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• 23 Nov 2009

  Sam Wallace: Giggs' recipe for success: hard work, diplomacy - and avoid Best practice

  In 2003 United fans cheered when he was substituted against Blackburn Rovers
  
  The Independent
  Monday, 23 November 2009
  
  Back in 1993, when football clubs were just cottoning on to the idea of exploiting the commercial value of their biggest players, Manchester United authorised a video documentary in which Ryan Giggs met George Best to compare notes on life as a teenage star at Old Trafford.
  
  It was a pretty unremarkable affair but, given how little Giggs was permitted to speak to the press, it was the first insight into United's new prodigy. He drove around Manchester with a Granada TV presenter wearing a purple Reebok jogging suit (Giggs, not the presenter) stopping off at his mum's house and his favourite clothes shop to try on some jackets that looked like Barry Venison's cast-offs.
  
  It ended with Best taking Giggs to his old haunt in Manchester, the Brown Bull, once the epicentre of his hip 1960s scene. By 1993 it was another tired, empty pub. Giggs had an orange juice; Best had half a pint. The presenter asked Giggs about avoiding the "mistakes" made by Best. Diplomatically, Giggs swerved the question. No one mentioned the fact they were in a pub with Britain's most famous alcoholic.
  
  On Sunday, Giggs will be 36 years old. That documentary, made when he was 19, was almost half a lifetime ago, just after his first Premier League title. Now he has 10 more league titles, two Champions League titles and four FA Cups. All the promise that was hinted at 16 years ago has been fulfilled beyond anyone's imagination. Giggs has had an astonishing life in football.
  
  He was once again a central figure on Saturday in United's demolition of Everton, the team he made his debut against as a substitute in March 1991. It was Giggs who picked out Michael Carrick for the second goal. Eighteen years on and Giggs is still a marvel; still a fixture in a team picked by the most unsentimental manager in the world.
  
  Sometimes it takes a burst of nostalgia to remind you just what a great figure in English football he has become. Sometimes he can even be taken for granted. One thing's for sure: we will miss him when he is gone.
  
  Giggs is the most successful player in the history of the English game and he has played at arguably the most powerful club in the land for his entire career. But it has not always been plain sailing. Roughly speaking, his career can be broken down to the periods before and after his 30th birthday, a crucial point at which it looked like he might at last be edged out of United.
  
  The start of 2003 was the worst time for Giggs. He was so out of favour with United fans that they cheered when he was substituted against Blackburn Rovers in the Worthington Cup. He missed a sitter against Arsenal in an FA Cup fifth-round tie United lost at Old Trafford. Although he had signed a five-year deal the previous season, all the signs were that United were finally prepared to cash in on the interest of Internazionale and their owner, Massimo Moratti.
  
  It might be too simple to say that Giggs turned it around with two goals against Juventus in Turin that February, but they certainly helped. Giggs himself came to remember it as one of his best seasons. United won the league title in May; it was David Beckham that left not Giggs; Cristiano Ronaldo arrived and a new era began.
  
  Giggs has not lost his pace - or at least not all of it - and he has seen off so many pretenders to the left wing it is easy to lose count: Keith Gillespie, Ben Thornley, Jesper Blomqvist, Jordi Cruyff, David Bellion, Kieran Richardson, Park Ji-sung and Luis Nani. Good luck, Zoran Tosic. Yet even now, when Giggs plays mostly in central midfield, Ferguson still seems to consider him his first-choice left-winger for the big games; he picked Giggs on the left against Chelsea this month.
  
  Giggs' introduction to United was into a team of old-school players, including Bryan Robson, Gary Pallister, Lee Sharpe and latterly Roy Keane, who all liked a drink. Yet Giggs never became a drinker. He was the ideal player to be commercialised and packaged up in the same way that Beckham and Wayne Rooney have been. Yet, one dodgy TV advert for Quorn aside, Giggs has never really embraced all that.
  
  Sometimes it is the hardest thing to stay and fight against indifference. Somewhere along the line it might have been easier, and more lucrative, to leave United. But every summer Giggs has knuckled down and survived Ferguson's culls. Every working day he has climbed into his car, driven that familiar route to the training ground and made himself indispensable all over again.
  
  He gives little away, which is how Ferguson likes it. His autobiography, in 2005, was candid about his feelings for his estranged father and his violence towards Giggs' mother. Yet when it came to Ferguson there was zero disclosure. In 18 years in United's first team, Giggs' greatest act of rebellion still seems to be attending that party at Sharpe's house which has become one of football's most well-worn anecdotes.
  
  From that 1993 documentary only one ambition held by the 19-year-old Giggs remains unfulfilled and that was "to reach a World Cup with Wales". To be fair, at the time he did not know that once Ian Rush retired it would be the likes of Robert Earnshaw playing up front. But what a happy birthday: to be 36 and still one of the main men at Manchester United. When poor old Best was that age, he was at Bournemouth.Giggs' recipe for success: hard work, diplomacy - and avoid Best practice
  
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• 12 Nov 2009

  UNITED EYE SUPER SIX

  UNITED may not have bagged Premier League points at Stamford Bridge last Sunday but they pocketed brownie points with Sir Alex Ferguson, fans and critics alike.
  Their controversial defeat to Chelsea was bitter-sweet.
  
  They restored belief after their last big-game shambles against Liverpool at Anfield with a creditable display that deserved some reward.
  
  But there are many who believe the champions still need some fine-tuning and there is unfinished work from the summer transfer window. Then, only £16m Antonio Valencia, free agent Michael Owen and unknown £3m Gabriel Obertan arrived to replace the departed Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
  
  With an early Champions League qualification and only a five-points gap to league leaders Chelsea, the Reds are no worse off than last term, but they need to target re-inforcements. The Glazers continue to insist they are backing the funding of Fergie's squad with as much money as is needed but Old Trafford fans have questioned the lack of top bracket imports.
  
  With the January transfer window only 50 days away, managers and supporters are drawing up their New Year wish-lists. United's focus looks set to be mainly on the goalkeeping situation and more senior firepower to add to the Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Owen strikeforce that has not fully convinced it has the output to sustain the Reds in another exhausting season.
  
  In goal, Edwin van der Sar has won back his place easily but was 39 at the end of last month. Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczak have not done enough to support their claims as his successor. Though Owen Hargreaves is on his way back, until he has fully proven himself, another top class addition in midfield wouldn't go amiss.
  
  Here MEN Sport takes a look at potential January buys for Fergie:
  MANUEL NEUER
  CLUB: Schalke
  AGE: 23
  POSITION: Goalkeeper
  STRENGTHS: At 6ft 4ins The German Under 21 keeper is an impressive figure and dominates his area. Despite his size he is agile and has good distribution qualities
  AVAILABILITY: Bayern Munich will be United's main rivals for the signature of Germany's top prospect. Schalke need the cash but Neuer said recently, "I am going to stay, this issue was a public issue already last summer. Then I also stayed on at Schalke 04. I am a Schalke player and I like being a Schalke player. I am not going to end up part of speculation!" Chances of deal 80%
  
  IGOR AKINFEEV
  CLUB: CSKA Moscow
  AGE: 23
  POSITION: Goalkeper
  STRENGTHS: The Russian No1 and CSKA captain is a terrific shot-stopper as he proved first-hand against the Reds both in Moscow and Old Trafford in the Champions League. He also possesses a kick like a mule.
  AVAILABILITY: His height has meant United have actually been pretty low-key checking him out as a contender. Fergie praised him after United's matches against CSKA saying, "I thought the goalkeeper was outstanding. He was very impressive." Going public on a potential target is not the United manager's style which might suggest he is not high on the radar. Chances of deal 70%
  
  MAROUANE CHAMAK
  CLUB: Bordeaux
  AGE: 25
  POSITION: Striker
  STRENGTHS: The Moroccan international was one of the front men who helped spearhead Bordeaux's surprise French League title win last season. Tall and good in the air and can play as a lone striker.
  AVAILABILITY: A host of Premier League clubs were alerted to his potential after last season's success with Arsene Wenger admitting Arsenal were keen and close to signing the Ronaldo lookalike but were put off by a £15m valuation. United have an in with Chamakh's former team-mate Gabriel Obertan at Old Trafford already. Chances of deal 80%
  
  FRANK RIBERY
  CLUB: Bayern Munich
  AGE: 26
  POSITION: Midfield
  STRENGTHS: Plays on the left side of midfield and has pace an ability to go past defenders. The French international also boasts a good goalscoring record. Louis Van Gaal has employed him playing behind two attackers but that caused a rift earlier in the season.
  AVAILABILITY: Bayern Munich are struggling in the Bundesliga and face a possible Champions League group exit and Ribery is alleged to be unhappy at the Allianz Arena. Next summer is his likely departure date but the Germans may be tempted in January. Now Chelsea have had their buying ban lifted they are said to be keen. City could also rekindle their interest. Chances of deal 70%
  
  DAVID VILLA
  CLUB: Valencia
  AGE: 27
  POSITION: Striker
  STRENGTHS: Spain's all-time top scorer behind Real Madrid's Raul and a natural hit-man. A worker up-front who can also create chances for colleagues hence his great international working relationship with Liverpool's Fernando Torres
  AVAILABILITY: Valencia are in financial difficulty and he is the club's biggest saleable asset. They resisted Real Madrid during the summer but time could be ripe for the Spaniards to cash in. Chances of deal 80%
  
  DAVID SILVA
  CLUB: Valencia
  AGE: 23
  POSITION: Midfield/winger
  STRENGTHS: Slight of frame but is versatile along the midfield able to play on either wing or just behind the front men.
  AVAILABILITY: Like David Villa he is one of Valencia's assets during their financial crisis. Chances of deal 70%
  
  MEN
  
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• 10 Nov 2009

  Lee Dixon's tactical view

  Chelsea's victory over Manchester United on Sunday was obviously a fantastic result for the Blues and leaves United five points adrift of the Premier League leaders.
  
  But United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will not be overly perturbed given the quality of his team's performance on the day.
  
  The United players would have been travelling home on the coach wondering how they lost, and Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti might reflect that his men got one over on the champions rather fortuitously.
  
  United got their tactics right and it was one of those games in which you don't necessarily get what you deserve.
  
  As the lone striker, Wayne Rooney did a great job of occupying the opposition centre-backs on his own and United stopped Chelsea's full-backs coming forward like we normally see.
  
  Branislav Ivanovic broke clear on the right a couple of times in the first half but, in general, I thought United's five-man midfield, changing to 4-3-3 when they got the ball, was spot on.
  
  And in the middle of all that was Darren Fletcher who, when you look at the quality and strength of Chelsea's midfield diamond, performed heroics.
  
  In the first half Fletcher was everywhere and it seemed like his name was mentioned every five or 10 seconds, whether United had the ball or not.
  
  Having played so well, he'll be bitterly disappointed not to have emerged on the winning side, or at least with a point.
  
  Fletcher is so important to United because of his ability to break up opposition forays and turn defence into attack.
  
  When you're playing against strikers with the pace of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, what you don't want to do is give them space in behind you so United held a fairly deep line.
  
  Wes Brown and Jonny Evans, their centre-backs, retreated more or less to the edge of the box when Chelsea had the ball in their half so it was imperative to have someone sweeping up in front of the back four.
  
  In Fletcher and Michael Carrick, United had two players capable of doing that on Sunday and their importance was magnified by the proven potency of Chelsea's midfield.
  
  Both players are great passers so after picking up lots of 'bits-and-pieces' balls and performing a sharp turn, their first thought is, 'Can I get the ball forward?'. It is vital for a team defending so deep to get moving up the pitch as quickly as possible.
  
  But that pass forward has to be accurate and it has to stick because if you're playing one up front away from home and can't hold onto the ball, it'll just keep coming back at you.
  
  And if you do that against a team of Chelsea's quality, eventually they will hurt you.
  
  The importance, therefore, shifts to Rooney and he did a fine job of keeping possession and enabling the likes of Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia to arrive in support.
  
  Chelsea were quite fearful of Rooney's pace so stood off him at times - but take nothing away from the way he led United's attack, creating openings for others and shooting when possible.
  
  Fletcher's all-round game has improved significantly, to the point where I find it difficult to find a single weaknesses.
  
  In the past you might have felt that Fletcher wouldn't have played when everyone else was fit. But now it's almost a case of picking the other eight because he is among two or three players who get into the team full stop.
  
  People have said he is more suited to the so-called big games but I disagree. Maybe sometimes when he has not played in the lesser games it's because Sir Alex is saving him for the bigger ones due to his value.
  
  Chelsea aside, I actually think he would get into most other top teams because he is a real nuisance to the opposition and has an ability to get you out of trouble time and again.
  
  At Stamford Bridge, he dropped into the back four to make headed clearances on countless occasions - you could call him a sweeper for all positions.
  
  I've not played against Fletcher in the modern game but he reminds me of Paul Scholes, even though they are quite different players from a stylistic perspective.
  
  When people think of big players they think of the flair guys like Cristiano Ronaldo, but you ask the players who have played week in week out against Manchester United and they will say Scholes.
  
  And it's the same with Fletcher. A lot of his work goes unnoticed and a lot of his qualities are not always bubbling over the top. But the key thing is that he is not unnoticed by his manager or team-mates and they are the ones who count.
  
  The one criticism I would have of United on Sunday was their lack of quality from set-pieces, especially as full-time approached.
  
  Chelsea didn't have a single corner - how many teams win a game without getting a corner at home? - whereas United had quite a few chances to put the ball in from corners and free-kicks but their service was poor.
  
  They had four corners in the last 10 minutes and I don't think they knocked in one decent ball. Two were taken by the young substitute Gabriel Obertan which baffled me.
  
  In the 84th minute a chance did fall to Valencia on the far side of the box from a Giggs corner but he shot wide. It's times like those that United miss Ronaldo - he probably would have scored from there.
  
  Lee Dixon was talking to BBC Sport's David Ornstein.
  
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