United Captain Controversy

            There is one player who has stolen the headlines for each Manchester United game, win or loss, and that is Wayne Rooney. Selected as the captain for the team by coach Louis Van Gaal, that decision and the choices made by Rooney on the field have arisen many questions and doubts as to Rooney’s capabilities as captain. Throughout recent games, Rooney has failed to prove his leadership qualities to many, and some believe that he does not deserve the role of captain.

            During that staggering defeat last week against Leicester City, Rooney began to show these qualities, or faults to some. As United began to break down on defense and allow attack by Leicester, Rooney seemed to collapse or break down himself under pressure. During a certain play, Rooney had the chance to clear an attacking ball by Leicester, which he failed to do efficiently, and eventually the play led to a goal on United. As captain, Rooney at that point should have accepted the mistakes and tried to encourage the team, and himself, to fix them. However, the controversial captain proceeded to go from teammate to teammate, yelling at them for their mistakes rather than help the team reassemble or take responsibility for his own mistakes. This leadership is deemed by many as “fake”, as the leader or captain is not always the one yelling at teammates but leading the team through his play, and this is not what Rooney did at this game, and the game eventually fell to a 5-3 loss by United.

            Now, Rooney was given another opportunity to lead his team up the table, with a home game against West Ham United. The game looked to be a successful show by United, leading at half 2-1, one of which was scored by Rooney himself. As United were seemingly in a comfortable position going forward, their defensive side again looked quite shaky. As Rooney tracked back, he was unable to catch up to West Ham midfielder Downing, and kicked him from behind in the United half. Rooney was then promptly sent off by the referee, leaving his team to hold on to their slight lead without their captain. As leader of the team, Rooney should have seen United’s position score-wise and not have made the tackle. Rooney put his team in jeopardy, and was lucky to see a win in the end. Also, the captain will sit out for three following games in the season, leaving an already unstable side without their leader. Rooney does not fit the role of captain of his team in my opinion, as he does not truly lead his team nor does he make decisions that help the team, but rather he decides to not play at all.

Premier League Transfers Part II

                Finally, transfer season discussions end for the summer, and, although talk has already begun for the next transfers, I am finishing the summaries of Premier League transfers.

 Liverpool:

                Losing Luis Suarez to Barcelona early in the summer left a large role to fill in Liverpool’s attack as Suarez was a large goal-scorer for the team and had a great previous season. With such an important piece to the puzzle lost, I wonder if Liverpool will ever reach their top form of last season and if the team will grow together. To fill in the gaps, Mario Balotelli was brought in from AC Milan with mixed feelings from Liverpool fans. Most agree that he should score goals for the team, maybe as Suarez did but some also feel that the risk of his behavior acting up is not worth it. Overall, I am slightly worried that Liverpool might not have the season they did last time and it may become a disappointment if they can’t come together.

Arsenal:

                This season, Arsenal is looking to rise into the top four and even compete for the title, but they needed a reliable transfer season to have a chance at these efforts. While Arsenal did not lose many key players from their squad, they did look to build on it. Bringing in Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona at 30 million pounds, Arsenal should benefit from this trade should Sanchez fit the playing style of the team. Another player brought in is Danny Welbeck from Manchester United. This trade and others did spark some controversy as fans feel that they are not to the caliber of Arsenal, and I can see what they mean as these are not the top end players that many expect. However, these transfers are in no way bad, and they should all be helpful in some way towards improving the Arsenal side.

Throughout all of the transfers and scrambling to improve squads, one point is becoming clear as the season begins: the smaller teams in the league are competing with even the best teams and there is no clear favorite for the title yet. Many expected the Manchester United side to make top four, but now spectators question their ability to beat teams at the bottom of the table. This season in the Premier League should prove to be very interesting and unpredictable, and I hope to be able to shed some light on all of it throughout the season.

Manchester United Defeated Again

                For many of the fans in red today, the Manchester United game was a disgrace and a shame, and for many, a confirmation of the doubts of this team. As Louis Van Gaal took the coaching position of this team this year, he looked to improve and build up this team, but it seems that not enough was done for new players this year and the squad is not working as a team. Spending 150 million pounds this summer on top strikers such as Falcao and Angel Di Maria while picking up smaller name defenders such as Marcos Rojo, it has been worried that United will have to outscore their opponents rather than keep the other team from scoring. This has been confirmed by the start of the season for this team.

                With a slow start to the season having lost a game and tied two, United were looking very grim this last week. Then, as fans became desperate for any sign of improvement, United crushed QPR at home last Sunday 4-0. Some fans saw this as the end to the team’s slump, while others insisted that the game meant very little as to how the team would fair throughout the season as they were not challenged defensively. Today, it seemed, would decide the verdict; whether or not the team could last an entire 90 minutes ahead of their opponents, and at the start it seemed they would, with a 2-0 lead over Leicester City. However, it did not last, as Leicester began to expose the weak back and came back for an astonishing 5-3 win over United. With this defeat, the old predictions about United this year arise yet again and there is serious doubt as to whether or not the team will reach their goal of the title or even making top four. To win against attacking teams with their current defense, United will have to score a plethora of goals to outscore the teams, and I don’t see how the team has it in them to reach any great accomplishments this season.