Gabriel Obertan has made a bright start to his Manchester United career, putting in a good performance against Barnsley in the week and impressing during his half hour run against Blackburn yesterday.
With ten minutes left to play and the game still at 1-0, Obertan had the opportunity to make it a dream start when Valencia presented him with a chance to score from five yards out. Somehow, he managed to miss though, something he is frustrated about.
“I was disappointed to miss my chance, but I was very fit and it all went well because we won in the end,” said Obertan. “It’s been four months now that I have been injured, so it was a good début. I ran hard and tried to do my best. I think I need a bit of rhythm; a few games to be fully fit. It’s going better and better and there’s no reason to end it. I think I’ll be better after a few games.”
Obertan reckons fellow countryman, Patrice Evra, has made his life easier since joining the club and he hopes to get in the first team squad more often.
“I was a bit nervous, but after a few minutes it was gone,” he added. “I really enjoyed the game and Pat Evra was just behind me encouraging me, so it was very good. With Pat it has been easier. I feel like I’m here for many years now so it is good to be here and I’m just enjoying it. I’ll just keep working hard to be in the squad and we’ll see what the manager will do.”
Sir Alex Ferguson has defended Obertan’s miss and reckons the Frenchman settled well in to the team.
“Gabriel was a bit nervous when he came on,” said Ferguson. “It was only his second game in seven months, so you have to put it in perspective. But then he settled down and did well. He is not happy with himself and that is a good thing.”
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Left Back Pat , What a Ledgend !! If there Was one person i had too choose to help me at united it would undoubtably be evra!
He looks ridiculously fast, and is willing to have a run at players. Not holding huge hopes for this season, but hopefully he will come on playing with better players and be good in the future. Could be a bargain!! When is that other Serbian guy Llajic coming?
Already better than Nani.
READ CAREFULLY WHAT I Said
Already seems to be more reliable than Nani.
did you see Obertan pass the ball??? wow I forgot thats what left wingers where to do at united when giggs is injuried.
Off Topic
but would anybody like to be Emilys 300 subscriber???
North Stand Tier 2
January he’s a united player
and as i said before on this from talking to a celtic scout
he’s highly rated and I was told he can be sold by united for 80 million in 5 years
yea tha kid has major potential…needs to use his left foot more…but all in all looks tha player we’ve been missin…
North Stand Tier 2 Lljaic will b ova in january along with tha kid diouf…
this boy is class he reminds me of ronnies early days here amaizing speed,quick feet but just hopping he wont be just a trick pony
@north stand tier 2 – He’s coming in january. Heard he’s already beefed out a bit in order to quickly settle to football in the PL.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1224464/Manchester-United-eyeing-35m-prolific-Ajax-striker-Luis-Suarez.html?ITO=1490
fergi fergi sign him up !!!!!
HE IS CLASS!!!
This guy has huge huge potential, was very impressive yesterday and troubled defenders.
There is a missing member in the Park-Evra clique, I have a feeling Obertan will replace tevez and Park-Evra-Obertan will become the best of friends.
sam the kenyan red
Suarez is a great player. but he is fucking diver, whining dolly
I mean whining doll
We deserve the best. So Nani can get the fuck out.
Obe-Tan Kenobi… he’s our only hope
@GHTT , 301 Subscriber
7 theking 7
to anyone who’s a subscriber on this site thank you
301 is a crazy number for a 3 year old singing united chants for nearly everybody
this is emily today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrlaNIO4hTU
I think theres a chant for everybody but i could be wrong
i know theres one for gabby just to stay kinda on topic
off topic (sorry scott) but to anyone at the game yesterday; did you catch the announcers attempt at saying “Pascal Chimbonda”?? it was hilarious! I cant remember exactly, something like “Pascal Chambimbo”. Brilliant!
One thing more i noticed about Obertan is that he can be played as a secondary striker. his runs in and around the box and his linkup play were very good. I think if he is fully match fit he will be considered above Nani simply because he has a better end product.
@ daegs
ahaha maybe that’s why he was so pissed of from the moment the game started.
Actually, shakshamboo, I think that Gabriel Obertan would be even more dangerous as a lead-the-line striker – his speed and directness would be devastating and produce a lot of space for the secondary strikers. But, it’s early days and I wouldn’t be too over-the-moon about him yet – he’s very fast but his close control wasn’t too special, was it ?
Nani played well yesterday, he was far more dangerous than valencia. vaenciaa seemed reluctant. And although i agree that in time Obertan would be chosen ahead of nani, theres NO way he was more effective than nani yesterday, gabbi’s fuck ups aside…
one thing that had me rewinding and pausing the match a few times yesterday was when he passed the ball in a short pass he kind stood there looking for the one two but if it didnt come and rooney,evra and anderson in 3 of the cases just crossed the ball in obertan didnt move he just kinda stood there awaiting the pass
It was strange, but i couldnt put my finger on why it was strange
anyway heres an obertan video from my girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-pQ5qtFyYQ
JackenDasGrock wit due respect,i hp u aint in nani’s payroll.for d vast 63mins or so ur nani was on d pitch he neva unsettled d rovers back line,neva supported our forwards wit intelligent passes n wud neva b found where Obertan was evn though he miss dos chances.hw can u say nani was beta than Valencia bt he was subtituted,well peharps u r beta dan Sir Alex.dnt tink u got any choice,Obertan is wat we’ve bn missin.
I think the only way out for OB is a run of games.He’s got all the attributes of a wonderful player and as he said needs rythm.Its been long that I have really got this gut feeling that we’ve got a great bargain.
I heard some analysts on Showtime arabia say he was shaky but f..k em.
OB will come out tops.
Lol i just cant forget his first move.. dribbling the ball out of the field.. lol
But he is impressive.
early days but looks promising to mee like like,3pts appreciated!
2 big games coming up and 6 points we,re after,
fuck the rentboys,we,ll be underdogs but thats ok,just play our own game and we do em 2 nil
JackenDasGrock we must have been watching a different football game..seriously.
For a start, I thought Valencia’s contribution to the game was huge. He took his defending seriously, played teammates in, pillaged down the right wing and got a few good crosses in. He’s getting better and seems to be developing a nice understanding with the rest of the team.. he’s definitely cementing his spot in the wide right berth.
Nani on the otherhand didn’t offer us any penetration, with many attacking plays falling apart especially when he dithered on the ball for too long; jogging along and running into dead ends when he could possibly take on a man or create space for others. De ja vue? perhaps. Don’t get me wrong, I back our players until the fat lady sings and the mighty hand of Thor passes judegement that his time is up at our glorious club. I do believe he has some time left…possibly until the end of the season to prove himself or SAF will finally lose his infinite patience and faith put in him.
And then Obertan came on… linked up well and got some nice interplay going with the likes of Evra, Anderson and Rooney. All of a sudden we were bombing down the left and unlocking a stubborn, negative Alladyce team with ease. Im excited.
anyone who said obertan has great pace clearly doesnt no much about him and he hasnt got half the pace valencia has and he is extremely akward , i have watched him for bordeaux and when he went out on loan so trust me he is not any better than nani and i personally believe with the right man management nani would have become very good only ferguson couldnt nurture him like carlos queiroz could
Andrew. Spot on about Valencia and Obertan. Good post.
OB could really get better.He needs to add on some weight to look more athletic.
Nani needs the contemporary competition.If he keeps a good attitude,he’ll come off better.VIVA UNITED!
@Andrew,i appreciate d blood runs bt who d hell is irishred#1? is he or she ok?perhaps he’s in darkness typin his comments
Give the lad a Champions league start. OMG, this is it. This guy and infact giggs too, all our wingers make better decisions than nani.nani’s got better foot works than even ronnie but his final ball.so sad for him,cos obertan can use only that missing quality of nani to be 1st choice. On the left,it should be gabby, at least 65 minutes.giggs becomes sir,nani and tosic chase up. With obertan, yes we can! Will love to see owen,rooney and berba make a starting eleven occasionally. 4-3-1-2, 1 = rooney.
hey everyone knows oberton will be the next ronaldo if not better
Frank_luvs_Wazza. I hate to pick on another United fan, but what language are you attempting to write in?
It is completely incomprehensible and I just give up trying to read your stuff, it’s not worth the trouble.
So would you at least attempt a little English please. Just consider the rest of us. I mean this kindly so don’t feel you have to attack me for what I’ve said.
Oh! Just to stay on topic, I have good feelings about Obertan, I think SAF has unearthed a(nother) potential gem.
Obertan’s miss was total comedy it has to be said, but this guy will make the grade at United, unlike Nani.
The difference between Obertan and Nani is that of having a football brain – that much is evident after only a few outings. Nani has had two and a bit seasons to state a case – he has great natural talent but is fucking clueless about how to use it. I would be gobsmacked – and so would all those around me in North Stand Tier 3 (N4401) who like me spent the first half telling him what a twat he is – if he is offered a new deal.
Obertan on the other hand, nervous debut miss apart, looks like he actually understands what the advantage of having speed and skill is – namely releasing the ball at the right time to create opportunities for those around him. Mark my words – he might not end up being spectacular, but this kid is is cut above players like Nani.
On a slightly different tack – where the fuck is Tosic? Poor kid must be gutted he’s not getting a look in these days, especially given how well he’s playing in the reserves.
i think obertan is deffo going to be a star. I really like nani and some of the goals he has scored in the past has made us forgive is huge errors in judgement. Nani isnt a bad player, hes very very good…just makes terrible decisions, he needs constant games to get in his stride….ive always thought though….could nani play as a striker?..i mean, him in the 18 yard box is dangerous!? what you reckon kids?
tosic is going to be good, just needs to get a bit of weight on him.
id like to see this one day
vds
rafAEL rio vidic evra
valencia fletcher obertan
rooney berbatov
owen
just to add
hahahahahahaha @ liverpoo
this guy remind me of Thierry Henry.. a little more game he will be better
Frank_luvs_Wazza
“hw can u say nani was beta than Valencia bt he was subtituted”
because valencia didn’t get assaulted half as much as nani, or did you conveniently forget the flying knee by that chimbimbo fella?
stop jumping on the obertan wagon.. give him time before throwing praises.. nerves don’t explain why he ran the ball out with no pressure on him. he’s lucky to be thrown in with less than 30 mins, against a fully defensive bolton, and yet so many mistakes.
not saying he isn’t good, but stop over-exaggerating.
@GHTT : make it 302 mate
@reDalerT – Bolton?!
Your comment is so poor it’s stupid, Ronaldo got worse treatment for 6 seasons, Valencia is twice as strong as Nani and is rarely seen on the ground, he bounces Defenders off – the manager has already commented on his strength!
That was the kid’s second game in 7 months, for the Biggest club in the world, if he is nervous, I, like Sir Alex, can forgive him! ‘So many mistakes’?! He also beat 4 or 5 men, I was there and didn’t see Nani do that once.
I support Sir Alex but have seen him give players chances before, If Tosic bulks up and Ober improves, I think Nani’s days are numbered. Not sure how many of you know but Barca enquired about Nani after the CL final this year, as competition/cover for Henry….This proves the guy is good, but potential isn’t enough at this club
Nani yet again had a poor game. Valencia was far more dangerous than him, his ability to actually put in a good ball probably helped. I was actually excited when watching Obertan, his pace alone will cause more problems than Nani. Fair enough he missed a good chance but from being a bit part player at Bordeaux to playing in front of 74k at OT it’s quite clear he’s going to be nervous..
Just noticed something…his initials are GO! (Gabriel Obertan)
How appropriate for someone so fast. And how easy will that be for a Stretford End chant: GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-GO-……
Nani frustrates the crap out of me, but to be fair to the kid he is a right footer and right sided player who is being played out of position (IMO) on the left side. Imagine if Sir Giggs was played on the right side in his first 2 seasons, i dont think he would have shone like he did!
I would much rather Valencia on the right thou – maybe Nani should play on the right when Valencia is out/rested.
GabO does look OK, but give him some time.
robbo – you are quite right, Nani is being played on his “weaker” side. He would do somewhat better on the right but he is at least capable of using his left foot while Valencia doesn’t seem to ever want to do so (even if he once pushed a ball over the goal line in that way).
And, was it Nani’s fault that he was slow in releasing the ball or was the “first goal” against Blackburn judged to be offsides because Wayne Rooney broke too soon ? From all the comments I’ve seen the consensus seems to be that it was Nani’s fault but I’m not convinced. Any comments ?
Can you imagine the amount of sheer pace we will generate with Obertan and Valencia on the wings and the the twins as full backs? Mouth-watering!
@ denton davey, regarding the Rooney offside.
While Nani had the obvious option to play it early out wide to an open Rooney (which I was screaming at my telly for him to do), he decided to hold up and instead put Rooney through with a great ball. Moot point that Rooney was just offside. Nani made a decision and in this case it could have been fantastic…Alas, it could have been.
I don’t understand why everyone here thinks Obertan is the second coming of Christ on the left wing. He hasn’t shown to be some magic man who can break apart teams and win games on his own. So why do we get to hear about it from everyone on this blog?
He made a pile of fuck ups on Saturday. I honestly thought Nani did as good a job if not better than Obertan. And those who comment on how fast Obertan is obviously haven’t seen too many quick players. He’s not slow by any means but he won’t beat the quicker defenders like Bosingwa and Sagna.
He’s average. He isn’t great. It seems that any time we have a new guy every peron commenting on this blog jumps on his bandwagon and sings his praises without even watching him play. Let’s stay objective. He’s got potential but in now way is he a player that can be held in as high esteem and praise as you’ve all been putting him
Fair play reddeviled egg.
For the sake of objectivity: Obertan did have a good game against Burnley too, lower opposition or not. He showed good decision-making and attacking flair on both wings.
in 30 mins against Blackburn, He played a nice one-two with Ando to flatfoot the Blackburn defence and put Evra through on the left; he passed and made space for Anderson to cross for Rooney’s goal, he beat the offiside trap to run clean on goal and yes he shot tamely there and missed another sitter. Good shift dont you think?
Point is, from 120 mins of first-team action and 1 reserve apperance I have seen him play , you can see the lad has a footballing brain, and that is an exciting prospect for us fans. It’s a vital tool to send him on his way, somethings you can’t teach…Nani has been with training and inculcated in our way of football for 2 1/2 years; and while he has talent and fantastic skill on the ball, he needs to improve his overall decision-making to get the best out of himself and his teammates around him. simple as that.
I love the fact that the first touch he has he runs away along the touch line, the crowd roaring in support and in his nervous/excited state he puts the ball out of touch.
That’s ok lad…many others have done a lot worse and then gone onto have great careers. You showed a few nice qualities and it will only get better from here on.
R D E – Obertan isn’t that fast? He is fucking electric man. Aside from the sitter he missed he had a decent debut. What do you expect from him on his first home game? Not been funny but again you seem to thrive slagging United’s players. Can you expand on the “pile of fuck ups” please?
denton – Have to admit mate, Nani’s ball through for Rooney was first class .
Gabriel is just fantastic infact i’ve given him the name RONALDO SUPERIOR because from his start he shows what ronaldo did not.
poor Nani, he was happy when Ronaldo leave, cause he can finally play, and now Obertan will take his place
And about Nani, if Barca was asking for him, it means that he is good. Maybe the sistem, league, or something else..he just didn t settle down. There is small number of players that can play every sistem, every league, every role in the squad etc. Take for example, Rivaldo. In Barca he played great, but in Milan nothing. Schevchenko played great in Milan, but in Chelsea nothing. Also Veron in ManUnited…there is bunch of world class players that just didnt settle down…
Hasselbank was good…
Dont remember valencia taking a defender on at all. consistancly passin back to o’shea or carrick… never said nani was better than him though… i think you misunderstood what i was sayin. Also i didnt say that nani played amazingly well, but did he played better than valencia and obertan, although his final delivery lacked a bit. I just think everyone is far to harsh on nani. he is the only player who absolutely has to have an amazing game everymatch to have any chance of avoiding being slated. where as obertan, who it was obvious felt the extreme pressure of expectation everytime he touched the ball as i’d think anyone would, is being credited because he ‘showed good pace’. just take into consideration nani’s first few games at utd before you start labeling him the next zizou or the next henry and whateva else hes been labelled. nani was the new ronaldo remember..
“jesse Said,November 2nd, 2009 @21:54 Gabriel is just fantastic infact i’ve given him the name RONALDO SUPERIOR because from his start he shows what ronaldo did not.”
No offence, but thats just madness
lol is jesse mad???
did he see what ronnie did to bolton on his debut???