Article: Will Manchester United really be as strong? | Football, Manchester United

I mean they are moving quickly in the market, snapping up Jones, De Gea and Young. Which is impressive and all but look at who they're replacing.

United are losing Van Der Sar. The man who finally filled the Schmeichel shaped hole between the posts. De Gea may be promising (though I've heard little of him except for the one exceptional performance) but he is young and will have to adjust to the league. There's a world of difference between exceeding relatively weak expectations at Athletico Madrid and meeting them at United, in a league with a much more physically demanding game.


They are also losing Scholes. Less of a fixture in the line up than VDS I admit but nonetheless a great player and important to the side. Even in his twilight years he'd average 35 games a season. "Greatest midfielder of his generation" and all that. With Anderson's career having stalled over the last few years there isn't really a player currently at the club who can fill his boots to a real level of satisfaction.
Now if they can get hold of Nasri, this problem will all but disappear. As an Arsenal fan I feel he'd be twice the player he is now if he went to United. He would certainly command the midfield slot he can't win from the likes of Fabregas and Wilshere at Arsenal. However, Wenger is certainly finding that as obvious as I am and hence his insistence to keep Nasri at Arsenal or sell him abroad. Top that off with SAF foolishly snubbing Sneijder, there really isn't a midfield general in the foreseeable future for United.


Neville is less of a loss. They have the Da Silva twins after all and they are undoubtedly talented. Maybe they're not the experienced head that Neville was, but he is a butcher and his loss is less important.

Now he we get into the gritty bit. United's play isn't reliant on a strong central midfield. Their goalie is shielded by some of the best defenders the world has to offer. But now we're talking Wingers. And Wingers matter. Nani, Giggs, Valencia and Young.
And those are four talented wingers, on paper. However, Giggs must be going soon. A 37 year old who, up until now, has only seen that as a number but has also enjoyed his status as one of football's good guys. A family man who is a genuine role model for kids everywhere. Faithful to club and family...*cough*Imogen Thomas*cough*brother's wife*cough* 7 years?! *cough*. I feel that time is running out for this once respected sportsman. That's just an instinct and I may be wrong, but lets assume he only lasts half the season before announcing his retirement.
That leaves us with Nani, Valencia and Young. Make no mistake, Nani is a great player who will be strong next season. However, Valencia and Young may be different. Talented, yes. But neither of them are of the calibre of Nani or Giggs. They can't take on the creative responsibility in the same fashion. They are run to the touchline and cross it/run inside and shoot players. Giggs will pick a pass from the centre of the pitch and control the game. And with Carrick/Fletcher in midfield, I think there may not be enough spark.


But the real loss evident in all of this is the lack of leadership. United manages, to the frustration of rival fans, scrape through wins that they really shouldn't. They'll come back from the brink time and time again with the right players keeping their heads and pushing them on. If they play:
-----------------Rooney-------Hernandez-------------
Young-------------------------------------------------Valencia/Nani
----------------------Carrick----Fletcher---------------------
In whatever formation you like. The players will more or less be those above. Who is going to grab them and spur them on? Vidic/Ferdinand maybe but they'll be concerned with an inexperienced right back and goalie. Not to mention the games that will be given to Phil Jones. Unless Rooney suddenly realises he has more intelligence than a brick then I can't see it United pulling off the victories that kept them in the title race last season.


Unless SAF gets the right transfers I genuinely think they'll finish fourth or lower.

 

More writing United off..... Seems a familiar story.

 

I'm aware that people always write United off. But this time they're actually without the players that made them so hard to write off. Maybe they'll get through it, but I can't think of a recent time when they've been weaker.

 

They should give Nani a go in the middle,

----------Rooney----Hernandez
Young----------Nani----------------valencia
-----------Fletcher/carrick

Nani has the skill, and ability to be a great tricky midfield player

 

Would be an interesting idea, that's for sure.

 

de gea may find it difficult,as Gomes has,a top keeper in the Dutch league,but not pl standard

 

De Gea never played in the Dutch League so the comparison doesn't apply.

 

United need two central midfielders, one to replace Scholes, Sneijder or Nasri would do that, but they are also short of a genuine holding midfielder

 

Which players who were regularly playing last season have left? Van De Sar, and he's been replaced with one of the best young keepers in the World.

 

De Gea is unproven at a top club and also in England. He's a risk.

 

Come on, most rival fans were slating scholes as being past it and not that great anyway on here last season, now that he has retired you all are saying he is a massive loss.

Just more bitterness from little clubs like arsenal.

Next season we will smash that league with chelsea running us close, city and liverpool fighting for scraps and arsenal battling with there similarly average neighbours tottenham

 

scholes scored 1 goal last season in all and he didnt exactly play as a defensive midfielder did he ?? not a massive loss really. We lost him 3 years ago and won the league wit hthat loss

 

If you sign Sneijder, and I hop you do he is class act and would enrich the English game, he NEEDS a Defensive Midfielder, if not two should you play two up top.

Winning the League last season was an amazing result given the gaps in the Squad, effectively replacing Giggs with Young was an excellent move, but the central midfield are still needs sorting, and although the Brazilian kid did ok, Right Back needs addressing

 

no right back is sorted!!! Rafael is one of the best youngsters that has been at our club in ten years, easily. He is superb, needs tweeking but he really will be a massive player, probably be at real in 5 years lol

 

He's trying to say that Gomes was a great goalkeeper for PSV in the Eredivisie, but isn't that great here. The Dutch and Spanish leagues are probably similar, with a few good teams and the rest mediocre. I think De Gea will be a good player, but he needs to sort his hair out!

 

Sounds like a good argument, but then you could have made exactly the same one last season. Scholes and Neville haven't played a major role in our overall success since 2007 and VDS hardly spurred us on. Over the last two seasons we haven't been reliant on a single player to "spur us on", the whole team have stepped up and been leaders. That's one of the main reasons we won the title by nine points last year despite our squad being no better than the other top four squads on paper. Also, Berbatov, Hernandez, Rooney, Nani and Valencia have all made telling contributions over the last two seasons and all five are still here.

 

In my opinion his brother Fabio is a lot better.
Rafael comes across as a twat as well, Rafael is defensively weaker.

 

Which is the one who scored against us a few years back. Which one plays where?

 

fabio is not better than rafael, do not be stupid. He may be eventually but he has hardly played any games at all compared to his brother

 

Comas/99

I'd get away with playing Right Back at OT with Ferdinand/Vidic/Evra and VDS for company!

I agree the lad has done well, but he lost it a few times in big games last season, replacing Gary Neville is no easy ask, so I'm not being over critical, I just think it is a weak area for United, and am surprised at SAF leaving it open, particularly as O'Shea and Wes Brown can no longer be called upon.