Valencia provides the spark

In the last seven days there have been glimpses that Manchester United are beginning to approach their best form. Their second half performances at Stamford Bridge and this afternoon at Old Trafford have been noticeable for the goals of Wayne Rooney; however, it is Antonio Valencia who is providing the creative spark the United talisman has been craving all season.

The top sides this season have been really struggling for creativity and it has been refreshing to see Valencia returning to his best form. He is tremendously quick and is built perfectly for modern day football; he is strong and slight whilst remaining incredibly fleet of foot which makes him very difficult to play against. The Ecuadorian winger is predominantly found hugging the right touchline where his crossing ability can be demonstrated to full effect.

What makes Valencia so integral to United’s current set up is his understanding with Rooney. A couple of seasons ago the winger was responsible for assisting many of the striker’s goals and their understanding is clear for everyone to see. More than once this afternoon Rooney drove one of his trademark passes out to the right touchline where Valencia would control the ball, beat a defender and then find his teammate in the area with a delightful cross. His assist for Rooney’s second was his ninth of the season and it looks like more are on their way.

Many of the Premier League’s other strikers would kill for the service Valencia provides. What separates him from many of his counterparts is his fantastic selflessness which enables his strikers to score so many goals. One of the biggest problems that Fernando Torres has is that many of Chelsea’s players will do something themselves after creating an opening rather than play in the Spaniard. At United once Valencia has an opening he usually finds a red shirt to score the goal. This unerring selflessness is one of the defining features of this current United side and is one of the key factors in their success.

This is his third year at United after an injury ravaged second season and he is proving once again that he is one of the best wingers around. In a recent interview Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola actually stated he believed he was currently the best winger in the world; if his form continues like this until the end of the season he could well be proved right.

It appears that the title will be remaining in Manchester this season but its exact location will remain a mystery for the next few months. It must worry Manchester City and their manager Roberto Mancini that United are beginning to crank up through the gears as the title race enters the final stages. Few would back against United if the gap remains small until the later stages and with Antonio Valencia in this kind of form goals are not going to be hard to find.

Nani up to the challenge

Sometimes in life you have to ask yourself what more can I do? Manchester United’s attacking midfielder Nani must have been asking this question on a daily basis since last seasons Champions League final. Having enjoyed his most productive season ever at Old Trafford he was benched for the showpiece final against Barcelona and then had to watch on as United added Ashley Young to their ranks this summer.

However, what all champions do is rise up and make sure that they cannot be forgotten next time. Although the Community Shield is still in theory a pre-season friendly the Portuguese player has laid down a marker for the coming season. His two goals were taken wonderfully well and showed the character and confidence of this young man.

It has not always been plain sailing for the former Sporting CP player who begins his fifth season at United this year. He struggled in his first few seasons when his fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo was stealing the headlines. His consistency has been the biggest criticism; a player who can look a world beater one minute and distinctly average the next will always concern a man such as Sir Alex Ferguson. Last season however he begun to shake that tag and started to deliver on a consistent basis.

He ended the season with 10 goals and 14 assists and in this writers opinion should have been Player of the Season. After making it to the Champions League final everybody assumed he would start against Barcelona; however, Antonio Valencia was selected and ended up having an incredibly disappointing game. Nothing was said over his disappointment but being left out must have hurt the 24 year old.

The summer started and United went out and did their business very early. One of the players they brought in was Ashley Young, who has been bought to contest Nani’s starting role this year. The first time he has been asked to stand up was this afternoon at Wembley and he answered any doubters in emphatic style by scoring two goals.

Although the season starts next weekend the one lesson that must be taken from today’s game is that Nani means business again. He has overcome several obstacles in the last few months which will only make his desire to succeed even stronger. I am no Nostradamus but it looks like Nani is going to have another fantastic season.

Champions League Final preview – Manchester United

Tomorrow night will be Manchester United’s third appearance out of a possible four Champions League finals. It is a remarkable record for a club who this season have become England’s most successful club side. The final will also give the club a chance to win their fourth European Cup.

The overwhelming feeling in the media this season has been that this United side is not as strong as some of its predecessors. There is definitely a case for this argument but the side has also not really been pushed to its limit domestically. In Europe they have been sublime which was highlighted against Schalke in the semi-final when they fielded a second string side. They have conceded four goals in the competition but have only scored 18.

It has been an incredible season for Sir Alex Ferguson who has once again demonstrated why he is regarded so highly. This side is not the most free flowing and attack orientated as some of his former sides but is resolute and efficient. They have struggled to play their best football at points this season but have remained extremely difficult to beat as their home form suggested; they dropped two points at home all year in the Premier League.

The final will be a close encounter and very tricky to predict. There is no doubt in my mind that Ferguson has been preparing for this ever since the final whistle in Rome two years ago, The defeat hurt many of the senior player, coaching staff and in particularly Ferguson. He felt that his players had failed to carry out his on field tactics which lead to a comfortable victory for Barcelona.

I feel they must attack the Spanish side if they are to be successful. Their form has improved as the season has gone on and their attacking threat is more potent now than at any other point. If they sit back too much they will be picked off eventually and it is unlikely the manager will let that happen. The sides that have had the most success against Barca this season are the ones who have attacked them. I would imagine that Ferguson has spoken with Mourinho several times with regards to tactics. The Portuguese manager countered Barca’s passing by hitting them very quickly and effectively on the break. With Hernandez, Park, Rooney and Valencia likely to feature I would imagine this is how United will play.

It should be a great final; they are the two best sides in Europe and Wembley should be a fitting venue for the final.

Blackburn’s fate to be decided at Molineux

Blackburn’s Premier League future will be decided one way or the other against Wolves at Molineux next Sunday. After taking an early lead through Brett Emerton they couldn’t quite hold out to take what would have been a crucial three points. With both Blackpool and Wolves winning the pressure will now be immense going into next week’s final game.

The line-up and formation employed by Steve Kean today was spot on. Using Brett Emerton and Martin Olsson as secondary full-backs paid off as Blackburn stopped Nani and Antonio Valencia causing any real damage.

Although Emerton was voted man of the match the stand out players for Blackburn were Jermaine and Phil Jones. The former arrived in January on loan from Schalke and has been an excellent addition to the squad. His energy and work rate have been so important for Rovers in recent weeks, although some of his distribution could certainly improve.

The later, Phil Jones is still only 19 but is fast becoming one of the most exciting English prospects around. After missing much of the season through injury he has slotted straight back into the side effortlessly. Whether Rovers go down or not I think he will be playing for one of the top clubs next season.

Next Sunday is going to be awful, there are no two ways about it! If the work rate and effort remains the same next week Blackburn should survive. However, in a season as weird and unpredictable as this one nothing can be taken for granted.