Last summer saw the acquisitions of midfielders Owen Hargreaves, Luis Nani and Anderson. Hargreaves’ transfer
was a long drawn out affair with United being forced to wait over 12 months before securing the signature of the 27
year old.
He made his debut in the Manchester derby against City at the Council House, putting in a man of the match
performance despite the team losing 1-0.
He struggled with injuries in his first season, meaning he was in and out of the team. And with Paul Scholes out for
a couple of months, United were in need of some power in the engine room. It came in the form of 20 year old former
Gremio and Porto player Anderson.
Full name Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira, the Brazilian set about his career at Old Trafford like he’d been there for
years. The £18M signing made the loss of Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves unnoticeable with rampaging
performances against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, making established Premiership players Steven Gerrard and
Cesc Fabregas look average.
His performances became worse towards the end of the season, but that’s to be expected from a boy who had only
made 23 senior appearances combined at Gremio and Porto. But the potential was there for all to see, Sir Alex had
unearthed a gem.
The last of the midfielders acquired in the summer is Luis Nani. The Portuguese winger widely tipped to be the new
Ronaldo (let’s hope he has more loyalty).
He was criticized sometimes for his inconsistency, but with 11 assists in 37 appearances, it’s hard to criticize. He also
scored a couple of wonder goals against Middlesbrough, Tottenham and bitter rivals Liverpool, meaning it’ll be hard
for Fergie to overlook him next season.
Also fighting for places in United’s midfield are Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher, Park Ji
Sung and John O’Shea. I’ve left Ronaldo’s name out because his name on the team sheet is a no brainer.
All of these names and all of this quality give Sir Alex a selection nightmare ahead of the new season. Does he go with
youth? Experience? A mixture of both? Only he will know the answer to that and I’ll be looking forward to see who’s
in the starting lineup against Newcastle as United look to kick off the new season with a win.
Who would make your first choice midfield?
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2 comments:
With the slave out ill October the choice is pretty simple:
Nani - Anderson - Carrick - Hargreaves. Hargo did very well on the right in the CL final and his crosses are the best at the club along with Nani. Giggs and Scholes are legends, but we need the cutting edge that Nani and Anderson provide. They are two players who can carry the ball forward at pace.
Well, the first two games of the season will certainly not be the United midfield you would expect.
Anderson is at the Olympics, Nani is still suspended after last seasons red card against West Ham, and the slave is out until October.
In the midfield, Carrick is a definite starter for me. His form since he joined has, on the whole, been to a high standard, so for me, as long as hes on good form, he should be the first name on the teamsheet, unless hes injured, suspended or is being rested of course.
So, for the first day of the season, you have Park, Scholes, Hargreaves, Fletcher, and Giggs fighting for 3 midfield positions, two wide and one central.
For the centre, I would pick Scholes. Hes still top-notch [and always seems to play well against Newcastle ;)] and can control the game, not forgetting his great partnership with Carrick, which is one of our best.
So that leaves Park, Fletcher Giggs, Hargreaves for two wide positions. Fletcher is immediately ruled out for me, and hes a central player. So Park, Hargreaves and Giggs? Well, for me, I would go with the former two.
As much as I like Giggs, he is getting on a bit, and didn't have the best of seasons last year. I also think we need to signal our usual intentions of attacking with pace and purpose in the first game, so the energy of Park and Hargreaves on the wings will be the best option. I also think, after the half-season Park had last season, over-looking him would be unfair.
So my midfield;
{Park-Scholes-Carrick-Hargreaves}
The real question should be who up front. Of course, looking at the situation just now, its quite obviously Rooney and Tevez.
But what about Manucho, who despite claims of him being injured, its still never been confirmed on a reliable website, such as manutd.com or skysports.com. But of course, he hasn't featured in pre-season, which seems to confirm the claims.
But if we sign someone else, will they start up front?
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