Maybe Sir Alex has found his
central midfielder
Experts suggested Sir Alex Ferguson
fling his summer spending money at a central midfielder with tenacity
and passing range. Instead, he thrust an enormous great wodge of
cash at former rival Arsene Wenger and made
away with Robin van Persie.
This left the centre of Old Trafford
manned by the solid but ultimately-misunderstood Michael Carrick, the
Premiership's largest pannus (Anderson), the as-yet unfulfilled
promise of Tom Cleverley and Paul Scholes' walking frame. What they
wouldn't give for a Yohan Cabaye, a Cheick Tiote or Marek Hamsik. A
glut up front and then … a gap.
Perhaps no more: the Red Devils went to
Newcastle yesterday with a resurgent
Wayne Rooney playing in the middle of the park. This allows
Shinji Kagawa – perhaps United's most impressive player so far this
season – to play in his preferred no. 10 role and Robin van Persie
to do what he does best. Although this goes against Coaching 101,
which states a coach should play his best player in his best
position, there are now credible questions as to whether Rooney is in
fact the best player at Old Trafford.
As
Rooney enters his ostensible prime, it seems he should be playing in
the position which will allow him to have the most success, and
that's his favoured second-striker role. Rooney as
central-midfielder doesn't feel
right, almost a waste of the best English offensive talent of his
generation to play him back from goal so far – but it could well be
the best method to allow United to win and win often. It certainly
helps that Rooney has more talent in his little finger than Anderson
in his entire ample body.
Although still mightily effective, Paul
Scholes is ancient. This makes Rooney the best centre
midfielder at United's disposal. With a surfeit of options ahead,
Wayne Rooney may spend the best part of season 2012-13 creating,
rather than finishing chances.
Andre Villas-Boas changes
goalkeepers, creates controversy
A
week after engineering Spurs' first league win at Old Trafford for 23
years and in the midst of some outstanding goalkeeping from Brad
Friedel, Andre Villas-Boas changed tack: he started French no. 1 Hugo
Lloris between the sticks. Thus, he ended
Friedel's remarkable stretch of 310 consecutive starts in what
appeared to be somewhat of a capricious choice. Known as a model
professional, Friedel took it well – when arrived at White Hart
Lane before last season with Heurelho Gomes and Carlo Cudicini, he
can't possibly have expected to play every game.
Spurs
got the win against a workmanlike Aston Villa side and Lloris claimed
the club's first clean sheet of the season.
The
result across the pond was curious. Some US TV commentators, most
notably Eric Wynalda, were disgusted with the dapper Villas-Boas,
claiming Friedel was disrespected and would subsequently look to
leave the club.
Villas-Boas
can't win. When Lloris didn't play immediately, France coach
Didier Deschamps accused the Spurs manager of disrespect. Now, when
Friedel is asked to sit – perhaps only for one game – there are
others with vested interests (Wynalda and Friedel have commentated
together) who sing the opposing song.
The
thing is that Friedel is 41 and can't last forever; Lloris was signed
to be Spurs' long-term keeper. He has to play. Perhaps Villas-Boas
did misjudge how and when to play Lloris, but to suggest that it
automatically constitutes disrespect is an awfully long a bow to draw
without intimate access to the Tottenham dressing sheds.
Splitting
goalkeepers rarely works – just ask Sir Alex Ferguson how the
Lindegaard/De Gea horses-for-courses policy is working. Villas-Boas
has a pleasant dilemma in having two starting-quality keepers at his
disposal. Can't
we just be happy for him?
Second season syndrome
Norwich
City impressed last year on their promotion to the Premiership. This
year they appear to have lost some of the cohesion that made them so
formidable in 2011-12. What's the difference?
Although
there wasn't a great changeover of personnel, there most major was
when Paul
Lambert left Carrow Road for Villa Park. It was an acrimonious
split and last week both parties alleged that the other was suing
them. Before leaving, Lambert refused to pay Grant Holt what the big
striker thought he was worth, resulting in the former tyre-fitter
issuing a transfer request. The air of optimism that surrounded
Norwich City last season has been replaced with one of distress.
The
club keeps shopping goals – four to Chelsea on the weekend – and,
at the same time, hasn't exuded the same tenacity and fluidity that
exemplified Lambert's Canaries. New boss Chris Hughton is a good
manager, but earns his money by empowering players in a similar
“keep it simple” system to that employed by Harry Redknapp. It
may not be enough.
Players play best when they're happy. Holt definitely isn't, as last
week he lashed out at Roy Hodgson for failing to recognise his form
with an England call-up. He's also the principal leader for the
squad. Hughton has to right the ship – quickly – before this
season starts to ape the ill-fated 2004-05 term.
