Seeing Arsenal sign Eduardo da Silva is exciting and worrisome at the same time. Exciting because we have (potentially) another source of great goals in the Premiership and when Arsenal play good, like United, they are fun to watch.
Worrying because it reminds me of the one area United have been lacking in since RVN was booted – clinical finishing.
When Manchester United are on top, the need for clinical finishing can be overlooked. When the whole team is scoring goals, no one misses the prime goal-getter.
But when the goals dry up, either through injuries or a rough patch (Arsenal had both last season), you’re left looking, hoping, for someone to create the goals and another to put them away.
In 2005/2006 Manchester United lost Scholes and duly suffered as there was no one as good as Scholesy in the team to create chances for Saha, Rooney and Ruud.
In 2006/2007 Manchester United created plenty of goals and put many of them away, but when the chances deserted them and in one-off games where it really counted, United’s goals dried up.
I’m not saying that United didn’t have a great season – beating back Chelsea and making those fantastic comebacks the way we did was great.
But I’m not going to sit back and say – hey, we had a great season, let’s take our foot off the gas and let Chelsea or Pool or Arsenal win this time.
No, I want Manchester United to be better – and I’m going to wager that it’s the same for any fan – Chelsea fans want their team to do better after they win titles, Arsenal and Pool fans are the same.
So while Arsenal seem to have picked up a striker who has a proven track record for scoring goals, what do United have?
Lots of potential in Rossi and Anderson.
Ronaldo’s potential was realised last season, and I’m betting that we’ll see more goals from Rooney next season.
But if United want to win again, they need to regain their cutting edge. They need one man whom they can rely on to get goals without making the team too dependent on him.
They need Rossi or Rooney to be Ruud.
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