Does Sir Alex have a master plan?

    Ever since the Champions League final in which United fell so far short of the excellence of Barcelona’s style of play the question seems to be how will Ferguson improve his squad to match Barca next season?

     The focus has been the Spanish opposition; I haven’t really heard many pondering the home opposition. This summer’s potential all seem to be receiving a weighing up against Barcelona to see how they will compare to them. So has Fergie got this same Barcelona obsession?

    I don’t want to rile anybody up from the title of this article with any kind of suggestion United do not play attractive football. I love watching the classic counter attack rip a defence apart and leave them helpless as Chicarito slots home. However I can’t help but feel Ferguson is working towards an ambition of even more attractive football, the most attractive football in the world.

     Whilst United can make mesmerising moves and, I’ll stick to the stats to avoid a mass debate, the league table proved them the best team in the country last season there were many matches where a scruffy performance had to be fought out. I am of the belief a league winning team should still be able to take the wins when the game is not going all their way and they have to scrap it out to the end. Despite this maybe United had to do this too many times last season for Fergie’s comfort.

      United are capable of playing attractive football and have many players capable of doing so. Barcelona on the other hand play a different kind of attractive football. Their players are more free-moving and will move out of position to create a midfield which will outnumber any other. From this midfield they will suddenly move players forward and make a rapid attack and catch the opposition unawares. Arguably one of the best passing teams in England are Arsenal, however there is the debate as to whether Arsenal can play this football and win the title. Something they have not yet proved.

    One hint that Ferguson is trying to achieve something a bit different for his team are twins Rafael and Fabio. The deal for the full backs was done back in February 2007 despite not moving to United til later. The two could have been seen as future replacements for an aging defence, however as they breakthrough it became apparent the Brazilians were not straight replacements. They look more like wing backs then full backs with their attacking tendency. Whilst Gary Neville was good at overlapping the wide midfielder to look to get a cross in and likewise with Evra neither are or were quite the same mould as the twins.

    The F.A cup Sixth round tie against Arsenal last season showed the attacking capabilities of the twins. A game which was in United’s hands for the whole match, resulting in a 2-0 win, was in a big way helped by the fact the Brazilians were on the wings. Some saw this a questionable decision and there were complaints of United playing seven defenders (O’Shea was in midfield too). I didn’t feel the same. To call Fabio and Rafael defenders is not completely accurate and I was very exciting to see how they would relish the chance of being given full responsibility of the flanks. They did very well, Fabio even got a goal. The performance of the twins on the wing rang something home to me. As new kind of full backs for United has Ferguson been hatching a plan around them?

     One of the key components in Barcelona’s midfield outnumbering teams is full back Dani Alves ability to move from the back to give an extra man in midfield and can often give Barca a twelfth man. Whilst this can seem a dangerous move in that it may leave a team short at the back Barcelona don’t tend to lose the ball in the midfield with this ploy and when they do they have the players there to crowd the opposition and prevent any counter. It is therefore possible that the Brazilian twins are part of Ferguson’s elaborate plan to play the game in the midfield. It could even be possible that a defensive, destructive midfielder would be used to allow both Rafael and Fabio to push up whilst the midfielder drops back. Could this work? After all I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of what kind of football Brazilians are known for playing. 

Is Fergie fighting inflation?

Yesterday it became apparent Manchester United were to complete a move for Blackburn’s Phil Jones, the reported transfer fee for the 19 year old is thought to be around £16 million. This figure alone shows the drastic change in transfer fees since the days of 1993 when Sir Alex and Manchester United themselves broke the British record transfer fee to sing Roy Keane for at the time a huge £3.75 million, (I think Sunderland have offered more than that for Darron Gibson). However does Phil Jones’ transfer fee also show a movement in Fergie’s fight against transfer fee inflation?  

    Last January Chelsea completed the £50million transfer of Fernando Torres who had a disappointing start to life at his new club, achieving just a single goal in the second half of the season he spent there. In large contrast to this Manchester United took a punt last summer. Javier Hernandez was unheard of by most in England (he wasn’t even renowned for being good on Football Manager like most future stars). His reported £6 million transfer seemed a bit of an odd one to fans. However these doubts soon went out the window as the Mexican striker started to impress with his goals. At around £44million less Hernandez made a much bigger impact on Manchester United last season than Torres did on Chelsea.

    The seemingly bizarre signing of Hernandez was joined by that of the equally odd arrival of Chris Smalling. The defender has made few appearances for former club Fulham, one of them featured him scoring a decisive own goal in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea. However SAF and his scouts must have seen something the rest of us missed, or hadn’t been looking for. United completed the transfer with the fee believed to be around £8million. This seemed like an extraordinary amount for the player. Yet, like Hernandez, Smalling started to show his worth. With Ferdinand regularly being absent from the team with injury Smalling soon found himself as primary cover ahead of Jonny Evans.

   Aforementioned Ferdinand cost United yet another British record transfer fee of £30million for his services. I don’t think there are many United fans who would begrudge this transfer though due to Ferdinand’s importance to the club. The probable move of Phil Jones to Old Trafford has already begun the questioning of his role in the team. It is likely he is a long term answer to life after Ferdinand and Vidic. It looks quite possible he has been signed with a vision of a pairing with Smalling so the two are prepared to step in, and immediately take over when the time comes for Ferdinand and Vidic to vacate their positions. If this is the plan it is a very strategic one as the two are also quite possibly the two most promising young English centre-backs, and so may be teamed for club and country giving them experience of playing together at all levels. However not only may this move be strategic on the pitch it may also be strategic in the transfer market.

   As I’ve already covered Ferdinand alone cost the club £30million and to be fair it was a good use of £30million in football. However I cannot imagine how much the pairing of Vidic and Ferdinand would have been valued at in the past few seasons. Whilst the fee of £8million for an unproven Smalling and £16million for only 19 year old Jones may seem a lot, in a few seasons United may well be laughing with these signings. The combined cost of bringing United’s potential future defensive pairing would be around £24million. This is less than the amount United nine years ago for just one of their key centre backs.

    The last time United paid the kind of price currently being paid for top players was the signing of Berbatov in 2008. Since then Ferguson has been taking his chances on mainly young players with lower transfer fees such as Obertan, Bebe, Hernandez and Smalling. The only slightly higher fee he paid was for Valencia who amongst some of the current top transfer fees has justified his own. Whilst Obertan and Bebe have still to prove their prices, and hopefully will get more playing time to do so in the future, Hernandez and Smalling are working towards paying theirs off and more. With another potential transfer coup in Phil Jones has Fergie found a way round the rising fees?        

Fergie swoops to snatch Jones

Reports are claiming that as I write this Blackburn Rovers defender Phil Jones is undergoing a medical at Manchester United.

    Jones, who is just 19, has had an impressive season for the Rovers playing a large chunk of their games, looking solid at the back. A notable season has seen him attract interest from a number of Premiership clubs with Arsenal and Liverpool thought to be looking to add him to their back lines. It has also become apparent today that rumoured United target Henderson is likely to join Liverpool. However it now appears that the Red Devils have acted fast and out of the blue to snatch England Under-21 international Jones from the clutches of their Merseyside rivals.

   What will this probable transfer mean for United? When hit with injuries Ferguson’s back four has sometimes looked a bit stretched, shaky and uncomfortable. If the usually rock-solid duo of Ferdinand and Vidic are ever absent this is when the jittery defence becomes noticeable.

     Chris Smalling has had a strong first season and is proving that another of SAF’s questionable signings is paying off. Whilst he has been impressive he has not yet gained the experience to organise the back line, nor has he quite established the on-field presence of Vidic and Ferdinand.

    Jonny Evans has been one of the more susceptible individuals to the shaky defence syndrome. He appeared to be developing well during the 09/10 season, however last season his performances took a bit of a dip and he did not always look too confident at the back. A few slip-ups saw Smalling surpass him as third choice centre back.  However Evans has still shown he has the potential to be a solid defender in the future and maybe a loan outing next season, seeing him get week-in week-out first team football, will do him good. This signing of Jones may allow Evans to go out on loan whilst more room is made as aging legs grow older.

    It is no secret Ferdinand does not have too many seasons left in him as an every week first team starter. 32 year old Ferdinand has regularly suffered injuries preventing him from playing as much as United fans would like and has needed frequent cover in the form of Smalling. With Phil Jones only being 19, and Ferguson apparently building for the future this may be a signing intended as Ferdinand’s future replacement with the opportunity for him to step in as cover.

   Jones is also capable of playing a defensive midfield role, something which may be useful to United’s squad. Whilst it is possible he would step into this role whilst breaking through it is unlikely Ferguson would spend the reported money on a player to attempt to try and change his position.

    Wes Brown is looking like a likely departure from United with him struggling for games and fitness last season. This exit would see more room made for a younger defender, such as Jones, in the squad.

    At the age of 19, Jones would also not take up space in the Premier League squad registration as the rules allow for unlimited amount of players under the age of 21.

    It appears this deal is a certainty and the only details left are the nitty gritty particulars. One possibility of the deal is striker Mame Biram Diouf, who was on loan at Blackburn last season, could go the other way.

    Exciting prospect Jones looks to be starting Ferguson’s summer buying as he looks to revamp his United squad and build for the future.      

Trying To Make Sense Of United's Transfer Twaddle

It’s that time of year... Players are spotted coming out of a Greggs in the Manchester city centre and so journalists pen their imminent move to United. This results in, potentially, about five new starting elevens being signed every transfer window. However with a slight transition period at Old Trafford it’s actually seeming likely this time maybe there is substance to the odd rumour.

    Firstly it is almost definite a new goalkeeper will arrive at United this summer and it seems almost pointless speculating over the name. It appears Atletico Madrid’s stopper David De Gea will be packing his bags for Manchester once he has completed his international duty with Spain in the European Under-21 Championship. The deal looked almost done but has been delayed presumably due to De Gea wanting to focus on the tournament in hand.

    Ashley Young pops up in the speculation every transfer window and has done for seasons now. This time though it looks likely the England international will leave Aston Villa, who despite looking likely to break in to the Champions League at one point have very much regressed  in the past couple of seasons. This time around United have been one of the clubs strongly linked to the winger along with rivals Liverpool. When the rumours first started to circulate I thought Liverpool would be the preference with a higher probability of first team football. However Young has expressed his wish to compete at the highest level and particularly the Champions League. Will United respond to Young’s hint dropping?

   One thing which is strange about the Ashley Young rumour is that United already have Nani, Valencia and Park all already competing for the wide midfield roles in the first team, not to forget Obertan and Bebe also play this role. This and the fact in the past SAF has not usually had more players than needed in one position, often relying on the reserves or changing a player’s position rather than having mass back-up, made me think rumours of Young moving to United will fade away. Instead, as the days go on, the rumours seem to be stronger and the move more likely. Therefore I cannot help wonder whether this paving the way for a departure.

    Nani has been linked with a move away. Despite being voted the Player’s Player Of The Year at the club he did not start in the Champions League final which was not surprising. Valencia when available appears to be SAF’s first choice for the right flank with Park and Nani sharing the left. Whilst Nani still gets regular first team football in this system he may decide he fancies a guaranteed starting place and a bit more sun than Manchester offers. After an impressive season it may also be an opportune time for United to cash in.

    Park Ji-Sung’s contract is coming to an end in a year and he does not seem to have been offered a new one, he will be 31 when it ends. However it is unlikely Young will be targeted now to replace Park in a year, and it is also possible Park will be offered the one year rolling contract which seems popular among the older players at United.

    One player who I do not expect to see in a United shirt in the new season is Samir Nasri. The Arsenal attacker has not signed a new contract with the Gunners with his ending in a year. Somewhere down the line this has resulted in the Frenchman being linked to a move to United, fuelled by untidy journalism which has seen old statements by Rio Ferdinand praising the player. Ferdinand has confirmed via his Twitter page that they are old statements which he made before any speculation arose. If Nasri’s contract was to run out next season then an Old Trafford move may well be likely and to sign him on a free would be a great bit of business. However new deal or not I can’t see Arsenal allowing him to move to Premier League title rivals United this season and will probably allow his contract to run down first.

      Charlie Adam’s name is being bouncing around the Premier League more than Ian Holloway would care to imagine. Of course Manchester United have been linked. Adam, very much a big, trophy fish in a small, tangerine pond last season, would have a lot to prove to join a club like United. However that said, with Scholes’ retirement, Adam could slot into the midfield nicely at United. He would presumably only be a squad player, but a useful one at that with the ability to pick out an attacking move with his vision for a good pass. He could just be the compensation for the world class passing ability the team will be missing from Scholes.

      The name most linked to United is, if you haven’t heard this story then come out of your cave, Wesley Sneijder. Whilst this at one point seemed to be a deal United would do anything to secure, proceedings seemed to have gone hazy at late. Everything has been said about this move; United want him, Sneijder wants to leave, Sneijder doesn’t want to leave, Inter won’t let him leave, City want to hijack any move United make for him, and now even Guus Hiddink wants him if he goes to Chelsea. It seems to be too difficult to call whether the Dutch midfield maestro will leave and if so where to, however it does seem certain United have a patch or two they want to cover in the midfield.

      Luka Modric of Tottenham has also been linked after impressing since his move to London from Dinamo Zagreb. I imagine any move for him would be under the condition of either/or with Sneijder Sniejder being the probable first choice of the two.

    The rumours of moves for Sneijder and Modric suggests United are in the market for a midfield playmaker. This takes us to Germany and Borussia Dortmund where Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa is reported to have shown an interest in talking to United if they were to make an offer. However it is more likely that United will have scouts monitor the player further and contemplate a move for him in the future.

   Ferguson is also likely to miss out on a couple of his rumoured targets. Youngsters Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have both been linked to moves to bigger clubs this summer. Moves for the two are unlikely as Ferguson prioritises building his squad for next year and filling spaces in the midfield with players more guaranteed to come in and perform instantly.

   With three or four new players promised to United fans let’s hope some of the exciting names mentioned do have substance to them, rather than having to disappointedly greet the next Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson at Old Trafford. 

Wayne Rooney – Because He’s Worth It

Have you ever seen a film called ‘There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble’?

If you haven’t then:

1)     You should buy it on DVD, it’s most likely £3 online.

2)     The plot is about a boy who dreams of being a footballer and playing for Manchester City, which we shall ignore for the sake of this article, however he is not particularly good. This is until he is given a pair of old boots by a woman who lives in a derelict house (I’m selling it to you aren’t I?). When he wears the old boots he plays fantastically and leads his school football team to the cup final.

In the end it turns out that Jimmy Grimble does not actually need the boots to play well and he just believed they made him play better, when really he was good all along.

    So, the point I am coming round to is that maybe the news splashed across the tabloids that Wayne Rooney has visited a hair clinic and had a hair transplant may be the best bit of business United will do all Summer.

    Rooney has been a great player for United and for a long time the mention of his name will ring the memory of his fantastic overhead kick against City in my head. Rooney however is also very prone to dry spells in which everything just seems to go wrong for him. In these dry spells he spends his game losing the ball, missing good chances and getting angry at the two previous failings. The passion Rooney shows when on the pitch surely shows he is one player who does not deserve to fall victim to these shortcomings. During these patches he tries hard to get over them until the form and goals return and again he looks like a world class player.

   Whilst Jimmy Grimble had the lucky boots on his feet he did no wrong on the pitch and scored every match, there certainly seemed to be no dry spells. The theory I’m slowly coming round to, if you have not guessed it already, is that Rooney’s hair may do for him and United what Jimmy Grimble’s old boots did for him and his school team.

   Fans surely must be looking forward to Rooney emerging on to the Old Trafford pitch sporting his new barnet. However not only are all fans looking forward to seeing his new look, we should be excited for his performances with his new found hair growth. I am not saying, as ‘There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble’ initially suggests, that this change will be the cause of better playing (this is something for scientists to research, not me). I am also not ruling out this possibility. The other possibility is that the better playing of United’s star will, as actually happens in the film, come from the belief of his hair. Rooney may be spurred on in future matches purely by the feel of the wind rushing through his long, luscious locks as he runs down the flank.

    Barcelona and United’s English counterparts shall have to prepare for and fear the return of Manchester United next season as this time around they shall be armed with the potentially unstoppable force of Wayne Rooney’s hair. 

Proud To Follow United

Sir Alex himself had to bow to Barcelona’s excellence and admitted his side received a ‘hiding’, as his choice of word to describe the defeat United suffered at the hands of the Champions League champions. Yet still I have never been prouder to be red.

      To say the current squad has been labelled the weakest United team in a while, winning the Premier League by a nine point gap is quite a triumph. The team have battled through injuries to key players this season and come out on top, quite a way on top. Damage to his squad has seen Ferguson utilise squad players and get the best out of them. Darron Gibson is a key example of this, having been called upon more often than he probably expected himself. Whilst being a matter of debate between United fans, some think him a good player whilst others believe him not cut from the right thread for United, he has still put the shifts in this season and helped in digging out some vital results. Mixed views aside Gibson has been a useful squad player this season, and I also have to recall the early days of Fletcher when he was but a squad player yet fully proven. This season Gibson has illustrated wonderfully the quality of depth in the squad and the resources Ferguson has had to call upon.

    A perfect highlight of the success of United’s season comes in the package of a small, smiley Mexican. What a bargain Hernandez has been. Bravo SAF. Chicharito started capturing the hearts of United fans from the moment he skilfully fooled Hilário in the Community Shield by blasting his shot into his own face to send it past the Chelsea keeper. Twenty goals in his first season before even establishing himself as first team starter has made him a fantastic signing. His tendency to come off the bench and grab a vital goal has already started the comparisons to United legend and previous bargain Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

     Another underestimated United signing who has shown through his time at the club that a quality signing does not require big money is Park Ji-Sung. Since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2005 Park has progressed each year to go from utility player to key attacker. His endless bustling among defenders and durable work rate has made him a United favourite and a frequent match winner. All for £4 million. Another SFA bargain.   

     Back on to the ‘hiding’ United received from Barcelona. Whilst United were completely outplayed come the full time whistle I was still proud to be red. I could not think of any team in the world at that time who would not have fallen apart to the Spanish mastercrafts. My heart dropped and fears were confirmed when Barcelona broke through to go ahead. At the other extreme my heart jumped and hopes were confirmed when Rooney’s one-two with Giggs resulted in him calmly slipping the ball past Valdez. A reply within 8 minutes showed a fighting attitude from United and instilled a bit of hope into red hearts. Unfortunately this hope faded as Barcelona continued after the goal as if nothing had happened. Yet the one goal United scored was one better than in the 2009 final.

   Michael Carrick put in as much of an impressive performance as could be expected against a seemingly unmatchable Barcelona team. I’ve found myself throughout the season using Carrick as a scapegoat for which I admit I am ashamed. However whilst scapegoat is harsh Carrick has not been the same standard as he has been in past seasons. Yet against Barcelona he got in amongst their midfield masterminds as much as he could and he looked the most comfortable United player on the ball. He took his time to find a pass rather than finding a Barcelona defender at the other end of the field. If Carrick shows signs of returning to previous form then not only has this season been one to be proud of but next season is one to look forward to.  

   Despite not being able to put up much of a challenge to the rampant Barcelona, United’s Champions League campaign was still very much one to be proud of to cap off a successful season. Well done United and thank you for yet another great season. 

Messi is not the best team in the world.

If Barcelona don’t win the Champions League on Saturday night this Lionel Messi bloke is going to have a lot to answer for.

    Every article I read, every interview I hear seems to discard any chance of Manchester United beating Barcelona. The reason behind the majority of these claims appears to be one man, one very skilful man, one man with 52 goals this season. But all the same, it’s just one man.

    I’m not going to argue Messi is not the best player in the world at the moment as I fully agree with everyone else that he may well be, and is certainly somewhere up at the top at the very least. It took the patience of 76 minutes but Messi eventually ripped Real Madrid apart in the two sides’ first leg semi-final clash, and then did it again before the 90 minutes was up. His success rate this year has been near immaculate with such a high tally of goals scored. However best player or not, the saying still goes “There is no ‘I’ in team”.

   Of course I acknowledge the fact Barcelona have an array of talent and other world-class players alongside Messi. I am not debating whether or not Barcelona are actually the best team in the world or not though. I am questioning the fact that many people, so called professionals and average Joes alike, are certain Barcelona will win because they have Messi.

   Leave Messi in the team and take away Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and Villa and I would not see Barcelona as half the threat they are now. Having these players around him allows Messi to play his own game and still have the backing of other world beaters. Without them you would see a different Messi, struggling for space and the ball. To put a whole Champions League’s final on the man’s shoulders is ridiculous.

    In the 2009 Champions League final United had Cristiano Ronaldo in their line up to face Barcelona. Ronaldo, the one man who many would see as being able to equate to Messi. One man, who at the time was also in great form, scoring goals for fun. However that night United were trampled by Barcelona with Ronaldo making little impact.

    I am not trying to settle the matter of who is the best team in the world. Whilst Barcelona are obvious contenders for that spot I can’t help but think many are rejecting any challenge from United because of Barca’s individuals. The stance seems to be that Lionel Messi makes the world’s best team. However United don’t so much have a team of world-class individuals, more a world-class team. The names Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick may not quite match the global magnitude of Xavi and Iniesta. Nor would Park Ji-Sung fetch a transfer fee as hefty as Pedro would. But this is not the point.

     There is no denying Barcelona have a team of amazing players, many of whom would walk in to any other team on the planet. Nevertheless their opponents on Saturday night have an amazing team. A team of players who all work so well together. A team which has been called the worst United team in a long time, reflected in the fact they could only win the English Premier League by 9 points this season.

     Saturday’s monumental match is a difficult one to call but one thing is for sure. Lionel Messi will not single handedly beat a world class team and win the Champions League.