United could do with Marouane Fellaini, A risk free and much-needed midfielder
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Marouane Fellaini of Everton looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park on August 20, 2012 in Liverpool, England.
Confused? I use the allegory of mutual funds to refer to Marouane Fellaini here. Mutual Funds come with the rider of being ‘subject to market risks’. The best part about this midfielder is that he makes the market quake in its boots. He is what Manchester United need desperately. Let’s look at this closely:
1.) United lack a leader in the middle of the park. This has been the case ever since Roy Keane departed. Michael Carrick was bought and he has been a shrewd buy at £18.6m. Six years have passed and he remains integral to SAF’s plans. Why then am I (and I suspect a lot of other fans) clamouring for some ‘steel’ in the middle of the park? The answer was there for all to see during yesterday’s loss to Everton.
2.) We missed a leader who could take the bull by the horns i.e. influence the goings-on emphatically. We never had that. Thanks to injuries to our defenders, Carrick had to play at CB. He was good, no doubt. Yet SAF didn’t pay Tottenham Hotspur £18.6m to play Carrick as a CB. CM is his natural spot and that is where his calming influence was sorely missed. But there have been ample instances where our midfield has been overrun. Who can put a stop to all this? A bulldog, someone like a Yaya Toure, or Marouane Fellaini.
3.) These people are giants in the middle of the field. There huge frames, athletic bodies and tough mentality makes them nightmares to play against. Roy Keane and AC Milan‘s Gennaro Gattuso weren`t the biggest but there tenacity and ferocity made them feared opponents for anyone. At United, there is no one who can perform this role. What these guys do is prevent midfield from being overrun. They break up opposition attacks frequently and thereby buy time for their own people to get back into the requisite shape.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Marouane Fellaini of Everton celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park on August 20, 2012 in Liverpool, England.
4.) Also, as Yaya has amply demonstrated, these guys can drive the team forward in search of goals. Fellaini (who I am sorry to not have given enough coverage until now) is someone who is, in Leander Schearlaecken’s words ‘part target man, part ball winner, part attacking midfielder and part wig model.’ It’s that mound of hair that makes him distinctive, forming a giant afro, which bobs along as he rushes from challenge to challenge or collapses temporarily when he heads the ball. Yet for “The Perminator”, it’s his combination of skill, height and strength that makes him remarkable.
5.) These are the qualities of Fellaini which will make him indispensable to whichever team he plays for. It is clear he won’t be at Everton for long. They stand to gain a lot when they sell him. In my humble opinion, a bid of about £25m should be enough to snare him and fill our gaping, long-standing hole in the middle. He will fit in well and give us much better protection, thereby leading to lesser goals being conceded. Him and Carrick or Cleverley can be the pairing in the middle of the park for United. He can sit back and provide cover for the defense and can join in the attack as well.
He is 24 and has played for five years at Everton. This season, in all honesty, should be his last at Goodison. He deserves a star club to match his star credentials. I can only hope that that club turns out to be Manchester United.