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Keeping Up With Manchester City: Three Key Steps Manchester United Must Take
With Manchester City looking to assert their dominance over the league next season, here are three measures Manchester United must make in order to keep up with their City rivals
Keeping Up With Manchester City: Three Key Steps Manchester United Must Take
Following the heartbreaking finale to the season the blue side of Manchester emerged victorious and now look set to start their domination of the English league.
Here’s what Manchester United need to do to keep pace with the new league champions.
Responsibility
Ferguson set out with the intention of rebuilding a new squad last season with the signings of De Gea, Jones and Young and although they had good seasons it never quite worked out. The old guard were still calling the shots and contributing most in the bigger games. It’s great to see Scholes back and Giggs carrying on going but at some point the overhaul needs to be more drastic else the younger players may never fully step up. I’m delighted they both will still be at Old Trafford next season but they will need to be used in the right capacity, in the appropriate games and in team selections that compliment their age. It was encouraging to see the likes of Evans and Carrick step up last season and more of the same will be needed from players of a similar squad status. Would also be nice to see Pogba and Will Keane get some sort of test in pre season (If they are still at the club)
Yann M’vila is the kind of player we need in the bigger games to be able to physically compete
Dead Wood
The departure of Owen and the pending departures of Berbatov and Park will certainly freshen up the bench but more may be needed. Evra had a terrible season and all though selling him would be drastic I wouldn’t put it past Ferguson to do so. It’s more likely a long term replacement will be signed to put a bit more competition on the position. Ferdinand’s decline is also worrying especially when coupled with Vidic’s injury problems, a young centre back with real pace would be a good addition. Nani has all the potential to be a world beater but it seems as though he’s missing the consistency to allow him to do so, maybe its an attitude issue but he certainly doesn’t lack self confidence. Should be kept at the club unless an offer we can’t refuse comes in, he’s a good asset and a potential game changer but not indispensible.
Signings
Having missed out on the egotistical Hazard it looks as though we are going for Kagawa for half the price of the Belgian. Having watched him play in the German cup final it looks as though he would be an asset to the team, its likely he may not provide the wow factor that Hazard would but he may be just as effective. Playing just off the striker he may provide the final 3rd creativity that we have been lacking from central positions the last few seasons.
I’m not sure the of the level of accuracy in the Leighton Baines rumours but he wouldn’t be a terrible signing, competition for the left back place is needed at the moment and if Fabio isn’t going to push for the place a new face is needed. Paying over the odds for an English player is not something that constitutes to good business however and Newcastle have proved that there are other alternatives in the transfer market.
These kinds of signings would strengthen the team but what Manchester United are competing with is an ultra physical and sizeable team that are not only hard to break down but possess an abundance of individual attacking prowess. Therefore more investment may be needed in the form of a defensive midfielder and a striker. Although linked with Arsenal, Yann M’vila is the kind of player we need in the bigger games to be able to physically compete. It showed in the 1-0 defeat to City that you can play 3 in the middle and still not keep the ball or break up many attacks against a superior team. Carrick’s useful against smaller teams because we have a lot of the ball but more ineffective when we are up against a more attacking threat. Fernando Llorente is a player that we should do everything in our power to sign, he has every attribute a top striker needs and him and Rooney would be enough to steamroller most teams in the division. He wouldn’t come on the cheap especially after the Euro’s but he would fit in perfectly at Old Trafford and at this time we need to attempt to compete with the financial power of Manchester City.
Preventing Manchester City‘s first title win for as long as possible was something we needed to do and didn’t succeed in. It’s going to be even tougher next season but we have come up against a similar situation with Chelsea in the past and still come out on top. With the right signings and attitude Manchester United can do the same next season and in the years to come.
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COMMENTS
Whistling in the wind matey. I tend to agree with you that Owen, Berbatov, Park, Evra & Ferdinand are out or on their way out, Vidic is injury prone, Nani unreliable, Scholes and Giggs admirable but ancient and the best of the youth unproven. It will take a lot more than one excellent plaer of M'Vila's quality plus a few much better than average journeymen like (overpriced) Baines and (bargain basement) Kagawa to plug all of those holes. Let's be honest here, the ship is sinking fast and years of under investment and financial ruination caused by the Glazers is taking its toll.
Great piece the only player you didn't mention was strootman who we are being linked with and in my opinion could be a vital signing in the middle of the park
As a City fan of this parish... 1. Decide on Phil Jones' best position and play him there. The following assumes he's a centre half 2. Two new full backs (one either side). Such important positions, and City have four top class ones - and players of contrasting styles to boot - fighting for two slots. 3. Defensive midfielder 4. Replacement for Scholes 5. Replacement for Berbatov - and (from United's point of view) pray that Chicarito wasn't a one season wonder. The problem is that because of the Glazers, Ferguson either won't get all of what he needs or the replacements will be very good but not quite as good as what came before.
"...egotistical Hazard" Really? No, just wants to play for the EUROPEAN CHAMPS!
@Nonsense, I guess you'll only have him for one season then.
@Boll Weevil we'll see.
@Boll Weevil - you wouldn't happen to be bitter, would you?
Agree and disagree. We weren't far off matching city last season. Couple of tweaks will do the job, as well as making sure they don't take all 6 points off us again. Definitely gotta get Kagawa. He fits the bill pretty perfectly. Then someone with a bit of grit like Javi Martinez. He can also provide cover at centre half depending on the situation. We've been "in decline" for the past 8 years now, and still seem to come out on top. This situation is no different. Lets get behind the team and bring the trophy back home.
Park is not going
no drastic changes needed, we lost the league on goal difference with the joint top highest points total ever. all we need is kagawa and a couple of wing backs, thats it.
Glazers are slowly bleeding the richest club in the world dry. Funny to see!
...and JR Now City have worked out how to win and Chelsea have invested BIG in talent I think you may need more than Kagawa and 2 wing backs..
The weakness in the above argument is that it underestimates (a) the deficiencies in the current United squad and (b) the potential of both City and Chelsea. (a) This last season the squad, patched up and driven by a Ferguson on top note, augmented by beyond-the-call-of-duty performances from a re-motivated Rooney, the constantly amazing Scholes and the consistently good Ferdinand and a keeper better than anyone first thought, trailed City for most of the esason, caught us up and passed us after a wobble, then were pipped after we recovered form. As A.Izzett above points out all the weaknesses and necessities for replacement I won't repeat them. (b) City are a team/club still in transition and this season's performance is but a stepping stone in that transition. The club has gone from footballing joke, led by a succession of flaky managers , under directors with no idea of management, inflated egos and, moreover, fold who were largely skint, into Cup and Championship winners and are now on the way to becoming a global force under a manager who is a proven winner and, what's more, who has shown he is not prepared to bow down before Taggart's wrathful glare. The confrontation at the derby game may well come to be seen as the pivotal moment when the balance of power shifted. Matching City will be a big ask - and under an ownership who regards the club largely as the cash cow that props up their ailing businesses, I think it's a massive ask and, if I were a betting man, I'd put money on you failing. Chelsea, similarly, are a wealthy club with an owner drive to succeed. Lastly, the great mistake United fans make is that of regarding the history of football as the history of the last twenty years. You should remember that no club has a god given right to succeed. I think you really have to drive this out of your psyche.
chelsea have a squad of unproven youngsters city beat us on goal difference we have a very young but also very experienced squad now, take out old man giggs and sat nav and you see it plain as day. we need cover for evra defo, but in jones and smalling have cover at right back and centre back. dont forget that vidic and cleverly will be fresh for the next season. i am not worried in the slightest, we always bounce back and next season wont be any different.
@bluevalentine- 3 words for you- Financial Fair Play- both city and chelsea are getting there big spending in before it comes in after that they wont be able to buy big talent it, which means they will both have to start producing decent players themselves to fill the gaps- neither team has the set up to do this at the moment. they will try to get round it however they can, bet it dodgy land deals and sponsorship for city or with russian arrogance and foul play for chelsea. however there is no getting away from the fact that united, despite the debts, are set up for FFP better than both city and chelsea- neither of which make a profit( city just logged the biggest ever loss in world football). you are true no team has a god given right to suceed, and that would be boring if the same team won the league every year, even as a united fan i would find that boring but i would rather a level playing field than just a battle of the bank balances- because thats where the league is now and it will only get worse over the next few years.
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