Giaccherini Tipped To Shine At Stadium of Light

Emanuele Giaccherini will be looking set to make an impact with his powerful display of movement and vision on the left wing with the Black Cats

The RedBrothersUnited collective are impressed with the new summer signing for the black cats and presents a look at his future at his new club.

Paolo Di Canio's side have paid £6.5m to bring in the talented winger from Juventus on a 4 year contract. Emanuele Giaccherini joined the Turin outfit from Cesena in the summer of 2011 on a co-ownership deal, and went on to win two consecutive Scudetti. After a bright start,his full rights were attained by the Old Lady which would keep him until the summer of 2015 . With a packed midfield that embraces the likes of Andrea Pirlo,Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal and the emergence of Paul Pogba and Kwadwo Asamoah,it became difficult for Giaccherini to cement his place in Antonio Conte's formation.It was also seen of him to move to an Attacking Midfield position on a numerous occasion rather than being deployed on his favored Left Wing. 

Italy Coach Cesare Prandelli is a big admirer of the 28-year-old, and handed him his debut in the opening match of the European Championship in 2012 against Spain. Prandelli was clinical in spotting his devastating wing partnership with Candreva and was quick to admit that Giaccherini exploitation on the left wing was a reason of concern for many teams. He played a major part in Italy's Confederations Cup campaign playing every match of the tournament and assisting Balotelli's winning goal in the opening match against Mexico. In the second match against Japan, a low cross by Giaccherini was deflected by Uchida, who scored an own goal. The match ended 4-3 to Italy,leading them to their first ever semifinals. Giaccherini scored Italy’s equalizer against hosts Brazil in the final group match, although they eventually lost the match 4-2.Giaccherini also hit the post in extra time against Spain and produced two golden chances for the Napoli winger Christian Maggio who could’ve easily converted them, had it not been Casillas match winning anticipations.  

With the hype created around so many top talents around the world,the Black Cats have gone onto purchase an excellent buy. Giaccherini fast build up play will be ideal in the hurried pace of English football. Giaccherini might well be Sunderland's bargain and a prolific signing set to showcase his magnificent adaptability on the wings.

The black cats have not been to the greatest of starts this season but with Paolo Di Canio out of the picture and Gus Poyet coming through, it might be a new hope for them. It looks to be the perfect time for the wheel of fortune to turn around at the stadium of light, if they have to escape relegation worries this season.

RedBrothersUnited are Anand Sindhu, Pawan Sharma and Akshay Agarwal.

The age of vincibility: Fight for supremacy in Europe: Part 2- Borussia Dortmund

The RedBrothersUnited collective presents a look at the possible contenders for the fight for supremacy in Europe. This is the second article of the series tracing a look back at the stunning performances and amazing passion for the game shown by Jurgen Klopp men.

Football has never been short of underdog’s stories, yet this one unlike others is a fairy tale journey without a happy ending. From a team battling to stay in Bundesliga, fighting relegation five years ago to last year contesting in Champion’s League final against their local rivals Bayern Munich in a first ever all German final at the new Wembley stadium.

Disaster Averted ‘07

In the 2006-07 season, BVB faced unanticipated relegation worries but somehow managed to scarce off the situation at hand with them finishing 9^th in the table by the end of the same season. The next season didn’t prove any fruitful too. With their worst finish in almost two decades, they were placed 13^th in the Bundesliga table.

Things were soon to change. Manager Thomas Doll resigned and was immediately replaced by Jürgen Klopp.

Manager

Jürgen Klopp, a striker turned defender turned manager was now in the midst of all. The moment Klopp stepped in to Dortmund, his plans were in motion.

The oldest central defensive partnership, Worns & Kovac, was in a matter of days changed to youngest central defensive partnership, Subotic & Hummels, and soon going to be popular in Europe too in time to come. The likes of Łukasz Piszczek, İlkay Gündoğan, Mario Gotze, Sven Bender were all right away given chances to play at the highest possible level at such a young age.

In his first season in charge, Klopp managed to bring in stability and in the process winning DFB-Supercup, defeating then Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. After two mediocre seasons, everything was all in place for the yellow blacks to compete in the race for Bundesliga title for real.

Winning Bundesliga and adding to it the cup double the season next was the perfect result for this ever growing club and its charismatic new manager. These results are a clear indication that Klopp is an ideal fit for Dortmund.

Style of Play and Formation

The Prussians play with a 4-2-3-1 formation with its numerous modifications. The two Centre pivots at the backs along with two full backs who are offensively even better than defending. The midfield consists of a defensive mid, a holding mid and two wide wingers with a central playmaker which makes the play for the lone Centre forward up front.

Klopp introduced to the world a new style of playing which is since its introduction imitated by many. Gegenpressing. His ideals has been credited and applauded by almost everyone round the globe. Gegenpressing simply means playing at full pace for complete 90 minutes and pressing for the ball, defensively and offensively, every second of the game.

Another important aspect of BVB’s gameplay is Verticality. The superiority in numbers of vertical passes than horizontal ones in their game is not hidden to any. This all mixed with frequent attack-defense transitions, direct playing approach and high cross passes all make them attractive to watch.

New Additions

The successful acquirement of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer is in every which way a befitting attempt to fill in the empty shoes left within the club.

With Earlier losses of Nuri Sahin and Shinji Kagawa, best players for  Dortmund awarded in consecutive years,they faced another setback when Gotze ecided to part ways.The central playmaker  accounted for as much as 30 goals out of their 90 scored last season in all competitions before switching on to  arch-rivals Bayern Munich .Later it was revealed  top scorer Robert Lewandowski has handed over a transfer request , it was nothing short of a living nightmare for Dortmund. The former has however completed his move across the Bundesliga while the latter is as of yet playing for Dortmund, for now.

The two summer signings have been a good involvement to the team since their arrival to the club. Aubameyang Bundesliga debut in which he scored a hat-trick and a record club signing of Mkhitaryan is the next step forward for them towards European glory.

Key Player

In the start of 2013, speculations started linking Lewandoski to a number of big clubs including Manchester united and City among noteworthy. But it was Bayern Munich who emerged out on top. With Lewandoski refusing to sign a contract extension, it was confirmed that he will leave the club in the summer of 2013.

However Dortmund persuaded to keep him till the end of 13/14 season when and where his contract will be expired for good and Bayern will then acquire his services on a free transfer. It is the biggest gamble that Dortmund has ever undertaken to make sure of their route to European glory is complete, to make that final step which was missing from the last time.

The young polish Centre forward is one of the most known talked about talents in Europe and his performances are a definition of the same. He is seen by many as the complete player who not only scores critical goals but also helps his teammates defensively. His pace, poaching capability and holding of the ball ability in tightest of places are among many qualities to be seen.

New Emergences

Marco Reus is without any doubt a player of many attributes. He has all the natural elements one needs to be a world class winger and can also play as a lone No.9 too, if and when his team needs him to. He is on his path to be the next big thing in the footballing world and might achieve that status in years to come.

Being a Dortmund youth product, it was not a complete surprise to see him not only adapt to but thrive in Klopp’s style of play. His partnership with Gotze accomplished wonders for the team and now that his better half has left, he is left alone. But still, the 24 year old German still has a lot in his bag to offer.However, Mkhitaryan emergence in the yellow outfit will give a huge boost to Dortmund’s plan and in partnering Reus to form a formidable partnership.

Conclusion

A brilliant set of players together with a manager of genius characters. Borussia Dortmund is unlike any other present or playing in Europe. Their style of play is still anew to watch and has been said to have a few loopholes defensively but agreeably very appealing to the eye.

Having said that, games are won or lost with goals scored and conceded and not with the way you score them or concede them. Last season’s end was not in any which way fitting for the class of football they played, but sometimes stories are written without a happy ending.

But this story is far from its end. It is a new start for a club seeking to reclaim its long lost supremacy and in the own words of their manager, ‘’we want to write stories for future’’.Great players, Great manager,Outstanding style of play.With absence of luck all this while,it is the right moment when fortune starts favoring the brave.

RedBrothersUnited are Anand Sindhu, Pawan Sharma and Akshay Agarwal.

Sir Bobby Robson Honoured

RedBrothersUnited take a look back at the glorifying career of one of the most gifted and talked about British player and manager of all time. 

Sir Robert William Robson famously known as ‘Bobby Robson’ is to be commemorated with a National Football Day named in his honor  The event is to be marked  the Football Association's 150th anniversary celebrations and will be held on 10 August to coincide with the start of the 2013-14 season, four days before England play Scotland at the New Wembley.

Also reports suggesting Sir Robson's widow, Elsie with his family are to be around and the FA intend to involve around 150 different clubs at all levels, with the idea being to promote grassroots football.

A young Robson started his senior career at Craven Cottage before taking up his first managerial duty up at the same team.A short spell at Fulham gave him the boost to what he achieved an incredible career as a football manager.  

Robson crafted his spell at Ipswich Town in such a manner that he needed to buy only fourteen players from other clubs in his thirteen remarkable years at helm.He believed in the Ipswich's youth programmes and was known to bring the best out his home grown players through amid tactical genius, with his good interpersonal skills, caring attitude, hard work and enthusiasm helping them to achieve their best.This was also a reason in him being the front runner to take over as the manger of three lions after their dismal performance at the 1982 World Cup. Ron Greenwood  was eventually replaced by Robson and he managed the English side in the next two main event bringing the closest to a penalty shootout semi final loss to West Germany at 1990 World Cup.

Also known to have been influenced the likes of Jose Mourinho and Andre Villa Boas,Robson led to programmes involving degrees in coaching and managing a football team.It was under Robson,that Mourinho realized his abilities to manage a side and a dream to move to England. 

After handing league and cup success at PSV Eindhoven,Porto and Barcalona,Robson moved back to England with Newcastle United before hanging up his boots in august 2004.His services were honored at St James’ Park and Portman Road by putting up his statue,a memory in the name of his footballing achievements and  goodwill towards the game.

RedBrothersUnited are Anand Sindhu, Pawan Sharma and Akshay Agarwal.

Where do the pieces in the Bayern Munich midfield puzzle fit?

RedBrothersUnited are intrigued by Pep Guardiola’s options in Bayern Munich’s midfield, but is it dangerous to break up a Champions League winning partnership?

Last season Bayern Munich joined the elite group of teams to have won the Treble. There has been no mystery to their achievement, as they possess the most dynamic team in the game. Heynckes’ short tenure with the German champions proved to be one fairy tale. His last assignment bringing him success with total appreciation. A lot of credit goes to him for bringing in the best possible system of football to the Germans by playing a 4-2-3-1 formation. Shutting Barcelona down doesn’t just bring the world to a jaw dropping shock but also highlights the weakness of possession play when the opponents are able to man mark and press. An admirer of ‘Total Football’ and a pupil of Johan Cryuff , Pep Guardiola takes over as the new manager of Bayern Munich. He comes as a proud player at Barca and a manager who made sure the Catalan club enters the critics war on the best team ever. On this principle, he came up with a 4-3-3 regime with a Centre Forward playing as a ‘False 9’ whereby he had the ultimate genius in the form of Leo Messi.

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez, the midfield duo have created a partnership of uniformity and stability. Their game plans have been so straight in how to anchor the team while attacking, and equally good, perhaps better, when the tables are turned. Bayern’s success include a lot of names, but without the combination of these two players the team stats looking empty and lacks the tactics that has been inducted by Heynckes.

Guardiola has always been keen to play with one defensive midfielder. As seen at Barca, Busquets filled in that role. The interesting question lies as to how Guardiola can make a team better which is already winning everything. The challenge that lies ahead of him is whether he sticks to the system adopted by Heynckes or switch to his preferred gameplan. To shake up the formation to his suited 4-1-4-1, Guardiola is dangerously reverting back to his one defensive midfield strategy. With the likes of Gotze and Alcantra joining the ranks of this loaded team, it seems that it could be Bastian Schweinsteiger of all people, facing the axe.

Guardiola once begged his former club to sign Martinez from Bilbao, to which Bayern acted sooner and broke Martinez’ buyout clause. Martinez, a versatile player who can also play as a fully fledged centre back is also tipped to be the next Pep Guardiola as a player. As was Busquets, but Martinez is credited even better for his distributing abilities when his team is in charge. Guardiola, with one defensive midfielder can only push Martinez back, as he always liked a ball-playing centre back, Pique-esque.

It can be observed that Pep has been trying to mix the systems of his former club and the already crafted genre of football played by Heynckes. In his first competitive game in charge against their mighty rivals Dortmund, Pep had a bitter taste of his own medicine when his very own one defensive midfield set up was exploited by the verticality of BVB. Team selection remains the major dilemma that Pep faces. With quality in midfield in all areas, his line-up is what everyone is looking forward to. The positives though, with Schweini & Martinez in the defensive midfield area are that he can use Gotze in his ‘False 9’ position and Alcantara floating around him. Robben, despite being a sensation off late, is probably the only player who lacks the passing ability that Pep demands.

A last moment snub by Thiago to Manchester United and a much debated transfer of Mario Gotze has now put the focus on the future of Bastian Schweinsteiger. With Martinez already vital to Guardiola’s plans, a move away from Bayern, unless given sufficient playing time may well be on the cards for Schweini. Another player whose stint at Bayern is likely to fade soon is Arjen Robben who is seen to be replaced by the ever improving Thomas Muller.

Guardiola’s time at Barcelona can also be remembered when he let go the likes of Deco, Ronaldinho and Yaya Toure whose absence was not much felt as their shoes had been filled by their La Masia products Messi, Iniesta and Busquets. This could well be a blessing in disguise for the club in the case of Schweinsteiger & Robben. If they do decide to part ways with the club in the near future or can well be a nail in the coffin to his established heroes. What remains to see now is what Pep has in store. With the history that he boasts, he has ample time to throw in all his dice and adapt a tactical framework that betters the benchmark set by the Treble winners of Germany and his own exploits at Barcelona.

RedBrothersUnited are Anand Sindhu, Pawan Sharma and Akshay Agarwal.

The age of vincibility: Fight for supremacy in Europe: Part1- Juventus

The RedBrothersUnited collective presents a look at the possible contenders for the fight for supremacy in Europe. This is the first article of the series tracing Juventus past, present and their odds in coming future.

Very few modern day football teams have had a journey as unpredictable as Juventus. From their Serie B demotion in 2006 because of the “Calciopoli” scandal that saw them being linked to one of the five clubs involved in match fixing, to them going unbeaten for the entire season in 2011/12, and a year later winning their record 29th Scudetto, more than any other Italian club.

The Calciopoli scandal

Following the match fixing scandal, Juventus were stripped of two league titles and also demoted to Serie B for the first time in the club’s history. The Turin side was promoted back to the first division next year, but never quite to their old ways.

Manager

The Bianconeri switched between six managers in the next five seasons, Claudio Ranieri a noteworthy mention among them, with a scrutiny of instability at hand in the team and, there forth, to the club. In the summer of 2011, the Italian giants brought back Antonio Conte, this time filling the ever-challenging managerial shoes despite having the least experience of coaching such a massive club, as compared to his formers.

With the homecoming of a previous captain, now newly-turned manager, Juventus went unbeaten for the full season, becoming the first Italian team to do so in the modern 38-game format, winning 23 along with 15 draws. This was their first recognised Serie A title in more than nine years, since 2002/03. In Conte’s second season in charge of the Bianconeri, they satisfyingly defended their league title.

Style of play and formation

The Old Lady have been settled into playing a 3-5-2 formation and are on verge of perfecting it. The coming of order and balance to their game has favourably resulted in victories for the club.

The basic 3-5-2 generally includes three centre-backs, a ball-playing midfielder, a holding midfielder and a creative midfielder – thus combining to form a three-man midfield line – along with two wing-backs providing crosses to the twin strikers up front and pushing back to cover their defensive line.

In recent times, Juventus have included possession play in their game plan, making the Old Lady more effective than previously. Italians have always been considered masterminds of tactical football and, being the most successful club in the country, Juventus truly live up to their reputation. Constant repositioning of players on the pitch to form triangles is the most important feature in keeping possession, something which they are now accustomed to.

New additions

It was visible to all that even though Juventus have been playing good, attractive football for a consistent period of time now, they still lack that firepower in the forward areas.

With the addition of Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente further supplemented by that of Carlos Tevez for a minimal fee of £10million, Conte has shown that the Turin club can accomplish wonderful things.

The two summer signings could well prove to be fruitful and might ideally fit the twin-striker system that the Bianconeri play in their 3-5-2 formation for most weeks of the season. Their pairing will see two vastly different styles of striker blending together – with the Spaniard’s physicality and the Argentine’s creativity and energy – which could make them one of the most popular pairings in Europe.

There is another plausible school of thought; to play Sebastian Giovinco and Llorente up front with Tevez in behind, filling in the ’1′ position in a 3-4-1-2 formation, which the Argentine was playing in his latter part of his career at Manchester United

Key player

Andrea Pirlo. At the age of 34, he still remains their key man and undoubtedly the player which has the biggest influence on the game. His involvement changes not only Juventus’ tactics but also the opposition’s.

It is not hidden to any for a time now that teams playing in European competition have been making their game-plans in accordance with Pirlo, the popular example of that being last year’s Champions League group-stage match versus Chelsea, in which he was man-marked by Oscar. This has been effective to some extent, yet not completely.

Scoring goals is just one way of winning a game, controlling it is another, and Pirlo is a genius in that sense; in its truest sense. When to play long passes, when to play short passes; when to slow the tempo of the game and when to shoot and make it count. Pirlo knows the perfect time to do the perfect thing on a football field.

New stars

One team’s loss is another country’s gain. This is the perfect way to describe Paul pogba and what he now means to his new club. Leaving Manchester United at the early age of 18, when he was being offered a new first-team contract, at the time looked like a lifelong mistake, but one he chose to make. He embraced it with both hands.

Since his arrival in Italy, Pogba has shaken off the opinions of his critics and cemented a place for himself in a midfield which was already star-studded with a couple of world-class players and a pure legend.

The future looks bright and healthy for this young Frenchman and he will play an integral part of Juventus’ chances in the fight for supremacy of Europe. His introduction to the side has given the Bianconeri much-needed creativity and firepower in their attacking options, which will be crucial in continental competition.

Conclusion

A heavy midfield, yet Pirlo stands key. A quick replacement is definitely required, as he will soon enter a phase when he begins to consider retirement.

Although Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal and Pogba have shown enough promise, which they have delivered consistently, Pirlo exhibits a different dimension which has been crafted over the years. The final-ball specialist; Mozart, as they call him.

The Old Lady knows how important the 34-year-old has been since joining from rivals AC Milan, winning back to back Juventus player of the season awards.

Europe is unlike Serie A. They earned the Scudetto in 2011/12 with 15 draws from their 38 matches. In Europe you can not draw so many games. Juventus look a dominant force now with Tevez and Llorente adding to their frontline, and they are all set to make an impact once again in the Champions League. What are their chances depends on how is they implement their game-plan.

Interesting players, interesting formation. All odds favouring them. Conte has shaped this team beautifully.

RedBrothersUnited are Anand Sindhu, Pawan Sharma and Akshay Agarwal.

Is Brendan Rodgers the right man to win the league for Liverpool?

The RedBrothersUnited collective presents a look at Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers’ managerial history to look for clues as to whether he can be the man to deliver a Premier League title.

Liverpool have always been known to be a tough team competing in Europe, winning a British record of 5 European Cups, and have been dominant domestically, winning 18 League titles. However, they have failed to win the Premier League since it’s inception in 1992. After a successful period under Rafa Bentiez ended with a 7th place finish and loss of Champions League football, Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish have each had failed periods in charge and the club span in to a malaise, unable to challenge for the top four, never mind a league title. 8th place in 2011/12 saw them change philosophy and appoint a man they believe can win them the league and return to the glory days.

Liverpool needed to fight back and stop the downfall. They turned to Brendan Rodgers whose Swansea had beaten them on route to a well deserved 11th position in their first season after promotion from the Championship and played some lovely football in doing so. Liverpool confirmed that they would give Rodgers ample time to prove his worth. Although Liverpool are still considered a very prestigious club, it’s going to be a mammoth task for Rodgers to sustain this position. Does his past offer any clues as to his potential future?

Rodgers started his stint in football coaching under Jose Mourinho as the youth team football coach at Chelsea. In 2008 he was appointed the manager of the Championship team Watford. He got the team playing a nice brand of football and pulled them out of relegation battle before finishing 13th. These performances caught the eye of Reading who, after relegation from the Premier League and a defeat in the play-offs, saw manager Steve Coppell resign after a very successful run. Brendan Rodgers was quick to act and was appointed their new manger. Having stated long time commitment at Watford, Rodgers apologised to the fans for seeking opportunity at a club which had brighter chances of competing in the Premier League. With Reading having a talented pool of players Rodgers started off well, but his tactical philosophy didn’t yield results and he was sacked after just 6 months at the club. Somewhat damningly for Rodgers, his failure was exacerbated as his successor Brian McDermott achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2012 with pretty much the same set of players.

Before Rodgers was appointed at Swansea, it was Roberto Martínez who was the manager of the Welsh side. With his Spanish influence he brought in many Iberian players that set the tone towards the ‘tiki-taka’ playing style. Martínez emphasised possession play and playing in this manner he led Swansea to win League One and promotion to the Championship. He soon left Swansea for Wigan, but the culture and system evolved by him was maintained by the club.

Brendan Rodgers was appointed at Swansea following the exit of Paulo Sousa. Using his good relations with Chelsea he brought in Scott Sinclair and Fabio Borini. He worked on the possession based system introduced by Martínez which proved fruitful as Swansea finished the season 3rd in the Championship. A hat-trick by Scott Sinclair against Rodgers’ former team Reading in the playoff final won Swansea promotion to the top flight. Rodgers added to his squad impressively as the likes of Vorm and Sigurdsson proved decisive in an impressive first season. However, the bulk of the squad remained from what he inherited from Sousa so there could be questions about how much of the success was really his doing, and how much was done to Swansea’s good building before he arrived.

Both at Reading and Swansea, his style of play was developed from the work of the previous managers Steve Coppell and Roberto Martinez. The philosophical ideas were in place and he only need to tweak them. Is it perhaps telling that after leaving Reading and Swansea his successors McDermott and Laurdup went on to achieve greater success than he managed?

So this begs the question as to how far Liverpool can go under Rodgers. A decent but unspectacular first season saw a negative spend of £52m. The problem for Rodgers is that what he did didn’t seem to make too much difference. His signings of Allen and Borini haven’t worked so far although the capture of Daniel Sturridge and to a much greater extent, Philippe Coutinho are steps in the right direction. 8th place became 7th place and although there was a notable upswing in quality, the improvement overall was marginal. This is a big season for Rodgers to show that he can make Liverpool win more, not just look more pretty.

With the transfer window still open and Liverpool already adding the likes of Simon Mignolet, Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto, Rodgers has a big year ahead. This Liverpool team is undergoing a fresh start and all principles will be influenced by him. The success of his methodology will be key to the fans and the club. His footballing vision will be in the limelight. Rodgers firmly believes in it, but if there are no signs of improvement where does it leave him?

Liverpool’s squad looks strong and the club’s objectives will include qualification for the Champions League and once again playing against the elite group of teams, and then in future a push to win the Premier League. Winning the league is ultimately what Brendan Rodger’s job is. His system, his signings, his players and his ability to win will be under the microscope. Rodgers career so far has shown that he can improve upon the work of previous managers but can he be the man to win Liverpool that elusive league title?

RedBrothersUnited are Anand Sindhu, Pawan Sharma and Akshay Agarwal.

David Moyes: Scotland re-United

The RedBrothersUnited collective present a close analysis of David Moyes

“Your job now is to stand by our new manager!” – these were the words Sir Alex Ferguson had for the Old Trafford faithful in his last home game vs Swansea.

Introduction

Attempting to fill Sir Alex Ferguson’s quite astronomically large boots was always going to be an almost impossible task but there is little doubting David Moyes’ managerial credentials. At Manchester United the board will no doubt be patient with him and the players, resources and budget will be far superior to what he was accustomed to at Everton. After 26 memorable years at the helm, Sir Alex was sure to have a huge say on his successor and he was very clear about his choice. One thing hasn’t changed – United still have a Scottish manager and United hope he does the ‘Hairdryer’ & Scotland proud.

Moyes at Everton

At Everton, he had a shaky and bizarre start finishing 15th, 7th, 17th, 4th and 11th in his first five seasons. The 2007/08 season was the year that marked his consistency and stability with the Toffees. In his sixth full season in charge, Moyes secured fifth place in the league and reached the semi-final of the League Cup as well as the last 16 of the UEFA Cup, eventually being beaten on penalties by Fiorentina. Moyes also signed four very important players for Everton: Yakubu for a record fee of £11.25m, Steven Pienaar for £2.05m after an initial loan, Phil Jagielka for £4m, and Leighton Baines for £6m. Moyes recruited Steve Round as his assistant manager for the 2008–09 season to replace Alan Irvine, who had taken over as Preston North End manager the previous winter. He then brought in the likes of Lars Jacobsen, Louis Saha and Marouane Fellaini for a club record £15 million. In January 2009, Moyes brought in Brazilian international striker Jô on loan from City. In October 2008, Moyes agreed to extend his Goodison Park stay by a further five years then leading his team to an FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester United, after a penalty shootout, to reach the final for the first time since 1995 where they were beaten 2–1 by Chelsea. In 2009, Lescott was sold to City for a huge £22m, with which he brought in Heitinga, Distin & Bilyaletdinov. Everton finished 8th that term failing to qualify for Europe for the 1st time in 4 years. Everton finished 7th, 7th and 6th in the final three seasons under Moyes.

Why Moyes?

Last season, with a small Everton squad in the matches against the traditional ‘Big Six’ of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool, his record stands at three wins, six draws and only two defeats. If he can do that with the resources he has at Everton, imagine what he could do with the likes of RVP, Wayne Rooney and some of his own signings. He has done an excellent job at Everton, and with Manchester United seeking a level of consistency and longevity amidst the seismic changes that Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement will have on the club, he was the only realistic candidate for the job.

Challenges

If Manchester United have a poor start to the season and are well off the title pace come the new year, the United fans will start to get restless, and the #MoyesOut campaigns will begin. With Sir Alex Ferguson on the board of directors and likely to attend every home game for the foreseeable future, David Moyes could easily find himself undermined from a relatively early stage. Moyes’ big challenge will be to reinvent himself from a manager whose team tends to play direct football and often relies on others’ mistakes to one which can force the pace, dominate the opposition and control a game.

The biggest of all perhaps is to put the Wayne Rooney saga to bed once and for all. United’s once talisman has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons lately and Moyes would look to sort this out quickly. Rooney is perhaps not happy with his involvement after the arrival of Robin van Persie from Arsenal who has become a huge revelation in a season. With Moyes having already worked with Rooney when he was 16, the chances of him staying look better now. The Boss has also been adamant that ‘he is NOT for sale.’ That must be clear enough to say that Rooney is surely in his plans.

United have lacked the firepower in midfield they earlier used to possess with the likes of Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and others. That is one area he also needs to sort out.

What could Moyes add?

With the transfer season almost at its end, Moyes has failed to lure any noticeable signing so far. The arrival of Thiago from Barcelona was rumoured until Pep Guardiola stepped up and snatched him away. Fellaini is another man tipped to follow the Scot from Merseyside but is he worth it? The Belgian has proved to be a handful against various top sides including United, when he almost single-handedly got Everton a 1-0 win. But the issue is that he has mostly been playing behind the striker in a much more advanced role than earlier and with the likes of Kagawa, Welbeck and Rooney for that role, Fellaini might just create more questions than answers. With Fabregas in his sights, midfield is where he is looking to add more quality to give that extra gear to United’s gameplay and also the much needed support to Carrick.

Conclusion

United have been handed a tough start to the season in the Premier League and that could be very crucial for the new man who would be looking to get onto winning ways right from the word go. The fans need to be patient and Moyes has to keep them that way with a good start. He cannot afford any mistakes now and I imagine that both he & all the Mancunians will already be hoping and praying that, one day, United fans will be chanting his name with the same amount of affection and adoration with which they sing the name of the great Sir Alex Ferguson.

RedBrothersUnited are Anand Sindhu, Pawan Sharma and Akshay Agarwal.