The Real Reason For United’s Success This Season
Having John O’Shea on the bench means you can have an extra 2 midfielders and attackers on the bench because he can cover every single position in the back 4. The fact that Sir Alex made him captain last night demonstrates to me the respect that he has for O’Shea and the stability and experience he provides. Sure Fabio is more exciting a prospect, Evra is an infinitely better left back and Rafael and Smalling are ahead of him at Centre Back.
But when you want somebody solid and dependable you turn to O’Shea and it’s the fact that United have O’Shea, Arsenal have Eboue and Chelsea have Paulo Ferreira that may prove the difference in the title and already has proven the difference in the Champions League.
Is that simplifying things? Of course it is. There are so many factors that have affected this season, United’s back 4 has been incredible. Berbatov has fluctuated between match winning magnificence and prolific goalscoring to frustrating performances where the Hernandez show has had to fly to the rescue (WHAT A SIGNING!). Then Rooney has stepped up a gear and started playing like the player he really should be. Giggs has continued to tear them apart, again and again, not so much from the wings, but from a multitude of positions (again, versatility making a massive, massive difference). When United suffer an injury, you can always think of a quality player to step in and replace them, and when you think of that replacement, you aren’t cursing the difference in quality between the two players.
United can swap out players in every single position and the quality drop really isn’t that vast. Of course fluctuations in form could change that, and people will rightly point out that for all of Smalling’s great performances this year, his distribution doesn’t make him quite ready to replace Rio just yet. People will point out that when Scholes, Giggs and VDS retire there are going to be some huge holes to fill. You know what, they are probably right.
But when those players go, do we want a wholesale change or do we want some of our most experienced players around to keep that winning tradition going? Brown, O’Shea, Park, Carrick and Fletcher won’t win the Ballon D’Or any time soon, but what they do is make United’s bad days look very, very successful, and playing for a team where two games a week is the norm rather than the exception, having a squad that seamlessly shuffles it’s pack without looking anything more than a few % weaker, that’s priceless, because the days of having the best first XI isn’t what wins you the title. It’s the best squad.
The real reason behinds UTD’S success this season ——> FERGIE !
What a write up! Now thats a rally cry to all the United supporters indeed.
I would put it this way to add a little bit to your post “Found a way to do what’s necessary”
Though, most of uefa officials were barca fans.but man u will still demolish them.
Success? I thought we have won NOTHING as yet this term? Next 3 weeks will decide what if anything has/have been won! Only concern is our lapse into Arsenal style play and get beat. Why we didn’t beat Newcastle soundly? Why that inexplicable collapse at Arsenal? SAF should not believe in hype. More so, the players. Beat Chelsea this Sunday and then go on to sweep past Barca. Only the it would be called SUCCESS.
o’shea is a very very i don’t know what adjective to use he’s just fantastic……. i’m a footballer and plays from the right back….. i was forced to play from the left due to injured left back…. let me tell you it’s difficult…. in training what position wud O’shea train for…. 1,2,3,5,6,4,10,7,11,8 or 9 bcos he has played all position decently including in the so called “big games” just give it all for our one and only Mr versatile….
o’shea is a very very i don’t know what adjective to use he’s just fantastic……. i’m a footballer and plays from the right back….. i was forced to play from the left due to injured left back…. let me tell you it’s difficult…. in training what position wud O’shea train for…. 1,2,3,5,6,4,10,7,11,8 or 9 bcos he has played all position decently including in the so called “big games” just give it all for our one and only Mr versatile….!
MICHAEL CARRICK.
He makes the difficult look incredibly simple.
I know there are a few non playing football fans that can’t appreciate his genius, but this guy is exceptional. Fergie knows this.
If Carrick played for England, they could even win the world cup and the funny thing is, he still wouldn’t get the credit because the ordinary football fan wouldn’t notice his contribution!
He lost his form for a couple of months at the back end of last season but four four years he has been excellent, now he’s muscled up a little he’s just exceptional.
Well done to Fergie for keeping faith with this footballing genius.