May 27
Manchester United 07/08 Season Review: The Defence
This is the concluding part in our three part series on Manchester United’s 07/08 season. [Read: Part I | Part II]
Today we review the defence and to clear the confusion, by defence we mean the back four as well as the ‘keepers. So here goes…
Tomasz Kuszczak:
Was always expected to be number two to EVDS. Did a decent job when called upon. He looks a good shot stopper, but does not command the defence as well as EVDS. Also seems suspect dealing with crosses. To his credit he was a decent deputy. After two seasons at the club, the jury is still out on him. Rating: 6.5/10
Edwin van der Sar:
He has been our best ‘keeper since Schmeichel, but age seems to catch up with him. He still commands the area well, is still a good shot stopper, but his kicking has dropped alarmingly. Whilst he’s made some good saves he doesn’t give the same confidence as he used to in the past. But again, as with the other veterans in the team, age seems to have caught up with him too. Someone out of Foster or Kuszczak will have to step up while he’s phased out. Rating: 7.5/10
Wes Brown:
Had a slow start to the season and had to weather criticism about his credentials at right back and his ability to fill in for Gary Neville. He’s improved by miles now, and whilst not being the rampaging threat in attack that Evra was, he lent defensive solidity at that position and was one of the key elements of our water tight defence. [As an aside, his versatility also earned him points especially against Barca in central defence, at the Nou Camp] For a make-shift player (who went on to cement his place there) I must say he’s been outstanding. Rating: 8/10
Nemanja Vidic:
Along with Rio, forged the most formidable defensive partnership of Europe. Ferguson has seen many defensive partnerships, right from the Bruce-Pallister era but arguably none as good as this. Vidic’s no-nonsense approach, his bravery to launch into tackles, or to attack the ball with his head have even gotten him bloodied. But he’s not one to shirk from a fight. Rating: 8.5/10
Rio Ferdinand:
I’ve praised him on countless occasions here, so I’ll save you from the teary-eyed tribute. He’s been the second best player for United, and has grown into a real leader. Even if Neville starts from next season I think Rio deserves the captaincy. He has grown in my estimation, but more importantly, I think he commands the players’ respect too. He is just pure class. I can’t say anymore because I have exhausted adjectives so I’ll get to the point. Rating: 9/10
Patrice Evra:
He has just continued from where he left off last season. I think a major difference between United and Chelsea has been the improvement shown by our players since coming here. Most Chelsea players — the likes of SWP, Kalou, Sheva, Pizzarro — have regressed or have not been backed after a few nightmare performances. Evra has just gotten better. This season, apart from his attack abilities, he has improved immeasurably in his tackling. He has shown tremendous energy and seems to be able to run down the wing throughout the game as well as track back in defence. [A case in point being the one in the final where an excellent pass inside the box, following a trademark burst, found Giggs whose shot was saved by Terry]. I love the lad, someone please, please offer him a new fucking deal. Rating: 8.75/10
Gerard Pique:
A pity our defence has been so good that the youngster couldn’t break into it. When he came on he did OK. But he seems to be suspect at dealing with crosses; the Bolton game last year comes to mind. He seems certain to move to Barcelona and I think the Spanish league will suit him. We wish him all the best. Rating: 6.5/10 [Although I think it's unfair to rate him considering he didn't get a Premiership medal]
John O’Shea:
The perennial squad player. He will continue to be so. I will continue to love him no matter what. And his rating will remain par. Rating: 7/10
Mikael Silvestre:
Hardly played enough to be rated. Rating: n/a
Gary Neville:
Same as above. But the return of our skipper was met with great applause against Roma. He’ll certainly have a challenge trying to break into the right back position next season. Rating: n/a
Danny Simpson:
Had a couple of good games [Wigan comes to mind]. But i can’t really rate him. Rating: n/a
Ben Foster:
Did a good job against Derby and kept them out with two stunning saves. Again he’ll only get an honourable mention. Rating: n/a
Conclusion:
At the end we would have to rate our team overall, and it is interesting to note that according to our ratings, it’s the defence that has stood out individually and a couple of players in attack, whilst no single midfielder stood out in our estimation. Of course all this is subjective and the opinion of yours truly, but despite the deluge of goals that United have scored, everything was built upon a rock solid defence that allowed the freedom to the attackers. The team have also defended from the front. Every one from Tevez to EVDS have defended, and defended stoutly.
There is still room to improve, and it is good to see the boss recognize that. We obviously need a plan B when our attack does not go the free flowing route. Some one with a strong physical presence who can head the ball in would be greatly helpful. I think we could still do a better job at keeping the ball than we’ve done on European nights. For some reason we’ve always struggled to hold on to the ball when up against top technically gifted opposition. Our midfield does seem lightweight despite its success. [To illustrate my point, when we were run over by Ballack and Lampard in the second half of the Champions' League final, our ability to break Chelsea's rhythm came back once Fergie switch Hargreaves to the centre to break up play. We need more of that next season.]
But in general, it was the end of an outstanding season for United. We, as fans are truly spoiled with success. May this long continue!
And that ends our 07/08 review. Hope you enjoyed our coverage of the 07/08 season. I’m sure many of you may have gripes about the way I run things here, but I think I have done things right for most part.
Do join us as we look to negotiate the long summer filled with pitfalls (read: rubbish transfer speculation). Tomorrow we’ll be back with the usual transfer gossip.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Sepptic Blabbermouth Opens Gob + Roundup
- Farewell Gerard, Selfish Rooney, EVDS to Play Till 40?
- Manchester United ‘Official’ 07/08 Away Kit
- Manchester United 2006/2007 Season Review
- Manchester United Fixtures for the 07/08 Season
Tags: Manchester United Players
Opti (541)
Stephen (479)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (345)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
I agree on all of your ratings.
VDS – Time is catching up with him. It’s sad because he has been a big reason for us winning the league this season and last, along with being one of the main reasons for instilling confidence in Rio. 7.5
Brown – We always knew he was good enough as a centre back, but when Gary Neville got injured and we bought no-one over the summer, I didn’t know what to think. Brilliantly consistent and he is definitely improving his all round game now. 8
Rio – Top class. Whether the ‘best defender in the world’ tag is a bit much, I’m not sure. But he has definitely stepped up his performances to win over so many of the fans that he had lost. 9
Vidic – He has just went on from strength to strength and he’s not even at the peak age yet. He makes Rio look good. £7m for him is easily one of the best pieces of business we have done in a while. 8.5
Evra – Firmly up there as one of the best, if not the best, left backs around. His attacking play was always brilliant, but his defending was looked upon as suspect. which lead some fans (Ahmed
) to come out with things like this:“Evra is a poor defender and not that great going forward either.” He has definitely proven his worth to us all now. 8.75
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Agree with your ratings, Brown is finally gaining some confidence, Evra is just so happy to get his career back on track, and he really seams to love the club. Rio and Vidic make a great partnership.
VDS is a classy keeper but is ageing fast, I don’t see Kuszczak as a future No.1, he looks nervous to me…
The defence is pretty thin though, I wonder what’s going to happen with Silvestre, he would love to play for Bordeaux.
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The ratings look good.
As in all ratings, I think the performances during the last 2-3 months of the season affect the ratings a bit more than preceding months, hence Brown has an 8. Else I think he’d have got a 7/7.5, but I could be wrong. But the basic fact is our defense looks very good, maybe adding Richards (if the rumours are true) during the summer will be a luxury.
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Vidic needs a nine Ferdinand a 9.5 but that’s just my assessment. BTW Anyone heard about that Henry business?
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Cracking review and great site, long may our success and your site continue. As a reader everyday I rate your site 10/10 – keep up the excellent work!
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According to wikipedia both pique and kuszczak got premier league medals on special dispensation since the both attained 9 of the 10 appearances requiered. btw considering that simpson get one for the champions league considering he made 3 appearances, which is more than silvetre who got one?????
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[Abu]
Yeah, it was brought up in the comments two days ago, but I for one wouldn’t want him to come. Don’t think the deal would have gone through too.
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P.S. You did a great job Red Ranter
Kept the game flowing
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I think if Rio gets a 9/10 then The Big V should be on par wit him. The point im making is witout vidic, rio would not have played as well as he did this season and visa versa. Their two playing styles complement each other to perfection. As for the rest of the ratings, spot on!
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In manutd website,i saw that we have 50m to spend.why dont we just buy ibrahimovic for 30m and richards for 20m.that will be the best buissness i think.a player like ibra will improve our attack.richards can play centreback and rightback.so we wont have to see our defence lightweight
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while Rio & Vidic is the best defense pairing, we dont have 2 quality backups (Brown is the only one). I guess one priority should be acquiring a good experienced defender (so no richards) and if he can play across two positins (eg RB & CB) than all the better. Chelsea this year suffered a lot for losing both first choice defenders (and we also were quite wobbly towards the end when both of them were not available together).
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That’s rediculous.We sold Pique.
Sunny you re out of reality. 30m for Ibrahimovic. He should cost at least 55m euros.
Rio was the best , the absolute player this year. I mean he RIO IS AN EMPEROR!
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anybody knows how much was the transfer fee that barca has forked out for pique?
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Could have swapped pique for dos santos with a bit of cash from them, at least!!
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http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=712521
wud somebody kick his brains out..!!!!!! soo done with reading the stories again n again..
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cant believe weve lost Pique. what a piss take!!??
Just the Rossi nightmare all over again.
We need M.richards
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brown an 8? Holy shit! Evra deserves a 9. Rio an 8.5
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No.i am not out of reality.i meant 30m pounds.and we r damn european champions.thats enough to persuade ibra.now transfers are upto players,not clubs
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Real Madrid paid 50 million pounds for Zidane , that’s a record. we paid 25-27 million for Rooney when he was still a teenager. Last year we paid for hargreaves 16m + clauses for hargreaves.
It’s a new era for football clubs,especially the richest football clubs.We have to pay the overpriced players.
Remember Veron or Pepe to Real? They weren’t good enough for their teams but still MU and Real Madrid paid for them serious money.
45m Euros for Ibra or 30m pounds are not enough. I told you it should be at least 55million EUROS + he ‘ll never leave italy.He doesn’t fit to the English style neither ti Manchester.
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30m is a bit high for ibra, he shouldn’t cost that much.
It was obvious pique was leaving. He was a back-up anyway, there’s no place for him in the team. Rossi was different – he had a chance of playing for this team whereas i never saw that happening with pique.
Brown – consistently average. Rating; 6
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I thought zidane cost 38m pounds.well,its about players wish.if we are interested and so does ibra,then 30m is enough.i just thought he is the one player who will improve the best attack in the world.remember fergie said something about experience and height?
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I hate starting our summer transfer season with a sell.
I need a buy!! I need huntelaar!!
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We need a no-nonsense defensive midfielder like we had in Roy Keane.A guy who can hold the ball and brush the likes of Essien’s and company with ease.Our midfielders are good but not strong physically.Add that to a powerfully built tall striker and Micah Richards at the back n the squad is complete.We can phase out EVDS by giving some games to Ben Foster who should take the mantle by end of next season.
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Right ! Experience and height . It could even be Henry . In fact we made a bid. At first I was happy to imagine Henry play for Manchester,along with Rooney.If Henry could be fit for the important games then alright.
But suddenly I remembered my beliefs.Don’t go for the finished Adriano,Henry,Trezeguet. Crespo and Klasnic included.
Anyway I think Zlatan is a world class player but we need a poacher.He is a creative forward.He is tall and strong but he needs many touches with the ball before he shoots.He is made to play for Italian teams.I think he doesn’t suit us.Cause what we need is a lone striker.An in box striker.And Rooney is way better than him outside the area.Cause he’s got greater vision and you know…the chips , the long shots , the crossing.
Villa is our very best choice. Come on! Buy him cause he is what we need. Quick play , good dribbling ability , scores the one on ones , makes passes ,scores headers . He is superb! He can’t play with back to goal , he doesn’t have those pivot movements tha Ibrahimovic and Van Nistelroy does , but he is what we need.Valencia play this counter attack style we play and he is deadly in front of the goal when he is face to face with the net.
Buy Villa . That’s all I have to say.
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could we not have exchanged Pique and a couple of million for Eto’o
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But still Villa is not tall.Maybe we have to be patient SAF knows better.
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Villa is taller than roo.although we dont need a giant like collar or zigic.we do need a striker with clinical finish.only problem of villa is his strength.he cant hold the ball up.we need atleast 1 star striker in our team since we dont have one
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Good work. Agree with all the ratings!
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roy keane is under consideration at stamford bridge!!!
hmm… very interesting indeed
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Keane would never do that. Ever. Not even worth thinking about.
Re: Ratings: I think Rio and Evra have been the best two players at their positions in the world over the past year, therefore I have to give them 9.5′s, as if they maintain that form again they’ll reach a 10. Vidic has been his usual self but also injured at really key points in the season, and while not entirely his fault it stil made the defense suffer, so he gets an 8.5
I don’t understand the ratings for Wes. He’s a great servant to the club, dependable, solid, and a thoroughly mediocre right back. He can’t run with the ball, can’t pass well, can’t cross (generally, I admit the one to Ronnie was a peach) and lacks composure on the ball. All of this is fine for a centre back, which is what he is. A right back needs some level of ability, or else they become the weakest link in the team. As everyone should have noticed, smart opposition teams basically played a strategy of man mark the two centre mids, double up on the forwards and wingers and force United to play the ball to Wes Brown. The old let the bad kid have the ball in 5 a side. Watch Barca or Chelsea matches again. They always allow the CB’s to outlay to Brown, but not to Evra, Scholes or Carrick. That’s because he doesn’t carry any threat, and therefore is simply not good enough for us. I like him, and he’s a great back up, but he’s not a first XI right back for the best team in Europe. Even though he is. 6.5/10 as a RB, 8/10 as a professional.
VDS – Needs replacing, but I still love the big dutchman. Undeniable quality, but mixed in with increasingly suspect dealings with crosses and kicking mean that this is probably his swan song season. And he’s been very good in it to be fair. 8/10 for me, a goalie should be judged on teh goals they conceed, and he let in fewer than anyone else. I hope Foster gets a look next season.
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[Nikos and Sunny]
Height is not enough for being a good header. Henry, Crouch are terrible headers of the ball.
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RR I think that Vidic deserves the same as Rio or more…I think he is the rock in the defence…Most of our goals we conceded were scored from Rio’s side(The ones’ I saw)…and because they apparently ‘complement’ each other , Vidic makes Rio look good… Im just saying…And fuck John Terry
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Red ranter.u r right.thats why i said we dont need a giant.but being tall helps to hold the ball up while defenders pushing on ur back.there is only a few strikers around who can come and improve our team without breaking the composure.we shouldnt buy henry who wasnt picked ahead of 17 year olds in barca.
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RR- Great ratings. Agree with them all. I just wonder, how come Ronaldo only got 9.5? I know he aint complete, but you could hav given him a 9.75/85/95.
Fergie has said that he wants to buy players inside these two weeks. That means that we will probably know what player United have bought in a week. I want Richards and Huntelaar/Villa, but Fergie knows best so I trust him to get the right man!
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Beachryan; Yes people do see Wes Brown as our weak link, yet was this every really exploited? No, because he is better than people give him credit for. He isn’t good going forward, but for a RB the main job is to defend, and with Ronaldo up ahead of him it’s not like he needs much help. Having Wes behind him gave him more freedom to roam, partly because Wes was never there for the pass/he didn’t want to pass to him but also because he knew he could rely on Wes if he lost the ball. He is actually a better crosser of the ball than Evra, without a doubt. I would much rather have him than Daniel Alves.
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I haven’t really participated in these threads, having been away for the bank holiday weekend, so I’m going to do my own little series of ratings here by way of comment on RR’s views. Hope it’s ok to consolidate them into one post.
My ratings are going to be based on category rather than marks out of ten, though. And I’m not going to go into detail with explanations – the merits of each have been discussed plenty over the three threads.
Significantly exceeded expectations
Ronaldo – 42 goals? Good god.
Anderson – we expected a reserve teamer, we got a big match player
Fergie – finally found a way to play 4-3-2-1 without losing attacking potency; managed a big squad perfectly; a trend-setter again
Exceeded expectations
Rio – not only a good defender, but a leader too now
Vida – absence now really weakens the team
Tevez – crucial goals and team contribution
Evra – forward play is winger-esque at times
Brown – out of position, but crucial part of a record-breaking back four
Maintained level
Rooney – played wherever asked, but needs more goals
Nani – a few cameos, but as expected one for the future
Scholes – some vintage displays, but showing signs of age
Carrick – miserable start, great end, average it out
Fletcher – useful squad player
O’Shea – ditto
EVDS – solid, great at times, faded towards the end again
PIG – acceptable reserve keeper
Below expectations
Hargreaves – barely fit, couldn’t secure a place in CM so had to fill in
Giggs – incapable of playing 90 minutes at full speed (not a criticism, just fact)
Saha – just had to look at the ground to be injured
Pique – couldn’t break in, admittedly against strong competition
Youth players – not one of them took the chances offered to them, although there are some prospects.
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Beachryan
why do you think keane wouldnt do that? It could be a very good opportunity for him to show how good he really is (managing champion side and big names as chelsea is one). He has only managed Sunderland so far and that job is just not good enough to land him Utd job if he wants it. Chelsea could be his big break. If he can do good there he can become long term replacement of Fergie at a later date (coz CQ himself isint going to last long here… he is what 55-56?)
Sir Matt was actually a Liverpool player and supporter before he became utd boss. And the great Bill Shankley, when approached by Liverpool directors to take over the ‘greatest club in the world’ in their words, had supposedly asked them if Sir Matt was retiring (meaning vacancy at Utd!!!)
Anything can happen in Football… And remember Keane’s club is Celtic not utd.
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I didnt even read RedRanters article on the Defence, I just thought that I would go straight to the comments section and state categorically that I disagree with Grognard on this topic.
Just kidding mate.
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maybe Im giving saf too much credit, but do you think he waited so long to give wes a new contract, too make him play above his level and earn it? Cause at the start of this saga I didn’t think wes was worth the bigger contract, but now it is without question, he really raised his game.
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LOL
link
i think its safe to say, ronny wont be going anywhere for a long time. this will teach those no goods pieces of shit.
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Agree RR,
Owen, despite being small, could head the ball rather well.
Still, Nikos, I don’t think we need a Villa type striker to fit in with the counterattacking style of play.
We direly miss a CF capable of acting as an anchor up-front when we are playing the possession attack – which remains a vital part of United’s strength in attack, i.e. being capable to alternate possession style and counterattacking style.
That’s why, despite they are not held in high esteem for many United fans, I think we need a Yorke or Cole style of CF who can adapt to both styles of play.
Huntelaar is good enough for the possession style, but for the counterattacking..?
Also reports are coming in that Fergie will be spending big in the next 2 weeks. Its good to spend some before prices of certain players rocket after the Euro, but still wouldn’t that mean the risk of missing on on some players…
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I took a lot of heat yesterday for my midfielders but let it not be said that I’m a coward. So I’m back for more. This one really is quite easy whether you agree or not.
EVDS; Eddy has been a hero for us this season make the big penalty save and countless other big saves at crucial times, but for me his age has been showing for two years now and his skills are slipping a bit. At the beginning of the year I was hoping Fergie would sign a replacement with a pedigree like Artur Boruc, Manuel Neuer or Alexandre Frey but that never happened. Instead he took a chance on Ben Foster. Of course the jury is still out on him so we have had to wait it out with EVDS. He still has strong positional sense, commands the box on corners and he does have outstanding reflexes but two parts of his game are declining. His kicking has really fallen off and his
diving for saves is at times slow and delayed. For me he has lacked concentration and focus on occasion when it comes to long range shots. He has been beaten by a number of long range shots over the past couple of years and although there are some that no keeper would have stopped, there were a number that looked very suspect indeed. Still, he does give a certain sense of calm and confidence when he is out there because after everything is said and done he knows what the Hell he’s doing. His experience is very valuable. And lets face it, he owns Chelsea in penalty shootouts. That’s good enough for me. 7/10
KUSZZSAK; When he got the chance to play he never really embarrassed himself. RR is dead on with the fact that he is a strong shot stopper but he has problems commanding the box, his defense and he struggles on corners. But despite all that he never really got too much wrong and our defensive record never suffered with him in goal. As backups go, he’s very good. 6.5/10
FOSTER; Played one game but was marvelous in it. Shows great promise but does he have the potential to be a world class keeper? The jury is still out on that. Needs to be broken in next season must play at least 1/3 of United’s game to grow with experience as a keeper and to keep the aging EVDS fresh for the important late season matches. N/A
BROWN; I have never been a fan of Wes playing the RB position but I cannot argue with his success. He just flat out does the job even if not in a spectacular fashion. He’s not Lahm, Alves, Richards or even Hargo as a RB but what he is is solid and consistent. We don’t get a lot of offense from him but he does have his moments (the assist on Ronny’s goal in the final) but his defense has been very solid. For a transplanted CB, he has shown great growth and confidence at RB. He rarely gets skinned and his tackling and marking has been very good. Occasionally a mental lapse comes and he will make the odd bonehead pass or pick up an unnecessary foul but in the last third of the year he was outstanding. I say other than Richards don’t waste money on another RB no matter how good they are. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it I say. 7.5/10
RIO; If not for Ronaldo he would probably the consensus team MVP and I am shocked the PFA couldn’t see how valuable he has been for us and how much he has grown and matured. He was a rock for us and showed guts, determination and calmness at all times. What I loved the most were the times he was clearly hurting but he played through the pain and showed courage and leadership in the process (Saha should have learned from this, but he didn’t). His play also has improved dramatically. Outside of handful of gaffs this season he was almost flawless. Really a commanding presence and my vote for future captain of United. 9/10
VIDIC; What more can I say about the Super Serb that hasn’t already been said? For me he is just as good as Rio and at times he may actually be a little better. Why? Because he isn’t prone to the occasional mental gaff and because he is also a bigger threat on the attack side. A strong physical presence and a player who doesn’t take any shit from the opposition. He is a take charge, no nonsense player who is very physical and commands the box especially in the aerial department. Has definitely paid his dues and has the stitches and concussions to show for it. Fearless in a scrum he will take on anyone and sacrifice his body in the process. With Rio he partners the best central defending tandem in world football today and in my opinion I could be accused of blasphemy here but I think the two of them are much better than Bruce and Pallister. I also think Vidic shows a lot of leadership out there which leads me to nominate him as a possible captain just behind Rio, Hargo and Rooney. 9/10
EVRA; The little Frenchman has grown on me over the past year. I still think he can’t cross worth shit but his defensive play, marking, tackling and above all his speedy offensive runs and overlaps are a treat to behold. He;s a good passer if the ball is on the ground and he is also improving his aerial ability too. If he could work on his crossing he would be the world’s best LWB. He’s already close and for me it is a joke that Abidal gets the nod over him on the French team. I think that might be changing though. I hope they sign him up to nice big contract because he has earned it with his play, continual improvement and attitude. He clearly loves being a member of United. He has helped me forget he is French and also, he has made me totally forget about one of my old faves Gabby Heinze. 8.5/10
O’SHEA; Mr Everything, Mr Depenadable, Mr Utility. John is very valuable in my books. He doesn’t do one thing outstandingly but he does a lot of things very well and his versatility to play numerous positions is very valuable. He also has a flair for the dramatic having scored some very big goals for us over the years he has been with the club. His attitude and commitment to the club is second to none and like Fletcher he accepts his role and appreciates the opportunities he gets and makes the most out of them. His only real weakness is a lack of quickness off the mark and true pace. But he has height and is good in thair and can be physical when asked to be. 7/10
PIQUE; Not that it matters anymore because he is off to Barcelona but I for one liked the lad and I saw a lot of good in him and for me his potential was great. But where do you justice by the boy in terms of playing him? He’s not good enough YET to supplant either Rio or Vidic and although I think he is more than capable of doing a decent job at RB, he’s not as good as Wes brown there either. His biggest fault is lack of pace and a habit of misjudging high balls in the box. The latter he will improve on, pace is not something that is easily improved on, although I am still of the belief that Fletcher has gotten faster. He is a solid tackler and has some attacking flair to his game. He was absolutely awesome when I watched him play for Spain’s Under 21′s this year in the World tourney here in Canada. Nut that of course is quite a step down in class. He was the second best player in that tourney behind Aguerro. I think we will regret losing this player but lets face it, his only mistake was being at United at the wrong time. We sure could have used him when we were searching for a partner for Jaap Stam, that’s for sure. 6.5/10
SILVESTRE; I think he showed that he can still contribute and offer something to the team, although he still isn’t good enough to be a starter. I think it is time for a change and in fairness, he is good enough to start for a lot of teams out there. Reward the lad Fergie and let him go. He has been a loyal servant although the last couple of years have been bogged down with injury after injury. What I will miss if he leaves is his very accurate long balls down the field. N/A
The rest are not worth mentioning simply because they never put in the time. Will Gary Neville return, I think he might but he will never be a starter again. Not if Brown or a new signing have anything to say about it. But he still offers leadership and experience on the training ground and as a sub. Personally I think he should retire and be hired as a coach for all the obvious reason.
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Fair enough ratings again RR, 3 of our starting 4 defenders are at the top thier games and the other 1 has done a stellar job plugging the hole at right back. Rio is without doubt one of, if not the best central defenders in the world and I dont think I can remember him having one bad game for us this year apart from Boro away which could have been been down to the conditions that day.
Vidic was immense also and provided the perfect foil for Rio and as pairing, I would go as far as to say that they are the best combo that i can remember.
Evra is another player moving into the possibly the best in the world bracket, who combines solid defensive qualities with the ability to attack like an an orthodox winger, and if we can find some one to mirror him on the right hand side then our defense would be scary. That is probably being a bit harsh on Brown who hasnt really done anything wrong at RB, in fact like Rio I cant really remember him having a stinker all season, but I just think that RB is the only position were we could impove on by signing someone with Evras attacking capabilities.
I also agree with RR that our defense was the foundation of our sucess this season and of the 3 units that have been reviewed so far, they have been the one that is almost beyond improvement.
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nice link Dan, but I do think Ronaldo could put this whole thing to bed by coming out and saying clearly to Real, thanks but no thanks, Im staying with United.
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Happy days, this one should be much easier to rate. Personally, given we have won a CL and PL double, I have got the feeling that my ratings have been a bit stingy so far, so this section will be more enjoyable as I can finally dole out the big marks.
VDS – I personally feel there is some harsh marking of the Dutchman here. Whilst he may not be in his pomp anymore he has been a solid and reliable figure at the back. Two weaknesses have been mentioned here and I want to make comment on both. Firstly his weakness on long range shots hasn’t really been an issue this year. The only that spring to mind are a couple of pointless consolation goals for Kiev and the goal against Man City away which took a nasty deflection. As for his kicking, yes it has been sub par at times. However it should be noted that VDS has been carrying a groin strain for much of the run in which has likely effected his kicking. 8
Kuszczak – summed up by RR. Never really fills me with confidence but he is a decent deputy. 6.5
Brown – Should be marked in the proper context. He is a converted CB so it would be unreasonable to expect the same attacking thrust as Evra. Often described as the weak link but that has rarely been apparent this season. He has earned his new contract and gets a bonus half point for his frequent ‘committed’ tackles
8
Ferdinand – Nothing more needs to be said other than exceptional. He did have one mare (Man City home) but over the course of the season that is perfectly acceptable. On the basis of the last two years I have no hesitation in calling him the best CB in the world and he ties with Ronaldo as highest scorer. SAF make him captain. 9.5
Vidic – Excellent once again, the perfect foil for Rio. I would still argue with anyone that claims he is at the same level as Ferdinand but that is no discrace. Would like to see him be more of a threat from set pieces this year, one goal (I think?) was a pretty poor return. 9
Evra – Exceptional once again, if he isn’t the best left back about I would like to see who is. A new 5 year deal for Pat please
9
Pique – A decent season but he was really set back by that Bolton error. He and Rossi can consider themselves very unfortunate. If one had been a swashbuckling RB and the other a 6ft line leading striker then they would have had long and fruitful futures with us. A case of wrong place, wrong time. Best of luck to Pique in his move to Barca and I hope he can establish himself there. 7
O’Shea – hasn’t featured as much this season but I think his performances were of a lower standard than last seasons and he looked a bit leaden footed at times. There were also far fewer goals this year! Still he is a valuable asset with his ability to cover so many positions all wrapped up in one sub, but that quality will diminish with the move to seven man benches. 6.5
Silvestre – I was tempted not to mark him but in his few performances he was an able and competent deputy a LB. Rumoured to be on the way out but I wouldn’t sell him as finding a replacement for the £3m or so you would get for him would be difficult. 7
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Cant complain with the ratings at all, the defence has been brilliant this season and they all ned to take credit for that.
Next season we need to start geting Foster involved more and with the addition of another quality defender we should be stronger still.
Ooooh i cant wait for some transfer activity to get us all excited!
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I didn’t say we need to buy a tall striker…Sir Alex Ferguson did. Also I never said that being tall means that you can score headers. . And I totally mentioned that Villa scores headers.
Anyway , I have the opinion -or should I say I had- that the best for us would be a Cole-Yorke attacking partnership.But , that’s because they were so beautiful to watch. When we bought Tevez I thought he wouldn’t fit with Rooney as Cole and Yorke did together. I also said to myself let’s give it them a chance. I ‘m not pleased from their partnership cause none of them os good in the area. Yet, I still want to see a York-Cole like partnership and I think Villa is the best choice for us…only if we still miss this partnership.
Also, I’d like to say that , the 98-99 team was the greatest and most beautiful Manchester team to watch since the EPL and the CHL were created. That’s why we always miss their partnership.So,the whole team was superb and the 2 fors were creative and real KILLERS.
Football has changed.IT’S A NEW ERA.WE WILL NEVER SEE AN ATTCKING PARTNERSHIP LIKE COLE AND YORKE , again.If SAF says we need a tall experienced lad then OK.He knows better. I’m sure SAF knows that Srength and height are the characteristics that somebody should have,if he is to play the lone striker role , who holds up the ball , tries the flck-passes and generally connects the play.
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Wes brown has been consistently average. He is so limited. A big game against barcelona when he played centre-half, but nothing else of note. Why united gave in to his contract demands i’ll never know. We don’t need a right back, not because brown or hargreaves can do the job – neither are good enough to be permanent right back – but because neville is back next season. As long as he’s fit he starts because he’s miles ahead of brown and hargreaves in this position. That being said, if there is a top right back of a good age available (dani alves, etc) then it may be the time to bring one in. Unless this happens, neville’s definitely back in the team. Either way, we won’t see brown in a run of games next season unless it is due to injury.
I am more than happy with evra as our left back but the best left back in the world, or definitely the premiership at least, is gael clichy.
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looks like pique s goin. we need a defender now!!!
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Wow, Nikos, I’m not asking for a Cole-Yorke partnership…
What I would like is a player (only one is necessary i think) capable of playing on the counter as well as providing anchoring in possession football.
An example would be Drogba(yuck) – strong, fast and good finisher.
Eto’o would be great if he hadn’t had the reputation of being diffiicult…
Perhaps Mario Gomez, but don’t know much about him…
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