At the same time, the club seems tobe after Everton's
Marouane Fellaini. Theapparently parallel pursuit of these players has led some supporters to believethat Fellaini would merely be a poor man's alternative to the Spain midfielder.Conversely, there is a strong argument that Manchester United need them both.
There is a range of relevant facts to consider, and the most pertinent is that
Michael Carrick has justturned 32. Carrick, having been long maligned for his perceived passivity andlack of tangible contribution to his team's cause, has finally been given duecredit for his role in Manchester United's capture of five Premier Leaguetitles, one League Cup and one Champions League since his arrival. In theprocess, he has perhaps become his team's hardest player to replace.
While Manchester United have no shortage of goal-scoring options should Robinvan Persie succumb to injury, one to Carrick would deprive them of someone whocan both screen the back four and play the ball out perceptively from deep.Looking at Carrick’s age, Moyes will not want to fall into the “Xavi trap”currently experienced at Barcelona, where an aging playmaker with notablydeclining form is in urgent need of a deputy.
Xavi, who has been outstanding in every season since 2008 save the last, is now33 and his successor has not yet been appointed (indeed, Thiago Alcantara wasjust sold to Bayern Munich). Moyes’ move to sign Fellaini, who is still only25, can be viewed as a desire to avoid the same mistake.
It’s some time ago now, but Fellaini was signed after a superb pair ofperformances for Standard Liege that denied Everton a place in the group stagesof the Champions League. In those games, he was deployed as a defensivemidfielder, though his footballing intelligence has seen him successfully usedfarther forward in midfield and as a second striker. He could therefore formpart of a two-man axis with Carrick or act as his understudy.
Moreover, he would provide additional aerial strength, and the type of powerthat Manchester United have not seen in the middle of the park for severalyears. Watching a bulked-up Bayern Munich bully their way past Barcelona in thefirst leg of last season’s Champions League semifinal, the acquisition ofFellaini would be a welcome response to the Germans’ swagger.
The benefits of signing Fabregas are obvious, which is why his transfer isproving far more protracted. He is not a straight replacement for Xavi, but hisdeparture would still leave the Catalans' squad curiously thin. Were United tosign him, he would doubtless be an automatic first choice alongside Carrick orFellaini, and his creativity would in one stroke make the club a dangerousproposition in both the Premier League and Europe. With all that he hasachieved -- including a pivotal role in his country’s triumphs in Euro 2008 and2012 and World Cup 2010 -- it is easy to forget that he has only just turned26, and has thus arguably not even reached his peak.
To sign both players would give Manchester United a formidable midfield pairingfor the next five years. While this thinking is viewed by some as wishful, theprospect of acquiring both is worth the very public risk of failure. It is agutsy dual move; with which, like his predecessor, Moyes is showing hisappetite for a game-changing gamble.
发表于 28-7-2013 06:50 PM
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