Arsenal Aftermath

The Good

Could just write up the 90min match report in this section....but will try to keep it brief ;-)

Andos Assist: The ball falls to a midfield player, 30-odd yards from goal many would shoot, a lot would pass to the wings but very few would try the lobbed pass that Anderson played today. I will admit that the Arsenal defence really should have handled it much better, but it is not our fault they didn't. The assist was hit into the danger area and towards Welbeck, great vision from the young Brazilian in my opinion, anyone who calls it lucky, I say you make your own luck!

Double de Gea: Looked a lot more solid in goal today! Particularly impressive and sticking out in the mind, was the double save, shortly after the penalty save (obviously impressive in itself)  But on a whole, de Gea looked so much more confident, surely starting to win over many of his doubters. And who knows what way the game may have turned out if Van Persies penalty or the efforts shortly after had of found the back of the net!


Super-Strikes: If anybody was still thinking United where lucky to be in the lead after Welbeck's goal, the other two goals in the first half surely dispelled that thought. Ashely Young with a magnificent curling effort, finding the top corner. He then repeated the feat at the end of the game, from inside the box this time, it as almost unstoppable! Great to see him settle at the club so well. I said, when he signed, he is a player who seems made for United, but I am sure he has exceeded even his own expectations at the start of this season. Maybe unlucky not to get the Man of the Match award today.

Set-piece Hat-trick: What can I say about this other than Wayne Rooney...take a bow. The two free-kicks looked directly off the training ground. The first one looked pretty unstoppable, but I think Szczesny should have been doing better for the second free-kick. From the opposite side of the pitch perhaps the Arsenal keeper thought Rooney would try to find the opposite corner, rather than shoot across the goal, leaving the goalie stuck in the mud it seems.

The Bad

Welbeck Injury: After an excellent start to the game unfortunately Danny pulled up with what seems to be a hamstring injury when chasing a long ball on the counter attack, such a shame that he only got 35mins under his belt today. It looks like it could be a month or so before we see Danny back in first team action again, which is a shame and we wish him a full & speedy recovery. Of course the silver lining is we seen almost an hour of football from Chicharito, who did well, unfortunately unable to find the net himself! But it goes to show, with Sir Alex speaking of selection headaches leading into the game, it is shown why the full depth of the squad is required. I dare say Wenger would have liked the same strength in numbers as we hold.

The Ugly

Arshavins Tackle: Leaving a bitter taste in many reds mouth, Arshavin can count himself lucky to have stayed on this pitch with a horrendous tackle on Ashley Young. I suppose Young can also count himself luck that he was not seriously injured by the tackle. Arshavin's foot was high  with studs showing and could have cause much more damage than it did in the end. Arsenal eventually did keep their record for a Red Card in every premier league game so far this season, with young Jenkinson picking up two yellows. Although the two bookings were fully deserved you almost felt sorry for the young gooner as he was tortured the whole game by Ashely Young on the wing and offered no help or protection from the Arsenal midfield!


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More Than Football

I've already written a blog about the United Way. About how I continue to support United, not because of our success, but because of how they do things. I've used the Sir Matt Busby quote;

 "At Manchester United we strive for perfection and if we fail we might just have to settle for excellence" - Sir Matt Busby

As Manchester United fans we should all take pride, not only in this quote but in the fact that the club strives to live up to this standard it has set itself. In turn, as supporters, as TRUE supporters, we should look at our actions with the same ideals we expect the club to uphold.

Being of the generation I am, where I only began following United in the 90's I am always on the defensive of being a true supporter & not just a glory hunter, I'll admit I have known very little but success, 3years being the longest dry spell of league titles I have witnessed - but this is by chance, I will continue to support United for the rest of my life, regardless of success.

This is relevant because, at times I have to look at other supporters & wonder, do they really support the club for the right reasons, or do they follow the club because of the success instead of the manner is which we have succeeded. Is it part of their image rather than part of who they are.

I am not meaning to come across as preachy here (and perhaps failing) and certainly don't hold my-self above other supporters, but looking at a few of the things I have seen, heard & read this week it makes my doubt a few others.

I can have very little respect for anybody who has already lost faith in de Gea, or never offered any faith in him in the beginning. Even if he wouldn't have been your pick of goalkeeper to bring in or if you would start Anders Lindegaard ahead of the young Spaniard, he is the No.1 picked by Fergie and he is a Man Utd player. We should be offering our support, again I'll point out he should have done better with the Dzeko goal in the community shield & Longs goal in the West Brom game, but its not as if they were horrific mistakes, where he has dropped the ball through his hands or missed a pass back. Every fan should be rallying around him, giving him time & understanding the difficulty of the situation he has walked into. If we cannot even offer a young player, who could become a star player at United for a decade or more the benefit of the doubt, why even support United at all.

I have also came across a situation where so called United supporters have actually been abusing other supporters. Personally attacking them, with little cause and less evidence to base the abuse upon. It is a sad state of affairs, when you attack somebody who ultimately is part of the same group as yourself. I personally don't see the reason which would call for partaking in the abuse, I am not saying you have to like everybody who supports Man Utd or agree with every-bodies point of view (after all different points of view are what makes football so interesting). But we should be treating each other with a level of respect. There are ways of arguing a point with somebody with out having to personally attack them & even if you find there is no reasoning, or there is a trait in the person you dislike, there is nothing to keep you interacting with them. There are just some haters out there, in every large group of people it is inevitable that there are people who are hell-bent on attacking others, rather than adding something of value.

Rant over, I guess the point I am trying to make is we hold such high expectations for the club and the players while representing the club, we should also try to reach these expectations ourselves, by handling ourselves in the right way. Wether it be offering support to a struggling player instead of slating them because the newspapers have latched onto a 'headline' or whether it be how we treat our fellow supports, particularly fellow Manchester United supporters.

Our fans hold a banner which reads;

Not Arrogant, Just Better

We have to earn this motto and at times, unfortunately, the difference is a fine line which many of us can step over.


I realise that this post is more of a rant than any real football chatter, so I apologise to anybody you didn't enjoy it and can tell you normal service will be resumed next time :-D


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WBA - Away Day Win

I was hoping for a more emphatic start to the season from United after last weeks performance in the community shield, but the important thing was of course the three points that we earned. Considering the torrid time we had last season away from home in the league, not earning our first 3points outside of Old Trafford until the week before Halloween. Glad to have that out of the way because I don't think we can afford to through away so many points this season and still finish top.

The game started off bright with United pinning West Brom into their own box, with a few corners and a free kick from just outside the box which where delivered into the box by Anderson & Young.These looked much more dangerous, than any of the set-pieces we were delivering in last year so hopefully it's an area we can improve upon this year. 

I'm not going to do a match report, because I'm sure if you weren't watching it, you've seen it by now, on TV or on-line. Im just going to select a few of the major talking points, arising from the match.

Dodgy de Gea?

I've already made my feelings clear on this matter, after the Community Shield game (in Season Starts Now) and my feelings remain the same. We have to support de Gea, we cant expect him to walk in and be an instant replacement for Van der Sar, that's not how it works. He is only 20 years old, he has moved to a completely different country, he has moved to one of the biggest clubs in the world where he is expected to step right in to the first team. The unfortunate thing about being a goalkeeper is that there is nowhere to hide, you cannot be slowly integrated into the squad with 20mins here and there. You are in with the spot light from the very beginning. The other issue with being a goalkeeper is that if you do make a mistake, it will almost certainly cost a goal. 

This is exactly what de Gea has done in his first few games, made a couple of mistakes. I'm not denying this, but rather than jump on the band wagon and decided he shouldn't be the 1st team goalkeeper, we should be thank-full we have went on to win both games as he is making his transaction. He will take time to adjust, but given that time, he will settle and begin to impress at Old Trafford.

Defensive Injury Crisis?

Four of or eight first team defenders are currently injured, Evra is expected to be back for next week, so if he is fit to return that will ease worries a little. Rafael is reportedly out for 10weeks, requiring surgery. Rio will also be out for 6weeks, with a hamstring injury & it is still unclear how long Vidic could be out for.

The problem does not lie in the fact that the four our out because I have great faith in our second string defensive line up. Rather the problem may occur if we any of them where to pick up an injury. We don't want to end up stretched at the back as we where a few seasons ago when we had Carrick & Fletcher in defence and paid the price. Without them injuries we could have even went on to win the league for the record 4th time in a row. This year we have much greater strength and depth in the defensive area so hopefully Evra will return and this will be the only bad luck we have with injuries this year, because injuries can ruin seasons.

MotM - Ashley Young

Ashley Young picked up the man of the match award. Fully deserved in my opinion, he looks made for United, just as Valencia did when he joined. he hugs the left touchline and is always looking for that killer cross. He looks to have settled in well, stating himself the fact that he knew a number of the fellas, from the England set-up and also signing in time for the pre-season tour allowed him to meet all the players too.

He gained an assist for Rooney's goal and played a bit of pinball as he created the second goal. Long may his confidence and effectiveness continue.

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No.1 Knows!?

Sir Alex has probably already made this blog entry null and void as he said in a press conference last week that David de Gea would be starting the new season between the sticks. Maybe it is also naive to think a couple of pre-season appearances could overturn this season but Anders Lindegaard has been impressive while on the pitch in the USA.

Although it is hard to judge any player in pre-season, judging the goalkeeper may be the most difficult task. They are not facing the same quality of crosses and shots when touring other leagues such as the MLS, with the number of times they are called into action also being limited. So maybe everybody asking the question de Gea or Lindegaard is a bit hasty.

Obviously the main pro for Lindegaard is that he has had time to settle in at Utd and may have a better idea of the atmosphere and pressures of playing in the English league. A second pro for the (someday great?) Dane would have to be his sheer confidence and self-belief he has in himself. Talking in the press when he signed that he did not come to Man Utd to sit on the bench and he would be pushing for the No.1 spot at Old Trafford. He has again re-itterated these sentiments this week stating;

"It's not about making the choice [as to who plays in goal] difficult for him [Sir Alex]," Lindegaard told ManUtd.com. "For me, it's about being number one. That is what it's all about - playing. I enjoy competing and, so far, I feel very good."

Its a horrible problem, because when a keeper does establish himself as the No.1 choice, it is important to keep him in nets to help his consistency. It is not a position where the manager can decided to swap and change or let the keepers take it in turns.

In my opinion, we will see de Gea start the season in nets, he was not bought for nothing and has had much stronger experience as a first team keeper compared to Anders. I don't believe Lindegaard could change Sir Alex's mind in the few appearances pre-season, but he has certainly done himself no harm. He has done well and won himself over a number of fans I'm sure, and provided himself a great platform to start off nipping at David's feet!

Perhaps he has created a selection problem where many thought their wouldn't be one. Hopefully both have a good season in which ever matches they play as the have a massive pair of boots gloves to fill.

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The Future is Bright....

Towards the end of last season there was once more chat of Sir Alex hanging up his managerial boots. However, slowly and right under our noses, quite the opposite was happening. Fergie has been setting up a brand new generation on Man Utd players and is laughing off reports that he is ready to retire. 

As Fergies first generation of players reach their twilight with only Ryan Giggs remaining, the current now squad has a strong backbone of youth within it. Disregarding Rooney (25), Nani (24), Valencia (25), Fletcher (27), Young (26), who all have a great deal of experience in first team football (although Young's was at Villa). These five players can all be considered senior players and still all have many, many years ahead of them in their career. In this post I want to focus on the mainly on the players who are just breaking through, gaining first team experience and clearly showing the potential to become the future on Man Utd. 


The most obvious and exciting area to start is with our potential future back five;

1

de Gea

                21                                  4                                            12                                       20

             Rafael                            Jones                                      Smalling                               Fábio

Clearly with Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra still at the club these players we may only see this formation in the Carling cup this season but a few years down the line as each of them learns from those around them, and gains priceless first team experience this could be the leagues most formidable back-line for season after season. The da Silva twins (21), Smalling (21), de Gea (20) and Jones (19) have the potential to be together in this Man Utd squad for more than the next decade together. Obviously I am making a large assumption that they will all continue with Utd for this time but if they all fulfil their potential, each of them has the opportunity to be one of the top players in the world in each of their positions.

In midfield we have Anderson (23), who many feared would never make the grade. In the second half of last season where Fletcher's illness allowed him the opportunity to get into the first team again. He seemed to take the opportunity well and impressed enough to earn a new 3-year contract extension. The new season will be a massive one for Anderson, especially if we don't bring in Nasri, Sneijder or another central midfielder. He will be expected by many to step up and continue his good form and attempt to fill the boots of the mighty Paul Scholes.

Tom Cleverly (21) has also returned to the squad after spending two and a half seasons on loan and along with Danny Welbeck (20) who spent last season on loan with Sunderland. Both of these young reds will be hoping to have a number of chances to make their mark this season. With a hint from Sir Alex that this may be the case as he stated, while announcing that neither of them would go on loan again this season

"Going on loan only serves one purpose; keeping them happy by playing all the time. At their ages, it wouldn't do us any good because other clubs would be benefiting from what we could be benefiting from" - Sir Alex Ferguson on Cleverley and Welbeck

Another player who returns from loan with high hopes of making an impact at United in the future is 'Kiko' Macheda (19). Never one to lack confidence but 'Kiko' admits he struggled on loan last season and that he now knows that Manchester United is the greatest club in the world, and it is where he hopes to stay.

"I really wanted to have an experience in Italy, but I now hope to stay in the Premier League." - Federico Macheda on his future

With the players I have highlighted in this post, I think it is fair to say Sir Alex has built a squad with the potential for greatness around a nucleus of top quality players....and I think he will want to hang around to see the outcome of his endeavours. 

One thing is for sure at Old Trafford, The future is bright......the future is Orange Red!

Edit: Cannot believe I posted this to my blog without even mentioning Chícharito. Hernandez only 23 and after his first season with the Reds has proven himself to be more than capable of finding the back of the net on a regular basis. Something which Kiko and Welbeck will have to prove when they are awarded chances this year, if they are to knock the 'Little Pea' down the pecking order. Nevermind contending with Berbatov who was top goal scorer in the premier league last year and looking to prove a point after his heartbreak of being left out of the champions league final squad. Hernandez has the speed and brains to make sure he will be in the right place at the right time and I just hope he improves the number of times he gets caught offside. Although I do accept no matter how frustrating it may be at times, this is the risk he has take when he plays off the back four as he does.

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New Player Review #3 - David de Gea

David with SAF as he signs for Man Utd - guardian.co.uk

Date of Birth: 07/11/1990 (Age 20)
Place of Birth: Madrid
Professional Debut: 30/09/09 (vs Porto)
Nationality: Spanish
International Caps: 15 @ U17's
                               15 @ U19's
                                 1 @ U20's
                                13@ U21's

Joined Manchester United: 01/07/2011
Signed From: Athlético Madrid
Transfer Fee: Undisclosed (estimated £17-18million)
Squad Number: 1
Position: Goalkeeper

After all the speculation of Rene Adler falling through the next name on the list seemed to be David de Gea and as far as Sir Alex was concerned it was perhaps the only name on the list. There never seemed to be any substance in claims of any other keepers, the next closest name was Pepe Reina from the scousers which was ridiculous altogether. It would not have been worth the aggro and the price would have be insanely inflated.

In the end Ferguson seems to have had a punt on the young Spanish keeper who has be favoured in the national youth sides over the past number of years gaining an impressive 44 caps at this level. Though I fear it could be a while before he earns his first senior cap due to the stranglehold on the positions Iker Casillas has, and only being 30 himself, he may continue to hold the senior Spanish goalkeeper position for many seasons to come. Even if Casillas does lose favour David will then have to contend with Victor Valdes (29) and Pepe Reina (28).

Hopefully coming to a club such as Man Utd can help spring board him towards the senior position though as the experience he would gain would be invaluable, having already won the U17 and U21 European Championships with his country I'm sure his aim will be to continue this pattern into his senior career. But what may be Spain's loss could be Utd's gain as de Gea can focus solely on his club career cementing himself in-between the sticks at Old Trafford for many years to come.

de Gea at his first training session with the squad - manutd.com

One thing we can be thankful for is that after watching the training session @nickcoppack reports

"Just watched #mufc train in Portland. Stuck with the GKs - de Gea showed good handling. He's a catcher not a puncher. Phew."

Already on of the highest rated keepers in Europe and can only improve. If he fills his potential he could challenge records set by Schmeichel and Van der Sar at Man Utd.

Rating: Exciting potential. Good signing.

Vote for your favourite signing now on the right hand sidebar.

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