The wonderful David de Gea is close to irreplaceable for Manchester United, Danny Blind is a good player but not a centre-back, and three more
David de Gea is close to irreplaceable
It still feels like a question of when rather than if David de Gea is sold to Real Madrid and, just as soon as that moment does arrive, Manchester United will almost certainly be weakened. Some positions are very much easier to replace in football than others; and goalkeeper is one of the most difficult. However comfortable this victory looked, the truth was that Manchester United were hanging on early in the game.
De Gea then also produced a wonderful second-half save with the score still at 1-1 to deny Jose Fonte. He single-handedly won Manchester United numerous points last year and he is likely to do the same again this season.
Manchester United are better than they look
When Rio Ferdinand said last week that Manchester United fans needed to re-educate themselves in how they watched their team, it was widely interpreted as a criticism. It wasn’t. It was simply a statement of fact. He also described the style under Van Gaal as “suffocating” for opponents. This was also interpreted as a criticism but was another statement of fact.
The wider point is that United obviously play a very different style to the days of Sir Alex Ferguson. It is slower, more measured, more about possession and designed both to take the sting from opponents’ attack but also wear them down. For 13 months now, United have consistently accumulated more points than it might seem they deserve. Yet appearances can be deceptive. They are clearly rather more effective than they look.
Martial can rescue the reputations of Woodward and Van Gaal
A third goal in only his second Premier League game is clearly the stuff of dreams for Anthony Martial but perhaps also Louis Van Gaal and Ed Woodward. After such a mixed record in the transfer market so far, the calculated gamble that they took in paying a world-record fee for a teenager could be pivotal in deciding how they are viewed by many Manchester United fans.
He could hardly have made a better start and, with the prices of players only likely to inflate over the next five years, they have quite feasibly secured value for money. He has certainly brought a certain much-needed feel-good factor back to the club.
Danny Blind is not a centre-back
It did not take long to see what Southampton’s main tactic would be. Get Graziano Pelle playing as close to Daley Blind as possible and hope that they could exploit this obvious weakness in the United back four. It very nearly paid off. Not only did Pelle score twice but he also hit the post and was generally utterly dominant in his head to head with the Dutchman.
Blind is a versatile squad player but not a natural centre-back and remains the one big glaring weakness in Van Gaal’s team. His current position should be the first priority for the January transfer window.
Saints will struggle to repeat the heroics of last season
Southampton remain a very good team; they again showed that here and they will climb from their current position of 16th in the table. The aim of improving year on year, however, will be very much more difficult to accomplish. They are clearly started from a very high point – the finish of eighth last year was their best in the Premier League but the wider issue is how they have continually been forced to sell leading players. They have generally managed this unavoidable process well but, eventually, it will prove impossible to keep losing such quality and remain at the same level.
Source: Telegraph
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