Eternal.Darkness

Monday, July 17, 2006

*wipes dust off* ok time to do something about this place

i'm sure you all know about the italian scandal that has left three clubs relegated and one with a deduction in points for this coming season. so i'm sure you'll know that the transfer market has just been thrown wide open.

hence i will now present my personal opinions on who manchester united should invest in. based on recent newspaper reports, as well as discussions with various supporters of whom i am acquainted with, here is what i can gather:

Ruud van Nistelrooy will no longer be wearing a Red Devils Jersey this season. that is certain. so a replacement is due for him. despite the good reports coming in about Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's exploits in South Africa, there still remains a certain amount of doubt as to his capability at premiership level, especially against the likes of john terry, gabriel paletta and (possibly) lilian thuram. there remains a need for a target man, what with man u now resorting to long balls into the penalty box. with a Ruud there, at least someone was there to beat the offside trap and receive the long ball. now, there is doubt that saha or rooney could do the same job as effectively.

target men recommendations: Luca Toni of Fiorentina or Miroslave Klose of Werder Bremen

both have shown their incredible aerial prowess during the world cup, and Klose has also shown his eye for goal with his feet (4 out of 5 goals with feet). he is also physically capable, and has pace to burn, albeit not as imposing as Ruud, and would be a good replacement.

what Toni lacks in pace, he more than makes up for in height and physical size. in the final against france, italy had three corners in a row. they were almost identical clones. first two were met by Marco Materazzi, one of which resulted in a goal, and the other hit a defender and was cleared. the third was met with equal capacity by toni, who was unfortunate when it hit the crossbar. his heading power is the end product of long-ball play, and he will be deadly in set pieces.

Atletico Madrid and Spanish hitman Fernando Torres has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford, and he seems to have cast his future in doubt after saying that he can't guarantee his presence in the squad this season, although Atletico's asking price of 24 million is pushing it a bit. he is a good striker, but i have my concerns regarding whether he can adapt to the premiership style of play. i would rather go for a proven target man, like Toni or Klose, and who are likely to be much much cheaper

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now there is another position to fill. that of the holding midfielder, a gaping wound left by the early departure of Roy Keane. many have been experimented to fill the position, the most promising being Alan Smith, who has been injured in the line of duty and won't be back for a couple more months. john o'shea has been there, though not nearly as effective, and even rio ferdinand has been tried. with no effect whatsoever. so there still remains the need for a replacement. and with the relegation of the italian clubs, there is a perfect replacement

holding midfield recommendation: Patrick Vieira or Emerson, both of Juventus

there was much speculation about the possibility of Gennaro Ivan Gattusso coming to Old Trafford, but that seems somewhat distance now that AC Milan are still in the running. bids have been made for Spurs holder Michael Carrick, which have been rejected, and there is a possibility of possibly-looking-to-leave Citizens man Joey Barton, but the most apt person to succeed keane is his long-time Gunners counterpart Vieira. he can attack, defend, and pretty much scare away any midfielder with his amazing stride and physical size. an imposing person in midfield, he will be the perfect general to lead the Devils to the title. much remains to be seen as to whether he would want to come in the first place, though it is well known that Sir Alex Ferguson has been a long time admirer of him, and apparently he was once quoted as saying he would like to play for the Devils. much talk has been thrown around about Man U holding talks with him, and i am confident his presence would be a much needed boost to a midfield that is only just beginning to come together once again

i have not really seen emerson play in real life, but based on my football manager 2006, he seems to be a near clone of vieira, except in brazilian disguise.

These are my recommendations, and they are based on several weeks of information gathering and discussions. they may or may not change according to upcoming developments, but these would be the minimum requirements. naturally, it all depends on the presence of a certain tricky Portuguese winger who seems to have one foot in the grave after a certain match, where he appeared to have convinced a certain ref to send off a certain key Forward for stamping on a certain Defender's testicles.

ouch

Aizat looked up at 8:08 PM