Archive for November, 2006

Is Manchester United’s Squad Good Enough?

There will have been many Manchester United fans fretting when they saw their lineup before the game last night. Ferguson’s team selections have been the club’s downfall at times, and after drawing with Chelsea, the morning’s headlines seemed all to obvious. Talk of how United had lost a psychological battle, how their squad wasn’t competent enough to compete with Chelsea’s, that Ferguson had lost the plot by dropping their two most experienced midfielder’s etc.

I think the likes of Fletcher, O’Shea, Richardson and Silvestre are decent enough squad players. It is reasonable for United go 2-0 up, and then have faith that if Fergie brings them on to rest their more important players that they’ll see the day with three points added to their total. However, to see all of them start however does not fill you with confidence. There was experience in all of the players on the bench, but with Saha not fully fit, Scholes was the only attacking player they had available to change things if the game wasn’t going their way.

Richardson, O’Shea, Carrick and Fletcher is not a midfield that gets you excited. Richardson has been too big for his boots for too long, to the point he was relegated to the reserves. O’Shea has not been much if at all effective in the games he’s played so far this season. Carrick is still settling in, and despite picking up the Man of the Match award at the weekend, still has some learning to do. Fletcher has definitely improved this season, but has a long way to go before you could consider relying on him.

United won the game comfortably though, and could afford to take off first team players Ronaldo and Carrick to leave them fresh for their visit to the Riverside at the weekend. Ronaldo got the opening goal from 25 yards out, leaving him three goals away from the top scorer in the league. A well struck shot which crept in to the corner, which is likely to please him after his shocking empty net miss against Sheffield United not so long ago. Evra, who is currently keeping one of the best full backs in the World out of the team, played a blinder. He scored the second, after breaking in to the box from the left and nutmegging the keeper, and provided the ball for the third. John O’Shea took it well, scoring a good goal, which he will probably remember more fondly than his accidental goal he scored against Copenhagen earlier in the season.

Gary Neville has said today that he believes they have a squad strong enough to win the league. So far, they have been relatively fortunate with injuries. There have been a few knocks to key players such as Ronaldo, Giggs and now Saha which has kept them out for a few games, as well as more long term injuries for Vidic, Solskajer and Park, but overall, they have done well. This has meant they have had a pretty steady first XI for the first time in seasons. In games where they haven’t had this first XI and played different formations, such as against Arsenal, Copenhagen, and Reading, they’ve paid the price.

“There has been a lot of talk about the squads of the teams at the top but we have shown we can handle some changes,” said Neville. “Players who deserved a chance came in and did a great job. They were the ones who carried us through the game because some of the lads who have been in the team all the time were quite sluggish, I know I was. But Darren helped a lot down my side, Kieran penetrated quite a bit down the left, John O’Shea did well in midfield and Mikael Silvestre looked as though he had never been away in defence. Considering those lads had not played a lot recently they did very well.”

Now, I’m not for one moment saying their squad is as rich in depth as Chelsea’s, and I’m not trying to claim because they beat a less than full strength Everton team with a few squad players in their lineup that they’ll have no problem winning the league, but it does bode well. It’s top half of the table teams like Everton they do need to see off, and it’s encouraging for them that they can do that with a team that isn’t our first choice.

Hargreaves is Ferguson’s main target when it comes to strengthening his squad, but the Bayern Munich man has suffered another injury which will keep him out for the rest of 2006. He has said he would like a move to the club in the past, and has again hinted that he could move in the January transfer window, saying “A thousand things happen in the winter. In life there are always surprises.”

They will also receive another boost when Park and Ole return to fitness. Park improved over last season, and could be a useful player for his team this season. Ole’s form has surprised even the biggest of his fans, scoring six goals in the eleven games he’s played (five of them as starting appearances) and it will be great to provide Saha with some competition for his place.

Last night’s game doesn’t work as a dismissal to any United’s fans worries over their squad, but it certainly is an indicator of hope. It’s a long season yet, but it’s still reassuring for United fans to know that their bench players can do the business when called upon in the league. Let’s see what happens at the Riverside…

Ferguson and Giggs Rift?

Following the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at home, Manchester United faced Everton last night. Ferguson fielded a relatively weak team, with Saha and Vidic out injured, whilst Scholes and Giggs were rested. Richardson, Silvestre, O’Shea and Fletcher filled the gaps. Giggs however didn’t even make the bench, leading to reports that he’d fallen out with the United manager.

Ferguson has spoken out today to shred some light on the situation. “Ryan is an important player for us and we have to pick our moments with him. We cannot expect him to keep running up and down the touchline all the time. He is 33 now, we have to look after the older members of the species.”

United went on to win the game 3-0. The apparently injured Saha was on the bench, but no place for Giggs? Was Ferguson just resting the player? Or is there something deeper to this story?

Chelsea Player To Newcastle?

Lassana Diarra joined Chelsea in the summer of 2005, but has yet to make much of an impact on the blues. He has only made ten appearances for the club in all competitions, and it doesn’t appear he will break in to the first team anytime soon.

Diarra believes that he is learning a lot from his time at Chelsea, and that if he was to leave the club permanently, he wouldn’t feel as though he had wasted his time, or made the wrong decission in signing.

Now, it has been reported that Newcastle, Lille and Marseille are looking to sign the player who has been likened to team mate Makelele. Marseille have been tipped as the favourites, although a loan move looks the more likely option.

Do you rate Diarra? Do you think he has a future at Chelsea?

Leave your comments below.

Defoe To Leave Spurs?

It has been rumoured that Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe and Liverpool’s Craig Bellamy were set to swap teams. This season, Defoe has only managed six goals in eighteen games, whilst Bellamy, who joined Liverpool this summer, has only found the net twice in eighteen.

However, Defoe, who has spent almost half his games coming off the bench, has experienced a recent surge of goals, scoring five in the last four. It was reported that his unhappiness at being left on the bench had lead to him wanting away from the club.

Today Martin Jol spoke out, denying these claims. “Jermain is going nowhere. I’m not going to sell someone who is playing such a crucial part to our challenge in the Carling Cup, UEFA Cup and Premiership. There is always speculation about Jermain. The transfer window will come up again in a month’s time and he has already been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool Aston Villa and Portsmouth.”

A swap seems unlikely, as Bellamy is still settling in to playing for Liverpool, but is there truth in the rumour that Defoe could leave? Jol says not, but similar statements have been made of other players before the transfer window opened, only for them to leave a few weeks later. Is Defoe ready for a new challenge?

Leave your comments below.

Reebok Is MY Pitch, says Jose

“Bolton is a difficult game,” Mourinho said. “It is always difficult to play there but I can say it is my pitch because it is where I was English champion for the first time and took a big step to become champion the next season.”

Is somebody getting a little bit too big for their boots? Bolton have won all but two of their home games so far this season, and are currently in third position, eight points behind Chelsea. After the embarrassing 5-1 defeat Bolton suffered at the hands of Chelsea last season, they will be eager to get their own back, and have a side much more capable of doing that this year.

What do you think? Will Chelsea add to their points tally from Greater Mancunian teams? Or will Bolton pull off a result to give them a stronger hold on a European position?

Leave your comments below.

Was The Draw Better For Blues?

The long awaited game of the season so far was played yesterday afternoon, and finished 1-1. Manchester United dominated play for the first half, but couldn’t keep it up in the second. Louis Saha opened the scoring for the home side with a brilliant strike from outside the area, leaving Carvalho and Terry watching the ball creep just inside the post. Carvalho equalised in the second half, converting one of Chelsea’s very few chances with his head.

In the post match inverview, Jose Mourinho claimed the point won was more important for the blues than it was for United. United were the home side, and they still have to travel to the Bridge. However, the reds are still three points clear of Chelsea, with a 1-1 draw doing nothing to help the blues gain any ground.

Is Jose right? Is the point more important to the blues? Or can Manchester United be content with the point as they still have the three point advantage?

Click below to leave your opinions.

Title Won or Lost Today?

Representatives from both Chelsea and Manchester United have played down the importance of the fixture today.

Now of course, the title never has been wrapped up by November, and I’d like to think it never will. But there is something special about this game today, in terms of the potential it has on forming the outcome of the season.

Since Jose Mourinho took charge of Chelsea, they have never found themselves six points behind the league leaders. Of course, when you look at the players Chelsea have this season, you can’t imagine them doing anything other than winning the title again. That is what is expected. But we’ve yet to see the mental strength of this side. We know Alex Ferguson has brought his team back from twelve points behind before, but we don’t know what Jose is capable of in terms of comebacks.

“This is the biggest challenge we’ve faced since we became champions,” the Chelsea captain said today. “Manchester United have put down the marker this season and they undoubtedly have the edge over us going into this game.”

If Manchester United win later today, and it is a big if still, it is not the six point advantage that necessarily works in their favour, but the psychological effect it could have on Chelsea. Equally, if Chelsea win today, they will still lie in second, but what psychological effect could that have on the reds?

What are your predictions for today’s game? Does it help decide who will win the league? Leave your comments below.

Video: The best of George Best, One Year after His Death

At the age of 15, Best was discovered in Belfast by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop, whose telegram to United manager Sir Matt Busby read: “I have found a genius”. His local club Glentoran had previously rejected him for being “too small and light”. Best was subsequently given a trial and signed up by chief scout Joe Armstrong in 1961. He turned professional and made his debut for Manchester United in 1963 against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford. He became world-famous at the age of eighteen when he scored three goals in a European Cup match against Benfica in 1966, and scored in United’s European Cup final win against the same club in 1968.

Also see: Booze, Birds and Fast Cars - A Tribute To George

Diouf: I Cheat And So Does Rooney

El-Hadji Diouf has got to be one of the most despised men in football. He’s no stranger to spitting in players faces, diving and cheating. Allegations were recently made over assaulting his wife.

Today he confesses that he is a cheat. He says the best footballer is one who cheats, and that he dives in the area when his team are in need of a penalty.

“Sometimes I need to dive to have a penalty. It’s just football. The best footballer is very clever like that. Sometimes I dive because I move my foot before the guy comes in to break my leg. Sometimes I get a free-kick, sometimes I don’t. The problem is sometimes the referees are not very good with me, I’ve had penalties and not been given them.”

He doesn’t end there though, he goes on to accuse England’s golden boy, Wayne Rooney, of being a worse cheat than himself. “I’ve won some penalties like that (diving), but how many penalties has Rooney won and nothing is ever said about him? But it is when it’s me.”

There are some players in this country who are untouchable. It doesn’t matter if they dive or cheat, they get an easy ride from the media, as they are loved by the country. Players like John Terry and Steven Gerrard fit in to this category. Wayne Rooney is not one these players. The press love to build him up and rip him down. Diouf is going down the wrong path if he believes Rooney is a protected player.

The media slate Diouf, and rightly so. He is a self confessed cheat. Big Sam has stood by his player in the past, but how will he react to his player admitting he dives? If Diouf doesn’t think he’s been awarded enough penalties in the past, he certainly won’t be winning any now!

Booze, Birds and Fast Cars - A Tribute To George

A year ago today George Best lost his long battle against addiction. It was a kidney infection which lead to his death, with the injection he’d been given to help his body accept his new liver created.

It is a well debated topic over who the greatest footballer of all time. Pele himself once dubbed Best “the greatest footballer in the world”. Pele Good - Maradona Better - George Best is a popular slogan. Regardless of whether or not he was the best, his name always gets a mention when discussing the best players ever to live.

Team mate Sir Bobby Charlton spoke of Best at the time of his death, saying that he “made an immense contribution to the game, and enriched the lives of everyone that saw him play. Football has lost one of its greats, and I have lost a dear friend. He was a marvellous person.”

Talking of George can be a very controversial subject. Many people object to his praise because he spent so many years of his life as an alcoholic, and continued to drink after his liver replacement. We can look at players today and see how they can spoil themselves with drugs or alcohol, and how they are condemned. However, it was a different World when George was playing. A teenage lad leaving his sheltered life in Belfast behind, and moving to a country where he was soon dubbed “the fifth Beatle.”

This isn’t necessarily a defence of Best, but maybe more of an explaination. I’ve never been adored by the entire population, I’ve never had Miss World’s throwing themselves at me, I’ve never been invited to all the best parties around the World, I’ve never beaten an addiction… so I don’t feel I’m in a place to judge the man, who had a lifestyle and was treated like no one of our time.

It was announced this week that a statue of Best, Law and Charlton was to be placed outside Old Trafford on Sir Matt Busby Way.

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying George Best was one of the greatest, if not the greatest player the World has ever seen. The fans at Old Trafford will be sure to make their opinion on the man clear tomorrow afternoon through songs when they face Chelsea.