There was a period after Everton’s opener, as the chaos that tends to follow goals descended, when one couldn’t help but wonder whether this would end in another Arsenal collapse. Yet this game will be remembered for it’s contrast with Arsenal’s 3-0 loss in the corresponding fixture last season. This time Arsenal came back. This time Arsenal had character. Here are the THREE things we learned from Everton v Arsenal:
Stones will have to wait his turn
Stones excelled when deputising for the injured Jagielka last term, so much so that many speculated as to whether he would keep his place in central defence. Martinez included Stones at right-back for their opening fixture but Coleman’s performance against Arsenal would suggest that Stones is going to have to be patient for his next run in the team.
Ozil can’t be trusted out wide
Mesut Ozil is no orthodox winger but can be effective out wide once he’s not expected to do too much defending. Why Wenger then chose to pick the German here when facing a marauding full-back in Coleman is unknown. It’s beginning to feel like the Arsenal is going to have to play the German in his favoured No. 10 role or not at all.
Giroud needs to start
Arsene Wenger cited ‘World Cup fatigue’ in his explanation of why he’d left Giroud on the bench again but this is a hard reason to accept when those, such as Mesut Ozil, who went further into the competition and are back in the starting line-up. Giroud may not be the striker that many Arsenal feel they need but he’s certainly the best one they’ve got.
What makes a great champion? Is it the ability to produce the goods even when the performances haven’t been quite there? Or perhaps even the ability to not just attain success, but to sustain it, too? When evaluating the merits of Manchester United’s seemingly inevitable 20th league championship, it seems both of the above have played a prominent part.
With 15 points now separating United with second placed Manchester City, bar what would be something of a cataclysmic disaster, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side are all but guaranteed the Premier League crown this season.
In fact, should the gulf between themselves and their Manchester rivals increase even further, the men from Old Trafford only need another three more points to equal the record 18 point gap they amassed between themselves and runners-up Arsenal during the 1999-2000 season.
Yet in spite of such potentially record-breaking feats lying in wait for the Red Devils at the end of this campaign, such achievements seem to contradict the background of doubt and the underwhelming aura that seems to have underpinned their 2012-13 season. Should – perhaps that should read ‘when’ – they lift the trophy, the feeling is that it will be heralded more as business as usual, rather than a victory for the ages.
So why is it that Manchester United’s potentially historic league-winning season is being greeted with such dampened enthusiasm?
Given the fact that Ferguson’s team ambled on with one of the leakiest defenses in the entire top ten of the Premier League for the first half of the season, it feels truly remarkable that they can find themselves sitting on such an unprecedented cushion of points.
United entered the New Year having conceded a staggering 28 goals after 21 games – more than anyone else in the top ten within the league. Indeed, before their 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford back in January, the clean sheet total stood at an alarming five. So chastising was their habit of going behind in games, Sir Alex Ferguson described his side’s lack of concentration as their ‘Achilles heel’ in the aftermath of coming from two behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 back in November.
And a mere seven days after that inspired comeback against Paul Lambert’s men, United suddenly found themselves a point behind City, after their disastrous 1-0 defeat to Norwich saw them throw away a mini five point lead in a matter of days. Far from looking like a record-breaking season, Ferguson’s men were heading into Christmas enduring what many observed to be a campaign beset by defensive flaws and inconsistency.
But in amongst the raft of clichés that surround Manchester United within the Premier League, the most prevalent ones remain clichés for good reason. And alongside the one denoting how they usually start to kick on after the festive period, is the observation that they have a rather consistent habit of winning football matches without playing particularly real; not so much a clever knack, rather a mastered art.
In their final game of 2012, United proved exactly what champions were made of in what feels like something of a fitting motif for the season that they’ve enjoyed so far. For large spells of their 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion, while the side looked confident going forward, they were given a real run for their money by Steve Clarke’s side at times. Whereas in past campaigns, this was the sort of game they would have eased to victory in, here, they made hard graft of winning all three points.
But the only thing that ultimately mattered was the three points, and tellingly, it was them who finished seven points clear of City come the end of 2012, despite the usually-well oiled outfit often grinding their way to victory, as opposed to easing to it.
Yet while their strength in the face of defensive adversity – not to mention what’s been a searing improvement in their rearguard over the last few weeks – it’s perhaps the looming spectre of a fading City side that have inadvertently played their part in raining upon their rival’s parade.
Where as their record 18-point winning margin over Arsenal in 2000 was achieved with the glittering bulk of their treble-winning side the season before, amongst a cascade of goals – a stunning 97, to be precise – their 15-point gap has perhaps owed as much to the futile title defense that Mancini’s men have produced, as much as their own searing efforts.
As much can be said for sustaining glory, as there can be in initially attaining it and for Manchester City to find themselves so far out of reach of their rivals when United have hardly been enjoying a vintage season themselves, feels woefully disappointing.
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Mancini may feel that the signing of Robin van Persie has been the difference between the two sides, but for as good as he is, he’s not been the sole catalyst for a staggering 15-point improvement on a team that finished level on points with The Citizens last term. And in conceding the title this season, perhaps the Italian has witnessed first-hand what it takes to retain it.
Regardless of whether Manchester United break the all time margin of victory record for a league title, their campaign will never be remembered as a classic and as much as they owe that to some of their early season performances, it’s their rival’s fate that has also made that a reality.
But in managing to lift the title amongst such a torrent of relatively meagre praise, Ferguson’s team have perhaps reminded us that grit, steel and efficiency are just as valuable traits in a champion, as headline winning last-gasp finishes. Certainly, their 20th title won’t be as memorable as City’s third, but it may just be all the more impressive.
When a club has a great history, it is important that they continue to achieve and improve as there is only so long that they can live off past success as a measure of being a big club.
Now I have a lot of respect for Liverpool FC, their fans, and what they have achieved in the game however I feel they are no longer fulfilling their ambition and their transfer dealings in recent seasons are a huge factor why.
If we look at it in the sense that they are currently a top four challenger rather than a title contender, are they even signing players on a par with Tottenham who currently sit fourth?
The big difference for me is the lack of value for money in Liverpool’s transfers. It is understandable that not being involved in the Champions League in recent years has made it difficult for the club to attract the leading names in the game, however splashing out ludicrous amounts of money on the likes of Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll, and Stewart Downing isn’t acceptable, and the fans have a right to moan. The money spent would suggest Liverpool’s ambitions remain high and that they should really be making an assault on the title, but the harsh reality is that they are a long way off.
If you look at Spurs’ transfer dealings over the course of this season, they come across as quite schrewd bits of business. The acquisitions of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele, and Hugo Lloris for a collective amount in the region of £45million. This to me is wise spending and still fits into Liverpool’s action plan of signing players for the future with the latter 3 listed already looking like they will have big parts to play in the clubs future, while it could be argued Sigurdsson still has the potential to as well.
Since finishing second in the league in the 2008/09 season, four points behind Manchester United, Liverpool have collectively spent over £50million more than the Red Devils have on players, so it has to be questioned as to why they are languishing 22 points behind them in the current table.
Last season Dalglish brought in Henderson, Adam, Downing, and Enrique for a combined total of around £50million. Enrique is the only one out of those who can be regarded as a success so far and if you add on the £35million wasted on Carroll in the January window the season before, this is money that if spent wisely, I believe could have seen Liverpool making a serious assault on breaking the top 3 at least.
Dalglish is a Kop legend and rightly so for what he did in his playing days, as well as his first stint managing the team. However, he along with former director of football Damien Comolli need to shoulder a fair share of the blame for the clubs current situation. Admittedly former managers, Hodgson, Benitez , and even current boss Rodgers have wasted money themselves but not to the extent of spending over £100million where only one or two out of that money invested can be regarded as a success.
Comolli was recently quoted by the Daily Mail as defending the deals which he made with Dalglish, saying “We did 26 deals and to think we wouldn’t make any mistakes in such a huge number of deals in and out would be totally unrealistic.”
It can be argued that the likes of Henderson who has improved in recent weeks, is one for the future, but will he ever be good enough to take Liverpool and their fans to what they want to achieve? I think it’s questionable and will probably prove a gamble that doesn’t pay off.
It has left Rodgers in a position where he is having to cover for the mistakes that have been made, and has turned to the clubs youth products, with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom being blooded into the first team this season. Luckily for Liverpool, Rodgers is renowned for his work with bringing through young prospects so they are in safe hands as far as this goes. He has also spent though, bringing in the likes of Fabio Borini, Joe Allen, and Daniel Sturridge in for 10, 15, and £12million respectively. These all still need to prove themselves, although Sturridge has started well.
One which has worked for the Reds from the Dalglish reign is the capture of Luis Suarez, and this is the bit of business that may make his failed signings slightly easier to forgive. The Uruguayan has built up his reputation as one of the most lethal strikers in the game, albeit a controversial one. Unlike Balotelli at Manchester City though, who often finds himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons himself, Suarez is producing on the pitch, which makes the negatives easier to look past.
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It is vital that they hold onto him and build the team around him now, something which Champions League qualification will only help. The best players want to be performing on Europe’s biggest stage, and there is only so long Suarez is likely to accept playing for an under achieving side.
While the philosophy of signing young players for the future has to be commended, Liverpool need to wise up with their transfer dealings in terms of how much they deem a player is worth if they are to get back to the status they want and avoid making a loss on players who are signed for too much, but fail to produce the goods.
One of the innate problems with the TV phenomena of rolling news is that events of importance (or things) aren’t always happening. That’s not strictly true of course. Things are always happening somewhere, to someone. A child is born, a heart is broken, a youtube video of a yawning kitten acquires another racist comment, but things that viewers care about, or might feasibly be expected to care about by TV executives, aren’t.
Rolling news on the other hand is always happening, and like an obese child between meals it needs to turn to cheaply processed crap to fill the void & sustain itself.
To rolling news, sport is already filler. The comparatively insignificant fluff piece tacked on the end of the hour’s genuine events. A whole channel dedicated to it seems indulgent at best, only marginally more insane than Channel 5’s Entertainment news, or anything on ITV2. What can you do when the things between the things that aren’t happening, aren’t happening?
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And so we get the mind-spasm that is Sky Sports News. Where filler is an art form, footage of 4X4s with tinted windows is a dramatic top of the hour teaser and for two days a year – in moments of almost Zen parody – their own reporters reporting the news, is actually news.
When the producer was asked to find pundits to fill up a few minutes talking about the 10 year anniversary of Roman Abramovich’s daring transfer swoop for Chelsea Football Club, I’d like to imagine they chose Matthew Syed with a full knowledge of the thoughtful, intelligent, antagonistic role he’d play. I say I’d like to, because if they did, the rest of the panel wouldn’t have equipped themselves so hopelessly, like gawping fish watching their beloved partners passionately ravaged by John Terry on the dance floor at their own wedding.
In what was intended as another banal smug fest with all the insightful debate of The One Show interviewing Status Quo about a Greatest Hits album, Times journalist Syed launched into a detailed, impassioned attack on the morality and consequences of Abramovich’s takeover. If you missed it, take a look here.
Tony Cascarino, cast in the role of “For” – the mighty Norse God of incoherent sycophancy – to Syed’s “Against” looked particularly lost. Mentally dry docked by Syed’s tirade, and looked to by his paymaster brethren Jim White & Kirsty Gallacher to restore inane platitudes to the chaos of intelligent discussion that had carelessly broken out, Tony couldn’t find a foothold. For a good 30 seconds he was genuinely flailing – speaking, but with clearly no semblance of thought forming in his mind. Trying to grasp desperately on to a word that might feasibly fit with the last one he said. He was working his way through a sentence one word at a time. Like a child. It was fascinating to watch.
Gallacher fared worse. Finding herself deeper in a highbrow conversation than the London College of Fashion had ever prepared her for, she swung desperately what she hoped would be a sucker punch.
“That said, though, that said Matthew – I just wanted to pick up – I mean, you’ve said what you’ve said about the situation, the political situation, where the money came from; he HAS put Chelsea on the map, he’s put British football on the map whether it’s spending in excess or not. The reason for Premier League’s standing as one of the most exciting – uh you know – football leagues in the world now is surely because of Chelsea…?”
And a sucker punch it was. To everyone watching. To Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, and even Chelsea themselves, who’d been attracting the likes of Gullit, Vialli and Zola, and even won a European Trophy before the Russian had even journeyed to these shores to see the fabled Champions League tie that would allegedly spark his love of the game.
The sentence “he’s put British football on the map” should be a sackable offence itself on a channel where the minimum requirement should be to know at least a little about sports. It should be chiselled onto her gravestone. It should be shouted at her in the street. Of all the hand wringing that this kind of discussion wasn’t appropriate for a sports debate, THIS was by far the most offensive thing said.
And hand wringing there was. So accustomed to empty platitudes, easy questions and pally inside jokes have the viewing public become that any semblance of a serious discussion was viewed in some quarters as unfair. Syed wasn’t playing by the rules. They weren’t expecting it. There’s no place for that kind of thing on a sports show.
But why shouldn’t there be? Sky do punditry better than anyone, which is fine for their broadcast coverage, but how can it justify a 24-hour news program reporting largely on football when there’s no actual football on without engaging in anything more serious than Jim White’s Deadline Day Superhero fantasies and Joey Barton’s confused tweeting? Why should anchors and ex-pros be paid exorbitant amounts of money to sit behind a desk and give us less intelligent discussion than a reddit thread? Why should we have to watch a 20 minute segment celebrating the achievements of a man who’s only contribution to British sports is to be very rich and plough a lot of money into a football club, without asking any serious questions? Why should a network that already tries to whitewash football pre-1992 and whose coverage of sport not broadcast by them is pathetic and grudging at best (Wimbledon is relegated to a scroll bar and a segment that seems to be racing against a very small egg timer) expect us to accept it?
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When Jim White ended the segment, untroubled by how well he’d helmed the debate, pre-occupied with thoughts of what cape to wear for the upcoming Deadline Day and whether his assistant had ordered the dry ice he’d asked for, the voice in his ear should’ve been telling him what great television that was. But judging by the sparsity with which they replayed the footage, something they regularly do whenever a guest is brought on to add another five minutes to an item in another example of news eating itself, they patently didn’t. It had to find its way onto the Internet for appreciation.
Whether what Syed said was correct or not, factual or embellished, Sky Sports News had neither the ability, nor the intention of discussing it. It was only interested in a hagiographical non-item it could report back on later. “Tony Cascarino says Roman Abramovich has been good for English football.” Roll VT. Another news pillow adequately fluffed.
When Matthew Syed let rip he didn’t just expose Abramovich, but also the failings, inadequacies and utter pointlessness of Sky Sports News.
The Wolves 3-1 morale-booster last Sunday left us wanting more of the same and at the earliest possible opportunity. The World Cup qualifiers this weekend with Wales at home in the capital against a rampant Belgium (a phrase once as oxymoronic as ‘deafening silence’ which funnily enough is what you were likely to get until very recently in response to a request to name 5 famous Belgians) therefore came at an inopportune time. The Internationals break invariably see us either on a roll and desperate to maintain the impetus or in need of a quick return to form after a disappointing run. The break is rarely welcome.
With no City game to form the focal point, the looming weekend was potentially a frustrating one but there was at least the compensation of another major sporting fixture in town. So I toddled off to Cardiff Blues v Edinburgh. In fact it never once entered my head to follow the well worn path to the CCS; as far as I was concerned the return of the Blues to their spiritual home was the only game in town. The alternative was a quiet night in.
I am not a great club rugby fan. At best I’m a part-timer, carried away on a tide of patriotic fervour when the national team are playing but otherwise fairly indifferent. But I anticipated that the Blues’ joyous home-coming would be a much richer sporting occasion than witnessing the start of yet another Wales qualifying campaign brimming with pluck and spunk but doomed to inevitable failure.
My last international appearance was at the Millenium Stadium in October 2002 when Wales beat Italy 2-1 in front of 72,500 fans to become the early Group leaders in the search for Euro 2004 qualification. Even as we walked away from the stadium, while others talked of the dawn of a new era I stayed silent with an unwelcome conviction that in all probability that was going to be as good as it was ever likely to get and I doubted that I would return. In the event I was to be proved right as we lost the return fixture 4-0 and were then knocked out in a play-off against Russia. I have been to true my unspoken words that night and have not been back.
I had no wish for it to be that way and I would have loved to have enjoyed the moment but even as a nascent Craig Bellamy was hitting the sporting consciousness with a typically impudent winner I found myself curiously detached and underwhelmed in the certain knowledge of the ultimate futility of that great victory. History instinct and self-preservation dictated that this was the only logical response.
Strangely I have no such problems engaging with the prospect of ultimate failure to match expectations when it comes to the Bluebirds. Missing out on an FA Cup victory by the narrowest of margins, followed by missing out on the play-offs by the narrowest of margins (one goal in an entire season), followed by missing out in the play-off final by the narrowest of margins, followed by successive semi-final play-off defeats has done nothing to diminish my enthusiasm and myopic fanaticism. When it comes to The City the triumph of hope over experience is to be embraced not ridiculed.
Why the contrast? I think it has a lot to do with a sense belonging, of ownership, identity, with a lifelong attachment to a club handed down from generation to generation, with ritual and habit. I feel this every week, with the same people, engaged in a common purpose. This has never been replicated at national level for me where the intensity of the experience is dissipated and fractured by the disparate nature of the fans and the spasmodic and nomadic nature of the home fixtures. The lack of engagement for me means that ultimately following the national team is a sideshow at best.
Judging by the paltry 20,000 attendance (2,000 less than the Bluebirds’ average last season) there is little appetite for the distraction of another long drawn out hopeless campaign. Welsh football fans have learnt to expect the worst; unfortunately they are rarely disappointed.
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Read more of Martin’s articles at – www.its-not-dark-yet.blogspot.co.uk
Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna’s return from injury hasn’t helped much so far in improving the team’s quite frankly woeful defensive performances of late, but with reports linking the player with a move away in the future, how much truth is there to be found in digging a little deeper?
The latest rumour doings the rounds about the 29-year-old French international is that in the wake of Robin van Persie’s departure in the summer, and after Thomas Vermaelen was approached to be the club’s new captain, that Sagna was asked by Arsene Wenger to step into the role of vice-captain but turned the position down.
This of course led to Mikel Arteta stepping into the role after growing increasingly influential out on the pitch and in the dressing room over the course of the last year or so, but that Sagna preferred to stay as one of the rank-and-file is a troubling thought. Wenger targeted Sagna because aside from Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott and Johan Djourou, he’s the club’s longest serving player having joined back in 2007 from Auxerre.
Moreover, that is not the only rumour doing the rounds with concerns to the player, and given that his contract expires at the end of the next Premier League season, he is thought to be eyeing a new deal and a wage increase on his current £60,000 per week. Sagna will be 30 in February and Arsenal have a well-worn tradition of only handing one-year contracts to players over that age and the likelihood of an improved deal is short, so another long-standing contractual feud looks possible.
However, much of the basis of the thinking behind the belief that Sagna may be the next player heading for the exit door comes from his somewhat surprising yet wholly negative remarks about the club’s transfer business in the summer
“Everyone was expecting Robin van Persie to leave, but Alex Song — that was a surprise. I don’t understand that at all,” the Gunners right back said.
“It is a big loss for the club. When you see two of the best players from last season leave, you ask a lot of questions. I understand why the supporters are nervous. I am the only starting player left from 2007.”
Since returning from a broken leg over the course of the past few weeks, Sagna has taken his place in the starting eleven back four, ushering deputy Carl Jenkinson back onto the bench. A lot as been made of Jenkinson’s form so far this season, far too much if you ask me, but there’s certainly been a noticeable improvement.
Nevertheless, the idea that Wenger would consider selling Sagna simply because he has an able back-up in Jenkinson doesn’t make all that much sense. The aim is to improve the depth of your squad and increase competition for places so just because you have two players capable enough of playing every week in the same position, that doesn’t then automatically mean you will sell one.
Jenkinson is still just 20 years of age and despite his development, is still raw and rough around the edges, and while Wenger leaves himself open to such thinking given his over-reliance on youth in the past, I just can’t see them allowing Sagna to leave any time soon. The constant chopping and changing is doing more harm than good at the club and a period of stability, particularly at the back, is required.
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It appears as if the ground is being prepped for Sagna to leave and the various stories floating out there about him are spurious at best. They look as if they are running out of saleable assets and Sagna remains an attractive proposition, so rumours will inevitably be fabricated out of thin air entirely on the basis of his disgruntled summer comments. Arsenal seem to lurch from one crisis to another of late, but they’ve got some real battles to fight over the coming months and they simply don’t have time for the cosmetic ones.
Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas admits that qualifying for the Champions League is a necessity to keep Gareth Bale at the North London club.
Gareth Bale is on the most highly regarded wingers in Europe at the moment and Real Madrid are top of the list of clubs who want to sign him. He has scored 13 goals already this season and he is in the best form of his career. The Welsh winger has previously expressed admiration for the Spanish club but he signed a fresh contract with Tottenham in the summer, ending speculation then that he would leave.
And if Tottenham achieve Champions League football, AVB believes they can hang onto the club’s star player.
“It’s difficult for us to have a player of this dimension playing so well, calling the attention of other teams,” Villa-Boas told the The Guardian.
“I think we can reach our objectives with him at this level and if we reach our objectives, we can hopefully continue to have Gareth in our club. He’s a player we rate very, very highly and aren’t willing to let go.
“The Champions League is where most of the clubs want to be, and where most of the players want to play.”
AVB has been playing Bale in a central striker role and will be continuing that on Saturday against Newcastle as Adebayor hasn’t made it back from the AFCON in time for today’s training session and Defoe is still out injured with ankle ligament damage. The Portuguese expects Defoe to be out for between two and four weeks which might be optimistic as the striker still has his foot in a protective boot.
Villas-Boas also took a moment to talk about Gareth Bale in comparison to Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, telling the press that the two aren’t too far apart in ability.
“Both of them are extremely technical players, extremely powerful and pacy. It is funny to see how, in some way, they compare,” he added.
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“Gareth started at left-back and moved to a winger position…now going to a more advanced role, Ronaldo is also able to play that role up front. Ronaldo is now 28, he has achieved so much and he is an example to what Gareth wants to achieve in his career.”
Manchester United currently find themselves in quite a strange position. Despite widespread strengthening of the squad over the summer, which saw them spend in excess of £150million – the most by any team in European football – a spate of injuries in defence, coupled with the decision to prioritise big-name attacking players over reinforcing their back line in their transfer dealings, has forced United boss Louis van Gaal to turn to unproven youth in the opening stages of the Premier League season.
However, the Dutchman is accustomed to dealing with youngsters, and may even relish the opportunity to do so again at Old Trafford.
Well-known for launching the careers of several world-class footballers, he gave Xavi and Andres Iniesta their debuts for Barcelona in his time there and now Van Gaal has a number of promising young players at his disposal, and may look to embrace United’s long-standing tradition of developing talent into potential champions. Though emulating the feats of Sir Alex Ferguson’s now-mythical Class of ’92 is a tough act to follow, here are five youngsters that may have important roles to play under Louis van Gaal at Manchester United.
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CLICK ON JAMES WILSON TO REVEAL THE FIVE
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It could be worse Nando, you could be one of these guys…
Football – Manchester United v West Ham United – Barclays Premier League – Old Trafford – 27/9/14Manchester United’s Paddy McNair in actionMandatory Credit: Action Images / Jason CairnduffLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for f
This Northern Irish teenager was handed his first-team debut in the 2-1 victory over West Ham United over the weekend and impressed many with his assuredness in defence, especially when United sustained heavy pressure after going down to ten men. After initially playing in midfield for his local side Ballyclare Colts, McNair was converted into a centre back after signing for the Red Devils in 2011. An important member of United’s Under-21 side, he was picked for the side in the U-21 Champions League last season, only to get sent off for two bookable offences against Bayer Leverkusen – which suggests that McNair still lacks some maturity. However, this can only be expected from a 19 year-old, and judging by his promising debut on Saturday he may find himself involved in van Gaal’s plans with the first team again this season.
Tyler Blackett
A product of United’s academy having signed for the club at the age of eight, Blackett has been the most prominent youngster to be promoted to the first team ranks under van Gaal, having played in the first five league fixtures of the campaign. With his competitive debut coming in the season’s curtain raiser against Swansea City, it has been an exceptionally steep learning curve for Blackett, and his red card for a clumsy challenge on Jamie Vardy in the 5-3 defeat to Leicester City is a sign that the 20 year-old defender is still adjusting to life in the Premier League. Nevertheless, van Gaal seems to have faith in the youngster, and will doubtless have been impressed by his professionalism – he is known to have opted to train and work at the gym in Carrington even on days off. There has even been talk of an England call-up for Blackett, and with his contract at United expiring in the summer, van Gaal may wish to act quickly to ensure that his services are retained for the future.
James Wilson
Wilson burst onto the scene last season with two goals against Hull City on his first team debut, and van Gaal has high hopes for the teenager as well. First scouted at the age of seven, Wilson earned his call-up to the first team squad after a series of impressive performances for the Under-18 side, finishing the 2012-13 season as the U-18 league’s top scorer and scoring seven goals in six consecutive appearances for the team at the start of last season. After the Hull game, Ryan Giggs – the interim manager at the time and van Gaal’s current deputy – had the following to say about the 18 year-old forward: “He is a natural goalscorer but he has got more to his game than that. He can run at people, he has got pace and he is a clever player.” Such high praise from United’s most decorated player suggests that Wilson has a bright future ahead of him, and with van Gaal believing him to be a better prospect than the now-departed Danny Welbeck, he may have found the ideal manager to help him develop his game further.
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Jesse Lingard
After progressing through United’s youth academy, Lingard signed a professional contract with the club in the summer of 2011. Four goals on his debut for Birmingham City whilst on loan last season gave an early indication of the attacker’s talent, and after another loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion he was recalled to Old Trafford for the start of the new campaign. After an impressive pre-season, Lingard made his league debut for the first team against Swansea City, only to be substituted in the 24th minute due to injury. Such a setback was a cruel way for the youngster’s senior career at United to begin, but van Gaal’s decision to start the winger should at least give him confidence of breaking into the starting XI again in the future.
Nick Powell
Powell came to United’s attention in 2012 after excelling at Crewe Alexandra, and his goal in the 2012 League Two Play-off Final – arguably the finest goal the new Wembley has witnessed so far – showed precisely why the Red Devils were so keen on signing him. A £6 million deal was subsequently agreed in the summer of 2012, and Powell was quick to make his mark at Old Trafford, scoring on his first-team debut against Wigan Athletic at the start of the 2012-13 season. A loan move to Wigan then followed last year, during which the midfielder scored 12 goals in 42 appearances, and although he has once again been sent out on loan to Leicester City for the current campaign, there is no doubting Powell’s potential. Expect him to be involved in United’s first-team plans next season.
Louis van Gaal’s management qualities have never been in doubt; a CV including spells with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and a Champions League-winning Ajax side speaks for itself.
If David Moyes’ fatal flaw was struggling to shoulder Manchester United’s monolithic weight as one of the largest clubs in world football, in sharp contrast, his successor has forged a career out of handling big egos and even bigger expectations.
But having never plied his trade in the Premier League before, you would be excused for holding reservations over a manager whose reputation as a borderline psychopath tends to precede him – and often takes precedent over his trophy-laden managerial record.
Hence, the World Cup in Brazil is seen by many as the ideal opportunity for LVG to showcase his abilities with the Netherlands, before taking over official duties at Old Trafford. Thus far, the account van Gaal has given suggests he possesses all the right qualities to bring success back to Manchester United.
During Oranje’s opening World Cup fixture for example, a surprise 5-1 victory over Spain that will likely be remembered as the match of the tournament, LVG demonstrated a mixture of tactical astuteness and ambition that Moyes decisively lacked last season.
La Roja enthusiasts will argue a subsequent 2-0 defeat to Chile suggested Vincente del Bosque’s men entered Brazil 2014 intrinsically flawed, caught between the tica-taca philosophy of the old guard and the directness of inexperienced internationals breaking through, such as misfiring striker Diego Costa.
But in my opinion, Spain were ripped apart by simple yet precise and intentional direct passes. From the first minute to the last, the Netherlands knew that Spain’s arrogance in possession, pushing their defence up to the halfway line, would eventually cost them dearly. In other words, van Gaal had them sussed before a ball was struck and his game-plan proved true with tremendous effect.
Likewise, rather miraculously, making the right substitutions has become a major factor in Holland’s World Cup campaign. Interestingly, 29 of 154 goals scored in Brazil have come from the bench – an unusually high trend for an international tournament.
But in that regard, van Gaal’s Netherlands have been particularly proficient; the Dutch have recovered from 1-0 down to win on three occasions, with four of seven goals from their last three games coming via the bench. A unique phenomena of an incredibly unique World Cup, perhaps. Yet LVG’s ability to positively change a match in his favour should not be overlooked.
Furthermore, a major concern for Red Devils fans last season was their side’s lack of goals. 64 from 38 league fixtures is by no means disappointing, but compared to Manchester City and Liverpool, both of whom finished up with over 100 goals each, it’s understandable how David Moyes quickly became viewed as a dangerously pessimistic manager.
Thus, Louis van Gaal will bring a return to more free-scoring traditions at Old Trafford. Not only were his Oranje outfit the top scorers in World Cup qualifiers, netting an outrageous 34 times in just ten matches, but they’ve also transitioned that proficiency into the World Cup. Their twelve goals from four matches is only rivalled by Colombia with eleven, whilst the rest of the pack, including hosts Brazil (9) lay some way behind.
A major factor in that goal-getting philosophy has been the form of Robin van Persie. In my opinion, another manager taking the Carrington helm could have soon resulted in the Dutchman’s departure – fitting him, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata into the same starting line-up is a disturbing conundrum yet to be solved; now 30 years of age, the former Arsenal star is by far the most expendable.
But if LVG can motivate the Oranje captain to maintain his World Cup form into next term, then issues of age or wage packages are relatively moot. The two have a unique bond, and the last time van Persie reached an equilibrium of fitness and form, he fired the Red Devils to their 13th Premier League title.
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But perhaps most importantly of all in regards to Manchester United – a club whose ethos was once immortalised by Alan Hansen’s ill-fated quip, ‘you can’t win anything with kids’ – van Gaal has constructed an impressive Netherlands side, despite lacking the quality of its many predecessors, centred around the ambition, fearlessness and energy of youth.
Just one player in the entire squad, Dirk Kuyt, is over the age of 30, whilst over half of the 23-man roster are 26 or under. Joel Veltman, Memphis Depay, Daley Blind and Stefan de Vrij to name a few have all been given the opportunities to impress, and thus far have completely thrived.
Of course, international football is incredibly different to club football and the expectations of the Netherlands national team can’t be justifiably compared to that of the most dominant club in the Premier League era.
But thus far, van Gaal’s efforts at the World Cup, through his impetus on youth, ambitious philosophy and astuteness to tactical detail, suggest he is everything the Red Devils want and need in a manager. Should those three integral pillars of management style be transitioned into his Manchester United tenure, a club which has consistently championed the promotion of young players and an attacking mentality, it won’t be long before the Premier League title returns to Old Trafford.
Easter weekend is one of the most vital weekends in the football calendar.
With two games being played in three or four days it usually leads to teams confirming promotion or relegation, unless you’re a Championship team of-course, where absolutely nothing changes.
Friday’s game at Leicester saw the Lions pick up a massive three points thanks to a late Alan Dunne goal. To be honest, on paper Leicester’s team should easily beat us every time, especially with the likes of Wood and Kane upfront.
Even though Wood was in Danny Shittu’s back pocket all game…
Then came Monday’s game at home to Ipswich. This really should’ve been three points, but after the Lions missed a hat-full of chances, it ended goallesss.
One thing that annoyed me with this game is KJ’s use of formation. He used 4-5-1 with two strikers on the wings, yes he says it’s 4-3-3 but it’s not. The 4-5-1 formation works at away games but don’t play it at home where he have to go out and win the games. This can also highlight Jackett’s bad dealings within the transfer window, only bringing in strikers on loan, and all over the age of 30. Maybe he does not trust his signings to deliver the goods?
One positive to come out of the game was Jermaine Easter. Yes he did miss a couple chances, but once Jackett went to 4-4-2, he looked lively.
Plus, he’s already got more league goals for ‘Wall then Tyson and Hulse, even if he’s only got one!
This division is so tight, the difference between the bottom three and Leeds in 12th place is only five points. 50 points would usually secure a team Championship football for another season, the way the division is going it could be 60.
The Lions will be confident though about staying up as they have games in hand over all other teams, and to be honest, if they cannot stay up with the amount of home games ‘Wall have left, they deserve to go down.
With Bristol City rooted to the bottom of the table it seems that up to 12 teams to attemot to avoid the final two spots. It looks like there could be at-least one team that suffer a second successive relegation with both Blackburn and Wolves looking dangerously over their shoulders.
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Lets just hope the F.A. Cup semi-final against Wigan will have a positive effect on the team. Yes the Lions have not lost since going through, but the performances have not been the best, lets not forget the Lions play on the Tuesday night before Wembley. So expect the players to maybe not give it 100%, after-all, which player is going to risk not playing in a F.A. Cup semi-final by being injured or suspended?