At the stroke of final whistle last night at Copa AmericaArgentina were through to the final with an emphatic 6-1 victory over Paraguay. Without any doubt, Lionel Messi was the man of the match who created spaces for his teammates to pounce upon as he grabbed four assists. But there was another man who delivered one more effective performance for Argentina and he was Angel Di Maria.

Angel Di Maria who has been the popular name who was tagged as a flop by critics in his debut season at Old Trafford. He has been criticised a lot despite the fact that he had the third highest assists in the league. He also went on to create most number of chances for Manchester United.

Maybe the hefty price tag of £59.7 million overpowered his contribution on the field. Eventually due to his poor performances he was left frustrated on the bench for Manchester United’s crucial matches.

Di Maria shines at the Copa

Copa America has been a perfect platform for Di Maria to regain his confidence. He was guaranteed starter in all matches due to his past performances.

The Argentine coach Tata Martino went on to say despite his struggles at Old Trafford, he has no doubts over Di Maria’s talent.

Di Maria has done well to prove Martino right by delivering not the best but effective performances as he has chipped in with two goals and two assists in Copa America campaign.

He also did well by scoring two in an odd friendly against Bolivia just before the Copa started.But the main question which still remains unanswered whether Di Maria will be able to emulate this form in Premier League next year? Yes.

Di Maria has been known for his flexibility.His versatile nature has always been a boon for the manager he has been managed by. At Real Madrid when Jose Mourinho bought him,he was used as a winger in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

He prospered with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine grabbed many assists and scored odd goals which helped Mourinho to win La Liga title.

But with the arrival of Gareth Bale and Carlo Ancelloti, Di Maria was shunted in the left side of the midfield in an attacking 4-3-3 formation.It was believed that Argentine’s best position was found as he propelled Madrid to La Decima. And once James Rodriguez joined, Di Maria was transferred to Manchester United.

Van Gaal's formation hinders the Argentine's presence

Louis Van Gaal emphasises on possession based attacking football. Van Gaal used him on the left side of midfield in a diamond and also as a striker in a 3-5-2.

Di Maria didn’t get a run of games in a single position which didn’t help him settling in the game as he had different task in every game.

At the end of the season,Van Gaal finally started using his favourite 4-3-3 formation.Di Maria was not able to start in this games due to Ashley Young and Juan Mata’s performances.

However, it was clearly seen that Van Gaal doesn’t want Di Maria in the midfield three as he loses possession frequently.

He has all the attributes to be on left or right side of the attacking trio upfront and Van Gaal has certainly seen this. In the season end game he was used as a left forward while Ashley Young in the midfield.

At Copa America Martino has used him as a left forward. He has been disciplined in that role and helped Argentina in scoring and assisting goals. The cross for Sergio Aguero’s goal could be one of the things we can see at Old Trafford next season.

As Di Maria gains confidence in this role,surely there is no doubt he will do well next year. It is just the case of adapting the role well under Van Gaal as Ander Herrera also suffered with the same syndrome at the start of the year despite doing well.

Adjusting to the English game

Di Maria has always faced difficulties in adapting a new league. After arriving from Benfica he faced similar situation at Madrid as he is facing at United. Fortunately, he is surely a footballer with great determination and always ready to fight for his place.

With the arrival of Memphis Depay the competition will be intense and Di Maria will thrive again in competition as he has always done. So surely the form which he is enjoying at Copa America, he can emulate at Manchester United next year.

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About the author
Kiran Thakare
Student of Chemical Engineering. United supporter.