Although this was our first match of the season, it was an interesting match to analyze. There were some themes which exemplified some United fans' concerns which were also present last season. From a tactical standpoint, there wasn't anything too outstanding except when United didn't have the ball. A majority of post-match reactions hinted at our need for a defensive midfielder. What many fail to realize is how little impact a defensive midfielder would have made in countering Everton's long ball tactics. Before we focus on midfield, let's look at some of the themes which blighted United's performance.
Coming from behind:
This is a view that seemingly a good portion of Manchester United supporters share. Last season, any time United went behind in a game, the comeback, if there was one, never resulted in a win. If you talk to some of the supporters this doesn't seem to be the main issue. One supporter pointed out it's the style of play which is rather disappointing and a possible reason why we don't see many comebacks result in wins anymore. He characterized it as "zombie passing" and cited our lack of movement/fluidity as an issue which led to less potent attacks. A view like this also includes the notion of our predictability. It was rather interesting when we went behind against Everton, instead of using Kagawa and going through the middle more, we defaulted to using the wings. As I mentioned in my match summary, once we started using the wings, we became predictable and less potent. It coincides with Fergie's post-match comments about not going through the middle enough.
The main issue with using the wings is it hinges on Rooney's play-making ability, Scholes' passing, and our wingers penetrating the opposition either through crosses or getting behind their defensive line. Rooney didn't necessarily have a particularly good game and our wingers were making spastic decisions. Invariably, we looked very disjointed despite having more possession.
Defensive Issues:
Contrary to the majority of post-match reactions I've seen, our defensive issues didn't stem from the midfield. Everton mostly exploited the open space we left on the wings and Carrick's lack of physicality. It's unfair to be too critical of Carrick as he was playing out of position and part of a makeshift back four. However, Everton spotted it as a weakness to exploit and for those who saw the Avengers film, Carrick's matchup with Fellaini was akin to Hulk's encounter with Loki. He simply stood no chance.
In our 4-3-3 formation, Nani and Welbeck acted as our wing forwards and when we didn't have the ball, they didn't track back enough nor take up good defensive positions consistently enough to cut off the passing lanes. It gave Baines and Hibbert further impetus to get forward and pump diagonal balls to Fellaini. I observed some comments regarding United being overrun in midfield. It's important to realize Everton more often than not chose to bypass their own midfield to advance upfield. They did enjoy some nice exchanges centrally, but those were very sporadic. By using diagonal balls, Everton also bypassed our own midfield and we were physically outmatched against Fellaini. He was even a handful for Vidic. One issue regarding our midfield was Cleverley and Scholes both got attracted to the ball. They didn't take up good defensive positions and inevitably, it did leave holes. However, these holes weren't necessarily exploited and they weren't as frequent as Everton's balls to Fellaini.
So do we need a DM?:
Honestly, I don't think so. A DM would help but we're better off having a player who is similar to Carrick. By definition, Carrick is not a DM. He's basically a hybrid of a holding midfielder and a deep-lying playmaker. We've seen the impact he has. He intercepts passes, takes up good defensive positions, helps maintain our shape, slows down opposition attacks while starting our own. Some fans underestimate his attacking potential but it's essential to understand for a player in Carrick's role, it is paramount to maintain possession in that area of the pitch. Otherwise, we are quite vulnerable to a quick counterattack. Hence, a major factor in why Carrick chooses to recycle possession through the wide areas rather than centrally (sideways passing). If he was a more mobile player, I'd venture to say he would play more passes through the middle and even join the attack more than he already does. However, Carrick has had to change his game so he thinks "defense first" and stays a bit deeper when we attack. This doesn't mean he's not involved, but if used correctly, he's a pivot and in other words, a reference point for our attackers to use in moving the ball.
Sir Alex is a manager who values versatility. He would rather be able to field players who can take up multiple positions rather than be confined to a specific role. A DM role is such a confined role and a significant reason why I think we won't buy a DM. We've never had one either. The closest we've ever had is an energetic, all-action ball winner like Fletcher. Acquiring a DM only fixes part of the issue, not all of it. Having a player who simply protects the back four but little else, is basically a waste of space in our system.
The bigger issue:
So what is this bigger issue exactly? If you re-watch the match against Everton, you'll notice something quite intriguing. It was evident in the second half and it's quite alarming. We were looking to integrate 2 styles of play with the personnel we had on the field. We already know players such as Kagawa, Cleverley, Rooney, Nani and Welbeck enjoy interchanging positions, short passes and quick movements. While Scholes is a passing maestro, his legs no longer enable him to join in the quick movements and interchanging of positions. Scholes' movement has become more lateral as a result and it doesn't dovetail with Cleverley's tendencies to move rapidly upfield. It results in our midfield and forward line being too spread out. This is why we move the ball upfield gradually more so than with incisiveness or quick interplay. Despite the good exchanges we had between Cleverley, Kagawa and Scholes, we weren't really going anywhere with it as Scholes and Cleverley's movement actually resulted in our attacks going in a circular motion whenever we recycled possession from one wing to another. Furthermore, Valencia doesn't interchange positions as well either and his tendency to play the safer option leads to playing the ball slower. Our tempo never really picked up against Everton and without the presence of well-spaced passing triangles, we resorted to our default tactics of using the wings.
What's the Plan Fergie?
Sir Alex needs to decide what kind of style we're going to play with. One makes use of the wings and the other offers more dynamism and penetration through the middle. We definitely have the personnel for both styles. Trying to mix the 2 styles of play seems to have caused more harm and confusion rather than cohesion. Although, it is still early days, I think the sooner we move towards our style of quick passing, interchanging positions and pushing up higher, the more accustomed our players will become with such a style. In addition, using this style should see us being able to break down more stubborn defences as we'll be less predictable. For now, we'll just have the 4-4-2 in our back-pocket to use when necessary. Anderson and Cleverley are key to implementing our new style of play and if they stay relatively injury-free, we should reap the benefits from their abilities.
I think we've seen enough of the "zombie passing" and slow tempo which makes us look lethargic when our urgency should be at a much higher level. Here's hoping Sir Alex can strike the right balance whilst implementing a new system for the overall squad.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Everton v. Manchester United: Match Summary
Proper football has returned and it's been a great set of matches. From a neutral standpoint, the match between Everton and Manchester United was an even contest exemplifying the traits the EPL are associated with (grit and determination). Taking a closer look, United fans were quite concerned and seemingly, most of it stemmed from issues we have witnessed in the past which crept up on us once again. Similar to the fixture at Old Trafford, Marouane Fellaini was a handful and became our undoing as the match progressed in Goodison Park. So what went wrong and what went right? And should United fans be expressing so much concern so early on in the season? I'll address this in a 2-part article with this one being the match summary.
Background:
For those who watched all of United's pre-season games this summer, you shouldn't be surprised by what we witnessed on Monday night. It's important to remember our actual first-team only got 3 games together. Compared to last season where basically most of our first-team were available, we ended up taking the young ones on our tour through South Africa and China. While it was a great experience for them, one does wonder how our preparation would have turned out if we didn't have the Euros/Olympics staggering our squad integration. It's evident those who did play in such tournaments, enjoyed good run-outs and got some match sharpness. Although, it can be argued their late inclusion into our pre-season preparations has inevitably delayed our squad from gelling as soon as we would have liked. Looking at this way, one can see such a performance against Everton as somewhat expected. We definitely looked as we were still in pre-season mode.
Negatives:
(1st Half)
Wayne Rooney did himself no favors. Losing the ball when it was played to his feet. Too slow to react to Everton's pressure. Forcing passes which ended any chance of a quick counterattack. In the 1st half alone, I counted 7 times where Rooney either lost the ball, forced an unnecessary pass or simply a bad decision that resulted in a loss of possession. Now while this may not seem like a lot, it was enough to disrupt our rhythm. Despite some good exchanges between our midfield and forward line at times, we never really seemed to get going in the first half. It was more down to the brilliance of Kagawa's vision and passing that created such opportunities. One glaring example was close to the end of the half where Kagawa sent in a beautiful ball to Rooney who was wide open. To the striker's dismay, his header was poorly timed and the chance was spurned.
On a defensive note, we couldn't handle Fellaini at all. This is where the stats were most telling. In the first half, Everton attempted and completed 9 diagonal/long ball passes to Fellaini. Each time Fellaini was able to find one of his teammates as they ran off him, trusting his ability to bring the ball down and bring others into play. Moyes' tactics were quite simple. Fellaini was constantly pinned on Carrick, Valencia or one of our CMs for the majority of these long balls. It worked a treat as his physicality gave him an edge and allowed Everton to continuously bypass our midfield with ease. Furthermore, it allowed Everton to push up on our defensive line in an attempt to disrupt our tempo. Despite the amount of possession we enjoyed, we were less successful in turning our possession into clear chances.
In summary, our main issues in the first half were our use of the ball, Wayne Rooney being wasteful in possession, and Fellaini being a handful. It didn't help we had a makeshift backline, but they held their own pretty well despite being poorly organized at times. I never thought Everton's high 'press' really troubled us. Our own tempo was the undoing of that. There were moments where we moved the ball quickly but more often than not, we dawdled on the ball instead of letting the ball do the work. This also followed into the second half where our play gradually worsened.
(2nd Half)
Until the goal was scored, it was more of the same from both sides. While blame can be attributed to Carrick for losing out to Fellaini, Welbeck should have stayed on the post. It really was a shame we didn't have another CB available as it could have made the difference in keeping Everton out and instilling the defensive organization we lacked.
Even though Everton dropped off after scoring, when they chose to attack through Fellaini, they attempted 11 and completed 10 diagonal/long ball passes to him. Once again, this highlighted our inability to deal with his physical and aerial threat.
As the half wore on, our urgency remained constant. Despite the substitutions we made, it made little impact to our tempo as we reverted to our strategy of going wide, pumping in a cross and hoping someone gets on the end of it. The deliveries were quite poor and it made me wonder where or if any breakthrough would come. This played right into Everton's hands as they had more than enough bodies to deal with anything that came from our wings. We became predictable and our chance creation suffered as a result. We did come close with Cleverley's blocked shot, Kagawa almost latching onto Van Persie's through ball but that was as close as we got to tying up the scoreline. Failing to use Kagawa or Van Persie more reduced any cutting edge we wished to create. I guess we'll have to wait to see our attack come into fruition. In my opinion, Rooney needs to be dropped. We know he's a player who needs a run of games to reach top form, but I see little excuse for consistently messing up the basics or flat out being slow to react to the opposition.
Positives:
There were only a few positives to take from this game. In his first game in England, Shinji Kagawa has already announced himself to the EPL. With an almost flawless performance, it was a shame his hard work and creativity wasn't rewarded by his fellow attackers. Regardless, he's shown how he can operate in his best position and I'm sure he will become more potent for us as the season progresses. I think he's certainly cemented himself in the starting XI. He looked a class above everyone else.
It's hard to believe we have a 21-year old doing so well when usually at this stage for most young keepers, they're not even close to featuring for the first team. David De Gea was remarkable once again. His shot-stopping ability is a joy to behold. He kept up us in the game and he played some delicious passes out from the back. To think he's still not even close to reaching his peak is scary and bodes well for his future at United. We have a good keeper on our books and he's one of the few who can hold his head up high after Monday.
Although it was infrequent, we can be heartened by some of the combination play we did see. Once our attack begins to click, we're going to be a tough team to beat. The question is when we'll start to click and from the evidence of this match, Kagawa and RVP look like our most potent partnership if we're looking to click as soon as possible. Thankfully, this was the first match of the season and our attackers will gradually become more accustomed to each other. We have plenty of options at our disposal and it won't be long until we see some exciting play on a consistent basis.
In Conclusion:
I don't think there's much need to worry about. Everton played well and we simply couldn't deal with their threat. The main concern is when we'll get our defenders back. Once we do, we'll be more balanced and actually have a foundation to build from when we attack. It's evident we haven't found our stride yet. However, it should serve as a warning to the rest of the league that when we do, we'll be quite dangerous. Let's not be so downhearted. There's more to come from us and it's only just begun.
Background:
For those who watched all of United's pre-season games this summer, you shouldn't be surprised by what we witnessed on Monday night. It's important to remember our actual first-team only got 3 games together. Compared to last season where basically most of our first-team were available, we ended up taking the young ones on our tour through South Africa and China. While it was a great experience for them, one does wonder how our preparation would have turned out if we didn't have the Euros/Olympics staggering our squad integration. It's evident those who did play in such tournaments, enjoyed good run-outs and got some match sharpness. Although, it can be argued their late inclusion into our pre-season preparations has inevitably delayed our squad from gelling as soon as we would have liked. Looking at this way, one can see such a performance against Everton as somewhat expected. We definitely looked as we were still in pre-season mode.
Negatives:
(1st Half)
Wayne Rooney did himself no favors. Losing the ball when it was played to his feet. Too slow to react to Everton's pressure. Forcing passes which ended any chance of a quick counterattack. In the 1st half alone, I counted 7 times where Rooney either lost the ball, forced an unnecessary pass or simply a bad decision that resulted in a loss of possession. Now while this may not seem like a lot, it was enough to disrupt our rhythm. Despite some good exchanges between our midfield and forward line at times, we never really seemed to get going in the first half. It was more down to the brilliance of Kagawa's vision and passing that created such opportunities. One glaring example was close to the end of the half where Kagawa sent in a beautiful ball to Rooney who was wide open. To the striker's dismay, his header was poorly timed and the chance was spurned.
On a defensive note, we couldn't handle Fellaini at all. This is where the stats were most telling. In the first half, Everton attempted and completed 9 diagonal/long ball passes to Fellaini. Each time Fellaini was able to find one of his teammates as they ran off him, trusting his ability to bring the ball down and bring others into play. Moyes' tactics were quite simple. Fellaini was constantly pinned on Carrick, Valencia or one of our CMs for the majority of these long balls. It worked a treat as his physicality gave him an edge and allowed Everton to continuously bypass our midfield with ease. Furthermore, it allowed Everton to push up on our defensive line in an attempt to disrupt our tempo. Despite the amount of possession we enjoyed, we were less successful in turning our possession into clear chances.
In summary, our main issues in the first half were our use of the ball, Wayne Rooney being wasteful in possession, and Fellaini being a handful. It didn't help we had a makeshift backline, but they held their own pretty well despite being poorly organized at times. I never thought Everton's high 'press' really troubled us. Our own tempo was the undoing of that. There were moments where we moved the ball quickly but more often than not, we dawdled on the ball instead of letting the ball do the work. This also followed into the second half where our play gradually worsened.
(2nd Half)
Until the goal was scored, it was more of the same from both sides. While blame can be attributed to Carrick for losing out to Fellaini, Welbeck should have stayed on the post. It really was a shame we didn't have another CB available as it could have made the difference in keeping Everton out and instilling the defensive organization we lacked.
Even though Everton dropped off after scoring, when they chose to attack through Fellaini, they attempted 11 and completed 10 diagonal/long ball passes to him. Once again, this highlighted our inability to deal with his physical and aerial threat.
As the half wore on, our urgency remained constant. Despite the substitutions we made, it made little impact to our tempo as we reverted to our strategy of going wide, pumping in a cross and hoping someone gets on the end of it. The deliveries were quite poor and it made me wonder where or if any breakthrough would come. This played right into Everton's hands as they had more than enough bodies to deal with anything that came from our wings. We became predictable and our chance creation suffered as a result. We did come close with Cleverley's blocked shot, Kagawa almost latching onto Van Persie's through ball but that was as close as we got to tying up the scoreline. Failing to use Kagawa or Van Persie more reduced any cutting edge we wished to create. I guess we'll have to wait to see our attack come into fruition. In my opinion, Rooney needs to be dropped. We know he's a player who needs a run of games to reach top form, but I see little excuse for consistently messing up the basics or flat out being slow to react to the opposition.
Positives:
There were only a few positives to take from this game. In his first game in England, Shinji Kagawa has already announced himself to the EPL. With an almost flawless performance, it was a shame his hard work and creativity wasn't rewarded by his fellow attackers. Regardless, he's shown how he can operate in his best position and I'm sure he will become more potent for us as the season progresses. I think he's certainly cemented himself in the starting XI. He looked a class above everyone else.
It's hard to believe we have a 21-year old doing so well when usually at this stage for most young keepers, they're not even close to featuring for the first team. David De Gea was remarkable once again. His shot-stopping ability is a joy to behold. He kept up us in the game and he played some delicious passes out from the back. To think he's still not even close to reaching his peak is scary and bodes well for his future at United. We have a good keeper on our books and he's one of the few who can hold his head up high after Monday.
Although it was infrequent, we can be heartened by some of the combination play we did see. Once our attack begins to click, we're going to be a tough team to beat. The question is when we'll start to click and from the evidence of this match, Kagawa and RVP look like our most potent partnership if we're looking to click as soon as possible. Thankfully, this was the first match of the season and our attackers will gradually become more accustomed to each other. We have plenty of options at our disposal and it won't be long until we see some exciting play on a consistent basis.
In Conclusion:
I don't think there's much need to worry about. Everton played well and we simply couldn't deal with their threat. The main concern is when we'll get our defenders back. Once we do, we'll be more balanced and actually have a foundation to build from when we attack. It's evident we haven't found our stride yet. However, it should serve as a warning to the rest of the league that when we do, we'll be quite dangerous. Let's not be so downhearted. There's more to come from us and it's only just begun.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Can the Anderson and Cleverley partnership really work?
Can
the Anderson-Cleverley partnership really work?
If you ask United supporters about this partnership, they will be fond of the type of football we played with those two in midfield. However, they'll also tell you how open we were. I've seen
a good number citing how we leave too many gaps and wont work until they
strengthen their defensive positioning. These points are fair and good
observations. However, I think there's more to the issue than Ando and Tom and
here's why:
The problem:
As we've seen at the beginning of last season, Tom and Anderson offer a platform for quick interplay and swashbuckling football. It seemed as if Fergie was implementing a new style in the team and I imagine everyone was excited about it. However, as other posters have mentioned, with this partnership, we conceded numerous chances. Many express the notion it is down to Anderson and Cleverley not being positionally disciplined enough, getting caught upfield and being bypassed too easily. While these points are valid, I feel we aren't seeing the whole picture.
Personally, I thought Fergie's insistence on playing the youth was not only to show our new style of attacking play but a change to our defensive setup. Unfortunately, this didn't pan out which I think is a major reason why the Ando-Clev partnership doesn't work. I'm not sure how many observed this in our opening games, but our defensive line pushed up more than usual. There were moments where the team executed a high press. In those moments, we were able to win the ball back in our opponents' half and sometimes close to the halfway line. This allowed us to maintain pressure on the opponent and be more dangerous on the attack as our opponents weren't able to settle into defensive positions so easily.
There is a problem though. These were only moments and more often than not our defensive line stayed back while our attackers and midfield pushed up. This was especially the case against Tottenham. I believe they were playing 5 in midfield and it allowed Van der Vaart to occupy the space between our midfield and defensive lines. What exacerbated the problem was whenever we lost the ball high up the field, there was already a large gap for Tottenham's midfielders to run into and we were left very open to the counterattack. It made the game end-to-end and fun to watch. Nonetheless, it was worrying the amount of shots we were conceding. Although, some of these shots were potshots as Van der Vaart kept spanking the ball towards De Gea. We can thank the English media for that! We must also remember we had Jones at CB. While he offered some great last-ditch tackles,blocks, and attacking play, his poor positioning and lack of discipline forced him to make such decisions.
So basically, the issue is two-fold. Rio and Vidic would exacerbate the problem even further as they can no longer rely on their pace to recover from making an error, especially if they're pushed up. If they did push up, we'd be liable to conceding goals like Chelsea when Arsenal came to Stamford Bridge this past season. By staying back, the gap between our midfield is still there, therefore the need for Carrick to play as holding mid/deep-lying playmaker hybrid.
The solution:
So is it possible for such a partnership to work? I definitely think so. However, it would require 3 things:
1. Defending from the front
2. Defending with the ball
3. Higher defensive line
This is my ideal line-up for such a partnership:
(Note: slight error with backline. Meant them to be higher up)
While this could work, it's not something I could see happening any time soon (this season). Executing those 3 points above efficiently is not a trivial task for any team to do. It seems like it's what Fergie hopes to do in the future but I dont see it occurring this season for several reasons. First off, it requires a lot of training, repetition, and discipline in order to implement such a system effectively. The last time we were able to imbue such a disciplined performance in the team was in the 2008 semi against Barcelona. If you've never re-watched the match, I strongly suggest you do because it offers a lot of tactical insight and epitomizes Quieroz's handiwork as well as the team's execution of it (what a night!). Secondly, the team simply hasn't had enough time together to implement such a system due to injuries and other factors. Additionally, at this moment in time, we do not press well enough as a team and when we do decide to press, it's not consistent enough nor as thorough as we need it to be. Plus, as others have mentioned, Tom and Ando need to be more tactically disciplined.
Nonetheless, this is the solution I have and I do think it's something we could definitely move towards. I actually think this is why Sir Alex wants to inject more pace into the team. Then once we get the ethos down, teams will have trouble dealing our pressure. While I do see this line-up/system possibly being used this season, I hope Fergie doesn't try and use it too much. We're not ready for it yet but it is the way forward. We're okay with using Carrick for now. However, if Carrick does get injured, this might be an unpleasant option we have to take.
The problem:
As we've seen at the beginning of last season, Tom and Anderson offer a platform for quick interplay and swashbuckling football. It seemed as if Fergie was implementing a new style in the team and I imagine everyone was excited about it. However, as other posters have mentioned, with this partnership, we conceded numerous chances. Many express the notion it is down to Anderson and Cleverley not being positionally disciplined enough, getting caught upfield and being bypassed too easily. While these points are valid, I feel we aren't seeing the whole picture.
Personally, I thought Fergie's insistence on playing the youth was not only to show our new style of attacking play but a change to our defensive setup. Unfortunately, this didn't pan out which I think is a major reason why the Ando-Clev partnership doesn't work. I'm not sure how many observed this in our opening games, but our defensive line pushed up more than usual. There were moments where the team executed a high press. In those moments, we were able to win the ball back in our opponents' half and sometimes close to the halfway line. This allowed us to maintain pressure on the opponent and be more dangerous on the attack as our opponents weren't able to settle into defensive positions so easily.
There is a problem though. These were only moments and more often than not our defensive line stayed back while our attackers and midfield pushed up. This was especially the case against Tottenham. I believe they were playing 5 in midfield and it allowed Van der Vaart to occupy the space between our midfield and defensive lines. What exacerbated the problem was whenever we lost the ball high up the field, there was already a large gap for Tottenham's midfielders to run into and we were left very open to the counterattack. It made the game end-to-end and fun to watch. Nonetheless, it was worrying the amount of shots we were conceding. Although, some of these shots were potshots as Van der Vaart kept spanking the ball towards De Gea. We can thank the English media for that! We must also remember we had Jones at CB. While he offered some great last-ditch tackles,blocks, and attacking play, his poor positioning and lack of discipline forced him to make such decisions.
So basically, the issue is two-fold. Rio and Vidic would exacerbate the problem even further as they can no longer rely on their pace to recover from making an error, especially if they're pushed up. If they did push up, we'd be liable to conceding goals like Chelsea when Arsenal came to Stamford Bridge this past season. By staying back, the gap between our midfield is still there, therefore the need for Carrick to play as holding mid/deep-lying playmaker hybrid.
The solution:
So is it possible for such a partnership to work? I definitely think so. However, it would require 3 things:
1. Defending from the front
2. Defending with the ball
3. Higher defensive line
This is my ideal line-up for such a partnership:
(Note: slight error with backline. Meant them to be higher up)
While this could work, it's not something I could see happening any time soon (this season). Executing those 3 points above efficiently is not a trivial task for any team to do. It seems like it's what Fergie hopes to do in the future but I dont see it occurring this season for several reasons. First off, it requires a lot of training, repetition, and discipline in order to implement such a system effectively. The last time we were able to imbue such a disciplined performance in the team was in the 2008 semi against Barcelona. If you've never re-watched the match, I strongly suggest you do because it offers a lot of tactical insight and epitomizes Quieroz's handiwork as well as the team's execution of it (what a night!). Secondly, the team simply hasn't had enough time together to implement such a system due to injuries and other factors. Additionally, at this moment in time, we do not press well enough as a team and when we do decide to press, it's not consistent enough nor as thorough as we need it to be. Plus, as others have mentioned, Tom and Ando need to be more tactically disciplined.
Nonetheless, this is the solution I have and I do think it's something we could definitely move towards. I actually think this is why Sir Alex wants to inject more pace into the team. Then once we get the ethos down, teams will have trouble dealing our pressure. While I do see this line-up/system possibly being used this season, I hope Fergie doesn't try and use it too much. We're not ready for it yet but it is the way forward. We're okay with using Carrick for now. However, if Carrick does get injured, this might be an unpleasant option we have to take.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Post match analysis vs. Barcelona (Pre-season friendly)
Some perspective about our pre-season. I would consider this
as the 2nd pre-season match for our actual first team which isn't too bad
considering the setbacks from the Euros and what not. The lads are still getting into their stride
and I hope in the next 2 matches, our players reach their intended target for
match fitness so I wouldn't be too harsh.
I will say I'm not one for commenting on pre-season matches
as they arent major indicators but there have been a few common themes I just
can't resist talking about. I'll
highlight a few below.
Positives:
I thought we actually defended quite well. Anderson was a busy bee in midfield and made sure Messi and co know he wasn't going to let them simply have all the joy in the world with the ball at their feet. Scholes played his part too. Who said he can't tackle?!? Hopefully, Ando keeps this sort of effort as it's something we'll need throughout the season.
I thought we actually defended quite well. Anderson was a busy bee in midfield and made sure Messi and co know he wasn't going to let them simply have all the joy in the world with the ball at their feet. Scholes played his part too. Who said he can't tackle?!? Hopefully, Ando keeps this sort of effort as it's something we'll need throughout the season.
My word what a joy it is to see Rio and Vida play together.
I know it's only pre-season but their partnership is just perfect. Despite their age, there's still that sense
of stability, cohesion and most importantly, comfort.
The interplay with Kagawa, Valencia and Nani was nice to see
too. Will be looking forward to how our players continue to adjust to him.
My last positive has to go to DDG. Lindegaard is going to
have to put in some effort to get a shout of being 1st choice. This lad's the
real deal and although some of his saves may be described as unorthodox, I
don't begrudge him for it as they teach keeping differently over there in
Spain. Still cant get over how young he is. Sky's the limit for this boy.
Negatives:
Some of our common themes even from last season were on display (Note: most of these are intertwined):
Some of our common themes even from last season were on display (Note: most of these are intertwined):
1. Facing good passing and pressing teams.
I swear this is the bane of our good play. Simply
because the majority of teams we play, we enjoy the majority of
possession. However, when we come up
against teams like Barca or who play in a similar style, not having as much
possession and getting pressed consistently seems to unsettle the lads and we
just never seem to really hit our stride.
2. Movement/Poor ball retention
This partly ties in with the first point. Not sure
what it is but we don't help ourselves with our movement. It's annoying
watching us against good pressing teams because although we defend well, we let
ourselves down by cheaply giving the ball away.
We work so hard to get the ball back which is hard enough when facing a
good passing side. Then we fuck it all
up by giving it right back to them.
Against Barca yesterday, we were familiar with their
pressing game but we were too slow to react. The amount of times our player
would receive the ball with an oncoming Barca player ready to close them down
but still dawdle on the ball was just baffling. You dont have all the time in
the world. Find a teammate and get moving. Playing simple pass-and-move
football is very effective to getting out of a good press. I hope it's more out of lack of match
sharpness more than out of habit.
Another thing to notice, Barca dont mind if you have the ball if they
know they can lead you into blind alleys where you'll likely cede
possession. There were moments where our
players were surrounded by 3 or 4 Barca players but wouldn't close us down.
They just let us force the issue by being smart and closing off most of our
passing lanes. It was less to do with their pressing and more of us not
recognizing how to take advantage of the space.
It made me feel as if our poor ball retention was more self-inflicted
than their pressing. What's evident is
we also need to do a better job of supporting teammates and quicker. Too many times when Barca players decided to
close some of our players down, we had nowhere to go and support was too slow
to get there. This gets to my next point. Tempo.
3. Tempo
If there's anything that cripples our play on
occasion, it's our tempo. If you're ever going to get past the pressing game
especially an efficient one, upping the tempo is necessary imo. Fergie likes to mention how being patient in
our play pays dividends. Whilst I agree, it's a completely different story when
you're under the kosh versus being in control and trying to break down a 10-man
wall behind the ball. Again, we were just too slow at times and it allowed
Barca to get at us. If your teammates are providing good support and you let
the ball do the work, you can get out of a jam pretty nicely. I certainly felt
there were moments yesterday where we could have done such a thing but, our use
of the ball was not good enough and we were too sluggish on the ball to take
advantage of the opportunity.
Again this might be due to lack of match sharpness but I am
concerned this could arise in the upcoming season.
4. Use of the ball
I'm of the opinion we like to play hollywood balls a
bit too much. Part of this is affected by how effective the opposition's
pressing is. From what I've noticed, the more effective it is, the more we hoof
the ball. Now yesterday we made an attempt to keep it on the floor. Despite our good spells, we couldn't quite
get at Barca as much as I thought we could and how we used the ball played a
factor. This is why having players such
as Cleverley, Kagawa, Nani (on form), Welbeck can't be underestimated. Their
ability to keep it simple and make the right pass more often than not is
helpful in not only maintaining possession but enables the team to have a bit
more time on the ball when the opposition is trying to nip at your heels.
I wouldn't necessarily mark this (use of the ball) down as
an outright negative as we can use the ball well but it certainly could be
improved. As much talk as there is about how we possess the ball, I question
how much we actually value possession with the way we keep the ball.
5. Using Kagawa
This has been a negative for me ever since his first
appearance. One which I'm willing to give the players some leeway as the boy
just arrived. However, this doesn't excuse the times Kagawa has been wide open
and somehow we fail to pass the ball to him. For whatever reason, our players
still seem unsure how to work him out.
There were a few occasions yesterday where he was in a good position, we
missed it, gap was closed by Barca and we tried to work it elsewhere. At this moment, I think Kagawa uses the ball
most economically out of anyone in our team bar Scholes. He rarely gives it away and you get the sense
he is likely to create something almost everytime he gets on the ball and turns
towards goal. It's a mystery we didn't
get the ball to him more often yesterday and I hope we do it in the future.
Guess this is what Phelan alluded to when he mentioned the squad are trying to
adapt to his style of play. I've said it before but I think this kid is a gem.
His slight body feint when he picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch to
go past 2 barca players was just beautiful. Hopefully we use him more because
the potential he adds to our link-up play is scary.
Sugar Daddies and United (A Transfer Market 'Tragedy')
Throughout much of this transfer window, much has been made of United's inability to bring in the top players. On Twitter, there seems to be this growing notion about the need to outspend everyone again to show our dominance. I find this quite interesting. Namely because the market was not what it was 7-10 years ago let alone 5. Despite some of the buys we have made over the past 5 years, messages from some United fans suggest it's still not good enough and it seems to be growing.
Alright, so let's look at the assertion that United is not the force it used to be and look at why some may think this is the case.
Sugar daddies
Up until about 8 years ago, sugar daddies weren't much of a problem and were basically nonexistent. Although there have been some examples of huge cash injection into a club, I'm not sure we've seen it to such an extent and potentially becoming more prevalent. From United's view, it's not something we've really had to contend with until, Roman Abramovich came along and provided Mourinho all the ammunition he needed for what it looked like to some, an era of Chelsea dominance (we all know how that turned out). They've been involved in title races ever since (except last season) and have now spunked out more cash as they look to re-invigorate an aging squad. Beating us to Hazard (one of our top targets) recently due to their long-awaited Champions League triumph was the start for them. A player numerous United fans wanted to see grace Old Trafford.
We also have the takeover at Manchester City. At first glance, it wasn't taken seriously even with some of the talent they had brought in. Over the past couple of years, that's all changed. Seeing that "Welcome to Manchester" poster with Tevez (once a favored player at United) followed with acquisitions such as Silva, Tevez, Yaya Toure, Balotelli, Aguero, etc. City were no longer a side to be taken lightly and were certainly getting 'noisy'. Sadly, that turned out to be the case this past season by capping off their PL triumph in dramatic fashion.
From that long list of signings, one particular Manchester City player I would like to pick out is Samir Nasri. A player we were certain of getting at one point but was turned on its head when City intervened. That's right. Manchester City. With all their millions, crowing about a new 'project' and offering top wages. Quite unbelievable for a side not too long ago that wasn't even close to achieving any sort of success. Now, they've stolen a player right under our noses. Another "big-name" signing missed. Ouch.
Just recently, we heard from Bob Cass, Fergie's mouthpiece, United were in pole position to sign Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo. Word was starting to spread that a deal had been 'struck' between the two clubs and excitement started to build as fans began to believe United could buy big again. Then came along PSG. And guess what? They have also, like Chelsea and Manchester City, have benefited from a huge influx of cash. Buying Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, 2 players who didn't even want to leave Milan as well as acquiring the services of Lavezzi and some other good players. Nonetheless, they came in with a whopping €43m offer to Sao Paulo which was the nail in coffin. Days later, both sides officially state an agreement for the player leaving some United fans in utter shock as our club was once again gazumped by a sugar daddy.
United
So where does this leave United? I didn't even touch on agents and our desire to get the cheapest deal possible makes negotiation that much more difficult. As I mentioned earlier, some supporters think the Glazers are the problem as we should have been able to sign some of these top-class players and show that . Some mentioned how, in the past, we were breaking transfer records and players wanted to join United. Sir Alex (in public) thinks the market has "gone mad" also suggesting United competing against clubs with such resources is becoming increasingly difficult in today's market.
That's not good enough for some fans though. Citing, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy as some of the top buys we've made and have mentioned the cost would be even higher now. Let's not forget though, the overall fee for Rooney (£27m) was based on success on the pitch not upfront (BIG difference). Furthermore, by this time in the Premier League era, we had already obtained 7 titles, 3 FA Cups, 1 Champions League title and were benefiting quite well from the TV money thanks to Sky. With the over-inflation of the market today and despite maintaining our dominance in the Premier League, things have changed. Very few players want to come to United just for the sake of our history and the success we've had. The emergence of agents hasn't quite helped in this regard as they try and offer their clients to any club that's listening. Trying to make a direct relation from those earlier PL years to now just doesn't work and there a few things United fans should realize.
1. We bemoan City's spending but the way some of us talk, I get the impression we want to do a similar type of thing but just on a slightly smaller scale. Why? To make a statement? We've paid big fees before but we've never really blown anyone out of the water with the money we earned or even while breaking transfer records. Plus, we cant get all the top players that we target. You win some, you lose some.
2. Half of the time, we barely even know the players we're after which suggests, when we hear of a talented player that we're linked with, we get excited even if it's a player we don't particularly need. In addition, I think we like the notion of beating other clubs just to show we're better.
3. Transfers are more complicated than we think. It doesn't take much for a club to be confident about a deal and then for that to quickly change because of another club entering the fray. Moura saga is the epitome of this. So when you want to criticize Bob Cass for saying the deal was done, also understand that at the time, the deal was basically done. As has been confirmed by Moura's agent, we agreed a deal with Sao Paulo and simply needed to put pen to paper. How was Cass to know PSG would come in like that? I'm not defending the man or his antics, but making transfers out to be black and white and not considering the chain of events just isn't helpful for anyone. It's worse when we choose to throw out baseless insults which can be corrected with the click of a button. It's that simple. Strive for accuracy rather than ignorance.
4. The status of the club is not inherently linked with beating other clubs to a top player, let alone any player we are interested in. Whether we lose out to another club isn't the main issue. The main issue is if we get the business done on the pitch. We can talk about the need to show our dominance in the transfer market and buying world-class players, but if our trophy cabinet doesn't reflect the money we've invested, then it really doesn't mean anything. I get it. We want United to be a dominant force again. As I've stated before, that dominance comes by showing it on the pitch and our trophy cabinet being a reflection of that. Not just by bringing in top players.
5. I question the belief in youth from some of our fans. I'm not saying we should be like Arsenal. Having that balance of youth and experience has always been vital for us. However, I find it a bid odd that we try and distance ourselves from other clubs by claiming how we believe in youth, but then we'd rather bring in a world class player even if it stunts the development of one of the younger ones. It wasn't too long ago when we, as fans were making montages and constructing pictures about our wonderful youth.
We're at a point in our squad where major investment isn't necessarily needed but the right signing to complement the squad and ensure we are more or less well-stocked to compete on all fronts. It's important to realize in such situations, a big name signing doesn't equate to the right signing for the squad. So while it may seem like we are experiencing a transfer market 'tragedy', know we aren't far from greatness and we can be dominant again.
5. I question the belief in youth from some of our fans. I'm not saying we should be like Arsenal. Having that balance of youth and experience has always been vital for us. However, I find it a bid odd that we try and distance ourselves from other clubs by claiming how we believe in youth, but then we'd rather bring in a world class player even if it stunts the development of one of the younger ones. It wasn't too long ago when we, as fans were making montages and constructing pictures about our wonderful youth.
We're at a point in our squad where major investment isn't necessarily needed but the right signing to complement the squad and ensure we are more or less well-stocked to compete on all fronts. It's important to realize in such situations, a big name signing doesn't equate to the right signing for the squad. So while it may seem like we are experiencing a transfer market 'tragedy', know we aren't far from greatness and we can be dominant again.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Football Fandom: An Intriguing Paradox (1/2)
This post will be split into two parts. The first part will address football fandom in general. The second will address the concerns that some have raised about modern football fandom.
Football fandom is an interesting topic within itself. One that encompasses different types of experiences. What I will focus on is the football and symbolic experience that arises from choosing to support a club. As a result, it can often lead to the establishment of an identity with the club. As the club becomes increasingly intertwined in an individual's life, their emotions and thoughts seem to become less balanced. In a sense, fans see themselves as mini-ambassadors of the club they support. So much so, that in some of their actions, they seem to portray that they take the club's problems as their own. Fans can be construed to be less balanced in their views as it as seen as sticking up for their club. Hence, why we see some of the actions that we do in recent times.
In a general sense, the football experience of fandom comes from different mediums. Mediums which can be accessed via media or by attending the game live. Although going to the match versus watching it on television is not the same, the experience in watching a game of football is shared. This provides the individual an opportunity to enter into a world that is potentially different from their own. For the matchgoers, there are plenty of examples that encompass the football experience. This arises even before the match has started.
Watching the game in a local pub provides another opportunity for the common experience. In a more relaxed setting with beers and eyeballs fixated on the TV screens, fans share a similar experience to those at the match. Although they are restricted by camera angles and replays that might miss out on some occasions that the matchgoer would be able to savor.
Nonetheless, this shared experience gives the individual a chance to become acquainted with the routines for how one can express their fandom. The diversity in which this is expressed can also be argued based on the environment a set of fans stem from, however that is not the main premise nor idea that is central to football fandom. More importantly, it presents the opportunity to learn more about and discuss the state of the club and its performance on and off the pitch. In some ways, it is an arena to air one's views and see how they compare and contrast with others. For an individual that is relatively new to this type of experience, they almost become as impressionable as a child as they take in the sights and sounds and behaviors of the other fans surrounding them. There is something about tapping into this sort of identity that channels this behavior modification that so many seemingly undergo. Not only does it bring about a sense of identity but also a sense of unity.
This brings the individual to the symbolic experience. The symbolic experience enhances the football experience by bringing further meaning to simply watching a football match.
Let's take Manchester United for example. Beyond watching matches, there is another aspect of supporting the club. The social and political implications suggest that it's about more than what occurs on the field. Implications such as who the club affects as well as the conduct that the club carries on a daily basis. With the rise of the Internet and social media, fans now have more access than ever before in terms of learning about the club, players, staff, coaches etc. In this sense, it allows for one to learn about important events in the club's history (i.e. 1958 Munich Air Disaster). Furthermore, one can become further acquainted with the club's ideals, values and its mission. It can be looked upon as a company. One that connects with a wide variety of people and is of high value to them. By becoming further acquainted with the club in this manner, it becomes easier for one to integrate the identity they've established with the club into their own life. Therefore, when the attention shifts back onto watching United play in a match, the individual now subconsciously has a perspective or in other words, a compass that integrates the symbolic experience they've chosen to embrace with the football experience that is already of some importance.
Hence, this is why symbolic experience enhances the football experience. It becomes a justification for the manner in which one chooses to go about their version of fandom. When a disparity arises between the two experiences (football and symbolic) we get incidences like FCUM or the Green and Gold Campaign where what happens on the pitch is not as important as what's happening off the pitch. This puts the individual in a troubling situation as feel they have only two options (FCUM or Manchester United) despite the fact that they have more choices.
Now onto part 2.
Football fandom is an interesting topic within itself. One that encompasses different types of experiences. What I will focus on is the football and symbolic experience that arises from choosing to support a club. As a result, it can often lead to the establishment of an identity with the club. As the club becomes increasingly intertwined in an individual's life, their emotions and thoughts seem to become less balanced. In a sense, fans see themselves as mini-ambassadors of the club they support. So much so, that in some of their actions, they seem to portray that they take the club's problems as their own. Fans can be construed to be less balanced in their views as it as seen as sticking up for their club. Hence, why we see some of the actions that we do in recent times.
In a general sense, the football experience of fandom comes from different mediums. Mediums which can be accessed via media or by attending the game live. Although going to the match versus watching it on television is not the same, the experience in watching a game of football is shared. This provides the individual an opportunity to enter into a world that is potentially different from their own. For the matchgoers, there are plenty of examples that encompass the football experience. This arises even before the match has started.
Meeting up with mates/fellow fans before the game.
Pre-match discussion as the stadium fills and the atmosphere builds
An opportunity for banter between different sets of fans
Exploring the stadium and taking in the atmosphere of the occasionWhen the match gets underway, vociferous chants, flag waving, scarf holding, video and image captures and more ensues. By partaking in these activities, fans encompass the ideal of the common experience. For some, experiencing the drama that comes with a football match with other people becomes more important than the match itself. It is often a series of events that one finds to be quite unforgettable. However, this is only one avenue of the common experience.
Watching the game in a local pub provides another opportunity for the common experience. In a more relaxed setting with beers and eyeballs fixated on the TV screens, fans share a similar experience to those at the match. Although they are restricted by camera angles and replays that might miss out on some occasions that the matchgoer would be able to savor.
Nonetheless, this shared experience gives the individual a chance to become acquainted with the routines for how one can express their fandom. The diversity in which this is expressed can also be argued based on the environment a set of fans stem from, however that is not the main premise nor idea that is central to football fandom. More importantly, it presents the opportunity to learn more about and discuss the state of the club and its performance on and off the pitch. In some ways, it is an arena to air one's views and see how they compare and contrast with others. For an individual that is relatively new to this type of experience, they almost become as impressionable as a child as they take in the sights and sounds and behaviors of the other fans surrounding them. There is something about tapping into this sort of identity that channels this behavior modification that so many seemingly undergo. Not only does it bring about a sense of identity but also a sense of unity.
This brings the individual to the symbolic experience. The symbolic experience enhances the football experience by bringing further meaning to simply watching a football match.
Let's take Manchester United for example. Beyond watching matches, there is another aspect of supporting the club. The social and political implications suggest that it's about more than what occurs on the field. Implications such as who the club affects as well as the conduct that the club carries on a daily basis. With the rise of the Internet and social media, fans now have more access than ever before in terms of learning about the club, players, staff, coaches etc. In this sense, it allows for one to learn about important events in the club's history (i.e. 1958 Munich Air Disaster). Furthermore, one can become further acquainted with the club's ideals, values and its mission. It can be looked upon as a company. One that connects with a wide variety of people and is of high value to them. By becoming further acquainted with the club in this manner, it becomes easier for one to integrate the identity they've established with the club into their own life. Therefore, when the attention shifts back onto watching United play in a match, the individual now subconsciously has a perspective or in other words, a compass that integrates the symbolic experience they've chosen to embrace with the football experience that is already of some importance.
Hence, this is why symbolic experience enhances the football experience. It becomes a justification for the manner in which one chooses to go about their version of fandom. When a disparity arises between the two experiences (football and symbolic) we get incidences like FCUM or the Green and Gold Campaign where what happens on the pitch is not as important as what's happening off the pitch. This puts the individual in a troubling situation as feel they have only two options (FCUM or Manchester United) despite the fact that they have more choices.
Now onto part 2.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Why I think we need Sneijder
With the recent developments over the Sneijder saga, I couldn't resist but to write some of my thoughts at the prospect of Wesley Sneijder joining Manchester United. After watching Sir Alex's latest press conference, I thought some things were very telling. His focus was on youth and seemingly on the quality they bring. He wants to give them the credit he feels they deserve and I credit him for that. No one man is bigger than the club. We all know that Sneijder will be a very welcome acquisition. Fergie will not implement youngsters ala 94-95 season or start of 95-96 season. The environment of PL football and let alone modern football has changed and he can't do things as he used to. It doesnt mean he wont blood youth but he'll do it in an even smarter way. If you're for this transfer you could look at it like this.
Sometime ago Cantona says he sees a bit of himself in Sneijder. Now whether that's flattery is up to people's discretion. My point is when Fergie blooded through those youngsters, he found the catalyst in Cantona to give the necessary inspiration to the entire squad but more importantly the youngsters to get over the hump. Although Cantona and Sneijder are two different players and different mentalities so to speak, I still think Sneijder would be an inspiration to some of the youngsters we have here. We already have Scholes who is a genius by far and that's a blessing already. However Scholes has retired now so his inspiration is more so restricted to the training field as well as his words of advice. Sneijder imo, just brings that class and we've seen some of his inspiring performances, whether it was at Real, Inter or for Holland. The man is class and I'd think it would be a bit harsh to think otherwise. It doesn't matter if you've given up hope on his transfer or dont even want him to come or even think he is coming. He brings something special to just about any club he joins.
Now he may not have the same leadership qualities as Cantona but I definitely see him as a player that leads by example and I think it would be fantastic if our youngsters could learn from Sneijder. It would be his last move and I'm sure we could get 5 good years out of him. Imo, that's more than enough to steady the ship until the youngsters are truly ready to take the mantle. Right now, I see them as very close but not quite there yet. If we did sign Sneijder, I'd be a bit surprised if we signed anyone else as I think we would be covered for some time. Maybe a more defensively minded player but I dont think that's necessarily imminent at this point. Anyone that's been watching closely knows where our weaknesses lie in central midfield. While Sneijder might not be the most ideal fit in our minds, he would go some way in improving the quality that's in our squad let alone giving us more options as a team.
People have already said it but we cant replace Paul Scholes. The diminutive striker that molded his game into an all-around midfielder and one of the best if not the best CMs the premiership has ever seen. It's a shame his true quality won't be recognized and revered as it should. Even those in media that sing his praises dont get close to fully appreciating what a gift he is. Only fellow players, United fans, and managers seem to see his true quality. It proved that it's not all about size but what's in your cranium that matters. As I was always taught, 90% of the game is mental and 10% is physical and Scholesy's mastery of the mental game was more like 120%. He's just that fantastic.
Now we have the prospect of acquiring another special midfielder in Wesley Sneijder and I hope he does come for some of the reasons I've stated above but even if he doesn't, I'll put trust in Sir Alex. He's been such a long-time servant at this club that despite his mistakes, he has a much better idea than I ever would what this club needs. If it's not Sneijder then it's not Sneijder. We'll just have to move and get on with it anyway.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The beautiful aspect of this club is that no matter what we don't stand still. Our lads proved it after the horrible tragedy that was/is the Munich Air Disaster. Winning the European Cup in 1968. We've shown it again with the reign of Sir Alex's dominance as we've done what no one expected. With the players we let go and the many times the media wrote us off at our peril. We've always responded. Sadly, all good things come to an end and I dread the day the man leaves the club as we all will. Even still, as long as our next manager respects and embraces our history and traditions that make up the club then I'm confident that this club will go on in the right manner.
Sometime ago Cantona says he sees a bit of himself in Sneijder. Now whether that's flattery is up to people's discretion. My point is when Fergie blooded through those youngsters, he found the catalyst in Cantona to give the necessary inspiration to the entire squad but more importantly the youngsters to get over the hump. Although Cantona and Sneijder are two different players and different mentalities so to speak, I still think Sneijder would be an inspiration to some of the youngsters we have here. We already have Scholes who is a genius by far and that's a blessing already. However Scholes has retired now so his inspiration is more so restricted to the training field as well as his words of advice. Sneijder imo, just brings that class and we've seen some of his inspiring performances, whether it was at Real, Inter or for Holland. The man is class and I'd think it would be a bit harsh to think otherwise. It doesn't matter if you've given up hope on his transfer or dont even want him to come or even think he is coming. He brings something special to just about any club he joins.
Now he may not have the same leadership qualities as Cantona but I definitely see him as a player that leads by example and I think it would be fantastic if our youngsters could learn from Sneijder. It would be his last move and I'm sure we could get 5 good years out of him. Imo, that's more than enough to steady the ship until the youngsters are truly ready to take the mantle. Right now, I see them as very close but not quite there yet. If we did sign Sneijder, I'd be a bit surprised if we signed anyone else as I think we would be covered for some time. Maybe a more defensively minded player but I dont think that's necessarily imminent at this point. Anyone that's been watching closely knows where our weaknesses lie in central midfield. While Sneijder might not be the most ideal fit in our minds, he would go some way in improving the quality that's in our squad let alone giving us more options as a team.
People have already said it but we cant replace Paul Scholes. The diminutive striker that molded his game into an all-around midfielder and one of the best if not the best CMs the premiership has ever seen. It's a shame his true quality won't be recognized and revered as it should. Even those in media that sing his praises dont get close to fully appreciating what a gift he is. Only fellow players, United fans, and managers seem to see his true quality. It proved that it's not all about size but what's in your cranium that matters. As I was always taught, 90% of the game is mental and 10% is physical and Scholesy's mastery of the mental game was more like 120%. He's just that fantastic.
Now we have the prospect of acquiring another special midfielder in Wesley Sneijder and I hope he does come for some of the reasons I've stated above but even if he doesn't, I'll put trust in Sir Alex. He's been such a long-time servant at this club that despite his mistakes, he has a much better idea than I ever would what this club needs. If it's not Sneijder then it's not Sneijder. We'll just have to move and get on with it anyway.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The beautiful aspect of this club is that no matter what we don't stand still. Our lads proved it after the horrible tragedy that was/is the Munich Air Disaster. Winning the European Cup in 1968. We've shown it again with the reign of Sir Alex's dominance as we've done what no one expected. With the players we let go and the many times the media wrote us off at our peril. We've always responded. Sadly, all good things come to an end and I dread the day the man leaves the club as we all will. Even still, as long as our next manager respects and embraces our history and traditions that make up the club then I'm confident that this club will go on in the right manner.
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