The Great Money Trick.

Nobody reading this should need reminding that the last time United met Barcelona was in the final of the same competition, in Rome 2009, where the Catalan team ran out 2-0 winners, but for the sake of pedantry, there it was again.

United’s performance was a wretched reflection of the players available. Perhaps a case of diminishing returns, given the squad included Berbatov, Tevez, Rooney and the low-carb Ronaldo – stellar striking names – a collective by default, but most definitely not operating as one. Whether by design or by his own judgment, the entire game that night seemed sublimated for the sake of the Portuguese and he took efforts from goal almost whenever in possession.

In Robert Tressell’s seminal book “The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists” he tells a tale of a socialist society and for many, one chapter stands out, “The Great Money Trick” in which the central character organises a mock-up of capitalism with his workmates, using slices of bread as raw materials and knives as machinery. Then “employing” his workmates to cut-up the bread, illustrating that the employer - who does not work – is able to accumulate personal wealth whilst the workers remain no better off than when they began, simply trading monies back and forth for sustenance.

Tressell was able to practically illustrate that the Marxist theory of surplus value, in a capitalist system is generated by labour. If ever a player could be used as a metaphor for “The Great Money Trick” it is Cristiano Ronaldo; an extraordinary blend of physical attributes and technique, he rightly won World Player of the Year, but he is one who operates only as an extension of the heart, mind and efforts of the other ten - reliant upon others to satiate his own expectations; apart but never a part.

It could concern some that United has not only lost Ronaldo since Rome, but also the Subterranean Homesick Blue [Tevez] - two famous names no doubt - but they have also gained a selfless, willing runner in Antonio Valencia - someone who recently bullied Ashley Cole in a way that his predecessor never did - and of course, a Little Pea. When the spring-heeled Mexican [Hernandez] said recently that, “we always think about the team, that is the most important thing. We don't need to be selfish and think only about scoring ourselves” he epitomised this team’s biggest strength: an innate willingness to acquiesce to a collective.

If the team of 2009 was a rudderless one, with a centre of gravity in CR7’s head, this team is a Marxist’s ideologue – should a front six of Valencia, Fletcher/Carrick, Giggs, Park, Rooney and Hernandez start for United, there will be passengers; no lack of effort; and no fear either, one senses.

And this is a moral that strikes a chord with Barcelona also. Whilst it may be temptingly English to disparage the brilliance of Messi, the genius of Xavi or the transcendental qualities of Andres Iniesta with accusations of languorous artistry, these would be unjust. Even the obnoxious Busquets and the insufferable Alves play their parts.

 This Barcelona team may work the ball around and around better than any – on the carousel, as our Wizard described it – ever probing for weaknesses, seeking to pull players out of position and always able to rely upon moments of individual magic, but they press the ball out of possession like no other - and the entire team shoulders this responsibility. The best player on the planet, Lionel Messi, recently asserted that “Play for the name on the front of the shirt and they’ll remember the name on the back," which just underlines the club’s attitude.

Although one may be set to occur in the seats of Wembley, albeit initiated in the offices of UEFA - given the pricing and distributing of tickets - there will certainly be no “Great Money Trick” on the pitch itself; it will just be two teams built wholly on the principle of collectivism.

Given that this is the pinnacle of the sport, it is perhaps no surprise that both managers’ share the same political leanings and that they are reflected in their teams. Both managers have never been afraid to voice these opinions either.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s political views are as infamous as they are infamous now, at least for some – his human failings there to be analyzed over and over, after almost 30 years in the country’s most high-profile job - "I have never forgotten where I come from or how fortunate I have been to get where I have - and how important politics has been in improving the lives of the people I come from. I want as many people as possible to have the same chance through hard work to make the most of their talents. And I don't want families to suffer again the misery that the Tories caused as I saw in Scotland and the North West.”

If not always in his actions, then in his public ideals, Sir Alex Ferguson has long seemed a natural fit with the socialist political defiance of Manchester.

And in an interview with Time magazine, when aged 29, Guardiola commented that “there is a special relationship between Catalans and this team we call Barça. Catalunya was repressed for many years, culturally and in the use of its own language. That makes you love these things more and want to defend them at the national and international level. For many years [under the rule of Dictator Francisco Franco], the football stadium was one of the few places where people could safely shout "Visca Barça! Visca Catalunya!" (Long live Barca! Long live Catalunya!) It has been a point of reference for Catalans for 100 years.”

He may be prematurely bald, but Guardiola is a perfect manifestation of Catalunya and again, in the last couple of years, he managed to cause a stir with the Madrid based newspaper Marca when commenting "we are a country with our own language and when we leave its borders, those of us that speak it, use it.”

For Madrid and Barcelona almost read Manchester’s misanthropic relationship with the idiot wind blowing through some of London and Essex.

Indeed, the similarities between the two cities [and clubs] are myriad; there is even an old industrial area within the confines of Barcelona that the locals call “the Catalan Manchester”; unsurprisingly it is all red-brick buildings. 

Moreover, an abridged history of Josep Lluiz Nunez’s tenure as club President during the 1990s could easily read: we sought to copy Manchester United; Bobby Robson was fired in order to insinuate a longer-term mentality into Barcelona and Louis van Gaal was appointed in lieu, tasked with replicating Sir Alex Ferguson’s combination of success and stability.

Barcelona’s renewed appetite for youth is a testimony to a Nunez success: where United produced Giggs, Beckham, Scholes, Butt and the Neville brothers; Barcelona have gone on to integrate Iniesta, Pique, Fabregas, Xavi and Pedro.

But Nunez also instigated an aggressive commercial process to claw back the disparity between merchandising revenues – back then, Barcelona accrued just 30% of United’s. And ultimately, he presided over a stewardship almost as unpopular as any of United’s owners and even conceived the ridiculous "Barça 2000" development – a Disney-esque aberration that would have surrounded the Camp Nou.

Indeed the links are closer than many large clubs and soon after United fans’ foiled Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of BSkyB, both Barcelona and United fans attended a conference that had been organised in London to discuss an increasingly commercialised game. One, Joan Laporta, represented a group called the Elefant Blau, which was lobbying for greater supporter democracy at Barcelona and sought to erode the power base of Senor Núñez whom, they believed he was selling out the club's traditions and values.

The Catalan presence that day inspired a belief amongst the English that supporter owned football clubs could exist, survive and also thrive; all British football clubs began as members' organisations and the brilliant Barcelona remained owned by its 140,000+ members.

Whatever your views, there is a close parallel with the “Green and Gold” campaign that enveloped United and even events before that. For younger readers, Andy Walsh spoke at the time for us; he went on to be a founder of FC United.

And yet once installed Joan Laporta proved to be nothing if not a realist. Barcelona’s income in 2002-03, before he took over was £84million, compared with £173m for United. But by 2010 Barcelona were achieving revenues of $488m, against United’s of $428m. Globalization has long been a phrase used as often as tiki-taka in and around the Catalan club.

The catalogue of both clubs’ sponsors bear close comparison in numbers and names with Nike, Turkish Airlines, Betfair and Audi each sponsoring both. And then, there is the Qatari Foundation - recently paying Barcelona £125m for the honour of association; would it be such a surprise if they had provided United (the Glazers) the money to pay off the PIKs, by virtue of an interest free loan or an advance payment for events that may come later? Stadium naming rights or “the other.”

And although it easy to cite both United and Barcelona as culpable in the commercialisation of the game, both survive without doping from Madrid banks, from Oligarchs or from Oil money; both stand on their own two feet.

The two biggest clubs in the world will meet in the final on the 28^th May – the El Clasico of Europe – capitalists by necessity in the boardroom, but socialists on the pitch.

The changing of the guard.

This time last year Sir Alex Ferguson spoke of United's cycle and of a team in transition, inferring that the club was in a growth phase. It's not the Wizard's way to make excuses, but he is not averse to managing expectations and one suspects, at that time, he wondered whether a League title could prove beyond United - the 19th as it was.

city should have been better than they were - spending £30million+ on a lamppost of a striker midseason only to play without wingers - and Chelsea couldn't have been worse for a period of five months mid-season. But, last season's successes notwithstanding, it feels like United's transitionary era continues apace.


Paul Scholes has retired; Gary Neville just beat him to it. Edwin Van der Sar has gone. Hargreaves - gone. The Bebe enigma - gone. The Obertan experiment seems likely to be terminated; although merging Thierry Henry's physique with Mr Tickle's nervous system always seemed long-shot.


Bids have been accepted for Wes Brown, Darron Gibson and John O'Shea, surprisingly in the case of the latter. Whilst Kuszscak, Mame-Biram Diouf and Macheda must all be close to the exit door, too.


And almost inevitably - given the manager's apparent lack of faith in him - rumours continue to circle of Dimitar Berbatov's exit from the club. Marginalised during the second-half of the season; the Bulgarian was seemingly barred from playing with Rooney or Hernandez.


Berbatov remains a player of intelligence and craft, but perhaps his personality just doesn't fit with the manager's style. Although any sale of the player may also be predicated by a formation change, with Wayne Rooney adopting the lone striker role more often next year.


The trimming of the tree won't stop this summer either, as the club seeks to stimulate the growth of new branches. Ji-Sung Park is openly discussing his retirement; Ryan Giggs may only have one more season left; Patrice Evra has been increasingly lax tracking runners; and with the club now replete with central-defenders - specifically, young ones needing games - one from Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic may also be deemed expendable within the next twelve months, too.


Nani? Valencia? One is inexplicably unpredictable; the other explicably predictable. Both players have real value but a player whom can combine their attributes might be sought to upgrade eventually.


And after myriad excuses, qualifying his performances, this year must be the last chance for Anderson, too. Intuition, intelligence, stamina and foresight are not the Brazilian's strong points, but all are paramount in an elite midfield pairing. One wonders whether Anderson's dynamic 'Chaos Theory' approach will be utilised nearer the final third this year.


So, where will the team go from here? Well, United moved early in the transfer window, committing to £50million+ in fees on Ashley Young [£15m], Phil Jones [£20m] and David De Gea [£18m]. It is tempting to look at that trio and feel the first eleven hasn't been improved, perhaps with some validity, but all have qualities.


De Gea is the best goalkeeping prospect since Buffon and perhaps before. Despite being 6 ft 3, the Spaniard's reflexes are so catlike that he could easily be wearing a collar.  De Gea will require patience on occasion, though, as he tries to impose his style on the Old Trafford crowd - a propensity for giving away, but then saving, penalties is almost his trademark.


Phil Jones, the centre-back and occasional defensive-midfielder, has regularly evoked images of Paul McGrath; given time he will become a real Rolls Royce of a defender and also a comfortable first choice.


Ashley Young? Arguably the most consistent left-winger in the country in the last two years. He'll add directness, pace, versatility and hunger; although 7 out of 10 performances, rather than 8.5s or 9s have seemed his staple up to this juncture.


But, irrespective of the three new boys, as last year and the year before, the area of the team that most concerns United fans is the centre of midfield. Who the manager brings in there is the million dollar question.


The club have spoken to Wesley Sneijder's agents throughout the season, but with a transfer fee of £30million and a salary of £10million per year, the player's cost for a five year package would be £80million. It seems hard to believe that the club would countenance such expenditure on the Dutchman, given his age [27] and the unlikely realisation of value through resale at any point in the future.


It would also be surprising if Ferguson introduced a player who effectively consigned Rooney to the left-wing or else Javier Hernandez to the bench; for as good as he is, Sneijder lacks the attributes to perform in a central-midfield two - he has only ever operated productively as a number '10' - a role where Wayne Rooney is arguably Sneijder turned up to 11.


It feels more likely the manager would look to secure a player capable of performing in a midfield two and ideally dictating it. Schweinsteiger; Luka Modric; Javi Martinez; Arturo Vidal; Fabregas; even Jack Wilshere - to name some ambitious candidates.


There has been some talk that the club's business might be done, but that would seem "brand" suicide on the Glazer's part. Having been afforded the opportunity to restructure their finances [post-economic collapse] by the moderate fans, parsimony this window could be one year too many for the tastes of too many. Should United deem Ashley Young to be their aspirational signing, it will be difficult not to assert that we have been left with the 'Netto Neymar'.


But United being United - and despite it being a laudable policy plunged into a shade of grey by financial imperatives - the club will also look to homegrown talent and there is a surfeit around the club.


Tom Cleverley seems likely to be given his opportunity. The Bradford lad excels as an attacking-midfielder with space to cut inside or centrally with runners around him. His greatest strengths being interplay; good vision; and very good feet. A player of perpetual movement, Cleverley may ultimately prove to be Ji-Sung Park's squad replacement.


Ravel Morrison, the 18 year old attacking midfielder, could benefit from being plunged in at the deep-end; the impatient, brooding teenager becoming more focused by a sink-or-swim experience. Football has perhaps come too easily for his brilliant talents until now and the challenge of the Premier League might help him.


There are moments when the Wythenshawe Red seems to be channeling Michael Laudrup and if he can connect with the Old Trafford crowd, he has a chance to be first choice for the duration of his career. Though, if you think football should only be played by those equally at home in the tennis clubs of England then Morrison might not be for you.


Paul Pogba is further Academy produce ripe for plucking. He has been compared to Patrick Vieira in some quarters, but his style is more creative - all drag-backs, quick feet, great vision, blessed with a torpedo right-foot seemingly composed more of banana than bone and with a lolloping gait - he is far closer to the brilliant Brazilian Socrates.


It would be no surprise if Pogba is promoted to the Carling Cup team immediately and pushes hinself higher by the Spring. Although his integration into the first-team won't be seamless, he is the safest bet for a career at the highest level.


Ryan Tunnicliffe - last year's Jimmy Murphy award winner - is a tenacious and energetic midfielder whose style could also add value within the right squad construct. Rumours currently link him to Peterborough, which makes sense.


The manager also stated that Danny Welbeck should return from Sunderland. Danny may never be first choice at United but he is capable of playing from the left in a front three with top four effectiveness, as his performance against Chelsea showed for Sunderland, when working off Asamoah Gyan.


Will Keane, the young striker, is another who could feature in Carling Cup games next year, particularly if Dimitar Berbatov leaves. A former winner of the club's Jimmy Murphy award, the Stockport-born United fan is a goal-machine. Sceptics might decry his readiness, but - anyone who has seen him play - ask yourself this: would Will Keane have offered any less in the FA Cup semi-final than Berbatov? It does not tell the full story, but would he have scored less?


Will needs a year on the club's patented Ronaldo-diet, for sure, but integrating from fifth choice might accelerate his growth better than a loan spell - snapping at the heels of those out-of-favour by March.


The composition of next season's squad is, of course, impossible to predict, but one thing is certain: to have seen the manager auteur the club's perpetual evolution without missing a step, thus far, just reiterates that we remain in the presence of a true genius in his field.


But, onwards and upwards or as that shirt logo thingy says - "relentless" - what does the season ahead hold?


Tottenham? With a stadium to fund in the near future and a manager as unimaginative as Harry Redknapp, they should offer no threat to every big club's financial Holy Grail: the top four finish.


Arsenal are trapped in a state of flux; United meddling with Nasri, perhaps to encourage a Bosman next summer; Barcelona enjoying their annual Fabregas hunt; Wenger trapped between his football snobbery and the  acceptance a club needs to win trophies. All set against the backdrop of new ownership and a season ahead that may yet fail to bring in Champions League football/ revenue.


Whilst Liverpool currently seem to be increasing their squad depth, rather than their first eleven's quality.


It would be a surprise to see either Arsenal or the Scousers challenge for the anything higher than fourth place, unless they make some extravagant signings.


Chelsea were steamrollered by a midfield of Carrick and Giggs last season, but they will be a different proposition under the craft and bouffant of their new manager [Villas-Boas] particularly with a shopping-list that is likely to include some from Modric, Moutinho, Sanchez, Aguero, Falcao, Hulk and numerous others.


Small mercies? This era might represent Abramovich's last run at the Champions League with Chelski; Mother Russia perhaps calling her wealthiest children back home permanently in preparation for the World Cup of 2018.


city? Given the Manchester Evening News' obsession with United and Sneijder, it seems likely the Blues will move for him, giving the McEN their traditional transfer coup story; as Tevez gave them; as Rooney almost did. Ibrahimovic would seem plausible. They also sent Ronaldo a car full of money. I think I need a wash.


If the greatest challenges in the League will [naturally] be from city and Chelsea, then in Europe it seems inevitable Real Madrid will challenge the English teams for the mantle of 'best of the rest.'  Particularly with their hierarchy acquiescing to Mourinho's desires and spending more money.


But in a global context - how United expect to be measured - Barcelona remain the ultimate benchmark. The Catalan club are on a different level right now; more than just the best players, their team represents an evolutionary leap in the interpretation of football; shared intelligence is alluded to in science fiction and that is exactly what Barcelona have, at least in this cycle. That is United's challenge.

Ganso, Pirlo and Kaka's stresses

'A Selecao': they suffered a stark realisation following Spain’s ascension to the top of the football pyramid in South Africa 2010. Clearly not the first time a team has supplanted the game's historically dominant country, but no other nation has innovated such a cohesive, rhythmic and successful style as Spain, a vision with clarity that expects to subdue the opposition; aside from Brazil at their best.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the country expected reinvention. Particularly so, given their first opportunity at lifting the World Cup once more will be in their own country in 2014. Accordingly Dunga left his post immediately after South Africa, replaced by Mano Menezes, who was tasked with injecting more of the ‘Old Brazil’ into the perfunctory version under Dunga.

It is unjust to lay all the blame at Dunga’s door, though; he sought to work with the tools he was given. In the last twenty years, archetypal Brazilian midfielders have been blessed with industry, strength, determination and discipline, a trend that coincidentally harks back to Dunga [the player] and Mauro Silva in the World Cup of 1994.

A dearth of creative central-midfielders is acute in Brazil’s current failings, though: players without great foresight and imagination, players without acute technical alacrity. For those fans of a romantic bent, reading through the current squad must make it an anathema: Lucas Leiva, Sandro, Ramires. But although pragmatism and protectionism were dominant in the accentuation of Brazilian football towards midfield functionality - a desire to protect the centre-backs –it was not a trend without creative imperatives, too and this, at least, continues to stand them in good stead elsewhere.

The liberation of the fullback is paramount in their game and that aspiration bore fruit in this generation; they possess a surfeit of attack minded players on the right: in the wonderful Dani Alves they have a one-man flank, Maicon and the burgeoning talent of Rafael Da Silva. The left is similarly strong: Marcelo performed like one of the five best left-backs in the world last season; whilst there is also Michael Bastos, Fabio Da Silva, Adriano and Andre Santos. Indeed, Menezes has a defence equal to any permutation in the world to work around, as he rejuvenates the team; myriad talents at fullback and a triangle of Thiago Silva and Lucio at centre-back with Julio-Cesar as goalkeeper.

Whilst in the young strike pairing of Santos’ starlet Neymar and Alexander Pato of Milan, Brazil have two players of class and technique, whom would fit in any national side on their day. And in Lucas Moura, the Sao Paulo number ten, a player of genuine elite potential, one who should be assimilated into the full squad within two years.

And then there is Kaka, the former World Player of the Year. His move to Real Madrid has clearly backfired; Mesuit Ozil surpassed him and the team has become accustomed to the young German and likewise, he to the spaces it generates; and yet, despite serious injury, Kaka’s acceleration remains intact, still an incisive attacking talent, as he showed against Valencia.

Too often, though, Kaka has looked out of shape and stressed during his fleeting appearances for Madrid; and it should be to Brazil’s great benefit if the player found himself a club able to provide him with regular playing time again; enabling him to achieve a better physical and personal equilibrium, once more. But, for now, as at club level, Kaka has found himself marginalized for the progression of youth; and that may be unwarranted by Menezes.

Able to view this year’s Copa America as part of a rebuilding process, the true imagination of this Brazil is still unknowable; but the Santos playmaker Ganso, just 22, seems to have been identified as solely dominant in Menezes’ vision for his new team, the centrepiece [or trequartista] in a 4-2-1-3 formation. A system that bears comparison with their neighbours Argentina’s previous reliance on Juan-Roman Riquelme; by extension, of tactics that can be rendered ineffective at the elite level, if the playmaker can be nullified or has an off day.

Like Riquelme before him: Ganso does have limitations: he lacks the searing pace of a Sanchez; the nimble feet of a Nasri; the absolute range of Sneijder’s passing; or the incisive innovation of a Pastore. There is no doubting the talent of Ganso, though; he possesses something of everything, a game that is far more rounded than any of those counterparts and this may offer a solution of Menezes, should he decide to dilute creative responsibilities.

The manager could perhaps do worse than to mimic the innovations at Milan, where Andrea Pirlo was famously reinvented as a deep-lying playmaker; Brazil has no midfielder equipped to collect the ball from deep and to initiate attacking transitions, other than Ganso. Indeed, when playing for Santos, his desire for involvement sees him consistently drop deep into midfield, benefiting from the pitch in front of him, from the movement of players around him; excellent when slaloming forward, with a natural predilection for one-twos, equipped with strong intuition in interplays.

Moreover, there is resilience and strength to Ganso’s play, he doesn’t shirk physical involvement or the responsibilities of the battlefield; and whilst it is a ceiling that he would likely never reach, the outstanding Argentinean Fernando Redondo would be a marvelous frame of reference for the player transitioning into that position.

Providing Ganso with the twin securities of one from Sandro or Lucas Leiva and one from the perpetually-motioned Ramires or David Luiz, the technically excellent Chelsea defender - perhaps working towards the inclusion of Lazio's 'Prophet' Hernanes, in time; with a Kaka included as a more typically dynamic number ten, shouldering the creative burden – could see Brazil flourish in a surprising way.

Champions League Final 2011: Barcelona vs United.

Barcelona approach the Champions League final with almost acute tactical certainty and will undoubtedly adopt their de-facto 4-3-3 formation, or closer to a 3-2-2-1-2, in terms of average positions. Moreover, nine players are certain starters for the Catalan club: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Villa and Messi. Indeed, it would be ten, had Carlos Puyol not spent much of the season side-lined and perhaps a full eleven, were it not for Eric Abidal having a tumour removed from his liver just two months ago.

Guardiola has two decisions to make in personal: left-back and centre-back.

Carlos Puyol is traditionally preferred at centre-back, but it seems increasingly plausible that Javier Mascherano will be utilised there by Guardiola. The Argentinian defensive-midfielder has, as yet, been unable to thrive in the engine room of the Catalan team, but has shown an ability to stick aggressively to the tasks required at the heart of the defence – he played there against Real Madrid in the semi-final.

The player Guardiola chooses alongside Pique at centre-back is unlikely to be one that affects the dynamic of the team, but the decision at left-back may well do: it could determine David Villa and Pedro’s nominal starting positions.

Should Guardiola prioritise his team’s attacking play over their defensive, it is likely he will select one from Abidal, Adriano or Maxwell, since their greater propensity to overlap would assist David Villa, most comfortable cutting inside onto his right foot when played from the left – the space would be useful to him. Pedro, by comparison, is far more the traditional winger and operates as such, whichever the flank.

Whilst, if Puyol or Mascherano start at left-back, it is possible Villa and Pedro could trade flanks for the kick-off. Of course, Barcelona’s front players will continually revolve into different positions, seeking to befuddle the opposition with movement. The system and style is second-nature to Barcelona, but an attacking challenge for them on Saturday will be to ensure they have players able to get around both sides of United’s defence.

Although regardless of fine-tuning, with the brilliance of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta whirling perpetually around the central attacking third and a one-man right-flank in Dani Alves, the questions this Barcelona pose are harder to solve than those from any other team for almost twenty years.

While, the left-hand side of Barcelona’s team may be the only decisive question they have to answer, trying to establish Manchester United’s eleven and formation is a far more convoluted process. The only en bloc certainty is that United will start with a back five, comprised of Van der Sar, Evra, Ferdinand and Vidic, for four; Rafael and Fabio the choices at right-back.

Sir Alex Ferguson has seemed unwilling to commit to a first eleven all season, or more specifically, he does not have a first eleven. The club does not exist on an ideologue like their Catalan counterparts, despite a long-held affection for 4-4-2, something that the manager shares.

The Scot has shuffled his pack all season, seeking to ensure that players do not reach levels of exhaustion, but also so that the squad remain involved. However, it has also been useful in ensuring that opposition managers remain uncertain in the tactics or players they may face and this is likely to include Guardiola.

Although United’s performance against Chelsea set a high benchmark for the use of a 4-4-2 - with Hernandez and Rooney starting together upfront - Barcelona are a different proposition, they lack a player as immobile as Frank Lampard, most pointedly. A centre midfield of Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick versus one consisting of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta would seem to be a catch-weight contest.

United’s manager has inferred that he possesses an answer to the Barcelona conundrum [having learned in Rome]. It seems most likely that this would involve utilising two players in the central area, both of whom would have the energy to press consistently, but also the capacity to cover ground at pace; although, intelligence and selflessness will also be required.

Two players stand-out for United in successfully rebuffing the Barcelona carousel before it reaches the defence: Darren Fletcher and Ji-Sung Park.

A United central midfield of Fletcher and Park would lack the metronomic guidance of a Carrick or Scholes, but it would enable the manager to protect their penalty area with greater surety than in Rome 2009, to keep the final third more secure, providing a stronger platform for a front four.

Unfortunately for Darren Fletcher, though, the final may have come 180 minutes too soon after his absence with a virus; the choice will revert to Michael Carrick or Ryan Giggs, with Fabio Da Silva an outsider. Should Carrick be selected, then Giggs would likely play from a deep, tucked-in left-wing position, supplementing the centre of midfield when required.

With the searing pace and virtuoso movement of Hernandez stretching the play and occupying two of the Barcelona backline; and Rooney augmenting the midfield, it feels possible that a 4-4-2 could work for United, but it would have to be pitch-perfect.

However, should the United manager seek to integrate Hernandez with pragmatism his overwhelming philosophy, then the formation would probably be the same as that in Rome 2009 - a 4-3-3 and it would mean a return to the left-hand side for Wayne Rooney.

Thus far, Rooney has been unable to interpret the left-sided forward position with the same vitality as other players with far less ability. Rather than supplementing the attack, Rooney has almost always morphed into an auxiliary left-back. Moreover, with Dani Alves the opponent for all along that flank, the fear must be that United’s best attacking player could be rendered irrelevant by his defensive responsibilities.

In many ways, though, a 4-3-3 would suit the United team: enabling Carrick to play more of a natural game to him, aided by the energy of Park and with a Giggs, Anderson or a Fabio able to break the lines with the ball at their feet.

Indeed, were United to line-up as: Van der Sar; Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valenca, Carrick, Park, Giggs; Rooney and Hernandez – they would able to change between two systems to suit the progression of the game. Tactical flexibility is likely to be high on the United manager’s agenda.

Of course, the 4-3-3 was also the system utilised by United last year and that team’s experiences will inevitably be utmost in their manager’s mind. With Rooney playing as a lone centre-forward, United obliterated Milan over two-legs and the team’s ultimate defeat to Bayern Munich owed much to the naivety of their full-back Rafael in the 2^nd-leg; until the sending-off, United had blown into a 3-0 lead.

Although Rooney has evolved into a more creative role this season, when deployed as a lone striker last year, the player’s selflessness, strength, vision, awareness and work-rate set him above any other forward in the world – Torres, Ronaldo, Drogba et al – aside from one: Messi. Though, his counterpart at Barcelona interprets the role differently.  

Moreover, Rooney’s relationship with Antonio Valencia just seemed to guarantee goals, and coincidentally, while the United number 10 has been adorned with a stylistically inaccurate nickname of the “White Pele,” it would be far more appropriate to compare Valencia with Garrincha. The Ecuadorian is all right-foot, selflessness, strength and pace; his only concern is to hit the by-line and how to get his cross in; unafraid to stop, to turn, and to run at his full-back again - much like the “Little Bird.”

With Hernandez a perfect option from the bench, ready for when the Barcelona team start to tire from 65 minutes onwards, the reversion to the relative security of 4-5-Rooney/ 4-3-3 must be attractive. Although the Nani of recent months differs from the left-sided version that played against Bayern and also the right-sided one during much of this season. It is difficult to judge the player's state of mind.

But the temptation to shell the Little Pea from kick-off might be too tantalising and seeing Hernandez’s name in the starting eleven is a prospect that might have more than just Sir Alex Ferguson salivating: United’s fans will be hoping for as much offensive bravura as is practicable.

Nowhere loves to think it walks the talk more than Manchester and attacking one of the best teams ever, whilst the eyes of the world are watching, may be as swaggering as it is possible for football tactics to become.

In Arsene we trust

In Arsene we trust: a divisive phrase amongst Arsenal fans and one that will forever be laced with a withering inference; those who imbibe the credo and use it without irony are simply unable to question Arsene Wenger, just happy to bury their head in the sand like many a pious fundamentalist, at least that is the view of many Arsenal fans. This summer could see the phrase being used with increasing sarcasm, by increasing numbers, if recent weeks are anything to go by.

Arsenal’s season has been one of peaks and troughs: the progression of Jack Wilshere undermined by the Don Balon debacle with Cesc Fabregas; the continued brilliance and goals of Robin Van Persie diluted by his consistently glassy physique; the heights hit by Samir Nasri for two-thirds of the season eroded by his mediocre final one-third; a one-off defeat of Barcelona ultimately proving irrelevant as the club were put in their place during the return leg. Above all else, though, Arsenal failed to win a trophy, flopping in the League and both the domestic Cups; the club have not won a trophy since 2005.

But, of course, Football Managers exist in a shade of grey and if viewed through a prism of transfer expenditure alone, Arsene Wenger has punched far beyond his weight-class: Arsenal stand 19^th out of the current 20 Premier League clubs for total net expenditure, trading at a profit in player recruitment, for the period 2006-2011. Pound–for-pound sterling, Wenger’s record bears comparison with any.

However, in electing to regrow an already established club from its roots - accentuating Arsenal in their entirety towards youth and imposing a specific playing ideologue - Wenger unilaterally instigated an initiative so challenging that he must have realised it could prove beyond almost any manager. It would seem justified to wonder whether it was an objective motivated by egoism as much as love.

A degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in economics, Wenger exudes intelligence and educated in a field founded on truisms, it is perhaps no real surprise that his team’s style has evolved into an absolute. Indeed, the imagination of one who conceives in science and maths seems hugely influential in all Arsenal’s football: angles, refraction and a playing imperative with all the precision of calculus.

Though, given the righteous beautifying innate within the French and their postulations in football, Wenger will inevitably observe through an artistic lens equally as vividly as that of the scientific. Indeed, Wenger has openly hypothesised that football is now another legitimate art-form.

It is of no consequence, but it is easy to imagine that if Wenger’s conceptualisation of football could be symbolised in a piece of art, the result would be akin to the work of Russian surrealist Wassily Kandinsky.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, however, football is not a game predominantly of grids or absolutes, nor is it sketched with the arc of a compass. Football remains a game played by free-willed individuals and all clubs are subject to external forces. Of course, Wenger does not stand alone in the desire to inculcate an ideologue into a football club and although Ajax is another example - a close relation in many ways - it is openly accepted that the style Wenger most seeks to mimic is that of Barcelona’s.

Herein lie further shades of grey: although Johan Cruyff successfully insinuated an evolutionary leap into the football paradigm via the Catalan club, it was also much of a staccato process. Barcelona suffered growing-pains during their reinvention: the Dutch heavy era of Van Gaal ultimately succumbing to the weight of expectation; between 2000 and 2004, the team won nothing; whilst Frank Rijkaard’s term ended anti-climactically, after it became increasingly stodgy and ill-disciplined, self-indulgent.  

Moreover, while Barcelona’s educational infrastructure [La Masia] has been evolved over decades, Wenger has sought to accelerate the culture in his Islington petri-dish, players pulled together from far more disparate homes than the current grouping in Cataluña; no collective identity unites this Arsenal dressing-room, just a moral loyalty to Wenger and to the club, to differing extents. A shared intelligence and appreciation of collective aspirations is fundamental to the Catalan’s playing style – this is how Barcelona consistently exceeds the sum of its parts.

Though, of course, Barcelona have also been able, and willing, to operate at a different level to Arsenal in the transfer market: the Catalan’s spending over €700m since the turn of the century; whether it is Wenger or the Board that are unwilling to invest in recruitment to the extent that they might is unknowable, which is unfortunate for those fans seeking to make a definitive judgement on their manager.

However, perhaps most significantly, this Barcelona simply possesses something Arsenal does not: three extraordinary footballers performing on a different level to any at Wenger’s disposal, all home-grown, all attuned to the club’s playing philosophy: Messi, Xavi and Iniesta.

Effectively a poorer version of Barcelona; the predictability of Arsenal’s system can render the team exactly that, but also undermine them before a game even begins. Where Ferguson, Ancelotti, Dalglish et al are able to ensure Wenger remains uncertain over the team and formation Arsenal may be facing, the only question they have in evaluating Arsenal’s strategy is which digits will they use in Wenger's [one] carefully constructed football equation.

It is indisputable that everything good about “this” Arsenal originates from within Wenger and when they achieve solutions he is acutely responsible, but he is now undeniably complicit in their prevailing flaws and his simple inability to appoint a new Assistant manager could be his biggest failing.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s career at United has been punctuated with myriad Assistants – Knox, Kidd, McLaren, Ryan, Smith, Quieroz and Phelan – all forcing the United manager to evolve from consistent exposure to new ideas and to perhaps temper his own methods to reflect the changing attributes around him; Arsene Wenger has retained Pat Rice as his number two since 1996.

Dragan Stojkovic has been named by Arsene Wenger as his intellectual soul-mate where football is concerned, also asserting that the Yugoslavian manager of Nagaya Grampus Eight would be his ideal successor as Arsenal’s manager. Wenger advancing to a role upstairs, whilst his friend takes his role on the bench, would seem likely, at some point in the future; but more of the same or mutual back-slapping might not be what Arsenal need, attention to defensive organisation and set-pieces might be of greater value. If he remains without help, Wenger will at least have to challenge himself.

Whilst, Pat Rice seems insitu, solutions on the playing side will certainly be sought. Although, they are unlikely to be found in the combination of Scott Parker, Brede Hangelaand, Robert Green or Michael Owen, as one pundit advocated; any reference to a lack of Englishness being the cause of Arsenal’s impotency is just a classic case of Godwin’s Law.

Keisuke Honda, Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard have all been mentioned as targets of the club and all would improve the team’s quality. But regardless of quality, the Arsenal dressing-room also lacks characters without fear, who take defeat as a personal slight and who see passivity as a preserve for others. Yann M’Vila and Christopher Samba are both rumoured targets; both would dramatically improve the team’s mentality and its physicality.

And unfortunately for Wenger, one further challenge lays ahead: the annual transfer tug-of-war over Cesc Fabregas is still to be fought; a time will surely come when the team’s best player seeks to increase his chances of success, if not securing his preferred return home.

These are clearly testing times for Arsenal - with United, Chelsea, City and Liverpool all in the team’s vicinity - but the odds favour Wenger keeping the club competitive, if he is able (and/ or willing) to spend at the same level as his rivals, based on his performance without real financial expenditure.

Sheffield: a city steeling itself

During recent weeks, the football world has found itself focused upon, arguably, the world’s biggest derby game between, arguably, its two best current teams: the El Clasico in Spain, involving Real Madrid and Barcelona. And after four games between the two in eighteen days, they have found themselves locked in a fight for political, moral and football supremacy - the media gripped in its thrall.

But on Monday this week, another derby game with a unique history - one that will be forever unparalleled - was being played elsewhere with far less interest and in far less glamorous surroundings: in Crosspool, an ordinary suburb of Sheffield; featuring Sheffield FC of the Evo-Stick League Division One and Hallam FC of the KoolSport North Counties East Football League Premier Division. They were celebrating and commemorating the anniversary of the world’s first inter-club football match, featuring the same two clubs, played 150 years ago.

While Sheffield FC is accepted as being the oldest football club, founded in 1857, Hallam FC is the only one with documentary evidence to prove its claim of being the second oldest, verified as 1860. The “rematch” between the two was once again played at the historic Sandygate Road Stadium – home to Hallam FC - the oldest stadium in the world and with a capacity of 1,400.

Such is the appreciation that Corriere Dello Sport [of Italy] also covered the build-up to the game: describing Sheffield FC as “The Mother of Football”; and with a romance that transcends Italian-English translation going on to say “We are at the dawn of football.” Also highlighting how Genoa, the oldest of Italian football clubs, was not founded until 1893.

Yet, despite the feel-good factor generated by yesterday’s fixture, the reality is that these are watershed times for the eldest statesman of world football and at Sotheby’s, in London, on 14^th July 2011, Sheffield FC is to auction-off the original [handwritten and typed] rules of the club game - documents that initiated the lineage towards the game that we know now - in a bid to secure a future.

Many of the innovations that we enjoy can be traced directly back to the imagination of a collection of flat-capped Yorkshire-folk in the 1850s. Ironically, in that era, it would be inevitable that the Honorary President of the club - one Sepp Blatter - would find himself in direct conflict with the game’s “mother” in a debate over the introduction of technologies; Sheffield hosted the first floodlit football game in 1878, in front of 20,000 fans.

The value estimated on the lot has been placed between £800,000 and £1.2million. The people of Sheffield were wise not to turn this to Pulp. Richard Rims, the current chairman of Sheffield FC, explained that “The sale of this remarkable piece of sporting history will allow the club to develop facilities and secure it future as the home of grass-roots football.” It is unfortunately a necessity: Sheffield FC has never owned its own ground and since 2001 has played at the “Coach and Horses” pub in Dronfield - an occupation that was inaugurated with a game against a Manchester United XI; the case of a regularly moving object meeting an immovable one.

So, if the game yesterday passed with little fanfare, one Sheffield derby might garner more interest next season, as the Steel city’s two biggest clubs - Wednesday and United – are guaranteed to be spending season 2011/12 together, this time in League One. The Owls by virtue of a failed attempt at promotion this season, placing in mid-table and the Blades as a result of relegation from the Championship; both clubs finds itself on a journey that it hopes can only get better.

How United must rue the appointment of a manager as inexperienced as Gary Speed at the start of this season. Having the Premier League’s most famous quiz answer in “Brian Deane” or the wonderful “Greasy Chip Butty” interpretation of John Denver’s “Annie’s song” will be scant consolation for the fans who will suffer as a result of the owner’s naivety.

Both clubs have fallen fast and fallen far. Within just these last ten years, for instance, Neil Warnock guided Sheffield United back into the Premier League and was also able to take them to the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup and League Cup in the same season. And of course, prior to that, Dave Basset – the arch-pragmatist – was able to guide them to successive promotions from the third-tier back to the top-flight between 1988 and 1990. Hod-carrier/ actor / midfield hard-man: Vinnie Jones also found himself in the Blades’ midfield and was the perfect captain, an embodiment of their play in that era.

The Owls: another Sheffield club steeped in history; the third oldest in the Football League; a founder member of the Football Alliance in 1889. Yet age does not equate to success for them and their only trophy since 1935 is a Rumbelows Cup win in 1991. And therein is some salt to be rubbed in the Blue and White of this city’s current wound, at least where the Red and White part are concerned. The scorer for “The Wednesday” that day, as Ron Atkinson’s burgeoning side overcame Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United by virtue of a 1-0 victory was John Sheridan; a hero to the club but now regenerating another just 12 miles away from Hillsborough, and 7 miles from Bramall Lane.

Whilst, where Sheffield Wednesday is concerned, the memories of Chris Waddle, Paolo Di Canio and local lad David Hirst wearing the club colours must seem almost Jurassic now; the former of those names also being awarded Footballer Writer’s Player of the Year whilst at the club. Indeed, to put it into context, they were once in a position to request that Eric Cantona proved himself to them by virtue of an extended trial, a request that the Frenchman rejected - how pivotal that moment was in the club’s fate since will forever remain unknowable, but.

On the Yorkshire/ Derbyshire border, the market town of Chesterfield is now home to a cultured midfielder whom will forever be associated with Sheffield and who, as manager, has guided the “Spireites” into League One this season with such aplomb, that Don Goodman described them as “perhaps the best League Two side ever” and they were hugely unfortunate to succumb to The Owls on penalties, in the Johnstone Paint Trophy, late last year. Chesterfield will be the third team in what promise to be a spicy set of derby games for season 2011/12.

And whilst the Blades will undoubtedly enjoy any successes that Sheridan enjoys over his former club - particularly so, since Dave Allen the owner of Chesterfield was recently a director of Sheffield Wednesday and who felt inclined to leave due to fan pressure - they will be as slighted as any, if a small club from just down the road - most famous for a Crooked Spire and one FA Cup run – achieves its stated aim of promotion to the Championship at the first attempt, at their expense.

There are positives for the city’s two professional clubs, of course. Sheffield Wednesday - with a 39,814 capacity stadium, an average attendance of 17,669 and a high of 23,081 - remain one of the powerhouses in League One and are a sleeping-giant with potential to compare with – if not a Manchester City or a Leeds United - the likes of a Birmingham City, a Norwich City and perhaps a West Ham United.

Whereas, for Sheffield United, they have a youth set-up established that is as fertile as a club could hope and its products have been able to gain valuable experience, supplementing the first-team all season; indeed, the Blades youth team finds itself contesting the FA Youth Cup final against Manchester United over two-legs, later this month. While, with an attendance high of 23,728, an average of 20,632 and a capacity of 32,609, they will also be a force to be reckoned with in League One next season and quite naturally looking to return to the Championship at the first attempt.

But, regardless, next season will require much of the famous Yorkshire grit, if these famously proud residents are to enjoy the competition that lies ahead.

PS,

For those who are interested, Sheffield FC was the victor in the world’s oldest derby, by a margin of 2-1. A report can be found at Crosspool.info. It was written by “robin”.

http://crosspool.info/2011/05/02/sheffield-victorious-at-historic-anniversary-match/.

“They’re Patrick fooking Cox, man"

It is rare that a disciplinary issue involving a footballer at one high-profile club can generate support amongst fans of other clubs but the reaction to Wayne Rooney’s outburst has been both surprising, and inspiring. Some fans have cited Didier Drogba’s ban in June, 2009 following the game as setting the precedent that should be the basis for the punishment – Manchester City fans well represented and some Chelsea fans, still justifiably disgruntled at being an absolute victim on that night in general.

Some individuals have been particularly vociferous in registering their disgust; the paper that employs Richard Littlejohn [The Daily Mail] has been one and their own Head of Sport, Lee Clayton, clumsily commented on Monday: “Why are United fans so angry for Rooney? He wanted to join Man City earlier in the season until he got a rise. Didn't care about you then.”

When journalists argue with limited constructivism, it is easy to see why the entire football pyramid suspects their own club may receive vexatious treatment, at one time or another. But journalists, in the main, have rallied behind the striker, or rather, against the severity of the punishment.

For the record, it is true that Wayne Rooney should have received a ban for his elbowing of James McArthy during the Wigan fixture. Indeed, conspiracy theorists would argue that the player is being punished for the right reasons, but for the wrong incident; although, he is not the only player to avoid punishment for a high-profile incident that warranted it.

To his credit, Gordon Taylor, the head of the PFA, commented: “It [foul and abusive language] becomes an issue when directed towards match officials. However, when used in a spontaneous way in celebration or frustration then it is not normally expected to merit a sanction."

It would seem both irrelevant to the argument and akin to poking a person with a stick, to over-analyse Rooney’s psychology at this juncture - some parties have asserted their belief that he was swearing at the nation. But, in truth, the player just seemed like a prematurely bald-man finally capitulating at the prospect of yet another day with the world holding up a mirror to his increasingly long face; somebody who wants to play football to his fullest capacities, after an annus horribilis that only fame and money can buy.

Most football supporters accept the reality of the human side of players in the game – and “hubris” is such an apt term, applicable to so many, that it could be translated into Latin and used as the Premier League motto. But it should be reiterated that the United and England player is a fully paid-up member of our society, without a criminal record, as indeed are the vast majority of his fellow pros.

A pervading argument has been that the grass-roots of the game will only begin to reflect the FA’s Respect campaign, once a high-profile name is punished. There is inevitably some truth in this but that does not make it either appropriate or moral to make an example of one person – the greater good was an ideologue attributed to the most infamous villain of the last century, and it is the same logic that led the inhabitants of Kong Island to sacrifice buxom wenches in a bid to keep a one-hundred and fifty foot Gorilla satiated.

In regards to 150 feet of Gorilla, when Sky Sports News suggested to Mark Ramprakash on Monday that: “In cricket, he’d [Rooney] be banned for a season wouldn’t he?” they spectacularly missed the point.

Football isn’t cricket, neither is it rugby, hockey, dressage or anything else other than what it is: the game Diego Maradona learnt to play in the slums of Villa Fiorito; the game that Zinedine Zidane learnt to play in the La Castellene region of Marseille, or Quartier Difficile, as locals call it; the game that Wayne Rooney learnt to play in the relatively notorious Croxteth part of Liverpool; that both Mario Balotelli and Ravel Morrison [two players who should have long and glittering futures] learnt in areas that many people would struggle to imagine - products of environments and educational  infrastructures that make them seem inexplicable when plunged into the media paradigm.

Football is, famously, the game that just needed a ball and jumpers for goalposts; where the only barrier to entry is meant to be ability. Of course, the world we live in evolves – see the dramatic leaps in democracy just these last few years, the stance against homophobia, against slavery, in technology; and football as a microcosm of the world should continue to reflect society.

It would still be hyperbole to describe the heart of our national game as “gentrified” or overtly intellectualised – a better term would be the “loosewomenification” of it. But perhaps this is a crossroads for the viewing public and for the game itself.

There are behavioural expectations on players, naturally and these should remain. The FA is also right to promote the Respect campaign. But the increasing sanitisation of our national sport is a road that marginalises a proportion of the country that, as unpalatable as it may seem, still see it as a route out of areas that many people would fear to tread.

The punishment seems the incongruity: did the language affect the game? And did the player bring it into worse disrepute than Marcelo did when celebrating Peter Crouch’s sending-off in the biggest night of his career? Furthermore, will there be differentiation between punishments for swearing pre- and post-watershed? If the issue is swearing into a camera at midday, is it okay to swear into a camera after 9pm? What if players swear in a foreign language?

To take the premise to an extreme: could it be possible that some players are forced out of the game, that we lose some of our most talented players because of a proclivity for bad language? The most obvious parallel to be drawn would be with boxers who fail a medical but continue to compete in unlicensed bouts.

Moreover, it was Shaun Ryder who infamously once said: “They’re Patrick fucking Cox man,” live on Channel Four. For which, the channel was punished; Ofcom fines are the staple in such issues, so why is football different?

A Sky source commented to me on Monday that “all broadcasters can do is take as many precautions as possible, some swearing is inevitable, but directors try and avoid it” – indeed and commonsense. But in that vein: why did their cameraman take a step onto a football pitch, beyond the white lines and put a camera into a player’s face, as the game hit its inevitable crescendo?

It is irrefutable that England’s national sport has been rejuvenated by Sky’s investment but it would be hilarious to argue that it was altruism; the accessibility of our national language affords our league a global reach beyond any other football federation and that is ignoring our own subscription fees. The overriding fear, though, is that rather than a case of TV fitting the game’s purpose, our game is on the precipice of morphing into something that has to be fit for TV. The apparent derogation of their duties and abrogation of the responsibilities suggests a case of “a tail starting to wag its dog”.

A balance must be struck and although Sky TV might not get what they feel is their divine right to the perfect money shot, the national game will still remain a sport for all, still picking talents from the melting-pools of life and consumers can continue to watch televised games without the increased fear of foul language.

How to solve a problem like Dimitar.

While Wayne Rooney spent last season enjoying the zenith of his career, certainly thus far; another high-profile Manchester United player often cut the definition of a forlorn figure: Dimitar Berbatov, looking destined to spend his career at Old Trafford as a mystery to many of the club’s supporters; seemingly trapped somewhere between a man in an existential crisis and a striker fully operating in a void, rather than just the traditional “hole”. Indeed, the Bulgarian was purportedly offered to Juventus, Bayern Munich and Milan immediately following the season’s conclusion; if that is fact then it was without success.

However, it was likely that the emphasis of United’s attacking play would shift as a consequence of Wayne Rooney’s well-documented absences and the seeds for that eventuality proving fruitful for Berbatov were sown on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA.

Without United’s World Cup players present across the Atlantic, Berbatov was lauded as the star attraction, by both fans and journalists alike - no negative comparisons to Carlos Tevez or questions of the player’s future lurking around corners - smiles soon followed from the United 9 and Man of the Match awards became his preserve. The player’s bond with Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs [Sir Alex Ferguson’s most trusted of Lieutenants], also seemed to become much more deep rooted than previous; a benefit of traditionally dominant characters being absent from the dressing-room for the period, one could surmise. Perhaps also of relevance for Berbatov’s sustained future at United - the burgeoning talents of Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley reveled alongside him - reciprocating his quality and favour, with youthful enthusiasm and deference.

Two characteristics were palpable in Berbatov in America: enjoyment; and the willingness to accept responsibility.

Since United returned to the UK and to the daily rigours, Berbatov’s works with the club’s coaches, in particular Rene Meulensteen, continued and still bear fruit for all concerned – echoing those undertaken with Diego Forlan years hence. But the club has learnt from the Uruguayan’s post-United performances and perhaps accordingly, the supporter’s calls for the signing of a Van der Vaart or an Ozil fell on deaf ears; the manager was committed to another year for the Bulgarian and how well that has paid-off, thus far.

By the time Berbatov demolished Liverpool, with a hat-trick in the team’s 3-2 win, he was only serving to underline a perception of capabilities equal to any other player at the club or indeed, in the League; his finishing was sublime in the extreme and the renaissance was as complete as a player gets at a club like United - always seeking to move forward. With 19 league goals this season and averaging one every 96 minutes; Berbatov has been invaluable in United’s quest for their 19^th league title. 

If the team, occasionally, once seemed to sublimate alacrity of mind and technique for belief in Wayne Rooney’s insatiable nature and goal-scoring belligerence in a 4-5-1 machino; the players have, for much of this season, been playing in Dimitar Berbatov's band.

It says much about Sir Alex Ferguson that he is able to reconstitute squads competitively, layering them with compatible abilities and personalities; but that he is continually able to affect or regenerate the dominant mentality of the collective is a truly marvellous ability.

And thus, to Berbatov – his insouciant confidence would have made him an incongruous presence in almost any other Sir Alex Ferguson team, but this United squad seems less visceral than many previous incarnations; more cerebral, emotionally intelligent and unaffected off-the-field: Park, Carrick, Evra, O’Shea, Evans, Owen, Valencia, Smalling, Fletcher, Van der Sar, Vidic, Giggs and Scholes [to name a few]; the acquisition of Javier Hernandez integrating another intuitive player into the group.

And whether by design or default: Nemanja Vidic’s appointment as captain [rather than England’s media-involved Rooney or Ferdinand], also offered a rebalancing within the dressing-room; closer to Berbatov by age, outlook and birthplace.

But life in a trophy competing squad is rarely linear; particularly with Wayne Rooney having been tied to a new contract [around £180,000 per week], invariably anticipating the opportunity to return to the form he aspires to and to reingratiate himself into the bosom - with Sir Alex Ferguson’s actions and comments intimating the same. However, it seems unfeasible that the manager would allow all his club’s eggs to accumulate in one basket, which they uncharacteristically did for much of last season.