As Manchester City have fallen into wealth, the rivalry between the two Manchester clubs has intensified. The noisy neighbours of Manchester United have got Old Trafford rattled of late, putting their dominance to the test. The Manchester derby has never failed to entertain.
With both sides being kept apart in the Semi-Finals of the Capital One Cup this year, the Final could be set to be covered in red and blue scarves, flags and other merchandise, as Wembley might host the two Northern rivals.
If the Final does present fans with an all Manchester clash, neutrals will be sure to tune in to watch the excitement, having witnessed late goals, twists and turns and one-sided games over the recent years.
David Moyes’ first encounter of this rivalry didn’t go the way that United fans hoped, falling to a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad. United fans travelled across the city to their neighbour’s ground and found their side lacked the clinical edge that Manuel Pellegrini’s men showed. Neutrals will be hoping for a similar encounter to the thrilling match at the Etihad Stadium that saw United clinch a 3-2 win after Vincent Kompany’s sending off for a two-footed tackle. Or the fixture that saw Robin van Persie bend in a free-kick in the 90th minute to give United all three points at the Etihad.
The list of games goes on, with both of these huge clubs always delivering quality results. Citizen fans’ favourite fixture has to be the 6-1 win at Old Trafford for Man City. United were awful and their neighbours were another class. City manager at the time, Roberto Mancini went on to win the league on goal difference that year and no doubt that 6-1 performance made a real statement about his side’s firepower up front.
With the way that each team are going this season, both managers will be looking to take the Capital One Cup trophy back to their side of Manchester. David Moyes will be looking to lift the trophy in an attempt to please the fans with some silverware and to continue the dominant tradition at Old Trafford, whereas Manuel Pellegrini will be looking towards equalling their rivals record of the treble as they press on for the league while also being strongly tipped to win the Champions League, as well as the Capital One Cup.
Both teams will be expected to reach the Final, and no doubt football fans of all clubs will tune in to watch this Manchester derby as the excitement that surrounds the Capital One Cup reaches fever pitch.
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There are two types of leader on the football pitch, we are often told. The first is the loud, charismatic figure who roars at his troops, urging them forward with a wild swinging of the arms. The second is the quiet one. The one who goes about his business with as little fuss as possible, but leads those around him by his mere presence.
No one had considered Luis Suarez a leader. If anything, the forward was very much the opposite. Suarez needed to be led.
However, the Uruguayan’s performances in the Premier League this season mean that he is fast becoming this second type of leader: the leader by example. But this is the last phrase that one would have associated with Suarez time last year.
The 21st of April 2013. That was the day when Luis Suarez bit Branislav Ivanovic. The immediate reaction by many was that Suarez wouldn’t play for Liverpool again.
He just couldn’t.
He’d already done enough damage to the reputation of the club after being found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra. Dalglish had supported the Uruguayan throughout the affair. And Dalglish had fallen on his sword. The ownership simply couldn’t allow the club to be dragged any further into the mire.
And they were given a way out. Arsenal offered £40m for the forward last summer. But John W. Henry knew where he wanted to take the club, and he knew the quality that Suarez possessed. How different a season it could have been for both if Liverpool had buckled.
It’d be difficult to overstate the role that Suarez has played in his team’s unlikeliest of title challenges. He’s the top scorer in the Premier League with more goals (29) than games (27). And he also leads the charts for assists with 11. In terms of key passes per game, Suarez is only bettered by Mesut Ozil and David Silva, two players who you’d expect to make more key passes given the positions in which they operate and their shared penchant for the through ball.
However, Suarez’ contribution is not only about the direct. We must consider the indirect also. Having your best player on the pitch and your hardest worker as the same man provides Liverpool with a potent combination.
Often, the most talented don’t feel the need to work. They know they’re good, so why should they have to constantly prove it? Work is for those with lesser capabilities. The gifted’s energy is reserved for the special, it’s the average who need to do the work.
However, Suarez has a motivation rarely found in those with the greatest talent. He adores work. He needs it. Work gets him the ball back, time and time again. And it’s work that gives him the opportunity to do the special more regularly.
Any team that includes a player with this kind of incessant work rate can only be better for it. The attitude is contagious. Teammates are inspired to increase their effort through sheer guilt.
However, when this kind of work rate is exemplified by the team’s most talented player, the potential benefits are exponential.
It creates a new norm. If a player as talented as Suarez does x amount of work, then x becomes the very least that is expected of everyone else.
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This kind of leadership by example is of great benefit to Brendand Rodgers. The Liverpool manager need only point to Luis Suarez in order to communicate what is expected to his players.
If Arsenal had managed to acquire Suarez, it’s very likely that they’d still be leading the league on virtue of his goals alone. But what’s more, it’s also very difficult to imagine Arsenal folding as often as they did if they had a player like Luis Suarez on the pitch.
As it’s transpired, Suarez has become a leader by example and Liverpool are top of the league with six games to go. This time last year, it’s hard to know which would have seemed more unlikely.
The great St Mary’s fire sale continues, with news breaking this afternoon that Morgan Schneiderlin has handed in a formal transfer request at Southampton.
The news follows a renegade Twitter tirade yesterday evening, the sought-after midfielder tweeting “6 years of an amazing journey with #SaintsFC DESTROYED in 1 hour,” following a meeting with Executive Director Les Reed and CEO Gareth Rodgers where Schneiderlin was told he wouldn’t be allowed to leave the south-coast outfit, despite well-documented interest from Arsenal and Spurs.
Breaking reports suggest the Frenchman refused to take part in today’s training session at Staplewood.
The social media outburst, and indeed, the entire Schneiderlin situation, raises an interesting point – does the France international have a right to feel aggrieved, or should he be accepting the decision of his employers and the terms of his contract?
Well, you can certainly understand it from the France international’s point of view, even if his methods come with a dose of childish unprofessionalism. He’s already witnessed Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers – a quintet that collectively amassed 152 Premier League starts for the Saints last season – walk out of St. Mary’s this summer with the club seemingly putting up little resistance whilst generating £76million in pure transfer profit. Allegations of asset stripping against inherited owner Katharina Liebherr have ensued.
The club have reinvested some of the funds, £20million to be precise, in new signings Duscan Tadic and Graziano Pelle, both sourced from the Eredivisie, whilst the club claim plans to make three more acquisitions by the end of the week, with Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar, Celtic ‘keeper Fraser Forster, Argentina defender Marcos Rojo and Norwich pair Leroy Fer and Nathan Redmond all rumoured targets.
WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer news | Tottenham transfer news
But none of these signings match the ambition Southampton were showing prior to the resignation of former Chairman Nicola Cortese in January, whose plans to make the Saints a consistent top half Premier League club were well known – perhaps symbolised best by his overseeing of the club’s record-breaking €17million deal for former Roma star Dani Osvaldo. His departure, combined with the sudden exodus this summer, suggests the current Southampton board don’t take that mission quite as seriously.
Likewise, Schneiderlin’s performances over the last two campaigns have been as vital as any of his team-mates in aiding Southampton’s rapid progression up the league table. Due to his individual style and role in the side, the France international’s influence is often understated, but the stats speak for themselves and remarkably, Schneiderlin has made the most tackles, 259, and the most interceptions, 207, of any Premier League player since the Saints’ top flight ascension two years ago.
That impeccable form has seen the 24 year-old muscle his way into the France senior fold, whom he represented against Ecuador at the World Cup, and emerge on the radars of Arsenal and Tottenham – the former in desperate need of a holding midfielder and the latter now managed by former St. Mary’s boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Considering how Southampton stars of arguably lesser intrinsic contributions have already been allowed to leave the club this summer, Schneiderlin must feel justified in his actions. Furthermore, the Frenchman has been with the Saints since their League One days, remaining at the heartbeat of midfield for the last six campaigns and a vital, ever-present factor in their successive promotions. This is not, as often in the modern climate, simply another case of another player using a club as a platform to quickly advance his career and salary.
WANT MORE? >> Southampton transfer news | Latest transfer news
That being said, make no mistake that Schneiderlin is relying upon a culture of player power to get his way. He has perhaps been more earnest than Luis Suarez, more grateful than Stoke City’s Steven N’Zonzi, yet, like both, the France international is refusing to fulfil the terms of a contract he signed less than 18 months ago, which extended his St. Mary’s stay until 2017. Furthermore, in only April this year, the midfielder informed Mirror Football; “As long as we don’t receive a concrete offer, and as long as the club says they won’t sell, I will never force a transfer.“
Southampton are yet to receive a concrete offer and the club have also stated that they won’t sell, yet Schneiderlin, despite insisting otherwise just four months ago, is indeed now attempting to force a transfer.
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Words carry little weight in the beautiful game but legal contracts should. Perhaps Schneiderlin feels that Southampton are no longer matching his ambition, and admittedly, the 24 year-old is clearly capable of plying his trade at European level.
However, he owes the Saints as much as they owe him – acquiring Schneiderlin for £1.2million after just five appearances for Strasbourg first team, whilst they were still in League One, was an enormous risk at the time. And upon agreeing new terms in 2013, he consented to his fate at the club being determined by the employers.
Does Schneiderlin have a right to feel aggrieved? Of course he does. Feeling aggrieved, however, does not entitle you to a transfer.
Twitter is now most people’s central hub for football related news, information, rumours and more.Every club has its fair share of fan run accounts that all strive to deliver the latest on their specific club to fans queuing up waiting to retweet, favourite or belittle each tweet.It’s the nature of the social networking site. Most admins of club Twitter accounts will have learned to take any abuse or criticism on the chin – it’s part of the ‘job’ after all.Which is why the rapid rise and fall of the recently founded @TotallyManU is so tragically hilarious. The admin claims to have quit a well paid job to solely provide Man United related news, exclusives and much more to fans all around the world.What the admin thought he’d gain out of it is anyone’s guess. What he got, though, was a barrage of abuse and a lot of people laughing at him. Including us here at FootballFanCast.As you can imagine, it all ended in tears…
After two tough games against Chelsea and Manchester City, Manchester United needed a good result at home to Crystal Palace to get back on track. And that is just what they got as Juan Mata’s tame effort evaded Julian Speroni to secure all three points, and put the top four push back on.
But should we read much into this win? Have United turned the corner again? We’re not sure, and here are THREE reasons to treat this one with caution…
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CLICK ON DI MARIA TO REVEAL THE THREE
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Still unbalanced
£150m spent over the summer, and Man United’s decision to invest heavily in attacking stars looks to have been an unwise one. A difficult start to the season has found their shaky backline exposed on too many occasions, and today was another example. While Wayne Rooney, Angel di Maria and Robin van Persie were in the final third, at the back Daley Blind and Paddy McNair were at centre-back, with Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw either side…
Struggling for goals
Even with the talent they have, United are struggling in front of goal. Van Persie and Rooney were at fault on occaisons today, and it took a fortunate Juan Mata effort to get things moving. Money can’t buy goals, apparently!
Lucky to have kept Palace out
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Had Frazier Campbell not fluffed his line just before half time, then it could have been a very different result! The ex Red Devils trainee snuck in behind Blind and McNair, but his lofted effort over David de Gea sailed aimlessly into the crowd…
Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood believes that youngster Ryan Mason is not dissimilar to Liverpool and former England captain Steven Gerrard.
The 23-year-old impressed in the north London derby last weekend after winning his spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s XI thanks to a goalscoring display in the Capital One Cup victory over Nottingham Forest.
There has been much talk behind the scenes in north London regarding Mason, who has endured a difficult career with injuries so far, with many senior figures big fans of the midfielder.
WANT MORE? >> Spurs transfer news | Latest transfer news
And Sherwood – who managed Spurs during the back end of last season – believes that if he can stay fit, Mason has an outside shout of making England’s EURO 2016 squad thanks to having similarities with Gerrard:
“If he stays fit, keep your eye on Ryan Mason at Tottenham as a late contender for the England Euro 2016 squad,” he wrote in the Independent.
“It is telling that he is still at Spurs at the age of 23. We always knew he was a talent who was too good to discard. His problem has been with injuries.”
“His game is not dissimilar to that of a young Steven Gerrard, who I trained with when he was brought into England senior squads for experience,
“There is not a lot Ryan cannot do. Steven always had such great desire and heart. It’s up to Ryan now to show that he has similar qualities to match his undoubted ability.
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“In recent weeks Mauricio Pochettino has selected Ryan ahead of the likes of big-money signings Mousa Dembele and Paulinho, so he must think a lot of him. The club sold Sandro too, who plays in Ryan’s position.”
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There’s nothing quite like watching a classic Premier League clash on Boxing Day, and epitomising the spirit and character of the English top flight – especially amid it’s uniquely dense winter schedule – is the fixture between Chelsea and West Ham.
Having done it on a cold weeknight in Stoke on Monday evening, the Premier League leaders will certainly fancy their chances of making it five wins on the bounce when entertaining the East Londoners at Stamford Bridge.
The Hammers are enjoying some incredible form of their own however, with a run of seven wins in their last eleven propelling them to fourth in the table, so they’ll enter the Boxing Day affair with full confidence.
Matches of such feistiness and festive spirit are often decided by who dominates the individual battles however, so with that in mind, here’s FIVE that could eventually decide the outcome.
STEWART DOWNING VS NEMANJA MATIC
Football – Stoke City v West Ham United – Barclays Premier League – Britannia Stadium – 1/11/14West Ham’s Stewart Downing celebrates scoring their second goalMandatory Credit: Action Images / Paul BurrowsLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account represen
Stewart Downing is enjoying a new lease of life in the No.10 role and arguably the most productive form of his career, grabbing a talismanic four goals and six assists in 16 Premier League outings this season.
Despite his tribulations over the last few years, it would be naive to think the England international isn’t capable of hurting Chelsea – currently, only Cesc Fabregas is creating more chances per match in the Premier League than the 30 year-old, as detailed below:
Downing conducts the ground play that contrasts so perfectly with the Hammers’ better famed long-ball style, so it’s vital the Blues eliminate him from the game as much as possible, forcing their opposition into more one-dimensional routes forward.
Fortunately for Chelsea however, Downing will be directly up against Nemanja Matic – a Serbian midfield monolith that’s proved himself integral to the Blues’ starting Xi and emerged as arguably the Premier League’s top enforcer over the last year.
He put in an incredible nine tackles against Stoke City yesterday evening, boasting a current average of 3.9 per match in the Premier League, so Chelsea fans will fancy his chances of nullifying Downing’s threat.
His height will be vital against the Hammers too – West Ham are the joint-tallest team in the Premier League with an average height of 6 foot 1, but the 26 year-old measures in at a whopping 6 foot 4.
Andy Carroll vs John Terry
After spending much of the first half of the season on the sidelines, Andy Carroll’s returned to fitness with real intent since the start of November, picking up three goals and one assist in his last three Premier League outings – including this beautiful chip against Leicester City:
Of course, the striker’s aerial threat will be the bigger concern to Chelsea than his eloquence on the ground. He’s currently the Premier League’s leading aerial combatant by a rather incredible distance, as detailed below:
As he proved last night against Peter Crouch, such dogfights are bread and butter for Chelsea skipper John Terry – but it’s inevitable that he’ll lose out on at least a handful of challenges with Carroll, so it’s a case of damage limitation.
The likelihood of a strike-partner, either World Cup star Enner Valencia or fellow heading enthusiast Diafra Sakho, throws in another potentially fatal dynamic for Terry to consider
EDEN HAZARD VS CARL JENKINSON
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Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson could be in for a really rough ride against Chelsea’s Eden Hazard on Boxing day.
That’s no disrespect to the one-time England international, who’s enjoyed a rich vein for form since his Upton Park move in the summer. But the Blues attacker is one of the world’s best and the powerful and tall Jenkinson, measuring in at 6 foot 1, is hardly tailor-made to handle tricky wingers with low centres of gravity.
Hazard’s notched up an impressive six goals and three assists this term, having started all of Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures thus far. But his defining gift is undoubtedly taking on defenders with the ball, currently sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League’s dribble charts:
That being said, the Belgium international’s occasional reluctance to track back is arguably Chelsea’s only notable weakness defensively, which gives Jenkinson an interesting avenue to exploit.
After Stewart Downing, West Ham’s full-backs are their most consistent providers this season, with two assists each, and both will bombard the box with speculative balls as much as possible – leaving Andy Carroll to do the rest.
Whilst Aaron Cresswell is unlikely to find much room against Willian and Branislav Ivanovic on the opposing flank, Jenkinson will get the space to put in accurate crosses. With Carroll in top form, that could directly influence the outcome of the match.
DIEGO COSTA VS WEST HAM’S BACK FOUR
//www.youtube.com/embed/1NCR8DUhAzQ
Diego Costa is a one-man wrecking ball – in echoes of Chelsea’s legendary Didier Drogba, he possesses the power and strength, but perhaps most importantly, the audacity, to occupy whole defences single-handedly.
The Spain international fights for every ball and runs the channels relentlessly in a bid to find a slither at goal – stopping him from doing so is the task of an entire department, not simply just one or two markers.
Costa’s hit a bit of a dry patch following his prolific early-season form, finding the net only once in his last six outings for the Blues – this scuffed finish against Hull City:
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But twelve goals in 14 Premier League outings is a return only bettered by Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, so the 6 foot 2 striker’s ability to find the net is without doubt.
On the other hand, if there’s one defence tailor-made to handle the physical menace Costa consistently provides, it’s almost certainly West Ham’s. The likes of Winston Reid, James Tomkins, James Collins and Carl Jenkinson are all tall and powerful, gritty defenders that will relish the challenge of batting it out with Chelsea’s battering-ram front-man.
ALEX SONG VS CESC FABREGAS
//www.youtube.com/embed/GGLp4SjIOkk
The lynch-pin behind West Ham’s rise to fourth this season, the summer arrival of Alex Song has completely transformed the East London side.
The Cameroon international meets the usual requisites of a typical Hammers signing in terms of height and brawn, but blends it with Champions League experience and quality. He’s already become a focal point and leader of the starting XI.
Cesc Fabregas is a rather different proposition however – one Song only knows too well from their Arsenal and Barcelona days together.
The Spain international has amassed two goals and an incredible twelve assists this season, making him in some way responsible for a goal in all but two of his 16 Premier League appearances, and likely to feature in the No.10 role that served him so well against Stoke City, it will be predominantly up to Song to stop Fabregas creating.
With the 6 foot 2 midfielder currently averaging the most passes per match for the Hammers however, barring Mark Noble, Fabregas will have to maintain the pressure his former team-mate too.
Manchester City’s arguably most inspirational player finally returns for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Newcastle. Yaya Toure hasn’t played for City since the 2-1 FA Cup third round victory against Sheffield Wednesday back in early January after helping Ivory Coast lift their first African Nations title since 1992.
It’s no coincidence that City went on a five-match winless spell without Toure in the side and have only won once without him in the league since April 2014. Toure is such an important player for Man City and it certainly shows when he is absent from the side. Pellegrini hasn’t got team selection right with Toure missing on international duty.
Fernando has filled in for the Ivorian during the six matches and has been extremely poor throughout. Partnering Fernandinho, City lost their creativity in the middle of the pitch with the team looking a lot less convincing going forward. Playing Toure with one of these two Brazilians compliments the 31-year-old but when they both play together, City have looked half the side they can be.
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Now Yaya Toure is back, City will be able to play with a lot more freedom from midfield and still be able to be equally solid just infront of the back four. Goals from centre midfield will be added with Toure back, as the two Brazilians have only managed three between them this season which has been evident in recent weeks with a lack of confidence infront of goal becoming a worry.
Since joining from Barcelona in 2010 for £24 million, Yaya Toure has elevated himself to be regarded as one of the best players in the world. He made an instant impact during his first season at the club, scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup semi-final win against Man Utd where he put in a Man of the Match display. He went on to net the only goal in the 1-0 win against Stoke in the final which ended City’s 35-year wait for a major trophy.
Toure then played a key part in the clubs first league title in 44 years the following season. Last season is where he was at his best, scoring 20 league goals which went a long way in securing a second Premier League title in three seasons. Toure was one of the best players in the league, if not in Europe. Many have said he hasn’t been at his best this season which is true but he has still managed seven league goals and nine in total. He hasn’t been able to have as much of an influence on games as he did last season but even so, has popped up when needed and is still very much a key player. Much of City’s attacking play goes through Toure so expect a lot more goals upon his return.
His goalscoring form throughout his time at Man City has been perhaps the most impressive feature. He has scored 61 of his 83 career goals for City, in 210 appearences for the club. Obviously he is much more than a goalscorer, being able to control a game from the centre of midfield but goalscoring has now become a vital part of his all round game.
The Premier League title looks to have slipped out of Man City’s grasp due to their poor form in Toure’s absence. Pellegrini with be delighted to have Toure back for the crucial Champions League ties against Barcelona where an on-song Yaya Toure could take City further than they have ever been before in Europe.
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Well, that wasn’t the first-half the world of football had expected, was it?!
An abject, lazy and passionless performance from Arsene Wenger’s side so far, means they trail tonight’s underdogs 1-0 thanks to a speculative effort from Geoffrey Kondogbia.
At first, it appeared that the former Sevilla midfielder had scored an absolute beauty, as David Ospina helplessly looked on, however, replays showed that the ball took a wicked deflection off of Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker – probably would be harsh to suggest Ospina could do better.
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Despite the helping hand from the big German, nothing can be taken away from Kondogbia’s first half performance; he has bossed and bullied Arsenal in the middle of the park and not given Santi Cazorla a moments rest.
The performance resembles a certain Patrick Vieira, a player Le Professeur has tried time and time again to replace but without much luck.
Maybe Arsenal have the answer to their Vieira-shaped hole right in front of them? The Gooners certainly think so
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The past footballing year has certainly been a strange one for Borussia Dortmund and Germany centre-back, Mats Hummels. The 26-year-old defender came into the new season after successfully lifting the World Cup in Brazil last summer with Joachim Löw’s formidable national outfit, yet his subsequent club campaign has seen BVB slip up in more than dramatic style.
The former Bundesliga title challengers have looked a complete shadow of their previous selves throughout the course of 2014/15 – and although Mats Hummels may have contributed to his side’s recent resurgence back up to mid-table of late – the German’s overall form this season simply hasn’t been operating at its full capability.
Manchester United however, in their reported continued admiration of the composed centre-back, are still monitoring the player’s situation with a potential view of bringing him to Old Trafford next season.
So, even though Mats Hummels has clearly had a campaign to forget since the glories of the World Cup last summer, just where will the German international ultimately end up come the start of next term?
Well if his current employers are to have any influence on their star’s upcoming big decision, Borussia Dortmund must act quickly in order to fend off the inevitable interest that will soon be coming Hummels’ way. As was the case for Marco Reus just a few months back, a lucrative new deal is reportedly in the works for the German centre-back as we speak, yet if Jurgen Klopp’s plucky outfit fail to qualify for the Champions League this season – such plans may ultimately never see the light of day.
Mats Hummels is simply far too coveted and highly valued in today’s climate to escape the widespread attention of Europe’s finest. Throughout the 2014 World Cup especially, the former Bayern Munich youngster displayed all the attributes of the perfect centre-back – tough in the tackle and strong in the air, yet also technically capable with the ball at his feet and seemingly never flustered even in the most high pressure situations.
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The Signal Iduna Park favourite therefore proved a huge asset for the Germans when organising their back-line. He kept things cool, calm and collected at nearly all times throughout the World Cup – and as the big defender also popped up with a few crucial goals for his now widely praised national outfit – Hummels effectively displayed that he really is worthy of his world class status in the modern game.
Yes, there are those who will say that the 26-year-old is too slow to keep up with the very best attackers at the top level these days, but because defending is as much about pace as it is about strength, positioning and reading of the game, such critical statements of the German hardly hold a great deal of credence when properly analysed.
Manchester United then would seemingly go down as the perfect next destination for Mats Hummels should Louis van Gaal’s side successfully qualify for the Champions League next season. The Red Devils could certainly afford their man come the beginning of next year’s campaign, the German would be issued an almost guaranteed starting place in United’s somewhat vulnerable looking back-four at Old Trafford – and through plying his trade in the Premier League – Hummels could certainly go on to prove his skill-set to an even wider footballing audience.
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Several other high profile teams have also expressed a reported interest in the World Cup winner in the past, but as Manchester United will likely go into the new campaign with a great deal more financial power behind them than most of their counterparts, Louis van Gaal remains best placed to land the defender should the opportunity arise throughout the summer.
As the likes of Nuri Sahin, Shinji Kagawa, Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski have already departed BVB in sensational style before him, Mats Hummels will likely become the latest in a long line of names to eventually move on from Jurgen Klopp’s side in search of greater pastures. The choice to stay on with Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season would nonetheless be a very admirable course of action for the highly coveted centre-back to take.