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.)

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.

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.