Before this season, no write up on our midfield could be given without focussing heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo. With him gone, it’s up to the rest of our midfield players to prove a point.
Park Ji-Sung – Is our unsung hero who has put in the performances on the big occasions for a few years now. He still has his critics but he’s more or less won our fans over. He’s not world class and I doubt he ever will be but he’s a worker and those type of players shouldn’t be underestimated. He will play when called upon but won’t complain when he’s on the bench. We didn’t hear a peep out of him when Ferguson didn’t even put him in the squad for the 2008 Champions League final. Fortunately for him, the occasions where he is dropped should be few and far between, with Park likely owning one of our starting places next season.
For him to keep that place, fighting off Nani and Valencia, Park needs to improve his finishing. More and more he gets himself in to good shooting positions but too often he doesn’t strike the ball cleanly enough. All our players are going to have to chip in to scoring more goals next season and Park needs to keep that in mind if he wants to stay in the starting team.
Antonio Valencia – Has rightly tried to distance himself from the Ronaldo comparisons from the moment he signed. What we’re buying here is not a 25 goals+ winger (how many of them are there in the world? Just the one…) but a talented young winger who will create a lot of goals for our strikers. He is exciting to watch and has no fear when running at his opponents. Already in the pre-season we’ve seen him take on two or three defenders and not bat an eye-lid. It’s great to see. He’ll score a few as well because he likes getting a shot away but it’s the assists we’ve bought him for. With Wayne Rooney playing a more central role, I expect him to get on the end of plenty of Valencia balls in.
Nani – A player most of us are desperate to see do well this season, following a poor second season at the club. During his first year he scored against Liverpool and Arsenal, as well as scoring a Champions League final penalty. But in his second year he fell out of favour with the manager and rarely got a game. When he did play he would usually be naff and then wouldn’t play again for another three weeks. Ferguson had to do what was best for the team but in not giving Nani time to prove himself, he certainly didn’t do much for the player.
Nani will now feel as though he has a point to prove in light of Ronaldo’s exit and should be given the opportunity to do just that. He has shown flashes of absolute brilliance in our shirt but they need to become a regular occurrence if he’s stick around.
Zoran Tosic – The jury is still out on this one for me. He showed some signs of promise in the pre-season but he is just so small. Ronaldo used to be a skinny little thing too and he managed to beef up, so hopefully Tosic will be able to manage the same. He gets pushed off the ball far too easily which is a massive problem. He’s very fast and he’s got a nice shot on him, but I doubt he will be getting too much match time this season until he’s been down the gym a bit more!
Michael Carrick – Is a player I like a lot. He’s dealt with the pressure and expectation his price-tag meant he was on the r
eceiving end of and just got on with the job. He isn’t interested in the celebrity or the plaudits, he just wants to get the job done. One of our greatest moments of the season was his goal against Wigan with just two games left to play, after we’d gone a goal down within the first half hour. What a moment to step up a produce a moment of this quality.
It’s his defence-splitting passes that we will be relying on more than anything though. He has great vision and with Scholesy not getting any younger, it is Carrick’s creativity we will be turning to.
Darren Fletcher – Has gone from strength to strength over the past few years and we will be looking for him to step it up again next season. One of our hardest working players who just never seems to give up. Like Park, he’s not the most gifted player, but will win us games through his aggression and determination. He hounds his opponents and puts them under pressure from the first to the final whistle.
With Hargreaves’ future still hanging in the balance, Fletcher really has the opportunity to cement his place in our starting team. He has just the right attitude and I really hope we see more great things from him this season.
Anderson – Was the biggest disappointment from our players for me last year. He completely went off the boil. He looked like the dogs bollocks in his season and when he came up against the likes of Fabregas and Gerrard, he totally bossed the midfield. He pushed forward, he played great passes about the park, and had loads of energy. Last season though was a completely different story.
I’m hoping his freekick against Boca Juniors is a sign of things to come though and he can get his name on the scoresheet more often. That’s not the be all and end all of me though. I want him to keep possession and I want him to improve his passing. The goals will come, hopefully, but he needs to get the basics right again first.
Ryan Giggs – Surprised everyone in his PFA Player of the Year contribution to our season, making the central midfield role his own after lacking pace meant he could not longer cut it on the wing. Whilst still far too complacent on occasion for my liking, Giggsy put in some great performances for us, most noteably in our 3-0 victory against Chelsea, and it’s good to have a mature head in our squad.
You have to start thinking it can’t go on forever though and this will be his 20th season wearing our shirt. They’ll be lots of reds who can’t remember a United team which doesn’t include him in it and we really are approaching an end of a era with him. But if we give him one game on, two games off, then we should keep getting the best out of him and hopefully get another season on top of this one.
Paul Scholes – Is one of the most gifted players the club has ever had and despite now being past his best, he can still spray 40 and 50 yard balls across the park which land perfectly at the feet of a sprinting winger. He doesn’t keep possession as well as he used to and his tackling is as bad as ever, but he’s still a good player to have around. He is likely going to be coming off the bench more than he will be starting but that is why we have the strongest squad in the Premiership. Whilst Liverpool are bringing on the likes of Lucas Leiva, we’ll be bringing on Paul Scholes!
Owen Hargreaves – Is a player I’m desperate to see make a full-recovery. Since his impressive début performance against City, I’ve been a big fan of his and I think he could make the world of difference to our team. He is commanding and strong and versatile. Whilst of course the money issue is a concern, with Hargreaves going down as a flop (despite his European Cup winners medal!) if he doesn’t come back, I’m more bothered what it means for our squad. Fletcher is the only similar player to Hargreaves we have and it would be good to have a player like him ready to play, particularly on the big European Cup nights. Watch this space where Hargreaves is concerned, I suppose.
Darron Gibson – Didn’t impress me much to begin with but he is certainly growing on me. He’s obviously got a great shot on him and at just 21-years-old has a strong build. More often than not, he’s impressed during the pre-season, although he didn’t have his best game against Bayern Munich.
I’m sure we’ll be seeing quite a bit from him next season, not just the Cup games, although he still has a few years to prove himself.
1st choice: Park – Carrick – Fletcher – Valencia
Man Utd News 24/7
Scott I like your first choice and I love park runs more than tevez and creates a shit load more than tevez did but I hope nani deservidly knock him out of the team
My first choice: Nani-Carrick-Fletcher-Valencia
I wish we had brought in David Silva and Alexis Sanchez. Then it would have been really difficult to choose.
Could do with 1 more creative midfielder. I hear Van der Vaart could be available on a free, this is according to Fifpro. If this is the case Fergie, Sign him up !!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1206349/Holland-star-Rafael-van-der-Vaart-sparks-Premier-League-scrap-FIFPro-suggest-leave-Real-Madrid-free.html?ITO=1490
1st choice: Nani – Anderson – Carrick – Valencia
Valencia Carrick Fletcher/Ando Nani
Thats a strong midfield. The only concern as you point out is the lack of ball-winners in midfield. Hopefully Hargreaves will be back soon. Also Fletcher is a goal threat too!! Like Fergie says, when the chips are down we call in the cavalry and in the first few games of last season Fletcher definitely saved us by chipping in with vital goals. I hope Nani starts fulfilling his outstanding potential but I think Ando might be a better pick for the left midfield role as a fake left winger in a 4-4-2. Zidane played that role well and Anderson can would give us greater energy, creativity and bite in the midfield than Nani or Park. Also with Evra bombing forward its not like we will be swamped on the left wing. For me that gives us the most balance and solidity in midfield. Against the best sides, our central midfield still looks too soft on paper. Carrick adding more tenacity and presence would certainly solve that problem but he should start anyways. We lacked creativity in midfield last season when he was injured.
Nani instead of Park…Would be easier to finish off teamn from the bottom half…..heck…I’d take him over Park anyday if he continues to perform like the other day in Wembley.
Agree with everything apart from your thoughts on Tosic. It hurts to say this but Xavi, Ineista and Messi proved that you don’t need to be big to be very good footballers. I’m a huge fan fan of Tosic and hope he is given his chance this season. 2 nice goals for Serbia last night.
Thats a surprise scott?
Park for giggs?
Scott’s selection is ideal for the European nights i suppose. In the Pemiership, i would go with Valencia,Carrick,Fletch and Nani.
First choice for me is Valencia, Carrick/Anderson, Fletcher and Nani.
Why does Carrick not impose himself in big games? That is my worry, along with the fact that if he can’t do it now, he probably will never be able to do it due to his age….
If Anderson can develop well in the next 2 seasons I think he is capable of usurping Carrick in that midfield. Right now, Fletcher has become even more integral to our midfield than Carrick.
rooney out on the left owen and Berba up front. nah, only kidding.
Nani carrick fletcher valencia for me.
Nice article. Look at the list, it goes on and on. Plus I think gibbo and tosic are gonna star next season. I think injuries may affect us slightly.
Can’t see Park starting. Gotta be Nani and Valencia on the wings
Heck If Nani and Park are not up to it why not give Fabio a go : \
Tosic seems too light for the league but so does Modric, one can only hope he is fast enough not to be bullied. Park is good but will not contribute more than a couple of goals. Hope they get to play in the cup games more often though. Nani probably has the one season to deliver unlike Anderson who has delivered more often than Nani has and on a bigger stage. Hargo would be the big signing we need if he recovers this season.
Two of three from Carrick, Anderson, and Fletcherinho in the middle is a great luxury, with Scholes, Giggs, and Gibson as backups and Hargreaves as “like a new signing”.
The question about the wing is rather more perplexing if only because neither Nani nor Valencia is a dead-certainty. Both have speed, skill, energy and talent but can they do it when it counts ? Park is a defensive backup unless/until he proves otherwise. Tosic is an unknown – if he could replicate his form for Serbia when he plays in the red shirt then the whole equation would be different. Tosic is absolutely dynamite for his national team. The talent is there. And, I suppose that Anderson’s left foot makes him a candidate for serious consideration, too.
But, really, the composition of the midfield is likely to be chopped and changed on a regular basis unless “some combination” finds lightening-in-a-bottle” and that is likely to happen if “some combination” can bring out the best in providing quality support for the Rooney/Berbatov attack. Those two guys have to play as FORWARDS, and kept out of the midfield !
my first choice would be
nani-anderson-hargreaves-valencia
i know it’ll be tough to come by and i’d like fletch to have hargo’s place but in all reality it’ll be your guess scott.
Carrick is not a player who goes steaming in to tackles but he is superb at picking up loose balls. Great passer and has to start in the middle with Fletch. Fletcher has not only improved his work rate and tenacity but can actually pass a ball, can shoot and rarely loses possesion if at all. His shot from the edge of the box at Wembley on Sunday was a cracker. He has learned from the best in Keano and Scholes. Big Big season for him.
First choice for me : Nani (if shows improvement he has up to press) Carrick, Fletcher, Valencia .
I have really high hopes for Gibson this next couple of seasons. Like you say Scott he is a big powerful lad with a wicked shot. Still has lots to learn but I am confident he will. To be fair he was played on the right against Bayern was he not?
Finally Scott the dippers won’t be “bringing Lucas Leiva on” he will be a permanent fixture in the centre of midfield! Oh Dear!!
fabio on the left of mid is good enough for me to see a couple times too. think he’d boss it
you can’t just pick a midfield. We’ll need a different midfield depending on the opposition. Giggsy’s experience is vital in the big big games, the energy and determination of players like Fletcher and Ando will be needed in some games. If Hargreaves can get back fit, he would be the only midfielder I’d start everygame.
It’s great that we have such quality in one area, despite some people saying we lack in midfield, when we clearly don’t.
MUFC The Religion – Spot on mate.
sorry scott but you need to relook at some of your reviews on the midfield and the certain park. he has got to be the worst wide player in europe. I would rather dirk kuyt in the united team ahead of park. lets look at park has a player. he does not score goals, he cant run or get past the first player let alone the first defender. he offers no creative spark what so ever. you have watched united down the years scott and he is a joke of a player. so what he works hard or does a job do not let that get away from the important factor it is goals and what a wide player does creat and run at defenders. you are expecting an average player to do more than his ability it is almost impossible.
didnt messi score more than 25 goals last season??? i might be wrong.
good write up though scott & the defence one
1st choice .. Valenica, Carrick, Flecther, Nani
So manutdslagger is being negative, there’s a first.
MUFC the Religion, took the words right out of my mouth. dirk kuyt over three lung park? yet again, you show your short-sighted view of football. “he offers no creative spark whatsoever.” wow! you’re a genius! park is not put in the lineup for his creativity, he is utilized because of his defensive contribution and tracking back, especially in European competition.
“so what he works hard or does a job do not let that get away from the important factor it is goals.” so let me get this straight… coming from the same ‘supporter’ who slags berba and praises tevez to no end. you care to backtrack on your statements about tevez? all that hard work with 5 league goals?
Criticism is ok in moderation, but come on manutdchampions2008, WTF is wrong with you? Sounds more and more like you’re just a rival team fan on here for a laugh. And as for saying that footy is all about goals, it’s also about playing to your strengths. Our defence is our biggest strength; so we played for one nil, two nil wins last season. Park provided consistent balance to our team, worked hard and provided an outlet for Rooney and vice-versa. If you can’t see how strong Park’s edge of the box play is you’re a fool. In the abscence of the Ribery and Silva signings, and the loss of Ronaldo we need players to be consistent. Anyway, if you love Kuyt so much you could always pop down to Anfield to support them. You probably all ready do, lad.
Any two from Fletch Hargreaves and Carrick. The problem seems to be the left wing bacause Valencia looks a likely starter on the right. If Nani could show consistency then fine, i would play him, but the lad has to start lifting his head up, just incase someone is in a better position than him. I realise no one ever will be but he could at least take a look before blazing the ball over. Once he realises that he’s in a team then he should shine, but 30 yrd toe pokes and a summersault if they come of don’t indicate that it will happen soon. Its a shame but thats how it looks to me.
And by the way manutdchampions2008. Dirk Kuyt. Fuck off.
MUFC the Religion
I think united will win what I call a very poor premiership this year.
javac
It is my opinion that park is just awful. If you cannot see the fact that park is just awful player then you are just blind. blomvquest now that was a player not only did he work hard but he had this great ability to just run and ghost past players with great quality. For a wide player with ronaldo gone I expect other players to start chipping in with goals and start trumping up assists for the strikers.
Yes kuyt is not a great player but he does the same job has park oh yea kuyt got 15 goals in all competitions last year. 1 more than berbatov and the same as tevez last year. kuyt like him or not scored more goals than Scots first choice midfield combined playing out of position. And why would I sign up for a united site if I supported some other team if I was a livpool fan I would show it on my name. Alright you do not think goals are important look at his assists since berbatov is praised because of assists, what is parks assists. When has he ever got the ball and run or gone past players and put in quality crosses that is what a wide players job is.
Do not let work rate mask a players true qualities or half the country would be looking for players with all energy but with little quality at the end of it. Do not forget many fans on here totally hammers tevez because of his work rate and little quality on the end of it I have myself because I think tevez is an average player who is a poor mans aguero, is park any different to tevez no he should not be. Another worry these players that fans rated like tevez and now park are starting to spread into the most important part of the team the attack. Yes have plenty of work rate in the backline and CM area but on the wide areas and the attack it’s got to be top class or we are not going to get enough goals to win the games especially the big games if our wide players cant run past defenders and put in crosses and assists. People can blast me I just do not rate or think park is good enough for united let alone the first 11. When scot has park has a first 11 player we are in trouble.
Am beginning to wonder what manutdchampions smokes. He must be a closet ABU. Never ever has a positive opinion on man united. My friend u need to watch football regurlarly. Park is no Ronaldo but he is a good player. Definitely better than Tevez. About Kuyt, you can’t be serious
manutdchampions2008 … so you’ve never seen park take a player on or beat a player???? take it you dont watch much football then, probally to busy watching city or pool
Kuyt? Seriously?
Sometimes I’m happy when I read things like this. Happy I’m not blind.
But I guess it could’ve been worse, I could be writting things like that.
Phil Thompson thinks were will win the title again this season
Jish Inc
oh I am serious kuyt is better than park I would stick evra at LW ahead of park who should be moved on. for starters park is no nani let alone ronaldo and for me nani would be a far better option than park on the wing. the scary thing is kuyt got more goals then berbatov and tevez in the premiership with 12 goals. what you do not get is park all he does is run around like a headless chicken, he cant run past players and assist record is just awful. I do not rate kuyt he another average player but he is a an upgrade than park thats for sure.
Valencia Hargreaves Carrick Nani is a combination that seems obvious but not mentioned here
Pete
because we have no clue if he will ever return.
I agree with the starting line up however, sometimes we can come with park and nani starting and valencia coming as sub or alternate change between these 3. Park for me knows the space well and although he is not world class player, he created more chances than tevez did. I do hope nani can come out with something better and recently he is doing great and i hope he can carry on. Last but not least, do hope that anderson can improve slightly and hope to see more of him.
Pete – i just have doubts over hargo’s fitness. Even when he and if he puts the kit on, will he be better than Fletcher?
For me where Park beats is that Park has better decision making and is a team player. Nani shows flashes of brilliance but is so selfish. Tries to take on a whole team and thus easily marked out of a game. Park has a better understanding with Roon and Berba. Fletcher is a certainity for me the rest is a gamble. Valencia, Carrick, Fletcher,Park for me with Nani as an impact sub
We have so many possibilities in the midfield. I just hope Hargo makes it back, I really miss him. At the moment I would want us to start Carrick and Fletcher, especially in the big games where Fletcher always performs. I just hope Gibson will be played in the center of midfield and not on the wing, although he had one good game in that position in pre-season (I think it was in Asia rather than the Audi Cup). If Gibson gets a chance in the center of midfield I can see him develop like Fletcher did. Fletcher was played out of position when he was breaking into the squad and I think that halted is development.
Jish – I agree, Park may not be a Ronaldo but we don’t have better than him for the left wing. his understanding with Evra and Rooney is brilliant.I’d still go for nani though to tease that potential into something special.
Hell I cant believe u rate Park so badly … 4 starters being an asian player n playin 4 one of da big4 already states some meaning into his credentials as a player , also u cannot compare Park n Dirk comon ! SAF uses park very wisely , he does not expect goals from da korean n neither do I , but he gets into positions dat suprise most of us … Yes Kyut has a betta goal average but I feel kyut will not survive more dan Park will in da Epl … Park is a defensive workhorse who plays on da wings but he does make runs , his passing n shootin r not impressive but I can name a few in da Epl who dont deserve mention …
Regardin Our current squad it feels amongst us fans dat apart from Rooney ders no1 else who cud just electrify ur day wid just der presence , hope SAF signs a Silva or Douglas Costa , probably just 2 rely on some1else , 2 share da burden dat Wazza faces …. But SAF knws best … Dats a fact … N hell wid city n da fool n da skits …
Manutd 4eva
why would you put one of the best left backs in the world at left mid? evra can’t put a cross in if his life depended on it. he is most valuable combining with a left winger when he pushes forward.
kuyt had a decent scoring return last year, but weren’t a bunch of those goals late strikes against opponents with 10 men? that’s not going to happen again this year. his return will diminish greatly.
Gudjohnsen
well we have a lot of players but are they great choices I doubt it only average ok or good ones. do not forget in 99 united only had 3 CM to choose from and 4 wide players. having more quality and ess quality in midfield like we had in 06/07 season was propably the better way.
sanj
LOL park cant put a cross in to save his life is well. one way or another kuyt chipped in with goals and for me park does not offer any kind of creative or goal threat. 3 to 4 goals in a season and under 5 assists is not good. if tevez of 15 goals and 3 assists is not up to standard then park should be raise even more eyebrows.
I think your summary on Tosic was waaaay far off – he’s a quality player already and has shown he can score, take on defenders and cross the ball – like a smaller left-wing Valencia. Him, Valencia, Nani and Gibson will make up a sweet midfield, maybe switching Fletch and Ando with the middle two. I just can’t see Tosic not making at least a third of all of the matches this season unless through injury.
great article scott.
I think any combination of fletcher, anderson, carrick, valencia, nani, hargo and park will work effectively as a starting mid field. giggs and scholes will hopefully make their impact as subs. While we could certainly should win the league with this mid field, i feel winning europe may be a bit of a struggle. while carrick, hargo and fletcher are brilliant, we lack two genuinely world class wingers.
Nani is a work in progress, valencia though brilliant, is untested at the highest level. While I think Manutdchampions is a mad man to suggest that kuyt is better than park, the sad truth remains that park simply isnt good enough for european games. In england, he is just fine, running his arse off for the team. In Europe though, especially towards the latter half of the tournament, only energy isnt enough. This was brutally exposed to us in the Rome final, where despite all Park’s attempts, there was a certain gulf in class.
Lets take a look at our previous two European winning teams’ midfield:
1999 – Beckham, Scholes, Keane, Giggs – - Possibly the greatest United midfield that I can remember. Two world class wingers complimented keano and scholesy. Giggs with his pace and becks with those unbelievable crosses.
2008 – Ronaldo, Carrick/Scholes, Hargreaves, Nani/Giggs– While the left wing was slightly shaky, Ronaldo more than made up for it throughout the season. In fact, in the final, hargo played on the right with ronnie on the left.
The point is, that I think our current squad is more than capable of winning the league. But until nani steps up, valencia gets used to european ties and park adds another dimension to his game, winning the Champions League will be bloody hard.
ManUnitedchampions2008 raises some good points, let’s not cloud the fact that Park isn’t a flair player he’s a workhorse. The strenght of Park is his energy, the ability to find space in dangerous areas and his tacticle discipline . He weakpoints are that he doesn’t put a lot of the chances he creates or what others create for him.if he could finish better and not get knocked off the ball easily then he’d be a much more dangerous player.
Another player who impressed me even though he only played for 20-30 mins was midfielder Tom Cleverly -use him SAF! He seems so comfortable on the ball and his timing impecablep
The midfield composition:
For the EPL
Nani
Carrick
Fletcher
Valencia
Against the top 4
Anderson
Carrick
Fletcher
Europe
Anderson
Carrick
Fletcher
Thiswould be best midfield inUds
ScousersSuck
but united do not need park, if people are saying park was doing the donkey work for ronaldo because he did not track back well ronaldo is gone why do we need to keep playing a defensive winger it makes no sence. if valencia tosic and nani do not step up then united are going to need to add another wide player or 2. its like saying we play jordi cruyff every week in 99/00, lets be honnest is park any much better than cruyff no he is not. and how anyone can defend park when his overall game is one of the worst in europe. I will say this again uniteds midfield is still one of the weakest and against the best we will be found out.
The exciting thing is that time will tell and we will learn alot about these lads! I think we will need different combinations.
For the weaker teams: Park – Anderson – Giggs/Scholes – Tosic/Gibson
For the mid-table teams: Park/Valencia – Carrick/Fletcher – Giggs/Scholes – Wellbeck/Tosic/Nani
For the top teams: Valencia – Fletcher – Anderson/Scholes/Giggs – Nani
Giggs/Scholes coming on as subs or first half.
I think rotating the players to match the teams is the key and also giving the youngsters a chance here and there.
At least unlike the other big 4, we have a lot of excitement in figuring out what these guys can do, whereas they have the same old, especially chelsea.
Also – stop slagging people! Attack opinions not people!
christ the aguero nutter`s back!! Where`s GHTT? I thought he ran this idiot out of the forum.
KVN
well your the first that agrees with me on park on this site who some are just blind how anyone can think park is awesome or good need to wake up in my view I just do not think he offers enough qualitys to be seen has a first 11 player or a united player. the front four in my book have to be of the higest quality, the defence and CM yes let them do the hard work but the 2 wingers and strikers they have to be top class. look at real madrid in the 02/03 season, they had work horses like makelele flavio and a bit of flair in guti etc but when it came to the front four they had top class attackers. another example 94 united side, in midfield again keane ince robson etc would do the hard work, but united made sure they had attackers the likes of kanchelskis sharpe giggs cantona hughes who all had a creative and goal threat about them. united seem to be settling for second best when they are content with park has a possible first 11 player.
I think the one constant player in our midfield will be Fletcher for the EPL and European games. The rest of the midfield players will be chosen according to the opposition.
manutdchampions2008,
Park may not be amongst the goals and assists, but he often contributes the pass before the assist. How could you compare Kuyt to Park. Kuyt was bought in as a striker and considering his strike rate, he is a flop, blame Benitez for playing him wide, but thats their problem. Park was brought in for his energy, and for that, he has achieved what was expected of him. So in one way, Benitez flopped in his signing, whilst Sir Alex did good. If you think scoring 42 goals a season is needed to be considered a good player, well, you’d be better off playing your PS3. There are alot more things that contribute to team dynamics than just goals and assists. A simple question like this. Btw, Park plays brilliantly in tandem with Rooney if you haven’t noticed, won’t be surprised if you don’t notice, cuz you are probably watching Liverpool’s game most of the time.
-> My advice to you, go be a Liverpool supporter, since none of our players and even our manager is up to your mark. And stop using your name please, you are not even a supporter, just a slagger, you are a disgrace
Marq
You are in denial and you know what it is my opinion it is not a disgrace. There are plenty of united fans who agree with me that park is just useless and not good enough. kuyt does the exact job to park he plays RW. They both work hard and you know what kuyt got more goals and is more effective has that certain job you seem to go on about, the joke is kuyt got more goals than berbatov and tevez in the premiership.
I remember a time where united played two top class wide players like kanchelskis Sharpe giggs even beckham they are proper wide players. This is Manchester utd we are talking about not some run of a mill club. Like I said before do not let work rate mask the players real ability, that’s one reason why UK are awful at creating future world class players because they must work hard. Allot of fans some on here say he works hard so that’s the key to just hang around in a united squad has long as you run around like a headless chicken and nothing else he gets some sort of career in a united team.
Park is a wide player, his job is to chip in with more than 3 to 4 goals. give more assists and put in crosses for the front players that is what a wide players job is about, maybe I got it wrong with berbatov with the service park gives down that side no wonder berbatov got so phew. This is the reason why united have not spread the goals about enough, A our CM plays to deep Carrick perfect example and that has not helped Anderson, B you add the fact that these work horses are spreading into our attack tevez luckily gone that is one less of a headless chicken in our team. C you add also Rooney and berbatov are dropping too deep because our CM is not dominating enough and they are also dropping too deep to try and win the ball, and when park also can’t go past players its a real problem. park is wasting that wide area better occupied by someone like nani tosic even welbeck who would offer more than park.
park is brilliant, he maybe not scoreing alot but he does what the gaffer puts him on to do , he taps in a few a year and buy the way i dont see fletcher scoreing more than park , mf nani/giggs, flecher, carrick, vallencia .
but some one shud help nani to defend , everytime he loses the ball , he gets a yellow card for climbing on the back on the opposite team , hope he will step up this year , because you can see potentcial there
I think I will trust SAF on park. He might know a little more about what the team needs than manunitedcha whatever. He has done enough for the boss to describe him as “invaluable to the club’s success”. That’s good enough for me.
Manutdchampions, up until now I thought you were bringing up a few fair points about park, and his shortcomings for europe. But when you suggested that welbeck, and tosic (who has barely played a competitive league game) would be better replacements, i think you lost the plot mate. For one, its evident that you are being irrationally prejudiced against the lad. Sir Alex trusts him in big games throughout the league, and that is reason enough for the rest of us to.
Im not saying he should be our starting winger, but he is good to have as cover. United need depth in all areas, and it doesnt harm us to have an average, yet hard working player in the squad. To start him as a winger week in and week out would be daft, but SAF knows when to use him well (except the Rome final). So stop slagging off a United lad so much will you?
@manutdchampions2008
Mate you have no idea what youre talking about kuyt>park?!?Seriously you must have issues…we’re not blinded by parks workrate, yes he does turn in awful performances once in a while but mostly he does very well just that he doesnt get enough credit for it and so most ppl like you miss out the fact that he does turn in good performances…he gets back possession, covers the full backs and contributes with loads of forward runs and id shit myself if i were a defender because i cant get a moments rest on the ball…so if you think that welback/tosic is better than park then i think you really do not know much about UNTIED..
Park = Legend nuff said
I just wonder if people would think more of Park if he was from Europe or South America. I think that because he is from South Korea, some idiots automatically rate him much less. It is not only Park’s energy and defensive qualities that make him such a great player. His movement off the ball has been one of the highlights of his career in the last couple of seasons.
Why you are comparing a united player to a liverpool player is beyond me! The two teams do not play the same way, so any comparison is useless.
manutdchampions2008. Maybe you should uninstall any internet explorers and go buy FM09. Then everyone can be happy. You can prove that you are one of the best, most knowledgable fans around, and the rest of us can talk about football without someone trying to wind the rest of us up by stating opinions that seem ridiculous.
Here is my opinion. Sir Alex is the best manager there is. I don’t think that the squad is made of players that would walk in to any team in the world (a few of them would, dont get me wrong). What Sir Alex has produced is a squad of players that work well together, to his tactics. He hasn’t won the league for the last three seasons by playing players that aren’t united quality.
In fact, I hear a lot of people say that player x is not ‘manchester united quality’, but its not an individual that qualifies them for the team. It is how that players qualities fits in with his teammates qualities. Any player can be effective with the correct teammates (providing they’re fit). I dont think Fletcher, O’Shea, Brown, Park, Evans, (even Scholes, Giggs, Neville at their age) could walk into any team in the world. But Fergie uses each of these players to their advantages against different opposition. As someone said above, there is no best XI, it depends on which team you are playing.
Park isn’t a great player though ^
I don’t rate him. He doesn’t have a good first touch, is always a few seconds behind the play, can’t keep balance…
Upside though, he has a tremendous attitude. Wouldn’t start with him though. Would rather see Nani given a go.
I like Park.
He’ll have a blinding game every now and again, and will always work hard – much like O’Shea.
i remember watching a european game , psv playin milan n i saw this little korean runnin round the milan players , absolutley bossin the game , nxt i heard of him he had signed 4 utd 4 a fee of around 4 mil i think ..the signin of park really did please me , yes he has great work rate but hes mor than that , his 1-2′s in n round the box his tacklin is great , i reckon hed make a very gd full back …i dnt think we can say play him against so n so , we hav 2 take each game as it cums , c who is fit n whos in form n so on , but i cant believe ne1 slaggin that man park of , the likes of him n jos r the players that win us things , the players that wil sit n wait 4 there chance n r happy 2 play wen they r asked , y did park get the nod on the wings in the big games n cr7 up top , coz the boss knew who he cud trust out there 2 do the work he needed ..i also think last yr we saw an improvement on his attackin play n he was mor of a goal threat ..in jan ljalic (bad spellin) cums 2 us , he looks a real player , but i wud luv 2 c silva at ot , he is 1 player i reckon wud improve us , remember that goal he smashed in against chelsea a while bak , also gotta get him now , or we risk losin out like we did wiv torres imagine silva there ???? but wiv the team we hav now , id hav nani on the left valencia rite n fletch n carrick centre
Drabik – Absolutely bang on mate. It is all about the “balance” of the team. Why do people think United should be made up of 11 “Superstars”?
From an Arsenal Fan :
Interesting squad and good balance. I think fletcher and park are very underrated just like Dirk Kuyt at Liverpool. Workhorses like them can spur the teams on as well as get opponents to make mistakes.
I havent seen much of Tosic, but I think Nani is overrated and Anderson still has couple of years to go before he becomes a fixture. Carrick is pure class and so is Hargreaves, when fit. A good midfield which can win the ball and keep it. You would need Berbatov and Rooney to help in moving the ball forward.
No powehouse like Essien, but again bulldozing is not your way.
Scott i think you forgot Obertan
good article scott. but i dont agree with u on tosic. even messi is small . i eould give tosic a run this season. he is 22 now and he should be regularly starting. and also nani ahead of park. i love parks attitude and his intelligence but man if u are a winger u need to score goals. he needs to score goals this season. i would like to see ando,tosic.nani ,fletcher playing more games than giggs and scholes. to be honest fergi hasnt given proper playing time for these youngsters. but i still rate giggs better than park or nani. but we have to give these player chance .they are the future.
nani carrrick ando/fletcher valencia.
@manutdchamp08
mate i agree with u for the first time park isnt great. i would prefer nani tosic valencia ahead of park. but man u cant compare kuyt with park. kuyt is a striker he is supposed to score goals. and to be he is more pathetic than park.
Hey scott y didnt u mention about obertan. i would like to see him play.
Nice article, Scott.
Just one question, though : What di Ronaldo ever do for us in midfield ? Brilliant player, great goals, etc., but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t ever remember seeing him in midfield last year, unlike Rooney end Berbatov …
ScousersSuck
tosic and welbeck have impressed me on the wide areas unlike park they can make moments of brilliance, well let me re say that welbeck tosic and nani should be given more chances than park who for me got way o many undeserved starts like the champions league final. Anyone saying I am a disgrace for thinking park is not good enough then I am sorry they have serious problems. Well look at vidic he was not playing much a full season we think now he is the world’s greatest CB which he is in my view. Still the ones who disagree with me and bring up the same points to justify him playing in the team still come up with the same rubbish, he works hard that’s just not good enough still. I keep saying to everyone do not let work rate mask the players true abilities look at tevez. I will say again these work horses are spreading into our most important area of the team the attack. These work horses belong in CM and the back line not in the attacking front four which they wins united games.
Manutdchampions, there is no harm done by having Park in the team! We need all the depth that we can get. In a worst case scenario, lets say Nani is injured. For the sake of argument, since you are convinced that tosic and welbeck are better out wide, even both of the are unavailable. Giggs cannot play down the wing anymore, certainly not twice or thrice a week. That would leave us with simply Valencia as a winger.
Now, dont get me wrong, Id play Park ahead of tosic and welbeck out wide, (given that welbeck is a striker). But for the sake of manutdchampions im making this far fetched assumption. Would you then agree, manutdchampions, that we need park in our squad?
ScousersSuck not really I do not think we do if fergie went into the transfer market and signed a wide player. read when I say I am not saying go insane in the transfer market like real madrid have done but united have an insane amount of cash to spend and for me fergie should be investing in the squad more and getting a wide player. I still think anderson nani tosic fails we are going to need a CM and a wide player or 2. giggs I still think can play on the left at times, but like I have said the front four need to be top class. berbatov still I am not convinced in a full season he is reliable enough to win us enough games to win the league like when ronaldo and rooney were at their best in 06/07.