Some blame the defence and others blame fatigue, but I believe the Red Devils are short one key man in particular...
8 Apr 2009 14:45:08
Teams
Players
When the Red Devils were racking up the clean-sheets, many said that the defence, with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar behind them, was invincible. Now, that same rearguard is taking a battering, both from opposition attackers and an array of critics. The truth behind United's current slump, though, must surely lie somewhere in between, and that naturally leads us to the midfield.
Even whilst Sir Alex Ferguson's men were charging on unchallenged, there were signs of frailty during the too-close League Cup win over Derby County in January. Blackburn Rovers' Roque Santa Cruz broke the clean sheet record but the flaws weren't really amplified until the 2-1 win at Newcastle United in early March, wherein the gung-ho Magpies provided a real test. Inter then outplayed them to no avail, before the levee broke three days later: Liverpool thumped them, Fulham stunned them, Aston Villa went down narrowly and, finally, Porto drew 2-2 in midweek, and could have won easily.
Sure, there have been individual errors at the back. Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand were shocking against the Reds, and even though the resurgent former and injured latter weren't to blame as Porto ran riot, Jonny Evans and Gary Neville made costly mistakes. More to the point, however, the midfield has been dominated time and again in recent weeks, often at home, thus the defence is far more exposed than it should be. There's no shield in front of the defence, 50-50 balls are going the wrong way and games are raging from end-to-end - like a basketball match, as the cliche goes.
Now we've come to the business end of the season, when Manchester United are supposed to come alive. Instead, they're gasping for air and every side they encounter will fancy their chances, based on what they've seen recently. There's something missing, quite literally, in the shape of perma-crocked midfield battler Owen Hargreaves.
So why should we yearn for the Canadian-born English international with the German background? Simply put, he's a tiger and does not let games pass him by as some of the United midfielders have done lately. Michael Carrick looks somewhat bereft of confidence and authority after a stunning half-season or so, and fatigue may be playing its part. Anderson is an option, but he's too classy for extended shifts in the war zone. Paul Scholes is what he is – a veteran to be used sparingly and a player whose raking passes are his main asset in his twilight years. Darren Fletcher, meanwhile, is a squad man playing more than even he expects to.
Boss Ferguson bought Hargreaves from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2007 for a weighty £17 million, handing him a four-year contract which hinted at his plans for the player. He's a peak-age 28-year-old now, and would come alive on the big occasions, such as Tuesday evening's Champions League fiasco. Certainly, he showed early on in his United career that he intended to bring titles to the club. Other bonus points include his free kick prowess – United are suddenly shambolic on that front – and his positional versatility.
To play Hargreaves, of course, he has to be fit. Exactly what stage he's at has been the subject of some confusion, but the word is that he's training at Carrington and stepping up his fitness bid by the day, now onto the final stretch of his rehabilitation. He's needed surgery twice to correct his patella tendonitis, which means that both knees have not been able to handle the impact of landing after a routine leap. Highly-rated American surgeon-cum-miracle worker Dr. Richard Steadman has been working on Hargreaves, giving hope that he'll make a full recovery, as many under his care have.
When someone has been out this long, then, it's probably best to complete the programme and not risk the kind of damage that can end careers prematurely. Hargreaves recently insisted that he'll be back even stronger but admitted that he hasn't been watching United's progress closely due to frustration, something that Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas also revealed during his lay-off. It looks as though United will have to wait until the summer before the midfielder can plug their hole – yet it's clearly still there.
Obviously, there remains the possibility that Hargreaves could suffer a further set-back, or that he won't be the same player on his eventual return. Thus, one would be surprised if Ferguson's wily eyes haven't wandered across the globe looking for a potential replacement. Real Madrid's Mahamadou Diarra and Sporting Lisbon man Miguel Veloso are two possible targets, with Standard Liege starlet Alex Witsel also frequently linked with a Premier League move. There are attainable players to fill the void, but 'Fergie' is likely to wait on 'Hargo' for as long as possible.
More immediately, the gaffer must readjust somewhat to compensate. His side need to reclaim the midfield and pull together in order to protect a lambasted defence which cannot have become a bad unit overnight. Let's hope the talented Mr Hargreaves returns in time for next season, but for now, United must somehow compensate for a problem they have yet to fully identify.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
English Angle: Four Reasons Why Manchester United Are Desperate For Owen Hargreaves' Return
Champions League Debate: What Made This Competition So Great Again?
Everything we thought we knew, we don't - the Champions League is back to its enthralling and unpredictable best....
9 Apr 2009 14:15:15
Teams
Anyone who denies the past two days have been a celebration and resurrection of adventurous, entertaining and exceptional football is insane.
But then that's the thing: there are so few bitter Bayern, Liverpool or Man United fans. They may rue the inevitable and indisputable mistakes made by their clubs, but there have been far less excuses and complaining than usual, because the football really did do all the talking.
Who said football needs controversy to be exciting?
In two breathtaking nights, four captivating games have been played out between eight fearless and talented teams. The atypically tentative and uninspired round of 16 is history.
Inter and Real Madrid are two clubs in particular that, whether they admit it or not, now believe themselves to be cursed in Europe. And it shows. These are great clubs that ultimately failed to live up to their billing.
Add to this Juventus and Atletico Madrid sides still not suitably rehabilitated to trade blows with the best of the best and Roma, a side like Lyon, now on the way down after having hit their peak, and it's not hard to see why they ended up as near-misses.
And to finish off the complement of those eliminated, there are Panathinaikos and Sporting CP, whose only knockout potential was the physical and literal process of being knocked out in the first place.
It's now clear that the right teams went through from the second round to serve up the best games in the quarter-finals. We perhaps didn't know it then, but we know it now.
Who is honestly wishing that Roma, Inter, Juventus or Real Madrid were here, other than fans of those clubs or countries? No one. The competition has progressed perfectly without them.
Villarreal out-passing Arsenal with their trickery and technique was truly captivating and both the game's goals were out of this world.
Porto's young guns tearing through the reigning champions stunned the masses and will have put all of Europe's elite on alert ahead of the summer transfer window.
The return of Drogba and Essien, as well as the delayed emergence of Ivanovic and undisputed arrival of Hiddink was almost dumbfounding. Liverpool rarely look so helpless.
Barcelona kept alive their magic, blitzing a Bayern side that were just starting to be taken seriously.
Two weeks ago, this entire showpiece had been written off as a dirge - a Premier League procession - and who knows, maybe that's what it needed to be sparked back into life.
The rest of Europe (barring Barcelona) had been counted out of contention, just as England (barring Man United) always had been in years gone by.
The mass media has perpetuated the belief that the 'big four' will dominate for years to come off the back of a couple of years in which they have been the dominant presence in the quarters and semis.
When the Italians and Spanish enjoyed this success, there was never such widespread prophecy of a decade-long dynasty or anything of the sort being on the horizon for them, so why for England? Maybe the belief that the Premier League has relative recession immunity is what makes this era so much more scrutinised than others from years gone by.
Several figureheads from around Europe have at times expressed a sense of powerlessness with regards to stopping the Premier League dominance. That pathetic, defeatist attitude thankfully wasn't adopted by the likes of Porto and Villarreal and will hopefully serve as an example to one and all, next season and beyond.
The same four English teams' repeated qualification for the competition has enabled them to practice to the point of perfection and the energetic, pressing game of the English game has provided a culture shock of sorts to several European heavyweights, but it is merely a matter of time until they acclimatise to the wind of change sweeping over UEFA's showpiece event.
What captured the imagination of many fans was the defiance of the underdogs: Porto, Villarreal and even Chelsea. None were expected to win, but all not only got somewhat surprising results, but outplayed their opponents.
The favourites were favourites no more - and that's what makes Barcelona such a genuine threat: they were the only big guns who lived up to their billing.
Three Premier League teams could yet go through; Bayern could yet even beat Barcelona. A few of us remember Barca throwing away their Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe despite a monumental first leg lead, most of us remember what Deportivo did to Milan a few years ago and absolutely everybody remembers what Liverpool managed - again against Milan - in Istanbul four years ago.
Anything can happen, but it probably won't. This wasn't defying the odds just for defiance's sake. This was the beautiful game blossoming in its evolution.
Barcelona still drop the odd lead, but Pep Guardiola is not Frank Rijkaard.
Liverpool are still the architects of the impossible, but Hiddink never loses by three goals - at least not against teams on a similar skill level - and especially when knowing exactly what's required from the game in order to win the tie.
Meanwhile, Porto have never lost to English opposition at the Dragao and already showed they can subdue all kinds of firepower at home, but United rarely disappoint when all is to play for, while Villarreal remain the most likely candidates for heroic failure, just as they did when the draw was made.
All roads leading to Rome sure has come in handy, as we now find ourselves taking a couple of spectacular detours along the way, knowing and hoping this tournament reaches the destination it deserves.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Calcio Debate: The Sad Story Of Why Jose Mourinho Must Sell Adriano
The Emperor is unstable once more, and is seems that now is the time for his coach to take decisive action over his future...
7 Apr 2009 12:00:12
He was and remains one of the most prolific strikers in modern history. For ten years, he was incredible. For around five, he was beyond Cristiano Ronaldo last season. His most prolific spells may 'only' have been in Portugal; but these were not some Dirk Kuyt or Mario Gomez goalscoring ratios. These weren't even Ruud van Nistelrooy or Gerd Muller goalscoring ratios. They were better.
Jardel was the highest goalscorer in Europe for three consecutive years and yet he's not even as big a name as Gareth Southgate. He had two afflictions: one being that he was Brazilian, and this meant his competition at international level consisted of Ronaldo and Romario, among others, and the other being a fragile mental state, perhaps brought about by a string of unfortunate circumstances in his personal life.
He was controversially left out of the national squad for the 2002 World Cup, which Brazil would go on to win, and from there began his fitness woes and journeyman decline. He has represented 10 clubs in the last six years, doing very little for any of them, yet is still playing for Ferroviario in Brazil.
If any of this isn't sounding familiar by now, you should probably stop reading.
Now I turn to those of you old enough to remember when Real Madrid's Galacticos era began to go spectacularly wrong, Chelsea were without Roman Abramovich and better suited to the UEFA Cup and somewhere along the line, Digimon replaced Pokemon as the most annoying money-making childrens' franchise on the planet. Yes, we're looking even more recently now, to a time when Adriano was feared and revered as a man who would dominate world football.
Inter scooped him up from Flamengo, farmed him out to Fiorentina and then to Parma, where he truly began to hit the heights before making his return to Milano. He was unstoppable. Everything was either going to go in off his head or his left foot - everybody knew it - but there was nothing anybody could do to stop him.
He hit almost 30 goals in 2004-05; perhaps not in the Jardel realms of supremacy, but this is where playing in the most defensively impressive league in the world did perhaps work against him. Unlike Jardel, Adri was at least fortunate enough to break into the national team - and in some style.
He scored as many goals as Ronaldo ate cupcakes, blasting Brazil to Confederations Cup glory in 2005 looking the world's best striker almost without question at the time. His record for the Selecao to date, his slump and all, is 31 goals in 51 games - imagine what could have been?
It was the 2006 World Cup that was to signal the beginning of his end, just as it did for Ronaldo and even, as many may argue, Ronaldinho. Adriano's father, to whom he had been very close, died before the tournament, and a hapless tactical showing from Brazil coach Carlos Alberto in Germany sought to benefit nobody except perhaps Ronaldo, who broke the all-time World Cup goalscoring record before Brazil crashed out in the quarter-finals to France.
Adriano had already gone off the rails. From being a potential target for Abramovich at Chelsea and Perez at Real Madrid he now couldn't even seal a deal with Manchester City. And this was before the Sheikhs.
The 2006-07 season was his only unmitigated flop on paper. The others were passable - including a fairly successful loan back to Brazil with Sao Paulo last season - but ultimately, this was a man not looking like he could cut it at the highest of high levels anymore. All thoughts of professionalism were drowned in his mini-fortune and the luxurious lifestyle it had granted him. It was just so much easier to drink and party than train and play professional football.
Jose Mourinho taking over at Inter almost seemed perfect. The antithesis of Roberto Mancini and a man who can bring out the best in the ferocious as well as the fragile. Adriano would be his new Drogba.
But now finally, for those of you old enough to remember when Argentina were massacred in La Paz by Bolivia, Manchester United lost to Fulham and I wrote one of the most blatant April Fools' jokes of all time. Yes, even a zygote should remember this, as it was last week. Adriano went missing. Again.
He neglected to return home from international duty on time and not even his agent knew of his whereabouts. Compatriot and Milan rival Kaka even said he fears for the big man's footballing future. Jose Mourinho played his hand well to the press, saying he was not angry, but concerned about his striker - but who was he kidding? Really? He has tried to embrace the Brazilian as best he can, but it's just not a fit anymore.
This has to be the final straw. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic having rightly had demigod status bestowed upon him in the Nerazzurri half of San Siro, Adriano will never be the Emperor he could and should have been at the club. Even tactically, his continued appearance in the side has to an extent limited how they could play. Two big men up top has its advantages, but certainly not in a side with as little wide presence as Inter. Adri has had his moments, but is ultimately hindering Ibra, and vice-versa. Both would gain from a new tactical system, but only one can find a new club in which to do so.
Mario Balotelli is ready and waiting, and if his attitude is not to Jose's liking, the 'Special One' could possibly have his pick of David Villa, Sergio Aguero, Giuseppe Rossi or even Samuel Eto'o this summer. Massimo Moratti is unlikely to stop at anything to give his coach everything he wants, and the Portuguese made it clear after being outclassed by Manchester United in the Champions League that change would be needed this summer.
And then there is Adri. What he will make of his career, as the old cliche goes, remains a mystery. He could go the Jardel route and fade into journeyman obscurity in the lower levels of the game. He may emulate Ronaldinho and start afresh elsewhere, but still a shadow of his former self - and that's if any big gun is willing to take a chance on him, which remains highly unlikely. The best he could hope for is to follow similar footsteps to Ronaldo: to continue raking in the goals, even if in slightly less awe-inspiring fashion than before and at the cost of a shortened career - because one thing remains for sure: he will never be the same again.
