Team Focus: Which Midfielder Would Be A Better Fit For Manchester United?
On Wednesday 8th May 2013, the news of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement began to reverberate around every media outlet, quicker than a record breaking 100m Usain Bolt sprint. The veteran Scot had overseen a managerial reign spanning 39 years with five different teams, the most noteworthy of which was his 26-year spell with Manchester United.
Ferguson will forever be remembered for his exploits off the pitch, leading United to 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cup’s and two Champions League trophies, amongst others, while accomplishing his greatest challenge of “knocking Liverpool right off their f**king perch.” The news that he was stepping down as manager of England’s biggest team sent a ripple effect across the game, with rumours rife as to who could succeed the 71-year-old.
In the end, David Moyes was confirmed as the successor to his compatriot, with some reports claiming the former Everton boss had been lined up as Ferguson’s replacement from as far back as 1999. Many a supporter had hoped that, while United romped to the Premier League title last season, the first action Moyes would take upon his appointment would be to bring in another midfielder prior to the beginning of his debut campaign at Old Trafford.
The two names that have continuously cropped up in the gossip columns since the culmination of the season across Europe have been Thiago Alcántara and Claudio Marchisio, of Barcelona and Juventus respectively. The pairing have seen their stock rise considerably over the last 12 months and interest from one of football’s biggest club teams comes as no real surprise.
The former would, it could be argued, be the cheaper of the two options, with reports suggest that the midfielder could be available for as little as €18m having not played 60% worth of minutes for Barcelona this season. After his performances for Spain in the U21 European Championship, interest in his signature is likely to have risen, especially with Thiago ending the tournament as WhoScored.com’s highest rated player with a score of 8.36.
Completing 93.2% of his passes during his time in Israel certainly won him the plaudits and it’s herein that United must make a decision on which midfielder they would look to sign. Both Thiago and Marchisio offer differing options in the midfield and while the latter isn’t necessarily a bad passer of the ball, the former overshadows his ability while in possession.
Focusing on the Barcelona youngster initially, it’s evident that he’s a star in the making. 22 years of age and already a fixture in a Blaugrana midfield consisting of Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas, his league pass accuracy of 91.8% is one of the best in the Primera Division and bettered by only Paul Scholes (92.4%) when compared to every United player from last season.
When it comes to moving the ball across the pitch, the young midfielder played an accurate pass every 0.87 minutes, a figure that is only bettered by current Barcelona teammate Xavi (0.8), while the highest ranked United player in the same aspect is again Scholes, with the now retired midfielder playing an accurate ball every 0.97 minutes. The fiugures not only reaffirm his eagerness and ability to recycle possession successfully, but also the need for a player of his capability in the middle of the park.
Averaging 56.2% possession en route to landing their 13th Premier League title, it’s evident that holding onto the ball, probing for the opportunity to attack, is often United’s approach to domestic encounters. Indeed, one of their WhoScored.com styles of play is possession football, an aspect Thiago would excel in, with a strength of his being the ability to hold onto the ball. Moreover, with United liking to play short passes, another facet the Spaniard excels in, it can be argued that the player is a ready made fit for Moyes’ side, regardless of the fee being mooted.
However, while the ability to retain possession is a necessity in the modern game, United still conceded 43 Premier League goals last year - their highest figure since the 2001/02 season (45). This stems from one of their weaknesses being their ineptitude when it comes to preventing the opposition from creating chances, and while Thiago would provide another creative outlet in the middle of the park; a midfielder to assist in breaking up play would be a sound investment for the club.
This is where Marchisio could thrive for United. While Thiago would prevail in the possession side of United's style of play, the Italian would provide the necessary energy and superior defensive contribution to the midfield. In turn he could provide the perfect foil to allow Carrick to harness his ability on the ball to really hurt the opposition. In making a tackle every 31.3 minutes - with Ryan Giggs (26.3), Rafael (26.6) and Scholes (28.5) the only United players to have done so more frequently last season - it’s evident that Marchisio would solidify the, at times, vulnerable defence of the Premier League champions.
Furthermore, the 27-year-old was forced into making 2.7 tackles per games last season, with that average bettered only by Rafael (3.1) when compared to the current United squad. Comparatively, Carrick averaged 2.4 tackles per game and while there isn’t a major difference between the two sets of figures; Marchisio’s work rate would enable the England international to focus his efforts more on linking the play further upfield and less on defending.
With United also making considerably fewer tackles last season (731) than the 2011/12 campaign (803), not to mention less interceptions (516) from the previous year (574), it’s evident that a designated holding midfielder would be a more crucial acquisition than a ball playing one. The club also created more clear cut chances (88) over the year goneby compared to the 2011/12 season (77), further reinforcing the need to bring in someone that can break up play successfully, adding weight that Marchisio would be a more astute signing than Thiago.
His pass success (83.8%) may not be as high as that of the Barca youngster, but it’s clear that Marchisio would be the better of the two signings, should Moyes aims to strengthen his midfield this summer. With Shinji Kagawa also available to the 50-year-old, the diminutive schemer role has already been filled by the Japan international and it’s arguable that the addition of the Spaniard may see their midfield become somewhat lightweight when compared to their title challengers.
With Moyes also favouring a more brutish midfield during his time with Everton, bringing in Marchisio would be a signing that would better suit his style. That’s not to say Thiago would be a bad signing – far from it – but rather that the Italy international would add the necessary steel to a midfield that is in danger of falling behind their rivals as the new United manager aims to secure the Premier League title in his debut campaign at Old Trafford.
