Should Laurent Blanc be considered as a first teamer?
The first time I questioned this I was attacked by many supporters
Their main argument was that although Larry does not have the Pace and Stamina needed to reach the EPL’s standards, his experience is vital in the smooth running of our defense.
Days had passed and Laurent Blanc got injured during the Newcastle’s game.
Many were those who signaled an apocalyptic end for Manutd. Facing two crunchy games like Basil and Liverpool without our Daddy (lol) in the defense was unthinkable.
The result was what I HAD EXPECTED. The defense’s performances improved dramatically.
Why? Simple
Let us study Larry’s strengths and weaknesses.
Larry is a 6.3 feet giant, experienced and dominating both on feet and aerial attacks. Yet his lack of pace and his numerous advances with the ball had been penalizing especially in counter attacks. Many managers have noticed this weaknesses and had tried to exploit it to the full. The consequences of this weakness was that Blanc’s partner had the difficult task to cover (in pace) Blanc’s role too and many (including Rio and Wes) had failed in doing so.
In a defense orphaned from Larry, we didn’t have that problem.
The question that we must ask now is DO WE NEED LARRY’S EXPERIENCE?
Let study our backline. Rio and Gary Neville are now renowned English internationals that had lead great defenses like that of Manutd (in G Nev’s case) and Leeds (in R Ferdinand case). Silvestre is a French int and at 24 (with experiences at Manutd, Inter and Rennes) he cannot be considered as a fledgling anymore. Wesley Brown had been in top flight for 3-4 years now while John is very mature for his age. Can’t be called a youth academy’s defense anymore.
In my opinion is that Larry’s role should change. Instead of playing him as a first teamer in a flat 4- defense (where his lack of pace is fully exploited) SAF should insert him as a sweeper in a 5 player’s defense (when defending becomes a priority.) This is the only way to exploit to its full Blanc’s talent.
The first time I questioned this I was attacked by many supporters
Their main argument was that although Larry does not have the Pace and Stamina needed to reach the EPL’s standards, his experience is vital in the smooth running of our defense.
Days had passed and Laurent Blanc got injured during the Newcastle’s game.
Many were those who signaled an apocalyptic end for Manutd. Facing two crunchy games like Basil and Liverpool without our Daddy (lol) in the defense was unthinkable.
The result was what I HAD EXPECTED. The defense’s performances improved dramatically.
Why? Simple
Let us study Larry’s strengths and weaknesses.
Larry is a 6.3 feet giant, experienced and dominating both on feet and aerial attacks. Yet his lack of pace and his numerous advances with the ball had been penalizing especially in counter attacks. Many managers have noticed this weaknesses and had tried to exploit it to the full. The consequences of this weakness was that Blanc’s partner had the difficult task to cover (in pace) Blanc’s role too and many (including Rio and Wes) had failed in doing so.
In a defense orphaned from Larry, we didn’t have that problem.
The question that we must ask now is DO WE NEED LARRY’S EXPERIENCE?
Let study our backline. Rio and Gary Neville are now renowned English internationals that had lead great defenses like that of Manutd (in G Nev’s case) and Leeds (in R Ferdinand case). Silvestre is a French int and at 24 (with experiences at Manutd, Inter and Rennes) he cannot be considered as a fledgling anymore. Wesley Brown had been in top flight for 3-4 years now while John is very mature for his age. Can’t be called a youth academy’s defense anymore.
In my opinion is that Larry’s role should change. Instead of playing him as a first teamer in a flat 4- defense (where his lack of pace is fully exploited) SAF should insert him as a sweeper in a 5 player’s defense (when defending becomes a priority.) This is the only way to exploit to its full Blanc’s talent.
Perhaps your the fool or illiterate.