Nani Can't Have it All

Luis Nani has been vital for Manchester United, creating 16 and scoring 9 goals this season. He has all of the qualities of a winger; explosive pace, good passing and crossing, can dribble around his man and can shoot capably with both feet. He has demonstrated that time and again this year with United, and despite what the Portuguese said only yesterday, we will be seeing his excellent qualities for a while in the future. Nani said:

"I try to enjoy playing now, but it is not always possible because I have a responsibility to the team."

"But something of the street remains in me. It is not easy to show at United because Sir Alex does not allow very much freedom and I cannot do the tricks and things I did with my friends."

"But when the game is under control I take a risk and it makes me very happy if things work out."

Nani may be a little unhappy at the restriction he feels Sir Alex has put on him in terms of tricks and show boating, but whether he realises it or not, he is benefiting from it. Ferguson commented on his players progress earlier in the season too, saying that Nani is better at this stage of his career than Cristiano Ronaldo was. Like his Portuguese compatriot, Nani did start off his United career over elaborating in attacking moves and attempting the impossible when the simple pass was on. 

Ronaldo certainly improved in this area, and turned the 30 step overs in one run down the right wing into winning goals and valuable assists for his team mates. Nani started last season doing just that, and has come into his own this season, and moved away from the label of 'Ronaldo wannabe'.

Of course, there is still room for improvement. Perhaps the 24 year-old's biggest criticism is his tenancy to go down too easily from a challenge, and his theatrics have not made him many fans from opposition teams. But that is just what he does - frustrate the opposition - he wouldn't be doing his job if he was pleasing the opposition fans.


His top form also has him considered for the prestigious Ballon D'or. Asked about winning the Ballon d'Or, Nani told Don Balon: 

“I don’t know about that. I recognise that things have gone well but that’s for other people to decide.

"If my name ends up on the list, I will be happy. I want to be the best player in the world, but I am not living obsessed by it. My only real concern is to help my club and my national team and keep playing well.”  

Nani Speaks About Carragher Tackle & Why he Cried

Nani has spoken. The Manchester United winger was the victim of a horrendous challenge from Jamie Carragher at Anfield when United met Liverpool. The incident was well publicised and overshadowed the Liverpool win in which United were outplayed. Rivals fans to United questioned the seriousness of the injury and suggested that United fans were using the tackle to cover up a poor performance.

Whatever the case, there is no denying that the tackle warranted a red card, and as Nani says here, his tears immediately after the tackle came as a result of him believing his season was over. The deep gash on his shin was clear for all to see, but Nani was still criticized for shedding tears. The recently returned Portuguese said:

“When I saw my leg for the first time, I thought my season was finished. That is why I was crying.

"Afterwards, the doctor saw my leg and said I had been lucky because it just needed stitches and I would be out for two or three weeks. He is surprised that I could recover even quicker.”

Nani was slightly hesitant in taking on the left back on his return to action after the injury against Marseille, but he recognises that the physical side is to be expected in the English Premier League:

"English football is like that. It is about making tackles.

“The fans enjoy it. I always finish the game sore because I have had three or four tackles on the same part of my ankle.”

However, despite accepting the physical side of the game, he agrees with most logical football fans when he says the Carragher tackle should not be accepted. Nani said:

"I don’t know what Carragher was thinking but I do know what he did was not football.”

 “He came to apologise after the game. But I was not happy. It is the second time he injured me. Before, he put me out of the game for two months. He always tackles like that. I don’t want protection. I just want the referees to be fair. If it is a red card, they have to give it. If they give the card, the next time the player doesn’t make the tackle.”

Rumours have arisen recently stating that Nani has asked his agent to look for clubs in Italy for a possible transfer. This was however dismissed by the 24 year-old who said on his official Twitter account that he had "seen some false reports on the press. I want you to know that you will hear the truth from me. Love MU".

So we will be seeing a lot more of Nani in the future then. Perhaps no the immediate future though, with him admitting to being a doubt for the Old Trafford clash with Bolton this Saturday:

"I played against Marseille but maybe I couldn't play tomorrow because I have so many injuries. My leg is OK [but] it is not 100% and the confidence is not the same.

"I know players always like to tackle me, so I have to be careful. That is why my football was not the best. But it is great to be back. Now I am just thinking about the next game when I think I will be much better."

United v Marseille: What the Two Sides Say

Manchester United will host Marseille on Tuesday on the back of a simple win against a tired, exasperated and weary Arsenal side. United will hope to march on in the competition, aiming for the quarter finals -boosted by the news that Nani and Michael Carrick will be fit to play alongside long term absentee Antonio Valencia.

United

Sir Alex Ferguson emphasised the importance of experience at this stage of the competition against tough opposition. After all, it is a very rare occurrence when Sir Alex has not led United to this stage of the Champion League:

"It’s an important time, with us being involved in three tournaments. But we are experienced enough to do what we’re doing at the moment - taking each game as it comes."

"We have faced that situation a million times. You have to get on with it. The team needs to step up and perform though, we know that."

The return of Antonio Valencia is a massive boost to a United side who have lacked his skillful wing play, creativity and provision of goals. Rooney applauded Valencia recently, calling it "fantastic" to see him back on the football pitch after his broken ankle which was suffered in September in this very competition. Sir Alex knows all to well the importance of the Ecuadorian:

"With Antonio back it’s a fantastic bonus for us. It’s a great step forward considering he’s been out for such a long time."

"It’s a great selection poser for me to have. We missed him in the run-in last season so it’s a great boost. Hopefully it will help us, having everyone available.

More positive news on the injury front followed:

"Nani and Michael Carrick trained on Sunday and Monday and both will be involved tomorrow. But we are getting players back. Ji-Sung Park is making good progress and Owen Hargreaves has started training."

"It doesn’t matter how many players you have injured in the past, the important thing is to have them available for the run in. If we have that, then it will increase our chances."

On the actual game, Sir Alex acknowledged the strength of the opposition who also come into the game off the back of a 2 - 0 win against their Ligue 1 title rivals Stade Rennais FC. Ferguson said:

"We have to recognise that they are experienced and powerful. It's going to be a hard game, but it's always a terrific atmosphere at Old Trafford, that does help us."

Marseille

The French Champions recognise that despite United's less than convincing performances this season, they are the underdogs. Their manager, Didier Deschamps has been doing his homework on the Red Devils. Not only did he go to the United - Arsenal match at Old Trafford on Saturday, but he has been looking at the stat books:

"On paper you would expect United to qualify, but we have a little opportunity."

"If you look at the match purely from a statistical point of view, United have not been defeated at home for a long time. They have conceded only one goal in seven Champions League games and are a very strong side, so it is a tough task."

"In addition they are one of four or five teams who have a realistic chance of winning the Champions League."

Deschamps continued and spoke of the first leg, claiming the 0 - 0 result was better for United than it was for them:

"It was a good result for Manchester United … if you look again at stats, if you get an away draw and do not concede, around 70 percent of the time the team goes through when they play at home."

"We are talking about Manchester United here, they know how to manage whatever situation might occur on a European occasion."

Perhaps a stat that Deschamp may have purposely avoided is that Manchester United have never lost to French opposition at Old Trafford.

Confirmed £30 million Bid for Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez is proving hot property, with clubs from England, Italy and Spain all seemingly interested in acquiring his compellingly attractive services. Being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't do your on the field reputation any harm it must be said, and it is therefore perhaps no surprise that Manchester United have been very strongly linked, as the £80 million from the Ronaldo sale still lingers pleasingly in the bank awaiting usage.

Now his club Udinese have confirmed that a 35 million euro bid has been placed for their star attacker, but frustratingly, they refused to identify the club who placed the substantial bid. 35 million euros is equal to £29.7 million. And because Udinese have not named the bidders, it opens the door to speculation as to who it was.

Udinese's chairman Franco Soldati said:

"Sanchez is of interest of British and Italian teams.

"Somebody has already offered (for Alexis Sanchez) a figure close to 30-35 million euros but I cannot say by whom (we have received it)".

What a tease!
He justified the large asking price by citing recent Premier League signings including Liverpool's signing of Luiz Suarez, and Chelsea's double splurge of cash on Fernando Torres and David Luiz - a combined total of around £90 million. Doldati continued:

"A evaluation of €25 million for Sanchez? Looking at what has been paid for (Luis) Suarez, (Fernando) Torres and David Luiz in England, I think Sanchez will also apply to more than €25 million,"

"But right now we don't want to look at the market. Each assessment will be made at the end of the season."

The 23 year old Chilean international, who has scored 11 goals in 23 games this season for Udinese has done what most footballers do when they are linked to bigger, better clubs - repeat the question and avoid answering it. In other words, he doesn't want to commit himself to his current club, just in case the speculation, or in this case solid bid, turns into a possible transfer:

"My future? For now I want to play football, this is my only desire."

"At the end of the season we'll see what happens. Udinese? We are playing very well, the coach motivates us every game as if it were a final. "

Manchester United, Chelsea, City, Inter and Real Madrid have been linked. We'll see where he goes - it'll be interesting. More news here whenever it comes.

Nani Interview: Don't compare me to Ronaldo

Manchester United's winger Nani has been an integral part of the team this season, providing tantalising crosses, and constantly threatening defenders on the wing, leaving them for dead when he turns inside and unleashes a belter into the top corner. 

His nine goals have all been pretty special, while his delivery and creativity has made 11 goals for his teammates. In short, Nani is a devastatingly explosive winger, with the fantastic ability to produce moments of magic at any given time.

The player himself recognises that this season has been a special one, but despite similarities in their playing style, as well as obvious similarities such as nationality, he refuses to be compared with Cristiano Ronaldo:

"It is my best season at United. I don’t compare myself to Ronaldo or anyone else, I just think about myself and the club and what I can do for them. I hope to improve much more.

“It is good to have that many goals and assists but the most important thing is to win the trophies with the team. When I have won the trophies I will look back at how I have contributed.

“It is good for your confidence to know people are looking at you to win matches for the team. When you are on the pitch, it means you want the ball all the time because everything is going so well.

Nani is always looking to improve however, just like all good footballers do, while keeping himself in top physical condition so he is always ready for competitive football. Despite Ronaldo's move to Madrid, him and Nani are still very much in touch:

“I know, though, that I can do better. That is why I’m training hard every day and staying fit for every game.”

“We are good friends. He spoke to me before the Marseille game and wished me good luck. He always tells me how well I am doing.

“I know people liken me to Cristiano but I just want to be Nani, a good player who people enjoy watching.”

Nani wasn't always a first team regular however, mainly because of Ronaldo's massive presence in the team, and he spoke of his increased frustration at being left on the bench:

“I have ambition and it is not easy to give up on Manchester United. But at the same time, you come to this club to play.”

His manager Sir Alex Ferguson was not going to let him go in any case - he saw his exciting potential, and is delighted that the potential has been realised this season:

“Nani wasn’t close to leaving because he’d have had to get by me! Of course we sat down and talked. You do that with all your players.

“I don’t need to trumpet his improvement, he’s been consistent all season. He’s a match winner – he creates goals and he scores goals. Every time he gets near the ball, you think something special is going to happen. That’s the sign of a great player.”

Manchester United Winger Not Leaving

Rumours that a transfer request had been handed in to Manchester United by their French winger Gabriel Obertan were rubbished by his agent today, who insisted that Obertan is happy at Manchester United and no transfer request had been handed in at any time.

Obertan, who was brought in by Sir Alex Ferguson in July 2009 - a £3 million buy from French club Bordeaux, was rumoured to have come to the conclusion that he is not good enough to make the grade at Old Trafford. He has not had a lot of pitch time in his short stay at the club, but this is to be expected from a player that was relatively unknown in the English Premier League at the time of his aquisition.
Obertan's representative, Karim Djaziri, claimed the Frenchman has not handed in a transfer request and is happy to stay at Old Trafford:

"I have read that Gabriel has handed in a transfer request, but no he has not done this. He is very happy at Manchester United and he doesn't want to leave.

Obertan was signed and unveiled along with Antonio Valencia, who came from Wigan, and although Valencia is currently out injured (but soon to return), the Ecuadorian winger is one of a few players whom fight for a place on the wings. Obertan should be taking tips from players such as Nani, Ryan Giggs and Antonia Valencia, in the hope that he can learn how to become an accomplished wing man. It seems his representative acknowledges this:

"He is still learning and he knows he is not ready to be a regular starter in the team, but he is working hard to be a member of the first team."

It is true that Obertan hasn't set United alight, and his career in Manchester hasn't really taken off yet, but at the young age of 21, and still quite inexperienced in English football, the Frenchman has much to learn, and has plenty of time to learn it. Who and where better to learn his trade than under the wing of Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, who knows what it is like to be coming up through the United ranks?

Obertan has scored only one goal in the first team for United, which was in a Champions League game against Bursaspor, but he has been impressive in the reserves, scoring a handful of quality goals which must have impressed Ferguson. Young players like this need a chance, and therefore must be patient and prepared to work hard to prove that he is good enough to make the grade at United, because at United, only the best will do.

Quantity of Points - Not Quality of Performances that Matter For United

Manchester United may have dominated the most part of the game against Stoke City, but the Potters made it hard for United on a night which saw the Red Devils move three points clear at the top of the table after a 2 - 1 win at Old Trafford.

Javier Hernandez opened the scoring with a wonderful finish in the 26th minute thanks to a low cross from the returning Nani to the near post and back-heeled (or something clever) by the "Little Pea". A little man with big talents, and certainly a future of celebrating in front of the Old Trafford faithful is guaranteed for this exciting Mexican. This particular celebration however, lasted only until early in the second half, when Stoke equalised through Dean Whitehead. A cross from Tuncay saw the Stoke midfielder jump above the United defenders and nod home a ball which seemed to bounce in slow motion past Tomaz Kuszczak who stumbled across his goal line to no avail.

This had happened before. It will also happen again this season. Something else that will happen again is United coming back from the blow, and after a brief spell of the "Oh. Its happened again" atmosphere running through the stadium, Nani came up with a spectacular 20 yard shot with his left foot which glided beautifully into the top corner of the Stoke net. Despite just returning from a hip injury, the Portuguese isn't showing any signs that his good form is about to stop.

Stoke didn't offer too much in the attacking third after that, which United fans will be very thankful for, after seeing their side concede far too many late goals which cost them games. It may not have been the best performance - but the three points have been won - and a very valuable three points at that, with the 2nd and 3rd place teams, Manchester City and Arsenal playing tomorrow.

That fact still remains too - Manchester United are unbeaten this season in the League, proving that you don't have to play well to win games - although I suspect United fans would rather the team did play well while winning games. Well, you can't have everything.

Manchester United sign Anderson on New Deal

Manchester United midfielder Anderson has signed a new contract which will keep him at Old Trafford until 2015.

The Brazilian had been quite a disappointment since his £17 million move to United in 2007 from FC Porto, as he struggled to find form or fitness - which cost him a regular first team place. However, after playing a couple of games in the first team, filling in for Paul Scholes and proving his qualities with some fine performances and a rare goal to his name, not to mention his obvious potential he has earned himself the new deal.

The 22 year-old, who had been linked to moves away from United said he is delighted with the contract renewal, as he told the clubs official website:

"This is the best club to be at and I would like to thank everyone for the great support I have received over the years"

"I am looking forward to winning many more trophies with this club and I am so pleased to have signed a new contract."

His manager was equally as happy, saying that Anderson "has fantastic potential" and is "going to be a really top player" for the club.

The player scored his first goal at Old Trafford against Valencia last week - doubling his overall goal tally for United, and the signs of improvement are clear to see. He is much more comfortable with his position -playing further forward seems to be a strong point, but his physicality and passion are still as strong as when he first joined as a teenager.

Things seem to be going United's way at the moment - top of the League with a game in hand after toppling title challengers Arsenal and they stand in the proud position of being the only unbeaten side in England. A shaky Chelsea team in next up for the Red Devils, and Anderson will be hoping to earn his money and play a big part in pushing the Blues of the edge in what looks like will be a thrilling game.

Why Spurs Lost Against Manchester United

Okay after seeing Tottenham's performance against Manchester United I felt that Harry Redknapp was shown up as a poor tactician for the umpteenth time. The are three big games in which he was shown up, against Werder Bremen, Inter Milan and yesterday against Manchester United. I'll be concentrating the the game again Sir Alex Ferguson's team.

Cudicini, Bassong, Palacios (Jenas 66), Kranjcar, Cordeiro Sandro, Pavlyuchenko (Keane 63),  

Crouch (Van Der Vaart 77)

The first thing I noticed was that Redknapp decided to start without a recognised holding midfield. He did this in the past against Werder and Inter and paid for it, this time it was at Old Trafford against United. Jermaine Jenas is an energetic box to box midfielder not a holding midfielder with both Sandro and Palacios sitting on the bench I feel this was tactical error by the Spurs manager.

Another issue I saw in the Spurs midfield was the presence of Lennon, Modric and Van Der Vaart. Three midfielders who aren't known for their defensive capabilities. Add Bale in who is now an attacking winger, there is very little protection for the back four in game where most teams would expect long periods of pressure.

With Chelsea and Arsenal who all play with one up front have holding midfielder which stops them from being over-run in midfield. All the teams who've taken points from United started with combative ball winning midfielders Fulham (Etuhu), Everton (Fellaini), Sunderland (Cattermole) and West Brom (Mulumbu). With no holding midfielder tracking him Nani had one of his more positive games for United as he exploited the spaces between the Spurs lines. 

The decision to play Robbie Keane also baffled me. Just like during his short unsuccessful spell at Liverpool he was asked to play up front on his own. Keane is a good forward but he doesn't have pace, aerial ability or physical presence, therefore Vidic and Ferdinand had an easy afternoon. Both Lennon and Bale failed to provide him any support during the game and were fairly anonymous.

Kuszczak, Brown (Rafael Da Silva 64), Smalling, O'Shea, Scholes (Berbatov 64), Obertan (Hernandez 87), Tiago Bebe

If you look at Manchester United's midfield Carrick sat deep spreading possession to different areas of the pitch with Nani switching flanks trying to stretch play. In the middle Fletcher and Park (tucking in from the right) are more energetic and mobile defensively than Van Der Vaart and Modric and they can get forward maybe not as well as the Spurs pair but I feel their role was to negate them. I feel that this was were the game was lost for Spurs.

Redknapps substitutions showed that he was trying to rectify the errors made with the starting line up, he brought on Palacios for Jenas but was unfortunate enough to have Van Der Vaart injured and had to bring on Crouch emptying midfield further, especially as United had brought on Scholes for Berbatov 10 minutes earlier.

All in all i feel that Redknapp was on the back foot from the start due to his selection of no holding midfielder and Robbie Keane as the sole striker. I can see that Redknapp is starting to veer away from the 4-4-2 he was so used to but the striker he has dropped is for an attacking midfielder rather than a holding one.  

Hernandez Lifts United

It was a tricky game for Manchester United last night. A game away to the La Liga leaders with both Rooney and Scholes not travelling is a tough job to complete. But they did it.

United had to resist a lot of pressure from Valencia, but they knew this would happen away from home. Valencia wanted to put on a show for their fans, who, so far this season have been very pleased with what they have seen. However, Valencia could not penetrate the United defence with their play, although they tried other tactics, such as an aggressive stamp on Vidic's chest by one of the Valencia attackers, and then Soldados ridiculously desperate attempt to remove Nani's boots as the winger had the ball, when Soldado was on the floor. Astonishingly, in both occasions, the offender got away with it, but ultimately payed the price by conceding a late goal, and losing the game.

Valencia were a compact force. It was hard for United to create anything through the midfield, although this was probably thanks to the absence of Scholes, and the poor performances from Nani, Park, and Anderson. Nani, once again was giving the ball away with silly decisions, when a simple pass was on, and often, when he did choose the right pass, hit it too short, leaving the receiver with more work to do. It adds to the frustration, when it seems Nani doesn't realise the mistakes he makes, when they are schoolboy errors, which a man of his ability doesn't need to make. The sooner he realises that the small things like accurate, simple passing make him a better player as well as the big things like scoring a few goals, the better, because otherwise, he won't improve.

Berbatov had a tough game. His excellent season so far has relied on space and time on the ball, with options around him, as well as a good supplier from the wings. Last night, he had very little of any of those things, and therefore struggled to make an impact due to insufficient support. "Chicharito" saved United's day with a great little finish in the 85th minute to win the game. His first touch was to hit the post, while his second and third were controlling the ball and scoring. The young Mexican has brilliant pace, a great finish, and now a boost in confidence after his first Champions League goal for Manchester United. Is he the improved, young version of Michael Owen? Of course, he has a while to go before he eclipes the English legend, but the attributes are there.

United are now level on points with Rangers in their Champions League group, and their next game is against the Turkish club, Bursaspor, who have lost their first two games against Rangers last night, and Valencia. It should prove an easy qualification through to the knock-out rounds this year for United, but with their current form, you don't know what will happen.

Manchester United have Defensive Problems, Crossing inability and are Off form

Beaten to it: Evans

Manchester United, along with Fulham remain the only two teams in the Premier League who are unbeaten. Not only that, but United have scored at least two goals in each of the six games that they have played, and have scored 16 goals in the League. "So what is the problem?" you ask. "Where do I start?" is my reply.

United, in their opening six games have conceded nine goals. This simply isn't good enough for a team challenging for the title. Two clean-sheets in six games is poor, especially considering none of the teams United have played so far finished in the top four last season. The defence of Manchester United is going through a very shaky and unstable time at the moment.

Who will start alongside Vidic in the centre? Ferdinand or Evans? Will Ferdinand be fit? Will Evans handle the pressure? Will Vidic slip up and give away a penalty? All are questions that most United fans will have asked before and during every game so far this season - the answer, they found hasn't always been good.

Evans hasn't had a strong start to the season. He was targeted by Everton as a weak spot in the 3 - 3 draw, and again today, Zat Knight rose above him to give Bolton the lead. Ferdinand may have done better jobs, but with his inconsistency and often reliance on Vidic, who knows?

Another cause for concern is the inability to get good crosses into the box. Last season, Valencia was brilliant in his deliveries - with Rooney profiting greatly from them with a bucket full of goals. But now, with Valencia out for a while injured, only Nani and Giggs are on the touchlines ready to cross. Unfortunately for the strikers, the crosses are often disappointing.

Needs work on crossing: Nani

Nani is unbelievably frustrating. There are so many examples of when he could get the ball in a dangerous area and create a goal - a winning goal, but lets everyone down. Then there are those times when he does something absolutely brilliant. However, with Nani, the bad decisions outweigh the good.

And Giggs!. Once a marvelous source of crosses with Beckham on the other wing, he is now starting to wither. His passes are often poor, and his crosses are not the best. He can no longer take on a couple of players on the wing, and finds it hard to keep up with the pace of the game. United need a winger who can cross the ball and create chances. Wesley Sneijder perhaps? (See my next article) http://bit.ly/9H7XcL

In general, United are off-form. The good news is, United are often off-form at the start of the season, and only get into gear later on. But they really do need to improve. They travel to Valencia on Wednesday, and come back to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on the second. They need to be ready. They need to win.