing both things.

"Kagawa and Cleverley can play really well in the type of game that a diamond offers, whilst in Nani, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia we have very good wide players."

With Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra rested, Ferguson needs to make changes in defence.

Alex Buttner is certain to fill the left-back slot to make his Champions League debut, whilst Ferguson is giving serious consideration to selecting rookie Scott Wootton at centre-half alongside Jonny Evans.

Wootton has impressed in the limited chances he has had so far.

However, life for Ferguson will become much less complicated when Chris Smalling and Phil Jones return from foot and knee injuries in the next couple of weeks.

"Chris has trained with (reserve coach) Warren Joyce for a couple of days now but it is non contact at the moment," said Ferguson.

"He is being the free player in training sessions.

"But the encouraging thing is he is definitely on the way back.

"I also expect Phil Jones to start on the football side next Monday and the two of them are both only two or three weeks away."

Meanwhile, Braga coach Jose Peseiro has revealed he was at Manchester United's post-game Champions League winners' party in Moscow - but he wants to be celebrating alone at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Former assistant to Carlos Queiroz at Real Madrid, Peseiro remained close to his fellow Portuguese when he returned to United as Sir Alex Ferguson's number two after a single season at the Bernabeu.

In 2006, as Ferguson was weighing up whether to make a move for Yuri Zhirkov or Nani, Peseiro, who had moved on to Sporting Lisbon for a short spell, was ideally placed to offer an assessment of the latter man.

Nani eventually ended up at Old Trafford in 2007, scoring one of the penalties in United's dramatic shoot-out victory over Chelsea at the Luzhniki Stadium the following spring.

It as an evening Peseiro has naturally never forgotten.

"I first came to Manchester with Carlos and spoke with Sir Alex about Nani," he said.

"We probably talked about three or four times before he eventually decided to sign him over Zhirkov.

"When United got to the Champions League final, they invited me to the game.

"I stayed in one of the hotels the club used for the match and was there for the party afterwards.

"I was there for four or five days overall, together with my wife.

"It was a fantastic experience. But I hope to be having a party at Sir Alex's expense."