Today’s title plays off the banner shown frequently on TV during United’s comfortable 2-0 win over Stoke on Saturday. Indeed, the Premiership’s most-ever-decorated player deserves a knighthood.
But the bittersweet realization that we may be witnessing Giggy’s final campaign never completely eludes us, as we’ll inevitably receive the news one day that Sir Ryan will hang up his boots. How sad to even contemplate.
Yet beyond the sentiment, the cold reality exists that United can’t afford long-term to rely on get-out-of-jail-free cards played by the experienced hands of Scholes and Giggs.
Someone needs to emerge that will consistently make that pass to cut open defenses or that play which secures a vital three-point away from home. Right now, it appears that someone is lacking within the current squad, as the most likely candidate from the wing, Nani, continues to demonstrate consistently poor decision making.
I know, I know – Rooney and Fletcher have flourished this year, with the former as the consistent goal scoring threat and the latter as the box-to-box midfield engine of United. But neither exactly fit the masterclass-creative roles played by our thrity-somethings. And, that’s why Nani remains such a vital hope for United.
As Phil McNulty, chief football writer for the BBC, wrote so adroitly: “Stoke's fans taunted Nani with chants of ‘You'll Never Be Ronaldo’ in reference to his Portugal team-mate Cristiano, now departed from Old Trafford.
And they were spot on. There is undoubtedly a good player lurking inside Nani trying to get out, but the impression is that he is spending too much time attempting to be Ronaldo rather than himself. Giggs should be his guide.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Think about it: two games, two key Giggs assists later, United are top of the league on goal differential over Chelsea, who now face immense media pressure against the backdrop of their perverse power structure between captain and owner, not to mention their transfer ban.
Without Giggs’ contributions, quite arguably, United could have drawn the last two and would sit uncomfortably behind Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, and be ahead of City only by the prospect of playing an extra game: how dreadful.
All of the pressure would be on United, as the club would face the tiresome prospect of answering a continuous array of post-Ronaldo and newly-arrived City questions. Fergie might have turned a new shade of purple against such predictably irritating journalism – but no way, not with our evergreen twosome demonstrating how to pull the strings when United need it most to capture vital points.
Now is your moment, Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha. Learn from Giggs’ example. Arise and become the player you alone were meant to be.
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Back at you after the Sunderland match. Cheers.
