Manchester United fans cant wait for the season to get started. And for good reason ! Losing out the title to local rivals Manchester City would have hurt most supporters beyond description. And the manner in which they lost the title - it was indeed like rubbing salt into the wound. I was watching the game live on cable and that is the most disappointed feeling I have experienced in my living memory. There are some moments which are etched int he memory for ever - some good some bad. Some like Dwayne Smith smashing Ben Hilfenhaus to take 14 runs of the last 3 delivers. Some like Aguero dancing around in the QPR penalty box to win the season with the last kick of the game. :(
So what has changed between then and now ? Man City have failed to make any notable additions to their squad (which i believe will most definitely change come the start of the season)
Manchester United on the other hand have moved quickly out of the blocks - securing the play-maker Kagawa and a young prospect Powell. I havent personally watched them play for me to make any comment on how good additions they are to the squad. YouTube videos always speak the good about the player - so I am a little skeptical weighing purchases based on best moments compilation.
I hear they are also in the market for Van Persie (at 8/9 - they look the favorites with the bookies to land the Dutchman) and rumors growing strong about adding Brazilian wonderkid Lucas Moura to their squad.
Van Persie for sure would be a great addition - and strike force of Rooney and RVP is sure to strike fear in all defences across Europe.
Do Manchester United really need him though ? I have my doubts. We are already well covered in that area having Rooney, Welbeck, Chicharito, Macheda & Berbatov ( well hes still here ... ) Adding RVP hardly gives us another dimension to speak off. Moreover - having RVP might also stunt the growth of Welbeck & Macheda. Not to mention the young lad 'Keane' who has been getting wonderful reviews from the academy. So is RVP worth the 65 million pound deal ( 25 million in fees + 10 million in wages each year for 4 years ) - having no resale value ? I dont think so. He does not naturally fit into the system that we are employing right now. He also has no resale value. At 65 million pounds for the entire deal - he is expensive. He will stunt the growth of young lands coming through the academy.
Having said all of that - I would rather have Van Persie at United than see him pairing up with Aguero & Tevez & Company. :)
Lucas Moura - YouTube videos are great - and again - I would rather have him than not have him. But do we need him ? Do i think we need him ? My answer still remains no.
So who do we need ? A Modric ? A Nuri Sahin ? A Sneijder ? A Yann M'Vila ? Who do we exactly need?
My answer - Nobody. Thats exactly who we need ? We are a great squad of young lands who are hungry for success and who seem to gel very well with each other.
With Vidic coming back, and Darren Fletcher expected back sometime in December - they provide us with ample steel that we seemed to lack last season.
Cleverly should benefit from his experience of last season. With Vidic back - we might see more of Blood, Sweat & Glory from Jones in the middle of the park.
Anderson - if he manages to remain fit - he will do the running around for us.
Scholes, Giggs & Carrick
That brings us to Scholes, Giggs & Carrick. Am i confident of going into the season trusting my midfield on these 3 gentlemen ? Absolutely YES !
Scholes - is the best player I have seen play.
Giggs - age is catching up with him but he can still do a more than a decent job in the middle of the park. He can match up to almost any of the midfielders you have in England.
Carrick - Again, fans seem to dislike him because he is not running around the park and sliding into tackles in all directions. He is more reserved, more conservative with his tackling. But i do love his positional play and I think he does a brilliant job of shielding the back 4 most of the times - atleast almost all of the time in England. Europe maybe a different story.
Defence - Well we have Evra, Rio, Vida, Rafael, Smalling, Jones, Evans - with the possibility of Baines coming in. With or without him - that gives us ample cover for the season. The best defence in England in my opinion. Much ahead of City & Chelsea.
So am i confident of this team throwing a good challenge to City and running them right till the end like last season ? Yes I Am.
Do I think United will win the premier league this season ? No i dont :)
I believe United will run them close - but i dont think we are ready to win this just yet. City are at a good age - 26,27,28 - and i think they will continue to dominate in England this season too.
For this United team, it might be a season too early. But give them one more good year - a nice tight finish in the premier league and decent run in the cups in Europe and England - and then maybe next season ..who knows :)
Predicted Finish - 3rd
Players to Watch from the Fantasy Premier League -
Rooney - At 12.0 Million - he is not cheap. But you dont expect Rooney to be cheap. He will score goals - and this a given. He always seems to go on a streak of 4-5 or 6 games where he seems like he is scoring for fun. Make sure you catch that streak. Make sure you have him as your captian for that streak. Else - you might be playing catch-up very early in the season.>
Kagawa - At 8.5m, Kagawa is a very interesting option. I dont know where he will play or how often - but he might be a very good differential. When united have a run of easy fixtures - i will try and accommodate him in my team somehow.
Vidic - Clean Sheets are always a guarantee for United. And with Vidic - you can say the same about goals too. If he chips in with 4 or 5 goals this season (which is not unheard of for Vidic) - he will be your 1 defender who carries your team on his shoulders in Gameweeks of goal famines.
So what has changed between then and now ? Man City have failed to make any notable additions to their squad (which i believe will most definitely change come the start of the season)
Manchester United on the other hand have moved quickly out of the blocks - securing the play-maker Kagawa and a young prospect Powell. I havent personally watched them play for me to make any comment on how good additions they are to the squad. YouTube videos always speak the good about the player - so I am a little skeptical weighing purchases based on best moments compilation.
I hear they are also in the market for Van Persie (at 8/9 - they look the favorites with the bookies to land the Dutchman) and rumors growing strong about adding Brazilian wonderkid Lucas Moura to their squad.
Van Persie for sure would be a great addition - and strike force of Rooney and RVP is sure to strike fear in all defences across Europe.
Do Manchester United really need him though ? I have my doubts. We are already well covered in that area having Rooney, Welbeck, Chicharito, Macheda & Berbatov ( well hes still here ... ) Adding RVP hardly gives us another dimension to speak off. Moreover - having RVP might also stunt the growth of Welbeck & Macheda. Not to mention the young lad 'Keane' who has been getting wonderful reviews from the academy. So is RVP worth the 65 million pound deal ( 25 million in fees + 10 million in wages each year for 4 years ) - having no resale value ? I dont think so. He does not naturally fit into the system that we are employing right now. He also has no resale value. At 65 million pounds for the entire deal - he is expensive. He will stunt the growth of young lands coming through the academy.
Having said all of that - I would rather have Van Persie at United than see him pairing up with Aguero & Tevez & Company. :)
Lucas Moura - YouTube videos are great - and again - I would rather have him than not have him. But do we need him ? Do i think we need him ? My answer still remains no.
So who do we need ? A Modric ? A Nuri Sahin ? A Sneijder ? A Yann M'Vila ? Who do we exactly need?
My answer - Nobody. Thats exactly who we need ? We are a great squad of young lands who are hungry for success and who seem to gel very well with each other.
Cleverly should benefit from his experience of last season. With Vidic back - we might see more of Blood, Sweat & Glory from Jones in the middle of the park.
Anderson - if he manages to remain fit - he will do the running around for us.
Scholes, Giggs & Carrick
Scholes - is the best player I have seen play.
Giggs - age is catching up with him but he can still do a more than a decent job in the middle of the park. He can match up to almost any of the midfielders you have in England.
Carrick - Again, fans seem to dislike him because he is not running around the park and sliding into tackles in all directions. He is more reserved, more conservative with his tackling. But i do love his positional play and I think he does a brilliant job of shielding the back 4 most of the times - atleast almost all of the time in England. Europe maybe a different story.
So am i confident of this team throwing a good challenge to City and running them right till the end like last season ? Yes I Am.
Do I think United will win the premier league this season ? No i dont :)
I believe United will run them close - but i dont think we are ready to win this just yet. City are at a good age - 26,27,28 - and i think they will continue to dominate in England this season too.
For this United team, it might be a season too early. But give them one more good year - a nice tight finish in the premier league and decent run in the cups in Europe and England - and then maybe next season ..who knows :)
Predicted Finish - 3rd
Players to Watch from the Fantasy Premier League -
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