What’s In Sir Alex’s In-Tray This Morning?
What’s in Sir Alex’s in-tray this morning ?
Absolutely UNITED imagines the boss’ agenda:
Item 1: Help Carlos ‘Birtles.’ Wrap Saha in steel
With every goal and every intelligent performance, Fernando Torres makes the argument about players needing time to settle less persuasive and renders Carlos Tevez’s life a little more miserable.
Every time Fergie telephoned Torres, the Spanish hitman was as indecisive as a shy school girl approached for a first date. He gathered his nerve sufficiently in the close season when Rafa Benitez called and is now considered to be Kenny Daglish’s heir apparent in some quarters! Have they forgotten Peter Beardsley already on Merseyside?
With him at the tip of their attack, Liverpool have looked a far more dangerous proposition this year. The 6-0 demolition of Derby schoolboys had many a punter rushing to the bookies certain their luck would be in next May.
Sir Alex must hope that Tevez will soon break his duck. That cause has been helped immeasurably by the return of Louis Saha, the typical n° 9 thought surplus to requirements this year. Ferguson’s side was so much better when Saha came off the bench against Sunderland to add genuine threat and purpose to the team’s attacks.
Even the manager forgot some of his coded criticsm of the player and joined in the homage.
“He showed his penetration, strength and speed,” Ferguson said. “They’re great assets to have and, of course, we’ve missed them for the last eight months now.
“It’s a delight to have him back, particularly as he’s got us the win. He’s come through fine, we’re delighted with that also. Having been out for such a long time, he knows that that kind of injury can come back again, but thankfully he’s ok.
“Tevez played through on his own and I think he’s better when he’s playing behind someone.”
The Frenchman was United’s ‘Mr Irreplaceable’ last autumn. He may be ready to reprise that role again, fitness permitting.
To that end, should Fergie maximise Saha’s security by calling in the remaining free members of Joey Barton’s family or perhaps spring Zat Knight’s brother Carlos from jail?
Item 2: Is it Brown or Pique
The manager will jump for joy like a kid at Christmas when the medical bulletin on Gary Neville finally announces that he is ready to play.
Wes Brown has appeared at right-back in the captain’s absence but has little of the skippers’ appetite for attack. The contrast with Evra on the opposite flank is painful.
Sitting on the bench, a somewhat sullen look on his face (or is it concentration?), is the young and eager Gerard Piqué, who has given himself one more year to make the grade at Old Trafford or else seek a transfer away.
Ferguson will trust in his most experienced players when the team is struggling for form. With Everton, Sporting Lisbon and Chelsea to come in the near future, this is no time to disturb a defence which has conceded just two goals in five games.
But the highly-rated Piqué needs a run out sooner rather than later. He was first team material at Real Zaragoza last year and has already played at fullback for United against Sunderland in 2006. If Neville’s six month absence continues, should Pique be given a few games in the first team? Can United afford such an experiment? Can they afford not to?
Item 3: Giggs or Nani
Giggs is a legend. His goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final is for many, the greatest moment of a thrilling 1999. The winger is closing in on Sir Bobby Charlton’s record but is he still worthy of a place in Fergie’s best 11?
Breathing hard down his neck is the young and prodigious Nani. The winning goal against Spurs gets better with every rewind of the tape. Nani is United’s coming player, with the speed, the tricks and the eye for goal to emerge as a genuine star. Ferguson said he was one for the future. Has the future arrived faster than anyone dared hope?
Item 4: Has Fergie over-egged the pudding by putting Hargreaves and Carrick in with Scholes?
As AU columnist Redville asked last month : “Are too many cooks spoiling the football?”
United have had to change shape this season to accommodate the arrival of Owen Hargreaves. Is this the mistake, similar to Chelsea’s purchase of Ballack and Shevchenko last year, that will so disrupt the team as to allow the title to slip away?
Perhaps not. Hargreaves was excellence in motion on his debut at City and tidy thereafter. Nevertheless, United’s shape has changed with Paul Scholes having to play closer to Tevez. It hasn’t worked to perfection. Fans will know that when Scholes sneezes, United catch a cold. The midfielder has been wheezing and coughing intermittently these past weeks.
Fergie might be better advised to slot Hargreaves into the defensive role Michael Carrick occupied last season and allow the midfield to resume the shape of last year. Where would that leave the £18 million ex-Spurs midfielder?
Telly pundit Alan Hansen must have the hots for Carrick’s sister, judging by the way he lauds Carrick’s contribution to United from the BBC Match Of The Day studio. Hansen is quick to point out that it is no accident that Carrick arrived and United won the title the following year. Carrick did a lot of the invisible heavy lifting last term and is the type of low key, archetypal unsung hero that United have lacked since the days of Paul Parker.
That said, Hargreaves looks well capable of being all that and more. Do United need both in the Premiership?
