UnitedBlog - Manchester United Blog

Manchester United V Barca CL Final 2011 fan video preview

 

Video: Rooney bicycle kick winner against Man City

5 observations from the season opener

And the action is BACK!The wait was excruciating, especially since the kick off was further delayed till Monday, but boy it was well worth the wait. Although it's too early and unwise to draw broad conclusions, it is a good start. Remember we lost to a promoted side on the opening day last season. So although we''ll have many tougher fixtures ahead, the result of this one was never a certainity.

Here's are some quick observations from the game.

5. Joey Barton is a muppet.

4. Chicharito is human, afterall. I don't think there was a game between the World Cup and today that he hadn't scored in. Sir Alex thought he was a bit 'over anxious' and I agree. It's only a matter of time before he gets on the score sheet and then it'll be hard to stop him.

3. Everyone needs to get off Rooney's back. It's the first game of the season FFS!

2. Evra is out to bust the 'pre season is important' myth. He had no problems with playing almost the entire game at good pace. Training for match fitness is for mortals.

1. Scholes is God. One of the most dominating midfield display you'll see all season. Incredible pass completion rate.Check out his passing chalkboard courtesy of the Guardian and Zonal Marking.

 

 

The beauty and the beast: Holland V Spain World Cup Final Preview

Alright, I am making an exception and doing a world cup final preview of sorts on this blog. So play along.

There's a lot of interesting talk before the biggest game of the spectacle - most experts out there are calling it for Spain. Oranje, the perennial 'nearly men' of the International football scene will have to wait longer, it seems and the Spaniards, the proponents of the beautiful game, are the favorites going into Sunday. While that prediction is fairly reasonable by itself, what I'm not convinced by is the theory that this result is "better" for football.The dutch are being dutchered for abandoning the 'total football' philosophy that got them their fan base (and not as many trophies) and Spain are seen to be upholding the values of the game that appeal to the discerning viewers.

Take for example, this Brian Philips piece in the slate that argues that all fans should 'root for holland to lose'. It talks at length about how this side doesn't uphold the legacy of total football that's so inherently associated with the dutch football team and then ends with:

"Nevertheless, Spain's style is a similarly coherent, and similarly beautiful, approach to the game. And that's why I hope Spain will win the World Cup on Sunday. It's not because I don't like Holland; it's because I like the history of Holland so much."

Barney Ronay, on the other hand, notes that Spain are often boring, and claims that it's the evolution of the game (away from it's roots) that's caused this Spain side to adapt to it's style.

"But still the feeling persists that this is an oddly frictionless excellence; that Spain play a kind of platinum-selling dinner party football – Coldplay Football – that is clearly and undeniably high spec, but also devoid of jarringly revelatory spikes and twists. Playing against Spain must feel a little like playing a chess computer: strangled, impotent, you gawp helplessly at its robotic grace."

Even if you disagree, those are interesting takes. However, I often feel we get carried away with labeling sides and imposing our standards on a team/country based on outdated stereotypes. I didn't like this Brazil side and that was not because they somehow didn't conform to a Brazilian football blueprint in my mind (they didn't) but because I simply didn't think they were good enough.Often countries produce different teams across eras that have nothing in common and that's OK. If they play to a philosophy and not the currently available skills, they are quickly labeled as tactically naive. If they play to their strengths, like the dutch are in this case, they are labeled to be boring and bad to watch and somehow betraying their founding principles. Although winning may not be everything, it should always be your intention to play to win. How many of you will remember this Chile side and the way they set out against Brazil in 2 months time? Would you place more premium on the fact that this dutch side is still unbeaten through the qualifying campaign and through this WC or diss them as they don't somehow fit the mental model you had in mind for them?

The other difficulty I have with this argument is that often teams that don't win hide behind the excuse of 'hey at least we play beautiful football'. Wenger's Arsenal sides are a prime example of that recently. The aesthetic of the game is sometimes over rated and always subjective. So while Mourniho's Inter perhaps didn't float your boat, they did beat a seemingly invincible Barca side with pure discipline and dogged commitment. Values that are under-rated and perhaps not as glamorous but central to a lot of alternative footballing philosophies. And don't get me wrong, I like myself a 6-4 affair every now and then and dislike teams that generally park the bus and know nothing to do beyond that. But such teams don't go far. And it's unfair to paint this dutch side with the same brush.This team has a couple of 35 year olds in the back four. In Van Bommel and De Jong they have quality defensive midfielders. There's nothing wrong in the system they chose to play with that maximizes their strengths. 2 top notch defensive midfielders protecting the iffy back four and using a fast winger on the break. Total football? Hell no! Effective, functional, maxmimizing their chances to win? - A resounding YES!

Now where I am willing to concede is that it's ok to dislike this team simply because you don't like them. You don't like that Van Bommel can literally get away with assault. That he commits 20 odd fouls in a game and yet doesn't get booked. That Arjen Robben is a prime contender for the Oscars next year and makes Cristiano seem like an apprentice. Those reasons, I will not argue with.

Now let's talk about Spain. Spain's reasons for the system are no different than Holland's.Xavi and Iniesta are once in a generation players who can keep the ball all day. Spain as a team are highly one dimensional and predictable. They'll always have more possession. They'll always out-pass the opponents to death.They never have a plan B (yeah sure, send Pique up front!). But there are very few occasions that they need a plan B.They are playing like this not because of a philosophy but because this crop only knows to play like this.  They don't have tall and buff central forwards to play as target men to launch long balls into, e.g. It maybe 'prettier' to watch I give you that but if it comes to nothing on Sunday, I will still challenge the argument that the result was 'bad' for the game. And that somehow a Holland win reinforces everything that's gone bad with the sport.

The final is beautifully balanced. The dutch system is nicely suited to this Spain side - Van Bommel and De Jong wil set out to disrupt the holy trinity of Xavi/Iniesta/Pedro(presumably). Robben will be a handful on the break and his ability to get set pieces in crucial areas would be key. The German side blew England and Argentina and bossed those games and therefore when faced with this Spanish side, seemed out of ideas as they hardly saw the ball. The dutch however have played sides who played better than them for long spells like Brazil. They should, in theory, be better prepared to cope with ball starvation. Spain on the other hand, won't change a thing. This is how they play. This is how they'll play. It'll be interesting to see if they get to keep as much of the ball as they like. Couple it with the nerves of the big game, we may have a closer affair than many are predicting. One thing in their favor though is Howard Webb. He won't be as lenient with the likes of Bommel and is pretty card happy. All in all, an intriguing game on the cards. A 0-0 after extra time and 5-4 on penalties then, eh? :)

Mini review of Manchester United's 2009-2010 season

Overall Verdict:

Overachieved. See Injuries.

Biggest Factor: Injuries

Around 17 players missed a month or more. Owen's recovery was frustrating, Rio and Vidic hardly played together,Gazza/Brown/EVDS were out for a non-trivial spell, Anderson and Rooney towards the business end. We suffered some setbacks (Fulham) while playing 3 midfielders at the back and a 2nd choice GK. The numbers we had out would have made it difficult for any squad to cope. We did pretty well to push this race to the last game of the season.

Players of the season

Patrice Evra & Wayne Rooney

 

While enough has been said about Rooney, the contribution Evra made this season just can't be ignored. Not only did he play every league game, his threat going forward was often the difference in games where we were lacking spark. And there's no doubt had Rooney been fit for the title run-in, we would have nicked it from Chelsea. (Think Blackburn game and that was the title lost right there)

Disappointments:

1. Berbatov

2. Michael Carrick

3. Anderson

4. Rafael

It's not difficult to guess which camp I belong to wrt to Berbatov. Fergie has categorically said today he won't sell Berbatov this summer. So I'll end it at that. Carrick had a miserable season. He was mediocre at best and very poor in our biggest game of the season and hardly played since. Rumors of a swap deal sending him back to Spurs shouldn't be surprising. Anderson is still a mystery. But I guess it's a risk worth taking - I think there's a good chance he'll come good. Rafael needs mental maturity. He just can't get away with stupidity and hide behind the "too young" excuse. It doesn't count when you play for Man United.

Goals of the season

1. Owen against City

2. Rooney against Arsenal

3. Nani against Munich

Moments of the season

1. Beating Milan home and away

2. Beating City thrice in the injury time, all three crazy games. Rooney, Owen and Scholes with three classic moments of the season.

3. Doing the double over Arsenal

 

Bitter Pill

1. Losing the tie against Bayern - the most disappointing loss in a long while.

2. Losing the home game against Chelsea - ultimately had a big say on where the title went.
3. Losing to Leeds in the FA Cup.

Rooney from the future

From the now highly viral Nike 'write the future' Ad. Not feeling upto commenting on transfer speculation yet, especially since the news is mostly depressing. 

Kumho Tyres and Manchester United Help Kids With Their Crossing

 

 

 
 

Manchester United’s legendary ground turned into the ‘Theatre of Road Safety’ ahead of the game versus Tottenham on Saturday 24th April, with some very special guests in attendance to help launch ‘Play Safer’. 

Developed by Kumho Tyres and the MU Foundation, in conjunction with Greater Manchester Police, ‘Play Safer’ is a unique, new football skills and road safety training programme for children aged 5 to 11 years. 

‘Play Safer’ is the only programme of its kind in the world as it uses the skills of professional footballers – such as vision, awareness, anticipation and control – to teach kids about road safety, which makes it a fun, effective way to save lives. There are ten road safety skill cards to collect in total, featuring tips such as ‘Control it like Berbatov’ and ‘Play it safe like Van der Sar’. 

Children were able to enjoy free ‘Play Safer’ sessions coached by MU Foundation staff, with club mascot Fred the Red and some of the Manchester United Legends such as Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Irwin and Andrew Cole joining in the fun. 

Sir Bobby Charlton said, “I’ve always believed a football club, especially one as big as Manchester United, has a responsibility to contribute to the local community. 

“I’m convinced that by using the power of football and some of our iconic players, this fantastic programme by Kumho Tyres and our own Foundation will help to keep our children safe on the roads.” 

This opinion is shared by all players from the current Manchester United team. South Korean winger Ji-Sung Park believes that “Play Safer is a great way to make children aware of the dangers of crossing roads and riding bikes”, while the Red Devils left back, Frenchman Patrice Evra, reckons that “It’s great to transfer skills such as awareness and vision into helping kids with their crossing”. 

The launch was also attended by John Thrupp, Marketing Director for Kumho Tyres; John Shiels, Chief Executive of the MU Foundation; and Alec McMurchy, Chief Inspector of Greater Manchester Police. 

John Thrupp commented, “At Kumho we take our corporate responsibility very seriously and are committed to helping children stay safe on the roads through initiatives such as ‘Play Safer’. 

“As official sponsor of Manchester United Football Club, our affiliation with the club and our partnership with Greater Manchester Police for this event provided an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of road safety in a fun and engaging way that children both enjoyed and learned from.” 

John Shiels, Chief Executive of the MU Foundation said, “Children’s safety is very important to us at the Foundation and so it was a privilege to work alongside our sponsor in launching the ‘Play Safer’ campaign. 

“The event was great fun and highly educational at the same time and we were delighted at the opportunity to show children how they can use football skills to keep safe on the road.” 

Chief Inspector Alec McMurchy of Greater Manchester Police's Traffic Network Unit concluded, “Public safety is a top priority for Greater Manchester police. ‘Play Safer’ provides an ideal opportunity for children to learn about the risks and dangers associated with our roads. Using football skills and expertise from Manchester United offers an interesting way to equip children with the right knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe.”

Rumor Mill : Diarra(s) and Modric linked to United move

Silly Speculations Begin...

First Mahamadou Diarra is flattered with a United link up:

"I am very flattered to be linked with a prestigious club like Manchester United.They are a top team and on a same level as Madrid. The Premier League is also the top league in the world, so let's wait and see.

I am not playing a lot and at the end of the season I will discuss my situation with all parties and a decision will be taken.I want to play week in, week out like all top players."

His namesake Lassana Diarra has been linked to a United move as well. With speculation rife that Madrid are interested in VIdic and now Evra, there are rumors of Madrid wanting a player exchange deal . Never going to happen.

The last one for today is a purported £25 million move for Spurs midfielder Luka Modric. This is solely fuelled by Fergie's comment in the match programme :

“And I give you another wee man who’ll be at Old Trafford this afternoon: Luka Modric, who is playing out of his skin at the moment”

This has journos believing Fergie is eyeing Modric as a long term Scholes replacement - like that was even possible. Even though these are pure speculations, it's interesting that most of the early names are midfielders and not strikers as those must have been the easiest rumors to fuel at this stage. But I guess there's plenty of time left in the summer to indulge in that.

Congrats Roonster!

 

Congrats to Wayne Rooney on being named the PFA Player of the year. Well deserved!

Why Foster should stay at Old Trafford

This is a guest post by Tom Mallows

I have to say I disagree with the comments Peter Shilton made about Ben Foster this week.

The former England 'keeper, who I suppose with 125 caps to his name, does have the right to voice an opinion, believes Foster should leave Old Trafford in order to save his England career.

I can see his point. Shilton is arguing that first team football is vital to any 'keeper with England aspirations and had Foster played more this season he would have been in contention for a World Cup spot.

Although, given the desperate state of our goalkeepers at the moment this isn't very difficult. England are third favourites in the World Cup odds but without a quality 'keeper they will struggle.

However, I believe that if Foster does leave he would be making a mistake. 

First of all United's number one, Edwin Van Der Sar is 40 this year and he clearly won't be playing for much longer. Foster already gets opportunities to show his talent in cup games so he does get time on the park.

And from what we have seen he has not yet convinced us he is ready to be England's number one anyway so what use would more games be? It is the question mark over his ability and not a lack of games that has stopped him claiming and England spot.

Also to be understudy to such an experienced keeper is a bonus. Foster should watch and learn from the Dutchman knowing that in one or two years he will have the chance to succeed him.

The likes of Nigel Martyn, David Seaman and even Shilton himself played into their late 30s and early 40s, so the goalkeeper's shelf life is a lot longer than that of outfield players. Foster, who turned 27 this month, has time on his side and needn't panic.

Also if he does leave, where will he go? Manchester United are the biggest club in the world, so leaving them will always be a step down.

The rest of the big four, Spurs, Villa, Everton and even City have established number ones so his isn't guaranteed games there either.

You rarely get a second chance at United so if Foster jumped ship I think he would live to regret it.

Meanwhile, the Premier League odds suggest United are still in with an excellent chance of landing yet another title.