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After starting the season with a lot of hope and optimism for the forthcoming campaign, it appears that United have almost thrown it all away after losing to Liverpool in the Final of the Worthington Cup, while Arsenal creep further away at the top of the Premiership. And after an early FA Cup exit, thanks to Arsenal, only a few weeks ago, the Champions' League appears to be the only thing "going" for Sir Alex Ferguson and his 'United side. But what are the chances they're gonna muck that up too - just like last-season?? It hasn't been a 'great' season for the team that just couldn't-stop-winning only 2 years ago...
Much of the blame - as always - has been placed on the team's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. The players are there in a squad full of both European and Continental experience, yet it all just seems to keep on going-wrong as soon as Arseanl, and now Liverpool, enter the frame. But if the team's performing badly, and this ISN'T an all-new episode of Dream Team, then how can anyone but the manager and his players be blame for performances of-late that have seen the Red Devils just slide-and-slide?! But to highlight just one players; or just one member of staff as the main-cause here; that would be a big mistake.
Undoubtabley, Manchester United were the "Team of the '90s". And that is something that nobody can deny, after Fergie began to settle into his job, and bring-home the Treble, aswell as 2 League and FA Cup Doubles (and more!!) to the "Theatre of Dreams". One thing you may've noticed about United during that 10-year-period is that their 11-man team line-ups remind almost identical for a few years, but then changed again slightly, for another 3-or-4.
Look at the United side today - especially in the midfield - and you'll see quite a similar line-up to what we would've expected going-back a good 5-years now. Only without Cantona, Schmeichel, Pallister, and Cole.
Manchester United's midfield quartet of Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes (when he plays there) is one that strikes fear into the hearts of every team 'United meet on the European scene. And for many years, this was also the case in the league and other domestic competitions, also. But I believe that these 4-players alone have been playing together too-well, for too-long, now, and that it is once again time for a change. If Fergie wants to get United back-on-track and into that winning formula that helped them to "dominate" the '90s, then I believe he needs to inject something new into the team, to give it that bit of unpredictable freshness.
Just look at Arsenal - "the new 'United" - who just can't-stop-winning this right now. Throughout the past 2 seasons alone I've seen Arséne Wenger come up with a large number of marginally different combinations for his starting-XI - especially in the midfield. When you think about it, Arsenal have never really one consistant "set", as such, of midfield players to last an entire season together. Sure, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira can be seen playing there every-week (providing they're both fit-enough), and Gilberto seens to have found himself a nice spot alongside Vieira in the centre, but whatever happened to Ray Parlour down that right-hand-side? And we barely see Freddie Ljungberg anymore, due to this injury-prone-ness he appears to have picked up within the past 18-months... And yet even when "goal-scorer" Sylvain Wiltord features there, or when Kolo Touré comes in (just like Grimmandi used to), Arsenal just cannot seem to do anything but win right now. They now sit happily 8-points-clear of Man United at the top-of-the-league; providing they beat Chelsea on Saturday, they seem set to be on-their-way-to-Cardiff, once again, in the FA Cup; and improvements are beginning to show in Europe too. And I believe that they owe a lot of this to their manager Arséne Wenger - who has been giving his opposition a tough job of trying to "guess" his next midfield line-up, and how they will go about playing the game. But if he'd have stuck with the same-old middle-4 fo Pires, Vieira, Ljungberg and Parlour for all this time, then I reckon he'd have never taken them this far, so soon.
One of Arsenal's greatest assets over-the-years has been their persistant back-4 of Nigel Winterburn, Martin Keown, Captain Tony Adams, and Lee Dixon. And if England goalkeeper David Seaman is to be added, then that makes '5'.
Througout the major part of the 1990s, this line-up was regarded as perhaps the toughest back-line with Premiership - if not European football, altogether! And yes, some even went as far as to say that it beat the success-proven United one - even with Schmeichel in-goal, with Pallister and Steve Bruce infront of him!
When Monsieur Wenger arrived, he knew what he had here, and decided to stick with it. And so, in came the Double - so-soon after he had been appointed.
But like any good manager these days (excluding Sir Alex, apparently!) he knew that these (ageing) "lads" wouldn't be able to last together for too-much-longer, before every-other-one of those 19-other teams in the league had them sussed. And so he decided to change it, and freshen it up with a few new faces, even though only Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, and later, Steve Bould, unlike Keown, were ready for retirement.
And just look at Arsenal today with an almost entirely different team from attack-to-defence, compared to what we would've expected only a few years ago!
Surely this is a prime example of why every team looking for success (like 'United, and even Liverpool) need to consider breaking-up some of their older, proven-formulas for success, to get that extra bit of freshness that can carry them all the way, as the same-old team, only with new "ideas"??
Just look at our ('United's) defence then...
Ever since Brown and Silvestre have been tried alongside Rio Ferdinand, instead of the Laurent Blanc that every-striker-knows, things have been on the uprise (defensively, anyway). And now, even though we're still not coming close to the expectations we should be meeting, things are looking good for the future.
But I still think our midfield needs reshaping...
Questions is, how to do it?
But it's not like they're aren't any possible "solutions", either, though.
Already this season we've seen Roy Keane play almost better than he's played all-season - as a centre-back. And after admitting that his style is "changing" as a 'midfield-general', this could be the new way for him to go - if he still believes he can save 'United single-handedly (once again) and get them right back-on-track. And it's not like he couldn't be replaced either, with Nicky Butt - the "English Roy Keane" waiting patiently on the bench, and Sir Alex Ferguson himself has even commented on how he believes John O'Shea could one-day have a future as Roy Keane's-successor with his proven-versitallity of late.
David Beckham's a man who was born to play in midfield, and that is somethign that'll never change. Even if he was to play upfront, or as a full-back, Ruud van Nistelrooy and partner would be lacking in chances without the crucial support of chances the England skipper can create. Although, with Luke Chadwick up-and-coming on-loan at Reading, I suppose there's always the oppurtunity for "Becks" to try it in his "favoured" central position, with Chadwick running down the right - Giggs-style...
And to be fair, Ryan Giggs hasn't really been 'himself' this season, and it looks like he - like Roy Keane - could be looking for 'something new' and 'different' to get him back and playing better than he's ever played before. Ferguson seems to persist in playing Paul Scholes in this "supporting-striker" role, which is never gonna work. But I have to wonder, after seeing how he can run with the ball for miles, what the "Welsh Wizard" would be like in a similar kind of role, with the South American quality of Juan-Sébastian Veron filling-in that vacant left-sided role....?
And as for Paul Scholes himself... Well, he's never really going to play better football than what he has done in the centre-of-midfield, even if he can score goals when given the right chances. He's a central-midfielder, through-and-through. That is something that I feel will never change. Juan Veron comes nowhere close to him, there! Just look at what he's done for England - and 'United, there in recent years..! How can Fergie persist in playing him anywhere else?!?
But to be entirely honest, if there was one player of these 4 who I think could do with a move away from Old Trafford, then "Scholesy" is the man. Beckham and Giggs have been linked with moves-away recently, and we've even read a gew rumours about Roy Keane, but I just feel that ever since the £28.1m arrival of Veron, Scholes has been looking even more out-of-place game-after-game. And in a choice betweem the ginger-haired Englishman and the "Little Witch", you just don't say 'no' to a South American superstar after seeing what he can do for us in Europe!
Come on, Fergie! Open your eyes, look around you, and see that you need to make some changes in the midfield - and serious ones this time, too!
No matter how great something is, it can never last forever. But even with that thought in mind, I do not believe that Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at Old Trafford should come to an end, just because of one-or-two Cup defeats, in a second-consecutive season of dissapointment (if it stays this way).
You just can't expect to win something now, in the modern game, if you're living in the past, using formulas that USED to work.
Much of the blame - as always - has been placed on the team's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. The players are there in a squad full of both European and Continental experience, yet it all just seems to keep on going-wrong as soon as Arseanl, and now Liverpool, enter the frame. But if the team's performing badly, and this ISN'T an all-new episode of Dream Team, then how can anyone but the manager and his players be blame for performances of-late that have seen the Red Devils just slide-and-slide?! But to highlight just one players; or just one member of staff as the main-cause here; that would be a big mistake.
Undoubtabley, Manchester United were the "Team of the '90s". And that is something that nobody can deny, after Fergie began to settle into his job, and bring-home the Treble, aswell as 2 League and FA Cup Doubles (and more!!) to the "Theatre of Dreams". One thing you may've noticed about United during that 10-year-period is that their 11-man team line-ups remind almost identical for a few years, but then changed again slightly, for another 3-or-4.
Look at the United side today - especially in the midfield - and you'll see quite a similar line-up to what we would've expected going-back a good 5-years now. Only without Cantona, Schmeichel, Pallister, and Cole.
Manchester United's midfield quartet of Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes (when he plays there) is one that strikes fear into the hearts of every team 'United meet on the European scene. And for many years, this was also the case in the league and other domestic competitions, also. But I believe that these 4-players alone have been playing together too-well, for too-long, now, and that it is once again time for a change. If Fergie wants to get United back-on-track and into that winning formula that helped them to "dominate" the '90s, then I believe he needs to inject something new into the team, to give it that bit of unpredictable freshness.
Just look at Arsenal - "the new 'United" - who just can't-stop-winning this right now. Throughout the past 2 seasons alone I've seen Arséne Wenger come up with a large number of marginally different combinations for his starting-XI - especially in the midfield. When you think about it, Arsenal have never really one consistant "set", as such, of midfield players to last an entire season together. Sure, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira can be seen playing there every-week (providing they're both fit-enough), and Gilberto seens to have found himself a nice spot alongside Vieira in the centre, but whatever happened to Ray Parlour down that right-hand-side? And we barely see Freddie Ljungberg anymore, due to this injury-prone-ness he appears to have picked up within the past 18-months... And yet even when "goal-scorer" Sylvain Wiltord features there, or when Kolo Touré comes in (just like Grimmandi used to), Arsenal just cannot seem to do anything but win right now. They now sit happily 8-points-clear of Man United at the top-of-the-league; providing they beat Chelsea on Saturday, they seem set to be on-their-way-to-Cardiff, once again, in the FA Cup; and improvements are beginning to show in Europe too. And I believe that they owe a lot of this to their manager Arséne Wenger - who has been giving his opposition a tough job of trying to "guess" his next midfield line-up, and how they will go about playing the game. But if he'd have stuck with the same-old middle-4 fo Pires, Vieira, Ljungberg and Parlour for all this time, then I reckon he'd have never taken them this far, so soon.
One of Arsenal's greatest assets over-the-years has been their persistant back-4 of Nigel Winterburn, Martin Keown, Captain Tony Adams, and Lee Dixon. And if England goalkeeper David Seaman is to be added, then that makes '5'.
Througout the major part of the 1990s, this line-up was regarded as perhaps the toughest back-line with Premiership - if not European football, altogether! And yes, some even went as far as to say that it beat the success-proven United one - even with Schmeichel in-goal, with Pallister and Steve Bruce infront of him!
When Monsieur Wenger arrived, he knew what he had here, and decided to stick with it. And so, in came the Double - so-soon after he had been appointed.
But like any good manager these days (excluding Sir Alex, apparently!) he knew that these (ageing) "lads" wouldn't be able to last together for too-much-longer, before every-other-one of those 19-other teams in the league had them sussed. And so he decided to change it, and freshen it up with a few new faces, even though only Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, and later, Steve Bould, unlike Keown, were ready for retirement.
And just look at Arsenal today with an almost entirely different team from attack-to-defence, compared to what we would've expected only a few years ago!
Surely this is a prime example of why every team looking for success (like 'United, and even Liverpool) need to consider breaking-up some of their older, proven-formulas for success, to get that extra bit of freshness that can carry them all the way, as the same-old team, only with new "ideas"??
Just look at our ('United's) defence then...
Ever since Brown and Silvestre have been tried alongside Rio Ferdinand, instead of the Laurent Blanc that every-striker-knows, things have been on the uprise (defensively, anyway). And now, even though we're still not coming close to the expectations we should be meeting, things are looking good for the future.
But I still think our midfield needs reshaping...
Questions is, how to do it?
But it's not like they're aren't any possible "solutions", either, though.
Already this season we've seen Roy Keane play almost better than he's played all-season - as a centre-back. And after admitting that his style is "changing" as a 'midfield-general', this could be the new way for him to go - if he still believes he can save 'United single-handedly (once again) and get them right back-on-track. And it's not like he couldn't be replaced either, with Nicky Butt - the "English Roy Keane" waiting patiently on the bench, and Sir Alex Ferguson himself has even commented on how he believes John O'Shea could one-day have a future as Roy Keane's-successor with his proven-versitallity of late.
David Beckham's a man who was born to play in midfield, and that is somethign that'll never change. Even if he was to play upfront, or as a full-back, Ruud van Nistelrooy and partner would be lacking in chances without the crucial support of chances the England skipper can create. Although, with Luke Chadwick up-and-coming on-loan at Reading, I suppose there's always the oppurtunity for "Becks" to try it in his "favoured" central position, with Chadwick running down the right - Giggs-style...
And to be fair, Ryan Giggs hasn't really been 'himself' this season, and it looks like he - like Roy Keane - could be looking for 'something new' and 'different' to get him back and playing better than he's ever played before. Ferguson seems to persist in playing Paul Scholes in this "supporting-striker" role, which is never gonna work. But I have to wonder, after seeing how he can run with the ball for miles, what the "Welsh Wizard" would be like in a similar kind of role, with the South American quality of Juan-Sébastian Veron filling-in that vacant left-sided role....?
And as for Paul Scholes himself... Well, he's never really going to play better football than what he has done in the centre-of-midfield, even if he can score goals when given the right chances. He's a central-midfielder, through-and-through. That is something that I feel will never change. Juan Veron comes nowhere close to him, there! Just look at what he's done for England - and 'United, there in recent years..! How can Fergie persist in playing him anywhere else?!?
But to be entirely honest, if there was one player of these 4 who I think could do with a move away from Old Trafford, then "Scholesy" is the man. Beckham and Giggs have been linked with moves-away recently, and we've even read a gew rumours about Roy Keane, but I just feel that ever since the £28.1m arrival of Veron, Scholes has been looking even more out-of-place game-after-game. And in a choice betweem the ginger-haired Englishman and the "Little Witch", you just don't say 'no' to a South American superstar after seeing what he can do for us in Europe!
Come on, Fergie! Open your eyes, look around you, and see that you need to make some changes in the midfield - and serious ones this time, too!
No matter how great something is, it can never last forever. But even with that thought in mind, I do not believe that Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at Old Trafford should come to an end, just because of one-or-two Cup defeats, in a second-consecutive season of dissapointment (if it stays this way).
You just can't expect to win something now, in the modern game, if you're living in the past, using formulas that USED to work.
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Forlan should be back for the Leeds game, or so the BBC say.
And yes, I also support Cardiff, that bunch of underperforming cretins who are watching their automatic promotion place drift away.
And yes, I also support Cardiff, that bunch of underperforming cretins who are watching their automatic promotion place drift away.
Dunno - I reckon he'll only be out for a few weeks. O'Shea is an excellent player but I'd still start with Silvestre for his lovely whippid in crosses and surges up the left had side. Then, if he doesn't get results, bring O'Shea on at half-time.
IB, do you support Cardiff?
IB, do you support Cardiff?
Has Forlan recovered from his injury?
I think, as I have said many times, that Forlan should get more time on the pitch. He got his chance when Van was injured, and he came through with colours flying high. Once he had a regular place, he was scoring regular goals.
I can only beg Fergie to play 4-4-2 with O'Shea ahead of Silvestre, Veron ahead of Giggs and Van and Forlan up front.
I can only beg Fergie to play 4-4-2 with O'Shea ahead of Silvestre, Veron ahead of Giggs and Van and Forlan up front.
Im dissapointed that Nicky Butt or even P.Neville didn't start as 'ball winners' in the midfield. Liverpool have a good strong midfield and with Veron having a 'free role' Keane had to be the one getting back and going forward and it just doesn't work, Giggs and Becks were asked to tuck in and play across the middle of the park, so that if Keane isn't there they can mop up in and push forward leaving no width whatsoever. Liverpool hit us on the counter and at times they played balls straight through the centre of our midfield and there was noone there to cut the ball out.
I agree that it's all getting too predictable, if a team puts 10 men behind the ball and defends like mad we find it difficult to break them down, we miss that touch of brilliance in Cantona/Sheringham to not only open up defences (Veron Can) but also score goals and this is something Ferguson is trying to do with Paul Scholes - to make him into that player who plays just off the frontman and bring the midfield into play, he has alos tried it with Veron there at times this season but it simply isnt working and in the mean time he has disrupted the midfield and noone really knows how they are meant to play anymore.
Fergie has hinted at a possible clearout in the summer, I think we shall see a couple 'big name' players leave in the summer and hopefully a few new young recruits to ressurect this ageing and predictable team.
I agree that it's all getting too predictable, if a team puts 10 men behind the ball and defends like mad we find it difficult to break them down, we miss that touch of brilliance in Cantona/Sheringham to not only open up defences (Veron Can) but also score goals and this is something Ferguson is trying to do with Paul Scholes - to make him into that player who plays just off the frontman and bring the midfield into play, he has alos tried it with Veron there at times this season but it simply isnt working and in the mean time he has disrupted the midfield and noone really knows how they are meant to play anymore.
Fergie has hinted at a possible clearout in the summer, I think we shall see a couple 'big name' players leave in the summer and hopefully a few new young recruits to ressurect this ageing and predictable team.
Yes - that's the kind of change our ageing team needs.
With Giggs, Scholes/Veron, Keane and Beckham in the midfield, it's all too predictable for our league opposition, who've seen this exact-same line-up dominating for the past 5-years-or-so, and after studying them closely, know almost exactly how they'll go about playing.
But by dropping Keane back, and replacing him with someone else, our midifield changes, along with our defence, to something no other team has had the chance to study before, just becuase of Roy Keane's influence.
With Giggs, Scholes/Veron, Keane and Beckham in the midfield, it's all too predictable for our league opposition, who've seen this exact-same line-up dominating for the past 5-years-or-so, and after studying them closely, know almost exactly how they'll go about playing.
But by dropping Keane back, and replacing him with someone else, our midifield changes, along with our defence, to something no other team has had the chance to study before, just becuase of Roy Keane's influence.
He should put Solskjaer and Van up front.
Midfield should be Giggs, Scholes, Veron and Becks.
Back four of Neville, Ferdinand, Keane and Silvestre.
Subs: O'Shea, Forlan, Butt, and a few more.
Keano was bloody good in defense against Juve...
Midfield should be Giggs, Scholes, Veron and Becks.
Back four of Neville, Ferdinand, Keane and Silvestre.
Subs: O'Shea, Forlan, Butt, and a few more.
Keano was bloody good in defense against Juve...
I know Scholes has scored some vital goals for us this season, but should he really be the one doing that??
Surely goals like this should be coming from a van Nistelrooy, or even Solskjaer in the final seconds of stoppage time? And Paul Scholes should be left to do his midfield duties only, where he plays best.
And the way I see it, although he's a great player, Paul Scholes place in the 'United side will always be under-threat from the Champions' League-'star' Juan Veron. For as long as he's around, Fergie will always be trying to decide who he should choose over the other.
By no means do I think Scholes is a bad player or anything!
It's just that he plays his best football in the centre of the park, and not behind van Nistelrooy. But a central-midfield role seems like something he won't be getting for a long-while yet. So, if he wants to fulfill his remaining potenial, perhaps he should move on, and allow Ferguson to bring something "new" into the midfield - like Arsenal have been doing, regularly.
Surely goals like this should be coming from a van Nistelrooy, or even Solskjaer in the final seconds of stoppage time? And Paul Scholes should be left to do his midfield duties only, where he plays best.
And the way I see it, although he's a great player, Paul Scholes place in the 'United side will always be under-threat from the Champions' League-'star' Juan Veron. For as long as he's around, Fergie will always be trying to decide who he should choose over the other.
By no means do I think Scholes is a bad player or anything!
It's just that he plays his best football in the centre of the park, and not behind van Nistelrooy. But a central-midfield role seems like something he won't be getting for a long-while yet. So, if he wants to fulfill his remaining potenial, perhaps he should move on, and allow Ferguson to bring something "new" into the midfield - like Arsenal have been doing, regularly.
How can you criticise Scholes? He's done well for you, getting crucial goals in certain games.
I do agree - United have lost their hunger and edge. In the past when they went 1-0 up, they then went for the throat and got as many as they could. Apart from the 6-0 cup win against West Ham, there haven't been many decent games from them. Why is that? Maybe Ferguson has lost it, maybe he hasn't found the right combination. However, one thing is for certain - United are playing the best Champions League football of their lives and, as long as they don't get drawn against some tough opponents, I fancy them to get to the semis at least.
Ferguson should challenge his team to win EVERY remaining game of the season to close the gap against Arsenal to two points (providing they win all their games as well) and not get caught up by teams like Bolton. They have to railroad these lesser teams from the moment go and attack, attck, attack. No more sitting back on their laurels. Only Keano has the right mentality in the team - he's never wants to lose or be second best.
Hopefully they'll do well in the Champions League. If not, it's another trophy-less season at Old Trafford and that could cause some consternation amongst fans and the board of directors.
I do agree - United have lost their hunger and edge. In the past when they went 1-0 up, they then went for the throat and got as many as they could. Apart from the 6-0 cup win against West Ham, there haven't been many decent games from them. Why is that? Maybe Ferguson has lost it, maybe he hasn't found the right combination. However, one thing is for certain - United are playing the best Champions League football of their lives and, as long as they don't get drawn against some tough opponents, I fancy them to get to the semis at least.
Ferguson should challenge his team to win EVERY remaining game of the season to close the gap against Arsenal to two points (providing they win all their games as well) and not get caught up by teams like Bolton. They have to railroad these lesser teams from the moment go and attack, attck, attack. No more sitting back on their laurels. Only Keano has the right mentality in the team - he's never wants to lose or be second best.
Hopefully they'll do well in the Champions League. If not, it's another trophy-less season at Old Trafford and that could cause some consternation amongst fans and the board of directors.
After starting the season with a lot of hope and optimism for the forthcoming campaign, it appears that United have almost thrown it all away after losing to Liverpool in the Final of the Worthington Cup, while Arsenal creep further away at the top of the Premiership. And after an early FA Cup exit, thanks to Arsenal, only a few weeks ago, the Champions' League appears to be the only thing "going" for Sir Alex Ferguson and his 'United side. But what are the chances they're gonna muck that up too - just like last-season?? It hasn't been a 'great' season for the team that just couldn't-stop-winning only 2 years ago...
Much of the blame - as always - has been placed on the team's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. The players are there in a squad full of both European and Continental experience, yet it all just seems to keep on going-wrong as soon as Arseanl, and now Liverpool, enter the frame. But if the team's performing badly, and this ISN'T an all-new episode of Dream Team, then how can anyone but the manager and his players be blame for performances of-late that have seen the Red Devils just slide-and-slide?! But to highlight just one players; or just one member of staff as the main-cause here; that would be a big mistake.
Undoubtabley, Manchester United were the "Team of the '90s". And that is something that nobody can deny, after Fergie began to settle into his job, and bring-home the Treble, aswell as 2 League and FA Cup Doubles (and more!!) to the "Theatre of Dreams". One thing you may've noticed about United during that 10-year-period is that their 11-man team line-ups remind almost identical for a few years, but then changed again slightly, for another 3-or-4.
Look at the United side today - especially in the midfield - and you'll see quite a similar line-up to what we would've expected going-back a good 5-years now. Only without Cantona, Schmeichel, Pallister, and Cole.
Manchester United's midfield quartet of Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes (when he plays there) is one that strikes fear into the hearts of every team 'United meet on the European scene. And for many years, this was also the case in the league and other domestic competitions, also. But I believe that these 4-players alone have been playing together too-well, for too-long, now, and that it is once again time for a change. If Fergie wants to get United back-on-track and into that winning formula that helped them to "dominate" the '90s, then I believe he needs to inject something new into the team, to give it that bit of unpredictable freshness.
Just look at Arsenal - "the new 'United" - who just can't-stop-winning this right now. Throughout the past 2 seasons alone I've seen Arséne Wenger come up with a large number of marginally different combinations for his starting-XI - especially in the midfield. When you think about it, Arsenal have never really one consistant "set", as such, of midfield players to last an entire season together. Sure, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira can be seen playing there every-week (providing they're both fit-enough), and Gilberto seens to have found himself a nice spot alongside Vieira in the centre, but whatever happened to Ray Parlour down that right-hand-side? And we barely see Freddie Ljungberg anymore, due to this injury-prone-ness he appears to have picked up within the past 18-months... And yet even when "goal-scorer" Sylvain Wiltord features there, or when Kolo Touré comes in (just like Grimmandi used to), Arsenal just cannot seem to do anything but win right now. They now sit happily 8-points-clear of Man United at the top-of-the-league; providing they beat Chelsea on Saturday, they seem set to be on-their-way-to-Cardiff, once again, in the FA Cup; and improvements are beginning to show in Europe too. And I believe that they owe a lot of this to their manager Arséne Wenger - who has been giving his opposition a tough job of trying to "guess" his next midfield line-up, and how they will go about playing the game. But if he'd have stuck with the same-old middle-4 fo Pires, Vieira, Ljungberg and Parlour for all this time, then I reckon he'd have never taken them this far, so soon.
One of Arsenal's greatest assets over-the-years has been their persistant back-4 of Nigel Winterburn, Martin Keown, Captain Tony Adams, and Lee Dixon. And if England goalkeeper David Seaman is to be added, then that makes '5'.
Througout the major part of the 1990s, this line-up was regarded as perhaps the toughest back-line with Premiership - if not European football, altogether! And yes, some even went as far as to say that it beat the success-proven United one - even with Schmeichel in-goal, with Pallister and Steve Bruce infront of him!
When Monsieur Wenger arrived, he knew what he had here, and decided to stick with it. And so, in came the Double - so-soon after he had been appointed.
But like any good manager these days (excluding Sir Alex, apparently!) he knew that these (ageing) "lads" wouldn't be able to last together for too-much-longer, before every-other-one of those 19-other teams in the league had them sussed. And so he decided to change it, and freshen it up with a few new faces, even though only Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, and later, Steve Bould, unlike Keown, were ready for retirement.
And just look at Arsenal today with an almost entirely different team from attack-to-defence, compared to what we would've expected only a few years ago!
Surely this is a prime example of why every team looking for success (like 'United, and even Liverpool) need to consider breaking-up some of their older, proven-formulas for success, to get that extra bit of freshness that can carry them all the way, as the same-old team, only with new "ideas"??
Just look at our ('United's) defence then...
Ever since Brown and Silvestre have been tried alongside Rio Ferdinand, instead of the Laurent Blanc that every-striker-knows, things have been on the uprise (defensively, anyway). And now, even though we're still not coming close to the expectations we should be meeting, things are looking good for the future.
But I still think our midfield needs reshaping...
Questions is, how to do it?
But it's not like they're aren't any possible "solutions", either, though.
Already this season we've seen Roy Keane play almost better than he's played all-season - as a centre-back. And after admitting that his style is "changing" as a 'midfield-general', this could be the new way for him to go - if he still believes he can save 'United single-handedly (once again) and get them right back-on-track. And it's not like he couldn't be replaced either, with Nicky Butt - the "English Roy Keane" waiting patiently on the bench, and Sir Alex Ferguson himself has even commented on how he believes John O'Shea could one-day have a future as Roy Keane's-successor with his proven-versitallity of late.
David Beckham's a man who was born to play in midfield, and that is somethign that'll never change. Even if he was to play upfront, or as a full-back, Ruud van Nistelrooy and partner would be lacking in chances without the crucial support of chances the England skipper can create. Although, with Luke Chadwick up-and-coming on-loan at Reading, I suppose there's always the oppurtunity for "Becks" to try it in his "favoured" central position, with Chadwick running down the right - Giggs-style...
And to be fair, Ryan Giggs hasn't really been 'himself' this season, and it looks like he - like Roy Keane - could be looking for 'something new' and 'different' to get him back and playing better than he's ever played before. Ferguson seems to persist in playing Paul Scholes in this "supporting-striker" role, which is never gonna work. But I have to wonder, after seeing how he can run with the ball for miles, what the "Welsh Wizard" would be like in a similar kind of role, with the South American quality of Juan-Sébastian Veron filling-in that vacant left-sided role....?
And as for Paul Scholes himself... Well, he's never really going to play better football than what he has done in the centre-of-midfield, even if he can score goals when given the right chances. He's a central-midfielder, through-and-through. That is something that I feel will never change. Juan Veron comes nowhere close to him, there! Just look at what he's done for England - and 'United, there in recent years..! How can Fergie persist in playing him anywhere else?!?
But to be entirely honest, if there was one player of these 4 who I think could do with a move away from Old Trafford, then "Scholesy" is the man. Beckham and Giggs have been linked with moves-away recently, and we've even read a gew rumours about Roy Keane, but I just feel that ever since the £28.1m arrival of Veron, Scholes has been looking even more out-of-place game-after-game. And in a choice betweem the ginger-haired Englishman and the "Little Witch", you just don't say 'no' to a South American superstar after seeing what he can do for us in Europe!
Come on, Fergie! Open your eyes, look around you, and see that you need to make some changes in the midfield - and serious ones this time, too!
No matter how great something is, it can never last forever. But even with that thought in mind, I do not believe that Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at Old Trafford should come to an end, just because of one-or-two Cup defeats, in a second-consecutive season of dissapointment (if it stays this way).
You just can't expect to win something now, in the modern game, if you're living in the past, using formulas that USED to work.
Much of the blame - as always - has been placed on the team's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. The players are there in a squad full of both European and Continental experience, yet it all just seems to keep on going-wrong as soon as Arseanl, and now Liverpool, enter the frame. But if the team's performing badly, and this ISN'T an all-new episode of Dream Team, then how can anyone but the manager and his players be blame for performances of-late that have seen the Red Devils just slide-and-slide?! But to highlight just one players; or just one member of staff as the main-cause here; that would be a big mistake.
Undoubtabley, Manchester United were the "Team of the '90s". And that is something that nobody can deny, after Fergie began to settle into his job, and bring-home the Treble, aswell as 2 League and FA Cup Doubles (and more!!) to the "Theatre of Dreams". One thing you may've noticed about United during that 10-year-period is that their 11-man team line-ups remind almost identical for a few years, but then changed again slightly, for another 3-or-4.
Look at the United side today - especially in the midfield - and you'll see quite a similar line-up to what we would've expected going-back a good 5-years now. Only without Cantona, Schmeichel, Pallister, and Cole.
Manchester United's midfield quartet of Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes (when he plays there) is one that strikes fear into the hearts of every team 'United meet on the European scene. And for many years, this was also the case in the league and other domestic competitions, also. But I believe that these 4-players alone have been playing together too-well, for too-long, now, and that it is once again time for a change. If Fergie wants to get United back-on-track and into that winning formula that helped them to "dominate" the '90s, then I believe he needs to inject something new into the team, to give it that bit of unpredictable freshness.
Just look at Arsenal - "the new 'United" - who just can't-stop-winning this right now. Throughout the past 2 seasons alone I've seen Arséne Wenger come up with a large number of marginally different combinations for his starting-XI - especially in the midfield. When you think about it, Arsenal have never really one consistant "set", as such, of midfield players to last an entire season together. Sure, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira can be seen playing there every-week (providing they're both fit-enough), and Gilberto seens to have found himself a nice spot alongside Vieira in the centre, but whatever happened to Ray Parlour down that right-hand-side? And we barely see Freddie Ljungberg anymore, due to this injury-prone-ness he appears to have picked up within the past 18-months... And yet even when "goal-scorer" Sylvain Wiltord features there, or when Kolo Touré comes in (just like Grimmandi used to), Arsenal just cannot seem to do anything but win right now. They now sit happily 8-points-clear of Man United at the top-of-the-league; providing they beat Chelsea on Saturday, they seem set to be on-their-way-to-Cardiff, once again, in the FA Cup; and improvements are beginning to show in Europe too. And I believe that they owe a lot of this to their manager Arséne Wenger - who has been giving his opposition a tough job of trying to "guess" his next midfield line-up, and how they will go about playing the game. But if he'd have stuck with the same-old middle-4 fo Pires, Vieira, Ljungberg and Parlour for all this time, then I reckon he'd have never taken them this far, so soon.
One of Arsenal's greatest assets over-the-years has been their persistant back-4 of Nigel Winterburn, Martin Keown, Captain Tony Adams, and Lee Dixon. And if England goalkeeper David Seaman is to be added, then that makes '5'.
Througout the major part of the 1990s, this line-up was regarded as perhaps the toughest back-line with Premiership - if not European football, altogether! And yes, some even went as far as to say that it beat the success-proven United one - even with Schmeichel in-goal, with Pallister and Steve Bruce infront of him!
When Monsieur Wenger arrived, he knew what he had here, and decided to stick with it. And so, in came the Double - so-soon after he had been appointed.
But like any good manager these days (excluding Sir Alex, apparently!) he knew that these (ageing) "lads" wouldn't be able to last together for too-much-longer, before every-other-one of those 19-other teams in the league had them sussed. And so he decided to change it, and freshen it up with a few new faces, even though only Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, and later, Steve Bould, unlike Keown, were ready for retirement.
And just look at Arsenal today with an almost entirely different team from attack-to-defence, compared to what we would've expected only a few years ago!
Surely this is a prime example of why every team looking for success (like 'United, and even Liverpool) need to consider breaking-up some of their older, proven-formulas for success, to get that extra bit of freshness that can carry them all the way, as the same-old team, only with new "ideas"??
Just look at our ('United's) defence then...
Ever since Brown and Silvestre have been tried alongside Rio Ferdinand, instead of the Laurent Blanc that every-striker-knows, things have been on the uprise (defensively, anyway). And now, even though we're still not coming close to the expectations we should be meeting, things are looking good for the future.
But I still think our midfield needs reshaping...
Questions is, how to do it?
But it's not like they're aren't any possible "solutions", either, though.
Already this season we've seen Roy Keane play almost better than he's played all-season - as a centre-back. And after admitting that his style is "changing" as a 'midfield-general', this could be the new way for him to go - if he still believes he can save 'United single-handedly (once again) and get them right back-on-track. And it's not like he couldn't be replaced either, with Nicky Butt - the "English Roy Keane" waiting patiently on the bench, and Sir Alex Ferguson himself has even commented on how he believes John O'Shea could one-day have a future as Roy Keane's-successor with his proven-versitallity of late.
David Beckham's a man who was born to play in midfield, and that is somethign that'll never change. Even if he was to play upfront, or as a full-back, Ruud van Nistelrooy and partner would be lacking in chances without the crucial support of chances the England skipper can create. Although, with Luke Chadwick up-and-coming on-loan at Reading, I suppose there's always the oppurtunity for "Becks" to try it in his "favoured" central position, with Chadwick running down the right - Giggs-style...
And to be fair, Ryan Giggs hasn't really been 'himself' this season, and it looks like he - like Roy Keane - could be looking for 'something new' and 'different' to get him back and playing better than he's ever played before. Ferguson seems to persist in playing Paul Scholes in this "supporting-striker" role, which is never gonna work. But I have to wonder, after seeing how he can run with the ball for miles, what the "Welsh Wizard" would be like in a similar kind of role, with the South American quality of Juan-Sébastian Veron filling-in that vacant left-sided role....?
And as for Paul Scholes himself... Well, he's never really going to play better football than what he has done in the centre-of-midfield, even if he can score goals when given the right chances. He's a central-midfielder, through-and-through. That is something that I feel will never change. Juan Veron comes nowhere close to him, there! Just look at what he's done for England - and 'United, there in recent years..! How can Fergie persist in playing him anywhere else?!?
But to be entirely honest, if there was one player of these 4 who I think could do with a move away from Old Trafford, then "Scholesy" is the man. Beckham and Giggs have been linked with moves-away recently, and we've even read a gew rumours about Roy Keane, but I just feel that ever since the £28.1m arrival of Veron, Scholes has been looking even more out-of-place game-after-game. And in a choice betweem the ginger-haired Englishman and the "Little Witch", you just don't say 'no' to a South American superstar after seeing what he can do for us in Europe!
Come on, Fergie! Open your eyes, look around you, and see that you need to make some changes in the midfield - and serious ones this time, too!
No matter how great something is, it can never last forever. But even with that thought in mind, I do not believe that Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at Old Trafford should come to an end, just because of one-or-two Cup defeats, in a second-consecutive season of dissapointment (if it stays this way).
You just can't expect to win something now, in the modern game, if you're living in the past, using formulas that USED to work.
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