Ferguson: ‘Everyone thinks Nani is fantastic’

February 2, 2010


Reports suggested that Sir Alex Ferguson was fed up with Nani and that the Portuguese international was set to leave Manchester United during the winter break. However, the 23-year-old winger stayed at United and silenced his critics with an excellent performance against Arsenal.

Nani played a part in two of United’s goals as United closed the gap on the leaders Chelsea to a single point. Ferguson believes the former Sporting Lisbon player is now coming of age, presenting a welcome selection dilemma in competition with Antonio Valencia.

“Nani has settled down now and is getting maturity,” Ferguson said on MUTV. “He has been pretty immature since he came to the club, but you are seeing the development now.

“He is a shy boy and you hope games like at Arsenal will give him the confidence to know he is a United player.

“We are all delighted with him. It is amazing when you talk to the players, they all think he is fantastic and want him to play.

“We are getting consistency from him now. It gives me a massive decision now between Nani and Valencia.”

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Who needs Ronaldo when Nani plays like that?

February 2, 2010


Has Alex Ferguson got lucky or did he see something in Nani that nobody else could?

The Scot has always stood by the Manchester United winger despite his extremely unfavorable comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo and on Sunday against Arsenal all the pieces appeared to fall into place for a player who has flattered to deceive.

Nani’s bamboozling dribble was too much for Arsenal defence as United went in front at The Emirates. The Portuguese then displayed perfect timing and weight of pass to slide the ball though for the marauding Wayne Rooney that effectively settled the game as they went on to win 3-1.

Rooney has been incredible this season, carrying United when they have not played well. But Nani’s contribution as the spark around the solid midfield platform of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Paul Scholes could be just the injection of firepower that will carry United to a 19th league title.

Nani will never score the goals that Ronaldo managed at Old Trafford but his performances in recent weeks suggest that he finally believes that he belongs in a United shirt. The way he tied Gael Clichy, one of the best fullbacks in Europe, in knots on Sunday bodes well for United.

Nani was eventually replaced by Dimitar Berbatov with a minute to go at Arsenal and received the acclaim of the visiting fans who may just have witnessed the coming of age of another Old Trafford hero.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Nani celebrates after scoring a goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London January 31, 2010. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

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Fergie hopes for a favour from Arsenal

February 1, 2010


Sir Alex Ferguson has delivered a hammer blow to Arsenal’s title hopes but the Manchester United manager believes Arsene Wenger’s side can do his team a favour at Chelsea next weekend.

Ferguson was rewarded for an inspired team selection as England forward Wayne Rooney and Portugal winger Nani took advantage of the United manager’s tactics to inspire a 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The champions’ impressive victory moved them to within one point of Premier League leaders Chelsea, although Carlo Ancelotti’s men can re-establish a four-point advantage on Wednesday if they win their game in hand at Hull.

Ferguson is confident United have the experience and desire to overhaul the Blues, but he has no qualms about admitting he would love to see Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

“The run-in is always a difficult period. We have handled it over the years and I am trusting them to handle it again,” Ferguson said.

“We hope Chelsea drop points obviously and they will be saying the same about ourselves.

“Arsenal are not out of it and I hope they go to Stamford Bridge next Sunday and batter them. I hope they can get some points off them.”

Judging by Arsenal’s tame surrender against United – a lacklustre performance which echoed the Gunners’ 3-0 home defeat against Chelsea in November – Ferguson shouldn’t invest too much hope in Arsenal tripping up their London rivals.

Wenger’s team showed their mental fragility by crumbling as soon as goalkeeper Manuel Almunia pushed Nani’s cross into his own net in the 33rd minute.

With Arsenal’s morale in tatters, Rooney capped a breathtaking counter-attack that covered the length of the pitch with a perfect finish to claim his 100th Premier League goal four minutes later.

South Korea winger Park Ji-Sung took advantage of woeful Arsenal defending to slot home United’s third goal early in the second half and Thomas Vermaelen’s volleyed goal in the 80th minute was scant consolation for the hosts.

Deployed by Ferguson as a lone forward, Rooney tormented Arsenal’s back four and he rightly earned praise from the Scot for the kind of influential display that made him such a formidable force this season.

But Ferguson also reserved a special mention for Nani, who was moved across the left to right wing and ruthlessly exploited Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy.

Nani was in Ferguson’s bad books earlier in the season for expressing his unhappiness at his lack of playing time, but he has been revitalised over the last fortnight.

The stunning piece of skill which saw him flick the ball between his legs to bewilder Clichy and Samir Nasri in the build-up to United’s first goal was testament to his new-found confidence.

“The boy has come back from an injury freshened up and his last three games have been first class. This was his best performance for us,” Ferguson said.

“Maturity is one reason, he is 23 now. He is a very shy boy and maybe his personality is getting stronger to deal with playing for us every week.”

While Ferguson showered praise on his stars, Wenger was unusually acerbic when asked to assess Arsenal’s latest letdown against a title rival.

Wenger, whose side were beaten for the first time in 11 league games, knows Chelsea could be eight points ahead of Arsenal before kick-off next weekend and he conceded it will take a major effort to recover from such a dispiriting defeat.

“Next Sunday we have to deliver a better performance before we think about winning the game,” he said. “We have to focus completely on delivering a different performance.

“We were naive. We never had any cohesion, offensively or defensively. We were completely not at our level. Why? I believe there are some mental reasons in there.”

“We were never close with our marking. You do not win big games because of that.

“We need to deliver something special now to stay in the race. Of course I am conscious of that.”

LONDON (AFP)

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West Ham target Toni

December 4, 2009


West Ham are reportedly closing in on signing Luca Toni, who has fallen out of favour with his coach at Bayern Munich, Louis van Gaal.

A report in Friday’s Guardian newspaper suggests Toni, despite preferring a move back to Italy, could be on his way to Upton Park where he has a good relationship with Hammers’ boss Gianfranco Zola.

A further tie linking the 32-year-old with West Ham is the English Premier League side’s technical director, Gianluca Nani, who ‘discovered’ him in his days playing for Brescia.

Toni moved to Bayern in 2007 and was top scorer in both his seasons for the club but the veteran Italy international is now looking for a move with van Gaal saying he is free to go in the January transfer window.

Toni earned himself a 25,000 euros fine last month for telling the Italian media his relationship with van Gaal “is as good as over” following just four league appearances since the Dutchman took over on July 1.

LONDON (AFP)

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Ferguson is a very compicated man-Nani

November 12, 2009


Manchester United winger Nani has revealed just how tough life can be under Sir Alex Ferguson. The Portugese forward still has to get used to Fergie’s behaviour.

“Ferguson is a very complicated man,” Nani told Portugese newspaper ‘I’. “He’s tough. If things are all right, then they are all right. But when he thinks something is wrong, everything is screwed.

“He can go from complimenting you to just plain trashing you in a matter of minutes. Has it happened to me? Hell, yes! He’ll say ‘Nani, how could you miss this or this’?

“He shouts at players in front of everyone. No one escapes, everybody is the same. Giggs and Neville suffer most, because they have more experience. It is ‘F**k’ here and ‘F**k’ there,” Nani added.

And in what could rile Ferguson more than anything, Nani agreed with the interviewer that he was being a little ‘mismanaged’ by United.

“I think so, but there is still a long way in the championship remaining, but I did not play the important matches, against Liverpool, Manchester City or Tottenham,” he said.

“Not playing these games, I am a bit sad – but I also played with an injury so let’s see if things improve.”

“People expect more from me and it’s not easy. But they are also not doing what they said they were going to.

“I know it would be better if I scored more goals.

“I can have a spectacular game but nobody guarantees me I will be starting the next match. It shatters your confidence.”

Despite some negative comments, Nani insisted he was not looking to leave Old Trafford.

“No, no,” he said. “I don’t even think about that.”

Paul Haring

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United maintains perfect Champions League start

October 22, 2009


Sir Alex Ferguson believes Antonio Valencia is on the verge of proving that he can be a major player in Manchester United’s drive for silverware this season.

The Ecuador winger, signed for 17 million pounds from Wigan as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, has struggled to convince the United faithful that he is up to the task.

But after claiming his first United goal in the win over Bolton at the weekend, Valencia capped a fine performance with a late winner in United’s 1-0 Champions League win over CSKA Moscow here on Wednesday, and Ferguson was quick to underline the importance of the display.

“He has been the plus point for the last two weeks,” Ferguson said. “He is settling into the club, his confidence is stronger and he has tremendous assets for a wee player – strength, balance, feet and a good crosser of the ball.

“The area he hadn’t shown was goalscoring ability. We said when we signed him this was his challenge to progress as a footballer. Now he has scored two in two games and that will help him.”

The win extended United’s unbeaten run in Champions League matches away from home to 14 games, equalling Ajax’s record on the road, as well as delivering the English champions’ first European win over Russian opposition.

With nine points from their first three matches in group B, United are virtually assured of their passage to the knockout stages of the competition and Ferguson was delighted with the display from a United squad missing both Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs, the club’s outstanding performers this season.

“In the first-half I think we played with a lot of patience, which is necessary when you are playing away from home,” Ferguson said. “Experience in these sort of situations is always vital. In the second-half I think we increased the tempo of the game and got more penetration.

“We created some good goal opportunities and if we have to wait to the 86th minute, so be it. We had to have the patience to win, and we did that.”

Ferguson played down concerns over the condition of Brazilian left-back Fabio, who had to be stretchered off near the end.

“The boy is a magnificent player for 18 years of age, he was absolutely first class,” the United boss said before revealing that the teenager had merely succumbed to a bout of cramp.

CSKA coach Juande Ramos believes his side still have a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage despite taking only three points from their first three matches.

“We played well for 80 minutes but we tired and lost concentration and that cost us all three points,” the former Sevilla, Tottenham and Real Madrid coach said.

“Manchester have already (virtually) qualified for the play-offs but the other three teams have an equal chance of progressing.”

United were always in control of Wednesday’s encounter and would have taken the lead after an hour but for a fine save from Igor Akinfeev.

The CSKA keeper, rumoured to be a transfer target for Ferguson, threw himself full-length to his left to keep out Nani’s diving header from a Gary Neville cross.

Valencia went even closer to breaking the deadlock when he rattled the bar after an exchange of passes with Nani on the edge of the area.

The Ecuadorian’s efforts were finally rewarded with five minutes left when he beat Akinfeev after Berbatov had flicked Nani’s cross on to him on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box.

Anderson might have doubled the winning margin but the Brazilian midfielder contrived to place his shot from a similar distance wide of the post after Berbatov’s back heel had left him with only the goalkeeper to beat.

MOSCOW (AFP)

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Portugal ease Sweden out of play-off picture

October 15, 2009


Portugal rescued an unconvincing World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign by securing a play-off place with a 4-0 victory over Malta here on Wednesday.

Carlos Queiroz’s side prevailed thanks to goals from Nani, Simao, Miguel and Edinho to finish second in Group 1 ahead of Sweden, who missed out on qualification despite beating Albania 4-1.

Queiroz said: “For sure some points lost at home made life difficult for us but the important thing is that we made it and now we have to prepare for these two finals.”

Reflecting on this all-important win the former Manchester United assistant coach added: “We played well, we scored goals and the fans were fantastic,

“We fought from end to end with the aim of reaching our objective.”

Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to miss Portugal’s match with an ankle injury, but it was his replacement and former Manchester United team-mate Nani who broke the deadlock, rifling into the top corner after 14 minutes.

The former Sporting Lisbon winger saw another effort strike the post just after the half-hour mark before Simao settled the home side’s nerves with a fine finish from the edge of the box on the stroke of half-time.

Miguel put Portugal further ahead in the second half before Edinho struck in the last minute, as the 2006 World Cup semi-finalists celebrated a result which means Sweden and their 69 million-euro Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will watch next summer’s South African showpiece from home.

Portugal endured a terrible start to their bid to reach South Africa, winning just two of their first seven games and at one stage registering three back-to-back goalless draws.

Sweden’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark on Saturday allowed them to move into second place, though, and the win over Malta means they join seven other sides in the draw for the two-legged European play-offs, which take place in November.

Olympiakos centre-back Olof Mellberg scored twice for Sweden in Solna, with Marcus Berg and Anders Svensson also on target for the hosts and Hamid Salihi netting a consolation for Albania.

Denmark’s victory over Sweden at the weekend meant they were already assured of qualification as group winners although they rounded off their campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Hungary in Copenhagen.

GUIMARAES, Portugal (AFP)

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Feared by the Blues, Loved by the Reds, Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs…

September 29, 2009


Manchester United played Stoke City off the park on Saturday yet for 62 minutes they lacked the cutting edge to turn their superiority into goals.

Enter Ryan Giggs.

The veteran Welshman was introduced as a substitute for the often infuriating Nani after 57 minutes and took just five more to provide the pass from which Dimitar Berbatov broke the
deadlock.

He then teed up John O’Shea for United’s second with a pinpoint free kick.

When Cristiano Ronaldo departed for Real Madrid, the spotlight turned on Nani and new recruit Antonio Valencia to fill his boots.

But Giggs, the club’s record appearance maker, is proving that there is no substitute for class and know-how.

Gone are the days when his twinkle toes would leave defenders swinging at thin air, but the 35-year-old’s value to Alex Ferguson’s squad is still immeasurable.

Giggs appears to have an uncanny ability to read a football match, to unlock a defence with a simple pass. He made three of United’s four goals against Manchester City last week and his two assists against Wigan Athletic helped his side go back to the top of the Premier League.

He could again be United’s trump card this season as they try to win a fourth consecutive title and reclaim the Champions League and its no wonder that Ferguson has always treated him like a favourite son.

Few players in the history of the club have endured as long as Giggs and, treated carefully, there appears no reason why he cannot continue at the top level for another couple of seasons.

In the meantime, Nani and Valencia should look and learn and remember the old adage that football is essentially a simple game too often made complicated.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s John O’Shea celebrates scoring against Stoke City with Ryan Giggs during their English Premier League match, Sept. 26, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

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Fergie hails Giggs as United go top

September 27, 2009


Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Ryan Giggs for the inspiration he provided in the 2-0 defeat of Stoke which sent Manchester United to the Premier League summit for the first time this season.

United manager Ferguson believes Welsh midfielder Giggs will play a crucial role in the champions’ attempt to retain the English title this season after another decisive display in Saturday’s win at the Britannia Stadium.

Giggs already has 11 Premier League winners medals to his collection, but the 35-year-old showed he is still razor-sharp in body and mind as he produced a 20-minute period of mayhem, after replacing Portuguese international Nani, that secured a seventh straight victory for United in all competitions.

He will be 36 in November and benefitted from being given some rest after his excursions in the Manchester derby last Sunday, before emerging to set up goals for Dimitar Berbatov and John O’Shea, on the Irish international’s 350th appearance for the club.

“Ryan is just so important to us as a player and he is so intelligent,” Ferguson said. “It was marvellous movement from Ryan for the first goal and an excellent ball to Dimitar.

“He had had a difficult game the previous weekend, because he used up so much energy and put so much into his performance.

“I thought it was best to have him on the substitutes bench, but he just gives us something else when he is in the team.”

Chelsea only just scraped past Stoke with a stoppage time winner earlier this month, so the comfortable nature of the victory encouraged Ferguson as he leap-frogged over his main rivals for the title this season.

Victory at the Britannia Stadium on Boxing Day last year was the time Ferguson feels set United on the way to their title success and although this is much earlier, the Scot is delighted to be back at the top of the table, where he feels his club belongs.

“Winning here last season set us on our way and I thought we showed great composure in possession. Chelsea have lost (against Wigan), so this was a good three points for us. I just wish I was saying that in May, not September,” Ferguson said.

The only low point for the United manager was Stoke’s attempt to get Paul Scholes sent off in the second half, for handball, after he had earlier been booked for a clumsy tackle on Liam Lawrence.

Referee Howard Webb resisted the demands from Stoke players to the relief of the United boss.

“I didn’t think it was handball against Scholes. It would have been an injustice if he had been sent off. He made two tackles in the whole game and gets booked. It’s unbelievable. He is an easy target for referees,” Ferguson added.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis refused to apologise for his side’s negative approach, after utlising nine players behind the ball for long periods and operating with a solitary striker in Dave Kitson.

He claimed that Turkish international Tuncay and James Beattie were not fully fit, even though both players were introduced late in the game in a bid to salvage something after Berbatov’s goal.

“Some days you lose and you just have to admit the better team won. Sir Alex and his players deserve all the plaudits. We were not negative, we just got pushed back by a very good team,” he said.

“I don’t know why, but we were a little bit flat and when you play against the top teams every one has to be right up for it. Giggs and Scholes are not great to watch when they are beating your team, but they are magnificent.

“Scholes was the best player on the pitch by a country mile and I don’t think too many teams have come here and been so comfortable against us.”

STOKE, England (AFP)

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United wear down grim Stoke to go top

September 26, 2009


Ryan Giggs inspired Manchester United as the Premier League champions secured a 2-0 victory over Stoke at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday and moved to the top of the table for the first time this season.

Giggs will reach his 36th birthday in November, but the Welsh midfielder’s desire to add to his collection of 11 Premier League winners medals shows no signs of abating and, even as a substitute, he showed he can have a devastating effect after Stoke had frustrated Sir Alex Ferguson’s team for over an hour.

Giggs was instrumental in setting up the goal for Dimitar Berbatov as the Bulgarian international broke the deadlock in the 62 minute, just six minutes after Ferguson had run out of patience with Nani and sent on Giggs as his replacement in a bid to win their fifth successive Premier League game.

He also played a part in making sure of victory 13 minutes from time with the perfectly flighted free kick that enabled John O’Shea to send a glancing header beyond Thomas Sorensen to ruin Stoke manager Tony Pulis’ 150th game in charge in his second spell.

It also proved the perfect workout ahead of United’s Champions League encounter with German champions Wolfsburg on Wednesday as Ferguson rotated his squad.

Few teams have the luxury of making 11 changes to their line-up twice in the space of a week.

Such is the power of United’s squad and Stoke’s only plan to attempt to stop it in its tracks was to set up a road block of ten players behind the ball.

Despite the tactics of frustration, United should have been well ahead by half-time.

It was only their lack of composure in front of Sorensen that prevented it and the biggest culprit was Antonio Valencia, who continues to struggle to justify the 16 million pounds price Ferguson paid to lure him from Wigan as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Valencia is still searching for his first goal for his new club and will get few better opportunities than the one when he beat Ryan Shawcross and raced clear with only Sorensen to defeat, but he clipped his shot over the Danish international and wide of the far post.

Nani, the man Ronaldo believes can fill the void he has left at Old Trafford, fared little better.

He infuriated Wayne Rooney by not passing to him on the edge of the area, after the England international had sparked a quick counter-attack from inside his own half, but did force a full length save from Sorensen two minutes before the break.

Giggs finally broke the deadlock when he was given a wonderful pass by Darren Fletcher in the 62nd minute.

Where Nani had so often failed to provide the correct final ball, Giggs simply rolled the coolest of passes into the path of Berbatov, who could not miss from three yards out.

That was the signal for Stoke to crumble and United completed their success 13 minutes from time.

Once more Giggs was involved and delivered the perfect free-kick for O’Shea to collect his first Premier League goal for 17 months.

STOKE, England (AFP)

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