Gooner Speak: 6 reasons why I like the current Manchester United side

Being a supporter of Arsenal and having followed their beautiful fluid passing game, one might wonder what made me write an article about the club’s arch rivals. To be honest, everyone envies Manchester United for some reason or the other. We envy their enormous success and the amount of silverware they have won in recent years, we envy the superstars which they constantly have at their disposal, we envy Sir Alex Ferguson’s vision and his ability to snap up desired players right before the eyes of his rivals (Can you hear me Mr. Wenger?), and the list may go on. ( However I seriously hate their song … well let’s not talk about that)

Despite being a Gooner all my (T.V watching) life, I admire the way Manchester United have gone about their business in recent years. One by one I will list all my 6 reasons why I like the current Manchester United squad. Here it goes.

6. Millions of happy supporters :

I might ruffle a few feathers here when I say that as compared to supporters of other teams, the Red Devils’ supporters are the most satisfied lot. Their team has won it all in the past few years, their star players have stayed with them (God I miss Fabregas and Nasri!) and they have made delightful additions to reinforce their squad. The squad has delivered whenever time has demanded them to, which has led to millions of proud, arrogant and ever chattering supporters who sing about the greatness of their beloved club every night and day.

The picture says it all

5. Talented and promising youngsters :

For a person who loves to play and watch football, there is no better sight than seeing young and fresh legs playing the beautiful game. Manchester United, in the last few years, have accumulated a galaxy of such youngsters. It won’t be an overstatement to say that this season Ashley Young has been their best player. Phil Jones, Danny Welbeck, Fabio and Rafael Silva, Javier Hernandez, Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley, Antonio Valencia, Anderson and David de Gea, all young players brought in to the club have proved to be bright prospects for the future.

Future is certainly in right hands

4. Wayne Rooney:

As a team I have never supported Manchester United, but I have great admiration for Rooney, who in my opinion is one of the best players of his generation. I love the energy and enthusiasm that he brings to the current Manchester United side, how he marshals the field like a hard working horse, several times seen attacking as well as defending in the same passage of play. He is not only a prolific scorer but also provides a lot of assists to his team mates as well. Yes, he is outspoken, at times over-aggressive and abusive but there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind about his ability. His recent hair transplant only seems to have brought him better luck. ( Is he suggesting a way to make lady luck smile?? ). It is a treat to watch when he plays alongside Welbeck or Hernandez, linking up so effortlessly, pulling the strings and putting on a great show.

Prolific scorer and a great team man

3. The water-tight United defence:

Often defenders are the unsung heroes of a team. The same has been the case with Manchester United. Such great has been their attacking play that people forget to give credit to the likes of Vidic and Ferdinand. My favorite defender in the Premier League right now is the hard tackling Manchester United captain, Nemanja Vidic. He is the perfect leader and an imposing personality to say the least. Rio Ferdinand is another favorite of mine, the ex-united captain forms a formidable CB partnership with Vidic. However, the most exciting aspect about United’s defence is their upcoming youngsters. Players like Phil Jones (Is he a Ramos in the making?), Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and the Silva brothers have all performed well whenever presented with an opportunity. Add to the list Patrice Evra and you can understand why a Gooner likes this defence.

The formidable Center Backs

2. Sir Alex Ferguson, the legend:

Sir Alex Ferguson is well over 60 (actually will be 70 on 31st December this year,) but his shrewdness in decision making and hunger for glory only seem to get better with age. His cunning signings in the transfer market this year and winning the club’s 19th top division title have added great respect in my heart for the legend. Sir Alex is not a perfectionist, but has embedded in the team a sense of belonging that can only be associated with Manchester United. It seems like crazy words but look at the examples of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs who have come to be recognized as the modern epitomes of loyalty for their career long associations with one club, thanks to the careful guidance of the great manager. Hats off to Sir Alex!

He keeps adding feathers to his cap, season after season

1. The never-say-die spirit:

When you play Manchester United, you are never assured of winning until the final whistle has gone off. They might not have the best technical game but United make up for their shortcomings with their never-say-die spirit, a quality that become ingrained in the club’s DNA. I have seen many games where United have scored a last minute goal to gain a memorable win or draw, but most importantly to avoid an embarrassing defeat. Several times we see players giving up hope before full time, but those are definitely not Manchester United players. I cannot help but look back to Bayern Munich’s historic defeat at the Camp Nou and Solksjaer’s winning goal which set the trend for super-subs. There is no joy in the world than to see a team snatch victory from their opponent’s jaws at the last minute. Surely, Manchester United have given their fans many such moments to rejoice and will continue to do so.

Relieve the drama that best depicts United’s last minute heroics: