What's wrong with United?

[rondwisan]

review performa team secara menyeluruh nih, mumpung jeda ...
lumayan banyak nyang comment di webnya sono (Menchester Evening News)

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1158841_whats_wrong_with_united

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What's wrong with United?
MEN - October 06, 2009



UNITED are second in the Premier League and have made a 100 per cent start in the Champions League - yet still there is a sense that the title holders are not firing on all cylinders.

Without the spark of Cristiano Ronaldo and the tenacity of Carlos Tevez, among fans and critics alike there is a sense that the Reds are collectively out-of-sorts.

Impressive victories against Wigan and Spurs have been balanced by a fortuitous defeat of Arsenal, an ultimately triumphant derby that was fraught with problems, and an uncomfortable Champions League success against Wolfsburg that was followed at the weekend by a poor effort against Sunderland.

It is not uncommon for United to have such an up and down start. Twelve months ago they were in fifth place and the year before could barely score yet they went on to finish both campaigns as worthy champions.

But are the problems this autumn more than just United's annual cold start?

Here M.E.N. Sport analyses the Reds' departments.

GOALKEEPER

The bedrock of United's glorious 90s era was Peter Schmeichel. The foundation of the success during the past three years has been Edwin Van der Sar.

In between, was a period of uncertainty in the goalkeeping department.

The filling in the sandwich between the Danish and Dutch greats was a mix of tasty bites and unpalatable mouthfuls.

This season has seen a return of the ingredients that caused Sir Alex Ferguson and United fans so much indigestion between 1999 and 2006.

While Van der Sar has been recovering from a finger injury sustained in pre-season, Ben Foster has been handed the chance to prove he will be a worthy successor to the Dutch master. The England World Cup wannabe, however, has suffered something of a calamitous introduction to his first lengthy run in United's goal.

Foster is a hugely likeable guy and, essentially, a very good keeper but appears to be suffering in the spotlight at times.

There have been Van der Sar moments but too many echoes of Massimo Taibi. Fergie has nailed his colours to the Foster mast while the Dutch veteran has been absent, though Tomasz Kuszczak did get a surprise outing against Wolfsburg.

But the United boss will be encouraged that Van der Sar could be fit for the Old Trafford clash against Bolton a week on Saturday.

He will also be comforted that the near 39-year-old has said his retirement plans, initially thought to be at the end of the season, are not set in stone.

The Reds have a dossier on potential new keeper recruits, as in all departments, and there is every chance bidding for those targets might become serious in January.

DEFENCE

RIO Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have been rightly lauded as one of the best central defensive partnerships in Europe over the last three years.

The Reds have had that first choice unit together on four occasions this season - against Spurs, City, Stoke and Wolfsburg. Thigh and groin injuries for the Englishman and a calf problem for the Serb has broken up the pairing and in searching for 100 per cent fitness both have had an uneasy time.

Ferdinand had a dodgy early return in the opening minutes at Spurs and was poor by his high standards in the derby.

Vidic, meanwhile, hasn't looked his commanding self recently against the big guys of Wolfsburg and Sunderland.

Jonny Evans has done a manful job standing in and must now be seeing real windows of opportunity in what has been a solid and trusted area.

A run of games could see the Ferdinand-Vidic axis restore its customary meanness. But it is a concern that the foundation of last season's success should be looking so uncomfortable and vulnerable.

MIDFIELD

The department where Fergie has an abundance of numbers and which causes the most debate as he mixes and matches his middle men.

It's not as if the forums or pub debates would come up with a definitive answer as to United's best midfield quartet.

But ask who might add something extra to the department and you'd almost certainly have the names of Owen Hargreaves and Franck Ribery flooding in.

At least the former is on the Reds' books and could be back next month after his nightmare 12 months out with a serious knee injury.

Of those who have occupied the midfield this term there can be little argument that the sensational Ryan Giggs, maestro Paul Scholes and key hub Darren Fletcher have been the outstanding performers.

Everyone else has to search their conscience.

It has been a quiet introduction for Antonio Valencia. Some moments of great promise but the £17m recruit from Wigan has yet to really take a game by the scruff of the neck.

Meanwhile, Nani continues to frustrate the Old Trafford crowd with his abundant skill but precious little end product, while Anderson, Ji-sung Park, Darron Gibson and Michael Carrick have barely registered on the radar so far.

For all the numbers in there, the majority of Reds fans are waiting for the return of the man who has had two major knee operations in the last 12 months.

ATTACK

Once Karim Benzema snubbed United for Real Madrid, there wasn't really a top young striker available who Sir Alex Ferguson was prepared to risk money on.

It did leave United's spearhead, once proudly boasting four top-notch hitmen, somewhat light on numbers.

Even the free transfer addition of Michael Owen has so far been a stop-start affair.

A goal against Wigan and his sensational derby winner against City suggested Owen could prove to be another Fergie masterstroke signing. However, his recent groin problem has tempered that excitement.

Wayne Rooney's goals have dwindled after a blistering start while Dimitar Berbatov is slowly beginning to add more names to his fan club.

But the back-up is young and, at present, lightweight. Danny Welbeck played against Wolfsburg on the wing while last season's brief smash-hit, Federico Macheda, has had just a single Carling Cup run-out.

However, there has been speculation that perhaps some of last season's adulation has gone to the Italian's head.

What isn't in doubt is that Fergie was unhappy that the teenage pair were away more on international duty than getting a bread and butter grounding at Old Trafford this season.

Though there are five names in the attacking frame, it is very much the Rooney-Berbatov axis that is being asked to bear the brunt of the responsibility.

[Supernan]

Bacaan yg bagus dr MEN. Sayang pas di back4 cuma central defender aj yg dibahas,lebih menitik beratkan ke Rio yg baru sembuh dr cedera,dan blum bsa ke performa terbaik.
Wing back kanan jg ga dibahas disini, kalo kiri wajar Evra udh jd ireplaceble,hehehe.
Mungkin kalo permainan kemaren vs sunderland menang dan bermain caem,ga bakal deh ada suara" kritis dr para futbal pundit maupun fans...hehehehe
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[ebiTh]

united's start is too good...
we were accustomed with bad tended start
and become the winner instead at the end of the season
and having boxing day as the turning point...

i think that's wrong...



my opinion...

[il_capitano]

Itulah sport,adakalanya menang ada kalanya kalah.
tergantung bagaimana para pemain bisa menerapkan strategi pelatih.
Gw pikir perjalanan MU so far so good sepanjang bisa mempertahankan konsistensi permainan dan fokus pada the game.

[Shorrty]

Sektor penjaga gawang sdh menjadi titik lemah yg paling vital di united.. Belum lagi koordinasi antar pemain.. Seringnya salah passing, terlalu seringnya umpan jauh yg kdng2 mudah dibaca pemain lawan membuat mental pemain united mudah down dan berujung emosi yg tak perlu...
Saatnya bebenah.. Mudah2an kmblinya VDS membawa angin segar untuk pertahanan united..
Benahi mental pemain, mungkin membeli kiper atw striker haus gol yg udah bener2 jago.. (asal jgn flop ) *just my opinion*

Everything just 4 United.. Glory just 4 United.. In United We Stand..
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[Andi Istiabudi]

Sebenarnya saya mengkhawatirkan MU akan mengalami nasib serupa dengan AC Milan di pertengahan 1990an dimana Milan yang selama akhir 80an dan awal 90an merajai kompetisi Serie-A dan Eropa tiba-tiba prestasinya mulai menurun dan tidak sekuat sebelumnya karena pemain senior Milan seperti Van Basten mulai cedera, dan beberapa pemain bintangnya seperti Ruud Gullit pindah.

Meski kita semua sepakat MU adalah salah satu klub terbaik di dunia, namun kita harus mengakui bahwa sepertinya MU mulai menurun permainannya. Meski dalam beberapa pertandingan MU hampir tidak terkalahkan tapi permainannya tidak seperti dulu bahkan saya perhatikan dalam beberapa tahun terakhir dalam setiap pertandingan MU harus mencetak gol terlebih dahulu dibanding tim lawan. Jika tim lawan mencetak gol duluan terutama di awal pertandingan, kemungkinan besar permainan MU akan kacau sepanjang pertandingan dan bahkan berpotensi besar untuk kalah ! Hal ini tentunya harus diwaspadai karena jika tidak dilakukan evaluasi dan pembenahan bukan mustahil dalam waktu 5 tahun kedepan MU akan mulai paceklik gelar, tentunya ini sesuatu yang kita selaku penggemar MU tidak harapkan.

Saya pribadi selaku penggemar MU melihat permainan MU yang cenderung menurun diakibatkan tidak adanya kepemimpinan yang kuat di lapangan, beda dengan jaman Robson, Cantona maupun Keane. Ryan Giggs kadang memang dipercaya oleh Sir Alex menjadi Captain. Kualitas permainan Giggs memang tidak perlu diragukan lagi, namun sepertinya ia kurang memiliki kharisma dan wibawa untuk memotivasi pemain MU lainnya untuk all out dalam pertandingan. Jika memang Giggs, Scholes dan Neville akan pensiun, sepertinya Sir Alex mungkin harus mempertimbangkan membeli pemain baru yang memiliki jiwa pemimpin dan saya lebih setuju jika pemain tersebut berusia 28-30 tahunan karena dengan kedewasaan dan pengalaman yang dimilikinya ia mampu memimpin skuad MU di setiap pertandingan. Siapakah dia ? Hanya Sir Alex yang tahu, hehehe...

[ing areese]

What's wrong with united? nothing wrong, just being normal every club has it ups n downs (meski kita maunya tetep di atas sih)
ini malah jadi salah satu start terbaik selama bbrp taun trakhir. But, mank harus diakuin 3 game terakhir bener2 menyebalkan n horor banget, grafiknya bukannya membaik malah memburuk. Ketidakhadiran VDS mungkin mempengaruhi mental pemain2 belakang, dimana seorang BenFos gak bisa memberi rasa "aman" buat temen2 di depannya. Dan maybe krn faktor kurang matangnya dia bikin dia susah bangkit setelah blunder.
Masalah kepemimpinan mgkn jg sedikit jd masalah, meskipun seharusnya enggak. Giggs bukannya gak punya wibawa or kharisma, cm dia terlalu "baik" n kurang "galak" aja hhihihihi pengalaman skipper2 united orgnya galak2. Beda ama Gary yg dr bench aja udah bikin yg lagi main semangat bener..
Intinya gw gak merasa ada yg salah dg klub ini, apalagi berpikir kl United akan jatuh... never cross in my mind.
Just need opa to bring back little touch of angel for this club to make it more devilish


*just my opinion *

[rondwisan]

Originally Posted by Andi Istiabudi

Saya pribadi selaku penggemar MU melihat permainan MU yang cenderung menurun diakibatkan tidak adanya kepemimpinan yang kuat di lapangan, beda dengan jaman Robson, Cantona maupun Keane. Ryan Giggs kadang memang dipercaya oleh Sir Alex menjadi Captain. Kualitas permainan Giggs memang tidak perlu diragukan lagi, namun sepertinya ia kurang memiliki kharisma dan wibawa untuk memotivasi pemain MU lainnya untuk all out dalam pertandingan. Jika memang Giggs, Scholes dan Neville akan pensiun, sepertinya Sir Alex mungkin harus mempertimbangkan membeli pemain baru yang memiliki jiwa pemimpin dan saya lebih setuju jika pemain tersebut berusia 28-30 tahunan karena dengan kedewasaan dan pengalaman yang dimilikinya ia mampu memimpin skuad MU di setiap pertandingan. Siapakah dia ? Hanya Sir Alex yang tahu, hehehe...

yup ..., lack of leadership .., spt yg sempet gw 'n Oom Panda sorot di beberapa thread sebelah ....
captain sih ada but leader ..
smtr msh Opa Alex aja leadernya 'n regret to said, Opa tidak ada di tengah lapangan ...
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[gravedigga]

what's wrong with United?
gravedigga said "UNITED's DOIN BETTER THAN THE LAST 2 SEASONS"

looking back to 1 or 2 season ago...
our start always NOT GOOD.

musim ini...
8 matches = 6 WIN, 1 DRAW, 1 LOSE ( posisi 2 di klasemen dng beda 2 points dibawah Chelsea )
Goal Defisit = +11 ( posisi 3 di BPL dibawah Arsenal +14 dan Chelsea +12 )

Goal ke gawang lawan = 19 ( posisi 3 dibawah Arsenal 24 dan Liverpool 22 )

Goal kemasukan = 8 ( posisi 3 dibawah Aston dan Chelsea yg masing2 kemasukan 6 goal )


Ben Foster jelek? ya jika dibandingkan Van Der Sar...jelas pasti krn memang dia bukan keeper nomor 1 kita.
Ben Foster sering blunder? ya jika dibandingkan Van Der Sar...jelas pasti krn bisa diblg ini musim pertama dia dng menjadi pilihan pertama Fergie selama bbrp matches. Lbh tepatnya gugup dan blm percaya diri.
Ben Foster dijual? speechless...

Manchester United bukanlah club instant macam Chelsea atau City...
kita pernah degradasi dan bangkit kembali dng kejayaan hingga masa kini...( its fckin 18!!! we are the best in Premier League Era.. )
Start United sering jelek...dng start di posisi dua di 8 matches pertama...( ditambah fakta semua tim sudah pernah kalah )

WHAT'S WRONG WITH UNITED?
for me....WE ARE DOING GOOD.


its my opinion and i dont wanna debate about this...
I JUST BELIEVE...

[fadhli]

barusan baca detik, benfos adu mulut sama SAF habis lawan sunderland. Tapi ya wajar juga sih ya... pola permainan MU juga jadi berubah kan sejak ilangnya ronaldo, (Tevez? kayaknya ga terlalu pengaruh dia pergi apa gak, hehehe... sori )

sekarang MU berusaha lebih main kolektif, gak terlalu bergantung 1 orng (kalo kesannya bergantung sama rooney karena produktiftas gol, kayaknya gak juga tuh... , perlu waktu adaptasijuga kan buat ganti kebiasaan pola bermain.

malah jujur aku lebih seneng maennya MU yang kayak gini, dibandingkan kemarin2 yang lbih suka main umpan jauh memanfaatkan speed dan skill ronaldo.

Maaf ya klo ada yang tidak berkenan,

Que sera....sera....