Unbelievable - Sneijder rumours abound!

Just one day after we wrote that Wesley Sneijder must come to Manchester United, the Interwebs were ablaze with the rumours that the Dutchman was coming to Manchester -- but the wrong side of town!

The CounterAttack refuses to believe that Sneijder would sign for City. Let's call it a hunch, as United have a long and successful link with Dutch players. This goes as far back as Arnie Muhren and includes Jaap Stam, Van Nistelrooij, and of course Edwin Van der Sar - silverware winners all, while City...don't. Still, it could happen.

We simply can't believe that despite all his protestations that Sir Alex Ferguson would allow a key rival to snatch such a needed player away from him. So until we see Sneijder in blue, we won't believe it.

We also press our plea to Ferguson to get this deal done! As much as signing Cantona and Keano were testaments on which Ferguson built his empire, not signing Sneijder will help some other club do the same. Let's not let that happen.

The one reason Sneijder must come to United

The CounterAttack returns, after a season-long layoff, thanks to an incredible season from Manchester United. A record 19^th English top-division league title was won. We had thought that 2010-11 was not the year for United but were we ever wrong!

Last year’s analysis is why we’re back. We didn’t think Manchester would win last season mainly because of personnel. We didn’t think Chicharito would settle in as quickly, and that the midfield would be exposed for its frailties. Luckily in the league, the other clubs couldn’t seize the moment; cruelly, we were exposed in the last match, at the Champions League final.

So this season, we’re pleased to see Sir Alex sign David De Gea to replace the incomparable Edwin Van der Sar. Despite his precocious youth, De Gea does nothing but win everywhere he goes, an irreplaceable quality that will belie his age.

Adding another winger in Ashley Young is never a bad idea. He offers options and allows Ferguson the flexibility to consider the transfer market to raise funds – even though we firmly believe that the Glazers have always made funds available, it’s always a good idea to be able to raise money through player sales.

Phil Jones is a combination of the De Gea-Young signing – he adds youth to the defensive mix, allows for options in terms of selling players on, and provides flexibility in squad selection.

But the big story all summer has been Wesley Sneijder and his will-he-won’t-he saga. He’s on, he’s not, he’s signed, he hasn’t, he wants to come, he doesn’t want to leave Italy, he’s agreed to terms, his wages aren’t being matched, it’s his wife, it’s his gaffer, it’s UK taxes it’s….ENOUGH!

Manchester United need Sneijder because he instantly solves the midfield problem that has existed ever since Roy Keane left. Sneijder would link to the strikers, working between the wingers. He would be the bulwark to stop opponent attacks, beginning the defence from the midfield.

Sneijder would perfectly replace Scholes, as the Dutchman can score from distance. His work rate would help Rooney – they would split the middle so Wazza won’t need to run all over the place as much. And, his national coach said that Manchester United would be the best system for Sneijder to play, as it mirrors what the Dutch use.

But all these things are known. And if we’re honest, with some luck, one of Fergie’s latest Fledglings could be that player. There is, however, one reason why United should sign Sneijder, above all others:

So that no one else can.

Sneijder is the final puzzle piece for Manchester United. He is the best two-way midfielder of his generation. As such, he could also be the building block from which to build for clubs with pretensions. Perish the thought another Premier League club might sig... (shudder)....

So for this reason and this reason alone, it is critical that should Wesley Sneijder leave Inter, he wind up only at Old Trafford.

(Image owner unknown; not property of The CounterAttack; will attribute properly upon notification.)

The title decider or, Playing with house money

The Manchester-Chelski match has just kicked off. Any points for Manchester means they control their destiny over the last six weeks of the season. A loss, however, means a gut-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat race to the finish.

Manchester are playing with house money, though -- they can lose and still have a chance to make up the points in the last month and a half. Chelski, on the other hand, must win. It is difficult to see Manchester dropping more than three points in the run up to the season's close should Chelsk allow United to go four points up.

The best result for United would be a win followed by a draw or loss by Arsenal to Wolves later today. The next-best scenario is a draw v Chelsk, with Arsenal dropping points. Anything short of a win means Arsenal are out of the race for sure. A loss isn't fatal to United but it would leave an unpleasant scenario: asking Liverpool to beat Chelski when those two meet up on the second-last weekend of the season.

While neutrals might plump for an exciting finish, there is more than a season’s title at stake. Manchester are chasing a historic fourth-in-a-row title -- no Premier League club has ever done that. In fact, no English first-division club has ever accomplished this feat.

There were two clubs besides United that have come close. Arsenal won four-in-five from 1931-35, during their first run of success, under Herbert Chapman. Of course Liverpool would be the other club. Stunningly in their record-setting 16-year span between 1975-1990, they won 10 titles. No club other than Pool won back-to-back titles in that span, but Pool never won more than three consecutively, which they only did once (1982-1984).

That's a run like the NY Yankees in their dominant pomp between 1949-64. Unlike the Yankees, however, Liverpool have never won the league again since. That title drought is now longer than their era of success.

So history is at stake and with Rooney out, United are underdogs. One final point in favor of United -- a loss by Chelsk could mean another bout of tears for Terry.

One can only hope.

The gamble

The deed is done, the ink is dry and Michael Owen is indeed joining Manchester United.

The CounterAttack thinks this is a brilliant move. Sir Alex Ferguson is renowned for his love of the horses and a spot of gambling but this could turn out to be one of his best bets.

Mickey, still only 29, after all cost nothing to get. Manchester are paying relative peanuts for his services. The consensus, from The Times, The Independent and The Guardian, is that Owen will be on £30,000 a week plus bonuses.

The more he plays and scores, the more he will earn. There is no downside for either. Mickey gets Premier League and European exposure and a chance to wear the Three Lions again. Manchester will either get a boatload of goals or will have paid less for an experiment than they pay their second-string midfielders.

Reactions from the United and Liverpool forums are all over the place. Manchester forums are torn between trusting Ferguson and not wanting a former Kop legend to wear the United shirt. Apologies for this terrible attempt on the Repulik of Mancunia site but it sums everything quite nicely.

Liverpool reactions are, to be honest, quite amusing. Most of the comments on the Liverpool unofficial official (sic) fan forum Red and White Kop are furious or mocking. One thread, started after Owen's agent put out a brochure to find a buyer for Mickey's services, has now gone on for 58 pages. It is a backhanded compliment to Owen how much Liverpool felt betrayed by his move to Real Madrid in 2005, that there is so much vitriol four years later.

One of the few reasonable RAWK comments also details why United supporters should be more excited about Owen. This lad's got it spot on:

That's the thing though he's not shite, he'd score a bagful with them. The style of play would suit him down to the ground, Andy Cole had a successful career with the Mancs. I'd honestly have prefered them get Benzema for £30mil, unproven and could be another Cisse for all we know. Owen is still only 29 and if he manages to put his injuries behind him he'll score goals for whoever he plays for, if they get him for nowt, even if he's a bench warmer the more money they have to spend on more players.

If Cantona can come to Manchester after wearing the Leeds shirt, the CounterAttack has no problem with Owen. If he turns out aces, all the better.

(But it is weird to see him in a United shirt!)

photo via Manchester United Official web site.

The move of the season?

And with a bang, the summer transfer season is off to one of its best starts.

First came the successive record signings of Kaka (£56m) and Ronaldo (£80m) last week. Two days ago on Tuesday, Real Madrid sprung the news that the Bernebau was also going to be the new home for Karim Benzema (£30m). The Franck Ribery soap opera continues, with the Bayern midfielder claiming that now he does want to leave Munich and that he wants to become the latest Galactico.

Last night, however, came the true shocker. Having lost out on Benzema, and with only the yet-untested Antonio Valencia to show so far, Alex Ferguson may have made the move of the season. Without warning and rather innocently, the news came over the wires: Michael Owen is about thisclose to signing with Manchester United. For free. On a pay-for-play salary. Did we mention he’s coming on a free?

The CounterAttack has only two words: Gob. Smacked.

Where to start? First off, even though this will be Owen’s 13th professional season, he is still only 29. Scorer of 157 professional goals in 322 matches, he can still score, as 26 Newcastle goals in 56 games started attest. He has experience at the highest levels, and knows how to play before the most demanding supporters. Besides, it is addition by subtraction, as Owen at Manchester means that he will not be scoring for anyone else in the Premier League.

Jayz. Owen is only 29. We have to repeat that because it is so stunning. The injuries thing? Yeah that is a concern but much less so than if he were 32 (and yes, a couple of years makes a difference in these cases). Oh man, and he can still score. The shock might turn out to be that no one else really made a play for Owen.

Whenever the genius of Alex Ferguson is debated, moves like this have to be included in the conversation. He made end-of-career pickups like Sheringham and Henrik Larson, goal-scorers both, that paid off handsomely. Ferguson’s astuteness at judging talent is an important factor in Manchester’s success.

The concern, of course, is that Owen is finished, that injuries have wrecked his career, that he is a mere shadow of what he was. Perhaps. Then again, Manchester already have their strike force set with Rooney and Berbatov, and Valencia on the wing. They have backups in Macheda and Welbeck. So Mickey Owen is coming as insurance, top-line insurance at a bargain-basement price. Make that, at zero cost.

Owen will be more than a super-sub, but not a full starter. He will fill in when the main force have an off-day. He will certainly get spot starts, as the young strikers are, well, young. When Berba goes missing, as he does, Owen will be ready and able. Better still, if he does prove he is up to it, he can play with Rooney (a fellow former Everton supporter) and behind Berba in a 4-3-3.

The best part for United is that there is so little downside. If Owen is fully fit and starts strong, then he will get more playing time. He will want to do this, if only to get back onto the England squad. He offers Ferguson options up front and along the wing.

What a roller-coaster week. The CounterAttack was not totally sold on Benzema but was willing to adopt a wait-and-see attitude for his expected arrival at Old Trafford. The news that he went to Real instead was shocking, as much for its completion as for how much we were affected. He was a young but tested player. He had Champions League experience, and would have been a missing piece for the next several seasons.

Signing Owen would be an effective antidote. He has the skills, if not quite the same pace. Since he has become a poacher, he complements both Rooney and Berbatov. His experience will balance quite nicely a team that is becoming younger. Veterans Scholes and Giggs will likely not get much time, and certainly not for much longer.

Does this move win the Champions League for Manchester? Not sure. The team needs a stronger midfield to do that. The CounterAttack is still campaigning for a Wesley Sneijder signing. Getting Owen does make a record-breaking title more likely though. Suddenly the power balance has shifted back to Manchester, just as Liverpool and Chelsea were trying to gain an advantage. The fact that he cost nothing means that Manchester still has all that Ronaldo money to spend on a Big Signing. Or two.

It will be weird to see Mickey in a Manchester shirt, no doubt. Some (blinkered) supporters will oppose this move on principle (Scouser, played at Anfield).

CounterAttack prefers to see this as proof that the gaffer is the best-ever manager in English football.

photo via Soccernet.com

Thanks Carlitos, glad to see you go?

First of all, let's get it clear: the CounterAttack would have preferred to welcome back Carlos Tevez than see him go.

The little Argentine is a dynamic force who has a knack for scoring important goals wherever he goes. With Ronaldo's departure, Tevez would have either landed a starter's role or would have seen increased playing time - considering he had more appearances than Rooney or Berbatov last season, that's saying a lot. He was a dynamo whose graft was clearly appreciated by the United faithful.

Turning down the £25.5 million re-signing fee, however, is not a bad thing. The total £35.5 million (including the £10 million United paid to 'borrow' Carlitos two seasons ago) is a lot for a role-playing forward. Let's not forget that Tevez is prone to go missing for stretches, at least in the Premier League. Again, not a sour grapes comment. But while five goals in 29 games last season, and 26 goals in 89 games for West Ham and Manchester from 2006-09, are respectable, they're hardly irreplaceable.

So this is not a case of a player lost as it is an opportunity to use the saved funds to buy a more appropriate player. For the same money, United could acquire the services of a Wesley Sneijder or Rafael van der Vaart. Let's not forget that United already had £25 million in the transfer kitty before the Ronaldo sale.

Put another way: Sir Alex could finish the expected Antonio Valencia signing (£17 million), go after Karim Benzema (£40 million), have enough to splash out for a Sneijder, and still have not used up the entire available funds.

This is not a United squad that needs an overhaul. Losing a talent like Ronaldo is not fun but it does open the team's tactics to spread the wealth rather than rely on a single player. Ironically, Tevez would have been one to benefit from this.

Yes, it would be crazy and disingenuous to say "good riddance" or to say that the team could not benefit from keeping him. But it is equally loopy to say that his loss plus Ronaldo signals the demise of this United squad.

The CounterAttack fully expects Rooney and Berbatov to thrive in the new lineup as the focus of attack. It is easy to see them feeding off each other. A few key signings, a little bit of luck with some of the younger talent (Welbeck, Macheda, Derbyshire), a healthy Hargreaves. No, it won't be easy to win the 19th title but when was it ever?

Besides, since Carlitos claims he doesn't want to go to Liverpool for "emotional reasons", he has all our thanks, in every way.

Ronnie to Madrid, we said

Um, wow - the CounterAttack wrote on Sunday that Cristiano Ronaldo should go to Real Madrid, that Manchester should take the money and run. We even said that the fee would be around £80 million. Oh heck, we actually flat out said it would be for precisely £80 million. Now, if Manchester wind up with Wesley Sneijder on the squad, we are shopping our CV around....

Ronnie should go to help United

The CounterAttack picked up a Dutch friend at the airport yesterday, and asked: “Which of the Real Madrid Dutchies would be good for Manchester?”

 

“Well, van der Vaart is silky smooth on the ball,” he said, “but Sneijder has more bite on the field. Then again, why not get Robben or if you need a striker, Huntelaar? Why?”

 

Because it says here that Manchester United should finally take advantage of Real Madrid’s tawdry years-long pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo. The CounterAttack predicts that Manchester have little reason to hold onto him this time and should instead take the money and run, laughing all the way to the bank.

 

This is not a backlash against Ronnie. It’s not personal, it’s strictly business. Make no mistake – Ronaldo is a fantastically talented winger who has averaged a hair less than 20 goals in each of his five years at the club, including 42 in 2007-08. He is a player that can take over and win a match. His semi-final 40-yarder v Porto was only the most recent wonder-goal of many for United that also came at a timely moment.

 

BUT. But. But….For all that, Ronaldo has limitations at the team level. The Champions League final crystallized this. Again, let it be clear: this is not a sour grapes issue. After all, Ronnie was arguably the only Red that showed up in Rome. As the match progressed, however, it became clear that Ronaldo had decided to be the team. It was most likely justified but there were instances where he shot on goal rather than squaring to pass. When Ronaldo decides to take over a game, there is no room for others, and that does not fly in Sir Alex’s squad system.

 

That system is why Rooney has had to accept a linking role, Tevez is relegated to the bench, and Berbatov is a spot starter. Ronaldo is marvelous but the truth is that he is slightly out of position. Worse, in terms of overall talent, on both sides of the ball, and as a team player, both Tevez and Rooney are much better than Ronaldo. After all, Rooney or Tevez have poor games up front, they can track back and harass and try to win the ball. This is a glaring deficiency in Ronnie’s CV – when he is off, that’s it.

 

But there are other reasons to sell Ronaldo. Manchester have never effectively replaced Roy Keane. There was no bite in the midfield, no strong link between defence and offence. Owen Hargreaves might offer some needed presence but it would be quite a stretch to suggest that the Canadian Englishman was the missing piece against Barca. Any fair observer, however, can imagine a very different game with Rooney and Tevez starting and linking with Berbatov, instead of waiting for Ronaldo to take over.

 

Thirdly, there is the possibility that Sir Alex might have had enough of another player grown too big for his boots. The watershed is probably Ronnie’s snatched-towel substitution v Man City. Yes, Sir Alex downplayed the incident, but so did he with similar incidents for Stam, Beckham, van Nistelrooij and Heinze…just before they were sold. It could be that enough is enough, and if Real is serious and their offer high enough, it would allow everyone to save face.

 

The guess here is that the transfer fee will be around £80 million, a staggering sum mentioned several times by Real. It is impossible to see Manchester agreeing to less but more would be too much even for Madrid. Here is a kicker – the CounterAttack would suggest United take less money, take a problem off Real’s hands, and strengthen United’s squad in the process.

 

Even without new buys, Madrid have too many attackers: Sneijder, van der Vaart, Guti, Raul, Saviola, Huntelaar, Robben, plus the still-lethal van Nistelrooij. Maybe Kaka. Maybe David Silva.

 

For the Dutch, that is an entire generation of potential national team starters, each fighting to make the roster for South Africa. There is no way any of them can afford to sit as substitutes for an entire season, especially not this season. The CounterAttack expects that at least some of Dutch players are looking for new clubs. Elite players need Champions League football, and the Premier League is the obvious choice.

 

After all, it is difficult to imagine Real helping Barca get stronger. If Kaka goes – we find out tomorrow – Milan will be less able to contend for Champions League for another couple of years still. Few teams can afford high price tags and make deep Champions League runs. Inter or Juventus might be options; then again, Manchester, Liverpool or Chelsea have all made consecutive semi-final trips in Champions League. It would be foolish to bet against any of those three for next season. So despite protestations on the weather, it makes sense for the Dutchies to head to England.

 

Manchester have their attack sorted even without Ronaldo, through Rooney and Berbatov, so that’s Huntelaar out. Robben’s ever-sore hamstrings prevent him from becoming a natural successor to Giggs. While van der Vaart would be an excellent addition at Old Trafford, what Manchester really need is a midfield with bite. Sneijder excels at that role, and can shore up an attack. He would be a good fit for United’s style, while highlighting his talents for inclusion at South Africa in 2010.

 

Says the CounterAttack: not only will United finally sell Ronnie to Madrid, they will use the money to go after Sneijder. Nail-hard, football smart and talented on the ball, Sneijder would be a more talented Roy Keane…with less red mist. Rarely is a club of Manchester’s stature able to set a world-record transfer fee and still be able to improve its squad.

 

The CounterAttack feels that Sir Alex is astute enough to make the move, and then take about £25 million to sign Sneijder, another £32 million to re-sign Tevez – oh yes, he will re-sign since Ronnie’s departure means more starting opportunities for Carlitos – and still have more than £20 million surplus. All from one sale. And, that’s not to mention the £25 million already in the transfer kitty that can be used for other purposes.

 

So it’s not if United should do it but rather, how can they not. We wish you well, Ronnie, thanks for the memories.

Barca triumphs as Manchester lose their way

It was one of the rarest of exhibitions - Manchester United went to a Champions League final and forgot to play. 

This is not a rationalization of a game that was lost, it is an indictment of the worst tactical game Sir Alex Ferguson ever devised. There is such a thing as too much respect and clearly Ferguson read every report on the might of Barcelona. After all this time, after reaching the summit for consecutive years, after a decade of revamping his squad, Sir Alex reverted to 1997, playing away from his team’s strength, right into those of his opponent. He out-clevered himself.

Please don’t think this is a slight on Barcelona. They came, they saw, they conquered. There is no doubt that the Catalans are worthy champions. They played the way they could, the way they know how, and dared Manchester to match them on the pitch. It was a stage set for a grand finale, but only Barca showed up.

The first 10 minutes held great promise. United blazed into Barcelona’s half, pinning the Catalans on their heels. A vicious spot kick from Ronaldo forced Valdes to parry it, so forceful was the shot. On another day, the follow-up from Park would have scored a goal. As it was, it went for a goal kick and the first sign that it was not Manchester’s day.

And then, out of nothing, Barca’s first venture forward, and then Vidic was spun around, and Eto’o slotted past van der Sar. 1-nil and essentially, the whole match, over by the 10th minute.

Manchester deflated and couldn’t do anything right the rest of the match. No pressure, no sustained attacks, unable to put together anything together. 

Many will say that it was Barcelona that took Manchester out of the match, but that’s not right. Barcelona just played, but United defeated themselves. That’s not being disingenuous - Manchester tried to contain Barcelona but this is a club that does not have containment in its DNA. Manchester contain by attacking, flowing, moving the ball across the pitch. Instead, the players tried short passes, pointless crosses and static play. 

Barcelona were a club to be respected but none of the English clubs that made the semi-finals would have had to fear Barca. Top Four matches in England provide plenty of opportunity to play against the highest caliber players and tactics (especially after Hiddink joined Chelsea).

In fact, it wasn’t as if Barcelona put on a master class. That is not to say they could have been beaten, and CounterAttack does want to make that clear. But there was nothing on display that should have troubled United. Messi played his usual match but it wasn’t streets beyond anything United have seen before. His header to clinch the match, though - now there was a sublime moment. How he could have shot that across goal, while falling back and mis-hittting the ball of the side of his head…. well, it’s moments like those that indicate whose day it’s going to be. All champions need the Fates to smile on them as much as they need talent to carry the team through the match. Usually, one squad has less of one than the other. Yesterday, it was Barcelona that had both in spades. 

One thing - Gerard Pique had the match of his life. It must have been sweet for him. Pique played well above himself, at least above what was expected, according to all pre-match scouting reports. For the CounterAttack, because we try to see beyond the obvious, Pique saved several crosses from becoming shots on goal, was always in the right place, and never missed a step in the biggest match of his career. There is no doubt that he deserves Man of the Match honors. 

For Manchester, they are not so far off that a return to the final is unthinkable. The talent is there - although we don't think Ronaldo will return. What became obvious during the match is that he imposes too much of himself into the match, and not in a good way. We're not talking about injections of energy, as Tevez does. The problem with Ronaldo is that when he's off, he does not have much else to offer. But since the focus of the offense continues to revolve around him, the rest of the team become wasted talent. Then again, how do you substitute him in an important match? The headaches continue, and CounterAttack thinks that if Real come a'courtin' again, that United should take the money, re-sign Tevez and start him in the midfield, move Berbatov to the clear #9, Rooney to the #10 and find a hard midfielder to win balls and track back when necessary. Ribery has been mentioned but CounterAttack has a predilection for Dutch players and thinks that Wesley Sneijder would be a wonderful presence at Old Trafford. We'll see what happens.

So hats off to Barca, worthy winners, best in Europe, clearly got it done all season. We only wish that Manchester United had bothered to show up for the match to at least provide some entertainment to the night. It's what everyone had expected, and the worst possible time for Manchester to disappoint.

Another new hero.

After two sub-par matches and 80 minutes into a third one, Manchester United reverted back to its attacking - and winning - form. The final 10 minutes of the Villa match saw again an intimidating United, one that can impose its will on a match.

Sir Alex Ferguson again transformed a desperate situation into magic. His revelation this time was reserve Federico Macheda, the 17-yr-old unknown who came in as a 60th-minute substitute. The gamble paid off and 30 minutes later - what a goal, what a goal, what a goal! An impeccable Cruyff-turn past his defender and Macheda calmly blasted the ball into goal, giving United  full points and the league lead. It was as imperious a goal as Keano's 1999 header v Juve, with equal effects on the team and the crowd.

What a debut for Macheda. He demanded the ball throughout his time on the pitch, attacking with a gusto that would make Rooney blush. Yet he remained in control of himself, the mark of a player ready for his next step in development. Who knows if he will be able to keep this up but the indications are that he has the maturity to get more appearances this season. The goal was only the exclamation point on his run out.

What makes this particularly enjoyable is that Ferguson had limited options with Rooney and Berbatov unavailable. The expectations were that Welbeck would be called upon, and when Macheda was announced, it was surely a surprise to most.

Within seconds of coming on, though, I had a feeling that Sir Alex had made another brilliant move in a career full of them. The man who oversaw the rise of the fabled Golden Generation has also given so many the opportunity to launch themselves into greatness, be they relative unkowns or those not yet where they could be. 

The names trip off the tongue: Schmeichel. Cantona. Stam. Heinze. Evra. Vidic. Ronaldo. 

These days: Rafael. Welbeck. Evans. Anderson. Nani. And now, perhaps, Macheda. 

Some clubs suffer continual rebuilding periods, while others build one championship team but cannot replicate the magic. Ferguson is building his fourth group of champions. 

Ferguson's genius is not just finding and nurturing talent, or even buying it. It lies in slotting that talent seamlessly into existing squads.  Just ask Arsene Wenger, who is nearly as successful at identifying talent - perhaps more so - but has not yet been able to reach the top since his Invincibles ran roughshod over the league five years ago.

For any Manchester United supporter, watching Sir Alex develop players the way he does is one of the joys of following the team. 

Watching United win consistently - well, that is one of the privileges of supporting an Alex Ferguson-led side. 

Getting the call right

There's been a lot of controversy about Brad Friedel's send off in the Aston Villa - Liverpool match earlier today. I haven't seen a clip of the play yet but let's hope Atkinson didn't get the call wrong. It would be a stroke of fortune for Manchester United, who play Villa next. Having Friedel, one of the best keepers in the league, out of the match can only help a Manchester side that is not-yet-but-nearly struggling.

More when the FA's decision comes out....

Worthy champions in 2008...and beyond?

Manchester United were justifiable winners of their third Champions Cup title, this past Wednesday. United did not lose a match in the entire tournament, and scored the most goals. Like all champions, they received a dose of luck, but also created enough of their own to deserve what they received.

The championship game v Chelsea properly went the full distance. Both sides were evenly matched, and of course both knew the other well. A testament to both managers’ tactics was that all substitutions were attack-minded ones. They didn't play for penalties in Moscow.

In the Premier League, United were equally worthy of winning their 17th title. The superlatives: most goals scored, most wins, greatest goal differential, least goals allowed, the best attacking player and best defensive player....You'd have to stretch to find a negative. 

There are those who argue whether this Cup side is better than the 1999 Treble winners. For not winning the FA Cup, the argument is moot - the '99 side was more successful. The 2008 champions have more talent, however, and greater promise for more future success.

A player like that boy Ronaldo, for instance comes along less than once in a generation. He is Best and Law and Beckham, wrapped into one happy-footed package. And while he may be gone sooner than not, he is an exclamation point to the team. That is to say, only an exclamation point.

That's right, it says here that if Cristiano Ronaldo were to leave, he'd be sorely missed but that the club would remain potent. If Ronaldo were to head for La Liga, he'd go for a record-breaking sum - 100 million pounds is not out of the question. That would leave plenty of money available to buy a player that can support Rooney and Tevez.

The contributions made by Wazza and Carlitos were overshadowed by Ronaldo's magical season. El Apache scored 14 goals, most of them clever strikes, and good enough for second-most at United this season. Admittedly that's a big drop from Ronny's numbers, but few can doubt that Tevez could boost his totals were he to be the focus.

Rooney's contributions this season were much less obvious. He is a very good defender, and races into the defensive half time and again to win the ball. He has adapted to the supporting role that Sir Alex has asked of him. Yet he is unfairly criticised for not scoring more goals. That's not his focus in this lineup.

Kudos to Wayne for evolving into the consummate team player. But he is still a threat to score and forces defences to put a man on him all the time. It freed up Ronaldo and Tevez all season, and was thus an unsung factor in many of the team's goals.

This triumvirate functioning closely bodes well for the next couple of years for United. This is, after all, a team that has learned how to get the results they need. 

Manchester were criticised for not winning away to Barca, for example. But as any long-time United supporter will tell you, it's the end results that matter.

That's not arrogance, that's learning from losses to Monaco, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Milan - the list is long, glorious...and painful. This year's squad finally learned how to maintain a sense of the bigger picture. As late as last season, the Milan away match was a perfect example of a match where United lost the plot. Those sorts of lapses have bedeviled the club in the past decade, a sore point for Ferguson.

This year, however, there was a sense of calm and efficiency in every game. A lot of that comes from having Vidic and Ferdinand marshaling the backfield. They are among the best defensive partnerships in the world. Wes Brown finally grew into the talent he demonstrated before injuries nearly ended a promising career. So the attacking side and the defensive line are solid.

Most importantly, this is a young but mature side. This is only the third year since Ronaldo and Rooney have linked up. Adding Tevez was a master stroke - all three know how to win. The meshing of talent was a question mark at the start of the season. Goalscorers are notoriously selfish yet all three seemed to revel in the others’ successes.

A fourth striker will doubtless be added in the close season. A top midfielder would also help do the business. This is a team that continues to go from strength to strength. After all, we haven't even discussed the raw abilities of Anderson and Nani.

So congratulations to Sir Alex and the 2007-08 Manchester United side. He will surely want to prevent a slide like the one suffered by the Treble side after 1999. The team has already served notice that they aim to collect more silverware before Sir finally retires. Considering what Manchester accomplished this season, it will be wondrous to watch if this comes to pass.