there's been a lot of talk about sneijder, modric and pastore etc. but for me, if given the chance, anderson can step up and make that position his own. when given regular game time last season and given the freedom to go forward, he was nothing short of brilliant. the game against valencia at old trafford for me was his best performance of the season. not only did he get the vital equalizer that ensured we finished the group top, he controlled the midfield from start to finish, dictated the tempo, ran with the ball, spread the play beautifully, and all against a very good valencia team. he really does have it all as a midfielder. he's quick, strong, very good passer long and short, and an all too rare attribute for a central midfielder...he can run with the ball. i particularly like the through balls he plays as they always seem to find their target. i would rather we give him an honest crack of the whip this season than bring in someone like sneijder. he knows the club inside out and he already has experience of winning things at the age of 23! [video=youtube;6363YxxlFXM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6363YxxlFXM[/video]
Consistently injury free? He generally has a good game, towards the end of last season he was one of our best players every game he played. It seems like every time he hits a rich vein of form he picks up an injury and is sidelined for a weeks.
He does get injured quite a lot. Reminds me of Saha a little though not as bad with regard to the fitness.
Hopefully some of his injuries were growth related. Doesn't the male body stop growth around 25? Have the same worries with the Da Silva twins.
fergies widespread squad rotation doesnt help..he'll have a couple of good games and then will find himself on the subs bench for no reason other than keeping things fresh
Maybe its the male brain that stops developing at 25. Hope its the body though need 1 more inch til 6 foot. Agreed. When he came back in November this year he was playing really well, looked a bit tired, got rested, then fergie didn't play him for awhile. I think if Ando carries his form from April into next season we'll be in good shape.
I still think Anderson's being played too deep. Yes he's strong and combative, but both his passing and shooting are more effective from shorter range, closer to goal.
He needs to get fitter as he's usually ****ed by the hour mark. And, injuries aside, he can be woefully inconsistent. Maybe Fergie's rotation policy is partly to blame, but that's the way it is at United and he needs to get used to it.
No, he is normally running around pretty strongly for most of the time he is on. He isn't Park, but who else in the squad has fitness like him? This will be his first full preseason with us without injuries or international duties. Hopefully we can get him fully conditioned because I doubt we have anyone else at United that is as strong or powerful or skillful perhaps Rooney aside with those qualities. First and foremost, he is our only central midfielder that seems to love dribbling (Giggs aside but that's because the majority of his career he has been a fully fledged winger) and looks to turn and run at the opposition. Your right when you say that he is inconsistant but his stronger performances this season especially outweigh his average games which does show that he is getting there. He isn't a Scholes when it comes to finishing with feet or head but he does have vision and can pick out a pass and does have goals in him. Whether or not he can really push on is up to him but I believe he can.
As Muffin says though, he hasnt had a pre-season since we signed the lad and we have all heard how vital that is to your season.Like the OP says I would like to see him given a proper shot at staking his place but I can also understand SAF`s reluctance to rely on him keeping fit for the whole season.
I really like Anderson as a player and if he can up his consistency and grab a few more goals he'd be a great player. I love his combination of strength, industry along with vision, skill and passing ability. He just needs to stay fit, up his consistency and he'd be a great player and one of the first on the teamsheet.
i think rooney should play that role.and if we are short on strikers,move him forward and bring anderson on?rooney=good passing.verygood at reading the game.crap at tackling.voila rooney=scholes.
I like Ando, but lets be honest here, he cant shoot for sh*t! And is he really going to cut it as our midfield marshell I don't think so. which is sad to say as i like the guy but he wont cut for me.
To me it seems like Ando never shoots in general, he normally just passes it to a teammate. As for marshalling the midfield, on his day he will dictate the tempo of the game, and does it very well. I don't think anyone denies Ando has the potential to be a top midfielder, its really just about him staying healthy and being consistent.
Luck of confidence, does not shoot and when he does its like "WTF". I just hopes he stays if and can prove us all wrong hopefully working beside a world class player of sneijder's quality : )
