Jun 26, 2003 02:46 AM
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(Updated Jun 26, 2003 02:46 AM)
I have never been a fan of Manchester Uts or Sir Alex, but even I do have to concede one thing, Man Utd are the best team in England at the moment. They have won the Premier league every time since its inception except only 3 times, the othe winners being Arsenal-2 times and Blackburn- 1 time. Sir Alex has also brought a chamoins league title to the club beating Bayern Munich in a memorable final. Lets have a look at the first team squad.
Goalkeepers:-
Fabian Barthez :- French national keeper is one of the best shot stoppers on his day and that is his weakness. He can be a very good keeper on a day and a poor one the other. But over the 3 yrs he has been with the club, he has performed decently enough. Filling in the gr8 Peter Schemichel's shoes was always going to be tough isnt it ? Anyway this yr he has done some costly blunders especially in the champions league and Sir Alex might be looking at a new keeper for himself.
Roy Caroll :- He is a young keeper, but still not up to the mark and can also be prone to errors like the one he did in the Charlton home match.
Defenders:-
Rio Ferdinand:- The world's most expensive defender signed this season frm Leeds Utd hasnt been fully able to shoe his talent to the Old trafford faithful. But to be honest, major part of the season was lost due to injury and he is still settling in. Lets see if he has a good season next yr.
John O' Shea:- The most promising young defender in the premiership, he is also a product of the Man Utd. youth academy which has produced many stars. Showed gr8 progress througout the yr and will surely be one of the finest defenders
Michael Silvestre:- Surely this frenchman has come up of age by showing impressive performances this yr and with Sir Alex preferring him to be in the central defensive role he can be a ideal partner to Rio Ferdinand with his pace.
Wes Brown:- Still not a finished product, Brown has put in a couple of decent performances and can be a handful going forward as well.
Gary Neville:- Didnt have a good season at all, particularly the blunder he commited at Maine Road will be a nightmare all his life which gifted a win to derby rivals Man City. Maybe it is time to move on ?
Phil Neville:- Again not a really impressive season but when used as a defending midfielder, he does impress.
Midfielders:-
Roy Keane:- Keane seems to have lost his touch a little. He isnt as inch perfect in his passes and seems to have lost the ability to dictate the game from his midfield position. But still he commands a lot of respect in the Man utd team and drives everyone else around him to give their best to the side. Has a couple more yrs to give to Man Utd at the very highest level.
Paul Scholes:- Arguably one of the best attacking midfielders in the world today. Scores a whole lot of goals as well and posses a deadly shot. Isnt that gr8 in defending, but with Roy Keans doing that pretty well, he can concentrate on producing more attacks.
Ryan Giggs:- One of the best wingers in the world, didnt have as good season as one expects from a player of his class. But still scored some crucial goals like the equaliser against Arsenal at Highbury. One of the key members in this Man Utd squad.
Nicky Butt:- One of the many men in the football who play a crucial role in the teams success but are forgotten by the fans. He has produced stellar performances for the team in the absence of Keane and has impressed many.
Juan Veron:- The argentinian hasnt found the english game to his liking and hasnt paid justice to the 28million pound price tag on him. Maybe will be sold to a Italian club this summer.
Quinton FOrtune:- The south african has found it difficult t break into the first team but is a decent player
Strikers:-
Ruud van Nistelrooy:- One of the best strikers in the world today, is absolutely lethal in the penalty box. Will put away 8 chances out of 10 and it has been his goals that have been firing Man Utd on to succes.
Ole Gunner Solskjaer:- Once nicknamed the super sub for his off the bench heroics, he has been given the winger role also this season and again impressed.
Diego Forlan:- He has still some distance to go before he can establish himself at the Man Utd's lineup but has produced some crucial goals for the club.
Besides the squad, Man utd have the largest stadium in England with a capacity of over 65000. It is also the largest earning club in the world. It has to add to the squad though to be succesful in the european arena and with the sale of Beckham, it has the funds to invest in the transfer market to increase its strength. Ronaldinho will be a good signing but Sir Alex will also be looking to strengthen his defence a little.
