Champions League: Analysing British Hopes of Winning
Manchester United Fergie has a very big point to prove this season, both in the Premier League and the Champions League and again Injury concerns have left Manchester United vulnerable at the back, but the one thing that has hampered their form this season and was similarly debilitating last campaign is leadership or lack thereof. There is no doubt that United have quality all over the pitch, but without the likes of Vidic, Fletcher and Rooney there is a huge whole, usually filled with bright eyed youngster still finding their footing on the unforgiving turf of Europes top grounds. The 25 man squad is not as frightening as previous ones nor is it poor, but there is an over-reliance on aging greats (Schloes, Giggs, Ferdinand and Evra) which is coupled with considerable youthful naivety (Rafael, Cleverley, Welbeck etc.). De Gea in goal, in particular, has all the attributes to excel at the club, but he lets his inexperience show too regularly on the big occasion. Of course, he isnt entirely helped by the prolonged absence of a fully fit Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the defence or any number of acceptable stand-ins that are also injured. One thing is for certain, Sir Alex will not put out weakened teams this time as he bids to vanquish the disastrous early elimination of last year. To accomplish that feat he has brought in Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa in the hopes of creating the most formidable strike force not seen since Yorke, Scolkjaer, Sheringham and Cole from the treble winning team of the late 90s. In Kagawa United can and have played through the middle away in Europe in an attempt to keep the shape narrow and potentially protect the back four better. Against Cluj there were no recognized wingers in the starting line-up. Instead Rooney and Van Persie were tasked with adding the verve to the attack. In what was surprisingly their first start together the partnership blossomed with two well-crafted goals and thankfully covered-up another below par display from the reds. Again defensive lapses caused what should have a stroll in park into a long slog. The group draw has been kind to United having been drawn with CRF Cluj, Galatasary and Braga this term and although performances havent been great so far they are an improvement on last year. The only fear for Fergie is another bout of complacency this term, but with his motivational techniques of hairdryer propensity there is little to fear from another shock exit. However, how far United go does depend on the continued fitness of the clubs experienced stars. A fit Van Persie showed how lethal he can be last season, but perhaps more importantly the on-going injury worries of Vidic could derail Uniteds progress deep into the knockout stages. Prediction: Definitely out of the group as winners, but no closer to attaining the cup this time. A surprising lack of character and concentration at the back could leave Fergie fuming like last year, but with possibly the most potent attacking duo in European football expect a well score more than you approach to United this campaign. Ferguson will select stronger line-ups to avoid the farcical performances of last year, but it still wont be strong enough. Clean-sheets are such a valuable commodity when it comes to the pressure of the latter stages of the competition and like their noisy neighbours clean sheets are a rarity so far this season.