I was fortunate enough to be at Old Trafford on Saturday for Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Stoke City in what was a great game to watch from my perspective, but a frustrating one for both Mark Hughes and David Moyes. Stoke were the better team, not by much, but deserved in my opinion to win the game and were robbed of a victory. The one thing that changed the game was the introduction of Adnan Januzaj. I was one that was sceptical of him not justifying the media hype after his impressive display against Sunderland, but he gave United the impetus that they desperately needed. He came on for Nani who had the worst game I've ever seen an individual have, and was booed off by the majority of the 75,274 strong crowd. The cacophony of boos suddenly erupted into cheers when his replacement, Adnan Januzaj, was announced over the tannoy.
He provided United with a different approach. Sure, he may not have scored any of the goals, or even assisted any of them. But what he did do was run directly at the Stoke players and didn't hesitate, something Nani was guilty of for his involvement in the game, and usually made the right decision. He managed to get both Stephen Ireland and Wilson Palacios booked for fouls against him, showing his obvious threat. The rest of the United players were given a lift every time he touched the ball, and looked like they wanted to win the game.
The one thing United lacked throughout the game however was leadership. You could tell that the lack of Ferdinand and Vidic played a big part defensively, especially for the first Stoke goal. Patrice Evra for me isn't the most vocal of captains or leaders, but I can understand why he has been tasked with captaining the side, because Moyes feels that his side needs their captain to be a defender to organise. But Evra isn't the answer. It has to be Vidic or Ferdinand. A team of Manchester United's calibre cannot afford to make as many mistakes as they have been in recent games, especially at home. Sort it out Moyes.
Tuesday 29 October 2013
Friday 25 October 2013
Can Belgium win the World Cup?
Probably not. But they're there. So they have got as much chance as anybody, and with the squad that they possess, they do have a fantastic chance. I do however have two concerns: they aren't ready, and the defence. I'll explain these further.
Firstly, it's their first major tournament for 12 years. Can they feasibly challenge for the trophy even though they've been off of the tournament scene for so long? I don't think they can. They've got an incredibly talented squad, there's no doubting that, but an incredibly young one at that. Daniel van Buyten and Timmy Simons were the only two men above 30 in the last Belgium squad, and they're on their last legs at 35 and 36 years of age respectively. For me, they don't have that blend of youth and experience. You could argue that players like Vincent Kompany and Eden Hazard have experience at the top level, but not on the international stage, that's my doubt.
Secondly, the defence for me is their weak point. I know they have players like Kompany, Vertonghen and Vermaelen, but it's the only position for me that they don't have sufficient strength in depth. They have the choice of two incredible goalkeepers in Mignolet and Courtois who they can rotate to their heart's content. But not in defence. Kompany, Vermaelen, van Buyten and Vertonghen is probably their strongest back four, whilst Alderweireld and Lombaerts make for decent backups. However, I have two more problems here. One: injury prone. Kompany and Vermaelen in particular have been known to pick up an injury, and that worries me because of their lack of strength in depth. Two: not enough game time. van Buyten, Vermaelen and Alderweireld in particular are currently finding themselves out of the first team picture for their respective clubs, which can surely only hinder their chances of even making the squad, and permitting that they do board the plane to Brazil, hinder Belgium's chances of mounting a serious challenge.
They do however have an exceptional midfield and strike force that will have to play to the best of their ability. 'The Afro Brothers' - Marouane Felliani and Axel Witsel - in the centre of midfield allow for players such as Hazard, Chadli, Mertens and de Bruyne to supply the ammunition for Lukaku and Benteke who will surely be vying with one another for that starting berth. And I've not even mentioned Mousa Dembele. Or Kevin Mirallas. Bring on Brazil.
Firstly, it's their first major tournament for 12 years. Can they feasibly challenge for the trophy even though they've been off of the tournament scene for so long? I don't think they can. They've got an incredibly talented squad, there's no doubting that, but an incredibly young one at that. Daniel van Buyten and Timmy Simons were the only two men above 30 in the last Belgium squad, and they're on their last legs at 35 and 36 years of age respectively. For me, they don't have that blend of youth and experience. You could argue that players like Vincent Kompany and Eden Hazard have experience at the top level, but not on the international stage, that's my doubt.
Secondly, the defence for me is their weak point. I know they have players like Kompany, Vertonghen and Vermaelen, but it's the only position for me that they don't have sufficient strength in depth. They have the choice of two incredible goalkeepers in Mignolet and Courtois who they can rotate to their heart's content. But not in defence. Kompany, Vermaelen, van Buyten and Vertonghen is probably their strongest back four, whilst Alderweireld and Lombaerts make for decent backups. However, I have two more problems here. One: injury prone. Kompany and Vermaelen in particular have been known to pick up an injury, and that worries me because of their lack of strength in depth. Two: not enough game time. van Buyten, Vermaelen and Alderweireld in particular are currently finding themselves out of the first team picture for their respective clubs, which can surely only hinder their chances of even making the squad, and permitting that they do board the plane to Brazil, hinder Belgium's chances of mounting a serious challenge.
They do however have an exceptional midfield and strike force that will have to play to the best of their ability. 'The Afro Brothers' - Marouane Felliani and Axel Witsel - in the centre of midfield allow for players such as Hazard, Chadli, Mertens and de Bruyne to supply the ammunition for Lukaku and Benteke who will surely be vying with one another for that starting berth. And I've not even mentioned Mousa Dembele. Or Kevin Mirallas. Bring on Brazil.
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