Man Utd clinches 9th Premier League title: A Fan’s Personal Reflection

After four long years, the Premier League trophy returns to Old Trafford with red, black and white ribbons. It has been an agonizing wait for many United fans, who watched Arsenal sail with an unbeaten season and Chelsea running away champions twice with their luxuriously assembled squad.

Season 06/07 did not start very well at all for Manchester United. The World Cup had brought about the soiled relationship between ‘winker’ Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. The wrath of the entire nation of England is upon the young Portuguese winger and it looks set that he may never set foot on Britain to play football again. United’s ace marksman, Ruud Van Nistelrooy has transferred himself over to Real Madrid following his displeasure of being omitted from the Carling Cup Final in 2006 and subsequent Premier League games. Roy Keane’s successor in the central midfield is still yet to be found.

There were many transfer linkages during the pre-season period. Top guns like Fernando Torres and Owen Hargreaves were speculated to enter Old Trafford, but the deals were never materialized. In fact, many of the high-profile players kept dismissing any sort of association or connection to a club which they perceive to be a “dying giant”. On the other hand, Chelsea had been strengthened by the addition of 30-million striker Andriy Shevchenko and German midfield general, Michaell Ballack. The only transfers that Man Utd had for pre-season was Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak and a 18-million splurge on Michael Carrick. Neither of these two really solved United’s two most crucial problems, the need for an additional striker and defensive midfielder of Keane’s caliber. The shallow squad depth of Man Utd was perceived to haunt them later in the season, especially when players get tired or injured.

R and R celebrates the triumph as best buddies

Despite that, it was an auspicious start for United, with the Red Devils ruthlessly smashing Fulham 5-1 and cracking Charlton 3-0. Throughout the season, Man Utd’s style of play was characterized by the swift blitzkrieg of attacks usually in the first 10 minutes of the matches. The barrage of attacks were usually led by Cristiano Ronaldo running deep into opponent territory and causing the defense to go panicky and disoriented. Man Utd literally steamrolled their way past many opponents, particularly against their fierce rivals such as Manchester City, Bolton and Liverpool. United crushed Bolton 4-0 and 4-1 on home and away soil literally with Wayne Rooney scoring 5 goals from both matches. They also did a double over Liverpool and Man City.

The goals were free flowing from Man Utd. Ronaldo was the surprise package to lead the club’s scoring chart at 23 goals. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer even contributed 11 goals to the team, with 7 being in the Premier League. United’s superior goal difference ensured that they have the upper hand to win the title should they share the same amount of points with Chelsea at the end of the season.

Some of the success should be attributed to Lady Luck too. This was especially very true for the second half of the season where United were plunged into a crisis with many of its key players injured and out of action. The first two months of 2007 was not really good for United’s strikers, with Saha, Smith and Solskjaer unavailable for first team selection. This leaves Rooney being the only striker available and Sir Alex was forced to play Giggs as the second striker at times. No permanent moves were sealed in the January transfer window but Henrik Larrson’s brief loan spell helped to ease the pressure. The worse came in around March onwards for the defense this time, with Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Evra and Silvestre injured. The bulk of the first team defense is decapitated and it was so bad at a time that Darren Fletcher had to play right-back. The makeshift defense was disastrous as they leaked in many goals. However, United tried to overcome the handicap by being superior upfront and outscoring their opponents.

Lady Luck continued to smile in the events happening on the pitch. The unsung hero, John O Shea looked apparently to be an agent sent by her. When things looked horrible in Liverpool and Everton, O Shea was the man to spin United’s fortune around. He even became goalkeeper in a match against Tottenham and saved a crucial shot by Robbie Keane. The comebacks for United were spectacular, especially when they were needed at a crucial period. It was their sheer determination and hunger that enabled them to stage such vital comebacks.

Man Utd’s brand of creative and exciting attacking football drew applause and adoration from many sectors. Even the most ardent opposition of Man Utd would have to agree that the Red Devils did provide some excellent displays of teamwork and footwork throughout the season. The fact that 8 out of 11 members of the PFA team of the year consist of Man Utd players speaks volume of their domination. Based on the way United is playing, the attractiveness of their football style can be said to surpass even those of Arsenal. This view was also thoroughly supported by AC Milan midfield maestro Kaka.

Vice-captain Ryan Giggs and captain Gary Neville lifts United's 9th Premier League trophy

The team spirit revolving around the Man Utd squad is remarkable. There is a solid bond between the players and basically, there seems to be a ‘community-like’ feeling present in the team. The fans could feel the cohesiveness too. It was a joy to see the players coming out to play on the field not only as teammates, but also as close friends. For Rooney and Ronaldo, all hatchets seemed to be buried already, as they become best buddies again. Chelsea on the other hand was splintered into different factions due to the constant change in their squad.

This Premier League title will be memorable for many of the squad members due to various reasons. For wonderkids like Ronaldo and Rooney, it is the start for many great things to come. Veterans like Scholes, Giggs and Neville will be happy to add one more to their trophy cabinet. Recent additions like Vidic, Evra and Carrick are definitely glad to land their first Premier League medal and will be motivated to give more of their best next season.

Personally, I feel that this particular Man Utd team is a really special one compared to previous title winning squads. United’s domination of the 90s had made them into one of the most hated teams in England. The 06/07 squad proved to be otherwise. It actually became somewhat of the ‘darling’ and pride of England this time. They have truly shown the core essence of a British team; the determination, tradition and the ‘never-say-die’ attitude. United’s triumph this season has also demonstrated that there are still many things money can’t buy for Chelsea.

By: Stanley Lee

Photo courtesy of MSN Foxsport