Will The Kids Be Alright?

Van Gaal's winning record with youth might be the real reason for his appointment by the Glazers

Assessing the lay of the land at Old Trafford on Friday, Paul Scholes became the latest inviolable name associated with the club to miss the giant white elephant skulking in the car park.

 

It's everywhere, in fact. It was in United's team sheet yesterday at the Stadium of Light. It lumbered on next to Michael Keane when Chris Smalling hobbled off, again. It was sat next to Louis Van Gaal - no stooge? - when he talked about United's lack of creative passing.

 

Avi Glazer and co should give serious thought to taking over a small country and setting up a totalitarian state. Do United have a small Stasi located in the bowels of that massive stadium, working day and night to 'discourage' negative pronouncements on the parasitic effect they have on the club?

 

Scholes, Neville et al were brought up in the standard United manner. The club is bigger than all those who walk down Sir Alex Ferguson Way. They recognise their forbearance and act accordingly when passing comment. That's not the same as keeping your head below the parapet. But the Glazers, cowards that they are, feed off the parsimony. They don't badmouth anybody - because it's bad for business.

 

The reason Van Gaal excited fans - and gets City fans switching the match on at 4pm, no less - is because he's cut from the same cloth as them. He refers to the board as 'my directors'. He gets in fights with people like Uli Hoeness. His principles are all-encompassing.

 

And he believes in youth. His pride at Xavi and Iniesta's achievements was evident in his interview with Gary Neville last week. He likes to remind people of what he did with Thomas Mueller, Holger Badstuber, David Alaba and Toni Kroos at Bayern. He nearly won a second Champions League with Ajax - with the same squad that he led to victory over Milan the year prior.

 

Everyone sees the connection, but stories of Angel di Maria cloud what could be the Glazers' real motivation for hiring Van Gaal. Sure, he's demanded better players. But he's also played Tyler Blackett and Michael Keane. He'll probably give Tom Lawrence and definitely James Wilson a chance, both being included in the season's first team squad. Jesse Lingard will probably also make an appearance.



Do players like James Wilson represent the future for United under the Glazers?

 

In the case of Keane and Blackett, his hand's rather been forced by a shocking lack of depth. But beneath United's floundering first team, their under 21 side remains strong. They were only beaten to the league title by Chelsea last season and have started this season well in second position. Further down the age bracket, six of the eleven current under-18 players have been capped by England.

 

The rumours of Welbeck's wishes to depart are offset a little by the superb form of Wilson, who netted five in six in last season's UEFA Youth League and seven in nine in the U21 Premier League. His two goals versus Hull City last season prompted an uncharacteristically sentimental outburst from Giggs, interim coach at the time. 

 

United were handed a relatively easy fixture list to open their season with - the first ten sides they play finished, on average, in 16th place last season. So this is undoubtedly the time to get youngsters like Blackett, Lingard and Keane involved.

 

Van Gaal will effusively reject any suggestion of manipulation. He will do the job his way, as noted during the club's marathon timetable around America midsummer. And it's true there was no one as good as Van Gaal immediately available when the club decided there was no substitute for regular, sustained success.

 

But instead of dreaming of the Bayern squad full of internationals playing breakneck football, or the Dutch-Brazilian fusion going on at Barcelona under his guidance, perhaps United fans should cast their eyes towards this year's Netherlands side.

A mix of youth and technical proficiency, sprinkled with stardust, that Van Gaal found a way of exploiting for delivering results. Sound familiar?

Picture thanks to the Telegraph

Premier League 2014-15 Season Preview: Part 1

It's back. And nobody was watching that golf nonsense anyway.

At last. Welcome back, football. Like dust,  football just never goes away. It always looks like the same stuff, but it's always a bit different. And with that in mind, it seems a nice moment to think about what's going to happen this season. First up:
 

Who will win the league?

 

Mourinho's horse metaphor was an apt assessment of last season. Though his 'little horse' comment was mischievous, the smokescreen it established meant a new perspective on Chelsea's less glamorous results - precisely what the Portuguese wanted.

To borrow the metaphor, thoroughbreds always win championships, and in Manchester City there was only one of those last season. Now there are two. Mourinho's raid on his Champions League nemeses, Atletico, has added the requisite grit at the back and bombast up front. Fabregas returns to London from Catalonia a changed man, able to play a forward's role as well as his more familiar central midfield position, and his role in Mourinho's attacking midfield - where he is known to favour pace and physique above agility (if he can't have both) - will intrigue.

 

Costa and Terry argue. That's one problem sorted then.

Inevitably for a Mourinho team, it's likely to come down to the GA column in the table.  Chelsea's united front of Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill and Azpilicueta now has Filipe Luis in it and Thibault Courtois behind it. With Kalas and Zouma in the wings, you get the feeling only an assault of the elemental kind would dissuade resolve. Aspiring Premier League chairmen should see what Roland Emmerich or perhaps Alejandro Jodorowsky have up their sleeves.

In what may be a blessing in disguise for Chelsea and their po-faced arsonist/ coach, Louis Van Gaal's arrival undoubtedly means United are once again the club to watch this season. A relatively comfortable start could see them challenging the early leaders before Liverpool come to town on December 13th to resume hostilities.

 

It's hard to assess which of these clubs will be the superior by that point, with both in need of some rebuilding to some extent. Of the two, Brendan Rodgers' need to replace the explosive results of Luis Suarez appear the more challenging, on the face of it.

Van Gaal, maybe thinking deep thoughts. Maybe not.

 

But Van Gaal (right) and United should start behind their neighbours in more than the alphabetical sense. Rodgers' rebuilding project has taken in a few dead ends, with some deals - Iago Aspas stands out - more bemusing than bewitching, but he's two years ahead of United, where a paradox of having more net income than every other club in the league, but a lack of quality options to choose from, is proving a tricky hurdle. 

 

Herrera has finally arrived and provides ballast for Carrick, but their proposed 5-3-2 shape demands at least one additional centre half, as well as a potential upgrade at right wing back based on current options. Encouragingly Robin van Persie doesn't appear to be an international that suffers tournament hangovers - in his last two major tournaments he has scored more goals than the previous season. Question marks over a considerable portion of a squad Ferguson won a 20th title with are still a big reason for more modest aims this year.

 

United's goals are clear and distinct; rebuild, aim for Europe, maybe a trophy. For Liverpool, their success may blur priorities. They arguably blew their best ever chance to claim the Premier League and Europe may offer irresistible opportunities to a side that were deadly in individual matches last season, despite conceding 50 goals.

 

Dejan Lovren, presumably just out of the gym in that vest

Anfield may be in redevelopment in more than the bricks and mortar sense, but Rodgers' newest recruits from the south coast, and their title-chasing colleagues, will receive spinetingling confirmation of their manager's relentless dedication to putting Liverpool back on their f'ing perch come midweek, midseason.

Even the less boisterous Liverpool fan riles at the suggestion Europe does not miss their contribution. And they make a good point, and should the squad still be visiting John Lennon airport in March next year, expect their league title to falter - and the temperature to rise a bit on Merseyside.

 

Whilst Arsenal have markedly upped their spending this summer, there remains little supplementary firepower for Giroud, although Alexis will undoubtedly add menace to an already scintillating forward line.

 

Arsenal seem committed to a certain kind of football, stockpiling aesthetic brilliance as if a football Cold War were about to descend, and their need for a holding midfielder to support Flamini, and a replacement for Vermaelen remain issues.

We've won something! Can everyone stop going on now?

 

They have kept pace with those directly around them, but they need to start throwing a few elbows at their rivals mid-race if they want to be out in front near the finish. Key games at the usual haunts  - Liverpool, Chelsea and the Manchester clubs - await. For a team that thrives on confidence, their need for positive outcomes is crucial to success.

And so to last season's champions and this year's other big favourites. Three titles in four years, and consecutive championships, would put City in the company of just Chelsea and their illustrious Stretford neighbours. Statements made, markers laid, etc etc.

 

And if everything goes to plan, this season should be a straight fight between Chelsea and City for the title. That plans are being made and adhered to is still a source of miraculous joy for most City fans, but there you go.

 

Van Persie and Mangala will play as derby rivals this season

Mangala and Sagna's arrival removed City's weaknesses in defence at a stroke and Fernando's arrival asks an awkward question of Javi Garcia and potentially the unfortunate James Milner. Joe Hart meanwhile faces the unenviable task of improving on his outstanding form in 2014 with the arrival of Willy Caballero, sub in nothing but name having played seven more matches than the England international for Malaga last season.

 

FFP has meant City's movements have been prudent this summer, and there's little doubt Mangala will close the door after him following his signing. Yet Sunday's loss to Arsenal demonstrated the disjointed movements of a spineless team, and it will again fall to Kompany, Toure, Silva and Aguero to provide the nitrous power that rocketed City to 102 goals and the top position in May.

As has been said elsewhere, when Mourinho has to win - at Chelsea the first time, and at Real in his second season - he does. And there's plenty to suggest City will work very hard to improve on last season's second round exit from Europe, with a deeper squad to play deep into two draining competitions.

 

So bearing in mind all of the above, and taking into account personal bias, here's my top four for May 2015:

1st: Man City

2nd: Chelsea

3rd: Man United

4th: Arsenal (sorry, Arsenal fans)

 

Next: Who's going down? Who's the worst signing? Who's the best? Plus: why tracksuits should be banned from touchlines, new rules for referees and the relationship between bad managers and 'banter' finally investigated.

 

Pics thanks to the BBC, the Mail, Bleacher Report, CNN and Zimbio