Nuri Sahin: The forgotten footballer

Just where is Nuri Sahin? Are the midfielder’s injury problems still haunting him ever after, or is his absence due to non-footballing matters lying lowly in the pecking order at Bernabeu?

Sahin made his debut in the Bundesliga at just 16 years of age and remains the youngest ever player to feature in the German top flight, he also broke the record as the youngest ever goal scorer netting against Nuremberg in the same season. 

I think he is a very good footballer, but he needed to stay with Dortmund for another season. He made the mistake of joining Real Madrid to early. He had a fantastic season last year, but needed to stay one more and produce that form again. Since being signed for €10 million from Borussia Dortmund, Turkish international, Nuri Sahin has played 364 minutes for Real Madrid in 5 games. To make it difficult for 2011′s Bundesliga player of the year, he has been called up for various games but not been given enough chance.

Nuri Sahin is a midfielder who plays as a playmaker and who has incredible vision, great skill with a great passing range and technique. Sahin always had quality but lacked consistency. His is a dead ball specialist, with an astounding ability to whip in balls from corners or freekicks, and has scored some sumptuous free kicks this season (vs Bayern Munich and vs Werder Bremen).

He would have been a good signing for Manchester United last summer and probably a better move for the player. Madrid often dump players for less than they paid for them. They'd never be able to sell anyone otherwise! Sahin sounds great and if he wants regular football then United would be the place to go, given the current state of our midfield. Sahin’s reading of the game is also exceptional, often winning key interceptions in midfield. Sahin also possesses the work ethic and tenacity required to succeed in central midfield.

Nuri Sahin is just the midfielder that would fit in at OT. He may need to bulk up a little but he does not shy away from a tackle. Apart from Scholes and Carrick and occassionally Rooney, there isn't someone who could pass long. I think he would be particularly important if we were to go on the counter attack. He could easily release Rooney, Kagawa, Welbeck or anyone on the wings with this pin point long passes. I see him in the Xavi mould and although his shooting may not be on par with Scholesy, I think he would be a young, cheap and effective player in our center midfield. He's worth a shout at 12-16M.

What if he joins United ?

Kagawa's possible inclusion at United opens the door to us playing a 4-3-2-1 next season which means Carrick will be partnering another CM who will more than likely be a defensive minded CM. 

Playing both Carrick and Sahin as deep CM's wouldn't solve anything, it would just be like playing Scholes and Carrick, which has worked but its left us so exposed in numerous games this season. 

Not to mention that United and Real's rejects don't go hand in hand. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Sahin went elsewhere for 7m, became the player he was at Dortmund again and then United go back for him in 2 years when his value reaches 25-30m for another club.

Sadly for Sahin, he seems to be a victim of his team’s on-pitch success, as he finds himself currently at the bottom of Real Madrid’s midfield pecking order, behind the likes of Alonso, Sami Khedira, Lassana Diarra and Esteban Granero. Hoping he joins a club where he can atleast get consistent first team football.

  

The metronome passer Sergio Busquets - Under the microscope

Sergio Busquests - The cunning serpent; silent killer aptly justifies the metaphorical phrase.

Don't judge a book by its cover - you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something, by its outward appearance alone, Sergio fits into this billing and it's insane how underrated this guy is. Playing in a team which produces superabundances of talent, bringing up from the ranks, it is obvious for a smart player to be forgotten as the team wins riches and whose command of the ball is overshadowed by the presence of more established creative forces in Xavi and Iniesta. 

Imagine Busquets is just 23 and having won the World Cup, Euros, Champions League titles, domestic successes with both Spain and Barcelona, what future he is gonna have, being already one of the best in his position. But all that diving and whining and theatrics and the imaginary-card-flashing; it’s bound to take the sheen off his achievements and hit his credibility. According to me, he's one of the most comfortable and relaxed guys to grace a football pitch.

He is the perfect DM for Barca, not your standard midfield destroyer but rather one who graces the play with his excellent touch and control. I think there is a lot more to see from this player, even if his impact on a match is often overlooked. The role of Sergio Busquets is quite different from a regular holding or a box-to-box midfielder. The fact that he is barely involved in creating goals with the killer passes, scoring goals or providing assists dismisses this unique player's importance. Goals are not even his forte, but when all the other Barca players playing tiki- taka dance around the opposition, Sergio plays a huge part being responsible for sustaining the tempo and with the possession control. Busquet's reading of game is truly amazing for a young man. His moving around the middle of pitch, looking for spaces all the time, helps in controlling the game and other teams cannot stop him due to the natural defensive instincts and his composure on the ball.

The young calm Catalan does not only rely on his tackling abilities, but he also keeps his man covered with his great positioning sense. His intelligence on the pitch and smooth passing is the closest to Xavi the Catalans have, and only Thiago has some similar traits, but he is still too young, raw and inexperienced to be anywhere close to succeed Xavi. Busquets is perfectly at ease as a CM, and Barcelona can have Romeu employed as CDM with Busquests further up the pitch after Xavi retires. He is becoming much better than today's aging and slower Xavi as he masters Xavi's distribution, short simple passes and awareness to be available for others. Also responsible for providing cover for the players who have left the defensive lines and positions(like the full backs do while Barca play), and with his great ball-winning techniques, he is often successful while tackling. While we wonder the likes of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta will be the first names on the team sheet, the command that Busquet's possesses and the rock solidity he provides will be vividly palpable the times he is off the field.

However, some footballing minds can point out him for being more overrated by citing reasons like he is made to look good by the players around him. But he is certainly an important cogwheel of the sailing Spanish armada. Though his theatrics appeal more to the eye than his tenacious defensive shield that he bestows- but diving has become a skill and such things need strong penalties. Nowadays, players dive all the time and get practically no rough treatment but Busquets gets hated on continuously in a normal game. One sight I would want to see him bombing forward a bit more, adding a bit of Yaya Toure to his game! That could be a phenomenal lethal combination of attack minded play along with defensive solidity.

Sergio Busquets is a industrious example of what a modern-day sweeper is. He acts as a controller of the game when Puyol/ Pique/ Mascherano move forward in attack when Barcelona have possession, while he plays in front of the defense providing solidity trying to win back the ball when they defend. According to me, Sergio Busquests is surely the Unsung hero and exhibits a huge chance of becoming better than greats such as Gattuso, Makelele, De Rossi, Xabi Alonso or becoming the best of the lot amongst the pool comprising of Lassa Diarra, Cambiasso, De jong, Mascherano, Essien, Khedira.

Will the real Bébé please stand up ???

It is common sense that you shouldn’t judge a player based on his performance in pre-season friendlies, but a good preseason performance is responsible for creating a noticeable impression and if possible carving out an identity for a talent like Tiago Manuel Dias Correia  known to us as Bébé. 

When you look back to the time when Manchester United bought Bebe for a deal reported to be around £7.4 million, Real Madrid were also interested. United wouldn’t have just thrown 7 million at a completely unknown player without seeing something good in him. Sadly, Bebe underachieved and repeatedly since his transfer and is often regarded as one of the worst signings by Sir Alex. In fact I have always wondered why SAF seem to have some faith in him. From what we have seen there is something worthy of him to keep him at United. Mind you he came from the unknown land to the Theater of Dreams. You can imagine the pressure to perform he has been under. Maybe what he needs is confidence and I hope the preseason will do him good.

Bebe has the physical attributes, not the footballing ones mind you, but a horrendous first touch. It’s his speed and powerful shot that are attractive about him. He has the potential, the pace, is a beast of a man and that atrocious shooting power is enough to blow a hole through a wall. But so far in the preseason matches his link up play looked good, and his spacial awareness has improved. Or is it because Macheda abysmal performance is making him look good?

The motto should be ” we have nothing to lose ” to give him a fair chance. After his terrorizing performance, Sir Alex said,

“We’ll see how the season progresses for him, but it gives me a headache in terms of number of strikers we have there. That’s not a bad thing, though. He had his loan at Besiktas and then picked up the bad injury which kept him out for most of the season.”

“That is probably his first game for about eight months, so he will be pleased to be back playing and pleased he scored a goal.”

Signed blindly from Vitória de Guimarães, it was a gamble worth taking, but Bebe has failed miserably so far in United colors. He needs a year of consistent football, either with another English side or with our reserves with the odd league game or some league cup appearances before making another evaluation. What can been drawn from his pre – season appearances are: He was a threat and can be effective in providing that cutting edge in the final third that United so dearly missed in last season’s games. Can the forgotten man be back in the mix?

All transfers are a risk. Investing in a young players is a particularly high risk activity. Maybe United really believed that Bebe could be a rarity, a genuine unknown superstar. Thus, the hype over Moura and the reality behind it is a mystery.

Leaving the current transfer speculations aside, being the world’s 97,612th highest paid footballer – Bebe has lot to prove at United. The fact that his debut season was still better than Downing’s for Liverpool suggests he’s not a wasteful of talent. He isn’t completely awful or rubbish but is unlikely to make the grade at United.

Time will tell if he’ll be able to live up to his ridiculous price tag. In my opinion he just needs a good run of games to see what he is made of. Hope he gets a loan move in England. Could this season be the turning point in his Manchester United career?

Da Silva Twins - efficacious wingers in the realm of possibility ?

Beyond a shadow of doubt, Sir Alex can break no sweat over distinguishing between the energetic Brazilian twins – The Da Silva brothers. According to the latest transfer news, Rafael has signed a 4 year contract extension which keeps him at the club till 2016 and Fabio signed a loan deal with Queens Park Rangers for the forthcoming season. It is definitely a step towards regaining the top spot. Sir Alex is leaving no stone unturned in this aspect.

They have largely been injured, because of their fearless tackles. They definitely have a bright future and can bring some Brazilian flair to the entire setup. The twins love to bombard down the flanks and support the offensive play. But their way to the first team is blocked by players who have established themselves as regulars. On that account, I got a thought – can they play as wingers?

Sir Alex experimented by playing the energetic Rafael in centre-midfield against Blackburn, which backfired as the side lost 3-2. Fabio did come on as a sub last year against Wigan and played on the left wing. Also, Sir Alex started them as wingers against Arsenal in an FA cup match with Fabio scoring from a Rafael cross. So the signs do look promising.

In the future, can the Brazilian duo be put to work as wingers? Well, I have a host of reasons to back up this suggestion.

• Fabio has found the way to the first team blocked by O’Shea and Evra. If United sign Baines, then another player would be ahead of him. Even the likes of Blackett, Fryers (if he stays) will contest a place for the Left Back position. On the other side, Wes Brown often played as Right Back and more importantly, Neville had made that position his own. Jones and Smalling have emerged as potential defenders who are adept at playing at Right Back, thus further reducing the chances for the twins. Thus a change in roles would help. Deploying them as wingers can help in tapping their immense potential as well as kill the deficit of wingers in the years down the line.

• The center of gravity matters. Since a taller person has longer legs, they surely take longer strides compared to a shorter person and cover greater ground. However, they also have to deal with more mass as well, which ultimately results in tiring the person off quickly. Therefore, the Da Silva twins would be able to do well on the wings than other taller players.

• As Brazilians, dribbling would be one of the fundamental skills that they possess and this can be better used by deploying them as wide men. They are already good at accelerating and sprinting. If they can develop their game by providing quality crosses, they will be very lethal.

• Being young and willing to adapt, their stamina can be vital for United. The willingness to learn and the ambition to succeed may be a driving factor.

• The amount of injuries that they incur could lessen by a large amount as they would not have to tackle recklessly or block shots. Or they can play as solid full backs to the wingers with overlapping runs and the partnership of Rafael and Valencia surely looked deadly last time around. Rafael made the runs when Valencia hogged the touchline and Valencia took care of the pressing game and vice-versa when Valencia was on with his marauding runs.

If used cleverly, they can be of good use to the club. I surely feel they have a bright future in the United colours for many more years to come.

Wanted Brazilian Lucas Moura to Manchester United?

The speculations began as soon as Ji-sung Park left for QPR . The Daily Mail reported the story, and some reports suggest Sir Alex has sent a delegation headed by Chief Scout Lawlor to finalize a deal for one of the hottest prospects of the game. Soon after the papers began the reports, the rumor mill set running various falsified links to United, and much more.

Such is the extravaganza of the transfer window,  indeed a shopping spree for some. There are 2 sides to a coin, and any transfer deal is based this same principle. Let’s look at both sides separately -

The United side:

According to me , his addition is a gamble worth taking, with his powerful potential. He is the flair that the Red Devils are missing; strength, quick feet and serious talent. He also has 15 international caps, and has played for Brazil youth teams. But, as he is a Right attacking midfielder, United will have to employ a 4-2-3-1 formation to grant Kagawa his favoured role of playing in the hole. Else, to play both Kagawa and Moura, United will have to scrap the wingers system and play 4-2-1-3; a fairly unlikely happening under Fergie’s reign, because the counter attack drives the way united play. If playing 4-2-3-1 was the plan, we already have Rooney, Kagawa, Young, Nani, Valencia clashing for 3 spots, with Giggs and Welbeck capable of stepping in.

Another aspect could be playing 4-3-2-1 more regularly, playing him on the left (as he’s two-footed), and Kagawa in the centre as Valencia surely won’t be moved from right. That raises the speculation of Nani departure.

Last but not the least, the tactic could be playing 4-4-2, and converting Lucas into a winger, which spoils the entire purpose of the transfer because the Red Devils have sufficient ammo on the wings.

The other side:

The claim is baseless, as of now. The news report din’t guarantee that Moura would join United, and no one was quoted from Old Trafford saying the same. Some reports claim he is the replacement for Park. The attacking midfielder surely ripped apart the Scottish team in a friendly, and is a mind blowing lad, but is that what United really need at the moment?  And it’s rare that a South American comes directly to UK rather than going to Italy/Spain to adapt in suitable conditions.

Chelsea supposedly had a 32m bid rejected, and in my opinion, United spending more money is a distant possibility. It’s a risky gamble in the end considering our Brazilian recruits Anderson, Rafael and Fabio. Also considering that we have made smart buys this season, with a combined 21m spent on signing Kagawa and Powell, I see the chances of Moura being signed as very bleak. If we were outbid for Hazard , why spend so much on someone who hasn’t proved anything, and whose stats don’t even match up to Kagawa’s? I think Modric, Sneijder, and Moutinho are better players to pay beefy amounts to, to recede United’s midfield crisis.

Lucas Moura looks like an incredibly skillful player but 30m on completely unproven talent is madness. Spending that amount can get us Javi Martinez. But as far as my knowledge of football goes, South Americans have rarely worked well at Manchester United, for different reasons. Kleberson, Heinze, Forlan, and Tevez didn’t work out to the levels that were expected. But certainly the Da Silva twins have a bright future at United. Sadly, Anderson has been an underachieving symbol.

Joao moutinho – The man to solve Manchester United’s midfield crisis ???

Moving on from the disappointment of last season, Manchester United improved their firepower in attack with the recent acquisitions of Kagawa and Powell and are now looking for reinforcements to strengthen other departments. There were stories about United bidding for Lucas Moura and the bid being rejected but the main cause of concern was in the middle of the park. We still await a world class signing in that position.

We are primarily a quick, counter-attacking team and the central midfielders are rarely the stars of the show in such a game plan. But there is a serious dearth in the center of the park. Fletcher is nowhere near a return, Giggs is becoming too old to play a complete game, Scholes cannot finish matches but is still super class. Anderson cannot stay fit and has consistently underachieved while Cleverley is very unlucky so far with injuries.

It leaves only one proper reliable central midfielder in Carrick. Of course, there are talents like Tunnicliffe, Petrucci, Hendrie, Lingard coming up through the ranks, but they directly can’t be released into the tough competition of the Premier League. So, lets analyze whether Moutinho is an efficient talent to solve United’s midfield conundrum

 What sort of player he is ?

Moutinho is an awesome talent, but lets not get carried away only by his performance (against Spain in Euros). He’s a talented box to box midfielder but is not the kind of playmaker like Modric or Sneijder that United were linked with. He can play in different midfield roles but the main position he is deployed is in the center of the park where he’s efficient and possesses the technical ability to aid his tenacious display.

How would he fit into United setup ?

He has the work ethos that United need in the center of the park. To get the best out of Kagawa, we need someone who can wrestle and win the ball back in the middle of the pitch and set up the fluency of a counter attack. Only Moutinho, Javi Martinez, Strootman can be options worth considering here.

If he joins in as a Red Devil, United can easily play 4-2-3-1 or employ 4-3-2-1 with the two players playing as wide midfielders.

Illustration of the same, depicting the front six.

——————rooney——————-
young/nani— kagawa —-valencia
—–moutinho-carrick/scholes——–

Is it a worthy signing ? Do United need him ?

He is the typical Central midfielder. He can spray passes to keep the game flowing and can also be defensively solid. Has the technical ability and the potential to make the killer pass. He can also learn and shape up awesomely under the watchful guidance of Paul Scholes, who has undoubtedly been the lynchpin of the United midfield.

Moutinho can also play in the diamond formation. But United would never employ such a formation as, without wingers, United don’t look real menacing. United surely need a CM, and i’ll be lot disappointed if Kagawa is played as a central midfielder in a 4-4-2 or as a left winger. It will be a waste to buy someone excelling as a playmaker in the final third if he’s not deployed in the hole.

Transfer destination ?

Top European clubs have been linked with him. As of now, it is a two way race between Manchester United and Tottenham to sign this talented player. Porto would surely be demanding a substantial fee for his departure but working with old boss (AVB) may work in  Spurs’ favor, although United can offer Champions League Football.

Indeed there are talents available like Draxler, Eriksen, Alacantra but what United need unquestionably is a ball winning midfielder. I am hoping at least one of Moura, Moutinho or some other talented central midfielder is signed to redece the deficiencies of the Red Devils.

Euro 2012 Funny Moments

There were goals , antics ,  there was drama , there was jubilation for some  and disappointing moments for others.

There was passion , ambition , anxiety , tension , frustration and as well as some fun in the month long marathon.

The joy wasn't only related to the on field victories . Everyone surely missed the FUNNY MOMENTS focussing on the on field drama -

Here 's a video depicting the few--