debosky:

Keep dreaming - Nani will do Nada.

Imagine this scenario: you're in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, playing against Manchester United, your former club with whom you won the Champions League, and then you score a goal – not a bad goal at all, as it happens – which at the moment you score it looks like it could help you to reach an historic final.

For 2010, read Carlos Tevez, who fits the above description. For 2003, read me. I was in precisely the circumstances described seven years ago. I'd left United, with whom I won the Champions League in 1999, and was playing for Blackburn Rovers. We were in the Worthington Cup semi-final, second leg, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Early in that second game I scored to put Blackburn 1-0 ahead on the night and 2-1 up on aggregate. Happy days? Never assume that against United.

We lost 3-1 on the night, as did Manchester City on Wednesday. We were turfed out of the tournament by United then, as City have been now.

So what can I say to Tevez this week? Been there, done that, mate, and you'll learn that it's never, ever, ever going to be easy playing against United at any time. And when you're a former player it's even harder. Because you know they'll probably stay as the top dogs and you'll be someone who has left all that behind.

We will come back to Wednesday night's match in a moment, and what a magnificent advert for the English game and for football in Manchester it was, especially that second half.

But on the subject of being a former United player, you do tend to learn that leaving the club means leaving an awful lot behind. Even among those relatively few players who have later scored against United with a new club, as I did for Blackburn, few if any will have the last laugh.

Sir Alex Ferguson mentioned some former players on Wednesday who he'd recalled scoring against United after leaving: Peter Davenport, Norman Whiteside and Mark Robins.

I can cite more recent examples. In the same season I scored for Blackburn against United, so did Henning Berg, in the league. What happened next? United won that game 3-1, and then won the title.

Before that, Paul Ince famously scored for Liverpool against United in a 2-2 draw towards the end of the 1998-99 season. What happened next? Liverpool ended up trophy-less and we at Old Trafford won the Treble.

Back in the mid-Nineties, Mark Hughes scored for Chelsea against Alex Ferguson's team. What happened next? Chelsea ended up losing 4-1. In fact during that season, Sparky's Chelsea played us three times, including in the Cup, and we won the Double.

So being a former player against United does not give you any great chance of success. All the examples above suggest the opposite. Tevez knows that, for now, first hand.

I still think he's a footballer of huge quality, fit for United, and he showed that with his dangerous play and his goal on Wednesday. The star of the show, though, from where I was sitting, was Wayne Rooney. There was some buzz in that crowd, and when Rooney headed that late deciding goal, it was fantastic. But then you would expect nothing less from a derby.

Wayne's contribution was solid, turning to stellar when it was needed, which is what marks out truly great players – finding the magic required at the right moment on the big occasion. Aside from his winning header he was key to setting in train the move that led to Paul Scholes' opening goal, via Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick.

Near the start of the season I wrote I could see Rooney being freed, creatively, by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, rather than crushed by the pressure of having to assume his duties. So it's proving.

chamotex:

VDS

Rafael Brown Evans EVra

Carrick Fletcher Scholes

Nani ROoney Park

~Sauron~:

To be honest, i hate this formation/selection.
This is crass at best.

Brown and Evans will be sodomised aerially anytime Arsenal have a set-piece.
Where is VIDIC?

chic2pimp:

Dayummmmm English Players are just too damn expensive.
Chris Smalling will cost Man United £14M when all is said and done.

~Sauron~:

He will cost £40 million in 2-3 years time.

chic2pimp:

I highly doubt that.
J.T is currently valued @ £40M

and I definitely don't see him reaching that level(Even Man citeh won't pay that).
And Let's be honest, he ain't no Nesta or Ferdinand talent wise.

~Sauron~:

Just play Nani on the right to torment Clichy.
Ashley Young disgraced Clichy yesterday it wasn't funny.

~Sauron~:

Prophetic!!!!

Eastbay:

That's 2 for two for you:Speak on,bruh!
BTW,what's up with HARGREAVES?

Mr_TA:

Im very pleased for Nani. The talent was always there but he just lacked confidence. Hope he kicks on from there. He has been very good for the past 3 games.

dayokanu:

Sharrap there. Because you ra.ped those imbeciles called Arsenal you are now screaming

~Sauron~:

Get some perspective, JT is 29.
Who is going to pay that amount for a player with no resale value?

~Sauron~:



You must be a fortune teller to know a 20-yr-old defender won't reach Nesta/Rio level.
Smalling has about 6-8 years to achieve that and i will say he's got a good chance.
If you don't believe me. . . . .Look at Vidic.

chic2pimp:

DUH!!!!! They are teams aplenty that will happily fork out that amount of money for J.T(Barca, Real,Man citeh). Certain teams don't really care about resale value. All they care about is the value players would add to their currrent team/squad

This is not about being a fortune teller.
Smalling has no chance of reaching that level(absolutely no chance).
Vidic was already showing signs he'll be a great defender hence the reason Man united, Fiorentina and Inter went in for him. Vidic also did not cost £14M.

Eastbay:

chic,
There's no way JT is worth 40 million.He'd even struggle to be half that amount,given that he's almost 30.Believe me,in these days of global economic recession,resale value is VERY important.

Eastbay:

chic,
There's no way JT is worth 40 million.He'd even struggle to be half that amount,given that he's almost 30.Believe me,in these days of global economic recession,resale value is VERY important.

~Sauron~:

No plonker will pay £40 million for John Terry.
He is not worth that amount even if he's 22.

~Sauron~:

Stop being a Arrow. . . . . .Vidic cost £7 million and 2 seasons later, he was worth £50 million.
Smalling will be under the stewardship of the best man-manager in the world and at 20, the sky is his limit.
When you see SAF/Wenger tussling over a young talent. . . . . .your sixth sense must tell you the lad must have something special.

~Sauron~:

Chic2chimp does not understand football economics.
He prolly thinks VDS is worth £60 million.

chic2pimp:

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't those Arabs down the road bid £40m earlier on in the season.

Man Citeh were willing to.
Don't be daft. . . . .  Vidic was never worth £50m.

Also Wengay did the smart thing and backed off cuz anyone in his/her right mind knows Smalling(un proven) ain't worth that amount of cash
It's not about football economics.

Certain clubs could care less about resale value. Do you think the Juve board was looking @ the resale value when they bought the legendary Buffon for £32m? I think not.

~Sauron~:


How much was Vida worth last season after he led the defence that kept 14 clean sheets in the league?

~Sauron~:


Wenger couldn't afford Smalling.
Arsene knows the player has got the potential and only time will tell.
You were one of the twits that marvelled when Fergie paid £12 million for a certain teenager in 2003 cos you thunk the teen would never be as good as Beckham.

~Sauron~:

.
Juve paid £32 million for Buffon at 23 years of age.
Gigi has put in 9 years of work-shift in Juventus and i can say he was well worth the amount paid back in 2001.
Terry is almost 30, how many years does he have left to play at professional level? 9 YEARS??

~Sauron~:

Media generated fees.
Besides, that value also depended on the contract he had with Chelsea FC as at that time.

chic2pimp:

I'll say around £40M

Wengay could afford him but he was not willing to pay that ridiculous amount of money. Why should he when TV5 cost £10M?

Ronaldo was a midfielder and midfielders generally tend to cost more. If Ronaldo was English, he woulda cost you lot £20M at the very least. English players are just to expensive.

The point I was trying to make was that Juve paid the amount of money not because they were hoping for a higher resale value but because they knew the value he would add to the Juve team. Same with Terry

Arsenal reserves will beat Bayern Munich home/away.

~Sauron~:

Prophetic!!!!

I must concede you got that one spot on. . . . now i can't careless what happens to Valncia but if Nani
keeps this performance week in week out, then he will have a huge issue of playing time on his hands!!!
Men dude was pure class yesterday. . . . how did he beat Clichy and the other guy for his first goal?
Chai am taking a re-watch at the clip. . . . yesterday couldn't have been any better. . . .Arsenal looked like Stoke City!!

dayokanu:

The greatest Arsenal side.

Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Cygan, Clichy (Cole 83), Ljungberg (Van Persie 76), Vieira, Edu (Flamini 36), Pires, Reyes, Henry.

Was rap.ed severely by a Bayern side without their best player (Ballack and Deisler)