In what was the 148th match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur (United winning 74 and losing 35) finished in a goalless draw, with United ending the match with ten men following the dismissal of Rafael for two yellow cards. United were going into the match in second place, following Manchester City’s 4-3 win over Wolves yesterday (although City had played three games more than United), whilst Tottenham were in 5th place and looking to overtake Chelsea, who beat Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. United last lost a Premier League clash at White Hart Lane back in the May of 2001 – when the League title had already been wrapped up.

There were many talking points today and we of course welcome comments from both United and Tottenham fans following the scoreless draw.

Talking Points

Rafael – Angel & Devil

Rafael made his debut for United in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at the start of the 08/09 season, coming on as a substitute. Since that day he has become a firm favourite at Old Trafford for his committed and energetic displays. This commitment can get Rafael in trouble at times, with the best example being in the 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich back in April – where United were eliminated by the away goals rule.

We all know what happened in that game, with United demonstrating some excellent free flowing football in the first half, only to come undone, after being 3-0 up, from a Michael Carrick error – leading to Bayern’s first and a sublime volley from ex Chelsea and Madrid winger, Arjen Robben. In between Gibson’s opener and Robben’s volley – Rafael was sent off for two bookable offenses, which in turn ended the contest as United were resorted to long balls for Nani to chase on to. Today, Rafael was sent off again for two bookable offenses – with the second a very harsh dismissal indeed.

In my opinion, there was no arguments with the first booking – even if the young Brazilian won the ball. Things have changed in English football over the years and a challenge that may have been acceptable thirty years ago, isn’t today. Rafael did win the ball, but he was off the ground with studs showing and was rightfully shown the yellow card. With the second booking, from what I saw, Assou-Ekotto was clipped by Rafael’s legs as he ran across him. A definite foul, however a yellow card? The offense occurred just past the half way line and I guess your decision will be based on the fact whether Rafael was being cynical or not. I know Rafael is quick to put a challenge in, which most of the time are hard but fair – but did his challenge on Assou-Ekotto warrant a booking? I don’t think so.

Luka Modric – Superb

Obviously our main focus is to analyse events surrounding United, however I was extremely impressed (again might I add) with the performance of Luka Modric throughout the 90 minutes. I’m reading on Twitter from some Reds that they were shocked Modric won MOTM for the game ahead of Vidic (will get to Vidic later on) – and although I think our skipper was excellent throughout, Modric was a constant threat and at times had Carrick and Fletcher chasing shadows.

I blogged last year on what a superb signed Luka Modric would be for Manchester United following some transfer gossip doing the rounds. However, with Modric performing like he did today, there is as much chance Barcelona selling United Lionel Messi or Xavi (not comparing the Barca duo to Modric – but just in terms of importance to Spurs and how unlikely the transfer is!). His low centre of gravity allows the Croatian to free himself from his marker, whilst his vision and passing helps to open up play. A marvelous midfielder, who was outstanding today. Below are his passing stats in comparison to his teammate Wilson Palacious and the United duo of Fletcher and Carrick:

Modric attempted 77 passes, which is 7 less than both Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher together. Of course its not about quantity, but his pass success rate was greater than both Carrick/Fletcher – and he made the majority of his passes in a more advanced position. A great display.

Vidic & Van Der Sar – Solid

Manchester United’s captain put in a solid display, which helped United to a point at White Hart Lane. Vidic’s was immense in the air against Peter Crouch, who of course has a distinct height advantage whilst making five interceptions throughout the match (which was the same as Ferdinand, Dawson and Gallas’ interceptions put together). As I mentioned, many were complaining that Vidic was the MOTM for his performance today and in my book was certainly inspirational in United obtaining a point at Spurs.

Fourteen years ago I used to think to myself “I don’t know what i’ll do when Eric retires” – and of course five months later Eric was no more as he quit the game aged 30 to pursue an acting career. I’ve only had that opinion with a few players over the years, but I wouldn’t say Edwin Van Der Sar is far off that. His experience, agility and distribution are an enormous asset to the club since he signed in the summer of 2005. Fergie stated that he should have signed him years ago, but obviously missed out when the Dutchman moved to Juventus from Ajax in 1999. We ran a poll earlier in the season on Van Der Sar’s inevitable replacement, with David De Gea coming out as favourite.

Today, Van Der Sar came and collected a number of crosses with ease, whilst punching and clearing his lines when necessary. The big Dutchman, schooled at the Ajax academy, is always willing to play quick football and his distribution to Rafael or Evra is often key in United’s counter attacking play.

Match Conclusion

Manchester United earned a good point at Tottenham today, through resilient defending even if their normal passing game wasn’t there. Tottenham demonstrated why they should be considered a top four side, with some slick passing and movement from Luka Modric – who orchestrated most of the play for the North London side today. United were forced, for the second time in two seasons, to play a quarter of the match with ten men following the dismissal of Brazilian fullback Rafael – who was rather harshly sent off for two bookable offenses. The first tackle was a yellow card, even if fullback did win the ball, as it was rash and off the ground. The second was a mere clash of legs, which nearer the halfway line than United’s goal. Rafael had been very impressive throughout the game as he continues to go from strength to strength.

This was no doubt a tough encounter for United, who remain unbeaten with seventeen games left till the end of the season. If you would have offered me a point before the game I would have taken it. Spurs are a very good footballing side and although United have had better performances and results in recent seasons – a team that contains the pace of Bale and Lennon combined with the artistry and guile of Luka Modric – I believe Fergie will be happy with a point. Birmingham City are next up for United next Saturday.

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Author: Doron

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Fortress Old Trafford. Not since the 3rd April 2010 have United lost a league home game – winning 20 and drawing 1 in that time. Monday night’s game against Tottenham Hotspur marks the start of the new league season at home and United will be keen to extend that unbeaten home record to a 22nd game.

United started the defence of their title last weekend with a hard-fought win at West Brom whilst Spurs were forced to postpone their game against Everton due to the riots that had taken place in London.

The opposition:

Harry Redknapp brings the Spurs team that finished 5th last year to Old Trafford for their opening league game of the new season. So far this summer Tottenham have been quiet, bringing in Brad Friedel on a free and letting some fringe squad players leave both permanently and on a free. Importantly for Spurs fans, key assets – Modric, Bale and Van der Vaart remain at the club and all are likely to start this game.

Keeping Modric in particular has been something of a test of chairman, Daniel Levy’s resolve. Chelsea’s interest in the diminutive midfielder has been public all summer-long but has been matched by statement after statement from the Spurs hierarchy, determined not to sell and to reassure fans that he’s not for sale at any price.

Spurs do arguably need reinforcements, up front and potentially at the back too. In order to bring them in, selling Modric may be the only option. One player who won’t feature is Emmanuel Adebayor – the striker is close to sealing a loan move from Man City but nothing has been finalised yet.

As per last season then, this is a side with graft, guile and pace who’ll come to try and win at Old Trafford playing entertaining counter-attacking football. Their midfielders are excellent at retaining possession and in Van der Vaart they have a player very adept at drifting between the opposition lines – something that United have struggled with in the past.

The aim for Tottenham this year will be to attempt to get back into the top four but heavy spending from Liverpool looks to ensure that will be far from straightforward once again. Certainly another year outside the Champions League places may make it tricky for Spurs to keep hold of some of their ambitious and talented players.

Form:

United started their season with a tough away win at West Brom last weekend. Wayne Rooney looked particularly sharp with new signing Ashley Young impressing and eventually forcing a winning goal. United had periods of intricate quick football that were both exciting and reassuring to watch. However as soon as they slowed the pace down, West Brom were straight in and putting United on the back-foot. It’ll be key for Spurs to not allow United to get into any kind of rhythm, learning from what worked so well for the Albion.

Pre-season went well for United and to date they’ve scored 31 goals in 8 games – 6 pre-season friendlies, the Community Shield and a league game. Goals have been spread around with all of the strikers chipping in and looking sharp.

There’s little to go on for Spurs having not had a league game so far but they played in a Europa League qualifier midweek at Hearts winning 5-0. They adopted their familiar 4-4-1-1 and brought in youngster Jake Livermore who scored their third goal. Whilst United kept a few clean sheets pre-season, the win over Hearts was the first of the season for Tottenham who endured a frustrating summer of friendlies. Two wins, a draw and a defeat with only six goals scored was their preparation for this new season but the midweek result was an encouraging sign.

Team news:

United are already short at the back this season with injuries to Rafael, Vidic and Ferdinand. Evra is set to return whilst Evans and Jones have been tipped to start at the back. Sir Alex said that Monday will come “too soon” for Ferdinand – it’s not uncommon for that kind of wording to be followed by a surprise appearance! Fletcher, Valencia and Hernandez are all back in training but none of them are ready for a first team appearance yet.

King, Gallas, Pienaar and Hutton are definitely missing for Spurs whilst Crouch is a doubt. Modric missed the midweek game with a groin problem but is set to start. Huddlestone, Sandro, Palacios and Jenas aren’t certainties either but the former did play the last half hour at Hearts.

United formation and starting XI prediction:

Two things have served United well so far this season – hungry youngsters and a 4-4-2 with a fluid, interchanging front four players. It therefore makes little sense that I’d ignore certainly the former of those two things but all shall be explained.

There’s only one decision to make in the defence – to play Fabio or Smalling. Whilst naturally a centre back, Smalling’s had little trouble filling in at right back and has looked both impressive and dangerous. Phil Jones and Jonny Evans finished the West Brom game as the central pairing and Sir Alex has already named them as starters for tomorrow’s game. It was encouraging to see that in the short spell he was on the pitch last weekend, Jones already feels comfortable in the squad – he was barking out orders and encouraging his team-mates to step up their performance; Gary Neville’s tip as a future captain looks a decent bet. It’s also a great chance for Jonny Evans to prove his quality. A difficult 12-18 month period has been navigated past and since April he’s been excellent, this is a key time for him now – billed as one of the best young defenders in the country it’s time to prove Fergie right.

The midfield is the tricky area – the Anderson-Cleverley axis has worked in its brief experiment so far however the demands are different in this game. One of the keys to beating Spurs is ball retention – they’re great in possession but less good, particularly in midfield where they have ‘ball-players’ without it. With that in mind the Carrick-Giggs prediction is fairly possible. They were key to some excellent performances in big games in the latter half of last season and having been rested lately now may be the time to bring them back into the team for the first bigger game of the season.

What will be important is to ensure that Van der Vaart is unable to easily find space between the United defence and midfield – as he did with ease last year. To stop that, Carrick will have to drop deeper and hence selecting Park will enable Carrick to do that so his position is covered. Whilst selecting only one striker is often negative, Young, Nani and Park (given what we saw in pre-season) will all get up to support Rooney and Young or Park in particular may have license to roam and interchange behind the striker.

A five man midfield laden with experience may well be required anyway to protect and counteract the inexperience of a young back four that haven’t played together before for any great length of time. Whilst all of the defenders have quality, as a unit they’re somewhat unknown so going for safety first seems sensible. If the game is tight after an hour then risks can be taken to try and win it.

Key battle:

Smalling vs. Bale – Gareth Bale may have been the subject of hype and the backlash that comes with inflated expectation at times last year, but more often than not he was a danger. He’s only just 22 but already he’s built perfectly for football – broad, strong and quick. His shift from fullback to winger seems the perfect move. He likes to get to the byline on the outside but is equally capable of coming inside onto his weaker foot. He won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year last season and will certainly be a danger in this game.

The obvious battle to pick out might have been a central one given the quality of players Spurs have there but it’s who Bale is up against that makes this the key battle. Smalling is a good player, he had a great first season and has started this one well. However he’s not a right back and he’s not faced a player of Bale’s quality whilst filling in as a fullback yet. Smalling will have to be positionally clever – he can’t commit himself forward as much as he’d like and he can’t afford to get too tight to Bale as the Welsh winger likes to knock the ball past an opponent and run onto it. However, Rafael has had previous success by engaging Bale in physical contact; whilst strong, Bale has previously been bullied off the ball. Smalling tends to like to wait and read the game before cleanly taking the ball, like Ferdinand, therefore Smalling may have to try and change his game in order to win the battle of Bale.

History and last meeting:

Spurs have never won at Old Trafford in the Premier League (although many Spurs fans will cite January 2005 as a win they were robbed of). This will be the 20th meeting of these two sides in this fixture – United average 2 goals a game with Spurs averaging a goal every other game. Spurs have only spoiled the party on three occasions, otherwise United have won every meeting. There have been seven games where United have scored three or more goals against Tottenham whilst they’ve only managed to score more than one goal once, in April 2009.

Last season United won this fixture 2-0 – a powerful header from Vidic and a controversial goal from Nani. He’d handled the ball quite obviously in the build-up but the linesman and referee had missed it and not blown up for a foul but the Spurs goalkeeper, Gomes, decided to self-award a free-kick, rolling the ball out to kick only to find Nani nicking it off him and tapping it into the empty net.

Prediction:

United have started well this season and have played some excellent attacking football at times but arguably haven’t been clinical enough. The current squad looks full of goals but the young defence will surely be tested against an excellent opposition midfield. Therefore I predict a 3-1 United win.

Referee:

Lee Probert – yet to referee a game this season.

Quick facts:

- Spurs last beat United in May 2001 – 24 games have passed since then.
- Not since December 1989 have Spurs won at Old Trafford.
- United are good at making their substitutions count – last season subs scored 11 goals for them, more than any other team.
- United managed only one shot on target last weekend against West Brom.
- Spurs scored more goals from outside the penalty area than any other team last year (15).
- Spurs lost eight games last season, seven of them came on their travels.

Forum links:

The Stretford-End.com team have each given a predicted starting XI and final score ahead of the game – give us yours here.

For all pre-match banter, tactical discussions, team and score predictions click here.

Videos:

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Author: Stretford_End

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Manchester United opened their home account with a 3-0 victory over North London side Tottenham Hotspur, which worked out to be United’s seventeenth victory over Spurs at Old Trafford in the Premier League (out of twenty clashes). The first half was quite an even affair, with limited chances for either side. United failed to grab hold of the midfield battle, against a more physical duo in Livermore and Kranjcar, although Anderson and Cleverley showed their class in the second half, zipping the ball around and breaking forward to support Welbeck and Rooney, who were higher up the pitch second half. Welbeck, Jones and Anderson shined in a 3-0 win against a side who, due to the riots in London, were forced to postpone their opening fixture against Everton, and did lack match fitness towards the end. Here we discuss the talking points of an impressive youthful performance from United.

Anderson, Welbeck and Jones the star performers

I’ve always been a fan of Anderson. The Brazilian midfielder has now reached six competitive United career goals (and lets not forget that famous penalty in 2008) in 97 starts for the club, not the best return for a player with such capable gifts on the football field. His performances last season, from November 2010 onwards especially, started to highlight his promise as a box to box midfielder – who was capable of breaking into the box. Anderson’s only problem arising from his eagerness to push forward was his wayward shooting, which at times would end up in the Stretford End. He has demonstrated against Valencia and Schalke that he can indeed finish, indicating his improvement in front of goal – however, I fully expect him to push on further this season and begin to dominate games – something I would presumed would happen earlier following the potential he showed in his debut season.

Anderson was top class in the second half tonight. The Brazilian only misplaced one pass in the second half and scored an excellent goal following an exceptional piece of skill from Danny Welbeck 15 minutes from time. The United number 19 had earlier opened the scoring from an excellent Tom Cleverley cross for the England forward to notch his second United goal, the first coming against Stoke City nearly three years ago. I thought Welbeck had done well in recent games, but there had been better performers for me. However, in the second half – following his goal especially – Welbeck oozed class, taking on defenders and stretching the game – something Sir Alex Ferguson commented post match that he wanted more of following the first half performance. His backheel to Anderson for the second was quite brilliant and finished the game off. Sir Alex now has a tough decision with the return of Javier Hernandez following injury, and of course with the mercurial Berbatov kicking his heels on the sidelines – however, the old cliché is that it is some headache to have.

Phil Jones made one of the most impressive full league debuts that I can remember for a long time. Impressive by what I saw of him last season, I was delighted when he signed earlier in the summer, following enquiries from both Arsenal and Liverpool. From what I’ve seen (in our games against Rovers and these early games) he appears to be a great reader of the game and makes some exceptional interceptions and last ditch tackles. I remember an excellent block last May to stop Ryan Giggs scoring against Rovers and tonight he put a superb tackle in on the pacey Bale in the second half to stop the Welshman from crosses the ball to the onrushing Defoe and Van der Vaart. There is no doubt that when Vidic returns to the fold following injury, he will reclaim his place in the centre of defence – however, in his reported five week absence – United have an extremely impressive replacement in Jones.

Match Conclusion

United fully deserved the win tonight after an extremely impressive display from a very youthful side. Tom Cleverley was impressive in the second half, moving the ball around with ease alongside the industrious Anderson. His superb ball in for the opener was exceptional and shows the quality the boy has in his distribution of the football. Welbeck, who was the main beneficiary of Cleverley’s exceptional cross, turned creator for the second goal as he back heeled the ball into the path of the galloping Anderson who side footed the ball passed the stranded Brad Friedel. Wayne Rooney completed the scoring with a header three minutes from time following an excellent cross from substitute Ryan Giggs. United now host an under fire Arsenal on Sunday – with many Reds hopeful of a back to back win over North London sides.

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Authors: Doron, ManUtd24 and Rob

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With the FA Cup taking centre stage last weekend, the “Things” column was brushed to one side. Now league football is back on the agenda, the column returns for it’s second issue/publication/whatever you want to call it. As per last time, Rob will be sharing a couple of thoughts and we have another guest joining us, ManUtd24 – who’s focussed on Scott Parker. We’ll make no attempt to be neutral and we’ll attempt to link back to United where possible but otherwise enjoy our thoughts and ramblings for the second time.

Ryan Giggs and the 80/20 rule

I really don’t know how to feel about Giggsy this season, and the Chelsea game summed it up perfectly for me. After strolling confidently into the pub wearing my United #11 jersey, I saw him put in a midfield display of such wayward passing and defensive irresponsibility that it made me wonder if Joey Barton had put on a Giggs face-mask and snuck into the team. With Rooney mostly released from defensive responsibilities, Sir Ryan left too much mopping-up for Carrick to do, and our display for the first two-thirds of the game became totally disjointed, lacking the calm authority that we saw in the Arsenal game a few weeks ago. It certainly wasn’t the same Maestro Giggs who swept Chelsea aside 3 times and dominated the knockout stages of the Champions League last season.

As it turns out, he was just making me wait, because after Scholes came on and took over the game, our number 11 produced a great left-sided attacking performance – dribbling and bamboozling defenders, playing with confidence, and of course sending in that perfect cross for Chicharito’s equaliser. It turns out that he’s the ultimate exponent of the 80/20 rule – 80% of his impact comes from 20% of his play. Luckily for us, that 80% impact means he’s now got 8 assists in the league, behind only David Silva and our Tony V. Despite all the frustrations, Giggsy’s still got it.

Parker

There are many reasons to dislike Scott Parker. His effortless hair, for example, that fills us all with envy; the fact that he used to play for Chelsea; or the fact that TV commentators and pundits call him “Scotty” as if he’s their mate. He isn’t. But Parker is a good player. A really good one, in fact. It seems, however, that he’s being pulled down for reasons out of his control – Scott Parker’s biggest flaw is simply being Scott Parker – or being Scotty, England’s saviour, Lionheart emerging blood-stained but victorious in battle or any other hyperbolic/jingoistic mush.

Parker is more than someone who shows great “spirit and determination” – no, he can do things that actually mean something on the pitch. He can pass, tackle, intercept, create, score, tackle, pass, create and pass some more. In Tottenham Hotspur’s most recent game against Liverpool – a 0-0 draw that would normally be dismissed as ‘dour’ if not for an adorable cameo by an oblivious cat – he was named Man of the Match for all the right reasons. He made a few vital clearances, including a flurry of them at the end, and had Liverpool’s midfielders in his metaphorical pocket for most the game. He reads the game so well, does Parker. He’s the perfect foil for Luka Modric, too, and that can only be a good thing. Plus, he even managed to restrain himself from hitting Luis Suarez around the face – which is one of the great modern-day achievements, if you ask me.

Just a shame United didn’t go for him in the summer.

A foolish prediction (that’s going to come true)

Making predictions about the title run-in is always a fool’s game, but I fancy myself a bit of a fool today. As the season’s progressed, it’s become increasingly apparent that City’s (thus far) invincible home form is carrying their season. During these tough winter months, they’ve shown that they can be stopped by teams with enough organisation and energy to shut them down, and the luck to nick a goal from somewhere, such as the right boot of Darron Armando MaraGibson. Despite the fact that Yaya Toure is due to return soon from the African Cup of Nations, their remaining away fixtures look tricky, to say the least: Villa, Swansea, Stoke, Arsenal, Norwich, Wolves, Newcastle. Even if we grant that they beat Villa and Wolves, there’s every possibility that they drop more than 3 points in those other fixtures.

Contrast this with United’s run-in. We’ve got more players coming back every week, and have miraculously gone two full matches without any in-game injuries. After the next 3 very tough fixtures (Liverpool, Norwich, Spurs), we have a run of 8 consecutive games against teams currently in the bottom half of the table. United’s record against teams outside of the top 7 thus far: played 15, won 13, drawn 1, lost 1. The next 3 games are absolutely vital, and if our boys can get 6 or 7 points from a possible 9 there, I’d go so far as to say they’re clear favourites, going into the final stretch. Gary Neville was right when he said that City needs to pull away soon; otherwise United will win the league. What I’m trying to say is this: United will win the league.

But even if we don’t win the league, we better beat Liverpool on Saturday.

Bruce’s winger from Derry

At nearly 23, James McClean is no ‘youngster’ in the same way one would consider Welbeck to be a young player. Yet, coming to England having played nearly half his senior games in the Irish First Division (that’s their second division) and having such a positive impact so soon is impressive.

It’s not that Steve Bruce didn’t fancy McClean, after all it was he who signed him – rather, Bruce had his development down to a tee, stating from the outset that he’d need time in Sunderland’s reserves before probably being ready for the first team around Christmas. Bruce would never be there long enough to get the praise he should have done for bringing in and bringing through McClean but it was he and not Martin O’Neill who saw what was possible.

McClean’s rise to prominence under O’Neill has been impressive though. He’s a good mix of an old-school winger and the more modern direct type. When he goes outside he consistently delivers good whipped crosses; and when he comes inside his power takes him past players and he’s a goal threat. You almost have to wonder how much of the ‘MON’ effect at the club has been down to him and natural, quality width. If his form continues through to the end of the season, his days at Sunderland may be numbered.

The league’s best centre back?

It’s a question rather than a statement but Joleon Lescott should, in my opinion, be considered as one of the stand-out centre backs in the season so far.

Often over-looked because of the performances of Kompany, Lescott’s been a bit of an unsung hero for Man City. He turns 30 this summer so should be reaching the peak of his career and there are signs that this is indeed the case. In possession he’s become calmer and a good user of the ball, happy to run with it or play a well-spotted pass. When defending he’s certainly become less erratic and prone to error – there’s no coincidence that he’s become better off the ball as he’s learnt how best to use his physique.

Recent displays at international level as well as club level have been of a high quality and if it wasn’t for the fact that no one’s quite sure who his best partner for England would be, he’d probably have played himself close to first choice. Capello recognised his improvement and it’ll be interesting to see if his replacement does too. With the likes of Smalling and Jones breaking into the scene, it’ll probably be Lescott’s last chance to be first choice at a major tournament.

A thought or two

That was some goal by Cisse for Newcastle. He’d actually looked pretty poor having come off the bench and really slow but there was a glimpse at some of the quality he has as he found the top corner with his left footed strike.

Craig Bellamy may be the signing of the season. Amazing work-rate matched with regular quality in his passing and final ball, Bellamy’s been the man to make Liverpool tick so often. Not that it would have ever happened, but I think he’d have probably done a fairly decent job for United on a free – Glazernomics and all that.

Has football finally been hit by the recession after such a quiet January transfer window? Or, are there just not that many players available at sensible prices? Or are clubs finally realising it’s not worth spending over the odds on players? Or are most clubs happy with where they are in terms of squads? Is the latest trend to pay relatively big on Championship players? Food for thought.

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Author: Doron

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The signing of Nick Powell from Crewe Alexandra secured a much sought after young talent for the club. Having only recently turned 18, Powell’s already racked up an impressive 64 competitive appearances and stands at over 6ft tall. In what’s a very global market, United are still looking close to home when it comes to signing players. The capture of Powell confirms United’s commitment to trying to buy English.

I decided to look at the transfers of the top seven teams of the last 10 years and see how many English players they’ve bought and how much they’re prepared to spend on English talent. Buying domestic players does of course have its pitfalls – inflated prices not just because of the nationality but because it invariably involves sides in the same league selling to one another.

Having English players is important. Fans are able to relate somewhat to the individuals and they’re more likely to settle into new clubs quicker whilst staying for the long-haul. Of course it’s equally vital today to have a mix of footballing cultures in a side, particularly one competing in European competitions.

Having done the research, here’s what I found:

(Red = highest; yellow = lowest. Click to enlarge.)

The first thing to note is that since the summer of 2002, United have bought the fewest number of players whilst Spurs have bought the most (by some margin). Quite incredibly, Arsenal have only made four English signings in that spell – Wenger’s always preferred foreign footballers but that’s not even an English signing every two years!

I was quite surprised to that over a quarter of the players Man City have signed were English. However, 10 years ago they were competing for the likes of Trevor Sinclair and Darius Vassell who at the time, were probably easier to sell Man City to than foreign players. Similarly, Everton with 28% of signings being English have always been keen to snap up bargains under Moyes – Jagielka, Lescott and Baines to name a few.

What’s most intriguing is that United have bought the highest percentage of English players. A club forever fighting at the top and making reasonable progress in Europe, and yet still valuing English talent, more so than any of their rivals. This has been obvious in the past few years as the club have fought hard to secure Smalling, Young, Jones and now Powell having been in competition for their various signatures with rivals.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea have spent the most whilst Everton have spent the least. Once again it’s United willing to commit the most to English talent having spent £146.35m on them. Granted, this is skewed by purchasing the likes of Rooney, Carrick and Ferdinand but to buy the best you have to pay the most. Similarly, Liverpool, paid on average the most for their English signed players largely due to the expenditure on Jordan Henderson and Any Carroll – prime examples of inflated prices for buying domestic players.

The biggest sign of that inflation though is that whilst just over a quarter of United’s signings have been English, of the money spent on all 49 signings, over 40% has gone on those English players. Clearly, United are prepared to spend more on English and it’s probably paid off too. United have probably had less inconsistency and fluctuations than other sides and that may well have something to do with choosing to buy fewer players from abroad who might need longer to settle, acclimatise and get used to the pace and style of the Premier League. Unsurprisingly, mega-spenders Chelsea and Man City have committed less than 15% to English players, favouring to pay for foreign imports.

In a league with an increasing percentage of non-English players the fact that four of the seven top sides over the past 10 years have been willing to spent 25% of their transfer funds on English players is a positive sign. Chelsea and City’s figures show no surprises whilst Wenger’s attempts to make Arsenal play in a continental style have seen him almost completely neglect the domestic market.

From a United point of view, I think it’s fair to feel proud that the club are keen to add English players on top of the ones who come through from the Academy. Certainly, that the club are willing to pay inflated prices for those English players rather than paying big money for foreign players goes to show where their values lie. As it becomes harder and more unrealistic to hope for teams made up of local footballers, the next best is to have domestic players and at least United are still one of the best at ensuring that happens.

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The new season is just days away so we decided we’d make some predictions and share our thoughts on both United and our rivals. Bookmark this so you can tell us how wrong we were come May 2013! We hope you’ve got your new kit and football equipment all ready for Saturday!

Follow Stretford End and the contributors: Nik, Doron, Herzog’s Child, Rob & Bricki on Twitter

Champions:

Nik - United (Chelsea and City pushing hard)
Doron - City
Herzog’s Child - Like I predicted last year: If a midfielder arrives, us. If not, that blue lot again.
Rob – Manchester United, because I say this every year.
Stretford End - United
Bricki – City (Unless United get Van Persie – then United)

Relegated:

Nik - Reading, Norwich and West Brom
Doron - Reading, Norwich and Swansea
Herzog’s Child - Reading, Southampton and Wigan
Rob - Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United, the writing staff of The Newsroom, Jack Warner. Oh, I thought it was a wishlist. OK, here goes: QPR, Reading and… err, oh I don’t know, Norwich.
Stretford End - Swansea City, Southampton and QPR
Bricki - Swansea, QPR and Wigan

Best signing so far:

Nik - Cazorla (Arsenal) or Hoilett (QPR)
Doron - Kagawa/Cazorla – both bargains at roughly £12m
Herzog’s Child – Kagawa’s clearly increased excitement levels before the season starts, so large things are expected. If he plays to the level he looks capable of, the price paid will be soon looked at as miniscule. Elsewhere, Spurs snaring Vertonghen looks a clever move. On the occasions where I’ve seen him, he looked to have all the traits necessary to be a true leader from the back. Given King has retired, Spurs now need that. I’m quite confident he’ll do the job.
Rob – Santi Cazorla to Arsenal. Like Agüero, Silva and Mata, he probably wasn’t appreciated as much in Spain as he should’ve been, because he didn’t play for Barcelona or Real Madrid. As with those three, I think he’ll be a huge hit in the Premier League.
Stretford End - Pavel Pogrebnyak looked decent for Fulham last season, so Reading have a got a bargain on a free transfer. Also, Carzola looks an Arsenal player – I think he’ll have an impact.
Bricki - Cazorla – alongside Wilshere (if he gets fit) and Song (if he stays) he could be a delight for Arsenal

Team that might surprise people (positively or negatively):

Nik - I think Stoke could struggle
Doron - I think QPR will finish top half, pushing close to Europe
Herzog’s Child - Spurs, oddly enough. If Modric stays – and I realise that’s an enormous if – they’ll still have a midfield that can contend with most in the league. Defensively, they’re pretty well stocked; they do, however, need to add a striker or two before the month’s end. I quite like Villas-Boas, for what it’s worth. It didn’t work out for him at Chelsea, but those logical enough to assess that situation will know that’s no barometer to judge a man by. He has a clear idea of what he’s trying to do. He just needs a little trust.
Rob – Liverpool will surprise us positively, as none of their playing or coaching staff will assault anyone*. West Ham will surprise us negatively and avoid relegation.
*Kidding. Charlie Adam already tried to kill the annoying homunculus that lives on Gareth Bale’s ankle. Again.
Stretford End - I think Chelsea might struggle, whilst AVB will do a decent job at Spurs.
Bricki - Spurs, think their moment to truly push on has gone and they will struggle to break top 5/6 next season with or without Modric

Thoughts on United’s business so far:

Nik – Good. At the end of the season I wanted a fullback, two midfielders and an experienced forward in an ideal scenario; was perturbed not to procure the services of Moura, but if we sign RvP, then I have had my wishes more or less granted. Fergie will undoubtedly bring in a midfielder to succeed the deeper lying Scholes in the next 12 months.
Doron - Pretty happy so far, just want that star central midfielder…
Herzog’s Child - Mixed. Rather chuffed with Kagawa, who’ll enliven areas that too often lay dormant over the last few years. If he’s played in his right position and not wasted elsewhere, he’ll ensure fluidity takes precedence over functionality. Wouldn’t that be nice? Too early to judge Powell, who – going by the few pre-season encounters he’s been involved in – looks neat, tidy and crucially a threat. Many scoffed at the price paid, but having missed out on Bale, Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain, I was happy his signature was grabbed. We haven’t, of course, addressed the areas that are in dire need of addressing: midfield and the left back position. Nor do I expect us to by the end of the window, which is both depressing and predictable. It’s negligent and something that may, like last season, ultimately have its catastrophic say come the end of May. Or maybe the master-plan, in place since 2009, is to create a super massive black-hole in the middle of the park – to vacuum up every team we face.
Rob - Good. Nick Powell looks promising, and Kagawa’s already impressed everybody. But you still get the feeling they haven’t addressed weakest areas of the team. Sir Alex’s central midfield scout (Robert O’Mancini) is back for another season, so the situation there remains more or less unchanged. At left-back, there’s even less cover for Evra as Fabio’s gone on loan and Leighton Buzzard hasn’t signed because it is a train station.
Stretford End - Kagawa looks a good player, whilst Fabio Da Silva going on loan will give him some much needed playing time. Lucas Moura was just too expensive at £35 million.
Bricki - Positive but still needs to be completed with a midfielder and possibly a left back.

Reckon we’ll see any more United signings:

Nik - Hopefully Robin.
Doron - Aside from RVP and Henriquez, no.
Herzog’s Child - One, probably, in an area we’re already well stocked in.
Rob - I hope not, but it looks like the club are going all in for Robin van Persie. Apparently Sir Alex wants to “send out a statement” with this signing, the statement ostensibly being: “Hey rivals, we really want to send out a statement with this signing, so be intimidated. Please?”
Stretford End - Yes I do. Many, with good reason, are looking to strengthen the midfield – however, van Persie would be an unbelievable signing for United, even at 29.
Bricki - RVP

Key man for United:

Nik - Kagawa/Carrick
Doron - Vidic
Herzog’s Child - Wayne Rooney.
Rob – Kagawa. If used right – i.e. not in a 4-4-2! not in central midfield! – he could make our attacks much less predictable, reduce the dependence on wide players for creativity, and help us to break down tough defenses – so essential in the big games.
Stretford End - Wayne Rooney
Bricki - If no further midfield signings are made then I feel it’ll be Carrick because unless we have someone holding it all together in the middle, the quality we have up top will not be exploited to its fullest.

Where will United finish?

Nik - 1st
Doron - Second, not far behind City
Herzog’s Child – Second, I fear.
Rob – 1st, because… err, when I was a child and somebody asked me “why did you say that?” I would say “because” and get away with it. So yeah. United will win the league because.
Stretford End - Champions
Bricki - Without Van Persie – 2nd. With Van Persie – 1st. If we don’t sign him I think he’ll end up at City hence the differing positions.

Liverpool – by Nik

So, Rodgers has been tasked with an almighty clean up at Anfield, left of course in such a state by ‘fan favourite’, Kenny Dalglish. His status should never have factored into his appointment however, and his dallyings in the transfer market embodied this feeling. In came the distinctly average Henderson, the often unfit Adam, the extortionate Carroll and Stuart Downing. The latter, the manager played wide-left, a position Downing had not played consistently for over a season, having scooped Villa’s player of the year award by coming in from the right and assisting for fun. Rodgers has delivered a 180-page dossier to the board, in which he has emphasised his desire for Liverpool to press high and keep possession of the ball. The ‘Welsh Barcelona’ were a fantastic side to watch, and his challenge, as it was with Hodgson in many respects, is to impart his ideals at a more ambitious club. Carroll can think himself slightly unlucky, but team development is where Rodgers excels over his predecessor: he will know the players who are capable of applying his style of play, and Carroll requires a team that emphasises width. In this sense, perhaps Kuyt, clever out wide, was released a season too early? Another priority is in midfield, where Allen will keep the ball, and will probably be the player Adam should have been last season. Alongside Lucas, the pair should be able to exert control on the game from deep allowing Gerrard to extricate himself from the proverbial no mans land (not quite an 8 or a 10). He can link with Suarez up front at times, and Borini and Downing may well feature as inverted wingers, or as part of a fluid front 4.

At the back, Carragher will be used sparingly, and in truth has become a liability of late – but Skrtel and Agger should form a solid central pairing. The team can expect a push on the CL places, but with Newcastle an Spurs and city rivals, Everton, nipping at their heals, a tough transition season could lie ahead for the typically impatient and over-idealistic Liverpool support. Prediction: 6th

Man City by Herzog’s Child

The blue rapscallions will be an intriguing collection this season. They’ll go one of two ways – jittery under the burden of reigning champions, or superior again, fueled by the confidence that last season, and in particular that day, delivered. Mancini has been lamenting their failure to sign anyone of note thus far (Rodwell doesn’t fall into this category… yet, at least), but a case can be made that they’re fine as they are. A few need to be shifted, it would seem, to make way for whoever the circus wishes to parade next. Unfortunately there’s the very real possibility that they’ll have learned from their stumbling last season and be better again this year. Tevez, whose return from face-reddening exile ignited their path to glory, will be there for the entirety of the campaign this year, unless he decides an eternal holiday is needed again. They have considerable firepower and are backed by what is probably the best midfield in the league and a defence that doesn’t leak as often as others would like it to. Like last year, expect a tight race to the end-line, and the games between both United and City to again be decisive. It may well rest on Ferguson abolishing last year’s fear and embracing the stylistics of the United of old – who, rather than retreat, raced towards the opposition with a relentlessness that crushed all who we faced. If we see that, we may – just may – be smiling next summer.

Chelsea by Rob

1. From watching their preseason games, Chelsea are seriously lacking in width. They’ve obviously gone all in for really talented creative types like Mata, Hazard and Oscar, who will very often look to cut inside to thread a pass or have a shot. From the fullbacks, you can’t expect Cole to get forward with his usual dependability given his advancing years, and they still haven’t solved their long-standing problem at right back. It’s quite like City last season, actually – very dependent on their attacking midfielders, but they’ve got some really good attacking midfielders so it’s not that bad of a plan.

2. Look at their lineup from the Community Shield. There’s been a huge change in the identity and feel of the team, i.e. they aren’t powerful and scary anymore. Terry might be the emblem of Chelsea, but Drogba was their actual focal point on the pitch, and he set the tone for the style of football they played. Now that he’s left, now that Lampard is older and has grown (very well) into a deeper position, now that John Obi Mikel is still John Obi Mikel, Chelsea don’t have the trusty Plan B* that they used at the end of last season.

3. This is really important: it didn’t feel weird when Torres scored on Sunday. Throughout Sunday’s game, his movement was good** but it also felt like he could score or create a chance for himself anytime he was in advanced positions. He basically looked like a slower version of Liverpool Torres, which is probably the best we’ll see of him from now on, but that’s still pretty good.

4. I think they’ll have a lot of joy against the weaker teams in the division (read: Torres will score 20 goals this season), but might struggle against teams which can dominate them physically or through possession in midfield. I have them down for a comfortable 3rd.

* Plan B: also known as “Give it to Drogba”, or “See, Really Rich People Can Forge an Underdog Team Spirit Too!”
** “His movement has been excellent” was the line that pundits have been using over the past 24 months when they needed to avoid saying things like “you’re right Pierpont, he hasn’t kicked the ball into the goal there” or “he missed an open goal again, but his headband remained intact.”

Spurs by Stretford End

AVB was given an impossible task at Chelsea and although he attempted to change things at Stamford Bridge (most noticeably the ‘resting’ of Lampard) it really didn’t work and Abramovich issued the Portuguese his P45.

Sir Alex Ferguson suggested that Tottenham were “the most entertaining team in the league”. I couldn’t actually argue with that – some of their counter attacking play was reminiscent of their North London rivals when they were in their pomp. Ironically, their season derailed in February when Fabio Capello stepped down as England manager, but more tellingly – when they were hammered 5-2 at the Emirates. Tottenham had that third spot, but they blew it and Chelsea’s win in the Champions League meant Europa league football once again.

Gylfi Sigurdsson was snatched from under the noses of Liverpool and he should be a decent player for Spurs, however they still do need to strengthen their strike force. Modric’s future remains uncertain, especially considering he went ‘on strike’ earlier in preseason. However, I do think that AVB is a talented manager and has a very difficult task in following Harry Redknapp, who most probably only lost his job due to a clash of egos. I’m tipping Spurs to go one better this season and qualify for the Champions League.

Arsenal by Bricki

It’s been another summer of turmoil at The Emirates with another transfer saga to follow Fabregas and Nasri. The end appears nigh for Van Persie as an Arsenal player but the business done by Wenger looks to have created a much more imposing forward line. With or without him Arsenal now have definite quality in Podolski and Giroud alongside a great signing in midfield of Cazorla. If Wilshere can make a successful return from injury and Arsenal have a bit more luck with injuries in general theres no reason why Arsenal cannot break this trophy hoodoo of recent seasons. Will it be the league title? I don’t think there is quite enough yet in midfield and defence for them to last a full campaign on the title front but this summer’s business is the most positive in a long time.

Expect some cheerier Arsenal fans this season (and possibly a more deluded Piers Morgan!).

Best of the rest by Doron

Everton – another summer where in theory they should have money to spend but they probably won’t. A favourite of mine and fabulous servant, Cahill, has moved across the pond whilst Rodwell was a surprise signing for City. Pienaar and Naismith have come in but Everton’s squad could probably do with some depth at the back. If Jelavic can carry on his form since signing they’ll easily push for 7th and above. As ever, if (history suggests this is a massive ‘if’) they can get a good start, good things will follow.

Newcastle – much of the same for them. A few fringe players have left and a couple of talented youngsters have joined. You get the feeling they’ll struggle to repeat last year and will be heavily reliant on key men not getting injured. However, in Tiote, Cabaye, Ba and Cisse they have some top individuals who will only gel further as the season goes on. Potential for the European places but gut says it’ll be 7-11th.

QPR – my tip to surprise people. Hoilett, Andrew Johnson, Rob Green and Ryan Nelson all in on a free whilst Park joined for £2.5m. Towards the end of last season they actually got their act together and played some good football. They’ve now added experience and depth to the squad whilst Hoilett’s a huge coup. Mark Hughes will need to find the right balance in his team and sort out their away form – sometimes they need to set up for a draw rather than a win – however, I think if they get it right and add another player or two, they could get into the top half.

The post United and rivals – predictions and thoughts for 2012/13 appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Author: Doron

Follow Doron on Twitter

United will face their first big home game of the Premier League season when Spurs visit on Saturday afternoon. After the defeat at Everton in their opening game of the season, United have won every game since and conceded just twice in their last two games. Spurs, after a shaky start under new coach, Andre Villas-Boas, have now won three of their last four but have a terrible recent record at Old Trafford and not won there for 23 years. We welcome comments from both sets of supporters.

Spurs, despite a miserable record at Old Trafford, will always be considered formidable opponents. It’s not uncommon for them to play well either – van der Vaart in particular used to enjoy a lot of freedom playing ‘between the lines’ when United would still opt for a 4-4-2 system. This time round United are playing with both new personnel and something of a new style. It makes for an intriguing affair with both sides set to play attacking football.

The opposition

It was an interesting summer for Spurs – AVB arrived but wasn’t helped with the way in which Spurs conducted their summer transfer business. Previously key players, Modric and van der Vaart were sold along with some other squad members. Although Sigurdsson and Vertonghen joined in good time, the bulk of their summer spending wasn’t done till very late on in the window and arguably, Levy didn’t necessarily provide AVB with all the players in all the positions he’d have liked.

One area that’s come under scrutiny from the press is the goalkeeping department. With Friedel, Lloris, Gomes and Cudicini, Spurs are incredibly well stocked but have a problem in terms of keeping everyone happy. Lloris, the French number one, is yet to start a league game with Friedel favoured. The French press seem unhappy and have painted the picture that Lloris too is disappointed. A starting berth at Old Trafford would be some welcome to the league though – mind you, given that Freidel seems to love playing United, they may want to keep him for another game.

In terms of injuries – Spurs may be forced to play either Vertonghen or even Bale at left back with Assou-Ekotto out and Naughton a slight doubt. Should Vertonghen move wide then it’ll be interesting to see if Dawson comes in to partner Gallas or whether AVB opts for youth in the form of Caulker. It was thought that Dawson wouldn’t necessarily be able to play the high pressing game that AVB wanted his side to play and hence they were willing to let him join QPR at one point but a deal fell through.

It’s a tad simpler in midfield where Spurs are powerful even without Parker who’s injured. Dembele could face United for the second time this season and continue what seems a formidable pairing with Sandro. Lennon and Bale provide width and pace with Sigurdsson in the middle behind Defoe. Adebayor’s still not quite fully fit but may be an option from the bench.

Although in many ways the system looks similar to the one played in the Redknapp era on paper, this Spurs side seems to be more about midfield power rather than delicacy. United have already shown themselves to be weak centrally and other sides have enjoyed exploiting that so it’s certainly something AVB should look to take advantage of. It seems harsh to reiterate it, but Spurs’ Premier League record at Old Trafford really is poor – they’ve only once in that period scored more than one goal, something you feel they’d surely have to do to try and win this one.

United

It’s not a normal week for United if there is no new injury news. This week was a normal week. Vidic is out for 8 weeks and Valencia is a doubt with some bruising. Mind you, that doesn’t make it any easier to predict which names will come out of the Fergie-tombola but here’s what I think:

The biggest question is how far ahead is Fergie looking when he picks the team. United have two tricky away games coming up in the next week – at Cluj and Newcastle – and he’ll want to ensure he can freshen the team up in both games. One area that really doesn’t need messing around with is in goal. Despite semi-understandable reasonings, it remains bizarre that United still don’t have an obvious number one. De Gea for me remains the better goalkeeper and therefore I continue to think he should play.

At the back, unless there are any mysterious injuries that Fergie is yet to reveal, the defence picks itself. Given that neither Smalling, Jones or Vidic are due back soon though, he may take a risk with either Wootton or Keane at some point this week given that Ferdinand and Evans both got bumped around a bit last weekend and will need to play three times this week.

Oddly, given the options, the midfield should be a relatively straight forward decision. Cleverley and Anderson played midweek, with the latter blowing hard late on as the pace embarrassingly took its toll. Carrick and Scholes seem very likely to be recalled with Nani used on the right hand side – the wing he’s unquestionably better on. Who plays on the left remains up for debate then; Giggs may seem the obvious choice but I reckon he’ll be held back for Cluj and a combination of Kagawa, Rooney and van Persie will take it in shifts to spend time out there whilst also concentrating on their central roles. Welbeck might be the other option but he also played midweek and although Rooney tired, his performance was surely too good to ignore when it comes to selection tomorrow.

United will have to be careful though. Spurs are likely to try and press high and Scholes, despite remaining a master of his art, has somewhat struggled when his space is reduced and United are forced deeper. Ferguson may try and therefore get away with starting Cleverley and using Scholes as a sub if need be. Either way, United at home to Spurs has only gone one way lately and despite this being a good Spurs team, one has to fancy United to take maximum points again, and, depending on the result in London at lunch time, potentially go top of the league.

The post Man United vs. Tottenham Hotspur match preview: key battle, line ups and history appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Author: Doron

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Spurs came to Old Trafford with that familiar feeling of impending doom – it’s not been a happy place for them to visit for a generation now. That said, depending on Fergie’s team selection they may be forgiven for thinking things might be about to change – United’s midfield has too often been there for the taking and Spurs have some powerful options in that area. As ever, we welcome comments from both sets of fans.

Starting line up – so obviously wrong

It’s fair to say United fans’ worst fears were realised. The defence and to some extent the attack was to be predicted but the midfield lacked everything it would need against a powerful Spurs team that would press high. Giggs was to start left but as he did against Wigan, he’d drift infield to create a very lopsided team. It meant that United lacked pace, power and time in central areas. Spurs, with Dembele and Sandro, easily dominated and would go in two goals ahead of United at the break but arguably might feel they could have tested Lindegaard and United more.

United didn’t appear to have any plan – when in possession they always looked for Nani on the right because there was often no one on the left. Frustratingly, Kagawa was on the fringes – rarely in possession as United tried to focus on width rather than use him in the middle. It begs the question of whether United and Fergie truly know how to get the most out of him. United are a side that like to play with width but that’s not conducive to getting the best out of Shinji who really should be a focal point for a more central style of play with some lateral movement.

Painful to say, but like players have to be culpable for their errors – this was a gargantuan one from Fergie that unfortunately would cost United the game, with everything playing into Spurs’ hands so they could cut United apart with ease.

Goalkeeping

A small point, and one that may get lost in the aftermath and fallout but Lindegaard may be slightly disappointed with how things panned out for him. Spurs, with Defoe upfront, were unlikely to try and get crosses in and hence De Gea wouldn’t have had an issue with that today. Where Anders potentially could have done better was on Spurs’ second and third goals. Bale’s shot for the second didn’t go in beyond Anders’ dive but in line with his hands – it was the kind of attempted save that De Gea has pulled off quite a few times. For the third, Lindegaard parried the ball into a dangerous area – the centre of the six yard box. United’s defenders shouldn’t have allowed Dempsey to be unmarked but the ball really should have been pushed to the side of the goal.

Giggs – is the end closing in?

It’s sad to see such a hero of mine and legend of the game play the game and be completely off the pace and out of his depth. Giggs has to be used against opponents he can play well against and that nowadays is generally teams in the bottom half of the table. Against the bigger sides, he can be useful off the bench but unfortunately in a team that contains Carrick and Scholes, a player with more energy is required.

Without going into details, I’ll just recommend reading this piece on Giggs and why, with a heavy heart, it might be/could be/should be his final year at United. Is there even an outside chance he might ‘do a Gary Neville’ and call it a day himself mid-season? Fergie’s right to praise his physical state saying he could go on longer but technically and even mentally, he’s just not sharp enough it seems for the very top level.

Half time changes – Rooney’s influence, and Scholes

Two goals down at the break and Fergie had to make a change to undo his error of starting with the wrong team. He decided to take Giggs off and bring Rooney on, with Kagawa going wide left. Rooney would add some much needed presence into both the midfield and attack but more than anything, he brought some energy and enthusiasm into the game. It was exactly what United needed and Kagawa, although not a winger, actually stayed wide to give the side more shape and balance.

Rooney’s performance against Newcastle midweek had been very encouraging and that carried on today. He was busy, neat, and allowed those around him to play with a higher tempo. He also seemed to scare Spurs – they got deeper and weren’t sure whether to try and focus on closing Wayne down or Scholes, fortunately, they choose the former. This allowed Scholes to completely dominate the second half. Words simply do not do justice to his second half performance – maybe it was one of his finest at the club. Every pass was the right one, every long ball was perfect, every flick, every shot, every everything was performed to a ‘world class’ standard.

At 37, some fans lament the fact that United are still heavily reliant on the ginger asthmatic but that shouldn’t be a concern because right now, there is no one better than him at performing his role. The problem is that when he does start to show signs of not being good enough, how do you replace him? Right now, we don’t have an alternative for him and he remains such a valuable cog in the United machine.

Somewhat frustratingly, Kagawa, who had been excellent coming in from the left and really started to positively impact play in the second half, was replaced by Welbeck late on and United seemed to lose some of their gained momentum.

Spurs get a win, decisions and some luck for a change

It had been well documented that Spurs hadn’t won at Old Trafford for nearly 23 years and many of their fans have done their fair share of reminding people that they’ve had some rotten luck when it comes to decisions at United too. This time round though they certainly saw the key decisions go in their favour. It’s not a classic case of a moaning United fan but just pointing out that Spurs have had some overdue luck. A handball, a foul and maybe one more slightly more dubious foul in the penalty area were overlooked and United got nada. Karma?

Still, Spurs can be proud of their win, the first in a generation – if the first half was about pace and power, the second was about defending, discipline and shape. Whilst United had chances that they should have taken, Spurs played their part in ensuring that more than 90% of United’s crosses were not completed. They themselves had to play a centre back at left back and a (good) youngster in the heart of the defence – AVB can certainly be proud that the pressure in the second half only saw them breached twice.

Final thoughts: Rio and Evans, woodwork and intensity

It might go forgotten but United hit the bar and the post in the game – a stunning Rooney free kick was just a few inches too wide and a looping Carrick header saw everyone stand still and see it hit the frame of the goal. There were other chances too that just weren’t taken – van Persie and Evra the main culprits.

Rio seemed to come in for heavy criticism because he was out-paced by Bale. Erm, really? It’s not his fault he’s lost some pace and Gareth is very quick. Rio’s compensated for losing some of his speed well over the last 12 months and it was more the fault of the midfield that it came down to a one-on-one speed race with Bale. With Vidic, Smalling and Jones out, we need to hope that Evans’ injury right at the very end isn’t serious – if he has to miss a week or two, United may be in trouble.

Why oh why can’t United start games like they seem to have to start second halves? In every game bar one in the league we’ve had to come from behind which isn’t good enough at all. Can’t the players be motivated from the off or is it more to do with Fergie picking the wrong team to begin with and having to make changes?

Stat of the game: Spurs only completed 35 passes in the entire second half. When you think about that, it’s astonishing!

Conclusion

Spurs recorded their first win at Old Trafford since 1989 with a 3-2 victory over United. Ferguson surprisingly included Giggs in his side whilst AVB went for Dempsey over Sigurdsson who’d been ill midweek. Things started brilliantly for Tottenham as Vertonghen linked up with Bale and cruised into the United area before seeing his shot deflected in via Evans. United couldn’t cope with Spurs’ midfield and one became two when Bale surged through the middle with minimal fuss from left to right and shot past Lindegaard into the corner.

The second half was manic – Rooney spurred United into life and his fabulous cross was turned in by Nani. The Portuguese winger had a frustrating first half but being the only wide player in United’s side, there was no alternative as the midfielders tried to get the ball to him every time. Within the next three minutes two more goals were scored. First, Lindegaard could only parry a shot at the feet of Dempsey and then van Persie superbly found Kagawa who squeezed a shot in.

Without being harsh on Spurs, United should have gone on to take all three points – chances were created and missed, the woodwork was rattled, and some pretty clear decisions didn’t go their way. Spurs themselves were due some luck and a win and can be very pleased with many aspects of how they played but even the most ardent of Spurs fans cannot deny that United deserved at least a draw. Now, United must regroup and prepare for Cluj away on Tuesday and then Newcastle away on Sunday. This defeat will probably leave a sour taste for some time and that first half in particular will go down as one of Fergie’s biggest tactical guffs of recent years.

The post Man United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur: United nearly make up for Fergie’s selection error appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Manchester United lost 3-2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season.

Author: Stretford_End

Manchester United travel to White Hart Lane for the 178th time to take on 4th place Tottenham Hotspur. United lost 3-2 at Old Trafford earlier in the season, despite a flurry of attacks in the second half.

Andre Villas-Boas has, so far, done a superb job in challenging for a champions league place but will be aware that Spurs have not beaten United at home since 2000/01, in a match that saw United field a weakened side having wrapped up the Premier League already. Although, Spurs have a great opportunity to do the double over United, the first time since 1989/90. Here we take a look at the match preview including a view from the opposition, injury news, a potential United lineup and prediction.

View from the opposition

We’ve put some questions to Spurs fan and blogger, Chris Miller. You can read his thoughts on Spurs on the WindyCOYS blog and follow him on Twitter for thoughts on Spurs’ youth players in particular.

1. How would you assess Spurs’ season so far?

So far, so good. Other than the League Cup (where a “rotated” side went out away at Norwich), we are progressing well in every competition we’re in. The league is going better than expected, with the win at Old Trafford being the icing on the cake. We look a good bet to have a decent FA Cup run, and we’re through to the next phase of the Europa League, where we face Lyon over two legs.

2. AVB inherited a good squad but one with injuries and that had just lost two very influential midfielders and a club captain. What do you think of him and what’s the general stance on him held by Spurs fans?

The first sentence is something that the mainstream media have seemingly only just started to recognise. I blogged on AVB’s start at Spurs last week; in a nut shell, I’m delighted with the way things have gone so far.

I was chuffed with his appointment (and Redknapp’s exit, for various reasons) and welcomed the new approach that I felt he would bring. Whilst there have been surprises – a persistence with 4-4-2, when Adebayor/Defoe clearly doesn’t work as a partnership being one example – he has mostly made very positive changes and we are improving in crucial areas. For example, we look far more threatening from set pieces (indeed, scoring from another two against Coventry), which presumably reflects the fact that we are practising them in training.

Off the pitch, it finally feels like people behind the scenes are pulling in the same direction, which I think is hugely important for a club to move forward. This was never the case with Redknapp, who refused to toe the party line, and frequently seemed at odds with Daniel Levy.

Crucially, I am finally starting to feel like I, as a fan, am a part of the club again (whereas Redknapp seemed to see us – “them” – as more of an annoyance). Long may this continue.

3. Do you think you’ll finish inside the top four?

At the start of the season I wrote that top 6 was probably realistic but, in the position we’re in now, and with the likes of Parker and Assou-Ekotto back, and Kaboul back soon, I don’t think fourth is an unrealistic expectation. We will certainly need Adebayor back to peak form (as Defoe has dropped off massively), and we could do with a play-maker coming in sooner rather than later, but I think we’ve got a chance.

4. Vertonghen, Lloris and Demebele have been very solid summer signings – why have Sigurdsson and Dempsey not yet really got to grips with Spurs?

Agree with the first three, but I’d also say that Dempsey has started to deliver in recent weeks. It took him a while, and AVB generally explained this as him having to learn how to play off the striker – remember that he normally started wide left for Fulham, which affords that little extra time and space. Sigurdsson has had some bright moments off the bench, but I can’t see him flourishing with Defoe; he’s not a van der Vaart type player who will get on the ball and control tempo/possession. Instead, he’s reliant on a striker keeping the ball alive long enough for him to make a late run or pick up the pieces on the edge of the box. In essence I just don’t think he’s compatible with Defoe. If Adebayor can get back to the level he was at last year, they could work out as a duo.

5. Bale’s arguably the best left winger in the world – how much longer do you think you can hold onto him for?

Agreed, and he’s gone up another level this year. Realistically, I think he’ll be off in the summer. He deserves to play for one of the best teams in the world and has consistently said that he’s not phased by the prospect of playing abroad, so Real Madrid makes sense.

6. Fergie’s noted that Bale is coming infield a lot more this year, much like Ronaldo used to do for United – will that and the form of Lennon be the biggest threats for United to counter?

I wouldn’t necessarily say that that is the case – he came inside plenty from the left last year too (his destruction of Norwich being an example), and also Redknapp frequently played him on the right (which many fans hated) and he would naturally cut inside on to his left foot then.

Lennon’s in excellent form – and his workrate is just unbelievable – perhaps even better since he was made captain for a couple of games – and I think he’ll be a threat. Bale’s the main man, though. If he’s in the mood, he’s unstoppable at the moment.

7. What have you made of United so far this season?

I think the regular changes at the back have caused United to be less resilient than normal, but van Persie has fit in ridiculously quickly. What a signing. I also think Carrick is back to his best form – he’s a pleasure to watch.

8. Do you have one memory in particular of games against United that stands out?

Pedro Mendes’ goal that wasn’t, sadly. I think that is the case for a lot of Spurs fans. Oh the injustice!

9. You can take one player from United to play for Spurs, who do you choose and why?

Rooney. We so badly lack that creative number 10, and he plays that role beautifully. He’s a talisman too, isn’t he? Fabulous player.

10. Who’s your favourite Spurs player of all time?

Ledley. Wonderful footballer (note: footballer, not just defender), a one club man, and he’s now doing a great job as a club ambassador. I’d give my left knee to have him back.

Injury News

Manchester United
Manchester United welcomed back Nani, Wayne Rooney and Anderson from injury in the 1-0 victory over West Ham in the FA Cup mid week. All three looked a little off the pace, with Nani and Anderson getting substituted in the second half. Having said that, both players haven’t featured since Braga away (Nani) and Reading away (Anderson), so it will take some time to reach a consistent match fitness level. Ashley Young will miss the match with a knee injury, whilst in form Jonny Evans has a hamstring problem and has been ruled out by Sir Alex Ferguson. Darren Fletcher has been ruled out for the rest of the season having undergone surgery to resolve his chronic bowel disease.

Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham are without Sandro, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season, and Scott Parker is expected to start in the centre of midfield. Emmanuel Adebayor will miss the match as he is representing Togo at the Africa Cup of nations.

Quotes in build up to match

Sir Alex Ferguson:

(On Jonny Evans)

“We’ve got a strong squad. Jonny Evans still isn’t available. He’s not 100 per cent. Other than that, we’re not too bad. We got a lot of players a game on Wednesday and I thought they did well. It was a good performance.”

(On diving)

“This was raised at the League Managers’ Association meeting during the week. What are the sanctions on that? Do they come from the club or do they come from the FA? I think the FA have a problem because is it legal what they do? Can they prove that a lad has positively tried to dive? It’s a very difficult one. They’ve always said that, haven’t they? They have no sanctions on diving. So, does it go to the club? At the end of the day it probably does. You have to [warn players if they dive]. I’ve done it with Cristiano. He was only a young boy, 18, when he came here and it took him maybe a couple of years to understand that. But after that he was fine.”

(On Darren Fetcher)

“He tried to manage the condition with the treatments he was using. But the last couple of weeks the problems came back. We hope this operation can solve the problems he’s in terms of his career and we expect him to be back in July. It’s a blow for the boy. He’ll need time to recover from the operation and that will be quite a while. But this will improve his prospects. He’s had to change his game. When he played the games he did this season he wasn’t the Darren Fletcher we knew. He was sitting in front of the back-four and he did that very well. That could be his role in the future. When he comes back – and I’m sure he will – it will be in a different role.”

Andre Villas-Boas:

(On Wayne Rooney)

“We’re always very unlucky as he seems to return just in time for our games. We recognise that we had a fantastic first half in that game but he came on for the second and made a difference and created lots of problems for us. He had this game against West Ham to come back to form and so we’ll just have to wait and see if he is selected or not but I think he’s the player who makes Manchester United tick. Because of his movements and he always sacrifices himself for the team. And he has the team spirit, desire to win, and the focus. He has had some difficult moments in his career but always comeback. He is a top-quality footballer.”

(On facing a better Manchester United side)

“You have to be very organised and I’m not sure if an all-out attack posture is the one that will lead you to success against such a strong team. I think it will be a good reference this game, regarding what we want to achieve towards the future, if we want to challenge for trophies.”

Potential Manchester United team

David De Gea should continue in goal, despite missing the FA Cup replay midweek, whilst the defence picks itself with the news that Evans misses the match through injury. Carrick and Cleverley are forming a formidable midfield partnership, whilst under fire Antonio Valencia will look to push Gareth Bale back and offer protection for Rafael. Robin van Persie will start up top, but the big question is, who will partner him?

A fit Wayne Rooney would be a definite starter in this match, however – Welbeck impressed in the 2-1 victory over Liverpool and could well partner the Dutchman, with Rooney and Hernandez on the bench. Kagawa is still trying to find his feet after coming back from injury against WBA and Ferguson has tinkered with playing the Japanese star on the left hand side, despite his more impressive performances coming playing as a number ten off the front man. A noticeable mention for Ryan Giggs who impressed midweek and could provide assistance for Patrice Evra who does struggle against Aaron Lennon, who has been in great form of late.

Conclusion and prediction

As mentioned in the introduction, Spurs have a great opportunity to do the double over Manchester United, and have a decent price at the bookies (see https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/4/betting/football,) for the first time since 1989/90. Despite some crazy score lines against Reading and Newcastle United, Sir Alex’s side have tighten up defensively and there shouldn’t be a repeat of the open first half Spurs experienced at Old Trafford. Defoe is Spurs’ top scorer in the league, with ten goals, although has only hit the back of the net once in the past month. Gareth Bale is the second top scorer in the league with nine goals, including a recent hattrick against Aston Villa. Both Bale and Lennon will be a constant threat to Rafael and Evra tomorrow and United’s left back has struggled in the past to deal with Lennon’s scintillating pace.

Sandro is a big loss to Spurs, not just tomorrow but for the rest of the season as he was having a fine campaign. United’s midfield duo of Carrick and Cleverley have started together in six of the last seven games, and as mentioned previously on the blog, Carrick is having a superb season, dominating the midfield and dictating play with his passing range.

Tottenham last lost at home to Wigan Athletic at the start of November, which marked the start of a three game losing streak – away at Manchester City and north London rivals Arsenal. They have won three of the last four, only dropping points to lowly QPR last weekend in the 0-0 draw at Loftus Road. At the start of the season, I predicted that Chelsea would struggle to match the heights of their Champions League success last year, whilst Tottenham will be a surprise package, finishing in the top four under the guidance of Andre Villas-Boas. I still think this will be the case come the end of the season, however – Sir Alex has the knack of ‘putting things right’ and will no doubt have the 3-2 defeat in the back of his mind. Combine this with a number of players returning from injury and United’s record at Spurs, i think United will edge it, just.

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Manchester United

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Evra vs. Lennon was one of the key battles in Tottenham vs. Manchester United

Author: Rob

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In Sunday’s big game Man United traveled to White Hart Lane to play Tottenham Hotspur, looking to avenge their 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Wintry conditions threatened to postpone the match, but after a late pitch inspection the teams were given the all-clear. Spurs lined up as expected with Defoe and Parker replacing Adebayor (international duty) and Sandro (injured). United made only one change to the team that beat Liverpool last Sunday, but altered their team shape and tactics significantly. As always, we’d love to hear the debate from both sets of fans.

A strong defensive display
Sir Alex’s team selection and tactics showed a lot of respect to Spurs, by drafting in Phil Jones to help out defensively in midfield. With the diminished mobility of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, it also meant that United had to defend far deeper than they have usually done this season with Jonny Evans in the team. This suited the team’s gameplan well, though, as United sought to limit the one-on-one encounters with Bale and Dembele that hurt them so much in September’s reverse fixture. As a result, Spurs had the majority of possession and shots, while United sought to counter quickly as they have done in other ‘big’ away games this campaign.

The gameplan was a success – at least for 92 minutes – and it can fairly be described as United’s best defensive performance of the season. Vidic’s reunion with Rio made a massive difference to the way United handled crosses and set-pieces. For most of the season, the team has looked very vulnerable to aerial balls coming into the box, but yesterday the duo headed almost everything out, clearing everything that came their way – Rio made 7 clearances and Vidic made 8. With cruel irony, it was a cross into the box that led to the Spurs goal.

While Spurs had a lot of shots in the game, many of these came from long distance or around the edge of the box, where Rio (3), Vidic (3) and Jones (2) blocked a fair amount and de Gea (7) saved his fair share. Interestingly the centre-backs only made one tackle between them. Defensively, Jones (3 tackles, 2 interceptions) and Carrick (6 tackles, 4 interceptions) contributed massively as well, with Jones helping Rafael to nullify Bale, and Carrick doing an admirable job against the brawny dribbling of Moussa Dembele. Evra often struggles against Aaron Lennon, and though he did better for most of the game, a lack of support was detrimental later on when Lennon started finding lots of space.

Less strong in attack
Going forward, however, the team lacked some of the verve that propelled them to counter-attacking victories against City and Chelsea earlier in the season. Two shots on target represented the Reds’ lowest tally of the season, and apart from a few fluent moves in the first half and the Rooney penalty shout  - which looked a clear penalty, even to Alan Hansen – United surprisingly didn’t offer much in attack. A lot of this was due to the composition of the midfield. Cleverley started off on the left but settled into an odd right-sided role – he provided a fine assist and offered diligent effort, but was less influential than he has been recently from a central position.

Because of his heavier defensive responsibilities, Carrick was less ambitious with his passing, and it was actually Phil Jones, the least comfortable of these three on the ball, who had the most touches and played the most passes. Kagawa was quietly efficient with the ball but was sacrificed for Rooney in the second half. Danny Welbeck had another good game, doing well in the buildup to the goal and threatening with his pace in behind. However, a lot of his good work was done on his own, and he threatened only sporadically. With these changes plus a lack of width – Young was a big miss here, as he would’ve offered balance and more defensive solidity against Lennon and Walker down the left – United looked fragmented going forward.

Subs turn the game – in Spurs’ favour
If anything, the changes made in the second half, with Rooney and Valencia replacing Kagawa and Cleverley , weakened the team’s position and contributed somewhat to the late equaliser. By changing the attacking flow of the team to a more direct approach, it meant that United couldn’t hold on to the ball long enough to ease the building pressure from Spurs. United sat deeper and deeper as the second half wore on, inviting the home team onto them. It was from here that Aaron Lennon really kicked into action, and it was almost inevitable that he played a key part in Spurs’ goal.

It’s hard to criticise Sir Alex for the substitutions that he made, since both Tom and Shinji looked to be tiring, but Rooney and Valencia offered very little after they came on, losing the ball quite often and contributing to a very disjointed-looking final thirty minutes.

A goal, but a rare off-day from Robin
Robin van Persie holds himself to an extremely high standard as you can see in this excellent long interview, and while he scored an excellent header in yesterday’s game, he might well be disappointed with his overall display. Given the way the team was set up, sitting deep, absorbing pressure and looking to hit on the break, Sir Alex would be disappointed with the lack of truly good counterattacking chances generated, especially in the second half.  Some of this was down to tactics, and a lot of credit has to go to the excellent Michael Dawson who repelled most of our attacks – but as United’s focal point going forward, van Persie has to shoulder some of the blame.

Caught offside six times (!!) and hardly involved in play in the second half, Robin honestly looked a bit tired, which is understandable after starting almost every Premier League game and only being rested in the FA Cup. Hopefully he’s given another rest in the cup tie against Fulham, perhaps with Rooney having another run-out and Danny Welbeck rewarded for his good form. We need all our strikers are fresh and sharp for the important run of games coming up.

Spurs’ goal: keeper blamed, but a collective failure
Without getting into a big hullabaloo about David de Gea here, it’s safe to say that he bore most of the blame for Spurs’ 92nd-minute equaliser yesterday. A weak punch of his fell straight to Lennon, who squared for Dempsey to put it in. But looking at the buildup to the goal again (and again), we can see that a lot of factors contributed to the concession. First, Rafael runs away from the loose ball after blocking Bale’s shot, leaving Assou-Ekotto free to cross. Next, Vidic clatters de Gea while he tries to punch the ball away – not for the first time, the two clashed when going for the same ball, leading to a goal. Then, impeded, de Gea punches the ball right into the path of Lennon, and in coming out to punch, takes himself out of a position to save the next shot that comes in. Further, Carrick, who was watching Dempsey originally, gets caught ball-watching. Lennon spots it and finds Dempsey who puts it neatly into the corner. An ugly goal, and a collectively ugly goal. Still, it was the least that Spurs deserved.

Conclusions
Of course, it’s never nice to have a win snatched away in the 92^nd minute, but it would be churlish to deny that Spurs contributed richly to the spectacle and earned their spoils from the game. Under AVB, they’ve added a balance and resilience to an already exciting mix of attacking talent, and have twice played excellently against United this season, with Dawson and Lennon their standout players this time. Disregarding his public fury about the penalty claim, Sir Alex will be privately pleased with a good defensive performance that will serve the team well for big upcoming games against Real Madrid. Looking at the league title race, United have now played City, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Everton and Swansea away from home, only dropping 7 points from them. On paper, Stoke and Arsenal look like the hardest away days left. United are 5 clear of City, unbeaten in 11, and have a challenging but manageable run of league fixtures coming up. More obstacles are sure to present themselves, but United  should be quietly confident about their position and chances of regaining the Premier League in May.

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Robin van Persie has been a pivotal part of Manchester United’s title pursuit this season

Many fans ridicule it and simply remark that, in the grand scheme of the things, it really doesn’t matter. No, no – I’m not talking about the International break, but personal awards for players. Yes, the European Cup, Championship, FA Cup and League Cup are all more important – agreed. But when one of your players, like Wayne Rooney in 2010, Giggs in 2009 and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008 (and 2007) are awarded with such a prize, their contributions has aided the club throughout the season. Sure, sometimes you lose out – like in 2010 – but the award is a pretty good indication of a player who has made the difference in the season. This is why Robin van Persie must be crowned PFA Footballer of the year ahead of the exceptional Luis Suarez and brilliant Gareth Bale.

Of course there is obvious bias, but I will attempt to put an argument across that backs up the claim that Robin van Persie has been more important to Manchester United than Suarez has for Liverpool or Bale has been for Tottenham. This isn’t a criticism of those players, far from it, they’ve been exceptional this season – with Gareth Bale winning games on his own at times and Suarez over taking van Persie in the domestic goal scoring charts. But, Manchester United are still in for two domestic trophies, whilst Liverpool and Spurs are not (although Spurs still have a good chance of winning the Europa League).

It has been van Persie’s performances and goals that have helped United obtain a 15 point lead at the top of the table, whilst his dramatic last minute equaliser against West Ham United, kept United in the FA Cup. United travel to Chelsea on April 1st for the quarter final FA Cup replay, with many Reds hoping the Dutchman takes centre stage once again. Although van Persie hasn’t scored since the 2-0 victory over Everton in early February, no fan can play down his exceptional contribution to United this season.

Stats, goals and breakdown of the contenders

Firstly, I think its fair to say that there are only three contenders for the PFA Footballer of the year – Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale. So, I’ve broken down their domestic appearances and goals within those games:

*Please note, the ‘minutes’ on the left hand side represent the amount of time the player played within the match, rather than the duration of the match. Therefore do not assume the football icon represents time of goal.

Robin van Persie

Click to enlarge

Luis Suarez

Click to enlarge

Gareth Bale

Click to enlarge

Here are a couple of stats I’d like to highlight:

• In the league, Robin van Persie’s goals have been spread out more than Suarez and Bale. The Dutchman has only hit a brace or better in two fixtures, which both resulted in wins. Suarez has hit a brace or more goals in five fixtures, whereas Bale has achieved the same feat in three fixtures.
• van Persie has notched up one hattrick, equal to Bale – but one less than Suarez
• Manchester United have an 88% win rate when Robin van Persie scores. United have only drawn two games (away at West Ham in the FA Cup and away at Tottenham in the league) when van Perie has scored and are yet to lose a match
• Liverpool have a 56% win rate when Luis Suarez scores. Liverpool have drawn six games and have lost twice when the Uruguayan scores.
• Tottenham have a 79% win rate when Gareth Bale scores. Tottenham have drawn a single match (away at Norwich) and lost two games when the Welshman scores
• van Persie scored in ten games in a row that he played in. Suarez found the back of the net five games on the trot, whilst Bale’s best run has come recently and is also five.

Here is a summary of some of the stats analysed, which Luis Suarez comes out on top:

Chart showing a breaking down of stats for van Persie, Suarez and Bale

We can throw stats about all day long and although they are vitally important when assessing the success of a particular player (with Jose Mourinho being the greatest advocate for analysing individual stats of opposing players for his pre-match dossier), football is an art and we all want to be shocked and surprised by the magic that we see unfold before us. A through ball, a piece of skill or an unbelievable goal – things you just can’t teach, or analyse. All three players possess that ability.

Van Persie has the best technique in the league and his left foot is unplayable at times. Suarez is a dogged character, who can slip and slide through defenders with ease following a dribble. Tottenham are sometimes referred to as a ‘one man team’ due to the brilliance of Bale, which is no doubt due to his superb athleticism, his powerful shot (from dead balls also) and his versatility to move from a wide area to a more central position.

The purpose of this blog was to highlight the qualities of the three main contenders for the award and drilldown on their contributions to their respected teams. Liverpool rely heavily on Luis Suarez to deliver, which can also be attributed to that of Tottenham – of late – for Gareth Bale. Manchester United have a greater strength in depth, which is reflected in the reduced minutes van Persie has played in comparison to the other two players.

But there were times at the end of 2012 where the Dutchman carried United and was exceptional, pulling the ball out of the air with such grace and elegance – before smashing in a powerful left footed drive or switching play to be greeted with universal applause. His goals may have dried up since he hit the back of the net against Everton, but he has only completed one ninety minute match (against Reading in the last league match) domestically, no doubt due to Ferguson’s quest to beat Real Madrid. But United are fifteen points clear at the top of the table with nine games left. The Dutchman has played an enormous part in getting United into this position. For this reason, I believe Robin van Persie should be crowned the 2012/13 PFA Footballer of the year. But then again, like most Reds – I’d take a league and cup double over individual awards any day!

Who do you think deserves the award?

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Gareth Bale was linked to a move to Manchester United when at Southampton in 2007

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he was disappointed to miss out on the signing of a young Gareth Bale in 2007. Bale was a teenager at Southampton and Manchester United went in for the Welshman before Tottenham Hotspur. However, the current double winning player of the year never got the chance to speak to United according to Ferguson. Instead the youngster moved to White Hart Lane and was deployed as a left back for the early part of his career.

Its strange to think that Bale was considered a liability a couple of season ago from a defensive view point, but Harry Redknapp moved him further up and the pitch and he has since developed into one of the best players in Europe. Zinedine Zidane is a favourite, so what did happen in 2007 that saw the former Southampton man move to Spurs instead of United?

Sir Alex Ferguson was quoted as saying:

“We were disappointed in Southampton at the time because we were first there, but they never came back to us.It was not the boy who turned us down, it was Southampton, then a few weeks later he signed for Tottenham Hotspur. He (Bale) was a left-back when we tried to sign him. It wasn’t until Harry (Redknapp) went to Tottenham that he converted him into a wide left player. He reminds me a bit of when we signed Lee Sharpe. He was a six foot, gangly, slim boy, but all of a sudden. he was built like a light heavyweight boxer. Bale is the same in the way he has developed in the last two years physically. He has matured very well.”

Gareth Bale was recently award both the FWA and PFA player of the year awards, ahead of Manchester United’s Robin van Persie. Bale is a worthy winner, but we put together a blog, before the winner was announced, on why Robin van Persie should pick up the award. Let us know what you think and also if, Tottenham fans, you think he’ll be off to Madrid in the summer?

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Manchester United travel to under fire Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur meet for the 179th time on Sunday, as United look to heap more misery on under boss André Villas-Boas, following Spurs’ demolition against Manchester City last weekend. The North London club are currently 9th in the table and despite a good start to the season, Villas Boas finds himself on the back of two defeats and the third worst goal scoring record in the league.

Only Crystal Palace and Sunderland, who occupy the bottom two spots, have scored less goals this season. When you compare Spurs’ 9 to City’s 34 or Arsenal’s 24, he highlights just how much they’ve struggled up top this term. United will be hopeful to go one better than last season, when David De Gea’s weak punch resulted in a last minute equaliser.

David Moyes will be full of confidence following the excellent 5-0 away in Leverkusen this week and will be looking to close the gap at the top following a disappointing performance and result against Cardiff City last weekend. Both Robin van Persie and Nemanja Vidic are both expected to return to action following injuries that have kept them out of the last two fixtures.

We have another great view from the opposition with Jo Chilton, a Spurs season ticket holder. You can follow Jo on Twitter @Chipchop17‎. Here we discuss a top five without United, life after Gareth Bale and Spurs legend – Danny Blanchflower.

1) So what’s happening at Tottenham after Sunday’s thumping? Crisis?
I wouldn’t call it a crisis. With the exception of the City game we have been pretty solid at the back, whilst not having our first choice left back and letting a perfectly good one go out on loan. Going forward we do have massive problems, I’d go as far as to say that we’ve been awful. We have no creativity and no dynamism in our movement making it very difficult to break teams down.

2) Is AVB the right man for the job and if so, where will you finish this season with him in charge?
If you’d asked me that at the start of the season I would have said yes, now I’m not sure he is long term. That said I think that it would be foolish to get rid of him at this stage so I’d say he will have until the end of the season. The next week is critical because after we play you we have Fulham away and Sunderland away and we need 3 points from both those games.

3) Roberto Soldado has been criticised since his move from Valencia. What have you made if him so far and will he eventually make a good signing?
It’s obvious that I don’t watch a lot of Spanish football because I have no idea how he scored so many goals in La Liga! He looks like he can finish nicely but he doesn’t do anything else. A lot of people are telling me that he’s the type of player who gets on the end of crosses and that our system of inverted wingers doesn’t suit, but I think that he doesn’t have the necessary combativeness for the Premier League. The one thing he’s got going for him is that he isn’t Defoe.

4) Would you take Gareth Bale back instead of all the signings you made or will they eventually click?
I’m probably going to get killed for this but I would go for Bale. Watching a player like him play was fantastic, I wish he could have realised his potential at Spurs. I hope that the new signings click but when you sign six new players in one window it’s unlikely that they will all work out.

5) What have you made of United this season and in particular the 5-0 win on Wednesday?
If Moyes finds a way of getting Kagawa, RVP and Rooney playing well, together, you’ll do well. The problem is I don’t think he can. The rest of the team has serious problems, Carrick and another from Fellaini, old man Giggs or Jones is not what I would call Man United midfield. At the back Rio and Vidic are past there best and in my opinion the back ups aren’t up to it.

6) How will you lineup on Sunday and do you have a prediction?
I don’t have a clue how they’ll line up. I don’t think AVB knows his best team. If I was him I would go for:
Lloris
Walker
Dawson
Chiriches
Vertonghan
Sandro
Dembele
Lamela
Sigurdsson
Townsend
Adebayor

1-0 Spurs, stop laughing.

7) If you could take one united player to Spurs who would it be?
I despise Rooney and RVP so I’ll take Kagawa . Shinji in behind Adebayor that’s something else!

8) Who is the greatest Spurs player to ever wear the shirt and why?
Danny Blanchflower was a midfield playmaker and the talisman of our great double winning side. His grace and style on the pitch came to symbolise the Tottenham way.

9) How do you think the top five will look in May?
1. City
2. Arsenal
3. Chelsea
4. Spurs
5. Liverpool

Haha!

10) Do you have any promising youth players coming through the ranks we should look out for?
Well, Tom Carroll is currently top of the championship with QPR. He’s been injured for quite a lot of the season but will be a good player.

The post Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United: View from the oppo appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Manchester United host Spurs at Old Trafford hoping to avenge the 3-2 defeat from last season

Author: Bricki

Follow Bricki on Twitter – @Bricki‎

Manchester United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford for today’s New Year clash. The reverse fixture at White Hart Lane produced an exciting 2-2 draw and usually clashes between the two are full of incident. Spurs achieved their first win at Old Trafford last season since 1989 with a 3-2 but had to survive a United onslaught in the second half. An Evans OG and goals from Dempsey and Bale were enough to see Spurs home.

Since the 2-2 draw on the 1st December both sides have experienced differing fortunes. United have started to find a consistency in recent weeks whilst Spurs have had to recover from heavy defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool that resulted in the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas. Tim Sherwood has stepped in and appeared to steady the ship for Spurs whose most recent result was a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Stoke City.

United have continued injury concerns with Van Persie, Jones and Rafael serious doubts whilst Wayne Rooney faces a late call on his fitness. Spurs have added Paulinho to an extensive injury list after Charlie Adam’s assault/tackle at Stoke City.

We sat down with Tottenham fan, Bashir Falconer to run the rule over the North London side heading into today’s teatime clash.

1) So what went wrong with AVB? Was he to blame or should Levy be held more responsible?

Within football there are always things going on behind the scenes that us ‘normies’ just aren’t aware of. Sometimes we find out down the line and sometimes we don’t. I think there was definitely an aspect of impatience in the Levy/Lewis decision to get rid of AVB so early on. Some of his tactical decisions weren’t working and we just weren’t scoring the amount of goals needed to get up into the places we feel we should be. At the same time we have the best away record in the league which is no mean feat and our points tally last year was our highest ever. AVB also has the best win percentage of any Spurs manager in the premier league era. In conclusion it is my opinion that he should have at least been given until the end of the year but ultimately if a manager doesn’t have support from on high the players feel this and then they lose respect for him and it’s a losing battle from then on. The same happened with Martin Jol.

2) What have you made of the summer signings? Would you have kept Bale or will they eventually come good?

Summer signings – mixed feelings so far. Paulinho has looked good in spells as has Chadli (to a lesser degree). Haven’t seen enough of eriksen. Lamela – meh. Soldado either hasn’t been given the right type of service or can’t handle the prem. not sure yet.
Bale – can’t keep a player who doesn’t want to be there. Simple. Coming good? We could gel and come very good quite easily to be honest, there’s clearly talent there.

3) Are you happy with Tim Sherwood’s appointment and can you finish top four?

Sherwood will absolute not see out his 18 contract and might not even see the end of the season if the right candidate presents themselves. Top four is still a possibility, we are only 8 points (and a terrible goal diff.) off the leaders and we’re yet to string a run of any decent games together.

4) Like last season, you’re on course to win four points off United. Confident of victory on New Year’s Day?

Again I’m sitting on the fence, anything could happen. We had an ok game against a depleted stoke side but United have finally started to get a bit of spirit back recently so they might just nab it

5) Andros Townsend has been one of the rising stars this season. How good can he become?

As good as he wants. Bale became the player he was through total dedication. Townsend has look amazing at times despite a terrible goal/assist record and he could really build on that

6) How will you lineup on Wednesday and have you a prediction?

I’d love to see the good old 4-4-2 again, having Ade as a foil for a depressed Soldado has promise.

7) Why do you think Levy didn’t opt for Hoddle and who can you see eventually taking charge?

Hoddle still has a stigma around him since his ridiculous comments when he managed England and he hasn’t worked much since then apart from a pundit. There are many likely and capable candidates but it looks likely that a national coach who will be working in Brazil this summer will be coming in. I’d be happy to see Van Gaal though

8) With the transfer window imminent, are there are areas you feel you need to strengthen in? Have you been linked to any new players?

We’ve been linked with too many players to count – ideally I’d like a ‘proven goal scorer’ and a real leader at the back. But when Kaboul is fully fit and with either Soldado or Ade really stepping up to the mark we’d have that.

9) Who is the best player you’ve ever seen at at Tottenham?

In my memory Bale really is incomparable – in terms of pure ability to win games alone and do things on a regular basis that many top top top (lol) footballers would love just to do once be stands alone. Ginola wasn’t bad either

10) Give us a little known fact about Spurs.

We’ve got the best away record in the prem this year. Also Jimmy Greaves was bought for 99,999 to avoid the pressure of being the first 6 figure player

Many thanks to Bashir for his time and hopefully we will see a game to savour, they usually are when United and Spurs meet…

The post Manchester United vs Spurs: View From The Opposition appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Emmanuel Adebayor scores for Tottenham in the 2-1 victory over Manchester United

Guest Author: Doron

Follow Doron on Twitter

Like it or not, luck has always played a part in football (as fans of yesterday’s visitors, Spurs, will remind us of more than most by uttering the name, “Roy Carroll”). It doesn’t necessarily dictate the course of a season-long campaign but it can influence moments, short spells and momentum; determining the ebbs and flows of clusters of fixtures. It’s also something that isn’t siding with United and David Moyes this season.

To write a piece about luck may seem like a strange choice – diversionary and/or naïve – acting as if that’s all that’s going wrong at United this season. Of course, that isn’t the case but there’s no doubting that Moyes isn’t getting the rub of the green in a few key areas and in some cases it’s directly impacting the outcome of some games.

Injuries

They happen – in games, at training or in freak non-football situations. Much of the training players do is to help reduce the risk of injuries whilst maintaining peak physical condition. United have suffered over recent years with injuries – 2009/10 saw every defender bar Evra ruled at one point and since then we’ve gone through similar spells (the infamous Park-Rafael combination comes to mind). The 2011/12 season in particular was ridiculous with United managing to top a fan-constructed injury table for the season.

The losses United have experienced this season have been brutal. Not so much in the volume of players out but the identity of the players and that they’ve missed decent chunks of the league season:

Rafael – missed 35% of league games – no natural back-up selected (Fabio seemingly miles down the pecking order) and make-shift right backs have been at fault for goals.
Vidic – missed 25% of league games – although more susceptible to pace than he’s ever been, he remains a crucial player and presence. More than anything, he’s a leader and forms part of the spine of the team along with de Gea, Carrick and Rooney/van Persie.
Jones – missed 25% of league games – more of a loss than it first seemed having stepped up a level this season both at centre back and crucially (and somewhat scarily) at centre mid.
Nani – missed 35% of league games – he may not necessarily have been selected to start games he’s missed and he’s lost the trust of many fans but like him or not, he’s one of the few game changing players we have who on his day can be unplayable. Certainly with not all our wide players firing he could have been an important option.
Carrick – missed 35% of league games – with central options limited anyway, losing him was a huge blow despite a season that’s not at all close to reaching the heights of the last one. Another key member of the experienced spine that’s been missing.
Fellaini – missed 47% of league games – a dreadful start to his career at United but one that could only be improved upon with regular games and familiarity with the role he has to play and those around him.
Van Persie – missed 45% of league games – a loss that needs no explanation.

Others have been unavailable for spells too: Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez have missed a combined 9 games whilst Kagawa, Cleverley and most of the defenders have had to miss a few.

The identity of those who’ve missed the most games though has been a huge loss. Some might point the finger at David Moyes and his team in some cases. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that fitness coach, Raymond Verheijen, has been scathing of Moyes and his supposedly archaic methods – whilst he may have a point he overlooks that other players have seemed as fit as they have in ages (Rooney for example; and even Anderson’s yet to miss a game through injury). Van Persie in particular may have been mishandled when that Newcastle game came around but there’s little else to suggest from the outside that Moyes is at fault for the glut of key players getting injured.

Defensive errors and fine margins

The extent to which a manager is culpable or responsible for a defensive brain-fart depends on who you’re asking but for me, if a player does something daft and out of character, there’s little a coach on the sidelines can do. I’ve lost track* (*not attempted to work out) of how many of the goals we’ve conceded have come as a result of a defender making an error rather than an opposition player doing something better. 

The coaching staff can practice defensive shape; positioning; tackling; marking; team organisation etc as much as they like but that simply doesn’t matter when Hull score a goal as a result of a couple of scuffed clearances that simply ping around the penalty area waiting for an attacking player to pounce. Individual players need to hold their hands up for their errors here – yesterday it was Valencia and to a lesser extent, Smalling (could easily praise Adebayor for clever movement rather than say Smalling lost him). Even before the Spurs’ opening goal, Evra had fallen asleep and allowed Lennon to run onto a pass inside him (much like he did at Norwich too). These are defenders of quality who’ve proven themselves in the past. Granted, the likes of Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra are at the latter stages of their career now but the simple errors that all the defenders seem to be making are schoolboy mistakes, the very basics of defending that for 99% of the time they get right. This season though they seem to be more frequent and opposition teams have been clinical (as well as enjoying the best of luck that comes with deflections on shots, but that happens anyway).

At the other end, we seem to be involved in more goal-line saving scrambles, blocks and woodwork hits than in previous seasons. Take the Everton game for example – a poor performance (but one we’ve seen many times over the years and yet still ground out a win) but United should have been two up by the time Everton’s late winner went in. It was typical of that game that the winner had fortunate attached to it too – Lukaku’s cross for the goal was an unexpected shanked shot that was always going to fall favourably for an onrushing attacking player rather than a defender who’d have to turn first before getting to the ball. Certainly in the most recent three home defeats, despite sub-par performances and/or spells, each game could have very easily been a classic United ‘not playing well but still win’ if it weren’t for defensive errors and the odd man on the line or frame of the goal.

Key decisions

We’re probably the last club that an bemoan decisions not going our way** (**if you’re not a United fan and reading this, that is) and we certainly had a couple fall for us early on in the season, notably against Crystal Palace but big moments just haven’t gone for us this season and invariably they’ve been at times where the game is still in the balance. They range from: handballs in the penalty area (Chelsea); handballs on the line (Newcastle); horrendous tackles unpunished (West Ham); goals from non-corners (Hull); or simply Hugo Lloris getting two lives yesterday (handling outside his area in the opening minutes and the foul on Young late on). It’s not the ‘done thing’ to blame officials and it would be incredibly bitter to rant about them but it’s a factor nonetheless that Moyes can point to on occasions.

Conclusion

I suspect that when David Moyes took over, home form would have been the least of his concerns but luck at Old Trafford has deserted him. He’s tinkering less now than at the start and his substitutions to change games are generally fan approved changes that don’t happen when it’s already too late. United finished yesterday with a front six of Januzaj, Rooney, Kagawa, Young, Welbeck and Hernandez – he couldn’t have been more attacking with the players available.

The club are no doubt feeling the knock-on effects now of not getting what they needed in the summer transfer window. From the outside, who knows who’s at fault for that? The chasing of unrealistic targets; the poor media spin; the late bidding; the unwillingness to meet asking prices etc. It’s yet another factor that’s influenced what Moyes has/hasn’t been able to do.

Other teams have had their problems this season too, particularly on the injury front but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that the opening six months for the Moyes reign couldn’t have gone much worse, with some key factors out of his control. The expected drop-off post-Ferguson has been much more drastic than expected but there’s no doubt in my mind that Moyes gets at least another 18 months to prove he’s the right man for the job. United are in a battle for fourth and getting that and maybe a domestic trophy will be good enough given our current position to go into a crucial summer of both youth integration and first team signings. Before then, hopefully the tides will turn and a few things will start to fall into place for Moyes.

The post Lady luck isn’t shining on David Moyes at present appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Wayne Rooney scores in the 2-2 draw against Spurs last season

The festive games keep on coming and if you’re fed up of listening to aunt Maple moan about the “loud music of today”, then lock her in a room*, lie back on the sofa and read our Spurs view from the oppo! Wayne Rooney is in superb scoring form having picked up a very impressive brace in the 3-1 victory over Newcastle United (not to mention that he is now captain of my dream team), whilst Juan Mata is really starting to show his true class following his move from Chelsea last January.

United and Spurs are 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Premier League form league and it will be a tight affair in North London today. United are likely to be without Angel Di Maria who picked up a pelvic injury on Christmas Eve, but the visitors welcome back Luke Shaw from an ankle injury.

*Obviously, don’t lock her in a room

We’re joined today by Joe “Shelf” Chilton who kindly answered a few questions ahead of the game today. What does he think of Roberto Soldaldo’s goal scoring? Did he put Gazza in his all time Spurs dream team?! And you’ll never guess which player Harry Kane reminds him of! You can follow Joe on Twitter @chipchop17.

Joe has also asked us to mention his Saturday football team – Wood Green Old Boys.

1) How would you sum up Tottenham’s season so far?
Mixed, through in Europe and through to a very winnable League Cup semi-final which is good. However our home form in the Premier League has been terrible. we’ve been unable to beat the poor teams at home has really cost us and our position in the league is reflected by this.

2) Is the gaffer the right man to take you forward?
Its too early to say. One thing that he will get is time, I think that the management at the clubhave finally realised how flawed this squad is and will give him time to sort it out.

3) Harry Kane has been a revelation this season – how good can he become and how many goals will he get?
He’s great, he reminds me of Suarez he works so hard and although he never looks in complete control manages to still dribble past people. I hope he can get another 10 in the league, if he does that he’ll have had a great season.

4) Eighteen months have gone by since Gareth Bale went to Real Madrid – how have the players brought into replace him measured up in that time?
Eriksen is the sort of player we should have signed to improve the team when we had Bale. Chadli is OK, but a squad player at best. The jury is still out on Lamela. The rest of them are awful.

5) What has happened to the free scoring Roberto Soldado of Valencia? Is he ever going to find some form?
I have no idea, he doesn’t look interested at playing for us. Baldini should get sacked on this signing alone.

6) What have you made of United so far this season and what player has stood out for you?
Very good going forward but I think that the back 3/4 are not up to the standard of a good United team. I think that I have been most impressed by the performances of De Gea, because your defence has been so inconsistent, he’s had a greater responsibility and he has really stepped up.

7) United are ten points behind Chelsea. Is there are chance of a title challenge? If not this year – what about next?
I think that the first five games cost you the opportunity to challenge this year, coupled with the fact that Chelsea are just very good. Sign one or two centre backs and next year I think you’ll challenge.

8) Which team/player has impressed you most this season?
Moved to a new position, playing with no fear. making chances for his team mates, 3.1 key passes per game (whoscored.com), recalled to the England squad? Yes, it’s Stewart Downing. I can’t believe it either. If there was an award for most improved player he would win it.

From a Spurs perspective Ryan Mason forced his way into the team after coming on as a substitute in a league cup game against Nottingham Forest he has started all but one game in the league since and has been a significant upgrade on the likes of Paulinho.

9) Where do you expect Spurs to finish and do you think you’ll get any silverware along the way?
Probably 5th again. I think that that the priority should be to win silverware, best chance will obviously be the League Cup. Another final against Chelsea would be great.

10) What is your all time Spurs Xi.
Lloris, Walker, King, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Ginola, Modric, Parker, Bale, Klinsmann, Berbatov

The post Spurs vs. Manchester United view from oppo appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Robin van Persie is denied by man of the match Hugo Lloris as both sides as the game ends 0-0

Author: Mitchell
Follow Mitchell on Twitter

For the third season in a row, Manchester United can’t nick a win at White Hart Lane. The unbeaten run at Tottenham Hotspur’s home ground remains in tact but Mauricio Pochettino’s men have become somewhat of a bogie team for the reds. Entertaining though it was, either team could have conceivably won or lost so it was only fitting that neither did.

With United’s first unchanged Premier League line-up since late 2012, Louis van Gaal finally had the opportunity to let his squad stand on its own twenty-two legs with a consistent run of play. In typical fashion, Valencia had to go off with a mild injury, but this was a major stepping stone for the club. Finally, stability is just around the corner.

He says, awaiting tragedy…

Battle of the goalkeepers

Nobody hates listening to the media gush over David de Gea like Spurs fans. They may have a point, too: Hugo Lloris is a world class goalkeeper who has gone under the radar this season whilst De Gea and Thibaut Courtois steal the headlines.

Case in point: this game, where the French keeper kept out three fantastic chances from United. The first saw Robin van Persie linger a little too long in taking down the ball with pinpoint accuracy and running into a Lloris-shaped wall. The second was a bullet header from a late Wayne Rooney run, just minutes later. The third came even more quickly, a curled shot from Ashley Young that was heading into the top corner of the net were it nor for Lloris’ fingertips. As the first half ended, the Spurs shotstopper could feel more annoyed with his defense than his opposing number.

Naturally, the second half swung more the other way, with De Gea showing his prowess against the likes of Andros Townsend. Neither team conceded a goal, with both keepers to thank. Who shone brightest in the end? Perhaps this time around, it was Lloris who saved his team’s blushes. A clean sheet is a clean sheet though, the sixth of Big Dave’s season and one more than his Spurs rival.

RVP fails to convince again, but is it Falcao running out of time?

It feels like a regular occurrence to browbeat Van Persie over his continuing lack ill-fit into the team. A goal here or there may ultimate prove to be my undoing in this argument but it stands to reason that other players may be suited better to the overall structure of the squad being formed by Van Gaal.

As it is the holiday season though, I will give the Dutchman a reprieve for it is another striker who may soon find himself outcast. Radamel Falcao is a superstar who could be considered to be one of the finest scorers in the entire game. As of yet, he has fallen amongst the feathers and is becoming more and more of a non-entity whilst Rooney and Mata thrive in front of goal.

Sure, the assist for Rooney against Newcastle was a moment of selfless brilliance but it was a rare occurrence and Adnan Januzaj has to be asking himself why he’s doing so little when Falcao is given the opportunities that simply aren’t being repaid.

As the Columbian striker is a loanee, he may soon return to Monaco and pick up where he left off without blemish. Should he wish to continue to play a part in United’s top 4 push for the rest of the season though, he will have to pick up his game quickly. When newly-positioned Wayne Rooney is banging the goals in, change has to be considered. Robin has proven himself long enough at United for us to know that he at least wants to be here and can deliver when the pressure is on. If Falcao doesn’t prove himself now, the whole exercise could be considered a complete waste of time for everyone involved.

What of Valencia and Young?

Nobody was happier to see Rafael and Luke Shaw back on the pitch, particularly the manager who doesn’t seem to be interested in the former’s style. Bringing both back into the fold does at least provide the club with its strongest wing back pairing and some necessary strength on the bench.

It does feel a bit of a shame though, considering how far Ashley Young has come since LvG arrived. Both he and Tony V were figures of ridicule last season, derided for their limited play and inability to hit a barn door from any given cross into the box. Yet, moved into their new positions, both have been given a new lease of life and Young in particular has become an integral member of the team both at the back and up top.

Now that their services are surplus to requirement, it will be interesting to see what happens to them barring any further injuries. Valencia had a fine game earlier in the season, moving into central midfield with blistering runs through the middle, but Phil Jones has proven equally willing to power through from defence. Young could play either side of the pitch but I wouldn’t take Rafael out of the picture for anything, even if Van Gaal isn’t entirely sold yet.

Whatever happens, their contributions to the first half of the season cannot be understated. It’s a good feeling to be able to look at the substitutes on the bench and know that the Ashley Young of 2014 is ready to come on at a moments notice, without the feeling of dread that was so common in 2013. I don’t wish injuries on anyone, but if luck should befall Young then I don’t think we should begrudge him too much for sliding back into the squad. It’s the least he would deserve.

After the first 19 games, what have we learned?

– Louis van Gaal can, in fact, make players better. Rooney, De Gea, Young, Fellaini and Mata have all shown clear signs of improvement under the new boss.

– Perhaps Wayne Rooney was the correct choice for captain after all. Determined, playing well and seemingly taking his responsibilities seriously. For all of his faults, his run this season has been a huge positive mark on his CV.

– Michael Carrick is the single most important player in the team. Undefeated since his return? Take it to the bank.

– Maybe the club should have given Paul Scholes a bit more time in front of the camera. He used to be so shy and quiet; now there isn’t a pundit job he won’t take.

– Anderson has photos of Ed Woodward, a stripper and a glass table. That’s literally the only reason I can think of to explain why he’s still employed.

– When all else fails, always trust your goalkeeper.

Anything else? Leave them in the comments section below.

The reds’ next game is away at Stoke City on New Year’s Day.

The post Hugo Lloris denies van Persie & Falcao as United draw 0-0 appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Manchester United and Spurs battle it out in the 0-0 draw in December

Manchester United begin a run of five games that, once concluded, will give a much clearer picture as to where Louis van Gaal’s men will finish come the end of May. United welcome Tottenham Hotspur, who are also chasing a top four finish, to Old Trafford this afternoon and are in desperate need of a win to keep on the tails of Arsenal, who won handsomely against West Ham United yesterday.

Today’s fixture marks a tricky run that includes a trip away to Liverpool, Manchester City at home and a trip away to league leaders Chelsea. A resurgent Aston Villa are also travel to Old Trafford over Easter.

Spurs have picked up wins in the previous two trips to Old Trafford, beating United 3-2 with an electric performance from Gareth Bale and last season 2-1 on New Years Day. The last win for United against Spurs came back in 2011/12, with a 3-0 victory in August. How United fans would love to see a repeat of that victory today.

Today we are joined by Peter Chilton, a season ticket holder at White Hart Lane, who is pretty confident of a third Spurs win on the bounce today. We caught up about the phenomenal form of Harry Kane, what he thinks of Louis van Gaal and did he actually leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of his all time, joint, United/Spurs Xi?! Read on to find out.

1) How would you sum up your season? Have you made progress?

A decent season so far, bright young players have emerged from our ranks and have really embarrassed some of their big money team mates. The manager has shown progression and a willingness to give opportunities to young players, who also seem happy to train under his strict fitness regime. Certainly if nothing is achieved this year Tottenham will have something to build on next year, a positive attitude has been restored.

2) Were you confident going into the league cup final? What did you make of the game?

Dead rubber! Tottenham didn’t turn up and Chelsea did not let us play, we fell foul of bad defensive mistakes that could have been avoided. Chelsea showed they had more big game experience than us, they did not outplay us. They used underhanded tactics throughout the game what a bunch of cry babies #Ibra

3) Will Spurs finish in the top four? If no, who will make up 3rd & 4th?

It starts with a win on Sunday, and yes. The run in is kind to Spurs and the team is performing well, we can play our strongest team every week as we have no European Thursday night distractions. Hopefully our goal difference is not a factor.

4) Harry Kane has been a revelation. How good can he be and are you worried about keeping hold of him?

He is amazing and scores all sorts of goals. Hopefully we can keep him, have Madrid been in contact?

5) What have you made of United’s form this season? Do you think van Gaal is the right man for the job?

I think the performances have been poor, I think making massive signings over the last 2 year Man u were expecting to challege for the title but are nowhere near it. Van Gaal needs more time to develop his philosophy on the players but i don’t think he’s getting the best out of them at the moment, Heavily critisised for playing Rooney in midfield and rightly so as he wasn’t able to see that Rooney is outplaying both Persie and Falcon. He has scrapped alot of victories and doesn’t know his best team. He looks like Mason Verger which is disturbing for the viewer.

6) Which United player – past or present – did you hate on match day, but secretly admired?

Dwight Yorke, I really fancied Jordan back then.

7) Can you see Gareth Bale in a United shirt with David De Gea going to the other way?

No i don’t think Real Madrid will be willing to let him go, He’s had a bit of a goal drought but will turn it around. You heard it here first. He is a superb player and professional

8) How far behind have English clubs fallen behind Europe’s elite and should the Premier League lose a Champions League spot?

No definitely not. The reason why English clubs are suffering is because the league is so tough for example Fiorentina away Thursday followed by Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday. The point being English clubs are finding it harder to prioritise the European competitions because of tough schedules, wheras for example Real Madrid will play David Moyes’ team Real Sociadad with a reserve team because the game is easy to win, then roll out the proper team for Tues/ Wed champions league tie. you can’t do that away at Stoke.

9) Do you think Angel Di Maria will come good eventually?

Yes he will, He’s World Class just needs time to adapt. He probably doesn’t like being shouted at by Mason Verger and who would, LVG looks like something out of Lord Of The Rings Ugly.

10) Give us a mix United/Spurs xi side from your lifetime.

Schmichael
Neville
King
Stam
Evra
Bale
Gazza
Modric
Beckham
Cantona
Kane

The post Manchester United vs. Spurs: view from the opposition appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Harry Kane has been linked with a £40 million move from Spurs to United

When Trevor Francis signed for Nottingham Forest from Birmingham City for over £1 million (it was actually £1,180,000) it absolutely smashed the previous British transfer record, which stood for a solitary month. Francis became the first ever £1 million player to play on these shores. The forward, who scored twelve goals in fifty two games for England, went on to win two European Cups with Brian Clough – the only club team ever to win a continental trophy more times than their domestic league title.

1979 seems a far cry ago, but the same criticism, shock and cynicism still apply to the expensive football transfers of the day. At the time, Paulo Rossi held the world transfer record, when he moved to Juventus – but the valuation of Francis proved to be a telling moment in British football, considering David Mills became the first half million pound player the month previous.

Since then we’ve seen Bryan Robson, Paul Gascoinge, Andy Cole, Dennis Bergkamp, Seba Veron, Rio Ferdinand, Robinho and Gareth Bale break the British transfer record (a player be transferred into or from the English top flight) with astronomical fees being exchanged. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur’s young and prolific goal scorer, has been linked with a £40million move to Manchester United – why after one brilliant season would United part with nearly half the money made from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo for a player with bags of potential but limited first team action?

Lets get this straight. Harry Kane has had a phenomenal season at White Hart Lane, bagging 32 goals in 54 appearances and at 21, looks to be a class act in the making. Tottenham fans hold him in such high regard, he got into an all time Premier League Xi when we ran our “view from the opposition”, before the 3-0 victory over Spurs in March. The boy has had a dream season, where he broke into England team and scored on his debut, but surely Louis van Gaal should pass at the £40million transfer fee?

Yes, United fans want to see top quality talent at Old Trafford, rather than funds lining the back pockets of the Glazers, but surely there is a valuation limit for such a talent? Kane looks a top forward, who hasn’t stopped scoring since opening his Premier League account last season against Aston Villa – three months after the start of the season. Quite a feat to trail Sergio Aguerro by four goals for the golden boot come the end of May. But is there a risk in United signing a player who only became a first team starter following that performance against Villa, or is the player that good, United simply cannot pass up the chance to sign him – whatever the cost?

United have a mixed bag when haggling over transfers. Eric Cantona, the talisman for United fans from 1992 until his retirement in 1997, was a ridiculous bargain at £1.1million from Leeds United. Ronaldinho would have signed for United, had negotiations not broken down at a Lyon hotel over the fact that United tried to double bluff the Parisian club and offer less than the asking price – before Barcelona swooped in.

Then of course there is the travesty of Marouane Fellaini transfer, the equivalent of trying to sneak home quietly following a night out on the town before standing on a french horn on the stairs or slipping on a banana skin and head butting the cat. United could have purchased the tall fuzzy haired Belgian for £4million less, but decided to put Ed Woodward in charge. United need to play it careful when negotiating a big transfer deal and history in recent years doesn’t bode too well.

Tottenham fans will claim that Harry Kane doesn’t need to go to United, despite the offer of Champions League football next term. The same fans will also cite a recent interview stating that he is happy where he is right now, but flattered by the interest shown in him. Cristiano Ronaldo also claimed, before United lost 2-0 to Barcelona in the Champions League final, that he was going nowhere – before signing for Real Madrid less than a month later. David De Gea hasn’t said anything on the rumours linking him with a move to the Spanish capital, but I fully expect the La Liga runners up to come calling following the long term decline of Iker Casillas.

We all know players can move, but Tottenham are in the driving seat, which is why the £40million is being branded around. Daniel Levy is a shrewd businessman, who has overseen the transfers for Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov from North London to Manchester for what, at the time, was seen as an overinflated price. Carrick has been worth every penny for United (signed for £18million in 2006), but the Berbatov transfer, for the graceful and excellent footballer that he was, was surely not worth the £30million United forked out in the summer of 2008. Levy knows if United want the player, they will have to pay big – which the club has done in previous years.

Kane has signed a five and a half year contract at the club, so why would Tottenham not sell him for any less than £40million. Ramon Calderon laughed at the suggestion Real Madrid would pay £80million for Ronaldo in the January of 2009, stating the amount was ludicrous. If you want he player and the club doesn’t want to sell, then you price him out of the reach.

Louis van Gaal will be spending this summer. The first team is in need if investment if the club is to compete at the top once again, but is Harry Kane at £40million the best signing for the club? Eden Hazard signed for Chelsea for £32million, Alexis Sanchez signed for Arsenal for £35million and Sergio Aguero signed for Manchester City for £38million.

Sanchez had proven his worth for Udinese in Serie A and of course was a top player for Barcelona who was up against some of the best players in the world for a starting berth. The fact that the club signed Neymar probably brought the price down as Barcelona tried to cash in on the star. Aguero scored over eighty goals for Atletico Madrid before signing for Manchester City and was playing first team football for some years, having replaced Fernando Torres for the Rojiblanco. Hazard, who was the same age as Kane today when he signed for Chelsea, was a first team starter for Lille and had been in the national team setup since 2008.

Harry Kane has had a fairytale season. Finishing the highest English scorer in his first full season, scoring a brace at home against Arsenal and getting his first International cap and goal. The reason for the £40million is due to this phenomenal season, but United surely will have to pass on the transfer. Rio Ferdinand, who also broke the British transfer record in 2002 when he signed from Leeds United for Manchester United, spoke out recently on the over inflated fees British players command:

English players are soooo overpriced right now it's a joke! Kane & sterling have huge potential but 40m & 50m…aguero 38m & sanchez 32m!!!

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) June 20, 2015

When you look back and see United signed Ruud van Nistelrooy for £19million (you may refer to inflation, but remember – Christian Vieri signed for Inter Milan two years earlier for £28million) and Liverpool signed Andy Carroll for £35million, it is fair to say that English players are overpriced and for the all the potential and ability that Harry Kane possesses, United will be paying over the odds if he does indeed leave Tottenham this summer.

The post Why Manchester United can’t sign Harry Kane for £40million appeared first on Stretty Rant.

Matteo Darmian challenges Harry Kane for the ball in the 1-0 victory over Spurs

Its been 76 days since the final game of last season. Manchester United played out a drab 0-0 draw with Hull City, which saw the home side relegated to the Championship – as final games go, this was quite possibly one of the most uneventful for United fans over the past two decades. Fast forward two and a half months and a lot has happened since then. Gone are the likes of Robin van Persie, Nani, Rafael and Angel Di Maria whilst Louis van Gaal has spent big on Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Sergio Romero and Matteo Darmian – with the latter impressing in his debut.

United huffed and puffed their way to a 1-0 victory against a high pressing Spurs, who were a lot more energetic than their limp display back in March against United. The home side ran out 3-0 victors that day and although the result was the same yesterday, the performance was definitely that of an opening day fixture.

Matteo Darmian looks a bargain at £12.7m

United’s new fullback, who signed from Torino in the summer, looked at home against Tottenham Hotspur in the opening day fixture at Old Trafford. The Italian, who has picked up 13 full international caps for the Azzuri, kept Nacer Chadli quiet whilst pushing on to support Juan Mata in an attacking role. Many United fans were sad to see Brazilian Rafael go, who always played with his heart on his sleeve and always showed character and a will to win.

However, since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson – the fullback struggled, and for a player who was nurtured at a young age into a top club, should have amassed more than two international caps. Darmian looks the real deal and looks to be a long term solution for a position United have struggled to fill permanently. Playing alongside Chris Smalling, both players looked solid at the back – but United still need another vocal centre half of real quality if the club is to challenge for the title. Whether that be Sergio Ramos in exchange for David De Gea, or another top quality defender – who knows, but Louis van Gaal’s decision to play Daley Blind at the back speaks volumes.

Goalkeeping problem is a real issue

Sergio Romero looks to be a decent signing on a free from Sampdoria, but is he a long term solution to replacing what will be the void left by the best keeper in England. David De Gea omission from the starting Xi would usually have raised eyebrows, but Louis van Gaal carefully managed the situation by being up front with the reasons why the Spaniard would miss the first fixture. De Gea was apparently not in the right frame of mind to play against Spurs due to the advances of Real Madrid. United have a real problem either way.

If Manchester United manage to bat away Real Madrid for a season, De Gea – who looks as if he is set on a move to the Spanish capital – will no doubt not reach the heights of the previous two seasons and then will leave on a free next summer. On the other hand, if United let De Gea leave in this window, Madrid will no doubt get De Gea on the cheap – with a fee of £15million being touted about.

Louis van Gaal knows that he needs a consistent backline, with a strong vocal keeper at the helm. There is uncertainty over the future of both David De Gea and Victor Valdes, United’s number two keeper who reported “refused” to play in a reserve game. As the saga evolves, it appears that only Real Madrid will be the victors and have laughed off any potential deal that would involved Ramos going in the other direction.

5 talking points from the game

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