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Boss ‘HAILS’ wing wizard

Sir Alex Ferguson singled out Antonio Valencia for special praise, after the Ecuadorian laid on two goals in an impressive home debut.

The summer signing from Wigan Athletic crossed for Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley to bag the telling goals against Valencia, and generally caught the eye for his robust, direct approach at both ends of the pitch.

“The important thing for me was Valencia’s performance, I thought he was very, very good,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “He’s got great balance and he’s got power and speed. Coming to our club, he’s immediately taken the challenge well and with purpose, so we’re very pleased with what we’ve seen so far.”

While Valencia’s contribution merited special praise, Sir Alex could also reflect on a string of fine performances as his side deservedly edged an entertaining game. A glut of young talents hinted at a bright future, while the Reds’ forward line created chances with promising regularity.

“It was an opportunity to play a lot of the younger players,” he said. “Tom Cleverley scored, Darron Gibson had two fantastic shots from outside the box – he showed his power tonight, which is pleasing – and Ritchie De Laet and Fabio gave excellent performances.

“I also thought Macheda’s movement in the last third was fantastic. For a 17-year-old, he’s something special. Michael (Owen) showed marvellous movement. He should’ve scored four, but he was unlucky with the first one that he just chipped it over the goalkeeper’s shoulder and by the post. He deserved at least one of them.”

United 2 Valencia 0

Second half goals from Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley gave United victory in an entertaining friendly against Valencia.

Deubtant Antonio Valencia played a major role in both goals as United’s wingplay overpowered the visitors, who enjoyed their own opportunities in an open game littered with chances.

Michael Owen, also making his Old Trafford bow as a United player, was desperately unfortunate not to find himself on the scoresheet, as he passed up a pair of chances in each half.

While the finishing was off-key, there was much to admire in Owen’s movement and, crucially, his link-up with England team-mate Rooney.

Fielded together for the first time at club level, it took under 20 minutes for the duo to click in devastating fashion. Rooney’s superb slide-rule pass released Owen, who stabbed his effort neatly over Cesar Sanchez, but also just past the upright.

Rooney dragged perhaps an easier chance wide when he reached a cross from Ritchie De Laet, before Michel thundered a shot against Ben Foster’s crossbar for the visitors.

Valencia used the interval to make 10 substitutions, and were quickly cursing that decision as Thiago Carleto limped off within minutes of his introduction. Substitute goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya eventually replaced him, but by that point United had moved ahead.

Valencia, who had caught the eye more for his ceaseless hassling down the right flank before the break, sped past two defenders and curled in a superb cross which Rooney powered past Sanchez.

Two minutes later, the Ecuadorian seized on a woeful backpass but was challenged by Carlos Marchena. As the ball ran loose, Owen latched onto it and hammered a left-footed shot goalwards, but watched it sped past the upright. Following on from another spurned opportunity, which he curled wide moments before Rooney’s opener, it made for a frustrating evening for the former Newcastle striker.

Owen was among a glut of substiutions midway through the second half, making way for Kiko Macheda. The Italian was involved from the off, and almost poked in another cross from the impressive Valencia on 72 minutes. The ball ran free, however, and it was another substitute – Cleverley – who shifted it away from the crowd and tucked home a neat finish.

Game over, but United continued to forge openings. Darron Gibson came closest with a pair of stunning efforts. Firstly, his 20-yard effort from Macheda’s pull-back cracked against the angle of post and crossbar, then Sanchez was forced into an excellent one-handed save from the Irishman’s fizzing 25-yarder.

All in all, a highly satisfying night’s work for Sir Alex’s squad. A sterner test of their progress will be provided by Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea in Sunday’s Community Shield, but the pre-season signs augur well so far.

 

Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney – A Good Pair

Manchester United’s pre-season programme has taken them from Kuala Lumpur to Munich, with stop-offs in Seoul and Hangzhou, encompassing nine hours of football, but Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen have yet to appear on the pitch at the same time.

It is a curious trend that continued last night when United took on Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup final at the Allianz Arena, in a goalless match that was followed by the familiar tale of a German team emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out.

Amusingly, the decisive penalty was converted by Daniel van Buyten, who had a brief spell with Manchester City five years ago. But as the squad headed straight to the airport afterwards, Rooney and Owen are more likely to have been trying to draw conclusions from Sir Alex Ferguson’s team selections in the six warm-up matches.

It is unwise to try to deduce much of anything meaningful from pre-season matches, whether with regard to performance or team selection, but to judge from his reluctance to play Rooney and Owen together, with the pair taking turns to operate alongside or behind Dimitar Berbatov, Ferguson’s confidence in an all-English strike partnership must either be minimal or so great that he feels they have no need to work on it.

Rooney and Owen have scored a combined 15 goals in the 20 matches they started together for England before the latter was exiled from the squad by Fabio Capello, but with the exception of a highly profitable few weeks playing in tandem at the European Championship finals in Portugal in 2004, their partnership did not always look convincing.

Owen, indeed, scored only six of those 15 goals, averaging one every 227 minutes when playing alongside Rooney, as opposed to one every 82 minutes when he has been partnered by Emile Heskey in the national team. Rooney, too, has enjoyed the most prolific spell of his England career alongside Heskey, a striker unlike any of those at Ferguson’s disposal.

Berbatov, notable for his poise rather than his power, is certainly no Heskey, but it seems increasingly that he will be the fixed point in the United forward line in the coming season, with Rooney his most likely partner.

Ferguson has admitted that Berbatov had a “strange” first season at Old Trafford, but the Bulgaria forward was United’s most impressive performer last night, hitting the post with a spectacular overhead kick in the first half and no doubt strengthening the manager’s conviction that he will have a “fantastic season” this time.

Owen squandered a decent opportunity early in the second half before making way for Rooney, who did likewise after being set up by Ryan Giggs. Rooney did at least keep his nerve to score during the penalty shoot-out, but Bayern finally prevailed when Van Buyten scored after Michael Rensing, the goalkeeper, had saved from Patrice Evra and Jonny Evans.

More vexing than the defeat was the continued absence of Nemanja Vidic, who has yet to make an appearance in the six pre-season matches, having missed the tour to Asia because of an ankle problem and then strained his calf during the warm-up before the 2-1 victory over Boca Juniors on Wednesday.

The Serbia defender will hope to figure in the home match against Valencia next Wednesday and the Community Shield against Chelsea four days later, but a series of injuries to defenders is a concern for Ferguson, with the opening Barclays Premier League fixture, at home to Birmingham City, only 16 days away.

Wes Brown sat out last night’s game with a calf problem, while Rafael Da Silva and Gary Neville are back in Manchester with a dislocated shoulder and a groin injury respectively.

“Change of tactics” says BOSS.

Sir Alex Ferguson says he will adapt United’s tactics this season, identifying a need to readjust the team’s approach in order to produce the goals that the departed Cristiano Ronaldo provided.

“Obviously Cristiano is a big loss in terms of the goals he gave us,” said the gaffer in the new issue of Inside United (on sale 5 August). “But we’ll just have to find the goals from somewhere else, and our tactics will adjust accordingly. Fans will see us playing a slightly different style of football this season.”

Rather than ask Wayne Rooney to operate out wide, Sir Alex intends to play him up top alongside Michael Owen or Dimitar Berbatov, who the boss sees as being a key player this term.

“Last season was a strange one for Dimitar and we maybe didn’t use him in the right way, but we know exactly how to use him now – further up the pitch, playing as a centre forward,” said Sir Alex. “He’s had a first season to settle in, he can get us more than 20 goals.”

Whatever the formation United adopt for any given match, according to Ryan Giggs the players have the versatility to adapt.

“The team has adapted well to whatever system we’ve played, whether it’s 4-4-2 or three in midfield,” he says. “We’ve got that flexibility in the squad. With Antonio Valencia coming in, it might be a bit more of a rigid 4-4-2 system, but we’ll have to see.”

The gaffer has emphasised the need for United to collectively step up to the goalscoring plate this season as well. The boss has set some demanding team and individual goal targets, challenging his men to reach the magic three figures.

“Usually you look to score about 100 goals in all”

Valencia FC not taken lightly

United are eagerly waiting to face Valencia FC and their boss Sir Alex Ferguson plans a change of tactics . He is also planning to change the team slightly as it is only the friendlies and has an oppurtunity to shuffle his team around.

United Tumble …

Manchester United were on track for winning the Audi Cup with stunning victories over FC Seoul (3-2) , Greentown (8-2) , Boca Juniors (2-1) . Apart from their terrific displays , United seem to have lost track against hosts Bayern Munich who took the trophy after an epic penalty shootout in the Allianz Arena. United had lots of positives to take home from that match. Sir Alex named an entirely different XI to that which started against Boca. The Red Devils , sporting their new black and blue away kit, held the majority of the possession in the early exchanges, with the wise old heads of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes controlling play.And they still seem to  beplaying like the as they always will be.

Will Ronaldo’s Departure affect Manchester United?

 

A Big Loss

 The departure or Cristiano Ronaldo certainly asks a question ” Can Manchester United cope with the quality teams of the league?”

It is a major loss for manchester united to loose one of the greatest players but they are still a quality team and i guess they can cope with the  pressure as we have already seen in the friendlies.

They still have the speed of Wayne Rooney and a  young budding talent Federico Macheda.

Kiko Macheda – Is he the next big thing?

Kiko Macheda the young 17 year old Italian who scored in injury time against Aston Villa in the Barclays Premier league  seems to be the “”"NEXT BIG THING”"” for the Red Devils  due to the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo who has been transferred to Real Madrid this season. He  seems to be one of the most promising youngster and seems to have a bright future ahead of him.