Can Depay Rescue the dwindling fortunes of the iconic number 7 jersey?

An integral part of footballing history is jersey numbers. Arsenal and Chelsea became the first clubs to allow their players wear numbered jerseys in 1928. Since then numbers have become a common phenomenon and some have acquired unique significance. A typical example is the mystical number "7" jersey of English powerhouse, Manchester United.  The iconic number 7 shirt clearly depicts the style, elegance and class associated with the Red's history and rightly so, many legends have made that shirt their own.

The first pioneers who brought "some level" of prominence to this jersey were Jimmy Delaney and  Johnny Berry who both played under Sir Matt Busby. Delaney, quickly became a fan favourite with some dazzling displays on the wings which helped the club to win the FA cup in 1948; the club's first trophy since 1911. Johnny Berry was the next man to occupy the famous jersey and he did so for eight seasons. The English international who was part of the famous ‘Busby Babes’ that won the league title three times before the Munich disaster. The Munich air disaster, as we all know, decimated Sir Matt Busby squad, killing eight players and maiming several others. Berry was lucky enough to escape death but the injuries he suffered ended his career abruptly. He was considered one of the best players of his generation before the crash.

But it was until 1963 that the number "7" shirt gained worldwide prominence due to the exploits of a certain young man from Belfast. This man also known as the ‘Fifth Beatle’ was George Best. Since then, the likes of Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo have occupied the jersey produced legendary displays. However after Ronaldo left for Real Madrid, the search for the next great number 7 is still on. 

This is so because the bearers of the shirt after the Portuguese have been disappointing. The club and managers have to shoulder some blame for this occurrences. I say this because the desperation of the club to find a new superstar has become very obvious. As a result, the number 7 shirt has been given out hastily to players with the hope that they might just live up to expectation. Michael Owen and Angel Di Maria are prime examples of this fact. They were both  given the jersey in their first season at the club without having to "prove" themselves worthy of it.

Owen, sure, brought a lot of experience to United, did some good things but he was not a number 7. It was obvious the English international was past his best when he joined United. On the other hand, Di Maria, from the on-set looked a perfect fit for the shirt. The acceleration and creativity he possessed reminded fans of George Best and Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, his performances in his first four games justified his price tag and abilities. But what we forgot so easily was that he needed to adjust to the physicality of the English league. In the end, he was shipped off to PSG after a disappointing season.

Valencia became a typical victim of the legendary implications and pressure associated with the number 7 jersey. He was the player of the year in the season before he took the 7 jersey and now he is just a backup at right back. That's how far he fell after putting on the iconic jersey. 

The mantle has fallen on Memphis Depay now but the question I and many United faithfuls ask is can Depay rescue the dwindling fortunes of the iconic jersey? Depay seems to have the swagger and style of the number 7s of old but can he complete it with his performance on the field? He may have the potential to be world-class but can he handle the added pressure of taking the number 7? Can he adjust to the league and life in England as a whole better than Di Maria and churn out brilliant performances? 

Only time will tell.

 

Has Memphis Depay impressed you enough?

David De Gea, the signing of the season so far

Goalkeepers are interesting characters due to their unique ability to combine vulnerability and skill. Usually, isolated, yet are expected to stay focused and alert for 90 minutes. They hardly score or assist goals and hence don't make the headlines often. Their most valued assets are making match defining saves and keeping clean sheets. Goalkeepers could be making the right saves and obtaining plaudits for one moment, the next moment (upon committing a mistake), everything is a disaster. 

Manchester United have always had good goalkeepers but none has been vilified and praised in equal measure like David De Gea. The Spanish international first season at United (in 2011) was a nightmare prompting severe criticisms especially from the media. But he has since matured into one of the best goalkeepers in the world earning a spot in the PFA team of the season on two occasions. He has also won the Sir Matt Busby player of the year award twice underlying his importance to the club.

Were it not for the heroics of David De Gea last season, Manchester United may have lost their Champions league playoff spot. Thanks to the Spaniard, Manchester United had the fourth best defensive record in the league. Looking at the stats, it's very difficult to conceive how they were able to achieve that. The Red's back-line then, which was full of uncertainty and insecurity, duly made a total of 28 defensive errors (the third worst in the league) but only 3 resulted in goals. No League side made more unpunished errors than United. On a whole, United allowed 53 clear opportunities for their opponents to score in the 2014/15 season and teams took full advantage only on 17 occasions. This is what I term as the 'De Gea effect'. 

Rivals used to argue that 'De Gea effect' was due to luck. But on a long run, they had to concede that the lad wasn't making those incredible saves due to luck. De Gea was so often that impenetrable last line of defense that intimidated opposition attackers causing them to doubt their ability. It was not so surprising that 68% of those clear cut chances were missed by opposing attackers when they had only the Spaniard to beat.

According to Opta, Without De Gea, Manchester United would have lost 10 points. This would have condemned the United down to seventh spot for a second consecutive season below the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Southampton thus depriving them of Champions League football once again. 

All these reasons account for the anxiety that brewed in the manager and the fans when the thoughts of De Gea leaving hit them. Actually, on September 1, only luck prevented De Gea from joining Real Madrid (we all know the story). Since then, the 24 year old has signed a new four year contract re-assuring fans of his loyalty at least for one more season.

De Gea, so far this season is proving to be the best piece of business the club has done this summer. The 2014/2015 season's best goalkeeper has continued from where he left off last season with even more stunning displays. His three world class match-defining saves against Southampton on Sunday helped to preserve all the 3 points for his team. The match would have ended 5-3 in favour of Southampton especially with the defence all over the place. 

You have to wonder how long De Gea can keep digging Manchester United from the claws of defeat. But as long as he keeps delivering, It is fair to say, he is the signing of the season so far.

Ander Herrera and his magical foot

Ander Herrera is a huge fan favourite largely because his character on and off the pitch portrays class. Gradually, he seems to be winning a starting spot in Louis Van Gaal's team just like last season, though the return of Rooney and the emergence of Martial could change that. But for now, let's enjoy the chance to see him week in and out. I must say that, apart from the second half performance against Club Brugge, Herrera hasn't done exceptionally well this season as compared to the last one. Maybe, because he is still adapting to the advanced number 10 role. Perhaps, it could be due to tactical indiscipline associated with a sudden change in a player's role. It could be seen during games that the Spaniard likes dropping back to the central midfield position (his natural position) and controlling things from there. Last year, he was very effective playing in the central midfield position alongside Carrick (deep lying playmaker or defensive midfielder) scoring key goals (like the one's against Manchester City and Aston Villa). 

Talking about goals, 10 goals in 59 appearances are a decent haul for a central midfielder. That is roughly a goal every 6 games. Most of Herrera's goals have come from shots, something the 26 year old doesn't do too often. He has averaged roughly just one shot (1.4) per league game last season. Considering that Premier league players average above 2 shots per game, Herrera's average is on the low. But incredibly, Herrera had just seven shots on target last season and 6 of them found the back of the back of the net. The only keeper who managed to stop a Herrera shot from scoring was Julian Speroni of Crystal Palace. This season, he has continued from where he left off scoring a goal from his only shot in target. So per the stats, Herrera is deadly when he gets a shot on target. 

I have to admit, however, that Van Gaal's system may not allow or permit the Spaniard to hit shots frequently. The system's love for dominating possession might prompt Herrera to pass the ball even when he is in a good shooting position. It's interesting to note that in-spite of how deadly Herrera is, he manages a shot on target every 5 attempts (8 in 39 overall). Therefore, the player himself, who has the 'face of an obedient child' might not even feel comfortable overriding his boss's instruction to always keep possession. 

Despite the systemic restriction, I believe strongly that if Herrera is permitted to shoot more, he will score more goals, especially at a time goals seem very hard to come by. 

Statistical review of Manchester United's league games

Manchester United's haul of ten points in 5 league matches is much better than at this stage in the 2014/2015 season. By this stage last season, Louis Van Gaal's men were still reeling from  the pain of blowing two goal leads (2-0, 3-1) to lose by a 2-0 deficit against Leicester City (5-3). An outcome that greatly impacted on the conservative way the Reds approached games afterwards. A year later we are celebrating an important win against old rivals, Liverpool (that's if they deserve to be called rivals). The likes of Fletcher, Blackett, Hernandez, Di Maria, who have since departed from the club played a prominent role in the 5 points the club obtained from its first five games. Another player conspicuously missing was the 2014/2015 Premier League best goalkeeper, David De Gea, who miraculously is still at the club. The Spanish goalkeeper was on the brink of joining Real Madrid on deadline day before late submission of the transfer paperwork scuppered the deal. He has since extended his stay at Old Trafford paving the path for him to feature in the Liverpool game. 

Have the Red Devils improved this season? Certainly, the points build-up seems to agree. After all, there is a general phrase that goes like "it's the three points that matters." But no fan would like to sit on tenterhooks throughout a match and watch his team do a "classic smash and grab". That's why every department of the team needs to be accessed and compared to last season to see whether there are improvements. Let's break the stats down 

In 450 minutes of football last season, United had already conceded 8 goals (2.7 times the total they have conceded this season). The Red Devils have kept 3 clean-sheets in 5 games (compared to the two they kept last season in the same amount of games). Time and again in 2014/15, David De Gea called upon to rescue United following costly blunders made by the defenders in front of him. This season, however, defensive errors seem to have taken a hit. A total of 7 errors with 2 leading to goals was conceded last season as compared to the 3 errors conceded this season. On top of that, Romero has had to make an average of 1.8 saves compared to De Gea's average (2.8) last season. Clearly, the stats proved before all reasonable doubts that the defense have improved. The quartet of Darmian, Smalling, Blind and Luke Shaw have been impressive. 

Smalling's game has tremendously improved contrary to the opinions of the connoisseurs who thought his United career was over after his rather unnecessary sending off against Manchester City last season. His aerial play has improved (won 17/24 aerial duels) as well as his reading of the game. It's no wonder that he has more interceptions per minute (13) than Kompany and John Terry. The English international's partnership with Daley Blind seems to be burgeoning. I remember the severe backlash from even the United faithfuls when the Dutch international was chosen by Van Gaal to partner Chris Smalling. But in 5 games, Blind has acquitted himself well. He has compensated for his lack of upper body strength with his supreme reading of the game (9 tackles and 10 interceptions in 5 games) and excellent passing accuracy (90.1%).

The fullbacks, Darmian and Shaw, have also combined defense and attack brilliantly. They have provided width on the both flanks, especially when Mata and Depay drift inside (6 accurate crosses and 7 key passes) without putting a foot wrong in their defensive duties (28 tackles and 3 interceptions).  It's been long since the club had a solid full-back pair than the one's we see today. The defense in conclusion has ensured that our results don't suffer despite the lack of goals.

The attacking potential of the team, however, seems to have taken a downward trend. We haven’t looked very dangerous offensively at all in the league. Many would say 6 goals in 5 league games is not so bad. A look at the premier league table, however, Manchester United rank 13th in the Premier League for the number of goals scored (6). Only three sides, Newcastle, Watford and Liverpool, have fewer. Last year by this time, the Reds had scored 9 goals. That's 1.5 times greater the output seen this season. The amount of chances created has also taken a dip, we created 4 more chances last season. It's fair to say the attack has regressed. Of the regular front 3, only Mata has contributed significantly to goal (2 assists and a goal). Rooney and Memphis on the other hand, have contributed nothing significant to the attack this season (0 goals, 0 assists)

The attack seems to lack two vital things, tempo and a clinical figure head. This may be due to the lack of freedom and the possession football employed by Van Gaal's system. The system's "love" for possession seems to be blunting creativity, it doesn't spur the players on to be daring enough. A typical example, could be seen especially when the wingers get the ball in advance positions. Instead of taking on their markers, they tend to play side-ways or backwards passes potentially signifying the fear of losing possession. Let's hope the signing of Martial (who already has a goal) would add a little bite to the attack considering his pace.

The central midfield has been immense this year, especially in  providing support for the defense and helping in the general coordination of team play. The likes of Schneiderlin, Carrick and Schweinsteiger have made a successful tackle and interception every 1.3 minutes. Providing an extended shield in front of the back four 

Putting everything together, United are difficult to score against, and with the return of David De Gea, that task should be made harder. The possession football adds to the belief that the defenders can maintain the impressive start and provide a solid foundation for future success. As it stands now, the defense and midfield look good, however the attack for now looks inadequate to challenge for titles. I must point out that maybe it's too early to judge the likes of Rooney, Depay and Mata. 

I also think the fans should back Van Gaal to continue to deliver good results for this club. There is too much negativity surrounding the coach and his selections. After all, it is this same gaffer who took this team that placed 7th to the champions league in one season. I will end by adding that Van Gaal should be judged at the end of the season, for now all we can do is to support him.