johno
24 May 2008, 11:22 PM
How'd they do this year, what are your thoughts on them and how they can improve? Will we see a decline in their play or will we see them kick on and boost production.
Manchester United brought in players 4 who represented many things this season.
Anderson – he shits on Fabregas…
His talent is blatant and his love for the game undeniable, those are the things that make him an apt comparison to Ronaldinho. He’s nothing like him as a player but he may one day have that kind of impact on games. Did we get him just to get him or was there some craving to make up for missing out on another Brazilian conquest?
Anderson has shown heart, potential, skill and a workrate that few would have expected. To build on his game next season he must add consistency, he must pace himself better and most importantly he must begin to add goals to his game. Not simply scoring them. We don’t and won’t need him to tally 10 goals in a season. 3 or 4 well placed goals would be fine, but he must create more chances and the addition of a 9 may enhance this ability. In a way, he’s the most fortunate of the new signings because at his position he was unlikely to get much playing time – spending much of this season just getting used to things. However with the injuries he was given a great opportunity to show his wares and prove himself. As such, he’ll have just as big a role in the coming season as the manager and players will have confidence in him. He’ll be in better situations as likely he wont have to wait until an injury crisis occurs to get a game, but he must build on last season’s success.
Hargreaves – the midfield enforcer…
We’ve looked high and low for a replacement for Roy Keane. We’ve not yet found one, but in terms of securing a player with heart, tenacity, stamina and the ability to win the ball, we’ve found one in Owen. He’s got much to work on and many ways he can improve. However he may have found a niche as a RW or as an advanced midfielder in the 433. He’s no defensive shield, but in matches against physical teams he’s up for a scrap and is a useful tool to have at our disposal. He’s proven to be more than we’d bargained for in a couple areas. I’d always fancied his crossing and ability to strike the ball, however he’s our 2nd best corner taker and the best FK taker for close in situations – add to that his pace and uncanny ability to find a foot or so of room on the touchline to get deep for a cross and he’s turned himself into less of a liability going forward than we first feared.
He must hone his ball retention skills and improve his positional awareness. His ability to lose a runner from midfield cost us goals this season and as a player who will make his money at United not in attack but rather by doing the dirty work this is inexcusable.
Luis Nani – twinkle toes…
He is a Manchester United winger. He’s got pace, he’s got skill he’s got ball and most importantly he’s got goals in his boots. He seemingly knows how to score only the most spectacular items topped off with the best celebrations we’ve seen for quite some time.
This lad has very little developing left to do. We knew he was a more finished product than Ronaldo was when we brought him to Old Trafford. What we couldn’t have expected is how fast he adapted and how well his game suits the league. Now when I say he’s got little development left I don’t mean to say that we’ve seen his best. I mean that we’ve seen what will come of him. He’s not going to develop the vision of Scholes or the strength and power of Rooney. What he can and must do however is refine the skills already at his disposal. He’s got an explosiveness to him because he’s a conventional dribbler which affords him the balance to either cut inside for a shot or to lay the ball off or to burst down the flank and measure a cross. The crosses this season have been good and the shots have been spectacular when on. However he must refine his decision making. He doesn’t need to change who he is, but he must learn the habits of his teammates and how to work within the realm of the team first and foremost.
If he gets a better hold of his decision making he could make United unplayable. It would be like adding (1st year in Prem) Robben to the current team. A player who on his own can weave through 3 or 4 defenders to create a solo goal, or who can use the threat of that to bounce the ball around and catch runners in stride or one who can chose to penetrate the box with the intent of creating a goal scoring chance. With the players around him and opposite him, it’s a scary prospect for the league.
Carlos Tevez – Lionheart
His cunning and slight of foot often leave defenders off balance with the penalty of goals if they slip up, but its his heart and tenacity and never say die attitude that have brought United back from the brink of points dropped many a time this season. He’s a scorer of big goals. Many more than one would suspect given his relatively modest goal scoring total. Maybe a third of his goals were either game winners or game changers.
Carlos Tevez is different from the other three new purchases because he was a bonafide baller before coming to the prem or to United. He’s done his thing on the international stage and in South America and the main question wasn’t whether he was good enough but would he fit in.
Going into next season that question remains unanswered. Oh for sure he endeared himself to us this season and he started off forming a good partnership with Rooney. However when United get the 9 that Fergie so craves it will require another adjustment for Tevez. It may require him being a pseudo AM as Rooney and Ronaldo play like WFs advance of him supplying the 9. It may require him to play on the wing to accommodate Rooney in his preferred position. More likely than not the circumstances may dictate that Tevez spends more time on the bench than he’d like to.
I think his main areas of improvement have to be finishing. It would be greatly beneficial to United if Tevez developed into a useful super sub. Not simply so that he can be relegated to the bench allowing others to shine, but also to allow United tactical flexibility and to afford himself a chance to prove that he indeed belongs in the starting XI. It may seem an unfair indictment however it has been clear that the current side is badly missing a true CF and Tevez has not put in the same dues that Rooney and Ronaldo have.
In my opinion these four players won’t be like new signings next year, but with increased playing time for the first 3 and increased effectiveness for Carlos, we could see a great leap in production – the net impact could be like the signing of a great player. If these lads find their stride at United there’s no telling where the ceiling for this team is.
This thread is generally for your thoughts on the 4 big summer purchases – how they’ve fit in thus far, what they need to do to improve, if they’ll have bigger roles in the season to come etc.
Manchester United brought in players 4 who represented many things this season.
Anderson – he shits on Fabregas…
His talent is blatant and his love for the game undeniable, those are the things that make him an apt comparison to Ronaldinho. He’s nothing like him as a player but he may one day have that kind of impact on games. Did we get him just to get him or was there some craving to make up for missing out on another Brazilian conquest?
Anderson has shown heart, potential, skill and a workrate that few would have expected. To build on his game next season he must add consistency, he must pace himself better and most importantly he must begin to add goals to his game. Not simply scoring them. We don’t and won’t need him to tally 10 goals in a season. 3 or 4 well placed goals would be fine, but he must create more chances and the addition of a 9 may enhance this ability. In a way, he’s the most fortunate of the new signings because at his position he was unlikely to get much playing time – spending much of this season just getting used to things. However with the injuries he was given a great opportunity to show his wares and prove himself. As such, he’ll have just as big a role in the coming season as the manager and players will have confidence in him. He’ll be in better situations as likely he wont have to wait until an injury crisis occurs to get a game, but he must build on last season’s success.
Hargreaves – the midfield enforcer…
We’ve looked high and low for a replacement for Roy Keane. We’ve not yet found one, but in terms of securing a player with heart, tenacity, stamina and the ability to win the ball, we’ve found one in Owen. He’s got much to work on and many ways he can improve. However he may have found a niche as a RW or as an advanced midfielder in the 433. He’s no defensive shield, but in matches against physical teams he’s up for a scrap and is a useful tool to have at our disposal. He’s proven to be more than we’d bargained for in a couple areas. I’d always fancied his crossing and ability to strike the ball, however he’s our 2nd best corner taker and the best FK taker for close in situations – add to that his pace and uncanny ability to find a foot or so of room on the touchline to get deep for a cross and he’s turned himself into less of a liability going forward than we first feared.
He must hone his ball retention skills and improve his positional awareness. His ability to lose a runner from midfield cost us goals this season and as a player who will make his money at United not in attack but rather by doing the dirty work this is inexcusable.
Luis Nani – twinkle toes…
He is a Manchester United winger. He’s got pace, he’s got skill he’s got ball and most importantly he’s got goals in his boots. He seemingly knows how to score only the most spectacular items topped off with the best celebrations we’ve seen for quite some time.
This lad has very little developing left to do. We knew he was a more finished product than Ronaldo was when we brought him to Old Trafford. What we couldn’t have expected is how fast he adapted and how well his game suits the league. Now when I say he’s got little development left I don’t mean to say that we’ve seen his best. I mean that we’ve seen what will come of him. He’s not going to develop the vision of Scholes or the strength and power of Rooney. What he can and must do however is refine the skills already at his disposal. He’s got an explosiveness to him because he’s a conventional dribbler which affords him the balance to either cut inside for a shot or to lay the ball off or to burst down the flank and measure a cross. The crosses this season have been good and the shots have been spectacular when on. However he must refine his decision making. He doesn’t need to change who he is, but he must learn the habits of his teammates and how to work within the realm of the team first and foremost.
If he gets a better hold of his decision making he could make United unplayable. It would be like adding (1st year in Prem) Robben to the current team. A player who on his own can weave through 3 or 4 defenders to create a solo goal, or who can use the threat of that to bounce the ball around and catch runners in stride or one who can chose to penetrate the box with the intent of creating a goal scoring chance. With the players around him and opposite him, it’s a scary prospect for the league.
Carlos Tevez – Lionheart
His cunning and slight of foot often leave defenders off balance with the penalty of goals if they slip up, but its his heart and tenacity and never say die attitude that have brought United back from the brink of points dropped many a time this season. He’s a scorer of big goals. Many more than one would suspect given his relatively modest goal scoring total. Maybe a third of his goals were either game winners or game changers.
Carlos Tevez is different from the other three new purchases because he was a bonafide baller before coming to the prem or to United. He’s done his thing on the international stage and in South America and the main question wasn’t whether he was good enough but would he fit in.
Going into next season that question remains unanswered. Oh for sure he endeared himself to us this season and he started off forming a good partnership with Rooney. However when United get the 9 that Fergie so craves it will require another adjustment for Tevez. It may require him being a pseudo AM as Rooney and Ronaldo play like WFs advance of him supplying the 9. It may require him to play on the wing to accommodate Rooney in his preferred position. More likely than not the circumstances may dictate that Tevez spends more time on the bench than he’d like to.
I think his main areas of improvement have to be finishing. It would be greatly beneficial to United if Tevez developed into a useful super sub. Not simply so that he can be relegated to the bench allowing others to shine, but also to allow United tactical flexibility and to afford himself a chance to prove that he indeed belongs in the starting XI. It may seem an unfair indictment however it has been clear that the current side is badly missing a true CF and Tevez has not put in the same dues that Rooney and Ronaldo have.
In my opinion these four players won’t be like new signings next year, but with increased playing time for the first 3 and increased effectiveness for Carlos, we could see a great leap in production – the net impact could be like the signing of a great player. If these lads find their stride at United there’s no telling where the ceiling for this team is.
This thread is generally for your thoughts on the 4 big summer purchases – how they’ve fit in thus far, what they need to do to improve, if they’ll have bigger roles in the season to come etc.