1.Rafael is becoming quite an accomplished defender. Gone is the lunging in and leaving his feet early for tackles. He uses his body better than he’s done before and tactically, he doesn’t get caught out of position as often. I would be hard pressed to see Neville being offered a contract extension after this season is up. With O Shea always waiting in the wings to step in should injury or a dip of form transpire, Neville would be reduced to Carling Cup appearances at best. Time to take that passion for the team into the coaching staff or working with the reserves.
2.Our best piece of business this past year (IMO) hasn’t been the signing of Chicharito or even the new contract awarded to Rooney. At this point, it has been the tying down of Vidic to a new 4 year contract in the summer that could prove to be one of the most underated business moves by Gill recently. There was so much talk last season that his head was getting turned by the likes of Madrid (who else?) and his wife was apparently not enjoying the cold weather in Manchester. Many of us had already regarding his departure at season’s end as inevitable. Yet, out of the blue, news of his re-signing broke and we all celebrated. As we’ve seen in the past 2-3 months, the central partnership of Rio and Vidic are without doubt, one of the top defensive tandems in Europe. It was that very backbone that our title win was built upon 2 seasons ago.
3.Oregon and Nike and whoever else was involved in Rooney’s rehab during his one week stay there should be profusely thanked. Wazza returned leaner and fitter than ever. It also seemed that his time away from all the drama helped him rediscover his passion for the game and there’s clearly been a revival in his form over the past 2-3 weeks. While he still hasn’t scored from open play and even missed a penalty against Arsenal, his footwork to find space, turn defenders and play long passes are slowly returning. The only thing that’s not quite there yet are the goals. That’s coming soon.
4.Park will be missed in January when he leaves to represent his country in the Asia Cup. I know that many fans still believe that he’s not up to the United standard. However, there are teams out there with players of the highest caliber talent wise, yet, can’t seem to get it together. Once again, it’s the reminder that you can’t just put 11 of the most talented players in the world on the same team and expect to win everything. Park brings the intangibles that are so necessary and essential. Tactically, he’s a manager’s dream and it’s no surprise that other teams have been linked with him.
5.The players on this team really care for the club. When Park scored, you could see everyone on the bench get to their feet and celebrate. This wasn’t polite applause, but a true display of joy and team unity. Even Berba who had every right to sulk at being left out of the team was up and smiling and clapping. Contrast that with players who walk off the field and don’t even care to watch their team play because they’re just too peeved at being taken off.
There’s still a long way to go till the end of the season and Rooney has yet to get off the mark. However, there are enough things working in our favor. Just as importantly, we’re in a good position that we could not have foreseen ourselves in barely 2 months ago when critics were writing us off and talking up the end of United. Let’s keep proving them wrong.
Some Related Man United Posts:Still undefeated (vs Arsenal)Misc postgame thoughtsAhead of the Everton game…The Berba Show pt 2 (feat Blackburn)Perfect ending to a tumultuous week (vs Stoke)
Category: English Premier League, Man Utd Ramblings, Manchester United, Park Ji-Sung, Wayne Rooney
Tags: Berbatov, English Premier League, Man Utd Ramblings, Manchester United, Park Ji-Sung, Premiership, Rafael, Team News, Vidic, Wayne Rooney« Still undefeated (vs Arsenal) | Home | Aergjawergawefwpark is qual-i-ty matesblog comments powered by Disqus
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