Claudius wrote:

Doesn't really matter. It's a well-coached team. Ferguson could start Djourou and make it work. There's enough good players and excellent coaching on that team to mask some mediocre players. Imagine Michael Carrick starting on our team. We'd be asking for him to be throw in the same garbage dump as Chamakh

Imagine Michael Carrick starting in our team with Rooney, Valencia, Nani, Giggs, Scholes, Young, Hernandez, Vidic and anyone else you care to mention. Contrary to popular belief, United are still pretty damn strong. The only difference is their defence has been poor but understandable given the host of changes.

Carrick's probably one of the weakest players in the United first 11 but only relatively, as he's surrounded by some superb players. On his own he's still more than competent, reliable and an all around 7/10. Denilson comparison invalid.

If you played him in the position Arteta is now, you'd be pleased with his contribution. Although I rate Arteta higher there's not much in it.

Carrick is far better than Denilson. What sort of nonsense is this?

I can't believe what I'm reading.

Carrick is a good allround footballer and a superb short passer. But above all he's the best midfielder in Premier League at intercepting the ball. Maybe one of the very best in Europe. Carrick manages to take the ball without breaking up play most of the time too. I don't have any hard statistics but I'd wager that he turns the direction of play around more often than any other player in England. He's a dream for a manager to have around.

Timbo wrote:

Carrick is far better than Denilson. What sort of nonsense is this?

Klaus wrote:

I can't believe what I'm reading.

Carrick is a good allround footballer and a superb short passer. But above all he's the best midfielder in Premier League at intercepting the ball. Maybe one of the very best in Europe. Carrick manages to take the ball without breaking up play most of the time too. I don't have any hard statistics but I'd wager that he turns the direction of play around more often than any other player in England. He's a dream for a manager to have around.

This. Word for word.

I'd also add his positioning and 1st time passing(very underrated quality) are both top class.

Better defender than Fletcher, who is generally regarded the superior DM, in my opinion. But Premier league fans love their blood and thunder midfielders.....

Denilson is indeed a similar sort of player but Carrick is currently far better. Have to say though, there is a good 6-7 years age difference between the two, which is huge in football.

Klaus wrote:

I can't believe what I'm reading.

Carrick is a good allround footballer and a superb short passer. But above all he's the best midfielder in Premier League at intercepting the ball. Maybe one of the very best in Europe. Carrick manages to take the ball without breaking up play most of the time too. I don't have any hard statistics but I'd wager that he turns the direction of play around more often than any other player in England. He's a dream for a manager to have around.

Carrick is far better than Denilson and not close to your evaluation Klaus.

GM has is it right, he's not quite as good as Arteta but he's still good enough.

That said he's the only good midfielder United have. Fletcher had a purple patch but is limited and now crocked. Shcoles is a pensioner. Andersons rubbish. Oh I forgot Cleverly he's good. Still their midfield is at best average. They're in desperate need of 2 top players in there.

Scholes has revitalised them since coming out of retirement. Or at least they've won so many games since he's returned.

And how can we say they're in desperate need of two players there. We've been saying things like this for years yet they seem to come out on top.

United are the footballing equivalent of the cockroach.
I've just read that a cockroach can live for up to one week without its head.

they seem unbalanced and soft centered by all football logic, but still make it work domestically. european teams found them out big time though, kind of like that period from 2000-2006 when they were hopeless in europe

It's because european teams aren't scared of them and don't retreat their midfield into the defence. Every team in the premiership who has taken the game to them and not arrested 20-30 yards of the pitch has done well. The rest are cannon fodder for that sort of team.

It's the value of having a top manager that doesn't take bullshit on the field. As Alan Davies said on the TC podcast, if Ramsey or Song tried half the shit they did against QPR for an Alex Ferguson side, they'd be sorry.

Another example is obertan, i imagine if wenger had signed him he would have continued with this "project" for as long as 5 years at least. At manu he was shit so his been chucked out regardless of how good he potentially could become.

As if Wenger has never turfed out anyone. Get a grip fellas.

Patters wrote:

It's the value of having a top manager that doesn't take bullshit on the field. As Alan Davies said on the TC podcast, if Ramsey or Song tried half the shit they did against QPR for an Alex Ferguson side, they'd be sorry.

Alan Davies mustn't watch alot of United games then. And Alex Song would walk into that United team any day of the week. Even Ramsey would probably get his game most weeks. United do well despite their midfield. They've loads of goals in them for starters and 3 quality wingers, and when one of their forwards or their wingers hits bad form they drop them and play the other one. Thats why they are so much better than us.

23 days later

he'd be good enough to dislodge gibbs/santos, and would spell the end of that peanut head djourou. for 7m i'm all for it.

defense wins titles, and tbh we still look fairly toilet at the back, especially if one of kos/verm is injured.

Mail,express and mirror all running with this.

Can see it being a goer.

He isn't that good at left back Gazza.

Before the Chelsea match, there were these two Dutch guys that had come, and said they were "van persie" fans. During the warm up, they were asking me who the players were, and asked where Wilshere was.

Anyway, one of them was a hardcore Ajax fan and was looking for Vermaelen. I pointed him out. Then I said: "So Verthongen may be coming too?" And he said we should be very happy if we got Verthongen, that he is even better than Vermaelen, and always the toughest guy on the pitch.