Players that need to leave this Summer

Yesterday we found out that our captain Vidic has decided to leave our club this summer. Reason of his leaving was valid as he has won everything with United ( Apart from FA cup). He has won a total of 15 trophies during his 8 year stay and will always be regarded as one of the greatest Center Backs to play for us. Even though I am disappointed that he is leaving as I thoughty we could have kept him for one more season at least but I feel the time had come where we needed a change in the back. Vidic has past his peak and I cant see him replicating his form of 2008-2009 or 2010-2011. 

With Moyes rebuilding his squad he needs to sell some of our players. He needs to sell out the deadwood's and then start buying quality replacement for them. I will not be including reserve players like Macheda or even Bebe. My List will only include players who have played for us this season, So lets start-

Rio Ferdinand- Along with Vidic, Rio has been our best Center back for the last decade. But this season has been a disaster for Ferdinand. He has hardly played for the club this season. It seems Moyes does not have Rio in his plan. I expected a lot from Ferdinand this season not only on field but also off field as this was the first season under New Manager. Honestly Ferdinand has disappointed on both  fronts. It seems he hardly cares of the current position of his club, He is more busy with his Twitter. He has been a great Servant for us but time has come where he is sold off. Rio could go and play in US. It will also free our wages. Time to Go Rio.

Ashley Young- I was shocked when I got to know that Sir alex thought Ash Young was going to be the replacement for Ryan Giggs. I support our players but I have to say players like Young epitomizes the current position of Manchester United, Mediocrity. To be fair to Young he always gives his best but the problem his best is not good enough for the club like Manchester United.  Its very surprising that Young still gets the Nod ahead of Kagawa or Zaha ( who has been sent on loan). I would prefer to see a Lingard play than a Young. I really hope Young is sold and like with Rio we can free up wages by selling Young.

Anderson- He has already been sent out on loan and has also lost his shirt number to Mata. His time with United is all but over. I always feel sad when I think about Anderson, he was a player who once was compared to Ronaldiniho , he was the player who scored the penalty in the finals on champions League at the age of 19. But he never fulfilled his potential. I feel he has to take the blame for it. He had a very relaxed attitude and didnt work hard. He could have been easily like Ramires of chelsea or even better. I hope he has a good future at which ever club he plays. 

Alexander Buttner-  It is a shame that it was Fabio rather than Buttner who was sold. Buttner is another player who describe the current position of Manchester United. The boy cannot defend. If you think Evra is bad at defending then you need to see buttner in action. He is another Oberton type of buy, a player who was never ever good enough for us. I hope Moyes doesnt make him the successor of Evra. I would give chance to our academy player than see a Buttner in action. 

Ryan Giggs-  I think time has come for Giggs to retire. Its not like he has been playing regularly but I feel giggs should not continue playing. Manchester United fans love and respect Giggs, He still has class but I feel he should hang his boots up. The game time he gets should go to a Lingard or Zaha. I hope Giggs becomes the coach of our youth academy team. He can offer a lot. Its a shame people say Giggs is playing for records, For not wanting to hear this alone I want him to retire. 

Antonio Valencia- The last player in my list will be Valencia. Some may be surprised but I feel he cannot be fit into the Starting XI as he cannot link up with Mata , Kagawa and Janujaz. If we have Valencia in our side we have to play a 4-4-2 formation which honestly is bad for the team. Valencia is a one footer and can only play in Right hand side , this makes the formation very rigid. This is where I like Nani as he is more versatile and can interchange position. Valencia's crossing has also become poor. He crosses one good ball in ten attempts and this has badly cost us. I know it would be very highly unlikely that Moyes sells Valencia but for the benefit of our team we need to sell him. 

These will be the six players I hope that leave our club. I could have included evra, Nani, Kagawa and hernandez in this list but I feel all of them have something to contribute. We cannot sell evra as Vidic and Rio will be most probably leaving. We need experience players. It wont be right to sell so many players at once. Nani can still be very useful, like I said he is versatile and deserve to stay. Same with Kagawa and Hernandez. I  will only sell Kagawa if that means we are swapping him for a reus or Gundagon from Dortmund. 

Let us see who all follows Vidic. One thing is for sure the change has begun at Old trafford.

Preferred Line Up v. Stoke City

Since the transfer of Mata there has been certain amount of excitement in Manchester United Season. Mata , who already has an assist to his name is starting to ease into our line up. Since his arrival majority of fans are wondering what our line up will look like. Today's game against Stoke is very important, A win may take us to 5th place provided Spurs lose and Everton drop points in their respective games.

All our attacking players will be eager to link up with Mata. My preferred Line up today will be

______________ De Gea __________________

Rafael_____ Evans ______ Smalling____ Evra

_______   Fletcher ______ Jones____________

___ Mata ______ Rooney _______ Janujaz __

_______________ RVP ___________________

This would be my Line up today . The defense would be the same like in the last game. I would prefer a continuity there.

In Midfield I would pick Fletcher and Jones as against Stoke you need strength in the middle. Cleverley could struggle here so Jones would  be better. He did well against Cardiff where he provided protection to the Back 4.

The attack is where things gets interesting. I really hope Moyes doesn't stick to 4-4-2 line up as it wont make full use of Mata's talent. RVP should start provided he is fit enough. No need to risk him . If he is fit then let him start and score a goal or two then sub him like in last game. If RVP doesn't start then either go with Hernandez at top or push Rooney up front and play Kagawa as #10. I really want to see Mata-Kagawa-Janujaz play together. I hope Moyes doesn't forget about Kagawa. Let him play a game or two with Mata and let us see how he does. Same with Hernandez, he is under utilized so I hope he also gets his chance when RVP or Rooney is rested.

Prediction- I will go for a 3-1 victory for us. It would be shocking if we don't get 3 points as we have gained some momentum in the last week or so with the signing of Mata and a win against Cardiff. Let us we win this one  and hope other team above us drop points.

A Line up with Mata

What a week it has been for Manchester United. A week where United got beaten by Chelsea, a Week where United got Knocked out from the Capital One Cup by Sunderland and now in the same week we have bought one of the most Exciting play maker in the world of football JUAN MATA.

Mata just moments ago has landed in Carrington and he is going to undergo a Medical today. So we can breathe a Sigh of Relief that we have Signed a player in January and not any player but a top quality player. So now the question begs where will Mata play. How our line up could look like with Mata. Lets look

    .........................De Gea...............................

Rafael......... Evans............Vidic.....................Evra

................  Fletcher....... Carrick.............................

........ Mata ................................. Janujaz..............

....................   Rooney  ........................................

....................   RVP   ...........................................

I feel this would be our best line up. Mata and Janujaz need not play as an out and out Winger but can play as an attacking forward. With this line up Mata, Janujaz and Rooney all three can interchange their Position. Kagawa can also be given the chance instead of a Janujaz or Rooney.
Manchester United have to sacrifice the wing play if they have to play this line up, even though United have always play with two winger but the time has come to change that setup. We can always play with wingers if we buy quality ones but right now this is the best formation.

What you guys think? What would be the best line up with MATA in the squad.

Chelsea v. Manchester United Preview

Who would have thought in the start of the season that Manchester United would be out of the tittle race in Mid-January itself. I am usually a Optimistic guy but We have to be reasonable and accept that It is highly unlikely that United will win the tittle this season. The thing that Manchester United and Moyes will be focusing on is to Finish Top 4. Now this is where the game against Chelsea becomes very Important. We are 9 points below Chelsea, A win will reduce it to 6 but a loss here will mean we would be 12 points behind the third place side Chelsea. Which would further mean that we will be fighting for the 4th Spot and not even the 2nd and 3rd Spot. 

Manchester United will be without their two Talisman Strikers in RVP and Rooney against Chelsea. This is a huge blow. You may put all the blame on Moyes for our poor show this season but we have to look at the injuries we have suffered. Apart from these two world class players we are also without the services of Energetic Phil Jones. I have to say we have really missed him this Month. With these injuries young players like Janujaz , Welbeck , Kagawa etc are getting their chance to prove their worth and Welbeck and Janujaz have really showed they can lead the United Attack. 

Chelsea have not lost at Home this season in Premier League and Mourinho has not lost at Stamford Bridge while Managing Chelsea. Manchester United themselves dont have that a good record at the Bridge. Apart from the chaotic win last season (3-2 to United) at the bridge they have struggled at Chelsea's turf.

 Many predict us to lose this game and the  Swedish International Ibrahimovic even saying he would retire if United beats Chelsea today. They are not wrong, we have been so inconsistent and poor this season that even an Optimistic Fan like me will predict a defeat today. But this is where it gets interesting, What if a BIG IF we BEAT chelsea, a fluke win maybe. Imagine the confidence that our boys and more importantly Moyes will get if we get those 3 points against Jose's men in their turf. That could very well be the turning point of Moyes's Career. Moyes will be well aware of this. He knows this is a game if by any chance his team manages a win then he could look Forward. I am not saying this win will make us win the tittle, No it wont. But it could turn Moyes Career Upwards. Many said we wouldnt Beat Arsenal when they came at Old trafford this season but we did manage to win that one. I know this game is much tougher but thats where the fun part is. I dont want to get carried away but  a Win would send a Shock wave to the Football world (Especially to Zlatan). Moyes has already broken many records of losing matches at Old trafford against clubs Like Swansea and WBA. Let him break another record of ending Mourinho's run at the bridge.

Football is a funny game and it would be a foolish thing to write us off. We are the defending champion and are one of the Top clubs in the World Football so write us off at your own peril. I still think it will be huge task of beating chelsea today. A draw would be ok but both teams would love to win this game. 

MY PREDICTION- I want us to win but i will be reasonable and predict this to be a 1-1 Draw. Yes I am going for a draw. Jose always plays safe so he wont risk losing and Moyes would also not want to lose. So a Draw will make both the Parties satisfied. Let us hope we get a good Football today and not a repeat of the last game these two giants played against Each other at the start of the season.

World Cup Group

So the FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 draw for the group stages have concluded. The groups are Decided. The groups are:

Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon

Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia

Group C: Colombia , Greece, Côte d’Ivoire, Japan

Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras

Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria

Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA

Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic

I will be analyzing each group in depth in next month or so.  I will try to focus on each teams and their chances of Progressing to the next round. Let us gear up for the exciting World Cup.

Manchester United v. Arsenal-The Rivalry Resumes

This sunday when Manchester United entertains the table toppers Arsenal a certain missing rivalry will again restart. When I started supporting Manchester united our main rivals were Arsenal. Game against them was the most important one to look forward to. They  had Henry We had Nistelrooy,  they had Viera we had keane, they had Bergkamp we had Giggs, they had Pires we had Scholes, they had Fabregas and we had Ronaldo. Both teams had many ugly fights like the famous tunnel fight between Viera and Keane just before the match, Nistelrooy being mobbed by arsenal players after he missed a penalty, The Pizza Incident where a arsenal player ( Fabregas according to reports) threw a pizza on Sir alex . The Rivalry was so intense that their match at Old trafford in 2004-2005 season was termed as Battle of the Buffet.

But as the years have passed by,the rivalry has cooled down significantly which Sir alex himself has said. With the emergence of Chelsea and Manchester City, Arsenal are no longer considered as our main rivals. On one hand where Manchester United have won Trophies after Trophies, Arsenal haven't won a trophy for more than 8 years. Arsenal have not won a premier league match at Old trafford in their last 6 meetings. 2006 was the last time where Arsenal beat United at Old trafford. The 8-2 thrashing and RVP joining United has also not helped  arsenal. The clashes between the two clubs in recent years have been either one sided or insignificant(Like last years 1-1 draw at emirates).

This season is looking somewhat different for arsenal. They are sitting pretty at the top and have not lost a game since losing to Villa at the start of the season. They have bought one of the best play maker in the world in Ozil and he has been really good for them. They Defeated Dortmund this week at their won turf so that is worth appreciating.  This season where Manchester United have struggled , Arsenal have been in full flow. One player for arsenal who has really come out of age this season is Aaron Ramsey. He has been scoring goals for fun.

 Unlike last few seasons this game against Arsenal will be very important. I know a win or loss in November wont hamper your chances of winning the league but this time it may. Moyes and his boys cannot afford to lose this game. Moyes have somewhat performed better in last month or so. Manchester United have not lost in their last 8 games in all competition. So if they lose this one then all the momentum will be over. Manchester united's situation will be back to square one. Arsenal will be 11 points clear of us if they win the game on sunday. So no way could Moyes and his army afford to lose. This Sunday we will be having after a long time a mouthwatering clash between Manchester United and Arsenal. It is an important game for both the team. I still have my doubt over arsenal. I still feel it is too early to say they are back to their best. Like Rooney said this week " Let us see where are Arsenal in March". It is not an arrogant comment but it is a true comment. So far Arsenal have been good so this clash will also be really good.

I just Hope we see some real good football Acton this sunday. I have always wanted  Arsenal to be our main rivals . They are a club like Manchester United who have not come at the top with the help of Money like Chelsea or Manchester City have. As far as the prediction for the game goes my inner feeling says this will be the game that officially kick starts Moyes's career. I have a feeling we will win. Anything can happen. All I can say I hope this game bring back the missing Rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United.

Let The Rivalry Resume

Preferred Line up v. Fulham

Fulham away wont be an easy tie by any means. We cannot afford to drop any more points . With Arsenal coming next week it is important we get 3 points from this game. One thing Moyes should do right is field a strong and correct Line up. My preferred line up will be

                      DE GEA

Rafael      Evans         Smalling           Evra


       Carrick                    Fellaini

                     Kagawa

      RVP                            Rooney

                    Hernandez

I know this is not your typical line up but this could be very helpful. I dont want to see Hernandez Benched. He deserves to play more. Assistant Manager Steve Round also said Rvp, Rooney and Hernandez all three can play together, I think this is the best way. Janujaz could replace one of Top 4 attackers. Kagawa also gets to play in his preferred position. What do you guys think?