Thoughts On The Game
So after a shocking display at Anfield, a defeat every bit as painful as that 4-0 hammering we were subjected to at the hands of Torres and deadly Dossena. I was so incensed at the manner of the defeat and its aftermath, that in a private yet ulitmately pointless protest I was unwilling to do my usual ’5 Things’ piece knowing fully well I might have written something I shouldn’t have.
A number of things regarding the match in question which irked me included certain United’s fans unsympathetic jeering reactions to Nani going down and the growing grievance with them was exacerbated by the general tone of the media and its response to Carragher’s challenge. If you’d missed the game and had for instance relied soley on MOTD2′s coverage of the game, you wouldn’t be blamed for assuming that Rooney’s Elbow a week prior was still the most villianous act of thuggery on a football pitch ever seen and that Phil Dowd had excelled in his handling of the game so far as to be a cert to be the next Englishman to referee a World Cup Final.
These gripes aside, it was clear that despite the fervent level of antagonism from all corners, United ultimately had themselves to blame for the defeat and didn’t perform anywhere near good enough to earn themselves anything out of the game. There were decent spells of passing and the Red Devils started the game off well enough but it soon became apparent (after 20th Min) that whereas Liverpool looked menacing when in possession – full of ideas and penetration, United were going through the motions – no real conviction on the ball or off it. It is why many of us (the non-idiotic majority) felt emotional at Nani getting hurt or Rafael rising above the venomous atmosphere at Anfield and demonstrating his courage. Likewise Hernandez’ excellent consolation goal, these three young players ooze United quality, they have the skills but more importantly the heart, put simply when they play these lads have purpose and drive. They want to be the best in the world in their respective positions and they demand the ball under any circumstance (hallmark of players destined for great things). Yes they might make mistakes, but these are players worthy of persisting with, they’ll come good and when they do – the world better watch out.
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99 Problems But The Midfield Ain’t One
So courage, conviction, flair, dynamism – throughout most of this United side we either have players in or coming through that possess these attributes. In defence we have Vidic, Evra, Rio not to mention the aforementioned Rafael as well as Chris Smalling, on the wings (predominantly the right) we have Giggs, Nani and Valencia, complemented nicely by the brave underrated Korean. Up front we have Hernandez challenging the established heavyweight duo of Rooney and Berbatov, yet in the most crucial area of all when it comes dominating elite encounters – The Midfield – we are second rate, devoid of all those attributes associated with United. It has been an area disguised by the strength of our rearguard and our forward line. When the others falter it rarely steps up to the plate nor has it ever been lauded as a component to be feared. From Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Giggs in their pomp, to this, no doubt this current midfield is a step above ’03-’05, but barely my friend, barely.
Every other major side in Europe seems obsessed with creating a strong midfield, variants of 4-3-3/4-5-1/4-2-3-1 seem to be the rage and whilst Fergie has adapted to the fashions of the time, he has failed to sign the appropriate personnel to suit and make a success of these formations. The likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, Inter, Liverpool, Bayern Munich keep the ball well and there is never a debate amongst their fans of the folly of playing 4-3-3, it is the accepted formation and none of these sides have major gripes with their midfield area. Not to mention that none of these sides make the 4-3-3 look rigid, unnatural and overly functional. United on the other hand always make it look like an effort, keeping the ball seems like a chore, we rarely create any chances of note despite the artistic licence it affords to the most advanced midfielder of the trio whomever it may be and as for goals from midfield, forget about it. The only purpose this United midfield generally serves is to congest midfield and give the back four some protection, unless of course Anderson and Scholes have the requisite energy on any given day to put in performances worthy of the United shirt.
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Why does our midfield malfunction under pressure? Why do all these other sides make playing three in midfield look so easy?
Well one issue has been the lack of a natural lone forward who thrives when playing up front alone.. Rooney and Berbatov are not naturally inclined to thrive in this role and no doubt that they’ve added to the problem as well as being victims of it. Inter have Eto’o, so did Barcelona but now they’ve found a genuine replacement in Villa, Chelsea had Drogba at his peak, now they’re struggling because he’s aged and they have too many strikers to keep happy, Liverpool had Torres and look to have a ready made lone forward replacement in Suarez and possibly Carroll too. Arsenal have Van Persie and are desperately unlucky that such a vital player is made out of glass, Bayern had Klose and now Gomes – players who can be relied upon to score goals no matter what form they’re in and consistent goalscorers. Berbatov and Rooney on the other hand both play best when alongside a partner it seems, although with a stronger midfield behind them, we could see a transformation in their fortunes as lone forwards.
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The second issue is the lack of legs and bite in our midfield. Fletcher is the one player United possess who physically can compete consistently week in week out without being outmuscled or outrun by opposition midfields. Despite putting in his fair share of defensive work he does struggle to shake off opponents when running with the ball and thus can’t be relied upon to provide a penetrating burst from midfield. Scholes is past it physically in comparison to his youth and unable now to perform defensive duties to a sufficient level in a two-man midfield every week; hence the increasing number of cautions he seems to be picking up as a result of arriving late on the scene. Carrick who has modelled his game on elegance and intelligence, is unable to adapt and change if the situation demands he be more energetic and engaged in terms of defensive dilligence. His long legs undoubtedly get him into good defensive positions but when United are in need of taking the game ‘to’ the opposition, he is unable to increase the number of tackles. On the ball he too like Fletcher is one-paced and unable to create space by outrunning an opponent. Anderson is a player who can outmuscle and outrun opponents, on and off the ball. However, he is physically unreliable and for 3 seasons running he has missed important periods of the season through injury, not to mention he struggles to reach an optimum level of Match Fitness, to the point where he can never be relied upon to be a regular starter.
The final issue is the lack of class we possess on the ball. The side lacks the ability to manipulate the ball in tight spaces under pressure and continue to retain possession, its a constant failure I’ve witnessed dating back to 08/09 and the prime culprits have been Carrick and Fletcher. The latter had improved on his close control and turning ability but has lapsed back into his old habits of giving the ball away needlessly and at times going for the conservative option, Carrick on the other hand can’t seem to play any other way against top opposition. Put pressure on Carrick and it is very rare that he’ll turn his man and proceed to play a forward pass, apparently he used to do this in 06/07.. well I know for sure he was capable of this when playing for Spurs, but the pressure playing for a club like United is a different kettle of fish and whilst he’s done a sound defensive job for us over the years, on the ball he is now found wanting. He lacks the requisite footwork, the composure and courage to demand the ball under pressure – his trip against Liverpool when recieving a pass from Smalling in his own half was symptomatic of his lack of desire to receive the ball under pressure and to take responsibility in possession. No one’s expecting him to be Pirlo/Alonso, but playing simple accurate forward passes should be the minimum expected of a midfielder featuring for Manchester United, defensive midfielder or not.
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‘M n M’ – The Solution
So we lack class and we lack bite. How to resolve these issues in the immediate future, well put simply, we’re going to have to put our hands in our pockets. Hargreaves is finished and is unable to provide the bite, Anderson & Scholes can’t be relied upon to provide the class – not that they lack the ability, it’s just physically neither is up to it to pull out a whole seasons worth of top notch performances.
There is talent coming through the reserves/academy – I mean it would be amazing if Pogba & Morrison were the answer to both the problems, however the realistic solution is not to throw these untested youngsters in but bring in players who can lead us to success during the next 5 years. Fergie isn’t going to last forever and surely he realises that it is time to spend and make the most of his remaining years rather than let his career end in a manner not worthy of the great man. The time has come for the likes of Carrick, Fletcher, Scholes to become squad players and to strengthen the first team, create a side worthy of going toe to toe with the likes of Barcelona and a team capable of securing Fergie’s legacy as the greatest manager of all time, domestically and abroad.
Without further ado I would break the bank for the following duo this summer…
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Luke Modric v United (H) ’10/’11: 64/77 Successful Passes, 5 interceptions, 3/4 Tackles won
Just a reminder of the impact he had last time he came up against us, bear in mind that stats don’t necessarily reflect the best part of his game which is his running with the ball and his ability to create chances out of nothing. In 08/09 he scored 3 goals and created 9 assists in his most productive season thus far for Spurs, since then he has been superceded in the end product stakes by Van der Vaart. Whilst he may not provide our midfield with a genuine goal threat I do think we can mould him into a more effective player and he can be a massive influence in terms of build up play, a Scholes type presence.
Now to a rather more controversial proposal. Who best to replace Hargreaves’ much missed bite and aggression whilst at the same time combining Fletcher’s industry and Carricks reading of the game, which player possesses all these attributes, has the experience and more importantly is available? Well I present to you, none other than Javier Mascherano.
I know there are many who will cry Arrgh-gentina, no more players from there, let alone one who happens to be Tevez’s best mate and has featured for Liverpool. But taking these non-footballing issues aside, he isn’t getting games at Barcelona, would be available at a cut price deal, has 5 more years to offer at the top level and is a reknowned international class footballer. Following are some random Mascherano Big Match stats from his time at Liverpool – phenomenal.
• V Spurs 07/08 (A): 51/63 Successful Passes, 3 Interceptions, 6/6 Tackles Won, 2 Clearances
• V Man City 07/08 (H): 34/44 Successful Passes, 5 Interceptions, 8/13 Tackles Won
• V Chelsea 07/08 (A): 37/48 Successful Passes, 13/14 Tackles Won, 4 Interceptions, 4 Clearances
• V Arsenal 07/08 (H): 30/36 Successful Passes, 13/17 Tackles Won, 2 Interceptions, 1 clearance.
His passing is not mindblowing but he is relatively accurate, for instance he rarely misplacing more than 15 passes and that is only in big games, he is far more precise against weaker opponents. Where he comes into his own is tackles made and interceptions, I’ve been doing United blogs for quite a while now and I’ve never seen defensive stats anywhere near that number at all, not to mention these are how many he’s won let alone attempted, on a whole different level to any defensive midfielder currently in the Premiership. He would more than adequately replace Hargreaves and provide venomous bite to our midfield. The campaign begins here to bring Silk & Steel to the United Midfield – Fergie Sign (M) Up, Fergie Fergie Sign (M) Up!
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