Are Chelsea’s Finest Good Enough For United’s Dream Team? …
With the new season less than a month away, Jose Mourinho has continued his one-man slanging match with United, claiming that he covets no member of Sir Alex’s squad.
“I think nobody has a better squad than Chelsea,” he said. “I’m afraid of nobody. I trust my players. The balance we have given to the squad with the new arrivals has given us security and protection. It can avert what happened last season.
“I wouldn’t swap my squad for Manchester United’s. My players are always the best players in the world, always. Chelsea have the best players in the world.”
Mourinho is right to show confidence in his squad but only hubris would prevent him from finding places for Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo in the deposed champions’ line-up.
But what of United? This is Sir Alex’s best squad in a decade. It is potentially the team of all the talents with stars aplenty. Could it be improved by players currently at the Premiership’ second best side?
AbsolutelyUNITED plays fantasy football to see who would make the cut …
- Goalkeeper
Petr Cech: The division’s outstanding goalkeeper, whose absence contributed much to Chelsea’s loss of defensive composure last Christmas. Cech is so good that few now talk about his predecessor Carlo ‘Winston Bogarde’ Cudicini, who used to have something of a reputation himself until the Czech wonder arrived from Rennes. Cech would depose Van Der Sar, Foster or the calamitous Kuszczak in a heartbeat.
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Defence
Ashley Cole: As mentioned elsewhere in these pages, United could be vulnerable at leftback next season. ‘Cashley’ Cole has been consistent since breaking into the Arsenal first 11 and emerged as an international class player in the Euro 2004 Championships. The manner in which he jumped all over Cristiano Ronaldo, in the epic England - Portugal quarter-final, marked him out as one of the best players in the world in his position. Cole has rarely come second to the United winger since.
Has yet to have the same impact since his rancourous transfer to Chelsea and has suffered with injury but if United could be improved defensively by a player currently in the Premiership, Cole is the man.
- Midfield
Michael Essien: The powerhouse midfielder has proved a snip at nearly £25 million. Some observers have suggested that United’s development was delayed by two years because of Ferguson’s failure to sign the young Ghanaian midfielder when he left Lyon in 2005.
Essien can score. He can defend. He has a great “engine.” He is versatile and he is indefatigable. A fabulous modern player who would easily get in the United team ahead of Owen Hargreaves.
Honourable mention:
John Obi Mikel: It is a contradiction in terms to mention honour in the same sentence as Obi Mikel but the Nigerian is already a player of immense promise and tipped for the brightest of futures. The greatest compliment paid to him so far is that his emergence as first team player of substance has made the decline of Claude Makalele barely a talking point.
Obi Mikel’s attitude seems poor and the professional advice he is receiving is worse but with greater maturity and a calmer head, Obi Mikel will be some player.
- Attack
Didier Drogba: The 29 year old striker has become a tremendous Premiership raider over the last year and was the difference between Chelsea and the champions in the FA Cup Final. He is strong and his touch is improving. Add an important defensive knowhow plus the ability to score tap ins and goals from distance and it is easy to understand why Sir Alex speaks so highly of the Ivory Coast hitman.
Last May, Ferguson said: “I kept saying to people: ‘Will somebody please shoot Drogba?’ because his performances were unbelievable.
“He carried their team, I thought, and he kept getting these incredible goals. I thought he may win the title on his own at one point but the drawback for them was that he had to play all the games because they couldn’t leave him out.
“I remember us watching Drogba before they bought him. But the price was about £25million.
“That was a lot at the time. He had only had one season at Marseille. But they took the risk and paid for him. He is a powerful lad, a massive physique. He has strength and plays every game.”
Sir Alex will hope to field Tevez and Rooney next season but if the manager’s preference for the European formation of 4-5-1 remains, Drogba would be the ideal frontman.
(On Jul 15th, 2007 at 11:30 pm)
It’s hard to be neutral when pitting the beauty of United’s football against the result machine that is Cheslea FC. Even the most hardened Chelsea supporter wants to see exciting football , which surely made it all the more difficult for them to accept that United gained the most points AND played the most attractive football in 2006/07. In short, Chelsea and United are chalk and cheese (of the finest French variety). As both teams are similarly effective, it’s always going to be difficult to compare the teams man for man.
That said, I honestly wouldn’t even have 3 of the the aforementioned players in the United-Chelsea first XI.
Michael Essien
Essien was most concisely described by The Times, as ‘a one man wrecking machine’. If there was one player United could use it’s him. He is a truly excellent player, who knows where he’s come from and knows what he’s got. When I watch him play I invariably do so with great admiration and a tingle of envy.
Petr Cech
You try your best to find fault with the Chelsea team but Cech is beyond criticism.Because of his ability and track record, when he plays, Chelsea have a psychological advantage because he is almost a myth. Cech is, without doubt, the best keeper since Schmeichers. EVS is technically as good but Cech has the superior physicality which sets him apart. Who could possibly dare to beat a United side including Cech?
Didier Drogba
When he first came to England his feet were like breeze blocks and it was hard to imagine how Chelsea would ever be able to justify spending so much on the player. Whilst he has scored lots of goals since, he makes Chelsea predictable in the same way that United were when Ruud was around. I honestly think that most United fans would agree that someone like Drogba would be outclassed on a techinical level at United and would take us back to the dark days of 2000 -2006.
Chelsea, you can keep your 30 year old hero, with pleasure.
Ashley Cole
Give me a break! Wenger got the best out of him because he is in a different class to Mourinho and since Cole’s arrival at The Bridge he has looked decidedly feeble. If he wasn’t English, he would be viewed as a smaller Silvestre. Evra will prove this season that he belongs to an altogether higher tier in football.
Chelsea, please keep Ashley Cole!
Puritannical or not, I would suggest that the tide has improbaly changed and now most footie fans would agree that United are the team to beat this season.