Maturation and Stagnation

With the season competitively done and dusted with Sir Alex Ferguson's side securing the title with 4 games to spare, many fans' mind's have turned to summer mode. Following in the the great manager's lead, United fans across the globe have taken time to assess the side's performance over the previous 51 games of the season, which saw the side reach the FA Cup Quarter final stage, the 4th round of the Capital One Cup, the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League and a 20th Premier League title.

Carrick and Van Persie combined for some very productive football, with Kagawa finding space, time and form in between the lines supporting RvP.  

This season's stand out performs were without a doubt Michael Carrick, Robin van Persie and Patrice Evra, with notable mentions to De Gea, Ferdinand, Evans,  Rafael and Rooney. In contrast, the form, fitness and fortunes of Vidic, Young, Valencia, Nani and Anderson have concerned professional onlookers and supporters alike. The fact that the wingers have had such below average, underwhelming seasons is a cause for concern, not just due to our subsequent reliance on central creativity to score goals- but because their poor performance has also decreased the goal scoring threat of Welbeck, Hernandez and Rooney, who prefer chances being created for them from wide positions over intricate or direct passes from central positions, a style which Carrick, Kagawa, Cleverley and van Persie all enjoyed playing and proved fruitful and effective. 

Could all four of these red devils be on their way out?

As such, improvements need to be made, with Anderson, Nani, Hernandez and Rooney all being touted in the media for moves away from the club, with various players being linked to big money moves to United. With Nani, Anderson and Rooney having all served more than 7 years at the club, there is talk that, given their individual form, fitness, lifestyle and potential, it may be time to build from a position of strength and "trim the fat" from the squad by selling under performing players and replacing them with some  proven performers such as Gareth Bale, Kevin Strooman,  Lewandowski, Falcao, the out of contract Frank Lampard as well as up and coming talented youngsters like James Rodriguez, James McCarthy, Cristian Erikson  and Victor Wanyama.   The big deal that has been rumoured for a long time though, is the potential return of our former player Ronaldo.  

3 to leave and 1 to return?

With many United fans hoping to see  him back, I'm sure that most wouldn't mind seeing a deal struck that brought Ronaldo back to United with one or two players + cash going the other way, even if it were to mean the loss of Hernandez or others. Personally, I don't think United will get such a deal done, as Madrid are more likely to want a straight cash deal, not wanting to force players on a new manager (with Mourinho showing not too subtle signs that he'd like to leave), and United, unless they secure the cooperation of a principle sponsor such as Nike, AON or Chevrolet, are unlikely to want to spend all their transfer budget on a luxury player in a section of the squad that is already full, unless they plan on selling 1 or more winger and a striker, given the special position Ronaldo likes to play. (Such an arguement can also be made for the signing of Bale- where would Sir Alex (or someone new) play him? )

I'd add Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia to the aforementioned sell list, with the aim of generating enough cash to fund the purchase of a few younger talented wingers. No doubt the members on my sell list  are talented players, but I fear that in aiming to gain consistency and defensive tactical responsibility, they have eroded their strengths. While Anderson and Nani secured big money moves to United after showing signs of immense talent at an early age, Valencia and Young earned their moves my frequently showing skills that directly attributed to goals for Wigan and Villa, with both of them becoming a reliable source of goals in their final seasons at their respective clubs. 

Valencia's burst of pace that took him away from midfielders and past flat footed defenders to either shoot or cross, a move that set up a large proportion of Rooney's goals in the past, though it now seems that he either doesn't trust his body to be able to do make those runs, with it now more likely to see him dither around the 20 yard line waiting for Rafael to catch up and provide a safe passing option than dart into the box and attempt a shot or a dangerous cross across the face of goal for an arriving striker. The evolution of his game has seen him become much more aware of his defensive responsibilities and his tactical positioning when the side don't have the ball. In my opinion, this facet of his game is what is keeping him in the side ahead of Nani and Young, who are more attacking players, but aren't as much help to Rafael. Ashley Young as an inside out winger, has been worked out and his threat has been blunted by defenders who know to show him to the left corner, from where they can pressure him off the ball, intercept a backwards pass to Evra or cut out a left foot cross that he eventually delivers. Being most dangerous on the reverse diagonal run/dribble/cross/shot, he is in effect attempting to overcome potentially 4 players to have a clear sight of goal, and to be honest, he is no Messi. 

Whether through injury or lack of form, all 4 of them have not matured into the players fans had hoped, with inconsistent moments of brilliance book-ended with frustrating periods of mediocrity and wastefulness. There is only so far a hard working player with limited talent can go, and having bought Valencia and Young, players how sustained form above their base level of talent for multiple seasons, it could be argued that reversion to the mean was always going to happen. Even those blessed with extraordinary talent must possess the mental capabilities to make use of it. Nani and Anderson fall into this category, with neither player able to consistently deliver performances that allow them to command a starting position. 

Yes, the United hierarchy could go on with these players, challenge for league titles off the brilliance of the central midfielders and striking talent and hope that another upturn in form from these 4 could propel United to a Champions' League title ( given that Nani and Anderson played small but crucial roles in in the 2008 victory), but it would be a big risk not to move for other players who may possess the necessary combination of talent and aptitude to surpass their exploits. The likes of Zaha, Januzaj and Tunnicliffe need to be given time to prove themselves either way, for there is no point limiting their exposure to the big league by keeping them in the reserves, then becoming annoyed when they prove a hit elsewhere. 

News re: Sir Alex

Mark Ogden at the Telegraph is reporting that Sir Alex is seriously considering his position at United.
Others are rationalizing that given the state of his health, given he is expected to have surgery on his hip over the summer added to his existing heart condition and trouble with excessive travelling, it seems his old promise that he'd only quit for his health might be coming true. He has also indicated that he'd only retire if the squad was balanced and "on the up", and that he'd leave on a high and that he'd never announce his retirement too far in advance.

Given that all of these condition have been to an extent been met, the conclusion reached by pundits, bookmakers and punters alike is logical and reasonable. I however, don't think it'll happen so soon. I think it's more likely that Sir Alex is going to continue for at least a season, but is taking a short break to get his health back to order, and he's leaving the side to his team of assistants under a new number 2.

As for the odds on David Moyes being the next United manager being slashed, I don't think it would be a great idea bringing in a guy who has optimized the performance of a mid range club, rebuilt their squad  multiple times over his tenure, but has failed to win a trophy and has only once finished in the top 4- though they got knocked out in the qualifying round. No doubt he's deserving of a chance at a bigger club, with title aspirations, but having never had the chance to spend serious money or challenge for trophies on multiple fronts, i think the risk involved will be too great, especially as the club is a "somewhat" listed company, though it is still under the control of the Glazers.

A manager with no links to United would be a big risk and will have crippling pressure on him from all sides, something i don't think someone like Moyes could handle. A safer option would be to allow someone like Ryan Giggs or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to have a pressure free crack at the top job, in which they either prove themselves to be the next Pep Guardiola, or finish a season or two without damaging their long term prospects in the managerial game, while someone like Moyes or Bruce goes off to Germany/Turkey/Ukraine/Spain/Russia to get some serious champions league experience before getting their own chance at the job.

Attacking combinations, RvP, Welbz, Kagawa and what I'd do with Roo

Since Rooney's omission from the side that faced Real Madrid last month, a lot has been said about Wayne Rooney's future at Manchester United.  Robin van Persie's 12 game almost  goal drought has led many in the public to wonder why the goals have dried up. 

There are some not uncommon factors that have contributed to RvP's form slump:

1- fatigue- it's been a while since RvP has had to play 30+ games in back to back seasons, and even last year he had a mid-March form slump, and came back strong at the end of April to fire Arsenal into the top 4 with a final flourish. 

2- injury- having picked up a few knocks in previous games, and with 2 to 3 games scheduled for each fortnight, small injuries have little time to recover and given that they do not keep him from playing, may compound the problem, impacting upon the confidence he has in his own body and his footballing form. 

3-partnerships. Having played every side once, new ways of unlocking opponents are needed every game to continue good form. Early in the season, his partnership with Carrick and Young produced a lot of his goals, and without Rooney, he performed under pressure and delivered the goals in a rather direct fashion.    

 We are now playing a more possession based game, with Rooney and 2 wingers, the partnership between him and Rooney will be important in the next calender year.  

A lot of ex United players and fans have made some great points about the RVP/ Rooney potential partnership, I'd like to give you my take. 

Firstly, 

1- RVP and ashley young seem to play really well together, as do RVP and carrick. the 2 pairs seem to have a natural understanding of space and time between them, and the midfielders don't seem to have a great understanding with Rooney. 

2- Wayne Rooney and Valencia, and Rooney and Welbeck seem to have a really good understanding. 

3- Kagawa has shown moments of brilliant interplay between himself and both RvP and Rooney,  

--> so i think it won't be too long until we see RvP, Rooney and Kagawa all click together. 

4: I do wonder about Rooney's long term position in the 1st XI, as I think Welbeck and Kagawa create better options for carrick and cleverly to find, and are more mobile and agile, and arguably have a better first touch.  Rooney doesn't really seem to like receiving the ball on the half turn, and usually gets very square on, back to goal, which makes it rare for him to hold the ball up, subsequently Carrick doesn't pass to him very often. 

I wouldn't mind seeing Rooney deployed as a central midfielder alongside Carrick and Cleverly in a 4-3-3 with Kagawa, Welbeck and RvP in the attacking trio. It'd make the most of Rooney's passing range, allow him to play his cross field passes, get him into mid range shooting chances, (goals of which we hardly ever see from United players any more) and allow the interplay between Kagawa, Welbeck and van Persie to flourish without him getting in the way too often. He's also got the tactical and positional sense to know when to attack from deep and when to stay back and shield the area in front of evra or rafael. 

Thoughts: Away v Newcastle

Things I observed from the game:
1)I was really impressed by the passing, movement and general play in possession last night.
2)It was great to see some quality from the corners, Rooney and RvP and great at getting the ball to curve in, and it justifies the centre backs coming up to attack it. Scoring from them, with such thumping headers is a bonus and shows the improvement in Evans and Evra's approach to them. The first goal put Newcastle on the back foot and Evra's killed them off. it was a great start.  

Evans celebrates scoring the opener.

3) Rooney is a great trequartista, and he will soon start bursting into the space between the strikers to get on the end of passes/crosses as well, as he gets fitter and more confident. It was great to see him supporting the defense as well as creating chances for the strikers. If he would shoot a bit more from distance, i think he's good enough to score 10+ goals this season from outside the box.
4) cleverley and kagawa were really good in possession and the combination of those two plus rooney and carrick was really solid and great at winning back possession.the speed at which they closed down tiote, cabaye as well as ensure that Ben arfa, Ba and Cisse never had too much time on the ball, or time to turn(other than that one occasion-i can't remember too many other threat that originated through the middle)
 5) bringing valencia on at that time was really smart, it allowed us to spread the game a bit wider, stretch the defenders to stave off any pressure they built up, calm it down and see it out. anderson and hernandez will be our attacking options off the bench, for when we need to chase a game or get a goal, while giggs and scholes really help, through their experience, to make sure we stay calm and ensure we go home with the points.
6) some people were saying on FB and on twitter that Kagawa had a quiet game, but given the quality in our attacking third, he's bound to occasionally get outshone. More rotations between cleverley, rooney and kagawa might make his performance stand out more, as i think he prefers to play through the middle than out on the right. His role is it play in the final balls/provide assists and keep moving the ball at a good speed; which he did really well.
7) the defensive effort was immense, rio and evans are getting better as a partnership, and rafael is starting to look more comfortable and confident, though Ben Arfa did get in a few crosses that he maybe could have done a bit better on, but he did make a few blocks. Evra was particularly good- this is the kind of performance that a little competition for places brings out of him as neither ben arfa nor gutierrez   really got much of a look in on our left side.
8) the amount of yellow cards is a worry; the rate at which we are picking them up for really stupid things is annoying, and could be costly if we lose a player to suspension.
9) wtf is going on between Cabaye and RvP? I think Robin would be lucky to get away with that and i wouldn't be complaining if he was given a couple of games suspension for that.
10) the ball did not cross the line- it was a great piece of goalkeeping from David, and it would've been wrong if that was given.
11) it's good to see David come out and try to command his defensive zone, and although i still get a bit nervous when he comes out with the single fist punch, i think his defensive organizational capabilities are underestimated and his reading of the dangers/threats from opponents sets him above Anders in my eyes.
12) i don't care if cleverley meant it or not, it was a great time to score and it ended up being a pretty good goal.

Wazza

The British press are a hyperbolic lot,I understand that they have to sell newspapers and editors love making mountains out of molehills, but I do wonder why so much is being extrapolated from "the Wayne Rooney benching". It's not the first time Wayne has been benched, and it won't be the last. There have been times where he has been played out of position, dropping into midfield to help an injury ravaged squad, pushed out to the left, or even dropped in 2007/08 when Tevez or  Ronaldo were played through the middle in a 4-3-3 which eventually delivered a Premier League, Champions League Double. There was no talk of Wayne leaving the club, or being "out of love" with the club, there was, however, talk of "the right footed Messi" and the opportunity to challenge for global individual honours and England to world cup glory! 

Although things have changed in regards to the relationship between the player, the manager and the club, where the last round of contract negotiations in November 2010 escalated ridiculously quickly, with Paul Stretford advising the player to threaten a move to Man City and question the ambition of the club, The resulting pay increase came at a large personal cost to Rooney, a souring of relations with the fans and the manager as well as increased pressure to perform and global "star" status, that took a massive hit when he failed to produce in consecutive tournaments with England and the publicity his marriage indiscretions received.  

Scoring 30 goals but playing poorly is something only Wayne Rooney can do. A mercurial talent, Wayne had always been a "purple patch player", and had only recently become a more consistent goal scorer. This increase in consistency has, unfortunately, been accompanied by a downturn in the level of his overall play. Questions have been raised over his fitness for more than a year, with his penchant for a social smoke and drink seemingly eroding the fitness and stamina that was once a defining attribute. Pace has been sacrificed for power, with Rooney packing on upper and lower body muscle in an attempt to dominate opposition defenses. Being so muscular does have its advantages in a high impact, interval, environment, but in a sport like football, where stamina, strength, acceleration and speed are all equally important, a lithe strength, like that of Giggs,Valencia, Drogba, Vidic or van Nistlerooy would serve him better in the long run.
  
With the horrific looking injury sustained on Saturday vs Fulham, Wayne will probably be out until mid October, and it will give a chance for Kagawa and van Persie to form a creative relationship and allow Welbeck and Hernandez to score some goals and put some pressure on the "top 2" to fire up the United season and get the Champions League group off with a right bang.