carlyluvsunited
16-12-2007, 12:59 AM
D.C. United better off without Veron
Back in July 2001, Juan Sebastian Veron had been a Manchester United player for
several days before anyone even got a glimpse of him.
The press camped out eagerly at the airports and fans staked out United's
Carrington training ground and even Old Trafford, all hoping to catch sight of the
$56 million arrival from Lazio. But club staff, presumably under the orders of
manager Sir Alex Ferguson, kept Veron well out of public view. No problem, said
the fans, we will see plenty of him during the season.
The problem was that what they did see of him, they wished they hadn't.
Veron was a huge bust in the Premiership, failing to justify either his big
reputation or his monstrous price tag. His transfer caused many to call into
question whether Ferguson, one of the greatest talent-identifiers in soccer
history, had lost his touch.
Now, of course, none of this means that Veron would have been a failure had his
mooted move to Major League Soccer heavyweights D.C. United gone through
this week instead of collapsing at the last minute. Even at the age of 32, the
Argentina international has lost little of his ability and remains an incredibly
talented and skillful midfielder.
Yet his no-show in the nation's capital, preferring to remain with Estudiantes in
his homeland, need not be seen as a disaster by D.C. fans.
Tom Soehn's team is built around collective spirit, and while getting its hands on a
designated player for the first time would have boosted the club's profile and
gathered international headlines, the effect on the field may have been
somewhat less than spectacular.
Veron flopped in England mainly because he was seized by panic every time he
was harried or hustled in midfield. Time on the ball is not a luxury that anyone,
especially a Manchester United player, is afforded in the EPL. He was more skilled
than virtually all the players he came up against, but he simply lost the capacity
for rational thought when confronted with terrier-like opposition.
In the Champions League, where the tempo of the game is played at something
closer to the Serie A style he excelled in with Sampdoria, Parma and Lazio, Veron
performed well, scoring some key goals and turning in several confident
performances. Obviously, MLS is a significant step down from the Premiership or
other top European leagues in terms of overall skill level. However, the pace is
high and most of the players in the league are good athletes.
Veron would not have been given room to breathe and would have been closed
down at every opportunity. His general standards would have enabled him to
function to a good level, but perhaps not one worth D.C. United's reported
planned investment of more than $1 million per season.
Maybe, just maybe, United has saved itself some trouble – and plenty of money –
by Veron's last-minute U-turn.
The important question now is where D.C. United goes from here. Early
suggestions indicate it may look elsewhere in South America for another high
-profile player. How quickly, and how urgently, the club chases a designated or
senior international player will give an important insight into the current mindset
of president Kevin Payne and his organization.
Are they happy being perhaps the most-respected club in MLS, with a loyal and
vocal fan-base and an effective, consistent, well-drilled team?
Or do they want to rival the Los Angeles Galaxy in the fame game and spread
their message to a wider audience?
The former approach would surely be the smarter, given the club's excellent form
during the regular season, which saw them finish atop the Eastern Conference
before being bundled out of the playoffs by their nemesis, the Chicago Fire.
But as MLS grows, so do the temptations. Resisting them requires nerve just as
steely as that required from the players on the pitch.
www.yahoosport.com
Click below to join manutdtalk.com forums to read and
discuss all breaking news on all things United !!! Come talk to us….
http://manutdtalk.com/forums/register.php
Back in July 2001, Juan Sebastian Veron had been a Manchester United player for
several days before anyone even got a glimpse of him.
The press camped out eagerly at the airports and fans staked out United's
Carrington training ground and even Old Trafford, all hoping to catch sight of the
$56 million arrival from Lazio. But club staff, presumably under the orders of
manager Sir Alex Ferguson, kept Veron well out of public view. No problem, said
the fans, we will see plenty of him during the season.
The problem was that what they did see of him, they wished they hadn't.
Veron was a huge bust in the Premiership, failing to justify either his big
reputation or his monstrous price tag. His transfer caused many to call into
question whether Ferguson, one of the greatest talent-identifiers in soccer
history, had lost his touch.
Now, of course, none of this means that Veron would have been a failure had his
mooted move to Major League Soccer heavyweights D.C. United gone through
this week instead of collapsing at the last minute. Even at the age of 32, the
Argentina international has lost little of his ability and remains an incredibly
talented and skillful midfielder.
Yet his no-show in the nation's capital, preferring to remain with Estudiantes in
his homeland, need not be seen as a disaster by D.C. fans.
Tom Soehn's team is built around collective spirit, and while getting its hands on a
designated player for the first time would have boosted the club's profile and
gathered international headlines, the effect on the field may have been
somewhat less than spectacular.
Veron flopped in England mainly because he was seized by panic every time he
was harried or hustled in midfield. Time on the ball is not a luxury that anyone,
especially a Manchester United player, is afforded in the EPL. He was more skilled
than virtually all the players he came up against, but he simply lost the capacity
for rational thought when confronted with terrier-like opposition.
In the Champions League, where the tempo of the game is played at something
closer to the Serie A style he excelled in with Sampdoria, Parma and Lazio, Veron
performed well, scoring some key goals and turning in several confident
performances. Obviously, MLS is a significant step down from the Premiership or
other top European leagues in terms of overall skill level. However, the pace is
high and most of the players in the league are good athletes.
Veron would not have been given room to breathe and would have been closed
down at every opportunity. His general standards would have enabled him to
function to a good level, but perhaps not one worth D.C. United's reported
planned investment of more than $1 million per season.
Maybe, just maybe, United has saved itself some trouble – and plenty of money –
by Veron's last-minute U-turn.
The important question now is where D.C. United goes from here. Early
suggestions indicate it may look elsewhere in South America for another high
-profile player. How quickly, and how urgently, the club chases a designated or
senior international player will give an important insight into the current mindset
of president Kevin Payne and his organization.
Are they happy being perhaps the most-respected club in MLS, with a loyal and
vocal fan-base and an effective, consistent, well-drilled team?
Or do they want to rival the Los Angeles Galaxy in the fame game and spread
their message to a wider audience?
The former approach would surely be the smarter, given the club's excellent form
during the regular season, which saw them finish atop the Eastern Conference
before being bundled out of the playoffs by their nemesis, the Chicago Fire.
But as MLS grows, so do the temptations. Resisting them requires nerve just as
steely as that required from the players on the pitch.
www.yahoosport.com
Click below to join manutdtalk.com forums to read and
discuss all breaking news on all things United !!! Come talk to us….
http://manutdtalk.com/forums/register.php