Should United buy a new striker?
After two games of the new season, United have lost their best striker, scored one goal and find themselves four points adrift of the front-runners Everton, City and ominously Chelsea.
Liverpool and Arsenal are two points ahead and have played a game fewer.
Press reports claim Sir Alex convened a meeting of scouts on Monday, to discuss whether a new striker could be drafted in during Rooney’s absence. The manager has since ruled out that option.
Has he made the right decision? Should United sign a new forward?
YES – buy / loan a new striker.
First Reading. Now Portsmouth. Can the manager afford to dither on this decision any longer with the closure of the transfer window due in just two weeks?
Tevez played well at Portsmouth but faded as the match wore on. He’ll be asked to shoulder an enormous burden during Rooney’s absence and he just isn’t a natural predator. Yes, he will score goals but will he score enough to keep United competitive? Chelsea are already four points up!
After the match, Harry Redknapp said “Although United scored in the first half, they didn’t make that many chances and David James didn’t have to fly about making dozens of saves.”
This is eloquent testimony to United’s need for cover and to carry more threat up front. The furore over Ronaldo’s red card deflects attention away from the fact that Giggs and Tevez are not the duo to strike fear into the hearts of Premiership defences.
Reading and Portsmouth were supposed to be easier games considering the tough matches to come. It hasn’t worked out like that and to make matters worse, Ronaldo is now out for three games.
Sending John O’Shea up front is an admission by the manager that United need an extra man and have no-one else to whom they can turn. Saha and Solskjaer are injured and wont be back until mid-September at the earliest. There’s Dong of course but does anyone even mention his name these days as a serious candidate for the front line? After him, there are just youth team innocents!
Let’s face facts. Rooney wont be back until October and will struggle for his best form for a least a month thereafter. As Gangstarr asked: Who is gonna take the weight until then?
The manager pulled the Larsson rabbit out of the hat in the last transfer window. Larsson has left open the possibility of returning to the Premiership and I’m not even sure he could do a job for United again but if it’s not to be the Swede, it has to be someone.
Acting now to remedy the goals-deficit would not be a panicky gesture. Doing nothing is the ‘cross your fingers’ strategy that rarely works. Bringing in another attacker before the deadline would send a message loud and clear that we will do everything to defend our title. Failing to act now, could leave the team with too much to do when Rooney and co are fit and available.
No – Don’t panic
Two games! Yes, two games and the moaners are up in arms demanding the manager gets out his cheque book. Are we Chelsea now?
The reults have been disappointing and it is the first time in eight years that United have failed to win one of their two opening fixtures. But faint hearts, simple arithmetic shows that the last time this happened was 1999!
It would be impossible now for United to find an available stop-gap striker of sufficient quality? Is there a United class striker on the market who could do the job and then stand aside when the principals return? No, I think not.
Finding a player who can come in, strike up a rapport with Tevez and the others instantly and score goals would be like finding a word that rhymes neatly with orange - Nigh on impossible!
Sir Alex has been hit by a crippling injury at the worst possible time but has no choice but to soldier on with the players at his disposal.
Tevez was supposed to be rusty but played well against Portsmouth. Nani had a tremendous game on the left. The midfielders can chip in with a few goals once Hargreaves is fit enough to join the fray. And there’s Anderson in reserve if the manager feels he is ready too.
These are players of Manchester United quality. Pining for Rossi or Smith or as one nutter wrote in his newspaper, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, makes no sense. We have enough to remain competitive whilst awaiting the return to fitness of Rooney, Saha and Ole.
We are the champions, for goodness sake. A little faith, please.
(On Aug 16th, 2007 at 1:29 pm)
We should have got rid of sicknote and brought Anelka in weeks ago.
Going into the new season with one fit recognised striker was foolhardy and we are now paying the price, yes it’s early in the season but nothing less than 3 points against City and there could be a 6 or 7 point gap to Chelsea.
I still don’t understand how or why Fergie is willing to rely on Saha when he hasn’t even played in over 40% of games since joining us and Ole who looked completely shot last season (legend though he is).