RE: *Official Football Thread*
Unless MON strengthens during the window, I can't see Villa keeping up a push for fourth place. While their first choice XI is very good, they don't have a great deal of depth. One or two injuries and suspensions, especially going forward, and they'll end up exposed for the paper tigers they are as things stand. The rumour mill is in overdrive about Elano's future at City and I think Villa could do a lot worse than sign him. Petrov isn't the creative force he was north of the border, and with Reo-Coker and Sidwell behind him he could really add something different to their attack. If they lose Carew for a prolonged period their attack lacks focus, so they could probably use another target man as well.
As a United fan this sticks in my throat, but I honestly think the team look jaded this year, particularly the midfield. As much as I love Scholes, he doesn't control our creative play the way he used to, preferring to hang back and stroke the ball around from deep instead. Anderson isn't quite ready to fill the gap that Scholesy's ageing legs have left and Fletcher lacks the quality. Carrick is a wonderful holding player, but we don't have any cover in that role when he picks up those niggly miss-a-game-or-two injuries that he keeps picking up so long as Hargreaves is missing. Giggsy was never a fourty game a season man even in his youth, and these days he plays centrally rather than on the wing. Ronaldo is the best player in the world when he's fully match fit and back to form (the Japanese adventure looked promising in that regard), but he drifts off the flanks pretty much constantly, leaving Park or Nani as the wide man, and that width is usually only on one side of the pitch (left) and neither of those players have proved especially great at unlocking defences, although I would rate Park as a more reliable option than Nani. All three of our forwards like to drop off and pick the ball up from deep, just ahead of a midfield who don't like, or are unable, to bomb on and trouble defences with their running. That's why so often this season we have dominated possesion in games and failed to turn that into the flood of goals the build up play deserves. While our passing and abiltiy to find space in the middle of the most congested midfields can only be matched by Arsenal, that passing is often lacking a cutting edge up front.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying United are shot, not by a country mile. I think we'll run the eventual winners, probably Liverpool (ouch!), right to the wire. However, before we can get back to winning the league I believe we need a left winger of proven quality and despite the arrival of Berbatov, a different option up front, a genuine predator of the Owen/Defoe/Andy Cole (oh, how I miss him!) type. Sir Alex insists he won't bring anyone into the club in January and I belive him, he tends to stick to his guns on these matters, so it will likely be next season before these niggling problems are sorted. That's not to say this season will be a write off, I think the way we are set up at the moment is close to ideal for CL football and if we can get past Inter we have a real chance of retaining the Trophy and I think we're better equipped than Chelsea or Arsenal to push for the title at home. (Transfer window activity permitting.)
I deeply hope that I'm wrong, but I just don't think we're quite right for domestic success this season.
Great Googly Moogly, that was a long post!
"You say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. I say that I tailor my jokes to the audience..."
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*Official Football Thread*
