Following on with our contributing writer project, here’s an article which looks at the question “Will United end up with nothing?”.
The Carling Cup and World Club Championship may be in the bag but to the majority of United fans these trophies do not signify success. They are simply fashion accessories, which add a little extra glamour to the main outfit, but without the big trophies, for a club the size of Manchester United, they pale into insignificance.
It is far too early for doom and gloom – a virtual reserve team competed against one of the Premiership’s top sides for 120 minutes on Sunday and but for the lottery of a penalty shootout, would have taken their place in the FA Cup final. However, the reality is that what threatened to be United’s most successful season of all time now has the potential to leave them virtually empty handed.
Everything is still potentially in their hands, but there are a lot of huge obstacles that need to be overcome
There are no easy games in the Premiership but United’s run in certainly isn’t the easiest. Tottenham follow on Saturday, chasing a Europa league spot after a remarkable turn around in form under Harry Redknapp. Trips to Middlesborough and Wigan, two grounds where Liverpool have failed to win this season, should be negotiable but only with a professional and confident approach, while mathes against City and Arsenal, albeit at home, will not be easy.
In the Champions League, Arsenal’s defeat by Chelsea in the FA Cup Semi Final on Saturday along with Aston Villa’s capitulation in the league, means that the Gunners are free to focus almost exclusively on the European ties. Liverpool have shown in recent semi-final clashes with Chelsea that by keeping players fresh for Europe, it can make the difference and having already lost to Arsene Wenger’s men this season, it certainly won’t be an easy couple of games, especially since it’s sandwiched in between a tough trip to the Riverside.
United do possess the quality to go on and win not just the Premiership but the Champions League but it is now time for their big names to stand up and be counted. For all the media fawning over United’s play, the reality is that star players are not performing. Although still capable of moments of genius, Cristiano Ronaldo is a shadow of the player he was last season while Dimitar Berbatov has failed to live up to his £30m price tag in a Man Utd shirt.
For all their nice play, at times United appear to lack a killer instinct and the fact that in recent weeks they have been rescued by the 17-year-old Italian Federico Macheda says it all. However, United do have enough players who have been around the course many times before in the likes of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand and such experience could be crucial in the run in.
The title is very much in United’s hands – they are certainly in a favourable position to Liverpool, having a game in hand as well as being three points clear, but the players must realise that there can be no more slip-ups and while the FA Cup Final may evade them this year, every single match between now and the end of the season is a cup final.
Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.
Man Utd News 24/7
Good article.There will come a time this season when we will need the big players to step up.Let’s hope they will be up to the task.
1. True point that we cant be complacent and harder fixtures await.
2. True also that we arent firing and we arent playing well
3. True also that we have a difficult run in sandwiched in between are 2 clge games.
4. True also in football you never know…you could be on for 5 and win nowt. No one has a divine right to win anything let alone more than even 1.
5. For a season to be considered a success for any club anywhere in the world and in history. Winning 1 trophy per season is an unbelievable achievement. WHY? cup comps require luck, favourable draws, need decsions to go for you, for deflections not to go against you, for the woodwork not to come in your way. That is a fine line in life….eg a heart attack kills 1 guy..doesnt the other. Fate luck and a fine line. Sunday showed a ref can fuck you over….and you are powerless no matter how good to do anything about it. Also the fact that there are countless teams going for 4 pots….countless teams hungry just as you. Probabilty and mathematics will then tell you winning one pot per season is AWESOME.
6. Yes CLGE you want to win….and having got far you sense it and crave for it. But for me it still remains a bonus. WHY? Cos winning the prem is the ultimate goal.
7. False that other 2 trophies dont matter. Im not like others on here…for me every trophy we add to the OT cabinet…easch trophy we add to our tradition history MATTERS. Whether it be the Fifa world club cup…the carling cup…the comm shield….or the johnstone paint trophy if we ever played in it. THEY ALL MATTER…THEY ALL SHOW SUCCESS…THEY ARE ALL SILVERWARE.
Decent article…..but stating the bloody obvious
As long as we win the league, and at the same time stop Liverpool from winning it, and preventing them from using their pathetic 18 titles excuse when we meerly point out to them we are better, I’ll be very happy.
I am confused about Ronaldo. Did anyone really expect after his summer of poor decisions, surgery, and the Euro’s he would be as good as he was last year? He is still one of the top scores in the EPL, scored a huge goal against Porto, and your saying he isn’t at his best. Last year was the fluk not the norm. We are getting quality play from Ronaldo and I think you expect to much.
I agree with your sentiment on Berba but it is his first season. Expecting a similar showing to his form in Tottenham was never going to happen. He was the first option while at Tottenham and in no way is he our first option while the game is going on. I think he has played well but can do better which I expect to see in this last month and next season.
I agree any trophy is a trophy but certainly certain trophies have a greater amount of respect for winning them. I will be disappointed if we don’t take one of the two trophies on offer because it means we fell apart at the absolute wrong time.
I agree that this is somewhat obvious points but well written and articulated. I don’t agree with all of your ideas but we won’t agree on everything.
Agree with suhayl completely
I’m sure its been said 100 times before this season, but our next two immediate games are MASSIVE, and in my view, the biggest games of the season.
Spurs are no easy task (even though I think we were unlucky not to win at WHL) so we will need to be up for it on saturday. Because honestly, if we draw and Pool win its right back to nervous as F time. And frankly, I should be concentrating on finals right now and not spending all damn day on monday trying to convince myself that Arsenal can pick up points at Anfield….
And wed’s importance goes without saying. We have to keep them out, simple as that. I usually hate the way we play against Arsenal, we usually sit off them and give them WAY too much respect and time on the ball. We usually look scared to put in tackles or get on top of them. Look at this years match at the Emirates when we sat there and let them pass it 100 times or whatever in a row leading up to the second goal, and not one of our players came anywhere close to putting in a tackle or putting them under pressure. In the FA Cup last year we got at them and they took a battering. More of that please lads. Don’t be afraid of getting burnt, just win the f’ing tackle.
Sorry for the rant…
Liverpool should hurry up and win the league.
They’ve got to stop the mancs winning another title.
What do you think Wank fans?
United will win the title lovethereds. And then you lot will Never Wank Alone.
united’s rival is no other than united only. liverpool, chelsea, arsenal, we’ve seen them all before and doesn’t matter who they are…we still are the top dog to beat. we always do it the hard way, even more now because the players are so used to wining that they have looked complacent and petulent lately. they really need to get the grit, drive, determination and hunger that makes united the team they are. come on united!
blah blah blah. I hope the author wasn’t paid any money for that senseless drivel. Of course theoretically United might not win anything, as supporters we can only hope. The fact remains we have the best in the business guiding us! In SAF we trust!
We already won something – Fact
Let the dippers continue singing You’ll Never Walk Alone. We prefer to walk alone because there can be only one winner, and these days, its usually us. Enjoy your company!
Heh. We can draw one and loose one and still win the premiership. Six matches left. Can’t see that happening, thus ending empthy handed. If we win the Premiership and the No18 it’s massive for us. No doubt about it.
All other thropies are just extras.
World Cup is a nice bragging right. Champions of the World has a nice ring to it. Carling Cup is nice because our youths grabbed it. We went to the semis of the FAC, good achievement. Had to drop it. Top of the league by three points and one game in hand. Semis in CL.
Really. Really. What more can you expect? Even if Arsenal knocks us out, I for one thinks our season have been great.
Lovethereds, are you 5?
I disagree with the author that the CC and WCC don’t matter, they do imo along with every piece of silverware except maybe the Community Shield.