Thursday, 1 December 2011
De Gea No Longer a Flop
As United began the season in blistering fashion at the other end of the pitch, the woes of young De Gea were soon forgotten. The performances of attacking players such as Rooney, Young and Nani, along with the exciting young Englishmen in the squad distracted the media who soon became bored with a keeper who was no longer making headline bloopers. But as the goals dried up and a slaughtering at the hands of the Noisy Neighbours knocked the wind out of their sails somewhat, people began to question the talent, or lack of, in the United side. The one position in recent weeks which has not been questioned, however, appears to be the big man in the net.
It remains the case that De Gea is yet to [directly] cost United any points in the league (or trophies). His errors in the Community Shield were reversed by an impressive second half performance by the United attack, and his mistake versus West Brom was cancelled out by a late Ashley Young strike. Since then, he has racked up 5 clean sheets in 15 appearances in all competitions, second only to Patrice Evra (United's top appearance maker in the last 2 seasons), and it certainly cannot be argued that he has only accrued these due to the lack of competition. Danish international Anders Lindegaard has been chomping at the bit all season and it is fair to say that he has taken full advantage of his four appearances this season, keeping clean sheets in three of them. In addition to this, young England U21 goalkeeper Ben Amos has had three appearances so far this season and has also not done anything to harm his reputation.
So whilst United continue a poor run of form which has seen them uncharacteristically concede an average one goal per game in the league, as well as conceding 6 goals in 5 games in Europe, not even the harshest critics are pointing the blame at the Spaniard, following a string of impressive performances and saves which showcase exactly what Sir Alex saw in him. Solid performances against the likes of Chelsea, Norwich City and Everton, as well as a crucial penalty save against Arsenal when United led only 1-0 (which of course ended up 8-2 to United), can only have boosted his confidence and, being so young, he still has plenty of time to learn more. The plaudits are yet to stream in, though maybe a longer period of sustained form is required before he has redeemed himself in the media's eyes. Although on the other hand, being kept out of the spotlight is probably exactly where he is happy to be right now.
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Back after a long absence
Hope you enjoy it, any comments are welcome.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Suffering without football...
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
United better off Ronaldo-less?
As the mind games begin in the build up to the pinnacle of the football season - the Champions League Final - there has been the usual respectful press conferences between the United and Barcelona players and staff. Despite Sir Alex being the mind games master, even he knows when is best to utilise his verbal talents, and when it is better merely to abstain. With this in mind, there has been nothing untoward building up to the big night, (ignoring the Giggs saga which I do not wish to acknowledge), except a thought provoking comment from Dani Alves yesterday. When asked about Saturday's opposition and if they had improved since the 2009 defeat, Alves remarked that United are now much more 'dangerous', 'balanced' and 'stronger' than they were when Ronaldo was in the team. On the surface, this comment seemed a bit thoughtless, and no more than a standard compliment-the-opposition-before-the-game answer. With it not being the world's best kept secret that Barcelona and Madrid players do not often send each other birthday cards, it is hardly surprising that Alves would take this opportunity to have a dig at Madrid's star man.
Since the departure of Ronaldo, the United team has re-grown into a top European force, but using a completely different structure and strategy. The lack of a star man has led to many individuals to put themselves forward and do their bit for the team, especially when it is required to grind out a result. Crucial performances from the likes of
Winning the Premier League and reaching the final of the Champions League against
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Bale the best in England?
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
The Demise of Paul Scholes?
Following Paul Scholes' recent dismissal in United's FA cup semi-final defeat to local rivals Manchester City, reports have been circulating that this is finally the end of Scholes' illustrious career. After all but ending United's treble hopes on Saturday with a reckless challenge on City's Zabaleta, which resulted in his tenth career red card, he must now make the decision whether to call time on one of the Premier League's most celebrated careers.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Are City for real this time?
It is widely commented upon that Manchester United have a much wider range of experience in their squad, much more strength in depth and a manager who has been-there, done-it, and has so many T-shirts he could dress the entire City squad. It is certainly the case that 21 of United's squad have won at least one winners medal from Europe's top Premier Leagues, and it is undeniable that their dominance over the last 2 decades owes a large part to their ability to call upon experienced heads when the going got tough. To Sir Alex Ferguson, City's rise will only seem like another futile attempt to knock him and his club off their perch, from which they have watched many clubs attempt and fail to successfully break up the United dominance for good.
City, however, backed by billions, have other ideas. Having watched the red half of Manchester rule supreme for as long as they can remember, the sky blues will be fueled by decades of pain and jealously. Even the last time City secured domestic glory in 1968, United went one better and won the European Cup. But times are changing now, and they truly believe that this time they have what it takes to go all the way. In contrast to the common misconception, when it comes to experience of winning titles, City have ample. 11 of their squad have previously won European league titles - 12 if the the transfer of Edin Džeko is confirmed, and within that 12 they have 5 who have won English titles, including Patrick Vieira, who captained arguably the best title-winning side the EPL has ever seen. On top of this they have a World Cup winner, as well as a World Cup runner-up, and a three-time winning Serie A winning manager, with three Serie A titles as a player also to his name.
As well as clear experience, they also have an undeniable amount of flair and talent on the pitch. In Carlos Tevez they have a proven goalscorer and hardworking talisman for their squad, and, provided they can keep him happy, it will be a huge boost every time he is in the starting 11. Alongside him they have the surly Italian Mario Balotelli, who has the clear potential to produce magic if Mancini can coax it out of him. Whilst at the back they certainly seem to have eradicated their defensive problems, having conceded only 16 goals in 21 games - currently the best record in the league.
As for the other challengers, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, they seem, at present, quite a distance from title-winning material. Current champions and original favourites Chelsea have found themselves floundering in recent weeks and their decision to not replace the likes of Belletti, Joe Cole, Ivanovic and Ballack in the summer has left their squad looking extremely bare. Arsenal are suffering from the same old problems, they are in desperate need of a quality goalkeeper and defensive partnership, whilst Marouanne Chamakh has not provided the goal threat that they had hoped he would. Tottenham, on the other hand, have been one of this years top performers in certain games, unfortunately, however, most of these games have been in Europe, a competition which they appear to have prioritised this season.
At present, a London-Manchester battle is shaping up, with the Manchester clubs currently leading the pack. With just under half the season remaining and traditionally United's best form about to be kicked into gear, it will be fascinating to watch whether the not-so-inexperienced Manchester City have the legs to push their closest rivals all the way for the title.