Countdown To The New Season 1: Team - Manchester United!
The new football season is just 3 weeks away when the EPL starts followed by La Liga in Spain and Italy's Serie A. In the countdown to the new season, my posts will analyse of some of the prominent teams in European football, their chances in their respective leagues, in Europe etc. I will start with one of the world's popular football team - Manchester United FC!
It is too early to say ManUtd is in some sort of a crisis. They have been ruling English football for more than a decade now but the last 2 years were somewhat barren with just one FA cup to show. They have finished 3rd in the league for the past 2 years and crashed out even before reaching the quarters in Champion's League. Now, for a club of ManUtd's stature, it is indeed very poor performance.
The team has some good solid British players like Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Neville around which the squad is built. Young players like Rooney, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Smith still have a lot to prove and there are also some experienced players like Ruud, Van der Saar who are yet to win a Champion's League medal. Park is a new addition this year. Having seen him play really well for PSV, I have very high hopes and am sure his signing will not turn out to be another blunder like Djemba-Djemba.
The overall squad looks very solid except in 2 places. In defence, Ferdinand needs someone better than Silvestre or Brown as his partner. Perhaps, Heinze, who btw, was voted the best MaUtd player last season by its fans, could come to the centre of defense and O'Shea could occupy the leftback position!
It is too early to say ManUtd is in some sort of a crisis. They have been ruling English football for more than a decade now but the last 2 years were somewhat barren with just one FA cup to show. They have finished 3rd in the league for the past 2 years and crashed out even before reaching the quarters in Champion's League. Now, for a club of ManUtd's stature, it is indeed very poor performance.
The team has some good solid British players like Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Neville around which the squad is built. Young players like Rooney, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Smith still have a lot to prove and there are also some experienced players like Ruud, Van der Saar who are yet to win a Champion's League medal. Park is a new addition this year. Having seen him play really well for PSV, I have very high hopes and am sure his signing will not turn out to be another blunder like Djemba-Djemba.
The overall squad looks very solid except in 2 places. In defence, Ferdinand needs someone better than Silvestre or Brown as his partner. Perhaps, Heinze, who btw, was voted the best MaUtd player last season by its fans, could come to the centre of defense and O'Shea could occupy the leftback position!
In the centre of mid-feld, Keane is no longer his best. He has grown old and he can't play many matches, though he still plays with such passion and energy. I fall the players play with such passion, I am sure ManUtd has a very good chance to wrest the title from Chelsea. Fergie has plans to use Alan Smith in Keane's position but it is highly unlikely he'll be as good as Keane. It would be much better if Fergie bought a good mid-fielder like Ballack or Essien.
Up front, the team looks really good with Ruud, Rooney, Saha and Smith but the player I am eager to see is the teenager Rossi, who it seems, was amazing for the youth team last season. The main problem last season, was the inability to score many goals and lots of 0-0 draws. With strikers of such quality, ManUtd should be able to do better.
ManUtd has always done best when it attacks from the flanks. Park, Giggs and Ronaldo would have to fight it out for the 2 positions in the wings. If Ronaldo improves his finishing, he would be much more of a threat to the opposition.
The formation should be something like this...
Up front, the team looks really good with Ruud, Rooney, Saha and Smith but the player I am eager to see is the teenager Rossi, who it seems, was amazing for the youth team last season. The main problem last season, was the inability to score many goals and lots of 0-0 draws. With strikers of such quality, ManUtd should be able to do better.
ManUtd has always done best when it attacks from the flanks. Park, Giggs and Ronaldo would have to fight it out for the 2 positions in the wings. If Ronaldo improves his finishing, he would be much more of a threat to the opposition.
The formation should be something like this...
VanderSaar
G.Neville Ferdinand Silvestre Heinze
Ronaldo Keane Park Giggs
Ruud Rooney
So, what are ManUtd's chances this season? They will finish in the top 4, but unless they buy one good central mid-fielder they are gonna struggle to top the league. They can perhaps make it to the quarterfinals in Europe, if they are lucky to play against a weaker team. Their best chances would be in the F.A.Cup and Carling Cup but even if they win these cups, it would not be a successful season unless they win either the English league or the Champion's League.
About Barcelona in my next post...!
posted by Lucas @ 2:45 PM
4 Comments:
The quest for Schmeichel's replacement does not end with the Dutch Captain. I still feel two young and brilliant keepers are being denied their chance to earn in pounds,viz.Andreas Isaakson and Carlos Kameni. Had Fergie paid slightly more for either of the above two,he would have time to develop that 17 year old stoke youngster to a great keeper. Except for Cristiano Ronaldo, he has been pathetic when it comes to picking young players out of the british isles border.This is where Wenger has been hugely successful.But, he is another extreme.And with FA trying to enforce new rules to develop home-grown talent, Wenger is in for trouble. Vieira was 19 when he came to Arsenal.Henry was 21,Edu was 22. They are key members now.Peak of Class of '92 was Fergie's best time of his life.The day he chucked out Beckham,his downfall has started.
If you take out Class of '92 do you find any difference in spending between Chelski and ManU?ManU has equally splashed money on the likes of Ferdinand,Ruud and Veron :-).
Cristiano does not give that much flight to the ball as David used to.David and Ruud combination was the reason for the latter's goal spree in 2001 and 2002. Park should play in the wing.Where is Scholes in your lineup?
Also heard,Fergie is trying to use 3-4-3 like Chelsea with Ruud up front!
Signs of frustration.
Also some news like bustup netween Keane and Fergie..I guess Fergie shold retire with whatever dignity that is left with him right now rather than get stoned to death.
Yes, ManUtd does seem to miss Beckham in the right wing...if u noticed one thing, only when Fergie started to splash cash, the team has struggled a bit...but Veron was the only high profile player who made no impact.
Well, Park can play in the mid-field but will be used mostly in the wings...Fergie, I heard, is trying to use 4-3-3 formation with Ronaldo, Rooney and Ruud all on the attack upfront...makes the work of Keane/Smith all the more important!
Atlast you do accept that ManU is struggling with big name signings.
You should refer to the Daily Telegraph website for the top 10 transfers.Within England clubs, ManU occupies 3 out of top 4 positions.If I remember correctly,Ferdinand,Rooney, Veron,Saha are there.Ferdinand has been involved in two big money transfers.Westham to Leeds and Leeds to ManU.Only Crespo is above him in that combination.(Parma to Lazio and Lazio to Inter).No wonder why he is asking for even more astronomical wages.
Ruud is also a big money signing, I guess.If There was a contest to order top 5 English players in the last 5 years on the increasing order of value for money, my countdown will be
Ferdinand
Rooney
Ruud
Henry
Lampard
And Real have made a pathetic start to the new season by winning 3-2 vs a lowly chinese club.No hard feelings and no surprises if Barcelona retain the La Liga title this time.They play in a style very similar to that of Arsenal and Portugal national team!
Also Chelsea beat Milan 1-0 courtesy,Electric Robben's 20 metre shot.This time around,Chelsea will pose a serious threat to champions league title aspirants,definitely.
True to their tag as the most glamourous and happening team,the galacticos have begun to peak at the right time.Excerpts from Skysports.com:
"Real Madrid are suffering a pre-season crisis, after the squad's earlier complaints of fatigue were followed by an embarrassing defeat to Tokyo Verdy."
http://skysports.planetfootball.com/list.asp?hlid=294195&cpid=34&CLID=&lid=10&title=Real+toil+against+Tokyo&channel=spain
How they vindicate me each single time?
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