ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW: MAN UTD

by Left Midfield on Aug 14, 2008 2:40 PM BST Comment 3 comments

What a summer the EPL and Champions League holders have had! Between their fight with Real Madrid over Cris Ronaldo and their ongoing spat with Tottenham over the possible sale of Berbatov, it has been the stuff of headlines and lawyers!

As the dust settles it seems that Utd are on the verge of building on their winning squad from last season and setting themselves up for a serious run at another major double.

The shifts out of the club have been limited this summer with Pique to Barcelona being the most significant one. The loss of the young defender has been off set by the return from injury of Gary Neville. The captain has set his sights on Utd retaining the Champions League and they have a good chance of doing so.

The challenge for Utd will be in the first three months of the season - Ronaldo is out with an injury until Sept and Rooney is sick at the moment. If they can buy Berbatov and play him alongside Tevez (who will cost Utd 32 million pounds when they formally purchase him), they will have the attacking edge needed to start the season well.

Frankly, I am shocked that they have not paid the money to Spurs for Berbatov, they have the cash and the player is one of the few in the world who fits their approach and will make them better. I see Berby as a new Cantona.

So what do you guys think - now that Utd look like they have turned down 100 million euros from Real Madrid for Ronaldo (and he seems ready to sign a new contract) and they look as if they will sign Berbatov, do they have what it takes to sweep all before them?

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What do you guys think of Tevez?

He seems like a guy that never stops working. Like the Tezmanian Devil or something. But it seems like that hard work is often without purpose. I’ve only seen him a handful of times, but that’s my first impression of him. I’m not sure he’s a guy that I would be hoping to carry my team. He’s a very good complementary player. He just doesn’t seem like the type to be able to hold the fort down in Ronaldo’s absence.

by Blez on Aug 14, 2008 9:05 PM BST reply actions 0 recs

I tend to agree.

Tevez is a very hard working player that can get in the right spots to direct a goal in or move defenders. He’s great at putting pressure on players and tracking back into the midfield or defense when needed. I was gutted when ManU got him. That said, he can’t carry an elite team on his own. He needs good players around him. Much of his effort is wasted, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. He has the stamina to do it and having a player that works that hard motivates the team.

If ManU can’t get Berbatov, Anderson and Nani are going to have to step up. From what little I’ve seen, I’m not sure they can do it. They have a run of Portsmouth, Chelsea, and Liverpool all away. I could see them going 1-2 through that. They’d probably be happy to go 1-1-1. They only have 4 matches in Aug and Sept though so if they can stay healthy and get Ronaldo back they’ll be fine.

by MelloY on Aug 14, 2008 10:01 PM BST up reply actions 0 recs