NOTE: I will do a "weekend in review" entry on Monday to cover my views on the goings-on in EPL, La Liga & Bundasliga. I will have occasional entries focusing entirely on Manchester United, Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund such as this one.
Since I am somewhat blessed with more free-time than I have ever encountered since my early teens this summer, I have frequented numerous blogs & twitter feeds by United fans. Some are certainly superior, but a definite overarching theme is the tendency to succumbing to hyperbole: it's either "doom's day" or "the title 100%". Following United's two games, the trend did not really sway. Some remained unduly negative, while others attacked their fellow fan's for not seeing United's performance as anything but the start of undisputed another title run. I'm going to attempt to take a more pragmatic approach when addressing the season opening.
THE POSITIVES:
Kagawa. Kagawa is simply amazing. While United fans may rue - myself amongst them - the bypassing of Eden Hazard to Chelsea FC (where he is tearing up shit like a licensed backhoe operator), Kagawa has slotted into the side and is doing exactly what United needs him to do: provide that useful central link between midfield and the striker(s). While the all-around performance of United left much to be desired against Everton (United was lucky to not lose 3-0 or greater), Kagawa's passes-completed and movement provided a glimmer of hope to take away from a disappointing season opener. I have seen Kagawa put in several performances for B. Dortmund and these clever little bits of supporting play up front for Lewandowski is what made B. Dortmund such a lethal force in the Bundasliga last year. Against Fulham - where he was substituted much too early in my opinion - he scored once, and was involved in one matter or another in the other two. Kagawa - I believe - will be United's top player this season.
United's Formation vs. Fulham. When United purchased Kagawa and RVP (pictured right, celebrating his first goal) the internet almost imploded with discussion of how Fergie was going to utilize both of them with the presence of Rooney, Chicharito & Wellbeck in the side as well as a multitude of midfielders. I believe the 4-5-1 that Fergie played versus Fulham IS the answer. The lone striker can be played by either RVP or Rooney, and this allows Kagawa to play where he needs to at the forefront of a diamond, in just behind.
It should be noted that when United played 4-4-2 this season (vs. Everton & vs. Fulham for the final 30 minutes) they started to fall apart, because their midfield resources are much geared toward a diamond formation at the moment. Cleverly, Anderson & Valencia all played in this formation wonderfully for the first half vs. Fulham. I hope to see the relationship between Kagawa and Cleverly grow to perhaps recreate the partnership that Kagawa had with Polish-star Blaszczykowski .
Robin van Persie scoring. I guess this goes without saying, but I admit that I was holding my breath fearing a Fernando Torres-like start from RVP in a new system. His strike vs. Fulham FC was nothing short of world class. While RVP vanished in the latter half of the game, his link play with the midfield, even dropping back as false-9 link player following Rooney's introduction was encouraging as well.
THE NEGATIVES:
The defense. United's defense never looked 100% sturdy for the run-in of last year with Vidic missing and the roles constantly being rotated as injuries dropped the back-line like flies. Unfortunately this trend has continued with Ferdinand, Jones, Smalling and Evans all injured for the start of the season. At the risk of resorting to the sort of smart-ass-told-ya-so attitude that I tend to despise in fellow football bloggers, this was something I feared as soon as John O'Shea parted ways with United. United's most versatile player was always willing to cover whatever position opened up due to injury. Additionally, United purchased two new strikers this season and only a single defender, Buttner (who is covering a position that rarely opens due to injury, LB). In the short-term, United needs to get AN ACTUAL DEFENDER in the CB position, because Carrick - bless his heart - is making a real hash-job of it. Jones and Ferdinand are said to be nearing fitness; throw on Jones for the easier matches, Ferdinand for the Liverpool match. In the long run: buy some more defenders. United need to replace Rio's experience in the centre and ideally they need it with a player who can stay fit more than 50% of the season.
Second half apathy. Combined with the make-shift defense, second half apathy cost United the title last year (if one recalls they were 8 points ahead of City at one point in the run-in). The Fulham game was prime for this: leading comfortably up by 3-1 and then after 60 minutes, play became negative and players such as Young, Anderson and (even) Valencia faded from the game. This partially might be due to the odd formation that United was trying (Wellbeck, RVP in midfield; Giggs in the center and then on the right???), but Ferguson really needs to figure out how to get 90 minutes out of his players once again.
Nani. For me Nani is a player of "3s". For every three games that he plays well, he will be absolutely abysmal for another three. This trait has long been a source of frustration for me since I greatly love his highlights; however, this consistent inconsistency is starting to grate on my nerves. He has the potential to be a game-winner, but so often his ego, selfishness and determination to BE Cristiano Ronaldo have significantly hindered the team. This was perfectly on display versus Everton. Ferguson clearly has noticed this and did not even grant Nani a position on the bench versus Fulham ... to which Nani responded by storming out of Old Trafford in a huff.
Pre-Season Exhaustion. One common theme that I've noticed this year (with the exception of Chelsea FC) is that all the teams that did extensive pre-season tours (United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, PSG, Tottenham) have had sluggish starts. I feel that pre-seasons in EURO & WC years should be limited ... and definitely not span the globe the way United did. Africa-China-Scandinavia is just too busy for these players, with a lot of Euro players forced to join the team for the final leg, despite only 4 weeks off following European Championship.
Overall, I have confidence United will find their stride as the season progresses and the positives get stronger, but I add a cautionary note: if United's negatives are not addressed and United (and it's fans) don't take the in-form Chelsea and City 100% seriously then United is cruising towards a third-place finish. Additionally, Swansea, Fulham and Stoke have all demonstrated the EPL's teams are ALL getting better, so lackluster performances will be punished regardless of the badge on the shirt.
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