This story is getting familiar as what was then just a breach is now seemingly a deluge.
Nemanja Vidic's agent has stated that it his client's "dream" to play for Barcelona. Vidic won every player category last season at Man Utd and his pairing with Rio Ferdinand was crucial to the club's reclaiming the Premiership. His performances have earned him a nomination for European footballer of the year. It is small wonder that big clubs have come knocking.
The transfer will not happen anytime soon. Man Utd will hunker down and make it non-negotiable to buy themselves time. A case could be made for Jonny Evans and John O'Hara as shown in the Birmingham match but breaking up the partnership with Ferdinand would make it extremely difficult for Man Utd to compete with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, City, and even a shabby Liverpool.
What is interesting is the MO that is being employed here. It seems to follow the path of least resistance. Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer saga began a year ago, as the player expressed his unhappiness and claimed it would be a "dream" to play for Real. Man Utd trained its fury on Ramon Calderon. Meanwhile a "penalty" that could see Real lose £25million if they failed to land Ronaldo became part of the moral obligation. But the foundation of the move was already laid down.
After the season was over, the record sum of £80million considerably mollified Man Utd's stance and facilitated his transfer with few ruffled feathers.The same thing is happening with Franck Ribery as Real's overtures for him have been repeatedly rebuffed by Bayern. But the Spanish club is being patient as they set about bringing him to the Bernabeu next season. In a year's time Bayern might like to add to its coffers while targeting cheaper midfield talent from their own backyard. Cue Wolfsburg's red hot Zvjezdan Misimović.
The Liga is selling itself as the place to be. Vidic like Ronaldo has hit a ceiling with the Premiership. Ribery might want to extricate himself from Bayern where one has to be a player politician to deal with its internecine management. There are less challenges and smaller shoes to fill where they are now. Real and Barca are playing a waiting game. Spain is now the Mecca of world football.
Puyol was magnificent- he has a lion heart. But he is slowing down, gets carded often, and is approaching the end of his career. I think the Pique and Puyol combination when compared to their peers is solid not stellar but Barca is fortunate in having a bunch of good CDM's like Keita, Toure, and Busquets who can help the defense out. I have never been impressed by Marquez, good on set pieces but not a good tackler and lacks speed. Chivu, Lucio, Albiol, Chiellini, are all great replacements but so is Vidic. He is just more physical than the rest of them.
But Shourin, surely there are better defenders in the world than Vidic who would serve Barca's center back needs. Also, how can you discount Puyol's imperious performance in Rome? While Sylvinho was undoubtedly fantastic, Puyol's marauding runs neutralized Dani Alves' absence. Because Puyol was marauding, United had to deal with the uncalculated task of dealing with a coruscating defender. In any event, surely there is Christian Chivu from Italy, or, even, Lucio would be better replacement than Vidic. Cheers, mate! Have a good one.
FB, I disagree. The Torres goal was a one off incident. I remember Torres doing the same thing against Lahm in the 2008 Euro final. So yes, Vidic can be embarrassed but compared to the Barca defense he is a big improvement. Rafa Marquez is one of the most suspect tacklers. Pique is vastly improved but he still looked susceptible at the Confederations Cup. Carlos Puyol is lionhearted but he is not the quickest. Eric Abidal had some very forgettable moments against Drogba in the CL semi-finals. In fact, their best defender in the final was Sylvinho. So I think Vidic would be a welcome addition.
Vidic is a good defender when the run of play involves physicality. While he does make some good tackles, he has never exuded the grace of Blanc, Tresor, Thuram, Sammer or Ferdinand on the football field. When Liverpool trounced United, one was left with the astonishing sight of Torres tormenting Vidic by running to him and taunting him-successfully. One is also left with the sight of Eto'o skipping past Vidic before scoring that goal in Rome. Simply put, Vidic is good for England but bad for Spain. In Spain, where the level of football technique is high, Vidic will be found out since he is not one to intercept the ball in the manner of either Baresi or Maldini or Cannavaro. Too often, Vidic plays the ball before he plays the man. In other words, Vidic does not employ forethought before intercepting the football. Then again, one wonders about the English football market. Does Barcelona's expose of United in Rome reflect the overevaluation of most footballers who ply their trade in the English League? Is Lescott really worth $35 million? Why was Glen Johnson ($22 million) harassed, embarassed and tossed aside by Arjen Robben in Amsterdam?