Whilst Chelsea fans can have few complaints about Branislav Ivanovic’s red card for a foul on Ashley Cole, they may feel a little hard-done by when it comes to Fernando Torres’ dismissal. The Spaniard was dismissed for simulation, yet it appears there was contact from Manchester United defender Jonny Evans, who seemed to initiate Torres’ tumble.
To add insult to injury, Javier Hernandez’s winning goal in the 75th minute was converted from an offside position. To say that Manchester United got lucky would be to put things lightly. Over the course of a season, things will be different. Decisions will go against Manchester United and Chelsea’s dominance will pay off.
That is, unless Sir Alex Ferguson can make some smart in-roads in the transfer market. Whilst United’s playing squad is impressive as is, work needs to be done if they are going to win the title.
Now, when I heard that Manchester United had been linked to a £25m-rated Dutch star (Source: The Mirror) I automatically thought that Sir Alex was back in the market for midfield maestro Wesley Sniejder. I was mistaken.
Manchester United are said to be in the process of pursuing Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman. Fun name, good player. It’s claimed that Strootman has been on Sir Alex’s radar for over a year and that his agent has hinted that a move to Manchester could be on the cards.
But the Dutch ace signed a five year contract with PSV last year. He’s tied down and he won’t come cheap. Despite not have the stature or experience of Wesley Sneijder, a £25m price-tag seems reasonable.
He’s broken into the Dutch first team (11 caps) and has formed a nice partnership with Rafael van der Vaart. At PSV, he has the freedom to play further up the pitch and has been able to show what he’s capable of.
He’s a smart player, who has the ability to link up well with players in advanced roles. He passes the ball quickly and accurately and is capable of working the space he needs to buy the time to make killer passes. He has been a real asset for PSV and it’s little wonder that United are interested.
As of yet, he’s no Wesley Sneijder. But given that he’s just 22-years-old, it’s clear he has a big future. Now would be the right time for Sir Alex to strike and claim his signature.
What’s your take? Would you have Strootman at Old Trafford?
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I thought ashley young got fouled. Didnt no you could get carded for fouling your own team mate
Torres should have been sent off in first half. Hernandez was offside. But drogba was two yards offside and they won the league because of it. So stop moaning and get on with it.
What people forget is that Torres already had a yellow card.
Valencis was yellow carded the same way the same questionable situation but he did not have a yellow card, so it became BAU
Joke of an article, written by someone who should read his work before publishing it. As for Utd yes we need a defensive midfielder but we also need a couple of our 4 injured centre halves back. This may make a difference.
SAF should get either Strootman or Wanyama, (midfield sorted) then our 3 defenders (smalling, Vidic, Jones) will all be fine by end of Nov, the best strike force will give us goals…and we can go for a treble….