There’s a lot of people who talk about the quality of the Xavi, Iniesta, Toure combination or the diversity and drive of the Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano trio. Whichever way you look at it, right now there are some top class midfields in Europe which has resulted in some great football played in all the top leagues this season.
Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Scholes & Carrick
One midfield that does not attract similar adjectives is that of Manchester United. What once was arguably the best quartet in Europe (Keane, Giggs, Beckham and Scholes) is now shared amongst the duties of nine players. Alex Ferguson clearly has a problem in not knowing what his best midfielder is as even in top games this season he has started with different players – the Chelsea match at Old Trafford springs to mind. This however, is not the normal headache managers have as Ferguson is blessed with a midfield that covers every aspect of the modern game and a plethora of combinations to compete in each and every football match. I am under no illusion that each players have their limitations as well as strengths, let’s have a closer look…..
The Midfielders in Question
Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Ji Sung Park, Michael Carrick, Nani, Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves
Strengtha & Limitations
Cristiano Ronaldo
A ridiculously talented footballer – strong, quick – if there ever was a match winner, it’s him. As he proved in the 2007/2008 season he’s a can be consistently brilliant for Manchester United, however questions remain about his loyalty and long term future fueled by his average first half of the season.
Ryan Giggs
Will be remembered for his speed and flair down Manchester United’s left hand side. Giggs now offers an air of composure and imagination in the centre of midfield, providing telling passes and flicks to the strikers and providing a strong link between midfield and attack. Giggs has been essential against teams that have been hard to break down. Ferguson has to be cute to how Ryan Giggs is used, limiting his appearances to only a handful a month and regulating his time on the pitch in those matches.
Paul Scholes
When given space – especially at Old Trafford – Scholes can boss a game from the centre of midfield. His range of passing is still one of the best in Europe and his tidiness on the ball means he can take control of the ball and start of an attacking movement at pace. His age is now starting to show and goes missing in games that requires a battle.
Ji Sung Park
Has become essential to Manchester United’s defensive approach to games. Has an amazing workrate and has a relentless ability to press the opposition. Park has proved extremly useful against the top teams especially when they look to use their full backs to get forward. He does have his limits when going forward, his play in the final third can sometimes frustrate fans as he does well to get in good positions.
Michael Carrick
Is, like Scholes, tidy in the midfield. Looks to break forward to join attacks but also offers a disciplined position just in front of the defenders when the opposition attack. Carrick however has not progressed in the manner of which people thought he would following his move from Spurs. He sometimes prefer to play it safe rather than produce something special – sometimes the difference in a tight game.
Nani
Blessed with copious amounts of skill and unpredictability, Nani has scored and supplied some crucial goals for the title chasing United. Offers width and can interchange with Ronaldo. His consistency must be a huge concern for Ferguson and in a formation where Berbatov, Rooney and Ronaldo also start alongside him can present problems of defensive vulnerability out wide.
Darren Fletcher
A real busy body in the midfielder. Fletcher has shown that he can mix it up with the best of them on his day. Has shown a consistency to his play in the last few years and is becoming important in tough games where the other team are keen to play possession football. He is normally only used to win back the ball and distribute to the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo – his limitations on the ball are there for all to see.
Anderson
A very strong and powerful midfielder offers an energetic streak that allows him to compete with similar young midfielders in the Premiership. For a Brazilian his tackling abilities are rare – he can also pick up the ball and go on long runs. The main limitiation of Anderson could be the tactics at Manchester United. Early watchers of Anderson will know there is a lot more to his game that the Old Trafford faithful see week in week out – is it just a matter of the calm before the storm?
Owen Hargreaves
Hargreaves has been labelled one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe. H has great experience for a 27 year old and will be missed in this campaign. He offers everything Darren Fletcher does a little bit more. Is versatile and is a dead ball specialist. How good is all this though if you’re in the treatment room?
In Closing
Although each midfielder does have their limitations, it’s possible to pick and choose a midfield that can add the right amount of defensive responsibility with the attacking flair to win each type of game. All Sir Alex has to do is get the combination right.
An interesting piece.
Although you state each midfield player has his own ‘limitations’, perhaps these need to be considered vis-à-vis competitors and their respective teams.
I also question whether you feel players exist without ‘limitations’ given the constraint is applied to the current Fifa World player of the year? Some English (and certainly Liverpool fans) would argue Stephen Gerrard could be worthy of the ‘perfect midfielder’ accolade, however in spite his recent injury problems, even Gerrard lacks the individual achievements of C Ronaldo.
Returning to the crux, few (if any) other teams have such midfield strength in depth, with the ability to seamlessly interchange players to tailor the midfield to counteract opposition strengths whilst exploiting their weaknesses.
Undoubtedly Man Utd’s prolific squad and has been the key to their ability to legitimately challenge simultaneously for so many trophies this season. Whilst most opposition are so heavily dependent on a handful of star players, Man Utd have ensured their fate through their high quality contingent.
Should they succeed, perhaps history will take note of how Man Utd raised the bar and expanded the scope through not merely an excellent team, but an oustanding squad.
Posted by kamaran | 9 March, 2009, 11:54Kamaran – glad you found us here and good of you to stimulate the conversation.
I don’t think these players exists without limitations – but I think Xavi & Steven Gerrard are as close as I’ve seen to complete midfielders – something I think Manchester United do not currently possess.
I suppose it is there that my topic started – the need to highlight that football is now a squad game and that titles may be won with diversity and contingency rather than just skill and brilliance (which is so often highlighted). Of course Alex Ferguson has complimented the two and has, as you said – been able to seemlessly interchange the players to counteract the oppositions strengths.
On the other hand, teams such as Liverpool and Barcelona will play their best midfield in tough games and let the opposition do the worrying. 9 out of 10 times this works, but what about when you get a few injuries?
With hindsight it’s clear to see Liverpool are still not prepared to challenge for the Premier League – so in the summer, Rafa (or whoever is their manager) should maybe look at Ferguson’s strategy and make more squad buys than first team buys as on their day they’re capable of beating anyone – 10 days ago in the Bernabeu a fine example.
Posted by Steven Jones | 9 March, 2009, 12:25Personally I don’t think there’s such a thing as a complete player, every player on the planet has limitations, some more than others. I think the way a player manages his or her limitations is very important from a personal development perspective. The really good players are rarely found troubled, despite their weaknesses.
From a team perspective I think it’s all about the mix of players. Sir Alex Ferguson has managed to assemble a unit of players who each bring something different to the team, with their only common quality being that they are comfortable on the ball. As Kamaran alludes to, perhaps the real reason for success at Manchester United is their collective completeness.
Though I think you have been a little harsh on Michael Carrick who has had a fine season and established himself as an England regular, albeit with other players missing.
Posted by Steve Atkinson | 9 March, 2009, 13:23