Rooney answers his critiques well, as usual
Manchester United fans are pretty used to and fond of seeing this happen time and time again. Whenever their talismanic forward Wayne Rooney comes under stern criticism off the pitch, he does his job to silence them on the pitch. Just when reports trickling in suggested that Rooney was losing his spark and he has played well past his peak, the 28 year old Englishman silenced them in his own fashion. Rooney scored in every game United contested and was rightly adjudged the MVP of the tournament. In Robin van Persie’s absence, Rooney played as an out and out striker up front and apart from scoring, he racked up assists as well. He once again proved that United fans deservedly label him as the White Pele and Wayne Rooney is still counted among the best players in the world presently.
Ashley Young is becoming ‘younger’, Cleverley ‘clever’
The feel good factor seems to have transformed not only Wayne Rooney but also two of the most criticized Manchester United players. Both Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley, who were often rebuked for giving their best under David Moyes, have now turned into better players all of a sudden. The confidence and determination Louis van Gaal and his staff has instilled in the players and got both of these going and the club is succeeding in getting the best out of them.
While Ashley Young set the States on fire with his performances, Tom Cleverley played the role of an ‘unsung hero’ of some sorts. His contributions did go unnoticed but his passing range and technique has clearly improved, as earlier we hardly saw Cleverley play a pass up front or deliver a long, searching ball to the accompanying forwards, but some glimpses of that were seen. Ashley Young was rather impressive in his new wing back role and adapted commendably well. His crossing has ameliorated drastically and his dribble speed and grit has also improved.
Manchester United are now Manchester ReUnited
Manchester United had subsided into Manchester ‘Divided’ when Louis van Gaal began assessing the ruins and carnage of David Moyes’ ‘error’. The divide between the fans had demarcated the club into two conflicting halves and there were signs of tensions in the back ground as well. Van Gaal’s appointment has greeted by jubilation by United faithfuls and rightly so, the evidences were on show when his new team took to the pitch. It was almost as if old times had returned and that ‘Never Say Die’ spirit which was sorely lacking under Moyes had fled back into the hearts and minds of the players.
The spirit of fighting with intent and determination has injected an unbeatable psyche within them. Tough and hard training goes a long way in shaping that spirit and the perfect combine of youth and experience meant that the team is United once again. The attacking minded football which Van Gaal professes helped Manchester United bounce back from the carnage of desolation and the will to fight and fight till the very end, which had hit rock bottom was finally back. As the club looks to bring back the title from the lower half of Manchester, these factors will play a significant role and a guiding role in doing so.