Re: The Barclays Premiership / Champions League Thread
hitmee said:
now man utd are pressured to spend big this summer.
losing ronaldo is bad. losing ronaldo and tevez..........
The spending started. They bought Javier Hernandez......
Before Manchester United's agonising Champions League exit, Sir Alex Ferguson insisted he would not be embarking on "wholesale buying" this summer. But as he sifts through the wreckage of a failed European campaign, Fergie must confront the uncomfortable truth that his current squad is simply not good enough to rule Europe.
Fergie is happy to tell anyone who cares to listen that he can spend the £80million from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid if he wants, having decided against doing so last summer because of inflated prices. Such financial prudence is admirable but, if the money is there to spend rather than being used by the Glazers to service their debt, Fergie's frugality will count for nothing if United end this season with only the Carling Cup to their name.
Major reconstruction is not necessary but the quarter-final exit to Bayern Munich, cruel as it was on away goals, exposed the lack of depth in United's squad and their continued over-reliance on Wayne Rooney. Elimination by Bayern, on the back of their 2-1 defeat to title rivals Chelsea, means United find themselves at crisis point and even Fergie admitted such a setback cannot be considered a mere hiccup.
But even if United win their remaining five matches, it may still not be enough to be crowned champions, with Chelsea having established a two-point lead with victory at Old Trafford.
Regardless of what happens in the title race, Fergie is already looking to the summer, where he must make at least three new signings to address the glaring deficiencies in his squad.
United need a striker, goalscoring midfielder and goalkeeper to take over from Edwin van der Sar, who turns 40 in October and is likely to play a lesser role next season, with France No.1 Hugo Lloris Fergie's preferred choice to replace him.
In recent years Fergie has bemoaned United's lack of a free-scoring central midfielder in the mould of Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard, and Aston Villa's James Milner may provide the United boss with the answer. Fergie has been impressed with Milner's emergence as a central midfielder this season and his age profile - he is still only 24 - along with a value of around £20m, could see the United boss move for him.
Chris Smalling will arrive this summer from Fulham in a £10m deal, but the young defender's first-team opportunities will depend on Rio Ferdinand's fitness, whether or not Nemanja Vidic stays and how Jonny Evans progresses.
Karim Benzema's failure to make an impact at Real Madrid may yet see Fergie get the France striker at the second attempt, after refusing to meet Lyon's £35m asking price last summer.
Valencia striker David Villa remains a target for Fergie and will be available for around £25m, but Benzema's physical strength and dynamic style may be more suited to the Premier League.
As for those heading out of the Old Trafford door, Dimitar Berbatov's failure to hold down a regular place is likely to see him offloaded, taking over from Juan Sebastian Veron as the most expensive flop in United's history. Rooney's inclusion from the start against Bayern, even when only half-fit, was the ultimate insult to Berbatov, who was thrown on as a last-ditch measure with 10 minutes to go.
Michael Carrick, at fault for Bayern's crucial first goal at Old Trafford, is another who has failed to progress this season and is likely to be sacrificed as Fergie reshuffles his personnel.
Anderson, who arrived from Porto for £18m three years ago, has a questionable attitude and is set for a swift return to his native Brazil this summer.
If Owen Hargreaves returns to full fitness, Fergie's central midfield options would be bolstered, particularly with Darron Gibson - scorer of the first goal against Bayern - making great strides.
"No wholesale buying is needed here as we have a very good squad that just needs tweaking here and there," said Fergie. "Looking at potential squad additions is an ongoing process. It's not just confined to a certain time of year, although we obviously don't reveal our plans. We have some ideas at the moment but not many players will be joining the club."
Evolution, not revolution, has been the theme of Fergie's United dynasty, but he faces some major decisions this summer if he is to add another European Cup to his glittering CV before eventually calling it a day.
marklee said:
I'm not sure about other Arsenal fans, but I don't go around harping on the past because I really don't see the point in it. What matters most is the present.
Slater said:
legacy and history r very impt. esp when ur a club like arsenal or liverpool. some clubs would die to have just 1 champions league let alone 5. same goes for prem league. its something to be proud of.
dash said:
I feel that once something noteworthy is achieved, people will always talk about it. Yes, Liverpool will fans talk abt past history. At least we have a history to talk about.
Slater said:
similiarly in the 70's and 80's man u were on a baren run after a few trophys picked up in the 50's. just cause we live in the here and now, it in no way discounts acheivements made in the past. winning 20 league titles in a row or winning it across 50 years, its still a trophy.
This clearly is a emotional tussle between the romantics and the realists.
The romantics will always dwell on legacy, hence the talks about England's hope in the World Cup every 4 years. We all know that - ENG is, at most, a second tier team to the likes of BRA and GER on the big stage. What brought about the high hopes? 1966. As well as the televised BPL games, which created a ENG-bigger-than-the-world facade. When is the last time you watched GER or HOL league live? That 1966 victory will always linger..... but looking closer, Rooney is like one of the two engines on a jumbo jet.
The realists will discard the facts. Examples Ipswich, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday all all legacy teams in the English premier league. Yet no one talked about them anymore, given their current state. No one even wanna talk about Sunderland, who has won the league 6 times !!! In the World Cup, the legacy thingy has been discarded as well. Who remember the legacies of Uruguay and Hungary? Uruguay is two time winners, more than FRA and ENG. Hungary reached the final TWICE. But now we talked about Spain and Brazil and England.
I am a romantic at times - I still remember the likes of Socrates, Zico, Platini, Maradona or even the legends who missed the big stage - Cantona, Di Canio or Giggs. But at the same time, I cannot stop admiring Messi, Rooney, Torres and Ronaldo. Even Zidane seemed so historical.....
