Jul 31
Audi Cup: The Escapist’s Roundup
Hello there, I’m in the middle of moving house, hence there will be some minimal blogging today. I will probably be more detailed when I am well settled in my new abode — internet connectivity permitting. In the meantime, hopefully, Stephen Darwin might fill in, or even — who knows — I might swoop in when I find an idle computer with internet connection like a starved dog on a juicy bone and pen some, mostly inconsequential, words.
I had the chance to watch the Boca Juniors game but only the first half of the Bayern one. In the spirit of the underlying theme of this post I’ll go with something vacuous: I found some parts of the game encouraging and some discouraging. (I know, I told you today wasn’t the day)
Moving on, I will point you out to some of the coverage of the Audi Cup elsewhere:
1. United Rant looks at Antonio Valencia’s debut and gives their first impressions.
2. Scott at RoM was in Munich, and has done a terrific job covering the Audi Cup. You can read his coverage (including his visit to Busby Babes Memorial)
3. Tim Rich on the Guardian wonders where United’s goals will come from.
4. A Kick in the Grass looks at the way the side is shaping up after the Boca Juniors win.
5. Unsurprisingly, another journo wonders where United’s goals are going to come from — this time Mark Ogden of the Telegraph
That’s about it from me for now. I am a terrible packer and mover — this is my nightmare. So wish me luck.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Giggs and Brown to Remain Reds | Ex-Reds Clash | Wenger Threat | Takeovers And Other Such Nonsense
- Possebon Loan ‘Cancelled’; Returns to United?
- The Red Hot Roundup: Scholes, Eggy, FIFA, Evra
- Slow Monday Roundup
- Short Thursday Roundup
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Stephen (454)
Craig Mc (344)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
Did anybody watch the U19 final this afternoon. I watched the first half and I must say tha Wellbeck was very dissappointing. He didn’t get much service but he didn’t place him in positions to get the ball, made no runs and was completely peripheral to the game.
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@Redrich:
correction:
he does fight hard= he doesn’t fight hard.Like?
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i am again somewhat happy with the news that we r going to bid for aguero
and silve
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@owen: Who is this silve? Is he any good?
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sorry for spelling mistake mate…
its the spanish silva
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@owen:
Chances are, its more tabloid bollocks.
Yesterday, some rag said we where giving up on costa because of his private lifestyle, today another rag said we are closing in on a deal. Fuck the rags! I want some clean cloths!
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@Dan: Better not check out my room then, you will find no clean clothes there.
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@Redrich: TRue, individuals differ from one another, but you do find certain persisting characteristics in people from certain regions. For instance, argies are more likely to end up being lying, deceiving cnuts! Not all of them, though.
Still, I would not like to see 25million used for another winger when we just bought 2 and have a few more in the squad already.
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now if the things r going to happen,they will be fast…
hope to get one big name atleast
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@Redrich: Did you know that Berbatov had around 23 successful tackles last season while Tevez had around 14? I’m not sure of the exact statistics, but player style and body language can be deceiving!
And I don’t buy all this stuff about a striker, or forward players having to hussle and tussle. I believe there are two types of attackers -Creators and Finishers.
Berbatov is a creator. Owen is a finisher. Some, like Yorke at his peak – are both. So can Rooney if gets his game on track.
Forwards who hussle and tussle – tevez, Alan Smith – while being ver pleasing on the eye, bring less tangible results than those other two types I mentioned above.
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@Grognard: hey man regarding the magic switch debate i believe the team as a whole will play better than last year and therefor all ur negatives wont be there for us to see, berba will play alot better and owen wont get injured because fergie will be the only manager ever o treat him properly, plus newcastle is renowned for its miserable injury lists, must be voodoo
anyway im just saying dont worry, because without ronaldo we wont be a one man team, and that can only be a good thing, also regarding fletcher, he is no roy keane but is still a really good player in his own right, and if all goes well hargo will be back stronger than ever
look forward to us giving city and pool a thrashing each next season
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Manchester United have a £30 million offer for De Rossi accepted by Roma!!!
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@Footy4Eddy: are u serious???
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@jamie lee: No, but the news are gonna all over the back pages of the newspapers tomorrow…
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wo knows, plus silva would be some buy, we would have a complete attack if he were to come to town, his playmaking superb and being left footed he would bring a good blance to the team
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Grognard mate u are mistaken abt Silva .
Actually lot of people talk abt Silva as a pure winger when he aint one.
That is one of the reason why he did not figure that much into Valencia`s starting 11 however fits into Spanish team right away.
I am a huge fan of Silva , he is a rare breed of mid-fielder/winger .
His style of play is almost the same as Iniesta .
Excellent dribbling skill , small accurate passes , enough pace to beat rb/lb and capacity to shoot and cross consistently ..
He will never be replacing Nani as LW ! He is a damn good creative player with the capacity to play in wings , below the striker & “Defends very well”
He will fill the void we were always talking abt , the need for one more proper creative mid-fielder.
He will fit in into 4-3-3 style very well ..
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@Traverse:
If Silva is available we should buy him. It’s an attacking midfielder we need, preferably left sided and he fits the bill. I think it’s only paper talk though originally coming from Guillem Balague’s website.
I don’t think he really wants to come to England either.
Come on Fergie get that cheque book out! Shut those scousers up.
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@Cyclops-Red: i think “monitoring the situation” is probably what we are doing with silva if anything. meaning we will bid xmill over what rafa offers to try and keep him from pool. saf wants to wait till next yr on a couple stars i think and this may be one of them.
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@gator:
That’s all we seem to do, monitor situations.If he’s available he should be bought. Next year is WC year and there will be the usual scramble for players. Player prices might even go up.
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@Cyclops-Red: didn’t we try and sign Silva at the end of last year… and it ended with him saying.. no ta il stay in spain.. whats changed?
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@Will:
Yeah, apparently so and as I said I don’t think he wants to come to England. A lot depends on how desperate Valencia are to sell. Personally I think it’s a non story. The cheque book is well and truly shut.
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@Cyclops-Red: well valancia are in serious debt, villa will soon move so they are a team in decline, so theres two good reason why we could sign him, plus fergie might just of been playing mind games earlier when he said we wont be buying any more players.
howver if we dont buy we are still strong enough to compete domestically and abroad.
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Please can we all stop comparing Comparing Berba to Tevez? Its a pointless argument, Fergie already branded Tevez as simply not good enough, so why the fuck would we use Tevez as a barometer to gauge Berbatovs worth to the team?
I am sick to death hearing about Tevez, Fergie doesnt care about him so why should we.
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@NicoQB: Watch what you say about Apple. Apple is an awesome and highly innovative company that pushes the envelope and has developed some of the greatest items of all time. I wouldn’t trade my iMac for anything currently out there. No they are not just brand, they deliver the goods too with high end product, not chaff like all the rest. Steve Jobs is my hero.
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why would we sign Silva? we are already over crowded with wingers right now. I would only belive we are intersted in silva if A)Nani is for sale or B)we are swapping silva with nani plus cash.
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@jamie lee:
I mostly agree but I don’t think we are strong enough in Europe without that extra bit of quality.
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@Redrich: Spaniards are into the clique mentality. They do not like going at things alone in countries that do not speak Spanish. Liverpool is an exception for obvious reasons. There is nothing at OT that would drive Villa or Silva into Fergie’s arms.
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@johnsom33: i agree mate.
tevez is long gone and proved he was a traitor with his city move.
plus berba deserves ato be cut a bit of slack, i was also one fan who condemned him last season, but he is still here, he is still OUR player a possibly this will be a great season for our silky skilled forward
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@owen: That’s just rumors mate. There is nothing in it.
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@NicoQB: I think my point is that Berbatov will need to do more, in the way of workrate, for us RIGHT NOW. Without a strong CMF he will need to create some of the attacks as well as using his deft touches to create goal scoring ops.
Whether you believe that Strikers need to hustle or not, is beside the point. For United, at this present moment, they do need to hustle – for our attacking momentum to flourish.
I say again, a strong CMF’er would change this approach, and then the main purpose of our strike force – SCORING GOALS – would, again, become their “main purpose”!!
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@Redrich: i think u are wrong, utd already have rooney to hustle from up top and fletch in the centre, berba is berba and he was bought for his skill not his aggression, trust me if we just leave him to do his thing we will be fine
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@jamie lee: Im reserving judgment on Berba till after this season. But if im honest, so far i havent been too impressed with him. I think the price tag distorts everyones perception of him(including me)
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@Grognard: <— Any Spaniards out there willing to discuss this point???
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@johnsom33: yes 34mill was alot of money considering his performances last season. however take note
1. fergie said he played him out of postion last season.
2. ronaldo was the key man, and the team played around him, and him alone
3. the fans were making it very hard for berba to settle in
4. pre season os just pre season, and berba and he hasnt been the only one under performing, but he will up his gae in the competive matches
5. i believe this season his career is on the line,so that might be motivation for him
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@jamie lee: And when we start getting 0-0 and 0-1 results, and Berbatov looks like he’s playing in a Sunday afternoon pick-up game, you’ll change your opinion!
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@jamie lee: The rest of the team as whole does not make us a better team just because we don’t have Ronaldo. We need to spread things out due to necessity. Frankly you say this will happen and that will happen but all you are basing it on is optimism. I look at the team we have and analyze it based on the players we have, what they have done in the past, their ages, their realistic potential for improvement and their propensity to get injured. And from where I sit, all the factors come out saying we are royally screwed. All the positive vibes in the world can’t ignore facts based on past accomplishments. Sorry for sounding like Rafa but;
Carrick is slow and inconsistent FACT.
Hargo has been injured for a long time and may not return FACT.
Owen has been injured for the better part of four seasons and has lost a lot of what made him great, most notably his speed and quickness, FACT.
Anderson has not lived up to his hype, FACT.
Nani has not lived up to his hype, FACT.
Berbatov is 29 and the chances of him improving and all of a sudden finding an extra gear and a new energy is naive to say the least, FACT.
Scholes is finished, MAJOR FACT.
Giggs can no longer be counted on to start, FACT.
Neville is also finished, FACT.
EVDS is on his last legs tool, FACT.
Both PIG and Foster are bloody useless, bloody well FACT.
Fletcher is a good and versatile player but overrated by Fergie, FACT.
We just lost the best player in the world and our go to guy and he is irreplaceable, BIGGEST FACT OF ALL.
And finally, Fergie is naive, stubborn and suffering from denial if he thinks we will win a plug nickel this season, OBVIOUS FACT.
Now you tell me why I should feel so confident about this team and why you feel we are now better than the team that barely got past Liverpool and Chelsea last season and the team that was so horribly humiliated in the Champions League final? I want somebody to give me facts, not fiction and fantasy. Wishful thinking is what I do a day or two before Christmas. It won’t help make our football team any better. Only spending money on quality players will.
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@Footy4Eddy: If we are playing that game then the big news is that Ronaldo has had a change of heart, has realized that Madrid is not for him and is asking to be sold back to Manchester United.
Expect it in the SUN first thing in the morning. 
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@Rick: I have nothing against Silva and I know he is a great and versatile player. My point was simply I don’t think he wants to come and play for us, that’s all. Nobody is debating his skills, although I do not believe he is much better than Nani. I still believe in Nani and expect him to be a superstar with some team once given the chance to play a regular role.
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@Redrich: They won’t comment by themselves. They need to form a gang and then come on here and debate.
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@Redrich: Defintely agree with the thing about a strong midfiled.
But if the midfield is failing, why should it be the responsibility of a striker – Berbatov – to cover for their lack of creativity?
Surely the midfield should stand up and be counted.
And still he’s done it last season.
As for work rate – this is beside the point especially for an attacker relying on talent. A player for the style of Inzaghi maybe. The ones who have to improve work rate is, you said it, the central midfielders. Should they do it, our possession will improve resultingly and hence opportunities for attakers to do their job.
@jamie lee: I hear you!
@Redrich: Once again, matches when we will not be getting enough possession due to the failings of the central midfield, yet people like you and sunday papers will start harping on about Berbatov this and Berbatov that…
@johnsom33:
Once again players rarely have a thing to say about their transfer tag, and anyway his price was distorted because of 1) United tax 2) City sniffing around 3) deal done on last day of transfer deadline.
I believe we should have got him around 26million hd we not dilly dallied with the transfer itself…
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@Grognard: I wanna know what you think about this: @Footy4Eddy
And this: @Footy4Eddy
I think I brought up some valid points, although they may be agaisnt your theory of us being fucked for the coming season!
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@Grognard: i agree scholes giigs and neveille are gone.
but here are some facts
NANI had little to no chances to shine last season and WILL produce on a better level this season and pte season form proves that
CARRICK is slow but so was beckham, and if give more freedom will create more goals and control games, he is a playmaker, and fergie played him too deep last year FACT
OWEN is past his best but he is better than tevez and still a good goal scorer FACT and he is not injury prone, he had TWO serious injuries, thats unlucky not injury prone, as he played near 30 games last searon and the one before that
FLECTHER is not overrated infact hes quite the opposite FACTS show we are better with him in the big games then without
BERBAis a cf not a second striker which is the postion he played last season even fergie said that, so this season he will be as elegant as before but wwith the goals as he will be a cf this season.
AND the biggest fact is all the players u regard not good enough didnt have to be because our tactics were sit back wait counter and pss to ronaldo, so he unbalanced the team.
MY point is with him gone they will come into their own with the new system and quite frankly FERGIE will pull his finger out of his arse and play people in their proper postionsn thats why im so confident!
WE will be better without ronaldo, because quite frankly we abused his talent and undermined our other players talents FACT
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@ Grognard : we always fortunate that after loosing stars,some one came and maintained the team at the same level ofconsistency…
so despite knowing the facts of our squad,i still believe that some one again will proove our doubts wrong and we will forget everything …
it is really hard to accept and happen but we cant do more as fergie is more than satisfied…
so mate accept the squad and start praising them only as there is no one more coming…
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@NicoQB: It’s a team effort, mate. When there is a glaring need to be filled, most people would expect the troops to rally around – all hands on deck, that kind of thing!
If I was Berbatov, I might be taken aback somewhat by the idea that I have to fill more than my own boots, and he may well feel this. But from a fans standpoint, it is an unusual stance not to feel aggrieved when all the players do not try as hard as they can to win a game, regardless as to whether its their main role or not!!
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@Grognard: This team is fine, quit moaning. FACT.
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@Grognard:
Touche!!
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It seels good to be debating on this site. Last week or so was pretty dull.
Unfortunately its basically the same thing we’ve been debating for the past 6 months!
Last thing about berba:
Onw should take into account the economics of football. Right now we are being linked to an unknown quantity named Douglas Costa for figures exceeding 12-15million£!
Now, 32million£, Berbatov’s fee:
5 years ago —you’d buy that same player for —> 25million£
10 years ago ————————————> 15million£
15 years —————————————-> 5million£
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@Redrich: Occasionally, yes. But when the “glaring need” in question is felt week-in, week-out then I think that the root of the problem (Hint: Its Central Midfield) has to be addressed instead of makeshift solutions which will ultimately undermine the effectiveness of the whole team.
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@jamie lee: +1
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@Footy4Eddy:
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