Liverpool defender Martin Kelly has signed a new contract with the club just days after Jamie Carragher announces his retirement.
Kelly has been sidelined with various injuries this season but Brendan Rodgers still sees the boyhood Liverpool fan as a key member of his long term vision at the club.
The 22-year-old made his England debut in May 2012 and will look to battle with team mate Glen Johnson for a permanent role in the national team.
Kelly could well be seen as the long term successor of the departing Jamie Carragher who will hang up his boots at the end of this season.
The new long term contract will keep Kelly with the Reds for the foreseeable future and the local lad has expressed his joy at pledging his future to his boyhood club but he also understands the pressure that will now be on his shoulders to produce week in week out when he is fit.
“I’m delighted to have signed. It means everything to me and my family. I’ve been at Liverpool since I was seven, so it’s in my heart and I love the club,” Kelly told the clubs official site.
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“When you play in the Liverpool shirt, you have to show the fans what it means. I just love playing and trying my hardest for the supporters and for my family.”
At this stage of the season every match is deemed a ‘must win’ irrespective of your league position. Even more so for Arsenal on a weekend when neither of their rivals for Champions League qualification contest a Premier League fixture. The Gunners are currently two points adrift of Tottenham, whom they have game in hand on, and Chelsea in fifth but can leapfrog both and seize a place in the top four. It’s an opening Arsene Wenger is aware his side can’t afford to miss if they’re going to reclaim the seat held on Europe’s top table for the last 16-years. The opening line of Athlete’s single ‘Chances’ succinctly encapsulates the ideology they must work from if complacency is to be avoided. ‘Take all your chances why you can’. Luckily they are coming into form and generating momentum at the right time though and last weeks success at West Brom was their third league victory on the spin.
Norwich’s narrow 1-0 victory of the North London club back in October marked their first under Chris Hughton and began a 10-game unbeaten sequence that saw whispers of Europe filter around Carrow Road. But since that run came to an end just before Christmas the Canaries have managed just one win in 15 games and are yet to be assured of their top-flight status for next season. Last week’s 2-2 draw with Swansea was only the second time they’d managed to score more than once in a league game since December and a struggle to find the net has been their Achilles heel. 14 draws from 32 games has also contributed significantly to their slide although a stalemate this weekend would undoubtedly be welcomed by Hughton.
Team News
Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Theo Walcott (hip/thigh) are fit again for Arsenal but last weeks match winner Tomas Rosicky is doubtful with a hamstring problem. Per Mertesacker is banned after his red card at West Brom.
Goalkeeper Mark Bunn is a doubt for Norwich after hurting his groin in last weeks draw with Swansea. Bunn will be assessed before kick off with Lee Camp ready to deputise. Anthony Pilkington is back following a hamstring injury.
What the managers said…
“I don’t mind if Tottenham losing will have an influence or not. And I don’t care about that because I care about our results. We do not have to look at other teams. We just want to focus on how we want to play and to win our games. That is all we want to do — focus on ourselves, win our games and continue to play the way we play.” Arsenal need to forget about Chelsea and Spurs insists Arsene Wenger (The Sun)
“It is not about pulling out three or four of our remaining games and saying those are the ones. We need to try and get something from every game. You are hoping the other results go for you and if we play on a Saturday you sit and watch the Sunday games, but that is normal. Once you start anticipating a team is going to lose or win a game that is a very dangerous way to go about things.” Chris Hughton wants maxium effort in each of Norwich’s remaining games (Norwich Evening News)
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Pre-Match Statistic: Arsenal have taken 15 points in their last six Premier League games – a record only match by leaders Manchester United.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Norwich City
Make your bets ahead of the showdown at the Emirates Stadium by clicking on the banner below
It’s difficult to determine whether the ‘Manchester City Project’ has been a success, despite the club’s silverware. Their title win came after a monumental slip up from their inner-city adversaries, resulting in a 1st place finish due to a goal difference of +64 to Manchester United’s +56.
And while the last game of the season was riveting for City fans and neutrals alike, the Citizens only managed their first title in 44 years by narrowly beating the now-relegated Q.P.R. With margins that tight, the difference between success and failure comes down to the stud on a player’s boot.
Of course, the less said about Manchester City’s time in Europe since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his moneybag cronies stepped in the better, but considering this is an article about Mancini, I’ll say it anyway.
With a collective of European experience in abundance, City failed to impress in what has become the holy grail of cup competitions. Cited reasons for their failure included their admittedly tough groups, a lack of involvement at this stage, and a testing domestic timetable. But one simply needs to mention Borussia Dortmund to render these feeble arguments obsolete.
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Considering the £536.7m spent on transfer fees alone (agent fees and wages will make that figure significantly higher) and a return of one Premier League title and one FA Cup, then you have to admit that judgement day is coming for Roberto Mancini – and it doesn’t look pretty.
Granted, he could make it two FA Cups unless Wigan do the unthinkable come Saturday May 11th, but his form in Europe has been woeful. It begs the question; does the suave Italian really have the tools to push Manchester City to the next level – say, back-to-back title challenges and posing a genuine threat in Europe?
If we consider tools to mean finances, then Mancini is fully equipped to do so; everyone is acutely aware of the spending power at his disposal. If we consider tools to mean personnel, then again, Mancini has a wealth of options at his fingertips – a roster of international players, Champions League winners and now league winners.
But if we were to consider tools as Mancini’s skillset as a manager, then his checklist of achievements since joining City would suggest he doesn’t have what it takes to mould this into a team of perennial winners.
Tactically, the former Sampdoria player has fallen short. His dalliance with alternative formations – three in defence, loading the middle of the park – have only offered a sharp retort. The decision to experiment with the shape of his team – even during games – has been baffling, especially as he tinkered in Europe against sides such as Ajax, Real Madrid and Dortmund.
Then there’s his transfer record. Buying players has been a huge part of the project over in the blue side of Manchester. It hasn’t quite been ‘stuff the team full of talent and see what sticks’, but it hasn’t been far off that either.
Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart have been Manchester City’s most consistent performers. Last season, the solid partnership of their Belgian rock and England’s Number One effectively secured them the title, while this year, Zabaleta has once again underlined the importance of the roaming, hard-working full back to a top European side.
Mancini didn’t sign any of these players; he inherited them. Amongst his successful signings, we can count James Milner, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure – signed for a combined fee of £90m. These weren’t exactly unknowns in the footballing world, and had an impressive track record to precede their big-money moves.
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Counting Mancini’s less successful transfers takes more time. Maicon, Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, Javi Garcia, Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair and Gael Clichy have rarely been on a run of form befitting a world-class player, at Manchester City anyway. This is not to say their résumés weren’t impressive before joining, but they’ve certainly failed to make the impact they’re paid to make. The buck, unless it is revealed he’s not in charge of first team comings and goings, stops at Roberto.
With tactical deficiencies so rife this season, and a questionable grip on the transfer market today, Mancini seems unable to steer this blue ship towards the glory so feverishly demanded by the club’s owners and fans. Say what you will about their spending power (and plenty has been said) but while it’s there, employing the best person possible to look after it is paramount.
Jose Mourinho’s love affair with Chelsea looks to be rekindled this summer, and while Manchester City could take advantage of the London club’s exiting Spaniard, they probably won’t. Despite a Champions League and (probably) another Europa League under his belt, he too seems to lack that star quality required to be a City manager.
Manchester City are set to sign Toluca’s Argentinian defender Diego Novaretti as one of two centre-back arrivals this summer, according to the Mirror.
Sky Italia reported last night that a deal was being put in place that would see the 27-year-old uncapped defender come in as free transfer signing to be a squad player next season.
City are targeting signings like Novaretti to go alongside big-money transfers in order to conform with Uefa’s Financial Fair Play.
However, it seems they will also look to bring in another centre-back because Joleon Lescott appears on a list of 12 players that The Times claims are going to be moved out of the Etihad Stadium in the summer.
Kolo Toure has already been told that he is surplus to requirements and is on the look-out for a new club while the names of Aleksandar Kolarov, Wayne Bridge, Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri, Roque Santa Cruz, Maicon, John Guidetti, Scott Sinclair, Dedryk Boyata and Richard Wright are also likely to be circulated.
However, some of those names will be difficult to shift with Maicon already having stated his intention of seeing out the final year of his two-year contract.
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City are looking to bring in up to six new signings to give the squad a freshness and will also look to promote some of their loan and Elite Development Squad players to the first-team squad.
Paul Scholes – what a player. It says an enormous amount about the Manchester United midfielder that Xavi had nothing but glowing praise for him, even seeking out his shirt following the Champions League final in 2011. The Spaniard is one of the best midfielders many of us have ever seen and certainly the best Spanish international midfielder in the nation’s history; Paul Scholes was one step above.
It would be a little imperfect to look back at Scholes’ career as one without any flaws to his game. How many opposing supporters grew tired, frustrated and even angry at the manner in which he so poorly executed those tackles? It’s part of the makeup of the player, however, and for Scholes to be such a liability at retrieving the ball only went on to accentuate how above all that he actually was.
It’s not a matter of comparing Scholes to other midfielders of his generation and those just after. What many of us will look back on is a phenomenal footballing magician, one who could have quite easily been crafted and moulded in the either of the factories in Amsterdam or Barcelona. Scholes is the benchmark for what many consider to be perfect and unmatched approach to the game; a style that so many try to imitate but so few are good enough to innovate.
I’ll always look to interesting comparisons between Xavi and Scholes and that Barcelona and Spain’s dominance was unlocked when the Spaniard was given the role of conductor in both teams’ engine room. As soon as Xavi became the heartbeat of his team – a position he would take up in the latter stages of his career – we saw some of the most dominant and wonderful football of this generation. It’s telling then that Scholes couldn’t have a similar impact on England’s fortunes on the international stage, often left out of position in favour of others because the English mentality of pace and power didn’t know how to properly use a player of his skill.
It’s really quite unbelievable when you think about it. Here was a player in Scholes who could have had teams built around him for years and years. We lament the fact that players like Andrea Pirlo and Xavi are a little out of reach for us in England, and yet you don’t sense that we as a nation would have known how to make the best use of them even if their types were in abundance.
I don’t look back to Paul Scholes coming out of retirement as something of a blemish on his career; when you’re that age and can continue to play at the highest level (obviously up until recently) it acts as a marker that players of that class – special players that don’t come around too often – never lose their ability to stay a couple of steps ahead of their peers. Scholes was the conjurer of fabulous football moments, even those as small as a cross-field pass. It was the technique, brilliance, audacity, and spectacular precision that will live long in the memory.
Paul Scholes is a product of the proper football factory. Not like those who roll their sleeves up and roar into battle, but rather the players who can emerge from the rain and mud-covered pitches of English football without a stain. Paul Scholes was so far from the typical English footballer that it wouldn’t be too mischievous to question his true heritage. Had he been Spanish or Dutch or Italian, we in England would have offered him the kind of praise and adulation that only those in a special place in the game are deserving of. A conclusion, and one that might not be too far from the truth: Paul Scholes was simply too good for English football.
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Many former Premier League clubs have staged astonishing falls from grace in recent years – Charlton, Portsmouth and Leicester to name a few – but the traditional case study of rapid decline down the football leagues still remains Leeds United.
The Yorkshire club went from a Champions League semi-final to League 1 in less than a decade, with financial implosion, administration and a host of managers along the way, as well as former Chelsea owner Ken Bates overseeing repetitive stagnation in the Championship.
Things are looking brighter for the Whites nowadays however, with new investors from the Middle-East taking over in December, Bates relieved of his duties last week over apparent wrongful expenses claims, a new manager in Brian McDermott and the recent hope of buying back Elland Road, after having to sell it on a lease-back deal in 2004 due to financial insecurity.
However, the club is still a shadow of its former self; gunning for promotion under a new wave of optimism but nothing guaranteed. It begs the question, why hasn’t a serious investor – a multi-millionaire or even billionaire of the Roman Abramovich mould – ever taken a punt on a club with a prestigious history, strong fan base and high-standard facilities?
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There is certainly room for scope at Elland Road, especially if the finance of a wealthy individual with too much money to spend were to help push them back into the top flight. As previously mentioned, Leeds have been able to maintain their significant supporter base and high attendance despite their rapid decline, with the stadium’s maximum capacity at 37,914, and a 30,000 turnout expected for their first home game of the season against Brighton this weekend.
The attendance figures outweigh those of a number of Premier League clubs from last season, including Fulham, Norwich, QPR, West Brom and Wigan. Maxing out Elland Road with the promise of Premiership football for budding pundits would undoubtedly produce a steady supply of match day revenue to appease any potential investor. Furthermore, there is the potential to expand the stadium – plans were made in 2009 to increase the capacity to over 50,000 if England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup was successful.
Similarly, financially, the club is still in a precarious position, but Leeds have maintained their healthy youth system throughout. Currently, Tom Lees and Sam Byram, aged 22 and 19 respectively, hold down regular places in the first team, and were two of United’s top performers last term. It’s another attractive prospect for potential investors, with no fear of constantly relying upon inward transfers to source new players as we have seen at Manchester City since Sheik Mansour’s takeover in 2008, whilst Chelsea in comparison, benefitted greatly from John Terry rising through the ranks of the youth set-up.
Furthermore, Leeds’ prestigious past should not be ignored or underestimated. Granted, the last decade has been one of the darkest eras of the club’s history, but previously, they were an established top flight outfit. Since 1921, the majority of their football has been played in the English first tier, and on the continental stage they’re also well-recognised, lifting the European Cup in 1975 and regularly featuring in the modern competitions of the UEFA Cup and the Champions League before their fall from grace. It’s the kind of prestigious history that can be utilised effectively to attract talent from abroad, as well as in England, where there are still strong memories of Leeds being a Premier League institution.
But there are also plenty of reasons why an investor could be put off by the prospect of acquiring Leeds United too. Part of the attraction of foreign investors to Chelsea and Manchester City alike was the added commercial revenue that could be provided by the location of both clubs. London and Manchester are the two biggest cities in the UK, with huge populations and footfalls – 9.8million and 2.5million populations respectively – whilst West Yorkshire lags some way behind, with 1.7million between Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and Huddlesfield, and a much lesser population density to boot.
Stamford Bridge in particular, is situated in an incredibly affluent district of London, and Roman Abramovich has taken full advantage by expanding Chelsea’s stadium into a complex that includes cinemas, restaurants and bars, and it would be difficult to replicate such a business enterprise to a similar degree in a city with a fraction of London’s population.
Similarly, the club’s debts still remain a big issue. Roman Abramovich cleared the slate for the Blues in 2003, but at that point, Chelsea were a lot closer to the unprecidented revenues of European football and Premier League titles than Leeds are in their current situation, and at the moment, the Championship side’s economic model is unsustainable, despite the new investors arriving around Christmas time.
According to Spoughts.Com, Leeds City Holdings closed with a debt increase from £1.3million to £5million, and in 2012, Leeds United Football Club lost £2.2million before player sales. Ken Bates’ tactic to keep the club’s head above water was to sell the first team’s stars year upon year, and although GFH Capital have alleviated the financial strain, recently selling a 10% share in the club for further profit, it’s hard to see where a more viable solution to improve United’s cash flow problems without immediate promotion.
Perhaps most importantly however, is the fact that the Championship is the most volatile and unpredictable division within the realms of the English football league. Leicester City have spent big year upon year to bring the Championship’s top talents to the King Power stadium, but they are still yet to bring their prolonged absence from the Premiership to an end.
Similarly, clubs like Reading, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Hull have managed promotion on a shoe-string, with more impetus on the ability of the manager and the attitude of the players rather than actual quality, whilst QPR, who were taken over in 2007 by racing tycoons Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, didn’t make it into the top flight until 2011.
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So maybe there’s more risk than meets the eye in investing in what is traditionally one of England’s most successful clubs, but perhaps it’s for the best. Big-money investment hasn’t served QPR too well over the past few years, although I’m sure plenty of Leeds fans would relish the prospect of a Roman Abramovich or Sheik Mansour arriving at Elland Road.
Then again, you should always be careful what you wish for. A recent article in the Yorkshire Evening Post speculated that energy-drinks giant Red Bull were considering investing in the club. But I can’t imagine too many fans being happy if the company insisted on re-branding as they have with their take-over of Salzburg.
Formerly known as SV Austria Salzburg, the Austrian Bundesliga outfit are now called FC Red Bull Salzburg, don a badge with two red bulls on it, play their games in the Red Bull arena and wear kits consisting of the Red Bull colours (mainly red, white, blue and yellow).
Sometimes in football, there are things more important than money, winning, or the Premier League.
Trying or even key moments in a season breeds ingenuity. At least from the best.
Pep Guardiola had studied Real Madrid’s weaknesses, finally discovering the key to defeating Barcelona’s closest rivals. It was during his first season in charge and ahead of the Clasico in the Bernabeu when he moved Lionel Messi permanently from the right side of attack into the centre and into a false nine position.
Barcelona annihilated Real Madrid 6-2 in one of the most memorable matches in Guardiola’s tenure, seeing 63 per cent of possession (away at Real Madrid) and producing 17 shots.
Arsenal don’t have players of the calibre of Barcelona, but they nevertheless have the personnel to execute such a style of play, even if only on rare occasions throughout a season.
The false nine can be erratic and flat out dangerous for those who adopt it. It can force the most dominant of displays, as we regularly saw with Barcelona, or it can offer up ninety minutes of toothless football.
Let’s not be wrongly led down the path in assuming Barcelona are the only team to have used this style in recent years. Roma, with Francesco Totti in the false nine role, toyed with the formation to some degree of success before abandoning it. Spain, obviously, have looked to replicate Barcelona’s success by using either David Silva or Cesc Fabregas in the “Messi position.” And while Guardiola may be steadily introducing this formation at Bayern Munich with Mario Goetze, Germany have been down this tactical path before, which is where Arsenal can find some joy.
Mesut Ozil was Joachim Loew’s choice to take up the false nine position. The German is ideally suited to the role. He can retain the ball, he drops deep, in turn dragging defenders out of position for the benefit of wide players, and he can obviously create.
How important is Olivier Giroud to the way Arsenal play? He’s hugely important. There isn’t anything false in the relentless hammering of the idea that Arsenal will be lost if he succumbs to injury. Nicklas Bendtner may have done a good job of deputising during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Hull, but the Dane isn’t a long-term solution.
Though even with Giroud in the starting XI, Arsenal at times bypass him and use the genius of the midfield to conjure avenues to goal. The interchanging of Ozil and whoever else makes up the attacking midfield three can be mesmerising. Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Santi Cazorla, and Aaron Ramsey are able to rotate positions with ease, each capable of acting as chief creator through the middle or as a supplement out wide.
Against Cardiff, Arsenal produced three goals without the need for Giroud. The third goal highlighted the threat of pace provided by Theo Walcott, but the two which came before were the sole creation of the midfield. Ozil, creators in both, offered a glimpse of what can be done with a player like him creating space for others: both goals, notably the second, came from onrushing midfielders.
Ozil is never static, which is vital in the use of a false nine. In comparison, Giroud, while effective, allows for more certainty in the opposition centre-backs. They know what they’re dealing with and generally where the traditional centre-forward will be.
Arsene Wenger is in a position where he can use the obvious strength in his squad, his midfield, to combat the lack of depth at centre-forward. It’s risky, of course, evidenced by the dearth of teams who are prepared to adopt this tactic and stick to it.
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Barcelona, always the template, had the pace from the flanks, the rapid passing and movement, the attack-minded full-backs, and the clinical Lionel Messi. Ozil isn’t the prolific goal scorer that the Argentine is – though no one bar Cristiano Ronaldo is – but that’s not a problem. Arsenal do have the personnel to get this formation off the ground, especially with Walcott back from injury.
It’s an option that can be explored and one that does fall in line with Wenger’s footballing philosophy. It’s unlikely to ever be the team’s primary formation – Giroud is still the team’s best option at the tip of the sword – but it’s one that can offer an alternative based on the strengths of the current squad.
Arsenal and Chelsea are set for disappointment in their respective pursuits of Jackson Martinez, with the striker close to extending his contract with Porto.
The Colombian international has been heavily linked with the Premier League giants in recent times, with a move away from the Estadio do Dragao having been on the cards for some time.
However, Martinez is now set to pen a new deal with the Portuguese giants according to his agent, who is set to finalise negotiations with the club soon:
“I will travel to Porto next week to discuss the renewal. There is already an agreement to renew,” he is quoted by the Daily Star.
The news will come as a blow to Arsenal and Chelsea – who are both said to be on the lookout for attacking reinforcements.
Martinez is widely regarded as one of European football’s top marksmen, having notched a staggering 49 goals in 64 outings for Porto since joining them from Mexican top tier side Chiapas.
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A number of top clubs from across the continent have been linked with Martinez in recent times, with reports of potential release clause-triggering £34m bids having been widely reported.
Arsenal remain hopeful of pushing through a late deal for number one transfer target Julian Draxler, according to the Daily Mirror.
Gunners representatives are due to travel to Germany to try and push a deal through for the £35million-rated midfielder.
The clubs are expected to hold talks, but the Bundesliga side remain reluctant to sell this month, even though Draxler himself is keen on the switch.
Arsenal see the 20-year-old as having the potential to develop into a striker in the future.
Wenger has a history of developing players into world-class forwards, having done so with both Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie in the past.
It remains unlikely Schalke will sell this month, but Arsenal are determined to make one more big effort to land a player they believe can have a major impact on their title challenge.
The Premier League leaders know they could face more competition for the player in the summer, and so are desperate to get a deal tied up as soon as possible.
Draxler is likely to be sidelined until March with an injury, but that has not put Arsenal off making one more bid.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger is expected to confirm the signing of a new contract within the next two weeks.
Click below to see Arsenal, Fulham and Everton in action this weekend!
Tributes flooded in from all corners of the footballing universe as Ryan Giggs announced his retirement from the sport earlier this week. The 40 year old brought the curtain down on a glittering career which has seen him represent Manchester United an incredible 963 times, lifting 34 trophies along the way. Making his debut in 1991, Giggs terrorised Premier League defences for years as a dynamic and unpredictable left winger.
With the appointment of Louis Van Gaal, a major overhaul at Old Trafford is anticipated this summer. Recent reports suggest that a fee may have been agreed with Bayern Munich for the transfer of Toni Kroos, whilst a number of other high profile individuals have been linked with a summer move.
But while much of the focus seems centered upon the addition of central defenders and midfielders, United are also in desperate need of a new wide player. Whilst the career of Giggs is a phenomenon that will likely never be repeated, a winger in the mould of the Welsh Wizard would be welcomed at Old Trafford.
The 2013/14 season revealed a number of painful truths about the current United side. One of those is the genuine dearth of quality in the wide areas. David Moyes’ stubborn insistence on exploiting the flanks revealed that the current contenders for the positions are either unsuitable for the role or simply not good enough.
Shinji Kagawa and Juan Mata prefer a more central position while Adnan Januzaj has also tried his hand as the “number ten”. In recent times, Nani hasn’t convinced anybody that he has the end product to match the tricks and putting it bluntly, Ashley Young just isn’t good enough. Antonio Valencia has proven himself as a strong wide option but simply isn’t in the same dynamic and explosive mould as Giggs.
In modern football, the traditional out and out winger seems to have become unfashionable. Every manager now seems to be focused on utilising wide men as inside forwards rather than players that hug the touchline. There aren’t many individuals that closely mirror Giggs’ style, much less match his quality.
But the need for the out and out winger to stretch the game still exists. Earlier this year, Theo Walcott’s absence saw Arsenal struggle for some time in their attacking play. The injury denied the Gunners’ of a valuable outlet that could stretch a defence through his pace and positional play. Of course, this isn’t to say that Walcott is of the same calibre as Giggs, rather that an out and out winger can still be a vital asset in modern football.
Regarding United’s current wide options, the opinion that they’re not up to scratch is one that Van Gaal seems to share. Recent rumours have linked the sixty two year old with several candidates to occupy the flanks at Old Trafford. Memphis Depay, the Dutch prospect that currently plys his trade with PSV Eindhoven, is an option that is believed to be interesting Van Gaal. Yehven Konoplyanka is another, with a £12 million transfer tussle with Liverpool anticipated over the twenty four year old Dnipro winger.
Whether these players can replicate Giggs’ style down the flanks of Old Trafford remains to be seen. But what should be clear to all is that United need to strengthen in the wide areas. In the now infamous home draw to Fulham back in February, Moyes was rightly maligned for his tactics. But by the same token, only a pitiful eighteen out of a record eighty one crosses found a team-mate. Even if it was the wrong approach, a team of United’s calibre should be able to provide better service from out wide.
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Of course, there are other pressing concerns that need to be addressed. Central midfield is an area which has been crying out for reinforcements for years whilst the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic mean at least one central defensive arrival is expected.
But if the rumours are to be believed, Van Gaal has also recognised the need to strengthen out wide. Beyond the interim spell and the twilight years as a deep lying playmaker, Giggs terrorised defences as an out and out winger. It may not seem fashionable in the modern game, but a wide man more in the mould of the Welshman is another thing United need right now.