"Ando to the rescue"....?

Rage of Reaper (U4088)
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My next line gives my take on what the term destroyer means. It isn't a conventional football term I will admit, but it is something football pundits have been using a of late to describe a certain type of football played in the DM position. You get DMs like Essien who are dynamic, box to box and don't shy away from attacking responsibilties and you get DMs like De Jong who show no interest in the attacking facets of the game. They are there to disrupt the oppositions moves and shift the ball sideways to a player better able to utlisise the ball. Andersons first season and to a lesser extent second season were very much in this capacity. Perhaps its not what the staff wanted him to do, but it is what he did nevertheless. However there is every chance that I have got the definition of destroyer completely wrong and football pundits have actually been using it to convey the fitness issues and diet habits of players :S. In that case I have got completely the wrong end of the stick

Regardless of your issues with his weight he remains the only central midfielder on our books who can back himself to beat a man consistently. Fletcher cannot, Carrick cannot, Giggs cannot (2 good games vs Chelsea in the cente of midfield does not make him Paul Scholes). Ando is a big lad I will give you that (possibly even fat), but he has always looked a big lad, even at 17 at Gremio. He looked a beast when we signed him from Porto and he looks a big lad now.

There are some interviews and videos by Tony Strudwick on the Manchester United website on the fitness requirements at a club like United and how preseason work is tailored to an individual players fitness needs to meet said requirements. I'm sure the paid staff at MUFC are aware of Anderson's capabilities on that front more than we are from the comforts of our armchairs/stadium seats.

'He looked a beast when we signed him from Porto and he looks a big lad now.'

Don't agree. He was a whippet back then, fast, agile, and fit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4iQFuN8CeY

He was also devastating, attack minded, tricky, skillful, and great infront of goal.

I challenge anyone to convince me he has progressed as a player since joining us. We don't often get it wrong, but he is not the player we signed, and he is not the player we need.

He was also devastating, attack minded, tricky, skillful, and great infront of goal.
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Great in front of goal? He scored twice in a team in an average league where he played as an attacking outlet for 15 games before breaking his leg.

Shock horror he doesn't score in a team when asked to a play a reserved role in midfield.

Last season for the first time in his United career Anderson lined up behind a single forward or lined up as the more attack minded midfielder in a two man midfield on a consistent basis. He thrived.

Tim Vickery has gone on record many times in the "fan's questions" section of his article about how Anderson has never been the same player since the leg break at Porto. Despite that he remains better than most players in the league when it comes to a footrace or brute strength in the middle of the park.

At 22/23 the staff at United haven't given up hope just yet. He has had offers from other clubs last summer and there was talk of interest even during this Jan transfer window. Clearly they feel that injuries aside Anderson has a role to play at the club, and where the onus was very much on developing the defending side to his game in his first two years, in his fourth season at the club I feel he has made great strides on an attacking front. He may not be the Anderson you'd hoped for but there has been progress in a United shirt. He is getting in goal scoring positions more than ever, he is actually taking shots now (he'd go a string of games without getting in the right positions or getting shots off in the past), he has begun to score, he is instrumental to our play when he has featured.

Whisper it quietly but last season Anderson scored the same number of goals as Luka Modric did, and had one less assist having played 16 fewer games.

And its difficult describing that 18 year old in the videos below as a whippet...Thats a beast of a lad for his age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trntz7VnZ98
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOVnHghKVLU&feature=related

I am not arguing that he is looking bigger than ever before, all I am saying is that Anderson was never one of those anorexic brazilians to begin with...

Now here is a whippet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfgdUfDgCq8

I dont care for Modric, but thats not the point.

I think when you say 'he thrived' your somewhat exaggerating. I don't think the stats he returned are evidence of a player 'thriving'.

'he is actually taking shots now'

.Not exactly progression!!!

'he has begun to score'

Has he? That's like saying Fabio is now a goal scoring player too, seen as he scored last season. Also, you cant point out me saying 'Great in front of goal' as wrong, and then try to convince me that Anderson has now 'begun to score'.

Again, I don't doubt his potential. I doubt his fitness, the way our coaches play him tactically, and I absolutely doubt his current ability, and likelihood that he has it in him to mask the Scholes loss.

Far as I'm concerned, 3 years of playing a defensive role have now left him unable to do the things he was naturally gifted at; attacking.

He always had a good frame to him, but it never got in the way of his speed and agility. Now it does.

And his stamina is not good. That much weight, in that position, with that much running required...he needs to drop some pounds.

I hear what your saying about his fitness coaches, but if they believe that is a footballer in peak condition, then i disagree entirely.

"...Far as I'm concerned, 3 years of playing a defensive role have now left him unable to do the things he was naturally gifted at; attacking. "

If your naturally gifted at those things then you wouldnt lose the ability... he needs to be injury free get a good pre season and he can do the job just fine. I think Valencia would also be good competition in the centre of midfield, he has played the for Equador. Cleverly can also play there. I think there is cover and then, maybe Nasri on a free next year.

'If your naturally gifted at those things then you wouldnt lose the ability'

Yeah but it's hardly been nurtured. 3 years of been told to discipline yourself away from your natural footballing instincts is not a good thing.

Valencia is too one footed and lacks a real creativity and vision for the middle. Doing it for Ecuador occasionally, and no one expecting miracles, is different to doing it for us and actually performing week in week out.

As for Cleverley, we're really scraping the barrel if we are now suggesting he is ready to play there for us

this is a massive season for ando, we need him to be bang on form this time round.

If you are going to comment on his fitness and weight please make sure you have some evidence of how it effects his game, some sort of stats for ground covered or acceleration compared to other players.

In the Schalke game, one of his best last season, Anderson covered 9.8Km, as well as getting 2 goals. Ji sung Park who is famed for the amount of running he does covered 32km over 3 group games at the world cup, thats an average of 10.6KM.

These are facts that prove that Anderson is NOT too unfit and overweight to become a key member of the United midfield as most of you are suggesting.

Anderson has a muscular physic and appears to be fat, but he is not. Yes he is not super toned like a lot of Pro footballers, but I doubt his body fat percentage is any higher than Rooney's was post Nike rehab last season or Tevez was when he was at United.