That dramatic final day of the league will remain etched in my memories for as long as time can hold,painful sharp sword piercing looking at the net bulge when Sergio Aquero scored the last minute winner.
Honestly,I felt like throughout the season,Manchester City were the better team,in terms of quality of players they have and the type of football they have played.The two players I admire the most in City is David Silva and Vincent Kompany. Such players are indispensable to any club,players that make difference.
However much they or anybody else deserve it,there is this love for United.Which makes fools like us keep faith,season by season, even things aren't as good as how they used to be.Especially this season, many reasons contributed to such a poor season.
If dissected properly, you could see the main reason United weren't as strong was because the average squad age of players had a big gap between them.The matured,experienced players were much older,while those young emerging stars barely found their foot.
The best example of this was in defence, where you can see old legs of Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra,failing many times this season.While the young emerging players such as Chris Smalling of 22years old,Phil Jones of 20 years old and the Da Silva twins of 21 years old and the exceptionally talented David De Gea of 22 years old did better than expected, however, not good enough YET to be a part of a Championship winning team.This wide gap in age difference combined with the absence of the heart and rock of defence, Nemanja Vidic really caused a wide instability in defence.
We lost the league on goal difference.However great City's attacking threats might be,it is unbelievable that a squad that possesses 4 world class strikers in Dzeko,Tevez,Aquero and Ballotelli had scored less goals than a squad that only has Wayne Rooney,Chicharito and Danny Welbeck,a yet to be proven goal scorer.
Scoring more goals is a tradition at United but sadly, this season, instead of winning 4-0's, we had plenty of games where we have won 4-2, and 3-2, highlighting the main issue was really at defence.
Many impatient fans would urge Fergei to buy defenders, but a wise man would look at the players we have right now in defence, David De Gea-Spain's U21 European Championship winning goal keeper, who has done termendously well since moving to the Premiership.Bare in mind, the boy is only 22 years old and has only moved to play in a physical league for 1 season. Towards the ending of the season, you could see him making brilliant saves that we used to see from Van Der Sar.Many idiots would say he cost us the tittle, but I have been watching Premiership football week in week out for the last 8 years,I know a quality goal keeper when I see one.David is one.Numero Uno.
At central defence, we have Chris Smalling , who has potential,especially Smalling, who has the physical threat to push off even the heaviest of forwards,such as Bobby Zamora,agility to move around and the aerial ability to head out crosses.The only thing that is missing from his game is the positional sense, which comes to most defenders by age.Like wine,great defenders mature with age.
Phil Jones needs no more introduction, neither he needs to be praised for how he has transformed from a regular 19 year old playing for Blackburn Rovers to playing for England in the coming Euro's.He has the speed, the physical ability, the strength to take on players, and a very good set of foot that can be used for both tackling and dribbling.And all that at the age of 20, he is just a world class player,waiting to bloom.Perhaps, the most promising young player at United at the moment.Definitely, one for the future.
Da Silva twins has been at the club for nearly 4 years now and judging by how they play, they are good tacklers, fast attacking wing backs,however patience is missing from the game and positional sense as well.Fabio is going out on loan, hope that will do him much good.I am not very confident about Fabio, however I think Rafael would be at the club for a long time, as a part of the next League winning squad.
In all,our defence might seem patchy with old players leaving and young players yet to step in.However, this is United, a place where the young are groomed for the future, and in all this young players, I can see the core of the next United Great squads emerging.Give them 2 seasons and Manchester United will have a stronger than ever squad,with older players such as Nani,Young,Valencia,Carrick,Fletcher,Rooney leading the way while core of the squad will be made of players like Chicharito,Welbeck,Anderson,Cleverley,Jones,Smalling,De Gea and Da Silva twins.
In them, we have a complete squad,young they might be today, but at United,thats how we groom Championship winning teams.With patience, not with money thrown around like a certain neighbours of ours.
Thats what make us proud when we win tittles, not arrogance.
Don't hate us because we do a good job in bringing youth,building squads and winning trophies.Hate us if we buy players with high price and win trophies,because frankly speaking,thats when the romance of the beautiful game is killed.
-OneLoveUnited
