Author: Doron

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Coming to terms with United’s finish to the season and ultimately, the capitulation that’ll almost certainly see the title move across the city has been difficult. It’s also thrown up various theories as to why United have managed to mess up a relatively straight forward situation. Here, I asses a few of them and attempt to give a realistic stance on our situation.

The players and their injuries

The idea of ‘quality’ has cropped up numerous times this season, particularly when referring to the heart of the side – central midfield. On paper, United might seem well stocked in that area with Fletcher, Cleverley, Anderson, Carrick, Giggs, and at one time or another Gibson, Scholes and Pogba. However, as the saying goes, it’s quality not quantity – well, actually it’s a mix of the two if you’re a top football club.

Identifying what it actually is that United lack in the middle is down to the individual. Some believe the club lacks an enforcer and leader, and has done ever since Keane left. Others will suggest that United need more creativity, a player who can unlock even the most stubborn of defences. Some, the greedy bunch(!), believe that actually United need both.

However, when looking back upon this season one will inevitably have to look at the squad and the injuries. It’s not an excuse to highlight that United have had more injuries than any other club this season whilst their main rivals, Man City, have had the fewest number of injuries (REF: Physioroom and injury league). Injuries are inevitable part of football but that kind of polar difference is lucky in Man City’s favour. For most of this season, United have been without their captain, Vidic, and a key influential midfielder, Fletcher. Other players have had a series of knocks which have forced Fergie to use Zeki Fryers, a young Reserve player as well as start with Rafael and Park in central midfield at home to Blackburn.

Now, you have to ask yourself: how, given the injuries that United and City have had, are United level on points and likely to lose the league on goal difference only?

There isn’t one correct answer but I’d like to think that on some level, a lot of our squad is good enough. After all, Fergie knows best that it’s as much your ‘second XI’ that wins you the league as opposed to the first choice players. In that respect, the signings the past few years have been fine – Fergie’s been adding to the squad and those players have been positively contributing: Smalling, Valencia, Young, Jones, Hernandez etc. It’s the gloss on top that’s required now, a star player or two who can not only boost the morale amongst the players and fans, but importantly, scare opponents.

The Manager and the mind games

Criticising Fergie tends to be something that splits fans – there are plenty who are uncomfortable with the idea of suggesting that the grand old master can do anything wrong; others treat him like any other manager and point out his errors only too happily.

As far as I’m concerned, he’s made his errors this season, particularly, and bizarrely, in the past month. Dare I say it, (this won’t go down well with everyone) but the old man is starting to go a tiny bit senile. One tweeter nailed it: “Only Fergie could have put that team out last Monday (City), but only Fergie could have brought this squad so close to winning the league” – the incredible thing is only a few years ago, there’s no way Fergie would have got the team selection against City so utterly wrong; nor would he have failed to protect a 4-2 lead with ten minutes to spare.

Sadly, tactical ineptness and odd team selections are a common sight now. The past few years, Fergie has often got it wrong in big games against managers who tactically like to try something different. More to the point, Fergie’s tactics are all too predictable now and other managers are able to comfortably work out how to play against United. Fergie has in the past been very good at keeping ahead of footballing trends but United are one of the last clubs to revert to a 4-2-3-1 with a fluid front four. That’s not necessarily a bad thing presuming you have the players to play a different system well, but if you don’t a 4-2-3-1 will cause a 4-4-2 problems every time.

It’s often argued that tactics aren’t all that important in football, it’s the players that count. The players, as good as they may be are only human and are affected by non-footballing issues. One tactic used to disrupt their mental state is mind games, something that upon reflection, Fergie has been beaten at by Mancini.

Playing the media is an important skill for any manager to have these days and Fergie has usually been able to manipulate them in one way or another to his and United’s advantage. However, with United storming into a lead in the league this season, Mancini played a wild-card and declared the title race over. Since then, his side played care-free as if they had nothing to lose and won games with ease. United meanwhile stiffened up, got nervous and took four points from five games. The pendulum swung back in City’s favour. Deny it if you will but Mancini’s words got to Fergie, United’s players and importantly positively impacted his own players. I thought Mancini was a fool at the time but actually, he’s a bit of a genius.

The Owners and the finances

As has been common practice recently, any non-success is blamed on the Glazers and their ownership of the club. How convenient! Their leeching of our club exists and impacts our club even when we’re successful so any sudden outcry against them is somewhat fickle unless you are a regular criticiser of theirs. On this topic, I strongly recommend reading @herzogschild’s piece for The Huffington Post (only after reading this of course!)

If we’re talking about owners and finances though, it’s worth pointing out that United have had £500m drained out of the club by their American owners (who’ve not put a penny in). City meanwhile have had £930m pumped in by their Arab owners. I’ve no complaints with that, it’s true that to compete at the top you have to spend big – the frustrating thing is that United would at least have the option to compete if the Glazers weren’t there. The club make enough money themselves to be self sufficient without a wealthy owner.

One could argue that the effects of ‘Glazernomics’ are now being felt for the first time. Many fans believe that our failure to buy a good central midfielder in the past few years is because we’re unable to compete on transfer fee and wages in particular. If this is true, then suffering this season because of a lack of quality in the middle can be somewhat loosely tied to the inability to compete and sign the best players. However, the issue of the owners and our finances is not a new problem and shouldn’t just rear its head when the team fails – do read the piece I recommended, it contains everything that I’m not putting in here.

The life sucked out of the club

This for me is the most galling aspect of the title run-in and ultimately will be what I remember this season for whether we win the title or not.

For no obvious reason and apparent reason, United seem to have lost their fight, their spirit, and their ruthlessness. In the last six weeks of a season, something you wouldn’t really associate with the Fergie reign is complacency; and yet a 4-2 lead was thrown away at home to Everton. All the errors earlier in the season that had gone before became irrelevant as the inexplicable collapse took place and fortress Old Trafford became nothing more than a bouncy castle for away fans.

When not being complacent, United aren’t being ruthless. Beating QPR 2-0 at home is a prime example – they had ten men for a lot of the game and to just put two past them was incredibly generous. It was a similar story for Fulham at home and other games. In fact, United have been more than adequate away from home this season, it’s in front of their own fans that there have been very non-United issues.

It’s even visible amongst the fans too. The cleansing of supporters via high pricing and more corporate seats has created eerie and flat atmospheres; it’s now even being felt away from home with club sponsors being given away allocations ahead of fans. It’s probably not just a United thing to be honest, football in general continues to be globalised for the worst.

City

Realistically, they shouldn’t slip up at home to QPR and will deserve the title – whoever finishes first always deserves to be there. I find it hard to agree that City have been that much better than United though. They have played some fancy football but they’ve also had their slip ups and considering the cost of their squad and their lack of injuries, there’s something quite odd about only being able to win a league on goal difference (presuming United beat Sunderland).

The real difference between United and City though is that ruthlessness referred to before – City have gone and smashed teams when they’ve had the chance, including us, and that will be the exact reason why they are likely to win this title.

What next?

Even if United somehow win the league on the final weekend, there cannot be any papering over our cracks. The first XI needs strengthening, not the squad – the players and the fans need a star signing, a spark to rejuvenate everyone. As ever, it’s encouraging that we have talented younger players who are forcing their way into squads but it would be naive to think we can rely solely on them.

City will strengthen again and raise the bar; every club will need to respond to them, not just United. However, that challenge, and its challenges that Fergie relishes, could well provide the Scot with his last hurrah. His spell as United manager is edging ever closer to a finale and just like he was able to rebuild and respond to Chelsea, reacting and attempting to gazump City, win or lose this title, will probably be his final act.

So, believe the doom and don’t hide away from or try to make excuses for our deficiencies. As someone who is usually an optimist, facing up to the reality of this season is tough. A high points total and a lot of goals scored almost contradict the fact that it makes no sense to be criticising United given what’s gone against us. Even more so given that we had no right to challenge City’s lead and then overtake them; but that failure to hold on and the subsequent wobble and crash is a stark reminder that sometimes you have to look beyond the numbers and the competitors, and realise that a lot of United this season, on and off the pitch, from the owners to the fans, has been uncharacteristically (or not in the case of the owners) poor.

Author: Doron

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As the football season approaches its finale, another one approaches: ‘silly season’. A time for tabloids, agents, rumour men and wound-down car windows to come to the fore. United have already been linked to plenty of players who no doubt won’t join. Here though, are a few thoughts on those linked with moves away from the club and a prediction of how likely a transfer away could be. (NB I don’t necessarily advocate getting rid of any of the players listed, the scores are based on what I think rather than what I want.)

Anderson

One of the most frustrating United players in recent years – glimpses of quality are cancelled out by periods of inexplicable averageness and injuries. United fans thought they were signing ‘the next Ronaldinho’ but instead have witnessed the stalled progress of an often overweight box-to-box player. The thing with Anderson though is every time he does get a run of games you remember why you were once excited by him. It’s been suggested he might move on this summer as the club get fed up by his injuries – he’s still highly thought of in Portugal. That said, Fergie’s a fan of his and likely to want to stick by a player he invested a lot in for one more year at least.

Chance of leaving: 3/10

Dimitar Berbatov

Everyone’s favourite lothario. The genius of a man has never quite ‘worked’ at United, his style and United’s seem to more often than not clash rather than compliment. He’s been close to frozen out this season with very few league starts and has been reduced to league cup outings against minnows. To his credit, he’s never once complained and has acted like the professional many already knew he is. His one year contract extension is surely just to ensure he goes for a fee rather than for free this summer. Even Fergie has hinted/admitted he’s likely to leave in search of first team football.

Chance of leaving: 9/10

Ritchie De Laet

Never signed with the first team truly in mind, De Laet has arguably performed better than expected since joining the club. Injuries and inconsistent performances saw a loan at Norwich cut short this season, confirming that he’s not of the ilk required to be a United player. He’s done ok in the Reserves, particularly as a make-shift striker (a position he used to play growing up) but hasn’t pushed anyone in the first team. He does have one particular quality Fergie would love though, versatility. However that may not be enough to keep him at the club beyond the summer.

Chance of leaving: 7/10

Rio Ferdinand

It seems crazy to include Rio on this list but rumours of a move to America or further abroad for big money have been circulating for a while. In his testimonial season and in some of the best form of his career, a move would seem unlikely. Evans has stepped up in Vidic’s absence and shown that long-term he is one answer but whilst Smalling and Jones are still somewhat immature as defenders, Rio’s experience and know-how will be vital for at least another season.

Chance of leaving: 1/10

Darren Fletcher

He may have pinpointed pre-season as the time to attempt a return after his long-term illness was confirmed publicly but Fletcher’s chances of coming back will very much depend on his health. I’m not medical expert so don’t know how likely it is that he could reach the fitness levels required to play in the Premier League but it wouldn’t surprise me if Darren tries and finds he’s unable to hit the standard required. His health must come first and a potential retirement from football into coaching could well happen.

Chance of leaving: 4/10

Tomasz Kuszczak

The Polish international keeper has fallen down the pecking order and is now fourth choice at the club. His goalkeeper qualities tend not to suit those required at United – good distribution and being comfortable with the ball at his feet. His loan move to Watford has indeed been a success for him and he’s had very positive reviews in the Championship. Plenty of clubs are already interested in him and with his contract expiring this summer he’ll leave on a free transfer.

Chance of leaving: 10/10

Federico Macheda

The young Italian has seen this season go a similar way to the last. A loan move to QPR looked good until the manager was changed and Hughes was given money to buy proven players. As Kiko struggled to get minutes, an ankle injury ruled him out for a month and United took the decision to have it operated on, ending his season. Fergie though is a big fan of his and still believes that he has a future at the club. A good loan next season seems the best move in what could be a make-or-break season. That said, should a sizeable offer come in or a club want him in a part-exchange deal, United may decide to move him on. Personally, I hope he’s given a loan where he plays regularly, he has the potential to be better than a fringe Premier League player.

Chance of leaving: 4/10

Michael Owen

Injured. Again. In reality Owen shouldn’t be at United but his lack of complaining and love for horse racing has seen him last three seasons. His contract expires this summer and he may still get a new one for various reasons. United don’t really need him though so he could be sacrificed for younger, hungrier, better, blood.

Chance of leaving: 5/10

Park Ji-Sung

Big-game-Park has this season become small-game-Park. As the team’s style has changed, Park’s found himself on the fringes of the squad, often used in a ‘rotated’ team in the smaller games. Work-rate, energy, and tactical discipline are still required but in different ways. Fergie likes his professionalism though and the owners no doubt like the revenue he brings in. Yet, Park retired from international football to focus on club football and now may decide he needs regular minutes – they’re unlikely to be found at United.

Chance of leaving: 6/10

Paul Scholes

The genius has returned and has, well, been a genius. He’s around until the summer and talk of a new deal has been knocked back with the club publicly suggesting that contract talks will wait until the summer. Given the form he’s in and the importance he has to the side, it seems likely that another year will suit both parties. Another year of the Ginger Prince, please.

Chance of leaving: 2/10

Author: Stretford_End

Wayne Rooney is now 4th in the all time Manchester United goalscoring charts following his brace against Everton in the 4-4 draw today. He is now behind Jack Rowley, Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton respectfully. He overtook United legends George Best and Dennis Viollett. Rooney still has way to go to match the 249 goals notched up by Sir Bobby, however he could well catch Jack Rowley next season – who has 211 goals.

Below is a list of United’s top ten all time top goalscorers:

1. Bobby Charlton – 249
2. Denis Law – 237
3. Jack Rowley – 211
4. Wayne Rooney – 180
5. George Best – 179
6. Dennis Viollett – 179
7. Joe Spence – 168
8. Ryan Giggs – 163
9. Mark Hughes – 163
10. Paul Scholes – 153

Authors: Doron, Nik and Rob

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Here’s installment number eight of the “Things” column. Musings this week are brought to you as ever by Nik, Doron, Rob and focus on the midweek European action that has just taken place.

Kroos in bloom (by Rob)

A lot of the pre-match hype in the Bayern-Real tie focused on Ronaldo, Robben and a tasty midfield battle between Xabi Alonso and Bastian Schweinsteiger. But one less heralded young player managed to outshine all the superstars, as he has done many times in this Champions League campaign. His name? Toni Kroos. The 22-year old German has established himself as a top midfielder for Bayern this season, which is lucky for them considering the massive injury problems Schweinsteiger has suffered from. An extremely versatile player, he’s managed two impressive positional feats this season: first, he displaced the talented Thomas Muller from the central attacking midfield berth (with Muller often finding himself on the right of the Bayern attack); he’s also filled in for Schweinsteiger in the deep role that Schweini has made his own since 2009/10 for club and country.

On Tuesday he showed every side to his game, in an excellent all-round display. Starting in the playmaker’s role, he distributed the ball neatly at times and with penetration at others. In an uncharacteristically poor passing game for both sides, he managed to emerge with 58 passes at a very good 88% completion rate, with 5/5 long balls made. When Schweinsteiger came off looking exhausted on 61 minutes, Kroos moved to the base of the midfield alongside Luis Gustavo, and Bayern dominated thereafter. He finished with 4 tackles and 2 interceptions, a reputation further enhanced, and potentially an even better shot of starting in Germany’s midfield at Euro 2012.

Made for Mikel (by Doron)

I’ve done my fair share of Mikel-mocking ever since he joined Chelsea. Few can make a case for his time there being a success – indeed much of the promise that a 14 year old training with United’s first team once showed, has never quite been fulfilled. And yet, as Chelsea had one of their best and most famous results in recent years, he, for a change, was the unsung hero of the tie.

Under RDM, Mikel has been something of a mainstay in the side – starting four of the last five games. His role in shielding the defence has a use now as Chelsea are reverting back to what once made them briefly successful – a powerful defensive unit who’ll break with speed to find their target-man up the top. Given that the emphasis has been on defending and keeping goals out, it is a little surprising that the Barca clean sheet was their first in six.

Understandably the credit for the clean sheet was primarily given to Cahill and Terry – both of whom, despite the latter going shirtless with a readjusted armband again, were outstanding. Nearly 12 months on from the Wembley final, they’d performed considerably better than Ferdinand and Vidic. But, Terry and Cahill would surely be the first to point out the role that Mikel played. Ever present in front of them picking up the drifting Barca man or simply ‘getting in the way’ – he played an invaluable role.

It’s not most weeks that Chelsea will play a team who have so much possession so high up the pitch but that played perfectly into Mikel’s hands. It’s exactly the kind of game for him, for he’s better off the ball than on it. With Arsenal and Barca to come in the next 5 days for them, you can bet anything that Mikel will start both games.

Xabi Alonso: Wilting in the Big Cup (by Rob)

Xabi Alonso is a player I’ve admired since the early 2000s at Real Sociedad – even through the time when the evil red spaceship kidnapped him from 2004 to 2009. The long passes, the exquisite ball control, the halfway-line goals, the gentlemanly Twitter account, the hair… anyways.  Unfortunately, and in stark contrast to Toni Kroos, Alonso had a rotten game on Tuesday at the Allianz, with many commentators pointing out how exhausted he looked against the Bavarians.

The Basque routinely gave the ball away, a cardinal sin for a possession master such as himself, and he generally seemed lost – not for the first time in a big game, it has to be said. Routinely anonymous against Barcelona, the man who makes the Merengues tick more than anyone else seems to elude responsibility against their biggest rivals, with Ronaldo usually bearing the brunt of frustration from fans and media alike. While it’s no shame to be dominated by Bayern and Barcelona – it’s happened to Michael Carrick, and he got way more stick because of it – for a player of his immense quality Alonso hasn’t really stamped his mark on recent games against top teams. With the clasico coming up on Saturday, he has another opportunity for him to impose himself at the highest level, and it’s one he really needs to take.

Euro 2012: The fatigue factor (by Rob)

I’ve often argued that the word “fatigue” doesn’t show up enough in most football analyses, especially at this stage of the season. In years where international tournaments come up, fitness becomes even more important. Looking forward to the European Championships, I’d contend that Spanish domination of the European tournaments at club level is going to severely affect the country’s chances at this summer’s big tournament.

With 5 of the 8 semifinalists in the Champions League and Europa League combined, it’s possible that both finals will be all-Spanish affairs. It’s no secret that Barcelona players form the core of the Spanish national team – Xavi’s fitness isn’t guaranteed these days, Puyol and Piqué have struggled at times, and David Villa has missed most of the season with a broken leg. Key players for la Furia Roja also come from Real Madrid (Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Casillas); Athletic Bilbao (Fernando Llorente, Javi Martinez, Iker Muniain) and Valencia (Jordi Alba), teams which are all in European contention and all have something left to play for in La Liga. Add this to the fact that David Silva has looked worn out for months, while Juan Mata’s fitness has been up and down as he’s adjusted to the physical environment of the Premier League.

It’s a uniquely exhausting situation for Spain’s best players to be in right before the Euros. To add a bit more context, let’s contrast this with two relevant situations. First, the Spanish clubs pre-Euro 2008. As Sid Lowe pointed out at the time, Real Madrid coasted to the Liga championship in 2007-08 and fared poorly in the Champions League. Players at out-of-sorts Barcelona and Valencia couldn’t wait to end their seasons, get rid of their Dutch managers and have fresh starts. In summer 2008, Spain’s top players were in great condition, many had a point to prove, and the nation had a ‘bottlers’ tag to get rid of. The second study in contrast involves the current German national team. As in the 2008 Liga, the 2011-12 Bundesliga is just about a foregone conclusion – Dortmund are 8 points ahead with 3 games to play. Bayern are the only German side left in European competition, and only one of three who even made it to the quarterfinals of the UEFA club tournaments. Götze and Schweinsteiger’s likely return to fitness will be a big boost to their hopes, and many of their top players are in good form. At this point, I’d say the Germans are marginal favourites to lift the trophy in Kyiv on July 1.

Considering the sheer number of extra games the top Spanish clubs will play – plus the gruelling, relentless title race involving its two giant clubs – it’s hard to see the team’s stars being fresh and in top form for a tournament as condensed and travel-intense as the Euros. Make no mistake, the Spanish have the most talented and cohesive national side around. I’d love to see them win the Euros again. But this time, I think the fatigue factor will be too much even for this great team to overcome.

Only 6 games left in Europe – Who will referee them? (by Nik)

So with only three games left in this year’s Champion’s and Europa League competitions respectively, each of Europe’s top officials will be eagerly awaiting the post this coming week to see if they have been luckily enough to be awarded a prestigious game. Howard Webb and Felix Brych did a splendid job of the first legs of the Champions League semi finals this week, as did Craig Thomson and Jonas Eriksson in the Europa semi’s. Three of the four ties are finely balanced, and the wrong appointment at this stage could prove pivotal; UEFA have somewhat perfected the technique when appointing to these types of games, so whilst excellent form in the season is essential, how the referee has handled the European stage and strength of character all come to the fore. In terms of selecting the referee for a European final, the Nationality and whether he has refereed a final before will be important factors. So who is likely to get the upcoming appointments, with all the semi final 2nd leg games remarkably to be held in Spain? And who is in the running for the biggest appointment of their career – the final?

It is likely that Kassai will be appointed to either the Barcelona or Real games given his handling of last year’s final and Rizzoli too (who has been given a rather soft domestic appointment this weekend) should be a shoe-in for either a semi or the final itself. Portugal’s Pedro Proenca has bided his time well, and has hit a rich vain of form this season, and again should feature. This leaves a number of referees who have taken charge of high profile games this season and handled them very well, and must therefore be in with a shout. Dutch referee Kuipers has performed well at the Nou Camp, and the relatively young Skomina has performed superbly in each of his Champions League appointments, including of course games involving Man City, Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea (does this play for or against him I wonder?). Turkey’s strict Cakir is also in the running, and may well have ousted our very own Atkinson and Clattenburg from the equation given the relative domestic form each candidate. Norway’s Moen and the wily German, Stark, would feel harshly treated if overlooked – Mr Stark especially given that he is at peak age, and handled Real-Barca with aplomb last season. Fellow countryman Brych, performed so well at Stamford Bridge this week, that despite his age, he could well be given the Europa League final. Which is all very harsh on Velasco Carballo, Spain’s top official and one of my favourite referees, as both finals will contain at least one Spanish team.

Here are my predictions:

Europa League

Valencia CF – Atlético Madrid (26 April): Damir Skomina (SVN)

Athletic Bilbao – Sporting Lisbon (26 April): Cuneyt Cakir (TUR)

Final: Felix Brych (GER)

Champions League

FC Barcelona – Chelsea (24 April): Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Real Madrid – FC Bayern (25 April): Viktor Kassai (HUN)

Final: Pedro Proenca (POR)

I wish it was us (by Doron)

I’d come to terms quite quickly with the fact that we wouldn’t be in Europe’s elite competition beyond Christmas. Quietly I wasn’t too disappointed as I never believed we had the squad, given the injuries, to cope with both Europe and the league this season. Not to mention that the way we played and our approach to Europe was naive beyond anything, it was the league I wanted. Europe could go screw itself until September 2012.

That was until this week. Coming home from work on the tube, passing all the Chelsea fans going in the opposite way, I missed the buzz and excitement that only the Champions League can bring. I doubt that Fergie would have got his tactics right against Barca and I doubt we’d have beaten them like Chelsea but just to be there and be in with a chance… I wish it had been us!

Author: Doron

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Just three United players have completed more than 3,000 minutes of football for the club this season – De Gea (3,053), Rooney (3,256) and, in Vidic’s absence, the captain, Evra (3,699). Clearly Evra’s seen as being vital to the side, and yet, he’s come in for heavy criticism by the hordes of internet fans this season. To what extent is it justified and does Evra need to change the way he plays in the future?

The past

In his seventh season as a United player, Evra’s fast closing in on 300 appearances for the club. For much of that time, he’s been the best left back in the world with only really Ashley Cole pushing him close. And yet, aged 30, when he should be at his very peak, fans have been questioning his form and suggesting that a left back may well be on Fergie’s shopping list this summer.

Evra’s signing was very much a reaction to Heinze’s injury, or so it seemed at the time. Early performances were more encouraging than his debut suggests (infamously he was hauled off at half time against Man City) and within 12 months of signing, Pat had all but made the left back spot his own. He offered considerably more in attack than Heinze and both his pace and on-the-ball ability gave him an edge in defensive situations. There was always a hint of Heinze being a centre back playing out of position whereas Evra just gave the side more shape.

Quickly, Evra established himself as one of the world’s best fullbacks. He’s been rewarded with various individual awards like being named in UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFPro World XI. At United, he’s averaged two medals a year and has regularly been named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

What I’m getting at, is that United have had one of the best players in the world in his position playing for them. We’re used to consistently top level performances from Evra and therefore any dip below that high par standard is only exaggerated. Even more so with Evra given that he’s not had this kind of criticism before, nor does he have any real competition for his place in the side.

So, what of this season?

With the exception of West Brom away, our opening game of the season, Evra has been ever present in the league. Fabio’s injuries have meant he’s had little competition for his place and similarly there’s been no chance to rest him. Zeki Fryers’ surprise emergence mid-season offered some back-up but despite calls for Zeki to be starting ahead of Pat, he was nowhere near ready to be challenging for the left back spot.

It is certainly fair to conclude that over the course of the season so far, his performance level is definitely lower than in previous campaigns. Trying to fathom out why this is the case though is tricky. Here are my theories:

Natural decline

This may be the most obvious of reasons, but Evra’s getting older! Despite being incredibly fit and, not really that old, the natural decline that tends to come once in the 30s hits at different points for each player. Evra turns 31 in May and given that a lot of what has made him great is based on prolonged bursts of energy, pace and athleticism, it’s normal that as his physical attributes decline, so will these assets of his.

Defensive injuries

With the exception of Evra (and to an extent, Evans), all of United’s defenders have missed lengthy spells due to injuries. Like De Gea wasn’t helped by an ever changing back-line, it’s not helped Evra either. He’s used to having Vidic next to him and has had to adapt how he plays to suit each centre back pairing. Given Evra’s quality, it’s fair enough to suggest that this shouldn’t trouble him too much. However, it certainly disrupts the balance at the back and understanding how individual centre backs defend and move within space is key to how a fullback plays.

Keeping fresh physically and mentally

Even the strongest of players need a break sometimes. Whilst not having a settled right back hasn’t been ideal, it has meant that Jones, Smalling and Rafael have all appeared fresh when they’ve been selected over the course of the season. Their enforced breaks have in that respect benefited the team. With Evra completing more than 61 hours of football this season, he’s hardly had a break. In fact, it’s been that way for a few seasons for him now and over time, this catches up.

Mentally, Evra’s a strong person. But even the toughest people can crack. Ever since the summer of 2010 and the World Cup shambles for France, he’s appeared somewhat preoccupied or disturbed at times. This season he’s had to contend with a race issue that can’t have helped him. However, since that has been put to bed, his form does seem to have picked up again. Evra’s very much of the ilk that his poor performances are heavily criticised but when he’s playing well no one says anything. Criticism has certainly subsided the past 6-7 weeks which can only suggest he’s doing fine again.

Natural left wingers

Evra joined United just as Giggs was starting to play more centrally; in fact, United have rarely played with a natural left sided winger in Evra’s time here, giving him more freedom to get into attacking positions. With freedom comes responsibility though – Evra’s always been good at getting back into position and has been very aware of space in behind him.

This season though, Evra’s been lethargic at times when defending, leaving space in behind him all too often. Maybe that’s harsh though – maybe teams have wised-up to the fact that when United don’t play with a natural left winger, they can double-up on Evra knowing that he’s unlikely to get much defensive help. Tactically, it’s a great move by any opponent but only serves to make Evra look poor when in reality he just needs some help.

When Ashley Young has played on the left though, Evra’s been much more assured. Young, despite probably favouring the right wing, is very capable of playing on the left. His work-rate and defensive team-play has been better than I thought it might be and has definitely helped Evra. What Pat needs to learn though is that Young is a very capable winger who doesn’t necessarily need an overlapping fullback to help him. Like Ferdinand has had to adapt his game, maybe it’s time for Evra to adapt his, picking and choosing his moments to get high up the pitch a bit more sensibly in order to ensure he’s not caught out getting back into position.

Perceptions

No team can ever be perfect, so fans, even at the best of times need someone to have a moan at. With Gibson leaving and regular boo-boys Carrick and Evans playing very well, Evra appears to be in the firing line. Evra’s form may have dropped but he’s nowhere near as bad as fans want to suggest – certainly the calls for him to replaced by Fryers were so unbelievably wide of the mark. That’s nothing against Fryers’ potential but it just goes to show how silly reactionary opinions can be sometimes.

The most important opinion belongs to Sir Alex Ferguson. He rightly acknowledged that Evra was tired and gave him time off around the Ajax Europa League games recently. Evra continues to be praised, picked and was made the captain in Vidic’s absence. Ferguson’s often praised for knowing when a player’s time is up at the club (there are a few exceptions – Owen for example); right now, Evra’s future in Fergie’s eyes appears relatively secure.

The future

He’s getting no younger so it’s understandable that the club will be starting to look at future left back options. There’s even the potential that one might be signed this summer to allow the player to settle, adjust and adapt so that when the club are ready to replace Evra, his replacement is prepared.

Of course identifying potential replacements is far from easy. Fabio seems the obvious choice but is determined to never be fit for a prolonged spell. Plenty have been linked with the club for the last two years but none are at the same high level as Evra nor really have the potential to be there. Maybe the best option is Jordi Alba but he’s currently too inexperienced and has lots of rough edges that need smoothing out. Arguably, there is a real shortage of quality fullbacks in world football right now which makes Evra even more of an asset to the club and even harder to replace.

That’s not to suggest that Evra is finished – no chance. He has at least another season in him. He is likely to need to adapt though and certainly will require resting. Fabio’s fitness is likely to be of real importance – tactically resting Evra is going to become a necessity.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I think it says a lot about the standard of football United have played this season that someone as solid as Evra is the one being singled out for replacement. Certainly he’s not been as good as he has been in the past but he’s not been as bad as some like to make out; and, many factors have not helped him. Expectations at the club have never been higher and it’s up to Evra to now prove that he can adapt and is still the best in the business.

Authors: Doron and Phil

Follow Doron, Phil and BTP on Twitter

Beyond The Pitch and Stretford-End.com have come together once again to record another podcast, the third in the series. Topics discussed range from post-match discussions to the Reserves to potential transfer business. You can also hear the thoughts of Fergie and Jonny Evans on the Fulham game.

To listen to the podcast, click on this link. It is available to listen to or download on iTunes at this link.

Topics covered:

Looking back at Fulham

With the podcast recorded soon after the final whistle on Monday night we look back on what was a torturous 90 minutes. Despite the fact Fulham should have had a penalty, once again Carrick and Evans shone. Finally, we admire some of the players Fulham have at their disposal.

What’s going on at City?

For the second week running, we wonder if cracks are starting to appear over at City. They drew at Stoke, a hard place to go – has Tevez’s return worked so far? Do City have the mentality to go all the way?

Jonny Evans

Is he playing himself into a first choice centre back for next year and if so, who partners him – Rio or Vidic? Are we starting to see potential United captain material from Jonny?

Patrice Evra

He’s still good going forwards but defensively this season he’s had some dodgy moments. Does Evra need to adapt his game like Rio then, and choose when he has to go forwards rather than always bombing on?

Reserves and Academy

A full round-up of results and other news from the players below the first team; including a review of the players out on loan. What does the future for Macheda hold too? Has his bad luck and injuries hindered his chances at United? Ritchie De Laet is back at United, might he move on this summer? At long last, the truth about Ravel Morrison’s departure has come out as Fergie let one slip. Finally, which players can we look out for and is Michael Keane a contender for Reserve player of the year?

Transfer business and Wayne Rooney

It’s starting to look like our squad is good enough to compete at the top level in England but where do we need to strengthen, with a particular emphasis on Europe. With various players likely to leave, what kind of player do we sign?

Wayne Rooney’s clearly crucial to the way United play. We discuss whether we should look to sign someone who’ll play behind Rooney, allowing him to stay up front in arguably his best role – an out-and-out striker. Rooney’s future role is surely key to our transfer business.

Once again, to listen to the podcast, click on this link. It is available to listen to or download on iTunes at this link.

To listen to the first two podcasts, click here.

Author: Doron

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Fans are always looking out for the next big talent – someone to hype up and pin their hopes on. Last year we had Morrison, Pogba, Tunnicliffe and others but this season has been quieter with players getting injuries and an ever changing Academy team. However, one player has stood out since the turn of the year, Mats Møller Dæhli.

United’s Academy have had an odd season. Some of their best and most influential players have picked up long-term injuries and Paul McGuinness has rarely had the luxury of being able to pick an unchanged team. In the league, it’s all about development as opposed to the results, but even so, it’s over four months since the side last won a game. On the flip-side, various players have had a lot of minutes and certainly improved as the season has gone on (Jack Rudge and Sam Byrne in particular), whilst injuries have allowed a few schoolboys (U16s) to get minutes with the U18s – so much so that Nick Ioannou and James Wilson have forced their way into the starting XI in the FA Youth Cup.

As United fans know, the FA Youth Cup is considered the competition to win at that age group. Somewhat surprisingly United have reached the semi finals of that competition with some excellent all-round performances. These have coincided with injuries to two of the most influential attacking players in the side – Adnan Januzaj and Tom Lawrence. Fortunately though, in their absence, Mats Dæhli, a likely starter anyway, has stepped up and become not only the focal point for the side but arguably the star player.

Dæhli, a first year scholar, made his debut for the Academy as a schoolboy last season and has marked his rapid progress this year by coming off the bench for the Reserves away at West Brom. Short in stature, Dæhli’s feet are forever glued to the football – his close control, particularly at pace, is excellent and he’s been able to add a good final ball to his mazy runs. Playing predominantly in the middle with license to roam, Dæhli’s the player his teammates look to pass to, he’s the one who can create magic when little else seems on. Certainly his willingness to take carry the ball forwards and run at opponents has kick-started various United comebacks and revivals in games this season.

He may have arrived at United surrounded by some hype, as do most foreign youth signings, but it’s nothing compared to how he’s revered in his own country. The Norwegian media have described him as a “little Xavi” and have covered his progress closely in the national press since he was 14. Of course any player playing above his age group, as Mats does, is going to attract attention but already you can feel the expectation that is being laden upon him.

On his 17th birthday earlier this month, Mats signed a professional contract with the club. The month of March has continued to be good for him as he made his debut for the Norwegian U19 side (or so I’m told, may have been an U18 team but either way he’s playing above his age level!) yesterday in a game against Serbia. You can watch highlights from that game here.

As he has for much of his career, Mats found himself playing with bigger, stronger guys at least a year older than him. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t faze him and he was singled out by his coach as the best player on the pitch.

Before and after the game, Mats spoke briefly to journalists saying, “It was fun to play with players older than me. I feel like I’ve improved a lot the past three or four months. The training (at United) is very possession focused at the moment which helps me”. He’s clearly ambitious too, he’s said he’d like to try and break into the Reserves properly now he’s had a taste of it.

The influence of Paul Scholes cannot be underestimated either. Mats said that training with him has been incredible and that being at United is a dream come true. Certainly there are some similarities between Scholes’ style in the latter part of his career and Mats’ recent performances – in particular, his vision, awareness, and appreciation of space.

Since his days at Stabæk, Dæhli has been right at the centre of attention in Norway. It’s a similar situation to Magnus Eikrem in that respect, however, the feeling within Norway this time is that it’s almost inevitable that he’ll be a long-term success at United. Personally, as ever, I’d preach more caution and suggest that we should enjoy watching a very talented player at the moment. He’s certainly on the right path but aged just 17 it’s impossible to predict how he’ll develop. What’s certain though is that United’s coaches have their eye on him and are excited about working with him over the duration of his next contract.

Author: Stretford_End

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Manchester United legend and former captain Bryan Robson believes that his former side have the edge over neighbours Manchester City – and cited Sir Alex Ferguson’s zero-tolerance approach towards ill-disciplined players as the main reason between the two sides. Patrick Vieira spoke in the week about Paul Scholes and claimed that it was a ‘weakness’ on behalf of Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United for the midfielder’s return to the first team – overlooking the return of Carlos Tevez, who Roberto Mancini vowed would never play for the club again. Is it this type of ill-discipline that could prove the difference in the title run in?

Robson was quoted as saying:

“The Tevez saga, stories of Balotelli’s nights outs, Ferguson doesn’t allow it to happen in his club. He does man-management really well. That could be the biggest difference. You look at certain managers and you wonder, would they have left Rooney out? Ferguson had millions of injuries for that game – he was fielding a depleted team – but he still decided to leave Wayne out. The boss has shown that it doesn’t matter how good you are, you are not going to get away with it.”

He brings up some very good points. Rooney was dropped on New Year’s Eve for the fixture against Blackburn Rovers, where United were beaten 3-2. It is easy to state that Sir Alex should have included Rooney within the squad for a fixture that might have been different had United’s top goalscorer been on the field, however the bigger picture (and not to mention history) shows that all the players of any club need to know who the boss is, otherwise there are no boundaries – something that Robson is claiming Mancini fails to do with Balotelli and Tevez.

Ferguson has spoken before about “The manager being the most important person at a football club”, a quote that some might construe as arrogance. However, he is 100% correct – if there isn’t a commanding leader, someone in charge to state what is acceptable and what isn’t, then ‘your club is dead’, to quote Ferguson. I have no idea what Mancini’s management style is close up with players, whereas Ferguson’s has been documented in many books and documentaries. We saw Carlos Tevez cup his ears in celebrating a goal against West Ham at the end of the 2008/09 season, apparently aimed at the directors – something that Sir Alex laughed off, as he probably knew what was coming in the summer.

So is Robson right? Does Mancini have to be tougher with his players? Do Manchester United have the edge due to the way that Sir Alex deals with unruly players? Your thoughts are, as always most welcome in the comments box.

Author: Stretford_End

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Franco Baresi once said of the legendary Diego Maradona “We had to be very well organised; put pressure on him, doubling up, tripling up even to limit his talents. Because if it was one-on-one, you’d lose.”. Now, I’m not comparing the brilliance of Antonio Valencia to the unquantifiable genius of the Argentinean World Cup winner – but in recent months, the surging Ecuadorian is a sorry sight for any retreating left back who simply can’t deal with the pace of United’s number 25. His signing in 2009 may have not be met with the same hysteria that greeted Ronaldo’s arrival at the Bernabeu, however his qualities have been there for all to see since signing from Wigan for £18million. Here we look at Valencia’s season so far and what he brings to United’s play.

Despite breaking his leg against Rangers early in his second full season at the club, Valencia went on to play a significant role in United’s nineteenth title triumph – dislodging the excellent Nani, on the right handside, towards the end of the campaign.

The Ecuadorian featured in his first European Cup final at Wembley, where United were soundly beaten 3-1 by the excellent Barcelona. Valencia had a poor game, however it was mainly down to Barcelona’s movement that pulled United players all out of position, rather than him simply ‘not being up for it’. Valencia is United’s leading assist maker in the Premier League with 11 in total, notching up another two against Wolves on Sunday.

Bricki put together an excellent post in the January of last year, that foresaw the impact Valencia would have in the title race, labelling the winger United’s “Ace in the pack”.

Comparison with Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis was one of my all time favourite players. He would roast opposing full backs through sheer pace as oppose to the trickery many reds were accustomed to in recent years through Ronaldo and Nani. Kanchelskis scored some amazing solo goals, with the goal in the 94 semi-final replay against Oldham at Maine Road as his stand out goal for me. Valencia will most often than not attempt to go on the outside of the left back, where as Nani will start out in a wide area and cut in side onto his other foot. Kanchelskis was the same as Valencia, bursting down the right hand side and delivering a cross to be headed home or getting to the byline to tap a low pass across the six yard box.

Despite his swift exit, I think many reds remember the Ukrainian’s stint at Old Trafford as being very successful indeed. His hattrick in the 5-0 drumming of Manchester City on cold November evening will always remain as our fondest memory, but he was a proper old school winger – much like Valencia. They both give United great width with blistering pace – two key components to launch a counter attack. Those early years in the 90s when Andrei was at the club were magical and he was a big part of it all the success, especially in the double winning season.

It was disappointing how it all ended in the summer of 1995, with some crazy stories branded around as to why he had to go. I assume that Hughes was always going to be surplus to requirements, with the purchase of Andy Cole the January previous and the emerging Paul Scholes – who at the time was more of a frontman than a midfield visionary that he later developed into. Paul Ince was excellent in the 94/95 season, but as we’ve found out from Fergie over the years – if someone believes they’re bigger than the club, then out they go. The lure of the lira from Internazionale was no doubt a very tempting factor to one of England’s better midfielders at the time – so it worked out well for both parties, with Roy Keane stepping out of the shadows of Robson (who left the season previous) and the self proclaimed ‘Guvnor’. Kanchelskis left for Goodison and then got injured against United, following a challenge with Lee Sharpe if I remember rightly, and never recaptured that magical form he found at Old Trafford.

Valencia could be even better
In football its very common for players to be ‘flavour of the month’. For instance, it was quite laughable to assume that United didn’t need Wesley Sneijder, you know World Cup finalist, European Cup winner and one of Europe’s finest playmakers – as we had a ready made youngster waiting to step up in Tom Cleverley – a ‘compliment’ that a youngster breaking through doesn’t need. There is a lot of fuss over Valencia of late based upon his excellent performances – however, I have always been a fan of the former Wigan man. Looking back at old blog posts, the 2010 League Cup final saw an excellent performance from Valencia, where I first compared him to the Ukrainian and touched upon his versatility.

In a number of matches, Sir Alex has deployed Valencia as a right back – with Nani playing in front of him. No doubt this is an attacking tactic when United are chasing a match, but it is credit to Valencia that is gets his head down and does exactly what the manager asks of him. First priority is to defend, but modern day full backs are required to get up and down so much more, especially with wingers drifting inside as Nani does (someone must provide the width). His pace and movement can also help to prevent opposing sides using their fullbacks as an attacking outlet. For example, Valencia didn’t give Cole a kick in the 2009/10 clash at Stamford Bridge, pressing him so far back Cole couldn’t get out of his half. Again, some players might not be up for the task of having to focus on ‘stopping someone else playing’ rather than playing yourself – but not Valencia, he plays for the team.

‘Unplayable’ is a strong word in football. It means your opponent doesn’t stand a chance. With Maradona’s technical, physical and mental strength – he was ‘unplayable’ for many years and as Baresi said, “you would lose in a one on one”. Valencia is obviously nowhere near the class of Argentina’s legendary number ten, however when he is up against a left back, any left back, I now fully expect him to leave him for dead on the outside. Valencia has been one of Ferguson’s most astute signings. Ridiculous comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo were left for people outside the club to mention, anyone that has seen Valencia play in the past two and a half years will know the quality the lad has.

Authors: Doron and Phil

Follow Doron, Phil and BTP on Twitter

After Beyond The Pitch and Stretford-End.com recorded their first podcast last week, here follows the second! Topics discussed range from post-match discussions to the Reserves to the atmosphere at games.

To listen to the podcast, click on this link. It is available to listen to or download on iTunes at this link.

Topics covered:

Paul Pogba

For the second week running Pogba features on the podcast. His return to the first team coupled with a second league appearance for the club suggest a new contract may now be imminent and any rumours of a departure are wide of the mark.

Title race

What’s going on at City? Are cracks starting to appear and do they really want Tevez back in their side?

Player futures

Does Anderson’s latest injury mean his career at United could be coming to an end? Will Berbatov move on this summer? (The pod was recorded on Tuesday, a scarily accurate prediction comes on the pod given Fergie’s comments on Wednesday). What does the future hold for Darren Fletcher – could he be offered a coaching role next year too?

What kind of midfielder should United look at this summer?

There’s no doubting it’s hard to identify the right central midfielder but after links to Eden Hazard, what kind of central player should the club be looking at?

Reserves and Academy

Matty James returns to the Reserves after a long lay-off as they go top of the Northern Reserve league.

The approach to Bilbao vs. the approach to Wolves

Should one game be prioritised over the other? To what extent can United get away with a ‘changed’ team against Bilbao?

Old Trafford singing section

There’s a proposal for the second tier of the Stretford End to be made into a singing section. Is this a good or a bad idea? Moreover, how does this sit in terms of modern day fan culture?

In the future, expect to hear other members of Stretford-End.com joining both Phil and Doron on the podcast as well as plenty of special guests

Once again, to listen to the podcast, click on this link. It is available to listen to or download on iTunes at this link.

To listen to the first podcast, click here.