Can Manchester United Exist Among the Big Spenders?

It’s been a dream ride for Manchester United over the last few years and Paul Scholes was very right in describing Manchester United as a “fortress” hard to breach. Being the holders of the English Premier League the expectations from Manchester United are very high. Though they have not been able to win the UEFA Champions League in the last 3 years yet their domestic record is one to be envious about. The Scottish master Sir Alex Ferguson has taken the club to new heights. His reign as the Manager of Manchester United has been filled with light.

Red Devils with EPL 2010-11 Trophy

While many clubs in Europe (such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona, etc.) believe in spending huge sums of money to get the ideal players for their club, Manchester United have a philosophy of their own. They like to invest in the future players and not on the superstars already. They have sound youth system which provides them with ample scope to groom tomorrow’s superstars. Who had heard about Christiano Ronaldo, Nani, Wes Brown, etc. before they were fielded in the Manchester United first team. But there is a serious concern on teams like Manchester United who rely on their youth talent. In the recently concluded transfer window we saw the debacle that Arsenal faced. Good players like Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas left the club seeing lure from high paying clubs. So far Manchester United, though have been able to keep most of their talents intact (barring the likes of Christiano Ronaldo and David Beckham who left for Real Madrid). Even when the club has lost key players, Sir Alex has ably replaced them.

David De Gea, Phil Jones & Ashley Young

In the 2010-11 transfer window Manchester United went about signing in players very silently. Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea (from Atletico Madrid for £17.8m), defender Phil Jones (from Blackburn for £16.5m) and midfielder Ashley Young (from Aston Villa for £16m) were drafted in. Ever since Javier Hernandez, the crafty Mexican and Danny Wellback have become commendable performers for the Red Devils.

They are doing quite well in their competitions. In the EPL they have won 6 out of their 8 matches and are just 2 points behind the leaders Manchester City. They have handed defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea already, but had to settle for a draw against Liverpool. But in the UEFA Champions their struggle continues as they had to settle for two draws in two matches against the likes of Benfica and Basle.

New Brigade is Already Showing Inspiring Signs

So whether they can have domestic and European glory this time around is a fact that only time will tell. But for now their team seems to be going in the right direction and the absence of Paul Scholes (their key playmaker) and Edwin Van Der Sar (their number 1 goalkeeper) is not been felt yet.

Jeopardy between Country and Club

We all love to watch the gripping display of the top players in EPL, Serie A and Spanish La Liga. These are the most popular football leagues in the world and millions of bucks are spent to make them stunning. Barcelona and Real Madrid solely would spend a total sum that would be good enough to feed the hungry people in Somalia! The players are paid handsomely and it is no wonder that they perform to their peak at their respective clubs. But the problem arises when there are national duties. Ask any upcoming player and their dream is to win cups for their nation. But ask the famous players it would be winning championship for their clubs. This how the psychology of the players gets affected after they fall into the elite league.

Everyone was criticizing the performance of Lionel Messi, the magician with the foot. But have you considered the price of that foot. If he incurred any injuries giving his all for Argentina and got wounded doing so then not only him but the club (Barcelona) would lose out on lots of money. Similar was the case with most reputed players featuring in the 2011 Copa America. Some of the national teams were also issued threats that they would be dragged to the court in case of injuries to their star players. This is a piteous situation. No wonder there are some players who think twice before turning up in their national colors.

Another factor that came to the fore in the recently concluded Copa America was the fact that players from the top footballing nations lacked co-ordination, such as Brazil. Most of the Brazil players play important parts in their club teams. They did not get enough time to practice and gel in with their national team members, thus they cut a shabby figure on the field. It was no wonder that the World Cup and Copa America have both been won by underdogs. The leading national team members are just losing interest in serving their national side. This might cause a lot of frustration for the fans, but they will be quenched once the major leagues start over again.

This is the reason people love Manchester United, they do not buy players rather they are a grooming ground for upcoming players. Other teams buy stars and want to get their money’s worth.