Monday, August 15, 2011

The Starting Eleven of the Red Army



Now that our defense of title number 19 has begun, me and Charlie from @TheBusbyBoys thought it would be fun, and possibly disastrous, to pick a joint and unified top 11 for our squad this coming season. In the end, it was rather easy to come to a consensus on our 11. The real question is whether or not you all agree with us. This might be the disastrous part. Or will it? We’ll let you decide. Also keep in mind, this 11 was chosen before the season, so the opening day injuries aren’t reflected in our squad.
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Goalkeeper: David de Gea

I think this is pretty much self-explanatory. Sir Alex sent a message by handing the young Spaniard the number one jersey, as well as by spending a significant amount of money on the Atletico Madrid product. Goalkeepers coach Eric Steele raves about de Gea's Van der Sar-like distribution ability and de Gea has been a player United has monitored since he was playing for the U-19's. The goals he conceded against West Brom and City aren’t cause for replacement. Let the boy settle him. Let him find his feet. He’ll come good.

Defense: Fabio, Rio, Vidic, Evra

In recent years, we’ve all been witness to the injuries in our back four. We moved O’Shea to right back for good back then, even Carrick and Valencia stepped in when we were short. This season, with the addition of Phil Jones and the emergence of Chris Smalling, we have more than capable players back there to play or fill in. With that said, we feel like the four listed, when healthy, are our best 4 defenders. Vidic was an absolute monster last year. Fabio emerged as the favored Da Silva in the second half of the season. Evra had a less than stellar season last year so he needs to make amends and Rio will need to stay healthy in order to be effective. With that said, Jones and Smalling (even Evans) are suitable to keep our back line strong.

Midfield: Valencia, Anderson, Carrick, Nani

This part of the pitch no doubt has the most cause for debate. With the return of Valencia, the addition of Young, the wanted materializing of Anderson, and the calling up of Cleverley, there are many different formations that we could utilize, but picked these four for specific reasons. When Valencia was healthy and on point, he was a main reason Wayne Rooney scored so many goals two seasons ago. He always has immediate and concrete impact when he plays, ingratiating himself into our squad and with the fans. So, while we love the addition of Young, I’d like to give Valencia the nod. Of course, alternating will be an option this year. With the absence of bringing in a creative MF that people wanted, we all are hoping that Anderson can finally live up to the hype he had when we bought him. This is do-or-die time for him. Can’t see him being around if he can’t produce for us this year. People have, and will continue, to slag Carrick off. He’s been vilified by fans - some reasons just and some not. His second half of the season was more of a return to form from him and we feel that he can get the job done for us. Of course, we have both been enamored with the play of Tom Cleverley. A clear Scholes-type player, the boy oozes United class. His spell at Wigan did him proud, so if (or when) Carrick slips up, I’m okay with having TC in the MF. Playing at Wigan isn’t playing for United, though. So while he had a nice pre-season and a stellar game against West Brom, the real question is whether or not he can do that to the likes of Chelsea, City, or Arsenal away. If he can, and Carrick can’t, we’ll be seeing him in the starting eleven. Nani had a little bit of trouble on the left last year, but we think that he can redeem himself. By far the most versatile player with both feet, putting Nani on the left allows him to beat defenders and put balls into the box, or cut it in on his right foot, or even take it inside. Young has been playing on the left, but his left foot is suspect, so it really only allows him to cut it back to his right foot, which the defense can key in on. In the end, I’m sure we’ll see many variations in our MF from SAF, just like last season.

Forwards: Rooney, Hernandez

In the last half of the season, this partnership became our go-to, leaving Berbatov on the bench (or in the dressing room). Rooney’s role from the previous season as a goal scorer was reinvented as he consistently and impressively dropped deep to receive and distribute. Hernandez, a natural scorer like Michael Owen, reaped the benefits of Rooney’s new role, a dynamic partnership we expect to continue this season. As of now, we still have Berbatov and feel that he can still contribute to our squad. Whether or not he leaves for PSG before the window closes is yet to be seen. Welbeck looked good in pre-season, but was all over the place against West Brom. We also have Michael Owen who still has a nose for goal. For our money, Hernandez and Rooney are the dynamic duo. Let’s hope that Hernandez can duplicate his form in his sophomore season.

Optimal Formation: 4-4-1-1.

Follow Jason and Charlie on Twitter at  @JasTheDevil and @TheBusbyBoys

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Community Shield Divides a Community


The Community Shield is usually nothing more than a ceremonial opening match to kick off the beginning of the new season. Had we beat City in the semi-final last year, or if Stoke had beaten City in the final, the game on Sunday would be nothing more than a glorified exhibition where the winner receives a silver plate. In our case, it would be yet another piece of silverware to stuff in the cabinet. If it happened to be against Stoke, I’d still want to win, but wouldn’t much care about the match just so long as every one of our players came out unscathed. Any other scenario where City isn’t involved is also fine by me. This year, however, the game is the same, but the stakes are just a bit higher.

After displaying the “35 Years” banner for years, we can no longer use that as a source of jeering against City fans. The banner and the drought came to an end last year in the FA Cup Final, a cup that I would’ve loved to win, if only to make sure City went yet another year winning absolutely nothing. Alas, this is not the case. And as it were, we are now playing them in a game that not only means there’s a potential for City to take away another piece of silverware, but a game where they can try to hold the victory over our heads heading into the season. I’d like to make sure this doesn’t happen.  But, not at all costs.

Manchester is Red, we all know that. Anyone who honestly tries to deny that is a delusional City fan. And we know they’re everywhere, like roaches. We’ve won the league 4 out of the last 5 years. We’ve been to the CL Final 3 times in the last 4 years, winning one of them. We just secured our 19th league title. City hasn’t won the league since 68. The only thing City can hold over our head is beating us in the FA Cup semi, eventually going on to win it. Years and years ago, the FA Cup was the piece of silverware to have. Now, it’s become more ceremonial than anything else. But when you don’t have anything to show for the last 35 years, you’ll take anything. So going into the Community Shield on Sunday, City has a whole lot more to play for other than just community bragging rights. We have a 19th league title to defend, so as much as I’d love to blank City 5-0, if we don’t win but keep all the players healthy, that’s okay by me. Let’s not roll over – and we won’t – but let’s keep our eyes on the real prize – a cup, not a plate.

With that said, I’d like to see us start our strongest 11, whoever Fergie thinks that is. With news that Carrick picked up a knock and Rafael (who is starting the testimonial) won’t play, I’ll just count them out. After thinking, and reconsidering, I’d say start De Gea in goal. We paid a handsome fee for him, and if he’s going to be the starter, throw him in there and see what he has in a game that means more than a friendly on a US tour. He needs the pressure, he needs the pitch time. Our back four should be Evra, Vidic, Rio and either Fabio or Jones. I wouldn’t mind seeing Jones back there. In MF, I’d like to see Nani, Park, Anderson, and Young. At some point, I’d like to see Valencia and Giggs on the pitch, (even Cleverley) but I’ll let Fergie decide when he wants that. Up front, I’d like to see Rooney and Berbatov. Forget that Berba hasn’t really played much for us, I think they are the best pairing sans Hernandez in the line-up. I’m not sure that Welbeck and Rooney can link up right in a game that could send a clear message to start the season. I wouldn’t mind Owen and Rooney, but feel like that could be hit or miss really. Our flanks and wingers will generate the most creativity and scoring opportunities, with Rooney probably dropping deep into the role that suited him so well in the second half of last season. With that 11 for at least 60 mins, I feel like we can beat City, regardless of who they put on the pitch.

What I will say is that I’m optimistic for the start of this new PL season. Our additions are promising. Our preseason tour was promising. I liked how we played and developed as a team. We need to start this new season strong, home and away. Winning the Community Shield is a surefire way to start strong, but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t win. At the end of the day, we are the defending champions of England. City are just chasing us, like they have for the last 35 years.

Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasTheDevil

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Take a Look in The Mirror - A Rumor Mill Story



In a day and age where the invention of Twitter allows for the instantaneous spreading of news, it’s really no surprise that transfer rumors can never be kept under wraps. It’s also no surprise that all it takes is a single tweet to catch on and, boom, you have yourself a story. It used to be that Twitter would run with a story from Sky News or ESPN, but now, ESPN and Sky News run with stories from Twitter. Athletes themselves fuel the fire. Even their girlfriends or wives help with that. The information that circulates around the horn makes it almost impossible to escape. News comes in by the minute and unless you’re disconnected with the world – which is basically what you’d have to do – you’re bound to get wind of something whether you want to or not.

So, in one of the busiest transfer windows this club has seen in over a decade, we have all been brow-beaten with the news of this person coming or that person going. Two years ago when Ronaldo’s quote about it being his dream to play for Real Madrid, we endured what was akin to a real life version of “The NeverEnding Story.” Every week United fans wondered if he was leaving or if he’d stay, and we all invested in larger bottles of Advil because of it. This summer, Sneijder has been what’s kept the rumor mill going. If it wasn’t him, it was either Nasri or Modric – both of whom seem to have dropped off our merry-go-round. But, as the window gets closer and closer to being shut, fans are hoping to squeeze another good signing in under the wire. Other fans, myself included, have had enough of the transfer window and wouldn’t mind closing up shop a few days early.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a world class CM or CAM to come to United before September 1st, but I’m not clamoring for it. We’ve done well this summer with the signing of Jones, Young, and De Gea. The Jones deal happened quickly and I was pleasantly surprised with the prospect. Young matriculated over a little bit of the summer, but I was always pulling for him to come to the club. It was obvious that we needed someone to replace Van der Sar, but who was it going to be? De Gea had been mentioned, then that went away, then it came back, went away, and finally culminated with his signing for £18m. My fingers and my brain have had enough of the rumors, and I’m just ready to get on with the new season and our title defense. I understand that the rumors, either during the season or in the off season, will happen, but there comes a time when you want it to be done and dusted or off the shelves altogether.

Now, of course I’m wrong, but it feels like Sneijdergate all happened because someone tweeted that they wanted us to go after Sneijder this summer. It circulates Twitter and now we have reignited this rumor. His name was mentioned last year because we’d eventually need to replace Scholes, which ended up happening this summer. We knew he’d be cheap before and Inter got him for an absolute steal at £12m. His price has steadily climbed to £30m, a price that 3 months ago – when we had nobody signed – fans claimed we’d never pay. With the signings that we have already secured, it seems that Glazer & Gill (et al) are willing to finally spend that Ronaldo money. So, we all wait with baited breath at who Fergie might sign up. But, the rumor mill on Twitter makes it much worse. Outlets claim to have exclusives that turn out to be complete rubbish (looking at you, Mirror). You see an RT from someone who has 45 followers who says the Italian press claim that we’re getting Sneijder and Berba is going to PSG - all because Sneijder had on red and Berba was drinking at a French café. Or you see a tweet from a place like The Mirror who claim to have an exclusive when it’s just a recycled rumor from over two months ago.

It’s all become heightened bollocks to the point where we can’t decipher what’s actually a valid rumor and what is Twitter fiction. What I will say is that with the revamping of our squad and the players we’ve brought in, I am content with who we have. Our back line is solid. We’ll have a solid set of wingers in Nani, Young, Giggs, and Valencia, with Evra and the Da Silva twins running up and down. We’ve got Chicharoo up front, with the option of Berbatov (if he’s still here), Welbeck, Kiko, and Owen. And in the center of the pitch, the place we needed the most help last season, we don’t have a signing. I’m surprisingly – well, not so surprising at this stage of the summer – comfortable with the options that we have. I think that we should give Cleverley a shot. His preseason has been great. We also have Carrick, who played quite solid at season’s end. Add Fletcher, Park, and Anderson, who many have tipped to put up or shut up this season, and we’ve got a good few options down the center of the pitch. I won’t say no to a world class CM, but I won’t worry too much if we don’t. Then again, if I did, I could always take a look in The Mirror for who’s coming in next. It’ll probably be Xavi or Iniesta.

Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasTheDevil

List of 2011 BPL Transfers