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United in Pre-season: Unstoppable or Uncontested | Manchester United love playing in the United States. If last season’s popular tour was not enough to justify this claim, the Red Devils once again made the journey across the Atlantic this summer for their pre-season preparations.
This time around, the results were even more emphatic as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men ruthlessly put opponent after opponent to rest before ending the tour with a solid 2-1 win over European Champions FC Barcelona in the nation’s capital.
Barca, one would concede, were clearly not operating at full strength, with the likes of Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Xavi, and skipper Carles Puyol missing from the matchday squad.
However, the most notable absentee was the FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, whose absence meant that the Catalans were missing the talismanic playmaker’s ability to take on the United defenders.
Nevertheless, the English champions deserve a tremendous amount of credit for stepping up and pressuring the passing game of Pep Guardiola’s men brilliantly.
Besides, for the entire tour, United were missing their own emerging starlet Javier Hernandez and with a plethora of youngsters (Danny Welbeck, Federico Macheda, Tom Cleverley) contributing just as much as their more experienced counterparts, it was a complete team effort.
That is precisely what will be scary for all of United’s rivals this coming season; the way this squad – including all the new signings – has come together as a unit this pre-season shows that it could very well be impossible to stop them from reclaiming glory next season.
Then again, domestic rivals such as Manchester City and Liverpool would beg to differ, with the former having a chance to prove in this Sunday’s Community Shield that United were not actually challenged much in the United States.
The Chicago Fire was the most competitive MLS outfit, losing with a 3-1 scoreline that appears to be quite respectable given that others such as the New England Revolution (4-1), the Seattle Sounders (7-0), and the MLS All Stars (4-0) were completely outclassed.
Of course, it is a totally different level of challenge to face the likes of Frank Lampard, Sergio Aguero, and Luis Suarez when compared to lining up against Shalrie Joseph, Juan Agudelo, and an aging David Beckham.
While the debate will continue about exactly how unstoppable this United squad really is, the good news is that the Premier League season will be here before anyone will realize.
In less than two weeks, when Sir Alex Ferguson leads his side to open their title defense against West Bromwich Albion, we will be able to see at least signs of how their pre-season form will translate to the English top flight.
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I agree he is no longer in his prime but what Alex is trying to say is that even at his age he is still playing in great form. Age should definitely not be a factor. Take giggs for example. He’s way past his prime yet he still manages to create plays, dribble past defenders and even through in a couple of numbegs. Don’t judge by the fact that he’s been “tearing you apart since 1991.” Instead watch the beautiful game.
dude were you blind last season, so what can you say about ryan giggs hes well over 35. That old dog is still giving these youngster a run for there millions, I would say get another hobby because writing articles is not your thing
You are missing the point. First of all, let’s stick to Beckham rather than deviating all the way to Giggs. Ever since moving to the Galaxy, Beckham has not been the player he used to be in Europe. FACT. Loving a player’s energetic approach to the game is one thing but saying that he can still play at a higher level than world class players in their prime is just absurd, particularly when the said player has been in the MLS (yes, that’s where superstars of yesterday end up) for the last few years. When I referred to an aging Beckham, I did not mean that he has been good or bad in particular matches or anything; it was a general observation that MLS players – including those who were great back in their prime – will not provide nearly as much a challenge as Premier League players.
Now, let’s talk about Giggs. This guy has spent his entire career playing for England’s most storied club and he has wonderfully seized the opportunity to increasingly immerse into the system with each passing year. That is precisely why he can contribute at a high level every single year; if he was playing in the MLS right now, I bet his fate would be the same as other veterans who are winding down their careers in the U.S.
BUT Beckham was simply great on that particular match. I think he was the best midfielder in the game. He maybe 36 but better than so many other 26 years old players. We love Beckham, full stop.
Have you seen Beckham play?If you have had seen him then you would have realised that it’s David that challenged Manchester more than all your Lampards or Suarezs ;at 36 he is better than most midfileld players in EPL;that is if you have seen him play and not judge him by his age(what you have obviously done)
Alex – I have actually seen Beckham play quite a bit in the MLS and as much as I respect his attitude towards the game, we can all agree that he is no longer the player he used to be in his prime. That’s precisely why I referred to his age because at 36, no footballer is in his prime and Becks is no exception.