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David De Gea
Bearing an uncanny resemblance to a llama, David
De Gea is a keeper who has been making waves across Europe for a number of
seasons now. The Spaniard an acquisition last summer from Atletico de Madrid
arrived at Old Trafford full beard with a Spanish pop-singing girlfriend by his
side for approximately £18m. In the process he became one of the most expensive
goalkeepers of all time and one of United’s youngest ever number ones. Despite
constant speculation for 6 months or more, it was still a surprising choice and
seen as a gamble by Sir Alex Ferguson when many thought he would perhaps prefer
a more experienced and steady option such as Maartin Stekelenburg or German
Rene Adler especially since in the past United have enjoyed great success
fielding northern European keepers in the shape of legendary duo Edwin Van der
Saar and Peter Schmeichel.
The goalkeeper started off his United career shakily,
struggling to command his box and conceding what were considered by many soft
goals. Fortunately for him none of the mistakes ( vs City in the charity shield
and WBA on the opening day of the season) were costly to United in terms of the
result. De Gea’s slender frame was pinpointed as one of the factors for his
performances, but the shot stopper perhaps also suffered with an inconsistent
defensive lineup from match to match and Ferguson’s constant rotation of the
keeper position in a manner which brought back memories of Tim Howard and Roy
Carrol’s time at the club.
One of the two significant points in De Gea’s season came
when United beat Arsenal at Old Trafford to record one of the most emphatic
results in Premier league history. De Gea pulled off a penalty save from Robin
Van Persie to keep United ahead at 1-0, his confidence soared as almost every
player came to congratulate him and the crowd sung his name. De Gea would go on
to perform very well vs Chelsea at Old Trafford and in the league in general
but remained unconvincing in one or two games in the Champion’s League. Indeed De
Gea eventually did go on to cost United points most notably vs Blackburn at Old
Trafford in a 3-2 loss. He was subsequently dropped and drew plenty of
criticism but through a twist of fate his replacement would get injured and De
Gea would experience another significant moment in what now feels like the turning
point in his United career. United travelled to Stamford Bridge with rumours
that Ben Amos the club’s 3rd choice keeper would be starting as De
Gea was supposedly recovering from an illness. Despite eventually making the
starting lineup it was a 50 minutes United fans would have wanted to forget as
Chelsea scored 3 goals without reply. United fought back very well to level the
game and threatened to win it, so did Chelsea. But for De Gea and arguably the
save of the season they’d have succeeded. Approaching the 2nd minute
of stoppage time, Chelsea won a freekick in a dangerous position, Juan Mata, De
Gea’s international team mate stepped up and curled a near perfect shot which
seemed destined for the top corner of the net only for De Gea to make up great distance
and make a fingertip save to push it round for a corner. The save was
constantly replayed and praised in many quarters, more importantly De gea
rescued a point for United.
"Spanish Cat!! De Gea performs incredible acrobatics to deny
Mata."
From that moment the Spaniard didn’t look back, as he put in
impressive performances towards the end of the season. It was De Gea’s heroics which
stopped United from being humiliated by a dominant Athletic Bilbao in the
Europa League (in my opinion his best performance for United to date) and he
didn’t let himself down vs Ajax in the previous round either. It was clear to
most United fans by this stage that this a keeper growing into the number one
spot, his potential, limitless. De Gea finished 2011/2012 with 39 appearances
overall and 15 clean sheets.
2012/2013 promises to be even better for De Gea. The
recently named captain of the Spanish Olympic squad appears to have bulked up
and after finally settling in to the premier league, the worst seems to be
behind him. The experience gained from his first season and the return of
captain Nemanja Vidic to defence gives United a formidable defence once again.
De Gea will start the season as number one with many fans also hoping the
manager is less inclined to rotate the keeper position as much as last season.
Provided the manager does get the balance right, the sky really is the limit
for David De Gea.
Phil Jones
Long touted as a future England star and
captain, United were perhaps forced to bring forward the transfer a year
earlier than they would have liked (with the interest of Liverpool and Arsenal)
eventually parting with around £16m rising to £20m to bring the player to Old
Trafford. Described by Sam Allardyce at one point as Blackburn’s “Michael
Essien”, the youngster first caught Ferguson’s eye in a youth game and was left
thoroughly impressed, yet it was the leadership qualities on the end of a 7-1
defeat to United which convinced the manager to further his interest. Even with
the departure of John O’Shea and Wes Brown, a few questioned how United could
justify the acquisition with the multiple options in defence at Ferguson’s
disposal rather than diverting funds to more pressing areas. However it didn’t
take long for them to warm to the player’s aggression, stamina, strength, and
enthusiasm to go forward regularly. On message boards fans started calling him
“the new Duncan Edwards” and Fabio Capello the national team manager claimed
Jones could reach the level of Franco Baresi after fast tracking him into the
England setup.
Jones featured heavily in the beginning of the season for a
free scoring United packed with young players, being employed in central
defence and more frequently at right back where his crossing stood out. The
player would later on in the season also feature in central midfield, most
notably a start against Liverpool at Anfield. It was in this position that he
would also register his first United and senior goal vs Aston Villa away. Whilst
the position was not entirely new (he actually played more in midfield than
defence for Blackburn) it was rather surprising Jones was employed by Ferguson
in midfield as the most advanced midfielder in a 4-3-3 setup. The jury is still
out how effective he is in such a role, nevertheless up until December or so
Jones didn’t really let himself down as far as performances go (Benfica own
goal in the Champion’s League aside). The second half of the season was a little
more different as he displayed obvious signs of fatigue, his less than optimal
condition no doubt a contributor to his performances tailing off in addition to
the lack of a settled position, Jones finished with 41 appearances, 2 goals, 2
own goals and 4 assists.
 |
| "Mr. Jones: Off the mark finally for United." |
So how will 2012/2013 turn out for the player? Forcing
himself ahead of Ferdinand, Vidic and Evans in central defence will not be
easy, the truth is Jones has yet to prove he is any better than the above 3 in
central defence. He will likely gain more opportunities at right back and
occasionally in midfield. It is another season for Jones to develop and
ultimately for Ferguson to get closer to deciding his best position. Jones can
expect to be shifted all around the pitch and perform a utility man role within
the squad. This is what he will remain in his younger days unless he is finally
able to find his true position soon. Maturity and positional discipline are
qualities needed in his game to make the next step in his development, whilst
the potential is undoubtedly there; Jones perhaps needs to play with his head
more than his heart in the forthcoming season.
Tom Cleverley
Seen as a promising prospect before his
breakthrough, Cleverley’s emergence still came as very much of a surprise in
terms of the immediate impact he was able to make on the first team. A United
player since the age of 12, the player actually started out as a fullback but
made the switch to midfield whilst playing for the reserves. As a name Cleverley
was never really hyped up much in his younger years compared to other
youngsters such as Giuseppe Rossi or even David Jones, it was clear however
that he did have a good understanding of the game, space and awareness of those
around him. In time he was able to hone his technical skills but it was perhaps
his determination and desire to prove himself above all which finally got him a
chance at United. In a way you could say it’s quite reminiscent to his idol
growing up at United, David Beckham. The hard work Cleverley put in convinced Watford
to take him on loan where he was nothing short of a revelation. Subsequently
Roberto Martinez of Wigan did the same in the following season. The Spaniard
has talked up Cleverley regularly believing greatly in his potential to make it
to the very top. In between Cleverley showed enough to impress Ferguson on
preseason tours. And it was last year’s pre-season tour which convinced
Ferguson to keep Cleverley for the season rather then send him on loan. The
player was thrown in at the deep end vs Barcelona and impressed in a United
win.
His stock would rise further still. Down 2-0 to Man City in
the Community Shield, Cleverley came on as substitute to partner Anderson in
midfield and his influence was one of the main reasons United were able to turn
around the game and win 3-2. Cleverley played a big part in United’s second
goal arguably one of the best of the season providing the assist in a sumptuous
move of one touch passes on the edge of the box which ended with Nani chipping
Joe Hart.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Cleverley also brought out
the best in Anderson. Ferguson started with the two regularly in the beginning
of the season where United impressed greatly. Whilst the side looked vulnerable
defensively and leaked goals, the football going forward and the understanding
between the two midfielders had many fans salivating. Unfortunately for both
players and the club they were not afforded the chance to build on the
partnership as Cleverley suffered an injury from a late tackle by Kevin Davies
when United played Bolton away. It would be the start of constant frustration
as Cleverley lasted barely a game before getting injured again vs Everton,
Anderson would have his fair share of injuries throughout the season as well.
By the time he had recovered, Paul Scholes had come out of retirement and the
season was drawing to a close as Clverley struggled to break into the starting
lineup again, a shame all-round after the season had promised so much. He
eventually finished the season with 15 appearances and 3 assists.
But 2012/2013 promises to be different for Cleverley. It has
already started on a good note. He will take part in the Olympics for Great
Britain rather than United’s pre-season. The worry by many is he will get injured
and suffer yet another setback which would truly be the worst thing to happen
for Tom at this stage. But on the other hand I’m of the opinion the more
competitive football he can get the better. Approaching nearly 23 years,
Cleverley has accumulated very little top flight football that the call up to
the Olympics can only be seen as positive and an aid to his development. An
accomplished one and two touch player, he cites Iniesta and Xavi as big
influences on his game. Cleverley also possesses an ability to whip in a ball
with great curl a trait he no doubt partly picked up from his idol growing up
David Beckham. Because of this it is noticeable he also prefers to place his
shots rather than shoot with power. There has been no in-between with Cleverley
to date, in some quarters he has become somewhat of a forgotten man when fans
flood into message boards to voice their concern over the midfield situation,
but despite this he does also have his followers who have hyped him up
endlessly. It seems the longer Cleverley has been out with injury, the better
he has gotten in some people’s eyes. Like most things the truth is probably
somewhere in the middle, fans should not
get carried away just yet, but even so it’s clearly obvious the video linked
below serves as a reminder to the excellent qualities he has offer and which
the team lacks. The fans live in hope Ferguson can somehow reunite Cleverley
and Anderson in midfield but in a setup where the team is not as exposed
defensively. Synergy is a very important concept in football; many managers
attempt desperately to build units and combinations throughout the pitch
without much success, that United may have stumbled on one in such a key position
of the pitch is encouraging, however it is still too early to tell how
successful and how good they can be individually and as a pair. Indeed in
Anderson’s case his attitude and conditioning must change drastically. As for
Tom, he’ll be hoping 2012/2013 is finally the year he establishes himself and
every single fan across the country sits up and takes notice.
"A reminder: Tom Cleverley could be just what the midfield
ordered."
Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck has long been a familiar name
for followers of United’s academy and Reserves. A local lad, he is featured a
few times in some training drills on United’s 2003 DVD release “Manchester
United: Play like Champions.”
 |
| "Blast from the past: Welbeck taking tips from the Welsh Wizard." |
"Danny boy and Ruud: Learning from the best of the best."
Welbeck has actually also been in and around the first team
since a very young age, where has drawn comparisons to former Nigerian
international Nwankwo Kanu and the dazzling Thierry Henry. The English born
striker of Ghanaian origin announced his arrival on the premier league stage by
scoring a spectacular goal aged 17, after coming on as a sub. However 2011/2012
was the first season he started as a regular with the full faith of the boss.
After impressing on loan at Steve Bruce’s Sunderland and prior to that Preston
North End, some questioned whether Ferguson would be tempted to cash in on the
player. For those that had listened to Ferguson talk about Welbeck since he was
15, they were convinced otherwise. Such was Ferguson’s belief in the youngster,
he once made the prediction Welbeck would be in England’s 2010 World Cup Squad,
his prediction of course never materialised. But fast forward 2 years later with
the player scoring an audacious back heel in the European Championships vs
Ukraine and we can see his crystal ball wasn’t far off.
"Confidence: Debut goal, and here to stay."
Welbeck has perhaps not always had the full belief of the fans, with comparisons to another teenage scoring sensation Federico Macheda aplenty; his awkward style on the ball obvious and his finishing not the most natural. For a period, even his attitude came into question, away to Derby in an FA cup tie, Welbeck executed a wonderfully curled finish but didn’t celebrate with much enthusiasm. Not everyone was impressed with what was deemed an arrogant approach, in the end subsequent celebrations have proved it really was all just a storm in a teacup. And as for his development, Ferguson and the coaching staff regularly pleaded for patience, outlining Welbeck was still growing and needed time to get over problems related to his knees and thighs. As such, only once the player had gone through all the physical development would his true potential finally come to the fore.
Welbeck began the season as a starter being named in the
team to face Man City in the community shield. Whilst he didn’t score he played
a part in the buildup to United’s equaliser. He then retained his spot for the
opening fixture of the premier league vs WBA away but again failed to find the
net. The story looked to be heading in the same direction when he started his 3rd
successive game vs Tottenham and looked set to be substituted, Welbeck had
other ideas though. A cross from the right from Tom Cleverley and Welbeck rose
high to plant a header past Brad Friedel, the goal obviously meant a lot to the
player and undoubtedly triggered his confidence levels higher for the season to
come. Welbeck would score again in the next game, an 8-2 rout of Arsenal and
repeated the feat in the return game at the Emirates bagging the winner. Throughout the season he played his part in
many excellent team buildups and was able to score his first Champion’s League
goals vs FC Basel, a derby goal vs Man City in the FA cup and a goal vs Everton
at home which at one stage looked like clinching the league. Welbeck finished 2011/2012
with 39 appearances, 12 goals, and 7 assists.
2012/2013 Does not look like it will get any easier for
Welbeck. Second season syndrome is very much a possibility, but the major worry
for him has to be whether he will remain a starter, the club has invested big
money in Shinji Kagawa. The Japanese International looks set to start the
season as the main no.10 with Wayne Rooney pushed up into more of a no.9 role
in which he enjoyed such success during the 2009/2010 season. Should this
happen Welbeck would be relegated to more of a bench role. The positive for
Welbeck is that the system Ferguson will look to employ in the coming season(s)
based on pace and fluidity suit his game perfectly and thus he should still get
enough games but perhaps not as the main striker. The 4-2-3-1 which many
predict will be Ferguson’s preferred choice of formation could still allow
Welbeck to flourish in a wide role akin to how he was employed a number of
times when he broke through to the first team and also in the academy. Compared
to Javier Hernandez this is a big advantage for Welbeck in his quest to gain
more minutes and develop further. The Mexican has shown little to disprove he
is capable of playing anywhere else except off the shoulder of the last
defender. As a result, El Chicharito could experience yet another frustrating
season. The club does play in a large number of games each season, hence
rotation is very likely and in fact usually key to a successful season. However
the fact remains that having virtually ended Dimitar Berbatov’s United career,
Hernandez is in great danger of having his own ended by the Mancunian,
especially if Welbeck is able to improve his finishing in front of goal his
only really glaring weakness. All in all, it is clear Ferguson has great belief
in Welbeck’s qualities; Welbeck could very well surprise us in 2012/2013 and
take his game up a notch. Predictions of him losing his starting spot and
struggling greatly may yet be premature. But having said that I personally
expect him to achieve similar numbers to last season and if there is to be an
improvement or deterioration then it will only be minor.
What did you think of these players’ first seasons? And
what do you expect from them in the coming one? Leave a comment on our blog
below, or have your say in the thread on our United subforum. http://www.soccer24-7.com/forum/showthread.php?t=197165
Scholesy18
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