Red Rants |
- United blind to let Pogba leave
- “Crazy” season has taken United by surprise
- No place like home for United winger
- Two creative midfielders, a centre back and a left back.
- Henrick Larsson: an inspired January move
| United blind to let Pogba leave Posted: 15 Jan 2014 01:08 AM PST
Pogba arrived in Turin in 2012 and despite being only 19 at the time, he quickly developed into a crucial figure for Juventus, ousting Claudio Marchisio – ironically, another midfielder on United’s radar – from the starting XI and becoming one of Europe’s best midfielders.
“He’s one of those players who leaves you with your mouth wide open,” Buffon told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. “We all asked ourselves, after seeing him train with us for the third or the fourth time, when he was still unknown, whether the people in Manchester couldn’t see very well.” Pogba’s performances for Juventus and France – the 20-year-old led France to to victory in the FIFA under-20 World Cup last summer, before breaking in the senior side – make painful viewing for United, given the Frenchman was let go for free, after he complained about a lack of opportunities at Old Trafford. United have recently been linked with a surprise move for their former player, who’s also attracted strong interest from PSG, while David Moyes was in Cagliari on Sunday to scout Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, two players that have also been linked with a surprise switch to Old Trafford, despite being key components in the Juventus’ machine. Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini, however, believes Moyes would be better off looking elsewhere for midfielders, as neither Vidal nor Pogba or Marchisio look set to leave the Old Lady anytime soon. “I can see that everybody wants to stay here and sign new contracts,” said the Juventus defender. “Pogba knows how important he is for us. He’s got clubs lining up for him, but he needs to keep his cool and carry on playing the way he is, in spite of the pressure.” “Vidal has only just renewed his contract, and he is one of the strongest midfielders in the world.” Over to you, David. |
| “Crazy” season has taken United by surprise Posted: 15 Jan 2014 12:45 AM PST
Days after Rafael leapt in Moyes’ defence claiming that the blame should be laid squarely at the players’ feet, Vidic has reiterated the concept, suggesting that the backlash from Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and a testing opening run with fixtures at Liverpool and Manchester City contributed to the Reds getting off with the wrong foot.
“In the Premier League, we had a tough start and that didn’t help us get our rhythm at the start of the season. “We had changed our manager, there was a lot of focus in the media on how we would do, and we had a few big derby games to play against Liverpool and Manchester City. We also played Chelsea very early on too,” the United captain told the Mirror. “Our results during that tough start didn’t give us the confidence to get going.” With any hopes of defending the Premier League title all but gone, United must focus on clinching a top four spot or they could be in danger of missing out on Champions League football for the first time since 1995 and Vidic admitted even an experienced player like him has been caught by surprise this season. “I didn’t expect it [this season] to be this crazy! I expected teams to drop points and I expected a few teams to get better. I thought Liverpool would improve, but I didn’t see them being where they are – Arsenal, maybe as well. “I thought City and Chelsea would be up there and I thought we would be in a better position that where we are now.” However, Vidic, who’s still to extend his contract with the club, which runs out at the end of the season, has so far been impressed by David Moyes as a person. “The manager was very open from the minute he came here. He knew exactly what he wanted to do and achieve. “We had some good training sessions and preparation in pre-season. But, like I said, at the start of the season, we didn’t hit that winning run, which would have given us that confidence to build and keep going throughout the first half of the season,” said the United captain. “The manager is a good character. He talks to people. But it’s up to the players too. We are a group and it’s the group’s responsibility to deal with situations. “My expectations were the same. They are the same every year at Manchester United, not just because we had a new manager,” continued Vidic. “Those expectations come from the players, the club, the fans as well as the manager. At United there is always a demand to win games and win trophies.” Dan |
| No place like home for United winger Posted: 15 Jan 2014 12:19 AM PST
The United winger has been a largely peripheral figure in the last twelve months at Old Trafford, playing just 21 games last season, but the arrival of David Moyes was thought to be the start a new era for the Portuguese, who had stated that he was desperate to shed the tag of inconsistent flash in the pan once and for all.
Unfortunately for him, the fresh start he and the club had hoped for has so far failed to materialise, with Nani appearing in just 10 games so far this season, as injuries and the familiar lack of end product have confined him to the margins of the match-day squad, with the Portuguese falling behind Antonio Valencia, Adnan Januzaj and even Ashley Young in the pecking order. With fellow outcast Wiflried Zaha set to be loaned out to Cardiff City, the chances of seeing Nani departing Old Trafford in January seemed remote at best, but now Sporting look confident to seal the deal, which will include United having first option on signing their midfielder William Carvalho if the Lisbon club decide to sell him this summer. The 21-year-old has established himself as a key figure in Sporting’s line-up this season, playing in all of their 15 league games so far as well as impressing for Portugal U21, scoring twice in three games in the qualifying stage of the European Championships Under 21, before going on to make his full international debut. An imposing figure in midfield, Carvalho is a defensive midfielder by trade and normally deployed as screen in front of the back four, but he can also play further up the pitch as central midfielder and while he’s price-tag is relatively cheap – Sporting value him at £3.1m – he’s already been tipped as an extremely bright prospect for the future. However, were Moyes to part ways with Nani and Zaha at the same time, United could find themselves short of wide options, but the United manager seems determined to shake-up his squad and Nani’s days at Old Trafford could be numbered, particularly because with the World Cup just five months away the 27-year-old is desperate for first team football. Whether he’ll go now or in June, one thing is certain – United will do well to recoup even a fraction of the £25m they forked out seven years ago. |
| Two creative midfielders, a centre back and a left back. Posted: 14 Jan 2014 01:11 PM PST
Firstly United need to clear out a number of players who do not look up to the high standard of the champions any longer. Anderson, Young, Buttner, Lindegaard all need to go as well as beginning the process of phasing the likes of Evra and Ferdinand out in spite of the great servants they have been to the club. The next stage would be acquiring the right players and spending some money to go with it in the remaining weeks of the transfer window. Two creative midfielders, a centre-back and a left-back would do. Furthermore Moyes needs to stop being so polite and respectful to the players and the club. His honey moon period at United is well and truly over and he needs to put his foot down and really lay into his under performing squad and if they are not prepared to evolve from Sir Alex Ferguson then he must show them the door. This is no longer Ferguson’s Manchester United, it’s his!
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| Henrick Larsson: an inspired January move Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:58 PM PST
Moments of inspiration are hard to come by during the January transfer window. Indeed, with numerous Premier League teams too often guilty of committing to overpriced and under researched transfer deals the month after Christmas, Manchester United have typically avoided high-profile dealings in the window altogether. Yet as the start of 2007 approached, Sir Alex Ferguson was on a bit of a roll in the transfer market, with Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick having all been acquired during 2006. One of his most inspired pieces of business, though, was a short term deal: his loan signing of Henrick Larsson from Helsingborgs IF in January of the New Year.
Larsson, whose son Jordan has recently been linked to United, arrived at United in the twilight of a prosperous and thoroughly fulfilling career. Starting off at Hogaborgs BK, Larsson spent a season at Helsingborg before moving to Feyenoord in 1993. It was with Celtic, however, where the Swede established his legend, scoring 174 times in seven years at the club. The long years he spent dedicated to the CelticPark cause were then rewarded by two seasons at Barcelona, where he won his first Champions League medal. Larsson arrived at a difficult point of the season for United, with Ferguson's other strikers – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Alan Smith, Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney – struggling for form and fitness over the hectic Christmas period. It was fortunate for Ferguson, then, that Larsson's impact at Old Trafford was instant. In fact, the Swede made an immediate impact on the record books, scoring with an emphatic finish on his debut against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Later in the month he scored in the Premier League against Watford, before notching the winner in a game against Lille in the Champions League. During the early months of 2007 he essentially became United's first choice striker, giving Ferguson an opportunity to rest the injury prone Saha.
Despite offers to extend his loan move, Larsson made good on his promise to return to his family and Helsingborg by 12th March. He later wished he had chosen differently, admitting that "if there is one regret I have from my career, it is that I came home to Sweden when Mr Ferguson was trying to get me to stay at Manchester United". Yet his decision to stick to his promise was typical of the man: classy, loyal and prepared to sacrifice personal ambitions for the good of others whenever required. Following the final whistle in his last game in a red shirt – a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough, during which Larsson had dropped back into midfield and tirelessly worked to protect his team's lead – the Swedish striker received a standing ovation from his team mates following his return to the dressing room. He left the club with United still chasing the treble, and special dispensation was later granted by the Premier League to provide him with a medal at the end of the season, even though he had not played the required ten games. He also departed a revered fan favourite: despite the short length of his stay, the impact of his contribution was memorably long-lasting. Piers Barber (@piersbarber18) |
Nobody ever said it would be easy, but David Moyes’ first half a season in charge at Old Trafford has been nothing short of disastrous. However relieving the Scot of his duties is not the answer although it has become obvious that the Red Devils need to bring in some new faces and offload some deadwood.
Also Moyes may need to start playing Fellaini behind Rooney upfront to reap the big Belgians full rewards. United have put in a great deal of crosses but without any aerial threat so far this season and it would seem that Moyes clearly wishes to maintain these tactics so may as well give himself the best chance of them working as Fellaini may well not be the best technically but has superb heading ability and has at least 10-15 goals in him a term if gets in the box and receives quality service. In addition he could lay-off or knock the ball down or on to others to score with his height and strength combined with the vision of a midfielder!
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