Ferguson to alter Manchester United's tactics

Ken Gaunt,Pa
Friday 31 July 2009 11:40 BST
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Sir Alex Ferguson intends to tweak Manchester United's tactics following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

The Old Trafford boss believes he needs to re-adjust the team's approach if they are to replicate the Portugal winger's scoring feats.

Ferguson has called on his players to get a century of goals next season when they will aim for their fourth successive title and another assault on the Champions League crown.

In an interview in Inside United, posted on manutd.com, Ferguson said: "Obviously Cristiano is a big loss in terms of the goals he gave us.

"But we will just have to find the goals from somewhere else and our tactics will adjust accordingly. Fans will see us playing a slightly different style of football this season."

Ferguson is now opting to use Wayne Rooney as a central striker, rather than playing him out wide, alongside either Michael Owen or Dimitar Berbatov.

Beyond the three main strikers, Ferguson is demanding an increased yield from midfield.

He said: "Usually you look to score about 100 goals in all competitions, so we are aiming for that again. If we are going to win the league again or do well in Europe we certainly need players to step up.

"Going back a few years, we could always guarantee goals from Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham, who always pitched in with about 10 a season.

"Those goals from midfield have dried up a little in recent years, so we have to address that.

"I will be looking to (Ji-Sung) Park, Nani, (Luis Antonio) Valencia - even (Danny) Welbeck and (Federico) Macheda - to contribute 40 goals between them. The defenders will contribute a few from set-pieces too."

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