Was the Manchester United squad this season really that bad?

Was the Manchester United squad this season really that bad?

This is a note in answer to the question "Was the Manchester United squad this season really that bad?"

To answer such a question I shall not go into comparisons, even though such comparisons may prove the answer to be a simple "Yes". However, those comparisons shall mainly consider individuals and hence might be a bit misleading. What I am concerned with is to draw an answer to the question objectively keeping just this season in mind.

The most important point is that over the past couple of decades ManUtd teams have changed but their manager has remained the same. Sir Alex Ferguson. And the player around whom the team has been formed has changed. Beckham and Ronaldo among the notables. However the MO has remained the same again, i.e. a marauding full back, crosses into the box and a person who knows his way round the goal. The personnel employed have changed over the years- Neville, Evra, Beckham, Nistelroy, Cole, Yorke, Ronaldo in various steads. And the precision has only got better over the years! The present team's biggest star is probably Rooney. A smaller bet compared to the Beckhams and Ronaldos of the previous years.However this does not in any way mean that the team with Ronaldo in it was a better team. That same team had a streak of 9 matches of 1-0 victories in the middle of the season with a 5-0 thrashing in between. So maybe they weren't as marauding as they are made out to be. This year the league has been credited to a poor (I am simply being polite) display by Arsenal and Chelsea at various stages of the season. However, United have maintained a wonderful home record, winning 17 out of the 18 matches! Really impressive! However, 1 such match was won 2-1 even though the losing team WBA were the better team on the pitch. Another match (an away one) against Blackpool was won even after being 0-2 down at the break. This proves very simply the mental attitude of the team- an attitude fostered by SAF over the years with his hairdryer treatments and a strong grip- of a winner! (This is again the same reason Ben Foster was relieved after leaving United for Birmingham City, because he wasn't really in accordance with SAF's attitude of "You HAVE to go out and win every single game!" He preferred the Bong laid back attitude of "Ja hochhe hok!" ) So having touched upon that winning mentality, it is safe to say that as a team they were extremely motivated.

Now, coming to the personnel. I shall neglect any sort of injuries suffered by players over season, simply because we aren't talking about Arsenal. Rooney was extremely good throughout the season after a poor start due to aftermath of the WC. The midfield pairing normally involved 2 of Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson and even Giggs. Nani was a Ronaldo in the making in the first half of the season (including the playacting!) Valencia came back very strongly after his injury in the second half. Park was a more refined player and he and VDS have been acclaimed as the 2 unsung heroes, with Park being referred to as the best defensive attacking player around. The back 2 were injured at different times but Smalling filled in effectively. The right back position was a bit shaky but SAF managed to rotate them through. Chicarito was an amazing delight to watch while Berba sulked on the bench even though he remained top scorer of the league with his hattricks!

This above squad was much criticised by many as a "poor squad", a "weak side"-which still managed to win the league. Even Giggs joked about them being a weak side the day they won the league. It was pretty obvious. And what made them say it was a certain lack of flair maybe, a certain touch of dominance. It was in actuality a lack of continuity. ManUtd were dominant in a thrashing of Blackburn, ruthless in coming back at Blackpool and even beating Bolton with waves of attacks even after being a man down, effective against Arsenal at home. But at the same time they were simply out of sorts against Liverpool, went down against a (I have really a lot of questions about what Chelsea were trying to do all season) formless Chelsea, and Wolves all in a span of a week.So there must be something lacking in the team. Yet they won the title.

Now I come to the answer which I think shall explain the squad and the demise at the hands of Barca in the Champions League final. The answer to the question is "Yes". In the last final between ManUtd-Barca, SAF changed his team around- Ronaldo as striker and Tevez benched. The reason he could do that was because he had a strong squad at his disposal. This time around he was really fearful about changing a system which was successful in a number of matches in the league- Rooney and Chica combination up front. When a logical manner of playing this near-perfect Barca side is an obvious 5 man midfield, a 4 man midfield- and that too with Giggs as one of the central 2 (at least initially)- made sure that tactically ManUtd had lost the game (which was the only manner they could have won it, they couldn't have defeated Barca on basis of skill! ) Loads of space for Messi to run into, with last ditch attempts by the medios and drawing Evra out of position at will, spelled doom for ManUtd. Couldn't Ferguson have employed a 5 man midfield of Scholes, Carrick, Park, Giggs, Valencia or if you please ask Rooney to play as a proper midfielder ? No, he stuck to his team. The same team which won him the league. And that same team was played around by the Trinity. Mourinho employed Pepe, a centre back, as a defensive midfielder. Ferguson didn't have any such resources, at least any resource which could stand up to the might of Barca, to employ. he didn't trust any of the same second string of players who comfortable beat Schalke in just the previous match of the competition.

It is important to note here that the United midfield was hampered by injuries- primarily to Fletcher and though he wasn't ever in the equation, hargreaves. Scholes isn't a spring chicken anymore and he didn't start. Anderson wasn't deemed worthy. Again this points to a demented squad at his disposal. And what makes the above point more interesting is the fact that Ferguson has chosen many a time, if not all, to play a 4-5-1 against the big teams of the EPL-against Arsenal and Chelsea especially. He has benched the then in-form Berba and played Rooney alone up front as a defensive ploy. So why on earth did he not employ the same tactic against Barca. The bottomline stands that he was much more cautious against Arsenal in the first leg where United won 1-0 through a Park deflected header than against Barca where the stakes were much higher and they were up against a team which is far more superior. Blame it on the squad and the consequent inclusion of Chica.

The fact which corroborates the above view is that- when ManUtd were being bullied by Barca, Ferguson didn't stray to make any changes which might swing back the control of the game in ManUtd's favour. He could see,as could the rest of the entire football frenzied world, how Messi was running into space. Did he even then not realise the importance of a midfield link to stop him? (which was the reason for both the first 2 goals) A simple interchange of Park and Messi wasn't enough, as the result proved. Why, then, not bring on another midfielder at the break when things were still not out oof hand? Simply because of his faith in a squad which supposedly had the "winning formula". For the beleaguered league maybe. But not against Barca. And that is same reason why a certain refurbishment of his wares, whom he can send on to the field, is very much required. And this squad, for all its achievements shall not enjoy the same glint of respect in our eyes.

I do not in any way suggest that Manchester United could have perhaps beaten Barcelona in the final with a strengthened squad, but I wish to point out a primary reason which was responsible for the 90 minutes of Barcelona dominance which was played out at the Wembley.

Mother= Lover= God

I believe that all love songs, all religious hymns praising the Lord and all songs dedicated to one's loving Mother are the same. (Well,not ALL, but MOST!!). When I first heard U2's song "I still haven't found what I'm looking for", I thought to myself- "What a simply beautiful romantic song!!". Indeed, a perfect song to dedicate to your loved one. Then a couple of days later, I heard the same song, a different version - a sort of hymn version.It was in most probability sung by a church choir. With my previous romantic linkings to the song in my mind, this rendition left me (frankly speaking) with a bit of a bad taste. But then I thought about it and realised that the lyrics are meant to be that way!!



Here are a few lines by me which I had written quite some time ago. Let's have a look at them-

" I need to tell you everything!! Until I do so, I feel burdened. I feel really guilty when I do something to wrong you. I can't say it to anyone else. I just need to tell you. I need to relieve the burden anchoring my heart down. The moment I tell you,I feel relieved, sanctified of my sins!!"



The above words-they can be said with reference to any of the following 3 occasions-

1. To your Mother- as a small child after you have broken something in the house maybe. You are obviously gonna get a big ticking off or even a hiding, but it doesn't matter because it is your Mother. Once she has let out her anger at you, a bit later, she will be the one to beckon you with open arms, and heal the wounds she might have caused when she hit you!!

2. To God- In a church, in a temple, in a mosque, while going to sleep.. And He shall forgive!!

3. To a lover- after maybe you have hurt her, or probably been unfaithful to her. Though here it depends on whether she is as forgiving as the previous two categories!



What my point is that certain words you say everyday, you sing everyday, you pen down with your pen everyday- those thoughts apply to the above 3 instances equally. What makes the difference is your age and who or what is more important to you.

A small explanation for the last line: A devoutly religious person may simply atone for his sins with a few Hail Marys' and have his peace of mind. On the other hand, a comparatively more social person may not rest until he has confessed to a person he cares for more than any Supreme Being or His medium. And the child has no one to turn to except his Mother.

Getting to HER

Getting to HER
I
She spilled apple juice all over my favorite sweater. It was expected!! What did I do? What was expected of me! Showed irritation, shouted a lot, screamed my head off till I was promised another Hello Kitty sweater and a couple of consolation Bob Dylan CDs. However all that was a sham! I was laughing my head off inside!!! Why? Because I know I’m getting to her! It’s a new feeling! I did not feel this happy when I had my first crush. Because that remained a crush, it didn’t materialize. But this feeling is sweetened by a serving of victory!!!
I am the younger of the two sisters at 17. She is 3 years older than me. She is the good looking one. I am the one with specs and short plain hair. She has the long curly hair (on which she spends more than an hour about three days a week!).She even has the bigger breasts. (I’m a 32B while she’s a 34C.) I am not unattractive, but she is simply better. It’s not like I’m the nerdy one (like Alex in Modern Family), who doesn’t care about fashion or clothes, and mocks the other person who tries to dress up. But (between you and me), she is again simply better at it! She has all the guys. It’s not that I have never had a boyfriend. I had one. But the guy was a goddamn nerd. I had to dump him. All he could talk about was video games and football. She has the hottest guy in her college as her boyfriend. She has had a similar track record in school, having dated the school band lead singer and the football captain. She most certainly isn’t a virgin. I can only dream and touch. And to top it all, I do not have the better grades even. In short, I’m the despised one. It should be amply clear by now how crappy my life was!! People, especially our parents, didn’t always have to compare us. I did that enough in my head. Yes, I got a whole 2 percent less than her in ICSE. And she isn’t a great student or anything. That wasn’t the end of the list. There was nothing better about me, except my bigger list of failures.
She acts all sweet with me. She helps me with my homework, pretties me up. We have our fights, but she is the one who makes up first. I simply hate her for being all that. Because I know she isn’t all that good. She has the bitchiness inside. The same bitchiness I’m portraying at this very moment. All of us girls are bitches inside. All of us!!! It’s just that she pities me. And she has never lost. So she has never had any reason to feel the way I feel!
II
It was a hot summer season. What with all the global warming and stuff, the temperature was hovering near the 40 degrees Celsius mark. And yes, I had more pimples than her as usual! I was used to this. My face had probably scrunched up in a weird manner whenever I looked at her. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I could see a fire in my eyes. A fire of hatred, animosity, a fire seeking revenge in any form of manner possible!!
It was my final year in school. My studies weren’t progressing too well. I probably spent too much time fantasizing about her,-the things I would do to her, the terrible things I wished upon her- than actually studying. I knew at this rate I would end up getting a lot more than 2 percent less than her in my ISC exams. She had her Part II exams coming up as well. She had been complaining that she had been having some problems with her Maths pass paper, the bitch! So, my parents had asked a cousin of ours to come and help her out. He had just finished off with his Engineering course and had a couple of months of break before he started on his job at Infosys. We hadn’t seen him in a long time. He rarely came home for his holidays, having shifted to Trichy for his engineering studies. We fondly called him Gablu da, because he was all “golu-molu” and all that! He would help her out with her Maths problems.
He came round on Monday to look through her books and acquaint himself with the topics that he would be required to teach. We were all surprised!!! He had slimmed down pretty nicely and had developed quite a few muscles. He claimed his six pack was on the way! I couldn’t help but admire him, even though he was my brother. I turned to look at my sister. She had that same look in her eyes- the “I want him look”. The bitch! I knew she would lay out a plan to get him, even it be for a month. He sported a small nib, and a marvelously deep and rumbling voice. He wasn’t too tall, but had sparkly eyes covered in dark rimmed glasses, and a confident gait! Not exactly the man of one’s dreams, but a boastful catch no wonder. And he was a perfect gentleman! The bitch wanted him. And I wanted him too, more because she wanted him.
He taught her for an hour or so. When he went off, she came into the room, leaping like a child with a lollipop. I could only guess what progress she had made. I was already formulating the insinuations in my head that I could create against her-the incestuous allegations that she could be subjected to. What better could I do?
The same thing continued for a week. She would come leaping into the room with a suppressed squeal of joy, as if to tell me-“there’s something going on between us, but you don’t need to know any more.” I never asked, more because I didn’t want to hurt myself more than she already did. She wanted me to, maybe that’s the reason I didn’t ask. He would come every alternate day, give me a sweet smile of his, my parents would enquire of his health and he would go into the study room and teach her for the next hour or so. After which she would come leaping into the room and he would leave flashing that sweet smile again. That is all that I got- a couple of sweet smiles while she was engaged in adulterous eroticism- if not in actuality but surely in her perverted mind. I decided I wanted a piece of that cake too-if not for myself, at the very least to take it away from her. I decided to approach him with a few Maths problems of my own! Hah! I suggested this to my mother, though not in front of her. I wanted it to be a surprise for her. I knew my mother wouldn’t object and even he didn’t have any reason to object too. I happily prodded along that night with my Maths books to the study room much to her chagrin! But I didn’t care! I was really happy. I was destroying her peace! *devilish laugh* To add to such sadistic pleasures was the added pleasure of staring at his moonlike smiling face. Ah, the joy! He was real sweet with me. And he was pretty good at the subject too. He wasn’t here to check out his chances with his cousins. He could teach well. I tried my best o “learn”. He was very patient. He asked me to practice the sums he marked out and promised to help me out again if I didn’t grasp the concept.
That night after he left there wasn’t any spring in her step any more. It wasn’t as if I had won him over. But she wasn’t the only one getting all the attention! I didn’t join them every day with my problems. However there was a marked difference between the days I did and the days I didn’t. There was a marked loss of gravity below her feet the days I couldn’t disturb her. The other days she practically sulked ( or so I loved to believe!) She must be putting the moves on him. Was he responding? I didn’t care. As long as I had my moments, I was happy.
This continued for a couple of weeks. Then things took a turn for the better! For me at least! He started acting extra nice with me! He started talking about other things- his college experiences, girls etc. And the best thing was- he looked at me more while talking, not her! Seriously, I’m not joking. This seemed to get to her. I overheard her fighting with her boyfriend. Why not take it a step further? I started flirting back with him. It’s not as if she didn’t use to do it before. She does it with any potential fan. The slight bending over while laughing, the slight touch on the thigh, the sexy movement of the eyes. I had learnt it all from her! Now was the time to use it to good stead. I conveniently took up my seat close to him. And employed my known methods on him. He seemed to warm up to me. The feeling was amazing. ME beating HER!!! No wonder she was livid that night! And then he proposed!!!
III
Obviously I said “YES”!!! What better opportunity to drive her crazy? I know she wants him too. She doesn’t care about her boyfriend anymore than she cares for Maths right now! All she wants is him. I know that! Her actions speak for her, even though her words do not! The spilt juice and many more small trivial changes, accumulating into one big beaten up mind. Yes, beaten by ME! Finally, I had something she wanted. How does it feel, sweet sister, to be on the other side of the bridge? I know how she feels. I have been there all my life. The place is called “Neid”. It is one desolate place, where there are loads of other people like you who have gone through the same exact thing you are feeling. But you are still alone, and you want to be alone. It is better to be alone. And all you can do is sit and shout, not with your mouth but with your thoughts. You wish something would change it all, but nothing ever comes. What you have seems totally insufficient to make you realize that you have more than a lot of people. You simply don’t care, why should you care? You do not have what you want. It is no different from a child denied a teddy bear. But he can cry and vent his feelings. All you can do is take more of the never ending crap being thrust into your face. And I know this too- she is in that place and much worse. Because she has never been to Neid before. I have stayed there all my life. I know how it feels, how it smells. She is all new to it. It must be unbearable for her. She must be scratching at the doors to get out of there. But she cannot. Because I control the key. It would mean that I go back to that godforsaken place. And I do not want that. I shall never let go of the key that he is…Or do I have the key at all???
Is it all a farce? Why would he choose me over her? Am I just a stone to reach her? Or does he have other ulterior motives? Too much thought. Why should I even care about the “Why?” Let me just enjoy the moment. It is here. And if my fears are confounded then the moment might not last too long. Why shouldn’t I enjoy it to the fullest? -that is the question!
She tried to wriggle her way in using her utmost seductive powers. At times I really felt threatened. But I kept my peace. If I had learnt anything from her, it was to act like the winner you are at the moment. And it paid off. I kept my place. Surprisingly. Yes, very very surprisingly! She was a worn down figure now. She was a worn down figure now. The fire of Neid had burnt off the gloss in her cheeks, the fullness of her body. Me, on the other hand, enjoyed the realization of dreams. I let him do things to me which only I had done to myself till now.
Was it love? I don’t know and probably I didn’t even want to know! The only thing that mattered was that I was enjoying myself, feeding away at the morbid delectation infinitely present around me. This is what Yayati and Puru must have felt. The change was complete! I looked at the mirror now. The eyes were most different. They were more relaxed, calm, contented.


IV
It has been quite some time since then. We are still together. We are much closer as a couple. It has worked out quite well in spite of my apprehensions. Settled in his arms on an October afternoon on a plate of rare greenery we had reared together, under the pleasant blue sky, I did finally ask him “Why did you choose me over her?” His eyes revealed that he had expected this question for a long time, probably surprised that it had not come sooner. He said “Because she had broken my favorite toy when I was a kid.” His eyes changed for a moment. They spewed out the same fire, the same hatred which I used to feel for her. The next moment they changed again. They showed the same contentedness, the same glee, the same calmness of Schadenfreude. I fell in love with him that very moment.

Football Thoughts 11.02.11

Manchester United won the 144th league derby 2-1. It was, in all obviousness, a much better game than the 143rd one. Just like Tiote’s goal last weekend signaled a deserved draw against Arsenal, Rooney’s “Wondergoal” today deserved to be the ManUtd winner. Both City and Utd started with a striker less and this ensured a congested midfield. Looking at the positions employed by the players, Fletcher flitted to the right while Silva seemed to start on the right but increasingly moved central and left. Yaya marched the right and his duels with Evra were indeed a treat! While Kolarov was pretty inconspicuous on the left flank, very much out of position. An important question is : Did City miss De Jong. His replacement in Milner (though Barry was employed in the De Jong position and Milner in Barry’s) wasn’t really spectacular and was taken off with an injury (he would have been replaced anyhow). However again I repeat-the midfield was too congested to provide any judgment.
The first chance fell to Silva- a wonderful buildup play between Yaya, Tevez and Silva (Giggs playing him onside), which Silva failed to convert. This might be because of his poor scoring record in recent matches. He scored after a really long time against Blackpool last. Actually when the freak City goal was scored, it would be a boost to whoever the goal was credited to (eventually Silva)-Silva because of his bad scoring record, and it would have been Dzeko’s first EPL goal! Utd’s goal broke the deadlock. A fine play through the centre, and especially Nani’s first touch! Here’ it should be remembered that Nani was indeed getting the better of Zabaleta on the right wing a couple of times. Zabaleta had suffered when he was sticking close to him, and had conceded a foul (clip to the ankle). Bottomline-he was being troubled by Nani, and Kolarov wasn’t really helping out,with O’Shea managing some runs down the flank. If one notices carefully, Zabaleta initially moved towards the right corner flag which was opposite to the direction of Nani’s first touch. He probably thought the ball would come to him over Nani’s head. But as a defender one should try to cut Nani off. I am inclined to think a lack of confidence against Nani also contributed to the goal (taking nothing away from the first touch)!
Mancini’s subs were really good ones. A marked difference from substituting Tevez with Milner at home in the 89th minute in the previous match! Dzeko came on for Milner and Wright-Phillips for Kolarov. This helped in one prominent way. Hart had one tall person to fling the balls forward to. Silva moved left but kept wandering in centre. Though City’s goal was a freak one, it was coming because City were improving after the two substitutions. After the goal both teams shifted to the 4-4-2 system with Berba coming on for Anderson. And then the “WonderGoal” happened! City had a couple of half chances- Dzeko hitting one over the bar with a bad first touch but Van der Saar wasn’t worked too much. A good affair with Rooney’s goal being the deserved winner!
A couple of thoughts regarding Chelsea- Liverpool match-
1. Lack of chemistry between Cech-Ivanovic.
2. A failure of the diamond system with Anelka as Trequartista which was successful against a Bramble- Ferdinand defense of Sunderland. Though there was also the Sunderland mentality that they are pretty formidable at home and had defeated Chelsea at the Bridge which made the game more open. Liverpool were very disciplined with Lucas having a wonderful match.
3. Chelsea’s lack of fluidity with a 3 man midfield. Mikel was expected not to be a sole holding player but be a part of a more fluid 3 man midfield. However that not being his original role, he struggled. And Liverpool had two good chances in the first half (including Maxi’s sitter) which were actually created by Liverpool with a sort of overloading in the centre while a cross came in from the left.
4. The Chelsea midfielders had to wait for the wing backs to move forward before they could pass the ball rather than knowing that there would be a Malouda on the left wing.

Finally a thought for Bayern Munich-
Gomez and Mueller have a really bad..BAD..HORRIBLE first touch. Tymoschuk and Badstuber are the present centre backs with Gustavo as left back and Pjanic taking over for Van Bommel. And ROBBERY are back. (don’t know for how long though!)