The Squad Review - line by line

[rondwisan]

ManUtd.com - 13/08/2009 10:25
The squad: Goalkeepers



With the big kick-off looming, we asked Reds assistant Mike Phelan for his expectations of each established first-team player, starting with the goalkeepers…

1 Edwin van der Sar Age 38 Appearances 191
"Edwin’s probably the most experienced player in the team, so we’ll miss him in the first two months of the campaign. He’ll probably set his own targets in terms of what he wants to achieve this term, but he knows how highly we regard him as a goalkeeper at Manchester United. I think he’ll be looking forward to getting back playing again as soon as possible. Both Edwin and the club have been a good marriage. He was a terrific goalkeeper when he joined us but I think he’s made further progress since he arrived. Each year he seems to go up a level, he’s seen and done it all so he’s a major asset to us."

12 Ben Foster Age 26 Appearances 11
"Ben came into the game a little later than most goalkeepers, but has tremendous potential. He still has a lot of work to do in all the departments but he’s getting the right coaching at this club and he has a good person to learn from in Edwin. Ben’s a strong-willed character and has a firm idea about where he wants to be and how quickly he wants to get there – now it’s just a matter of time before he really shows his credentials. He’s been unlucky with a few injuries and he’s had a bit of a stop-start career, but he’s working hard now and I think he sees light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what he’s working towards. And the fact that he’s now progressing into the England international setup has probably encouraged him to work even harder."

29 Tomasz Kuszczak Age 27 Appearances 37
"I think Tomasz is probably the first Polish player to join this club and he’s accepted those responsibilities extremely well. He’s at a club where every goalkeeper is challenging for the no.1 spot and he’s certainly one of those who’s in with a shout. And whenever he’s been called upon he’s performed to the highest quality. I’m sure he’ll be pushing on from where he left off last season."

Glove story

Edwin has indicated that this could be his last season at Old Trafford and, with the Dutchman out of action for two months with a broken finger and hand, these first few weeks of the campaign are an important time for Tomasz and Ben to establish themselves.

[Supernan]

Sayang ya squad GK nya cuma first team, padahal kan yg di reserve jg bisa jd pemain first kalo ada yg cedera...Ben Amos,Tom Heaton,Ron Robert Zieler...mantap

[rondwisan]

ManUtd.com - 14/08/2009 07:29
The squad: Defenders



The big kick-off is edging ever closer, and Reds assistant Mike Phelan continues his assessment of the established first-team players. Next up, defenders...

2 Gary Neville Age 34 Appearances 569 Goals 7
Gary’s one of the most experienced players we have at this club – he’s worn every shirt and won every medal so he needs to keep setting new challenges for himself. I think every game he plays now he’ll treat with the utmost respect. He’s committed to the cause, full of endeavour and he’ll be looking for an injury-free season.

21 Rafael Age 19 Appearances 28 Goals 1
Rafael has been inspirational. He instantly connected with the fans and showed an enthusiasm that’s required for a footballer at United. But he has a lot of progress to make and there are still things in his game he’s learning. He’ll gain that knowledge here – he’s intelligent, a quick learner and he wants to be a winner. Mentally he’s very strong and committed and he’s taken great strides in a short period of time. He’ll be looking to progress again and try and make the right back spot his own.

22 John O’Shea Age 28 Appearances 343 Goals 14
John’s one of the most underestimated footballers at the club. He’s an ever-present in the squad and always willing to do the job asked of him. He trains exceptionally hard and nobody has a bad word about his attitude. He’s a winner and loves being around the club, which is what we love. It’s great to see John progressing – he’s a regular international now and his main aim will be to cement a regular place in the team. John’s versatility is a credit to him. Some say it can go against you but John has a strong mental approach to football. Whenever he’s picked he performs at the highest level.

5 Rio Ferdinand Age 30 Appearances 311 Goals 7
Rio has found the club that really suits him. He’s found stability and a club that has been able to really bring the best out of him. He brings a quality to our defending that not a lot of other clubs have. That’s the reason we invested so much time, effort and money to bring him here. There are some good centre backs in England but Rio’s been producing consistently high performances for years now.

15 Nemanja Vidic Age 27 Appearances 153 Goals 12
Vida and Rio’s partnership has been second to none over the last few seasons and Nemanja had a particularly good season last term. He’s strong, powerful and we think he can get even better. He’s aggressive and has a real defender’s mentality. He does that job well and at times he probably goes a little bit unseen, but he’s extremely committed to the cause. He also contributes at the other end from set-pieces because he attacks the ball so well.

6 Wes Brown Age 29 Appearances 318 Goals 4
Wes missed very few games when we won the Premier League and Champions League trophies in the 2007/08 campaign. But last year he was really unlucky with injuries, missing most of the campaign. But he's worked hard over the summer and, despite a recent set-back, we look forward to having him back in the team now.

23 Jonny Evans Age 21 Appearances 38 Goals 0
Jonny is a tall and very solid defender. He has good mental strength, too, and a strong work ethic which has helped him reach the level he is at now. He's also a very intelligent lad, both on and off the field. He's good with the ball at his feet and the great thing for us is that he complements both Rio and Nemanja.

3 Patrice Evra Age 28 Appearances 147 Goals 2
Patrice is probably now establishing himself as one of the best left backs in Europe. That’s a credit to the effort he’s put in since arriving in England. He’ll be the first to tell you that he initially found life a little difficult in England and the Premier League a little daunting. But after a short spell he adapted magnificently and everyone can see he’s a fine player. In the modern game, full backs play a big part in winning football matches and Patrice has all the skills in his armoury to be a complete player. He can drive forward, he can defend well, he’s fantastic in the air… and he’s developed all these attributes here at this club.

-----------------------------------------------------

lho ...., Fabio kok gak ada, apa blom dianggep 1st team yaa ...

[rondwisan]

wah top score defender United sekarang dipegang Oom JOS nih, 14 gol
tapi untuk average, Vidic nih yang ok

JOS - 14 : 343
Vida - 12 : 153


lah Evans ternyata blom pernah score yaa ..., kok inget2x perasaan udah pernah yaa
apa untuk timnas yaa waktu itu ...

[goodfron]

haiyyyaaaa... koq bisa Fabio gak masuk? padahal kalo' menurut aku maennya lebih matang daripada si Rafael... skill dan cara bermain Fabio lebih berkelas drpd Rafael.... tapi 22nya masih kurang berisi crossing-nya...

[marsel david]

iya ya..
kok ga ada fabio.. padahal evans sama rafael udah ada tuh....
apa belom di anggap first team ya..
padahal dari segi permainan fabio ga kalah bagus dengan rafael dan evans
malah kalo dibandingkan dengan rafael, fabio nampak lebih siap untuk berada di first team tuh..

[dekepiks]

great post kang...LANJUTKAN.....!!!

[sir_otz]

Kayaknya itu kan review dari musim kemarin, makanya fabio gak masuk. Musim lalu jarang main dan kebanyakan cedera

Moga2 musim ini fabio bisa menunjukkan skillnya.....

[Shorrty]

lanjuut opa...
sheasy top sekor defender yah... mantap dah...
melewati vida..

[Red Devils 07]

untuk striker nya saya tambahin ya opa...

---------------------------------------------------



THE STRIKERS - A COACH'S VIEW

Assistant manager Mick Phelan assesses the merits of four United forwards...

7 Michael Owen Age 29 Appearances 1 Goals 0
At this stage of his career I think Michael's excited to be part of something that he sees as befitting his talent. He has exceptional qualities as a striker and I think he’ll fit into our style of play very, very well. We’re very happy to have him here.

9 Dimitar Berbatov Age 28 Appearances 44 Goals 14
Berba’s highly skilful and technically gifted. He’s very highly regarded here and I think now, having got over his first season with us, he’ll really produce the goods.

10 Wayne Rooney Age 23 Appearances 238 Goals 98
Wayne’s been a star from day one and he’s having to maintain that now every day. I think we’ve only seen a small part of what he is all about but I think he’s maturing now, he’s a little bit wiser, and this year he’ll bring all his qualities to the table.

41 Federico Macheda Age 17 Appearances 5 Goals 2
There’s still a lot of development to take place with Kiko but he’s incredibly talented. His goal against Villa made him an overnight star and the key for us is to nurture his talent correctly and manage the expectations that come with such a meteoric rise.