WHAT'S THE MOTTA? Man Utd ‘in contact with Serie A boss and inventor of bizarre 2-7-2 formation to replace Erik ten Hag’
Man Utd will face competition for his signature
Posted Saturday, April 20, 2024 by Thesun.co.uk
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.
Reports suggest Man Utd have been in contact with Thiago Motta to replace him Credit: Reuters
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.
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.
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