They say karma is a bitch. Either way, she’ll come get you,
sooner or later. For Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, the events that
transpired between 6:50 p.m and 7:00 p.m (local time) on 13th May
2012 do prove the above saying right.
Flash back to 26th May 1999, venue: Camp Nou,
Barcelona, the occasion: the UEFA Champions League final. After witnessing
Manchester United pull off the greatest Houdini act in modern football, Sir
Alex Ferguson had this to say, “Football? Bloody hell.” We thought we would never see a day like it,
I was only 8 ½ then. But how wrong we all were; the gods of football and karma
all had something to prove on 13th May 2012. When Wayne Rooney
scored against Sunderland for the 1-0 lead, I held my nerve. It was the famous
“last throw of the dice” in Kipling’s If. Then Zabaleta scored against QPR. It
was all over, but then Cisse and Mackie scored. I dared to believe, before
Dzeko and Aguero put it to bed. I felt, and I’m sure that every United fan felt
the same, robbed; finally understanding what FC Bayern Munchen fans must have
felt in 1999.
But then again, United weren’t robbed. They had choked on
the grandest stage, more so that 4-4 draw at home against Everton, where a
2-goal lead was allowed to slip. They had choked at the DW, facing a Wigan side
that had never beaten United since they got into the Premier League (but credit
to them, they were fighting relegation, they beat Liverpool and Arsenal away,
and were robbed blind at Stamford Bridge). They choked when they lost to a
relegated side (Blackburn) at Old Trafford. They had let an 8 point lead get
whittled down. I’m not even talking about the derby at the Etihad where an
ultra-defensive display led to this being the first United side I had ever seen
not to register a single shot on or off target.
For me, this season was a shambles. Trophyless for the first
time since the 2004-2005 season, to put that into perspective, that was when I
was a mere Form 1. An absolute disaster, we ended up with the ‘Certificate of
Participation’ held by Arsenal and other teams. Even Chelsea, for all their
musical chairs in the dressing room have FA Cup silver, and have a chance on
Saturday at the Holy Grail of European football, the UEFA Champions League. However,
it’s not all gloom. This United side is one of the youngest since the famed
Class of ’92 (despite Fergie insisting on a midfield in the derby with a
combined age of 137). The new signings have exceeded some expectations. Some
players have stepped up. The end-of-season report thus begins.
New signings
Ashley Young: He has
been a real revelation at the left. He jinks and cuts inside, either to cross
or to curl in a shot of real beauty. His doubles against Arsenal and Tottenham
were all class, not forgetting his assist to Giggs in the last minute at
Norwich. However, he has attracted an unwholesome reputation as a diver, and
coupled with an injury and the subsequent loss of form in mid-season, this was
the only blot in an otherwise good season.
David De Gea: Where do you even start? At
18 million pounds, he is easily one of the most expensive goalkeepers of all
time. Throw in his tender age, his lack of knowledge of English, an unfortunate
shop-lifting incident and some major gaffes in goal for United. Absolute
disaster, no? But he’s proved all his doubters wrong (me included) especially
with that match saving performance against Chelsea. A call-up to the Spain
senior team beckons (he’s in the provisional squad for Euro 2012), and
certainly a better second season in Manchester.
Phil Jones: He’s
been called the next John Terry (why would anyone compare him to John Terry for
crying out loud?). Sir Bobby Charlton compared him with Duncan Edwards (who
would have been the greatest United player ever had Munich not happened). A
future England captain, he displays English football’s ebullient nature. Hugely
versatile (he’s played at centre back, right back and midfield), the future is
bright for this 17 million pound steal from Blackburn.
Best match of the season: Who can forget the 8-2 drubbing of
Arsenal at Old Trafford? The new United, with Cleverley and Anderson running
rings in midfield, Nani and Young tormenting the fullbacks, Rooney and Welbeck
having a field day against Koscielny and Djourou, De Gea saving a van Persie
penalty…what indeed could be better?
Worst match of the
season: I’m not going to say the 1-6 drubbing by City at old Trafford. The
worst match of the season was the Europa League first-leg match against
Athletic Bilbao at Old Trafford. United were slaughtered and massacred. If
there was a match which highlighted United’s worst qualities, it was this one.
Rafael’s complacency to let in Muniain, Giggs’ age finally showed around
Susaeta’s and Oscar de Marcos’ slick passing and rapid movement. The lack of a
midfield destroyer was obvious.
Best player of the
season: This season has seen some massive improvement from Jonny Evans.
When Vidic was ruled out for the season, I feared for the worst. However, Evans
has proved me wrong, forming an impressive partnership with Ferdinand. Michael
Carrick has been superb in the midfield; Wayne Rooney has had his best
goal-scoring season yet. But it’s a no-brainer that the stand-out performer has
been Luis Antonio Valencia. The Ecuadorian winger is every left-back’s worst
nightmare. Full of pace and power, remarkably unselfish (he prefers laying an
assist instead of going for goal, a complete contrast to both Nani and Cristiano
Ronaldo), and has had a decent shift at right back when an injury crisis rocked
Old Trafford, he truly deserved being both Players’ and Fans’ Player of the
Year awards.
Worst player of the
season: Some players have not had a great season. Rafael is always
susceptible to a rash foul and lack of awareness (remember the Bilbao match
anyone?) Patrice Evra has obviously lost that yard of pace essential in a
modern fullback. Anderson is consistently inconsistent; Hernandez and Berbatov
have been constantly overlooked. However, Park Ji-Sung has had his worst season
yet. Maybe it’s because last season he set such high standards that were
difficult to match. The 1-0 derby loss was the most telling, as was the 1-2
loss to Ajax at Old Trafford.
Areas to improve:
The midfield is so terrible that a 37 year old had to be coaxed out of
retirement to keep it steady. Then a promising youngster, who could be the
midfield destroyer United desperately needs, just decides to pack his bags and
head to Juventus. So far, I like the Shinji Kagawa vibe, but what United really
need is either Javi Martinez from Bilbao or Kevin Strootman from PSV, a
midfield hardman who can pass and retain the ball in equal measure. United need
both a right-back and left-back, I really hope this Debuchy and Baines/Jordi
Alba deals are not mere speculation. The defence also needs some extra
conditioning, and the mental strength of some of the lads is suspect.
Clearout: This
ought to be the summer of clearouts. I’ve already identified Owen, Anderson,
Berbatov (to be fair to him , he has never fit in United’s style of play), Bebe
and Park as those who should leave Old Trafford for good. This coming season
will definitely be Giggs and Scholes’ last season. Players who should be given
just one more chance to prove themselves include the da Silvas, Ferdinand and
Evra. The young players who need to step up an extra notch to be truly world
class include Hernandez, Smalling, Jones, Welbeck and Cleverley. Plus the
return of Vidic and Fletcher doesn’t look like a bad idea.
Having said that, let me repeat this (and hope I don’t sound
like an Arsenal fan), “Ngojeni next season mtaona!”
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