Has Fergie gone mad?

Just days after Fergie has done a fantastic piece of business, it looks like the old man has lost some sense. We love Fergie , absolutely love him, but statements like these drive us insane.

“We have had offers for Giuseppe, which puts us in a bit of a situation, while the quandary with Alan surrounds his long-term future and getting regular games.

There is no doubt Alan did fantastically well for us when he came back last season.

He gave the team a spiritual lift and because he is such a fighter, he was an inspiration to us. But he is 26 now and he wants regular football.

I have to look at Manchester United in terms of how do we improve to get better. And when someone like Tevez comes along, it makes it difficult for people like Alan and Giuseppe in particular.

The most important thing is that they are our players and we can make decisions when we like.”

It is great if Tevez arrives. The squad would have Rooney, Tevez, Saha, Ole, Smith, Rossi and Dong as the strikers. We should recognise that Saha won’t be around for half of the year considering his fragile frame, nor does Ole’s weary legs allow him to complete a full game or play more than one game a week. Dong is inexperienced which makes me count all these three as one good fit striker. So United would be left with five strikers. It makes sense to sell one striker if he generates a good value and it has to be Smith and not Rossi. Smith for all his combative instincts isn’t a player who can change a game on his own. Rossi is being touted as the next big thing and it would be a crime to sell him without giving him a fair chance.

If United sell both, we might be in big trouble if one of Rooney or Tevez gets injured. All the big teams have four good strikers. So Fergie, please don’t sell my Joe Red.  What do you guys think? Should both be sold if they generate around 12 million combined?

Owen Hargreaves completes the formalities

The signing of Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich is completed when he signed a 4 year deal with the premiership champions. The deal brings in delight to the United faithful. It makes it even more sweet considering the fact that he is English. This site has at one time argued that De Rossi is better than Hargreaves, but after a restrospect I doubt if De Rossi would have given so much for the shirt as Hargreaves.

How would the striker hunt end?

Ever since David Gill has announced that United is looking out for a striker, a host of strikers have been linked to United. If United has to get another striker they most probably would sell Smith. We love his never dying attitude and he tries to give everything for the team, but unfortunately he doesn’t have enough quality to come off the bench and change a game. If United gets another striker and doesn’t sell Smith, it would be very harsh on Rossi who could well very be the next world class striker. Departures later, lets analyze the arrivals for now.

Lets have a look at some of the names that are linked to United and what they bring to the team

Fabulous Quagliarella might not come to United

The news has broken out that Quagliarella’s rights are totally owned by Udinese. Sampdoria has lost the bid to Udinese. It remains doubtful if Udinese agrees to sell Quagliarella seen as a replacement for Iaquinta who has left to Juventus.

I admire the goal scoring skills of this guy. He is fast, has control on the ball, has strength and is comfortable with both the feet. He has scored around 10 wonder goals in the 13 goals he has scored for Sampdoria. Any player would be happy if he scores so many wondergoals in his life time. As if these werent enough he has scored two amazing goals from outside the box for his country. In matches where it is tough to break the defence down such goals are very important and who knows- such goals might be enough for United to win the FA cup, the Champions league. Atleast in him I see a player who can come off the bench and win the match. I admire Smith a lot. But for all his commitment, Smith doesnt have the talent. In this time when rumours are around that Newcastle has allegedly signed Smith, the news that Quagliarella is set to stay at Udinese hurts me . Hope we atleast get Huntelaar

Protect my defense

 

Last year, Barcelona was the only team which played with such flair, they made every other team look low and ugly. This year, another team has emerged, which going back to the tradition of their club started to play free flowing, attractive attacking football – Manchester United. Yes, the same team which defeated Roma 7-1, but was sadly mauled 3-0 by Milan. From a purist’s perspective, they were the only team which deserved to win the premier league. But are they the team which deserved to win the Champions League, more than anyone else?

No!! A hard No!!!!!

I am not debating, if ACMilan, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Chelsea or the last time champions Barcelona deserved to win the CL. I am just voicing my opinion that Manchester United didn’t deserve to win it more than any of those teams. United possess the attacking threat, which any team can be envious of. The only team that comes that close is Barcelona. Their keeper is erratic at times, but reliable most of the times. Their back four steady (after all they made the PFA defense of the year). But their midfield? In Europe, players are given absolutely no time on the ball. United won 7-1 against Roma, that is because Roma loves to play attacking football too. But against a team like Milan, where players like Gattuso would barging onto you like a raging bull, you need someone to nullify them. We need a Keano, we need a Owen Hargreaves, we need a De Rossi, we need a Mascherano. If United did possess one quality defensive midfielder in that mould, they would have been probably challenging for the treble just the way they did in 99. Then they would have deserved to win both the CL and the league, just the way Barcelona did (They did have Motta, Edmilson, Marquez and Gio Vanni. Didnt they? )

In Europe, we need someone to protect our defense. The strongest name that is linked with United is Owen Hargreaves. Many fans want him desperately because he is English. Nothing wrong with that except the cost on him. He costs 20 million. We get one quality defensive midifielder if we go for Owen Hargreaves. But one is not enough. We need a backup. Look at ACMilan, they have got Ambrosini, a decent defensive midifielder if they have got Gattuso injured or suspended. Liverpool have got both Mascherano (The way he played the Chelsea game, makes you think what losers West Ham were) and Sissoko. Chelsea have got Makelele, Diarra and Obi Mikel. Barcelona have got Motta, Edmilson, Marquez and Gio Vanni if needed.

To get two defensive midfielders, we need to look at De Rossi rather than OH. Although De Rossi is not as proven as Owen Hargreaves, he definitely has the potential, up there with the Owens and the Mascheranos. Not to forget that he is a world cup winner, which means he definitely has got the temperament too.

He would cost around 12-14 million, which would save around 6 million and we can use that to buy another unproven defensive midfielder who would be a cover if one gets suspended or injured. After all, we are out of CL if we lose one match. Aren’t we? So we definitely need two defensive midifielders and not just one. If OH is coming, I dont see another DM coming in. But if De Rossi comes in, there is every possiblity we can get a decent DM for 6-7 million. What do you guys think? My defense needs a double protection. It does.