United's Next No. 1

It was interesting to read today the comments of United's recently-appointed goalkeeping coach, Eric Steele. He was discussing an issue which is coming very sharply into focus - who is going to be United's next number 1?

"One or two will talk about Fabien Barthez and his contribution here but mainly people talk about Schmeichel and Van der Sar as being the best and in-between was a difficult time."

Whist I am one of those who looks back on Barthez's first year with fondness (some of the saves he made were just out of this world), "difficult time" doesn't begin to sum it up:

• the two years of Tim Howard (that mistake against Mourinho's Porto) and Roy Carroll (Pedro Mendes' "goal" from the halfway line) make United fans hide under the table;
• Barthez's second year was chock-full of comical errors in important games;
• Mark Bosnich was woeful, and in particular his kicking and distribution were an embarrassment - have you ever known a professional footballer unable to kick a ball?

On that note, it is interesting how Steele describes United's ideal keeper:

"Edwin is a very, very experienced goalkeeper. He has been one of the finest in the world in terms of the sweeper-keeper role that this club needs...He will now be remembered for the famous save in the shoot-out in the Champions League final but I think it had been noted by the purists in the game that he was one of the finest in terms of playing out from the back.

"His distribution skills are tremendous and ideally what you look for now. He has been, and still is, one of the best. It is a joy having viewed him from a distance to now work with him. He has raised the bar."

This, of course, was something that Schmeichel also excelled at. But these comments could be mis-interpreted. I don't think that Steele is saying that the first criterion is distribution - more that this is the criterion which will separate the men from the boys. We must take all the necessary skills in the areas of shot-stopping and dominance of the penalty area as read before considering this point.

It is good to know that someone is personally taking on the job of transitioning us to our next keeper:

"When the time comes that Sir Alex Ferguson says 'who is going to replace Edwin?' I have to have an answer and reasons for the answer. My job is to give the manager as many options as I can.

"We have to get all the goalkeepers fit and competing and throw the gauntlet down to Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Foster and say who is going to take over the mantle of the No 1 we have now. This is the time for Tomasz and Ben. This is what they were brought here for. "

I've set out my thoughts fairly clearly on Foster and Kusczcak here. And it's a bit too early to start looking at outside candidates, although there will be a question of whether we need an interim experienced signing/back-up like Brad Freidel and whether we can poach an existing top keeper from another club for a sensible sum.

Finally, Steele's comments on why the standard of keeping so far this season have been low are worth noting:

"I have been here 10 weeks but I missed the nucleus of what I believe is the mainstay of your season and that is the pre- season. Edwin came back late because of his involvement in Euro 2008. Ben was injured in South Africa. All of a sudden you are looking at players who have missed the conditioning work. We have been playing catch-up and have used the international breaks to get them up to speed.

"We have sat down with Tony Strudwick, who is head of sports science at United, and his team and set about doing sessions to bring them up to speed. The keepers needed that. We have caught up and it is only in the last two or three weeks they are at the level I would have wanted them at in August. It is about preparation. They You have to monitor where, when and how much work to give them."

And some good news to sign off on:

"They [Foster and Kusczcak] are both back from injury. Both are fully fit now to accept the challenge and Edwin knows it is there."

Good - well let's hope for a noticeable improvement from here on in. And I, for one, want to see Foster getting a lot of opportunities.

What are your views on the goalkeeping situation? Do you think Foster and Kusczcak are up to the job?

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Soccerlens Writing Competition

Soccerlens is running its annual writing competition. I think this is a great idea, and something that deserves as much support as possible - there can never be too much quality football writing on the web for my liking.

Why don't you head over there and give it a go - and check out my entry while you're over there!

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Progress Report - Part III: The Midfield

I have been taking advantage of the international break to review the performance of different elements of the season so far (see an overview and my assessment of the defence).

Today it's the midfield's turn. By midfield, I mean central midfield - the wingers are much more a part of the attacking line-up, and I will look at those next.

Overview

The midfield has performed passably in very difficult circumstances. The injuries that have beset our central midfielders have been well documented, but they can be summed up by saying that the only midfielder who has been available for selection for each of the first ten games has been Darren Fletcher. A combination of virus (Carrick), injury (Carrick, Hargreaves, Scholes, Possebon) and Olympics (Anderson) has ensured that our midfield has been a foundation of shifting sands as yet.

Thankfully, this seems about to change, as Carrick and Hargreaves return to fitness. This should allow the fatigued Anderson to finally get a rest, and Fletcher to have a breather after his early-season Atlas (take the world on my shoulders) act.

Player ratings

Scholes - 6.5 - a real mixed bag. At times, he has touched the heights of his latter day career, with all the intuitive passing and effortless ball-retention that we have come to expect. At times, though, his standards have slipped. Even playing his new reduced-energy game, he has struggled to remain an influence for more than 60 minutes of a match, and has only completed one match that he started. The sending off against Zenit was a low, too. Intriguingly, though, against Bolton we were given a glimpse of what his future could look like - Scholesy the 70th0min impact sub, complete with his (formerly trademark) late runs into the box, bursts forward and constant movement.

Fletcher - 8.5 - we needed someone to step up, and good god has Fletcher done that. Dismissed last season by many (including me) as no better than a squad player, he has been top class so far this season, earning the right to be one of the first names on the team sheet. His all-action style has found an extra dimension, that of linking in with attacks and making intelligent appearances in the box - runs which have netted him two vital goals. As a further reward, he was made captain of the Scottish national team last week. Interesting to see if he can retain his place under increased competition.

Hargreaves - 6 - has done what was expected of him - no more, no less - when he has been fit enough to play. However, it was clear from the period at the end of last season where he was playing regularly that he needs to bit match-fit for a decent stretch of games for us to get the best out of him. The tendinitis is worrying because it is recurring, and he is a bit young to be wrapped in cotton wool like Scholes and only brought out for certain games. If he can't manage that, he'll never rise above the level of squad player.

Carrick - n/a - rushed back into the team, then sold short by an EVDS throw and injured in the resultant challenge. We've badly missed his incisive forward passing, and I really think he will play as big a role as anyone in servicing and extracting the best of Berbatov. Looking forward to seeing him back in the colours.

Anderson - 6 - pressed into service almost immediately after his return from the Olympics, he is struggling to reproduce the dynamic form that shot him to recognition last year. My view is that he is badly in need of a break, since his style of play is very energy and strength intensive. His performances have been consequently patchy, with glimpses of his best mixed with periods of anonymity. Don't write him off, though.

Giggs - 7 - apparently now best suited to a central role, hence why he is included here. A low point was the error which led to Liverpool's winner, but he has been one of our better players in that second half going forward. A masterful display against Aalborg, followed by a lively one against Blackburn, suggests there's life in the old dog yet. As I said at the time, ten games a season at Aalborg levels will more than justify his place in the squad.

Possebon - n/a - a couple of tidy substitute appearances, and a decent showing in the Carling Cup before being clattered by a nasty, dangerous piece of thuggery from Pogatetz. Thankfully suffered limited damage from that challenge, and I look forward to seeing more of him soon so
I can make a proper assessment.

O'Shea - 5 - was quietly effective against Portsmouth in the second match of the season, but it's been pretty much all downhill since then, culminating in an embarrassingly inept performance against Aalborg. He used to be a genuine reserve option in this position, but I think those days are past. And with Rafael and Fabio to back up at either full-back slot, and Evans in the centre, are O'Shea's days past now too?

What do you make of my ratings? How do you think the midfield has performed to date?

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You should read....

Taking a break from the review of the season so far, here is a selection of the best articles from around the web for you to read:

A transcript of Joe Kinnear's first press conference as interim manager of Newcastle - never mind what you think about the Comedy Club, this is a must-read if you missed it.

Martin Samuel in fantastic form slating Blatter's attack on foreign owners.

The Independent's Nick Harris takes apart Blatter and Platini's other pet project of punishing clubs who are in debt.

And as the Tevez deal comes back to the front of United fans' minds, an interview with Kia Joorabchian

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Progress Report - Part II: The Defence

Following on from my overview of our season so far, today I will look at the performance of our defence to date. I'll give an overall view and then marks out of ten for each player.

At the end, let me know what you think of my assessments and my ratings...

Overview

The performance of our defence has, in some ways, been more disappointing than the lack of spark up front. Whereas the injury situation at times induced near-paralysis going forward, the defence has been unaffected by injuries - the only enforced selection change was as a result of Vidic's red card against Liverpool.

Odd, then, that "Fergie's best ever defence" should have become a bit leaky - although not inexplicable, as the player ratings will make clear. Equally, no need to panic, with five clean sheets from the first ten games, including the last three in a row.

Player ratings

EVDS - 3 - not much good to say about the big Dutchman, unfortunately. I cannot call to mind a single outstanding save (ie one which the average keeper wouldn't expect to make), whilst being able to recall numerous errors and occasions of dodginess. His extraordinary mistake against Liverpool was solely responsible for turning the tide of the game against us, and he was going to same way against Chelsea before injuring himself and being subbed. His command of the area, usually so dominant, has been suspect - I find myself watching through my fingers. I fear our most reliable keeper since Schmeichel is on his way out.

Kuszczak - 5.5 - has to start taking his chances if he harbours realistic hopes of taking over from van der Sar in the long run. Had just the one shot before he got injured, so it may seem harsh to mark him, but it was the same old story. He looked a good shot stopper, but his presence in the area is non-existent. The floated free-kick which resulted in Chelsea's goal should have been his all day, every day - but whilst some keepers need a reason to stay on their line, TK won't leave it without a cast-iron guarantee. OK, but not good enough.

Foster - n/a - "Saha with gloves" is the current nickname doing the rounds, and I pray it's not true. Perhaps a more apt comparison would be Chris Kirkland, who had all the attributes to be one of the best in the world (seriously) but missed at least 2/3 of every season with a serious injury. I'm not claiming Ben could be the best in the world, but in contrast to TK he has all attributes necessary to be a huge success, and I hope he stays fit long enough to fulfil his potential.

Amos - n/a - one of the quietest, most relaxing nights a keeper could ask for against Middlesbrough, so hard to make a judgement.

Evra - 7 - one of our most consistent performers, he has been especially effective raiding up the left flank. He also proved that he can win improbably defensive duels by facing down Kevin Davies. One thing he must work on, though, is his judgment about when to go forward. Too often he has bombed on without cover and been caught out - his strategy of joining every attack only works when either only one man is left up top by the opposition or (as against Pompey, where O'Shea covered marvellously) one of the central midfielders is prepared to play auxiliary left back.

Vidic - 7 - a good if unspectacular start to the season, marred of course by that silly red card against Liverpool. Given that he lines up on the left of the centre back pair, he has been most affected by Evra's indiscipline, as he has been forced to cover out wide more than I would like to see. Whilst facing up to players with the ball at their feet isn't exactly a weakness, it isn't his most strong area (he prefers to dominant aerially and with crunching tackles), and he has done too much of it.

Rio - 9 - sensational first ten games. He has been a rock in the defence even when it has been troubled, not only with his actual interventions but also with his leadership. The sight of Rio turning to berate a team-mate is taking on Keane-esque regularity, and the team is the better for it. He still works the ball around in a cultured way, and has been a threat at the other end too. A goal or two would have bumped this up to a ten, but it's hard to see what more he can do.

Evans - 7 - promising signs from the young lad, in particular his start against Chelsea where he looked more in his depth than anyone could have hoped. My only concern is that he looks a little lightweight in the air, and as such is not at all a like-for-like Vidic replacement. He will obviously have to wait for his chances, since he's never going to force Rio or Vidic out when fit - but I hope he does wait around until he gets his shot.

Neville - 6 - whilst it has been great to see Red Nev leading the team out once more, his performances have yet to suggest that he can get back to his best. Sluggish going forward, where he's struggling to make the ground he used to and his fabled crossing has been erratic. Inconsistent defensively, with solidity intermingled with moments of madness like his lunges on Anelka and Ballack which could have earned him red. Needs to do more to justify Fergie's faith.

Brown - 6.5 - inexplicably dropped for Neville for the Chelsea game, and then left out for Rafael against Aalborg, Wes showed his character to score and be involved in a clean sheet against Blackburn. I think he has improved his game going forward out of sight over the summer, and deserved to be first choice, and I'd be fascinated to know the real reason for his omissions. Loyalty to the skipper is admirable, but Wes should be playing.

Rafael - 7 - has the makings of a real prodigy, he has whipped fans up into a fever pitch of excitement whenever he has been seen. A full back in the true Brazilian mould - both in a good sense (that he is a genuine danger going forward, not just a supporting player) and a bad sense (his defensive skills look more suited to a winger). Once we start to refine this raw diamond, though we could have a sensation on our hands in seasons to come.

Over to you - what are your views on our defence so far?

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Progress Report - Part I: Overview

With the tedious international break upon us, I would like to take the opportunity to run a series of articles reviewing the season so far. They will be broken down as follows:

Part I: Overview
Part II: The Defence
Part III: The Midfield
Part IV: The Attack
Part V: Our Rivals

With no further ado, let's crack on.

Re-cap

These are the 10 games we have played so far:

(PL in red, CL in blue, others in green)

v Newcastle (h), draw 1-1 (Fletcher)
v Portsmouth (a), WIN 1-0 (Fletcher)
v Zenit (n), lose 2-1 (Vidic)
v Liverpool (a), lose 1-2 (Tevez)
v Villareal (h), draw 0-0
v Chelsea (a), draw 1-1 (Park)
v Middlesbrough (h), WIN 3-1 (Ronaldo, Giggs, Nani)
v Bolton (h), WIN 2-0 (Ronaldo, Rooney)
v Aalborg (a), WIN 3-0 (Rooney, Berbatov 2)
v Blackburn (a), WIN 2-0 (Brown, Rooney)

Looking back

Running your eyes down that list of fixtures, there are a few patterns that leap out:

• We only won once in our first six competitive games, which is on first glance an appalling start to the season. In fact, if you look closer, it's still below par - if the games against Liverpool and Chelski had finished 15 minutes early, we would have taken 4 points from our two hardest away games rather than 1. Equally, we could have beaten Villareal 2-0 if even the totally uncontroversial decisions had gone our way.
• That's a tough set of fixtures by anyone's standards. Playing Liverpool and Chelsea at their own places; starting off our CL campaign against the hardest team in our group; away at Pompey and Blackburn, two games we have struggled in over the last two seasons.
  
• Neither our attack nor our defence has been up to last season's standards, something we will look at in more detail later on this this series. Suffice to say that we conceded too many goals and too many easy goals, whilst failing to find any fluency going forward (the last two games excepted).
• The trend is upwards in the last few games, with our forwards making onto the scoresheet more often and clean sheets starting to arrive.
  

In addition to this, there were two problems dragging us down throughout this time, the injury crisis and the Berbatov saga. I should hardly need to remind you of the horrific details of either of these - we struggled to put out a matchday squad against Newcastle, and even once Berba finally arrived his integration into the team has been difficult.

The signs are, though, that these problems are easing. In both defence and attack, Fergie has selection headaches that must be worse than many a hangover - it is only in midfield that we are really struggling, with Carrick and Scholes out with serious injuries and Hergreaves still struggling with his tendinitis. Equally positively, Berba has broken his scoring duck and is starting to find the wavelength of his teammates.

And ther realy positive - despite all this, if we win our game in hand against Fulham, we are only three points off the pace in the PL, through to the next round of the Carling Cup and decently placed in our CL group. So, to quote Eric Idle, always look on the bright side of life...

Looking forward

In the next articles of the series, I will set out "goals" for each of the units (defence, midfield and attack), but here I'm going to stick to giving you a flavour of what is to come. Here are the upcoming 10 fixtures:

v West Brom (h)
v Celtic (h)
v Everton (a)
v West Ham (h)
v Hull (h)
v Celtic (a)
v Arsenal (a)
v QPR (h)
v Stoke (h)
v Aston Villa (a)

Not quite so scary, are they? Six games at home, including all three of the promoted teams. Away at Everton, whose confidence is shot and whose defence is leaking horribly. Even the harder games have causes for optimism - away at Arsenal, who are showing the same inconsistency as at the back end of last season; and away at Villa, who maintain their poor record against the top four.

At the same time, we can expect Ronaldo to get closer to his best form and Berbatov to show us why he was worth the money; Rooney to continue his recent hot streak, and Tevez to fight for a place; Carrick to return from injury to pull the strings, and our defence to build back up it's formidable steeliness.

I can seriously imagine looking down that list in 7 weeks time and writing WIN next to every fixture. Here's hoping.

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United v Aalborg preview

I could go into detail about Aalborg here, but I'm not going to. If you'll excuse for sounding cocky and/or tempting fate, it really shouldn't matter. Whilst undoubtedly a worthy side, they are standard-issue Champions League minnows and we should wipe the floor with them.

Team news

So, who's going to do the wiping? Fergie has made it clear that he is going to play his strongest team to avoid the same sort of freak result that we suffered against Copenhagen, and this makes a lot of sense. 10 points is seen as the safety threshold for qualification, and you usually look to pick up at least 7 of those at home. Well, we're one home game down with only one point to show for it, and anything could happen in the cross-border games with Celtic, so we need to make sure of six points against the whipping boys - no excuses.

But what is our strongest team? At the moment, that's anyone's guess. What we do know is that Neville and Hargreaves both join Carrick on the sidelines, with a thigh strain and (the increasingly concerning) tendinitis respectively. Brown will thankfully return at right back, and Fletcher should continue in central midfield alongside Anderson or Scholes. It's a toss-up between Nani, Park and Tevez to play on the opposite wing to Ronaldo, with Rooney returning behind Berbatov. Van der Sar is fit to continue in goal, especially with the injuries to Kuszczak and Foster.

Goals for the game

(As I mentioned before, for each game, I will set out a list of goals for the game. These will be things that are of particular importance for this game (on top of winning, of course!). They will give you a guide to what to look for when watching the game. I will also pick up on them in my match report to give us a framework for assessing each performance.)

Goal 1 - I know this is a repeat from Saturday, but the integration of Berbatov is an important ongoing project.

Goal 2 - with Blackburn waiting at the weekend, we should be looking to wrap up victory quickly to conserve energy and to allow some younger players to get a taste of European football.

Goal 3 - with the goals hardly flowing in, a confidence booster scoreline would be really useful - Aalborg are the sort of team that we could put six past if we get going, and we would all feel a whole lot better for it.

Prediction - 3-0 United.

What are your predictions, and what are you looking for from our performance?

Coming up on the blog in the next few days: this week's United reader, the Aalborg match report, and a series of articles looking in detail at our central midfielders.

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United 2-0 Bolton - Report Part I

The result that we wanted, although nobody can deny that the breakthrough was "lucky" (read gifted to us by the ref). There are plenty of places where you can read a blow-by-blow account of the match, so instead I'm going to examine whether we met the goals I set out in my preview. Then, I will look at each player's performance in detail. This will be the usual format of match reports here - please let me know what you think in the comments.

Goal 1 - Attacking fluency - mixed success here. We had a lot of the ball in the first half, and whilst there was the odd nice move and some dangerous crosses that didn't quite find a head, we didn't look like carving apart a team with 10 men behind the ball. We improved a bit in the second half as Ronaldo started to get going, but there was a total sea-change when Rooney and Scholes came on. From that point, we ran Bolton ragged, moving the ball fast and intelligently, and looking a threat whenever we were in possession - and you couldn't ask for a better second goal.

Goal 2 - Sustained performance - well, we were at home and we ran the game for long periods of time. Again, we did move up and down the gears, but we kept knocking on the door and I was confident that the goal was going to arrive without a dodgy decision (read howler) from the ref. There was no sign from any of the players of flagging fitness levels, which has been a question mark in past performances. A step in the right direction, but there's further to go.

Goal 3 - Berbatov's integration - it is clear that the team needs to learn how to play with him as much as he needs to learn how to play for us. There were over ten occasions when he suddenly pulled back off his centre-back, wanting the ball to feet - he created a couple of yards for himself in a dangerous area, but his movement was rarely spotted. I think he will benefit greatly from Scholes or Carrick's presence in the team, since they are always on the lookout for - and are capable of playing - that precise forward pass into feet. Again, encouraging but with a way to go yet.

Goal 4 - bossing central midfield - we didn't really achieve this. Another central midfield pairing, and another ok showing. But pairing is the word to stress - I really believe in the value of a consistent partnership, where one will know where the other is and what is expected of each. I think Fletcher and Andersonare a bit too all-action to play well together. Both like to cover ground and get involved in the play wherever it is, and the both did fine, but there wasn't much sign of the co-ordination necessary to run the game rather than just compete.

Goal 5 - no goalkeeping errors - fully achieved. Granted, EVDS didn't have much to do, but it has been the simple things that have been causing concern recently. One eye-catching take from a corner which must have given him confidence - that is the sort of dominance and sure-handedness that makes the whole defence feel better about life. Long may it continue.

What do you make of the performance? Do you agree with my assessments? Lets hear from you in the comments.

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United v Bolton - YouTube compilation

To tide you over from yesterday's preview to this afternoon's game, here is a selection of YouTube links to past glories against Bolton:

THAT Rooney and Ronaldo goal

Remember when Ronaldo didn't come across as an egotistical wanker? This is his United debut five years ago, when he was unleashed on Bolton and we first realised we had something special on our hands...

Rooney's 2007 hat-trick

And each week we will feature a Classic YouTube link - this week, as a counterbalance to all those flashy youngsters in the clips above, here is a tribute to Brian "Choccy" McClair - a model professional and a United legend.

Roll on 3pm!

What do you make of these clips? Please post any YouTube links you would like to share in the comments - I'll publish the best in my next compilation.

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Manchester United vs Bolton - Preview

Our first Premier League home game since the first day of the season, against a solid but uninspiring Bolton team. Should be a welcome relief after two rough games on the road and a rocky start to the campaign.

Team news - this is the closest we've had to a fully fit squad this season, with Carrick our only major absentee. Expect some of those who have were rushed back during the crisis to take a back seat for a game or two, notably Scholes and Anderson. It also wouldn't surprise me if Rooney doesn't start, since he has been going solid since shaking off that debilitating pre-season virus and hasn't looked his best.

Expect Ronaldo to start his first Premier League game of the season, and Park and Fletcher to retain their places after strong showings recently. Vidic returns from suspension. The Brown / Neville debate continues to have legs, and it is unclear who will start after Neville's surprise appearance against Chelsea. It is also uncertain whether van der Sar or Kuszczak will start in goal - EVDS has looked short of confidence recently, and Fergie's use of Ben Amos in the Carling Cup game suggests TK might start with EVDS rested from the matchday squad entirely.

EDIT: Kuszczak has picked up a groin injury and so won't be available, making it certain that van der Sar will play with Amos on the bench.

Goals for the game

For each game, I will set out a list of goals for the game. These will be things that are of particular importance for this game (on top of winning, of course!). They will give you a guide to what to look for when watching the game. I will also pick up on them in my match report to give us a framework for assessing each performance.

Goal 1 - the fans (and the "goals for") column are crying out for some attacking fluency. Being at home and against weaker opposition should give the boys a good chance to express themselves, and a 2 or 3 goal margin would be welcome.

Goal 2 - after mixed displays on the road, I would like to see evidence of a sustained level of performance. We had good 20 minute spells against Liverpool and Chelsea, but we should look to dominate this game for at least 60 of the 90 minutes.

Goal 3 - continuing Berbatov's integration into the team. I'm looking for repeated involvement in passing moves and greater evidence of Berba knowing where his teammates are running and vice-versa.

Goal 4 - bossing central midfield after being outfought for large parts of the game in this area against both our rivals.

Goal 5 - The goalkeeping errors must be cut out, I want to see no errors or moments of dodginess from whoever plays. Nothing undermines a defence quicker than a lack of confidence in the keeper.

Predicted team

van der Sar
Brown - Vidic - Ferdinand - Evra
Ronaldo - Fletcher - Hargreaves - Park
Tevez - Berbatov

Predicted score

3-1 to United.

What are your predictions, and what are you looking for from our performance?

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