Manchester United Player Focus – Antonio Valencia

On Tuesday evening Manchester United opened their Champions League campaign with a 0-0 draw against Scottish side Rangers. There were a few talking points, firstly how Coach Sir Alex Ferguson rotated with his squad and made 10 changes to the line-up from the Everton game, bringing up accusations of arrogance and where his priorities lie – with a Premier League clash against rivals Liverpool on Saturday. Secondly how Rangers performed marvellously to frustrate and stifle United with a disciplined defensive performance, which the Red Devils are used to from travelling teams. Questions arose as to how good this squad really is and how they did not have somebody to unlock the tight knitted defence. Unfortunately the headline was not one people will have comfort in seeing.

Luis Antonio Valencia caught his foot in the turf while under-pressure from Kirk Broadfoot and dislocated his ankle, an injury which is likely to rule him out for the remainder of the season. It evokes sour memories for United fans, as only four years ago Alan Smith picked up the same injury when blocking a shot from Liverpool full-back John Arne Riise. The worry is not if he will recovery from the injury physically – thankfully medical advances in football mean the chances are he will recover – it is that recovery from such an injury is fraught with psychological implications. Since his setback Smith has moved on to Newcastle United, but it is fair to say he is not the same player he was pre-misfortune. He is not alone in that.

Valencia Has Made An Impact At Old Trafford

Manchester United Player Focus – Paul Scholes

“Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team – that goes to show how highly I have always rated him. He would have been one of the first players I’d have bought, given the chance”. Those are the words of Marcello Lippi, a manager who has won five Serie A titles, a UEFA Champions League, and won the World Cup with Italy in 2006. His gracious remarks show the reputation that Paul Scholes has earned from putting in stellar performances over the past 16 years both domestically and on the European scene. Only two games into the season and the midfielder has earned two man-of-the-match performances against Chelsea in the Community Shield and against Newcastle United on Monday night, and there are even whispers of Mesut who?

Even though he is now 35, and his fitness and pace are not what they used to be, Scholes has evolved into a different player, something which is a remarkable achievement. During his peak he would make trademark late runs into the box, which resulted in eight seasons where he was in double digits for goals. He was in many ways the second striker, playing just off Ruud van Nistelrooy, and was a footballer who would cause havoc to opponents. However, since 2005, setbacks such as knee ligament damage took their toll on a man who was already approaching his 30’s, and meant he could not be the athlete he once was. Since then Scholes has turned into a defensive playmaker. He will sit around the half-way line and spray majestic passes behind the oppositions defence. His pass ratio is consistently high and it is rare to see him lose the ball. If you take into account somebody like Michael Owen, who since losing his pace is not half the player he was, Scholes has shown just how good he is by being able to adopt a different style of play.

Still Going Strong At 35