Manchester United

After an incredible season in which Manchester Unitedd completed the double of Premier League and Champions League, one wonders whether there is a need to strengthen the squad. But, there is.

Right Back

United need a right back in the mold of left back Patrice Evra - capable going forward and supplying the crosses. They were chasing Jose Bosingwa of Porto but Chelsea beat them to his signature.

Striker:

A striker is also a top priority since Saha will be sold to the highest bidder. Wanted - a tall striker with a good physical presence and excellent finishing capabilities!

Meanwhile, there is daily speculation about Ronaldo leaving and the latest rumor is that a bid for 64 million pounds along with Robinho would make Man Utd sell their most valuable asset and the likely European and World Player of the Year.

Possible Ins

In: Dani Alves (Sevilla), Micah Richards (Man City), Philip Lahm (Bayern Munich), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Miguel (Valencia), Huntelaar (Ajax), Benzema (Lyon), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Ashton (West Ham), Berbatov (Tottenham), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff), Valencia and Palacios (Wigan)

Possible Outs: Pique (to Barca), Silvestre (to Bordeaux), Ronaldo (to Real), Fletcher, Kuszack, and Saha

Manchester United Utd have reportedly made bids for French teen sensations Jeremy Helan and Darnel Situ. It would be great to get Richards and Benzema, but the possiblity of getting Richards is extremely remote. Aaron Ramsey looks promising and could be one for the future. Ferguson must be looking at offloading two of Fletcher, Saha, and Silvestre. If Ronaldo were to leave, I would splash the cash and buy Ribery from Bayern.

Chelsea

For Chelsea, the season began and ended in disappointment. One expects Roman Abramovich to splash the cash and get some of the best but 500 million pounds in investment, it remains to be seen how much further he wants to go.

The manager:

Avram Grant is likely to be sacked and replaced by either ex-Barca manager Frank Rijkaard, Roberto Mancini (Inter Milan), or Guus Hiddink (Russia). I expect wholesale changes to the squad that failed to win a trophy this season, after losing out to Manchester United in the Premiership and the Champions League and to Tottenham in the Carling Cup.

Frank Lampard is being linked with Inter Milan but I am sure Lamps is just holding out for a huge bumper deal. Chelsea will give him that deal as it plans to build a team around Terry and Lampard.

Didier Drogba looks certain to leave after whining through the season about how much he misses Jose Mourinho. Milan should be his likely decision but whether its Inter or AC remains to be seen. Whats going to be the fate of Andrei Shevchenko? Will Shaun Wright Phillips finally leave? Its going to be an interesting summer at Stamford Bridge.

Possibe Ins

Ribery (Bayern), Ramos (Real Madrid), Ronaldinho (Barca), Van der Vaart (Hamburg), Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Dos Santos (Barca), Huntelaar (Ajax), Richards (Man City)

Possibe Outs

Drogba, Malouda, Bridge, SWPhillips, Belletti, Shevchenko, Kalou, Sidwell, Pizzaro, Ben Haim, Cudicini

It was perhaps fitting that Ryan Giggs scored the goal that ensured the Premiership title would be staying at Old Trafford. Whether this is his last season or not remains to be seen, but the goal would cap a magnificent career that has seen him win, among other things, an incredible TEN league championships with Manchester United. The Welsh wing wizard might not have had the best of seasons, but along with Paul Scholes, has contributed significantly to the Red Devils’ incredible season.

Although their campaign got off to a relatively rocky start, United quickly established their place in the top two, along with the early pace-setters, Arsenal. They led the table on no less than 7 occasions during the season, overtaking Arsenal and holding off the threat of Chelsea – though it was a close run thing. Chelsea kept up with the points tally right until the very last game of the season – they drew, United won. In the words of Andy “I state the obvious and nothing more” Gray - “Game over, I guess”.

Ronaldo the diference:

Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed the sort of season most people could only dream of – 31 league goals. And what goals they were – long shots, tap-ins, beguiling back-heels, thunderous free kicks, and headers which center backs would dream of scoring. The success of this side has relied more than anything else on the efforts of one of the most phenomenal players on the planet. Goals against Arsenal and Liverpool should put to rest the ‘big game bottler’ tag he seems to have acquired, at least in the league, and the scary thing is that he is likely to get better. The mind boggles. In terms of influence on results, Rio Ferdinand’s superb marshalling of his defence came in a close second – 22 goals conceded in 38 games tells its own story.

Credit to Sir Alex and Carlos

Finally, credit must go to Alex Ferguson – aided by Carlos Queiroz, his tactical skills came to the fore. Solid in defence, sometimes playing with 2 holding midfielders, the team was set up to counter attack at lightning speed, leaving most defenses wondering what had hit them. Sir Alex has now won 10 (!) first division championships, taking United’s total up to 17, one behind Liverpool. Talk of retirement is misleading and, more than anything else, inaccurate – as long as blood flows through his veins, he’ll be taking his seat in the dug out at Old Trafford, waiting to unleash his “emerging” squad (or so he says) on their next victim.

“The Premier League has proposed an international round of league games to be played in five cities across the globe from 2011 to cater for the worldwide demand for English football.”

When Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore announced his ambitious plan to exploit English football’s popularity and expand outside England, there were mixed reactions to this plan. While a few managers such as Arsene Wenger and Roy Keane gave their backing to the plan, most fans were unanimous in their opposition to the proposed 39th league game abroad.

There are certainly pros and cons to this highly controversial plan, and there are some questions that still need to be addressed before a final decision is taken.

Pros

The precedent was set by NFL, which was taken from the United States to London and it was appreciated by the fans. Premier League is a major attraction throughout the world and is a cash-cow waiting to be milked.

Fans around the world will have the chance to watch wonderfully talented players from the world’s strongest league playing competitive football.

With more revenues, the sport can witness a tremendous improvement in the not just the quality of players but also in that of the stadiums and other related facilities.

As is the case with any other sport, football needs to keep evolving and innovating if the sport needs to expand globally and dominate other sports in terms of viewership.

Cons

The idea is seen as solely motivated by money and with utter disregard for the fans.

It is a worrying trend that local fans are often marginalized by clubs as the clubs seek to establish a global fan base. Fans often feel that the game is beginning to forget its roots and the tradition of local club support. This might force fans to be up in arms against their clubs, and ultimately turn their back on the Premier League.

There is already talk of too much football and no winter-break. There is talk of accommodating the 39th game in January, a time when clubs play for the league, the league Cup, and the FA Cup.

Other national associations will want to protect their own leagues and clubs and furthermore, they will not be happy about the Premier League coming to their domain and taking sponsors, and advertising revenue.

Questions

What will happen to season-ticket holders who support their club every game in the home stadium but cannot afford to travel overseas?

Will the money made from these matches be put back into youth and grassroots football? Will clubs lower ticket prices?

If this becomes a huge success, what is the guarantee that the Premier League will not eventually play more games abroad?

Will fans abroad be as interested in a Derby-Boro match as they would be in a ManUtd-Newcastle game?

Will kick-off times be arranged to suit both the spectators in the stadiums abroad and the local supporters watching their clubs on television in England?

As much a fan I am of the Premier League who would love to watch EPL clubs playing competitive games in India, I am averse to the idea of the proposed 39th game abroad. Football clubs, throughout the world, have been established on a strong supporter base, built and passed over generations. I have personally witnessed the passion of local club supporters who have struck with their respective clubs through decades of triumphs and losses, and I believe that if the Premier League, whose enormous success was possible only due to the support of the local fan base, antagonizes the local fans by sticking to its plan of holding overseas games, the game will eventually lose its soul.

Do you think EPL games should be played abroad in cities around the world?

As I watched Ronaldo get his first hat-trick for ManUtd against a manager-less Newcastle United, I couldn’t help wonder whether there was any other club which are better masters of their own self-destruction than Newcastle, who despite their claims of being a big club, continue to plunge deep into a quagmire of desperation. Sam Allardyce was the 7th manager to get the boot this season in the Premier League, and despite the fact that they played terrible football, it wasn’t fair to judge Big Sam after just 8 months.

The St. James’ Park stadium of Newcastle has the 3rd highest capacity in England (excluding Wembley) after ManUtd’s Old Trafford stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Newcastle have a large fan base and that the fans are very dedicated to their club in spite of poor results in recent times can be seen from the fact that home games are almost always full. But the fans have far too much expectations and they seem to forget the fact that they last won a major trophy almost 40 years ago.

The Newcastle manager job has always been a poisoned chalice. Just look at the list of great personalities who have been unsuccessful in the past decade - Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Sir Bobby Robson, Graeme Souness. I wouldn’t blame Harry Redknapp for his decision to stick with Portsmouth. Who in his right mind will take up this job? And, it doesn’t help when foreigners takeover the club, splash money, and then expect returns immediately. Well, not every club can turn into a Chelsea. So, Newcastle will keep looking for their Messiah.

One just has to take a look at ManUtd and Arsenal, which have gained due to the stability provided by their respective boards. Sir Alex has been at ManUtd for 21 years while Wenger is entering his 12th year at Arsenal. The trigger-happy football chairmen of today would do well to remember that Sir Alex did not deliver his first trophy until the fifth year of his reign. And, we all know what ManUtd has achieved in the past decade and a half under the indomitable Scot.

Rafa Benitez seems to be the next on the list of managers likely to get the sack. This is the guy who won the Champions League for Liverpool in his first year. And, when the club owner accepts that he had talks with Jurgen Klinsmann about taking over Liverpool, it clearly undermines Rafa’s position at the club.

At present, it is difficult for managers to operate against a background of constant criticism and incessant speculation about their future. It is important for club chairmen and supporters to realize that the success of the football club on and off the pitch depends on a long-term strategy replete with the right foundations. As Sir Alex would say “Stability and consistency is the basis of success at any club.”

List of sacked managers in 2007-2008 season:

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
Chris Hutchings (Wigan)
Sammy Lee (Bolton)
Martin Jol (Tottenham)
Billy Davies (Derby)
Lawrie Sanchez (Fulham)
Sam Allardyce (Newcastle)

As I watched Manchester United’s match against Everton, followed by the el classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, I could not help but marvel at Ronaldo’s magic at United and lament the fall of Ronaldinho at Barcelona. As a fan of both United and Barcelona, I want both my clubs to perform well. When Barcelona was winning trophies until just more than a year back, I was hoping United would follow suit.

When United was setting the Premiership on fire last season, I also had to witness the demise of the Catalan club. Will I ever see these two majestic clubs of Europe win their domestic titles in the same season? I guess not, considering the way the Catalan club is witnessing a downturn in its fortunes.

Ronaldo has already scored 17 times this season for United, while Ronnie has hardly made a significant contribution for Barca. I was aghast to say the least, seeing the latter’s abject performance in Barca’s home loss against Real Madrid.

Just more than 2 years back, Ronnie was given a standing ovation by Real fans for his virtuoso performance at the Santiago Bernabeau. Even last season, he scored about 21 goals for the club. But, what happened to that old Ronnie?

Did all that adulation get to his head? It is rumored that he missed more than 50 percent of the club’s training session last season and that he was given preferential treatment by everyone at the club. No doubt, Ronnie was instrumental for Barca’s revival but it is far more difficult to keep your act together at the highest level and in that aspect, he would do well to take cue from United legends such as Giggs and Scholes, who continue to perform at the highest level even after several Premiership titles.

On the other hand, Ronaldo is a star on the rise. However, he just has to take one look at the path taken by Ronnie and avoid that path at all costs. He is at a terrific club, surrounded by legends such as Giggs, Neville, and Scholes.

If Ronnie’s arrogance was his downfall, Ron’s might be his attraction to glamour and a constant craving for attention, reasons why he might quit United in a couple of seasons and head toward Real Madrid.

United would loathe to lose Ron when that time comes, but then no player is greater than the club, a fact being demonstrated by Ronnie at Barcelona.

In some games they’ve looked disjointed and careless; in some games they’ve looked like a well-oiled machine with the ability to turn over any defence in the world. In some games they’ve mixed both of the above to give watchers something altogether different. Whatever. Liverpool seem to be hitting a real run of form going into a sequence of games which could end up being season-defining.

Panic Stations

After an initial flurry of goals which saw them rise to the top of the Premiership table, the club appeared to fall apart. The dip in form which saw the side lose to Marseilles, apart from 4 altogether winnable draws, coincided with the loss of Pako Ayestaran, Benitez’s assistant of nearly a decade. But an away victory at Everton kick-started the motor, and soon they were puttering along nicely. For vast periods of play the Reds dominated Besiktas in Istanbul, but paid the price for a couple of defensive lapses. Next followed a hard-fought 1-1 against a high flying Arsenal, which could really have gone either way in spite of the Gunners’ monopolization of possession.

Robbie Returns - in more ways than one?

3 days later, Robbie Fowler returned to an emotional Anfield, only to see his side Cardiff lose 2-1 in the League Cup. As he walked out through the Shankly gates, probably for the last time, he blessed the possible successor to his legendary No.9 shirt. Fernando Torres had already shown us glimpses of his incredible ability before his untimely injury while on international duty, but his recent performances have left very few doubters that Rafa Benitez might well have pulled off the signing of the summer. The 23-year old has the opportunity to become the Dalglish to Gerrard’s Souness. This past Sunday, his delightful link-up with the Liverpool skipper seemed strangely reminiscent of Dalglish chipping the FC Bruges’ keeper from a Souness through ball in the European Cup Final of 1978. He has pace, power, skill and a terrific finish on him. And he’s only going to get better. Maybe I’m just overexcited. Anyway, moving on…

Hicks gets Rafa’s goat

A Turkish demolition job followed, setting new Champions League records and infusing the squad with confidence, which a victory at Fulham three days later did little to dissipate. Until a typically slow-for-news(!) international break saw a seething Benitez address a press conference with thunder in his face and defiance in his voice. “I am focused on training and coaching the players”, he said in response to no less than 20 different questions, prompting many to think something was wrong. Liverpool’s American owners told him to pipe down, but further shows of discontent were made. Wearing a tracksuit instead of his usual tie and coat at the game against Newcastle was strange, but his post-match interview was nothing short of scary. Rumours were rife in the media, with one tabloid suggesting Jose Mourinho was being lined up to replace Benitez. This was too much for Liverpool fans to take, and their vigorous demonstration of support for Rafa was backed up by the players beating Porto 4-1 in a crucial European game. Torres showed exactly why he was worth upwards of twenty million pounds, scoring two goals, including a sublime finish after leaving his marker spinning like a top.

The rumours were soon put to bed, albeit temporarily, and normal service has been resumed with a resounding 4-0 defeat of Bolton at Anfield. Things are looking rosy – Gerrard and Torres are already on the same wavelength, and all the new signings have bedded in well – Lucas Leiva in particular. The optimism surrounding his successful baptism of fire in the Merseyside derby has been reinforced by the all-action displays which followed. The young Brazilian has shown a good range of passing and can get stuck in with the tackles, but the most important aspect of his game appears to be his game intelligence – picking the right pass at the right time. Yossi Benayoun looks like he’s been at Anfield all his life, while Ryan Babel is clearly a striker-in-waiting, a couple of good performances on the wing notwithstanding.
Make or Break

Whether the side can maintain their form is the real question. Key players are performing – Torres has 11 goals in 17 appearances, while Gerrard has 8 from his last nine games. The next few weeks will be pivotal – a must-win game in Marseilles comes just before an Anfield summit with Manchester United, a side Liverpool haven’t scored a league goal against since 2004. With Messrs Hicks and Gillete scheduled to meet with Benitez in the aftermath, nothing really can be certain about the rest of the season. They’ve been portrayed as a club in turmoil by the media in recent weeks, and the most appropriate comment on Liverpool is that they are as enigmatic as Rafa Benitez’s goatee - things can get a little hairy, but the occasional close shave works wonders for confidence.

Nearly third of the season gone by, which teams have proved their mettle and which teams have fallen by the wayside. We examine in closer detail.

 Expectations met:

Derby County:

Even before the season started Derby County was widely tipped to go down, and they haven’t surprised. They have been woeful this season. Not a single away goal in more than 10 hours of football. I’m imagining every team that is due to play them is rubbing their hands in glee, much like Lampard in front of table full of pies.

The question on everyone’s lips “Are they even worse than the last Sunderland team that went down?”.

 

Manchester United:

If there was a remarks section in the report card , this is what it will read. Expectations met. It might me a tad harsh on the team that is current second in the table, but that is a consequence of the standards that Manchester United set the last season. And  they could have got only stronger with talents like Tevez,Nani, Hargreaves and Anderson coming in. Scratch Anderson actually, he is a cheating,diving ,despicable git. Anyways, I digress. Struggled early on in the season with scratchy wins, but Utd fans will rightly argue that is that hallmark of Champion. They, now, have found their form recently with some spectacular wins. They will be challenging for the title right till the end.

The question on everyone’s lips “Is Carlos Tevez the ugliest man in world football?”

Hi-Flyers of the season:

Arsenal:

 

Written off by all and sundry even before a ball was kicked, Arsenal had everything to lose this season. If “experts” were to be believed, Arsenal will fighting it out with the likes of Blackburn and Spurs for the final Champions league spot. But, I think its fair to say that they have proved everyone wrong this season. Scored the maximum number of goals, taken the highest number of points ,they are flying high at the top of the table. People will still point to the skewed fixture list which has made Arsenal play a disproportional amount of home games, but when you can boss Liverpool at Anfield, you are surely made of sterner stuff.

The litmus test for the young gunners will be December, away ties at St.James’, Goodison, Villa Park and home ties against Chelsea and Spurs will test the depth of the squad and also the resolve of this team.

The question on everyone’s lips “When will this run stop and they implode in spectacular fashion?” The Answer “Ha! You wish!”.

Manchester City:

Things were looking rather downcast at the Eastlands at the start of the season. Couldn’t buy a win at home, about to be taken over by a Shady man with even seedier connections, and perhaps most worryingly a team that is going to be managed by an uninspiring manager.

A 100% home record, a team playing one touch football beautiful football, and a manager who seems as thought a burden has been lifted off his shoulders. Sven has been refreshing in his candour in his interviews , honest in his assessments and bereft of the moaning that plagues prem managers these days. And his team hasn’t too bad either, the likes of Petrov and Elano are contenders for buys of the season. Man City continue to confound critics and keep winning and my bet to finish in the top 5.

The question on everyone’s lips “How does Sven get to bed all the pretty blond chicks?”

 

Chumps of the Season:

Tottenham Hotspurs:

To say they have disappointed might be an understatement of gross proportions. Languishing at the bottom the table, a defence that is leaking goals, and 2 wins in 13 is hardly Champions league spot form.

And its fair to say they hardly covered themselves in glory in the way the whole Martin Jol affair. Farcical to say the least. Juande Ramos has a big big task in his hands. A club which probably has the most deluded set of supporters , its going to be a huge ask to turn this club around. Have they got their right man? Only time will tell, but he had Seville punching way above their weight, perhaps no one should be surprised if Spurs do the same.

The question on everyone’s lips “How much longer before we can laugh at them? Again”

 

Special Mentions:

Snores of the season:

Liverpool. To put it mildly, I’d rather watch my fingernails grow or paint dry. And don’t throw the Besiktas game in my face.

The forgotten team:

Why isn’t anyone talking about Chelsea anymore?

November 6th 1986 is a Red-letter day in the history of Manchester United. That was the day when a fiery Scot named Alex Ferguson left Aberdeen to take charge of one of the most popular clubs in England. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sir Alex’s spell as ManU manager has seen him secure nine Premier League titles, a Champions League title, five FA Cups, a League Cup, and a knighthood. Even at 65, he does not show any sign of slowing down and his enthusiasm for the game is still intact.

It is rumored that Fergie narrowly avoided the sack in 1990 after winning away at a 3rd round Cup tie at Nottingham Forest. ManU went on to win the FA Cup that season, kick-starting the golden years. A Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1991 after beating Barcelona in 1991 was followed by the disappointment of losing the league title narrowly to Leeds in 1992. The inspired signing of Eric Cantona in the same year propelled ManU to the inaugural Premier League title in 1993 and a League and Cup double in 1994.

In 1996, ManU overcame Newcastle, thanks to Fergie’s mindgames over Kevin Keegan and achieved a second League and Cup double. ManU clinched the treble in 1999 in a sensational manner, winning a dramatic Champions League final, beating Bayern Munich 2-1, the League title, and the FA Cup. In 2001, Fergie accomplished a hat-trick of Premier League titles, becoming the only manager to achieve this feat with the same team.

One more league title followed in 2003 and when calls for Fergie’s head increased after a few trophy-less years, he masterminded yet another league triumph in 2006/2007. Fergie always stated ‘his greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their fucking perch’. I guess he has also knocked Chelsea off their fucking perch when it looked like Chelsea would dominate for a long time thanks to Roman’s riches.

No fan who has watched ManU play in the past couple of seasons would have any reason not to believe in Fergie’s belief that ManU can continue to remain a force in European football for years to come. Fergie is certainly one of the greatest ever managers to have been involved with the game. One more Champions League title for this living legend, and he will gladly fade into the sunset.

Over the past week journalists and fans alike had been salivating over the Arsenal vs Manchester United fixture as we pondered the likes of Fabregas, Hleb, Walcott and Rosicky taking on Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney and Nani. Added to this wonderful set of players was the fact that both the teams have played near perfect football over the past few weeks.

Well, as expected with any of these big games, all the big players canceled each other out and what we got instead was a scrappy and tough game with few incidents of individual brilliance. But unlike a lot of previous fixtures between top teams, we also got a lot of goals and some heart stopping moments. The match ended 2-2 and judging by the match, it did seem to be a very fair result. However, the manner in which Arsenal rescued the point will probably mean that Arsenal will go forward with a lot more confidence than United.

And what a day for William Gallas and Patrice Evra! United’s first goal was a result of Rooney’s shot ricocheting off Gallas, just after Gallas’s header had almost led to Arsenal’s first goal. And his finishing and composure right at the death just showed why Wenger has so much trust in the Frenchman.

Credit to the managers:

One has to give a lot of credit to both Wenger and (especially) Ferguson for going all out for the win. One indication definitely has to be the substitutions both the managers made in the second half, when Ferguson sent on Carrick and Saha without resorting to the expected tactic of settling for the 1-1 draw.

Arsenal’s fluidity, in the absence of Thierry Henry was also quite visible as they attacked from four or different sides as players such as Hleb and Rosicky looked to impose themselves instead of finding Henry as they would have done last year. But full credit to the United midfield and defense for snuffing them out.

Going forward, it looks like, I definitely think its going to be (for once) a four way battle for the title with the onus on Chelsea and Liverpool to match the early pace set by Arsenal and United. Liverpool and Chelsea (and their fans) will no doubt be happy about the results and Liverpool in particular will need to start putting together a good run (starting with the Champions League in midweek) to turn around their recent dip in form.

Man of the Match:

A lot of people might disagree but Patrice Evra was my man of the match. He shrugged off the early booking and set up United’s second goal through his sheer determination. No wonder, Ferguson didn’t really mind packing off Gabriel Heinze to sunny Spain.