SHOULD ROONEY STAY OR LEAVE

Until Van Persie came along, Rooney used to be my favourite Manchester United player even after he handed in his first transfer request. Back then I agreed with his concerns when he questioned the ambition of the club. So vital was he to the club’s progress, that Ferguson broke the clubs wage barrier and raised his salary to £250,000 a week- the highest in the clubs history. Since then, the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Van Persie, De Gea and most of our first team defensive covers like Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have arrived at our great club, strengthening the ‘weak squad’ we had in 2010 according to Rooney’s own evaluation.

 So, what is Rooney’s concern now? And is it true that he submitted another transfer request? Would Manchester United be ‘greatly’ affected if he leaves the club? And more importantly where would he end up if he decides to leave? These are genuine questions that every United faithful should ask.

Sir Alex Ferguson before retiring confirmed that Rooney handed in a second transfer request in the space of three years. Rooney, on the other hand, then sought to suggest that his former manager was lying and that he never handed in a second transfer request. To add salt to injury, he said categorically that he felt it was a ploy by the club to force him out. The big question is why would Sir Alex lie? Why would he want to force arguably our most important player for the last few seasons out of the club? Critically analyzing this questions and what Rooney was saying, I came to the conclusion that it was a desperate strategy Rooney took to get the obviously angry fans back to his side again. 

I say this because recent events seemed to point to the fact that Ferguson was right. We all saw his demeanor at the recent champions parade, refusing to join most of the celebratory activities of his own team-mates until later on. Not forgetting the ‘infamous twitter issue’ which he came out to clarify without speaking on his future. And most importantly, his recent interview which he granted to the Daily Mirror, in which  he admitted to the fact that he submitted a transfer request. In this same interview, he pointed out issues that led him to take that course of action.

Rooney would not be short of transfers this summer, infact he has been strongly linked with clubs like PSG and Arsenal. But with due respect, why would a player on a salary of £250,000 want to go an inferior league where attendance on match days is less than 50,000 or to a club that clearly  lacks the mental toughness to win trophies and have no trophy to show off in about 8 years. Does he think he cause Arsenal to start winning trophies on his own? If these are his thoughts then he better change his mind because Arsenal would struggle to attract world class players that can help him win trophies. Sure, PSG may pay him more per week, but with France having one of the highest taxes in Europe, his net worth per year would not be significantly different from what he earns now at United. So I think Money is not one of factors motivating his wanting to move.

Let’s look critically at the issues he raised in his recent interview that influenced his decision to hand in the request. He said

 “I have played up front on my own a few times for Manchester United and it’s a role I am comfortable with and have no problem playing there. When you play as a target man, you  have to stay up front and help the team out by holding the ball up and waiting for support. That all  comes with experience. It’s a good role for me and hopefully I can continue doing well there”.

 Honestly speaking with no bias, I think Van Persie is a better target man than Rooney, his finishing rate and ability to hold the ball at the moment is far superior to that of Rooney’s though I have to state that I think injuries hampered Rooney’s performance last season. Infact, in terms of ball retention ability among our four strikers, Rooney falls behind both Van Persie and Welbeck. I know most of you may disagree, but that’s the truth. That’s why I thought Ferguson’s tactics for champions league return leg against Madrid was spot on. This reason for me does not hold water because nowadays coaches all over the world rarely favour a typical 4-4-2 formation, therefore the onus is on Rooney to back up or buck down if he stays. He should stop complaining, focus on his fitness and maybe he might dislodge Van Persie as the clubs target man.

He further stated that when asked on his midfield role that

“In the years to come, that must be somewhere I could play, but right now am definitely a centre forward. I am after goals”.

This statement is one that I agree with totally, Rooney is never a midfielder; he is an out and out striker who loves to score goals. His talents should not be ‘abused’ and ‘wasted’ because we know he is versatile. If Manchester United have a midfield problem (we all know we do), that problem has to be rectified, Rooney doesn’t have to be sacrificed as a cover for our poor midfield. If he leaves or wants to leave as based on this concern then I would understand to a certain extent

Now, can Manchester United as a club continue to compete for titles without Rooney? My answer would be a big yes. Rooney is no doubt a world class player, infact when u play him as a lone centre forward he scores important goals. Play him as a second striker; he creates as well as scores. Play him as a defensive midfielder; he still has the ability to make a pass as good as Van Persie’s premier league goal of the season. There is no doubt that we would be worse off without him but he is certainly not irreplaceable. United have survived after the individual departures of superstars David Beckham, Ruud Van Nisterooy and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo among others who helped the club to win many trophies. No player will be bigger than Manchester United.

 There have been countless legends that have walked away and yet, we remain the biggest club in England and one of the biggest in the world winning trophies almost every season. In my opinion, Rooney’s loss would not felt as much as compared to the void left by Ronaldo. I say this because unlike in the case of Ronaldo, we have capable and already made players in the form of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck, waiting in the wings. They may not have the quality that Rooney posses, but they could contribute more than enough to our attack. And then there is Van Persie, who in one season has arguably dislodged Rooney as the club’s talisman. The Dutchman is much more consistent and has a demeanor befitting a leader on the pitch.

All in all, I think Rooney will do himself a great favour by staying. He should take his career serious and stop holding the club to ransom anytime he feels like. Rooney should take a cue from the fortunes of some of the superstars that left like Andy Cole, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Dwight Yorke and even Cristiano Ronaldo (who clearly wants to come back). But if he does decide to leave that would not be the end of the world for a great club like Manchester United. He will be sorely missed but surely be replaced.

 

                                                                                                

                                                                 

Manchester United's Midfield Kingpin, Michael Carrick

You don't need an expert or a magician to tell you that the midfield players of Manchester have been poor. Mentions can be made of Nani (though he hasn't played), Fletcher (probably because of injury), Young (shows flashes of brilliance in one or two games but has been poor in most matches), Valencia (ever since he has given the iconic number 7 jersey, he has not been himself) and last but not the least Cleverly (a bit harsh but its obvious he still has a lot of things to learn, even though i can say he has been one of the better players along with Anderson who unfortunately is injury prone). 

But Michael Carrick has been the glimmer of hope for the under-performing United midfield putting in fantastic displays on a consistent basis to salvage this unfortunate situation that is infact hurting the progress of the entire team as a whole.

Carrick critics always seem to go to one place more than any other – where he passes the ball. Maybe it’s because United’s midfield has lacked quality in recent years or because fans struggle to see the value in keeping possession over a high-risk pass forwards but it’s always been an odd thing to hold against a player when the numbers have never quite proven it’s the case. More to the point, United are a side who often like using the wings so distributing the ball sideways makes sense for a central player.

It’s therefore rather amusing to read that Carrick, a player who is often criticized for where he moves the ball, has played more forward passes than any other player in the league this season. That suggest though he may have not scored or assisted as much as he should but he has played a big part in many of the clubs best moves this season.

Having inherited Keane’s old number and being signed the summer after Roy left United, there was, wrongly or rightly, always going to be a level of expectation associated with Carrick. Having a style on the pitch that was really quite dissimilar to Roy’s didn’t help nor did a performance in Rome in the Champions League final. Still, it’s fair to suggest that it’s taken Carrick a little while to truly find his niche in the team.

Even if passing stats for Carrick are pretty, they’re arguably not the most valuable part of what he does.
Actually, a comparison with the great Roy Keane is probably as apt as it ever has been. Not because of their style or in the sense of leadership. Rather, Carrick’s made himself invaluable to the side through his intelligence and great vision.

Whether it’s a pass or tackle you can be sure that it’s almost always perfectly executed to the highest level. His perfect partner is arguably yet to be found but putting energy and dynamism around him appears to be the best route for a generally underwhelming midfield. In fact, Keane in his pomp would probably thrive playing with the Carrick of today.

MANCHESTER UNITED NEED FELLAINI

When rumours went round on twitter that United were on the verge of agreeing a deal for Fellaini, I for once was happy. Not because, I believed in them but because Moyes was now looking to solve one problem that has affected the team for several years now. It is now clear that Moyes has identified our midfield as the Achilles tendon of the team.

I sincerely hope and pray that he signs him. Manchester United may have won the league comfortably  but yet the jigsaw still seems incomplete.
Missing piece? A complete midfielder.
It is obvious, based on the last two seasons, that United lack a true warrior in the midfield. That's why United have looked vulnerable, lightweight, and easily bullied out of games against opposing teams with dominant midfielders, last season, most notably Dembele and Fellaini. 

While Carrick is a good reader of the game, and an excellent passer of the ball, there is enough evidence from the last few seasons that United need someone more mobile and dynamic to either play alongside him or instead of him in midfield. Scholes has now retired, Anderson is yet to cement a place in the team even though injuries may account for this, Fletcher is sadly still not match-fit and Cleverley is still very inexperienced.
All through last summer, we have been scouting for a twinkle toed replica of Andres Iniesta or Xavi Hernandez but with the arrival of Shinji Kagawa, all we need is a lay-it-all-on-the line, marauding combative and a buccaneering midfielder who has an insatiable hunger for success.

And this is where the irrefutable Marouane Fellaini steps up: the answer. The Belgian was been depicted as ‘unplayable’ and at times he is. He can be  utilised in a defensive or offensive role, both of which he is equally proficient.Fellaini would offer United more of an aerial presence.

But it wasn't just the height and aerial strength of Fellaini that made him such a tough matchup. Those are nice physical attributes to have, but it was his touch, vision and refined technical ability that made him unplayable at times. Even though Fellaini loves life, he still harbored hopes of playing at the very highest level:

"If I have got to go, I will go, if not, I repeat, I am at Everton,' the 24-year-old told Belgian radio station RTBF.
"I am ambitious; I want to play in the Champions League or in the Europa League.

United could do a lot worse than sign someone who could dominate the engine room for years. Simply put, Fellaini is a big personality who is hard to miss and the type of player who leads by example and can inspire his teammates to put in even more effort. United could do a lot worse than sign someone who could dominate the engine room for years.