Manchester United Football Team

Haven’t been a football fan for very long. I started watching football only about four or five years ago, when I started playing it. But I still remember, the Euro 2000 was the first tournament of soccer that I experienced. Only one single thing struck me about that tournament, and that was Dennis Bergkamp. I really liked the way the man played and conducted himself on field. From that moment onwards, I became a liker (I hate the word ’FAN’ like hell) of the dutch football team. Also, very recently (call me ignorant or call me a fool !!), I came to know that Bergkamp played for Arsenal and from then onwards, Arsenal was my favourite team.

Now where does Man U figure out here ?? It does, because Man U won the English Premier League this year, closely beating my favourite team. I must say I really have no hatred towards Man U as a whole (hey..just struck me...brilliant idea....try reading the last three words all at once !!). what I do like about the team is the fact that its very close knit. Theres no ego hassles and no infighting(except of course, when you get that idiot Fergi involved). The team is very very slick and almost mechanically precise in their game. Most of the opponents are well measured up and their plans are devised very well at Man U, it seems.

Wheres the problem then ??? Well...heres my list of the many.

First, is someone who is a team mate of Dennis Bergkamp at Holland (or used to be, now that Bergkamp has retired from Dutch football). He is somebody whos got long hair and looks quite like a freak. He’s someone, whos obviously got the least amount of real talent in the team. And, last but not the least, hes the man whos the highest scorer in the whole league !! Well well...ain’t that an antithesis of some order ?

Arright, cutting the chase, the guy I talk ’bout is Nistelrooy (RVN, I’ll call him here on). I know a huge lot of people who are reading this are big fans of RVN, but do tell me how many times have you seen a RVN goal and said...’’HEY ... that was a sitter...I could have done that too...with my eyes closed’’. Well, heres the exact point. He’s just able to be in the right place at the right time. Nothing more. Hes got a talent for doing that, I agree. But all the goals he scores are either merely deflections from great passes put though by Beckham or Giggs or some other feeder. The only other way he scores goals is by taking penalties. He’s just plain lucky that he’s got such brilliant middies and gets such easy passes. I mean, how many times do you see a Nistelrooy pass a ball to a teammate inside the box ? No way, he always takes them himself. After all, he’s got a goal tally to take care of. Thats why I admire a striker like Henry (he was the second highest scorer this season) who not only does passing, but also dribbles to score his own goals himself, without great help from the midfield. Of course he still is a great finisher and is just as good at putting lolipop passes into the net. But the thing is, he does work hard is not just there talking advantage of other people’s hard work. I still remember in the last Premier League finals match, I saw Henry dribble all the way from inside his own half, right into the opposing box, and there outclassing three players closing in on him simultaneously, and then...coolly passing the ball to someone else who had to do absolutely nothing but tap it into an empty goal. Now that is ot such a great thing you’d be prompted to say. But think of the situation in light of the fact that he had a very very lucrative opportunity to be the highest scorer, beating RVN. For the exact same reason, I like Rivaldo much much more than I could ever come to like Ronaldo.

One more problem that Manu U has is an attitude problem. Not amongst the players, but as an outlook of the team as a whole (He he..you notice it again?). I really think the only personifying adjective that you could associate with Man U would be arrogant. I think the team is very rude and very very badly behaved on the pitch. I mean I thought that Keane should definitely be criminally prosecuted for that stupid idiotic effort of his. That is the kind of incidents that lower the prestige of a sport and it is best that such people are weeded out of the game. I think FIFA seriously needs to take a good look at reducing the violence in the game. So, according to me, Keane should have been banned for his whole life for a shameful incident like that.

Keane, RVN, Alex Fergi ...three down and one more to go. Theres one more person that I hate on the team. Not so much hate, but I’m more wary of him. Its the greatest football star playing in this era. Beckham. I do not like the fact that Beckham is so followed and so celebrated, apparently for no reason that comes to my mind. Ok...he can curve a ball like hell. But, have you ever seen a certain half bald bloke called Zinedine Zidane curve it ?? I have..and believe me, hes just as good. And when he dribbles, he makes even the best of defenders look like fools. Remember the match in Champions trophy where Real Madrid beat Man U like hell ?? Well, they looked completely outwitted and outplayed, alost like a bunch of rusty amateurs, these Mau U players. There we got to see a Beckham vs Zidane midfield show. And a score line of 5-0 doesn’t call for any arguments at all. Beckham’s past his prime, I believe. But make no mistake about it...I still have the greatest respect for the man as a person because he’s so straight, so non-controversial, such a clean human being. Also, I have the greatest respect for his resilience and will power. I also admit that I did like(as a matter of frank fact, I was pretty stupefied by) a lot of goals scored by him a few years ago. But he’s lost his speed a lil bit and when you have a guy like Carlos marking him, he’s more of a liability than an asset in that right midfield nowadays. Man U got rid of him in a very bad manner and I think he’s almost shattered, even though he is good enough not to show it. I do hope he does well there and now that he isn’t with Man U...I think I’ll start liking him a lil more.