United’s start to the season has been breathaking, and certainly more impressive than rivals Manchester City, whose start was comparatively benign.
The Dutch schemer had been linked with United for most of the summer, but wage demands were a stumbling block, as well as Inter Milan’s reluctance to sell both him and Samuel Eto’o, who eventually went to Anzhi Makhachkala.
But do United really need the Dutchman? So far this season, they and their rivals Manchester City have both entertained greatly, contrasting with last season when City were dour and United surprisingly effective rather than exciting.
But this year, changes in midfield seem to have given United back their sense of ‘fantasy,’ which Marseille boss Didier Deschamps claimed they had lacked last season. With Ashley Young on the wing, they have someone who is more of a team player than the egocentric Nani, and Javier Hernandez’s direct approach gives Wayne Rooney license to roam and cause havoc.
Behind them, Tom Cleverley has looked exciting when playing, and combines with Anderson to form a midfield partnership which has the energy and passing skill to create going forward. It seems that Sir Alex Ferguson has decided this is the way forward after the defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final. Quick, passing football is the only way to beat the Catalans, and United have taken that spirit to heart in a bid to topple Europe’s best club.
In that light, do United need Sneijder? Well, it would seem not. But Cleverley can’t be expected to provide creativity all season, he is a youngster after all, and he is now injured after a horrific challenge by Kevin Davies.
What Sneijder would have given United would be more depth and creativity to their ranks, and something different for the big European stage. It is certainly easier to cut through opponents in England with pace and skill, which United have in abundance, but it is not quite so easy to do in Europe, where the pace of the game is slower, and opponents more tactically aware. For those opponents, it may be useful to have a Sneijder type, who can probe and use patience as part of his creative game. That is the essence of Barcelona; for all their fast one touch passing, they often find themselves thirty yards from goal with a massed defence in front of them, and United will have those situations this season.
For now though, United will march on, with ominous skill at home, but it may be a cause for regret that they did not push harder for the Dutch midfielder later this season.
