Fergie looking for experience in defense...

Kevin

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Fergie: I'll stay until we win Champions League again

Paul Wilson
Sunday May 25, 2003
The Observer

Sir Alex Ferguson has promised to bring at least one more European Cup to Old Trafford before he steps down from Manchester United. Whether this means United will conquer Europe again in the next two years, or it means he will continually postpone his retirement until they have done, is unclear.
'I do think we can win it before I retire,' said Ferguson, in looking ahead to this week's final, at Old Trafford, between Juventus and AC Milan. 'I have two years remaining on my contract, plus an option. We are close to winning the Champions League again. We have played some really terrific stuff in the competition in the last two seasons.'

Ferguson intends to strengthen his defence during the summer, having lost Wes Brown to another cruciate injury. Juventus and Milan have reached the final through the sheer reliability under pressure of their defenders. 'We are short of experience at the back compared to those two,' Ferguson explained. 'We have some good young defenders, but I'll probably be looking for experience in summer, especially with Wes being out.'

One player they might chase is Lucio, Brazil's World Cup-winning centre-back whose club, Bayer Leverkusen, have had a terrible season. He was valued at £22million a year ago and would cost a fraction of that now.

'I won't be trying to change the way we play,' Ferguson added, 'just strengthen the defence. It would be very hard for us to change our attacking philosophy, and I see no reason to when we have contributed so much to the competition this year.'

Rather cheekily, Ferguson includes helping eliminate Real Madrid among United's recent achievements in Europe. 'I fancied Juventus all along in the semis, because we knackered Real Madrid in the quarter-final,' Ferguson said. 'They looked out of it after their games against us.'

Ferguson favours Juventus for the final, though he concedes they will miss Pavel Nedved, a player long-coveted at Old Trafford. 'I've got to go for Juve after they've won the Italian title,' he explained. 'I don't think it will necessarily be a bad game either. I'm sure Juve will go for it and try to score, it's the way they play. They have a strong defence but they also have a brilliant work ethic, and top goalscorers in Del Piero and Trezeguet. They aren't really a defensive team. The only time they have played that way this year was against Barcelona.'

It seems unlikely that Wednesday's final will resemble the last Champions League action seen at Old Trafford, the high-scoring second-leg visit of Real Madrid last month, but Ferguson is probably right in suggesting Italian football has been unfairly denigrated as negative and uncompromisingly defensive.

'The Italians have proved a point this season with three in the semis and two in the final. It is only a year ago that people were talking about the demise of Italian football. What you can say about the Italians, at both club and international level, is that when blips come along they never seem to last long. Even their financial problems might have made them stronger - perhaps they turned out to be a good thing.'
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<a href="http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,963024,00.html" target="_blank">http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,963024,00.html</a>

Which probably means... forget Mexes/van Buyten/ etc.
 
Originally posted by ShAoLiN_ChRoNiC:
<strong>...and bring on Cafu? Thats my bet anyways.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Possibly.

Tudor? Not very old but has experience and versatility.
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A bit much for fergie to claim we tired out Madrid for Juve to beat them.

Hmmm...experienced defenders. Ayala? If Valneica's financial woes, which could be compounded by nnot getting into the CL next year, are to be believed.
 
Trying to think of experienced defenders who might be available is harder than I thought!

I know it will never happen but Stam would be ideal.
 
I can see Stam coming back, and him and Fergie becoming best friends. ;)
 
Why the hell are we being linked with Lucio? <img src="graemlins/nervous.gif" border="0" alt="[Nervous]" /> I have seen a good amount of him and have never been impressed, i have been more thinking how the hell did he make it in professional football!
 
Originally posted by Jason F:
<strong>Why the hell are we being linked with Lucio? <img src="graemlins/nervous.gif" border="0" alt="[Nervous]" /> I have seen a good amount of him and have never been impressed, i have been more thinking how the hell did he make it in professional football!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Big & very good in the air, strong & swift, a versatile attacking-orientated defender who can play both at full-back or CB - was at the heart of the very successful Bayer Leverkusen & Brazilian teams of 2002 & still only 25!

Whether Utd wants him or whether he wants to come is another issue.
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Someone around 32-33 would be ideal, just moving on from a top club. Won't cost the earth - £6-7m or so - probably a centre-back to partner Rio in Europe. Any ideas?
 
It is a weakness at the moment, all our defenders being very young - there is a need for an old head back there, someone with a bit of authority.

Just on maybe a 2 or 3 year deal, someone like Desailly, Ayala, Thuram, even Southgate at a push.

Desailly is probably the best option because he speaks English, and is well suited to both Prem & Euro football.

O'Shea Ferdinand Desailly Silvestre

Doesn't look too bad to me :cool:
 
The main problems with our defense are leadership
and lack of specialist cover for the fullback position.There is no need to go for a new CB.We have so many players who can play there.If Fregie decides to buy a defensive/box-box midfielder he might play Keane as the CB,from where he can provide the leadership.
 
tbh, I believe there's an over-reaction over the loss to Real Madrid.

Don't forget the same-said experienced defenders Real had were blamed for their semi-final fiasco - wasn't Hierro shot down by fans & press alike for being past it?

Didn't we blame Blanc for last season's disasters?

Utd had a bad night against Real in Spain - poor play & poor tactics, plus some teams are just bogey teams of others - Real are ours & the way they capitulated against Juve when we trounced the latter easily just means the better team on the day won - it always happens in knock-out competitions & the best laid plans sometimes go awry in a one-off game.

That's why altho' Sheff Utd beat the likes of Liverpool on a one-off doesn't mean they're one of the best teams in England - knock-out competitions never always proves that teams that enter the finals are the best- it's sometimes the luck of the draw & that's why teams like Brugge & Malmo have found themselves in the European Cup Finals in the past!
 
Ayala is 31 i think would be a good buy but Southgate is apparently available for £2 million would pay that for him for 2-3 seasons he is a leader,English so would need barely any time to settle.
 
Originally posted by kkcbl:
<strong>

That's why altho' Sheff Utd beat the likes of Liverpool on a one-off doesn't mean they're one of the best teams in England - knock-out competitions never always proves that teams that enter the finals are the best- it's sometimes the luck of the draw & that's why teams like Brugge & Malmo have found themselves in the European Cup Finals in the past!</strong><hr></blockquote>

beating the pool these days is hardly a criteria for greatness.
It merely puts Sheff. Utd in an elite club, that already includes the likes of Palace, Birmingham, Charlton and Fulham.

<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />
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Actually, with the kind of money Utd has & if they want to stay in touch with the best, they should be going out to buy players who'll really make the difference, rather than some cheap alternative possibility ( who become expensive when offered to Utd! )

That's why it irks me that despite being linked to the best in the world, Utd faces the danger of settling for the likes of Bellion, James & Defoe, players who'd excite 2nd echelon clubs but who'll hardly frighten the best in Europe!

We should instead be going for the likes of Ronaldinho/Kewell/Nedved, Rustu, Lucio, Thuram, etc.
 
Originally posted by vijay_vr:
<strong>The main problems with our defense are leadership
and lack of specialist cover for the fullback position.There is no need to go for a new CB.We have so many players who can play there.If Fregie decides to buy a defensive/box-box midfielder he might play Keane as the CB,from where he can provide the leadership.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Our centre backs proved they are not yet strong enough against the likes of Real. We have lost Wes til Xmas (again). Rio needs to sort his head out. O'Shea is too young. Blanc has gone. Superstar is going. Keano says he doesn't want to play at the back. And we've known all season we lack muscle in the CB position.

Desailly is a good choice but he nearly retired this season and he says he doesn't want to move from London. I like Southgate but we didn't sign him once before, when our need was greater, so can't see us going for him now.

Lucio - hmm, not convinced. Thuram maybe? He can cover both CB and FB, Fergie's always liked him, he is brilliant and he's around the right age for Juve to sell him on.
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slippy southgate is a excellent defender.not world class but experienced and good enough to help our defensive stability.

would rather thuram
 
Originally posted by Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber:
<strong>Van Bueyten is the man I tell you :) </strong><hr></blockquote>

Experience? A few years in the Belgium league is hardly a shining CV. Although Stam only had two seasons at PSV and some lower league know-how before we snapped him up so you never know.

BTW Southgate earlier today said he wants to play in the Champions League. Lots of Premiership and England pedigree, and at 32 could be just the ticket. The new name doesnt have to be an expensive fancy dan foreigner.
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Southgate? nah... he's not United quality.

Not seen much of Van Buyten.... (can't see him being anything more than average.. afterall he's a Belgian!)
 
Depends what you mean by United quality. Will he form the back-bone of Europe's best defence over the next ten years? No. But we have players who can do that. :D What is required is someone to steady the ship in Brown and Neville's absence. Southgate for 2m would be perfect - leaving us a few million to reinforce other areas. I know how much you like Quaresma giggzy... ;)
 
Didn't Roma win SFA this season? Samuel might be encouraged to leave to play top level football.
 
Originally posted by giggzy:
<strong>Not seen much of Van Buyten.... (can't see him being anything more than average.. afterall he's a Belgian!)</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey they got to the last 5 world cups in a row. Countries like France, England & Holland don't have records like that.
Their great players - Ceulmans, Schifo, Wouters never played in England. That doesn't mean they didn't exist! Get your head out of your arse :)
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Same opinion with someone stated above: Ayala or Thuram are the ideal choices. They are well proven international players, with abundant experience in CL. Plus that they are just around 30, which mean they can play 3-4 years for us.

We should get players who can really make a difference, not someone such as Southgate -- who may require Rio to teach him how to play in CL instead.
 
I believe the current back four lacks both experience and pace. Ferdinand demonstrated this weakness against Ronaldo and Kewell (when Eng v Aus). Brown is not as agile too. I've seen the best defensive partnerships in Silvestre and Brown or Ferdinand where they have kept several consecutive cleansheets because Silvestre has the pace to cover the shortfall. However, Silvestre has his merits playing on the left back slot. I would compensate this with Thuram, who has the pace to play either centre-back or the left/right back. His incredible tenacity and stamina was demonstrated when they played against Barca. He has at least another 2-3 years to go.
Ayala is an experienced defender but again, his pace is his main weakness (as seen in WC 1998 when Owen scored against Arg). Desailly is agile but his career is at its dawn. Southgate would worth the money but I don't think he will solve the weakness.

Thuram is my choice but he may not come cheap. We have the quality young defenders and I suggest we groom them by hiring a "defender" coach such as Baresi instead of buying a player.
 
My favorite defender remains Kaladze. The Milan hard man may not have the reputation of Maldini or Nesta but is tough, very solid (Johnsen type), still
Young and a serious professional with a mature head on his neck.

But what impresses me most is that like John O Shea the Georgian international can play anywhere and equally well. At Milan he started as a central defender where he was a superb partner for Costacurta. Circumstances pushed him as a defensive midfielder where he bullied himself in keeping the likes of Gattuso and Ambrosini on the bench and then he moved on the left back where he made his Maldini's former place (while the italian international moved in the heart of the defense)

We need a hardman. Someone who stays at Rio's back while the English move up front and Kaladze fits the price. I guess the duo would make I wonderful partnership together
 
Originally posted by jamesblonde:
<strong>

Hey they got to the last 5 world cups in a row. Countries like France, England & Holland don't have records like that.
Their great players - Ceulmans, Schifo, Wouters never played in England. That doesn't mean they didn't exist! Get your head out of your arse :) </strong><hr></blockquote>

Wouters? Which Wouters was that?
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For the people who say our current players are good enough, yes we have a good crop atm. But we dont have enough to maintain a decent challenge i.e. Arsenal.

We lost 2 defenders and so at least one should come in.

I back up my Cafu statement: Cafu is still a great athlete, not like Blanc. Has immense experience, is still a great RB and can play in CB too. Good going forward, solid defensively and has great stamina.

Good enough to probably be our number one RB, but old enough to give him a rest regularly if we wanna focus on our younger players...but doesnt necessarily need resting every few games.

Whats more his contract is up this Summer and he is a free agent.

He would be ideal I think...only problem may be he doesnt like the weather. Not heard a whisper though :(
 
Originally posted by ShAoLiN_ChRoNiC:
<strong>For the people who say our current players are good enough, yes we have a good crop atm. But we dont have enough to maintain a decent challenge i.e. Arsenal.

We lost 2 defenders and so at least one should come in.

I back up my Cafu statement: Cafu is still a great athlete, not like Blanc. Has immense experience, is still a great RB and can play in CB too. Good going forward, solid defensively and has great stamina.

Good enough to probably be our number one RB, but old enough to give him a rest regularly if we wanna focus on our younger players...but doesnt necessarily need resting every few games.

Whats more his contract is up this Summer and he is a free agent.

He would be ideal I think...only problem may be he doesnt like the weather. Not heard a whisper though :( </strong><hr></blockquote>

I haven't seen Cafu play in CB before. How good is his heading?
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<a href="http://www.planetfootball.com/article.asp?id=148209&cpid=8&title=Fergie+wants+experienced+stopper" target="_blank">http://www.planetfootball.com/article.asp?id=148209&cpid=8&title=Fergie+wants+experienced+stopper</a>

probably bollocks as its on planet football... but I would like to see Lucio and Ferdinand together... they are both comfortable on the ball and would allow us to utalise them in midfield whilst in possetion... (ala Real Madrid with Hierro and Helguera) With Silvestre and O'Shea we would have a defence that can actually play football on a par with most midfields...
 
Originally posted by uranushk1:
<strong>

I haven't seen Cafu play in CB before. How good is his heading?</strong><hr></blockquote>

yes and RVN can play as a keeper :rolleyes:
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but I would like to see Lucio and Ferdinand together... they are both comfortable on the ball and would allow us to utalise them in midfield whilst in possetion... (ala Real Madrid with Hierro and Helguera) With Silvestre and O'Shea we would have a defence that can actually play football on a par with most midfields... <hr></blockquote>

Totally agree.
If we get Ronaldinho and Lucio, plus another great GK, Real would really be shit scared of us. Infact I bet we would win at least a double with these players.
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