Red Rants |
- England can win World Cup thanks to United
- United make Singing Section permanent
- Disecting The Manchester United Midfield
| England can win World Cup thanks to United Posted: 08 Apr 2014 12:50 AM PDT
Hope remains success at club level might yet come in the form of a European Cup win, but some United players could be eyeing more likely success at international level and the INCLUDES players playing their way into Roy Hodgson’s final 23-man squad. Yes that’s right, England CAN win the World Cup in their new England kit this summer! But which United players will help drive that success and why?
IN: Chris Smalling: tall, athletic, quick and slightly old fashioned; Smalling makes good decisions at centre half and has offers Hodgson the perfect partner for Gary Cahill in the absence of previous centre halves such as Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. Smalling may lack the experience of those affore mentioned predecessors but his no-nonsense approach to defending could be the difference between winning and losing.
Wayne Rooney: The lad has pretty much pulled United’s pants down for about 10yrs now but there’s no denying his worth. He’s steadily worked his way up United’s scoring charts almost as quickly as he’s wracked up his millions. His form for England has been patchy over the years but his goals tell another story. If he strikes up a decent partnership with the very much in-form Daniel Sturridge, they could produce a plethora of goals to fire them to glory. Phil Jones: I still believe it’s in Jones’ interest to secure ONE position for himself or risk becoming Phil Neville rather than Phil Jones. Jones’ form and progression has suffered and stifled since joining United thanks in part to injuries and beeping juggled from centre half, to right back, to midfield general and back round again. He’s making basic mistakes when he plays at centre half now purely because he’s missed out on too much match experience in that position over recent campaigns. This clip from the Olympiakos 2nd leg highlights one such mistake where he chooses not to engage the obvious danger despite having cover behind and being the closest man to the ball. trim.4F0A861D-6AEA-4E08-AA9D-53715757EC46 United got away with it on that occasion thanks to De Gea but England might not be so lucky hence why Jones cannot be considered a first choice centre half. However, Jones’ versatility puts him in ahead of other defensive candidates such as Caulker at Cardiff, Brown at Sunderland, Shawcross at Stoke and the calamitous Lescott at City. Danny Welbeck: Will probably consider himself unlucky not to be first choice BUT his lack of goals is a concern. Yes he’s netted more times than any other season this season for both club AND country but with Rooney and Sturridge almost nailed on for starting and both scoring for fun, Welbeck may possibly find himself used on the left for his pace and industry whenever required where Danny could still play a pivotal role as the tournament progresses. OUT:
Another absentee from my squad is Ashley Young but I don’t feel there’s an explanation necessary in his case. I know there are many United fans who really couldn’t care less about England or International football but, when it comes the World Cup, there’s far more interest than at any other time – even if it’s only to have a laugh at their expense when they’re sent crashing out of the competition. This year however……..it could be different! My starting XI: Hart Baines Gerrard Rooney Sturridge Bench: Green Plus a space remaining for either Wilshere or Milner. Purchase the new England kit to show your support. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| United make Singing Section permanent Posted: 07 Apr 2014 12:23 PM PDT
Fans United, the group behind the initiative which includes different fanzines and forums among which feature Stretford End Flags, Red News, Andy Mitten and Reclaim United, have today announced that the Singing Section will be located in the J Stand, meaning that those season ticket holders who sit in that area of the ground will have to be moved, unless they’ve signed up to take part in the initiative.
The decision to include a singing section in a bid to improve the atmosphere at Old Trafford was largely welcome, but many feel season ticket holders got the raw of the end of the deal, with some of them forced to abandon seats that they’ve occupied for years, as they’ll be relocated to other parts of the ground. On their official website, United have published the reasons behind the decision to implement a singing section, after Fans United had campaigned for its inclusion for over two years. Here’s what, according to manunited.com, led the club to give the singing section the green ligh: • The relatively small number of people in the Singing Section within the North East Quadrant generated healthy noise levels within certain areas of the stadium. • The Singing Section seemed to energise the Streford End such that the larger numbers within the Streford End helped to generate yet higher noise levels across the stadium. • The East Stand also appeared to be more vocal than on previous occasions, perhaps due to the noise levels generated by the nearby Singing Section. • The away supporters were hardly audible at the perimeter of the pitch close to the North Stand
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| Disecting The Manchester United Midfield Posted: 07 Apr 2014 10:04 AM PDT
Roy Keane and Paul Scholes
Over the years Manchester United has been blessed to have the opportunity to field some great midfield partnerships. However undoubtedly the greatest midfield pairing Manchester United have played in the Premiership era is one involving Roy Keane and Paul Scholes. Together they lead Manchester United through one of their most successful periods in their illustrious history. Roy Keane a fiery Irishman and Paul Scholes, a shy Englishman. They were on paper a mismatch but on the field they complemented each other like nothing else. Keane was the CDM, he was forever nipping at the heels of the opponent and his no non-sense attitude to the game was shown through his robust challenges. He was often accused of wanting to injure players, such robust were his challenges. His endless energy and love for the club were, I think epitomized in the 1999 Champions League Semi-Final when Manchester United faced a Juventus side that could boast of Zidane and Deschamps in their midfield. With two quick fire goals from Filippo Inzaghi Manchester United’s treble dream looked to be in tatters. With Keane picking up a booking that would keep him out of the final, were United to pull off a miracle, it was meant to be a nightmare game. However being the man he was, Keane refused to give up and lead the revival himself by scoring a captains goal in the 24th minute. It was a night to remember in Turin as even the hostile Juventus fans applauded Keane’s performance. They recognised that his passion and desire to win was truly unparalleled. United went on to complete their famous treble after an equally memorable against Bayern Munich. Paul Scholes on the other hand, who incidentally also missed the final due to suspension was an altogether different player. He started off his career as a striker and has been heading back ever since. In his early career he found his place, as a No.10 playing off the striker. Not blessed with sensational pace Scholes played the game on his terms. His reading of the game and his ability to spot a pass half a second before any one else made up for his lack of speed. His goal scoring from midfield came through him ghosting into the opposition area or some truly fantastic shots from outside the box. As he took a step back again, he found himself in the center of the park, in the midfield engine room. His ability to read the game was now even more prevalent and so was his sublime passing. No one, Gerrard included can hit a long cross field pass like Scholes. The way he spots the pass before any one else on the pitch and than the way he executes is just artistry. His range of passing is one of the most complete I have seen. Widely regarded as the best midfield of his generation Paul Scholes was a one-off and he alongside Keane formed the best partnership of the Premiership era. Their success came from the complete package they offered. Keane was the all action ‘box to box’ midfielder who covered every single blade of grass. On the other hand Scholes was the artist, he set the tempo of the game from the very first minute and dictated it to the very last. When Keane was forced out of the club a gaping void was left in the middle of the park, one that still remains. Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes
Now with Carrick we played a double pivot. Each midfielder would take turns to go forward and crowd the opposition half. The other midfielder would sit in front of the back four and make challenges and recycle possession. The role is quite similar to what Gerrard does for Liverpool. He plays a holding role in front of the back four. This allows the midfielder in front of him to make runs in the attacking half. However unfortunately for Manchester United, the change of system did not work very successfully. Both midfielder were essentially deep lying play makers who controlled the tempo of the game. They were best utilised in that position. Both Carrick and Scholes had a fantastic passage range and a fantastic understanding of the game. However neither could consistently be lethal in the final third, they lacked pace in the midfield engine room. This resulted in there being huge gaps between the front 4 (strikers/wingers) and the midfield. This gap is what other teams could easily exploit. Manchester United thus relied on spraying passes all around the pitch to make up for link-up between midfield and attacking midfield. To link-up play Tom Cleverley was often used. He is very energetic and was pivotal in linking up the midfield and front four. He made up for the lack of mobility in United’s engine room and filled the gap between the four forwards and the midfield. The demise of Cleverley from the dynamic and energetic youngster that once was such a bright spark to the tamed player he is now is quite sad. He has the qualities to be a great player but a huge lack of confidence and injuries have resulted in a huge regression of his game. To add dynamism and mobility as well as physical presence to the Manchester United Marouane Fellani was purchased. Fellani and Carrick
Fellaini on the other hand is in theory meant to play the ‘Keane‘ role to an extent. He with his aggression and physicality is meant to add the bite to the Manchester United that we have lacked. Last season no other player committed more fouls than Fellaini so in theory this partnership should work like a dream. He should play in front of Carrick and be the more attacking of the two midfielders. However there is own fatal flaw in this partnership and that is Lack Of Mobility. Ever since Keane left Manchester United have struggled to find a player who can put in the hard yards, make the challenges and be a physical presence, consistently. Players like Anderson and Cleverley have done this job in short bursts however neither have done it consistently. Fellaini might be able to match Keane physically however he is far too slow and gets caught in possession far too often. This results in Carrick having to make up for him. As a result Carrick finds it harder to impose himself on games due to a lack of space and time on the ball. Yet the English International maintains one of the highest pass accuracies in the league despite having to make up for Fellaini’s short comings. The Solution
The 21 year Angolan born beast (there is no other word for it) is set to be a world beater. I think that he can fill our void in Midfield left by Keane. Like Keane he is very strong and has a great physical presence. In fact it is nearly impossible to knock the 6″2 off the ball. Like Keane he also has a crunching challenge, which many bruised opponents will embarrassingly testify to. However one of my favourtie qualities is his positioning. Like all great players he seems to have more time on the ball than most, despite playing as a holding midfielder. This is because he has an intelligent football brain and knows where the space is. You might think at his point he sounds like a Fellaini. While the Belgian and him do share some physical similarities the Sporting Lisbon player has a key asset that sets him apart. It might be hard to believe specially considering he is 14 stone, but he is quick, very quick. Many do not appreciate this quality because they don’t see it often enough and that is down to his fantastic positioning. This would certainly add a lot of mobility to our sluggish midfield and would rejuvenate Carrick. Despite his great qualities Catvalho is still way ward in his passing and often opts for the sideways pass. However as a 21 year old and playing alongside one of the greatest passers in the Premiership in Carrick he will definitely improve and in his time be ready to fill the boots of Roy Keane.
That about sums it up for this time and I hope you enjoyed the post. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I would love to hear your suggestions and feedback. If you liked the post and would like more simply follow my Manchester United Blog here. |
Now our hands have been mathematically and begrudgingly prized off the Premier League trophy some United fans might turn their attention to rooting for England in this summer’s World Cup Finals!
Tom Cleverley: Possibly the most under-rated midfielder in the country, especially by the majority of United fans who, at least a few of, had the audacity to create a moronic poll to rid the player from future England squads. Really, what have football fans come to? Cleverley has struggled for form and bore the brunt of United’s failure this season but admirers will highlight his natural desire to play forward as just one of his many strengths. In a diamond midfield of Gerrard, Cleverley, Barkley and (United bound) Lallana; Cleverley will prove his critics wrong and become one of Europe’s most sought after midfielders.
The biggest notable absentee from my list is undoubtedly Michael Carrick. For one fleeting season Carrick cunningly deceived the Old Trafford faithful into thinking he was/is a top class midfielder. Yes he can pass, yes he can intercept but that I’m afraid is where it ends thanks to an insistence to think backwards and sideways BEFORE thinking forwards. Having had huge hopes for him at Spurs and then at United but Carrick has failed to progress merely by being so mentally negative. When he drives forward and thinks attacking there’s no limit to his capabilities (See QPR away and Roma at home; but there should be many more examples than there are). Carrick’s potential has reached nowhere near what it was capable of and that’s DESPITE forging a successful career at Manchester United. Huddlestone and Henderson have played their way ahead of Carrick so he gets the summer off.
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