Manchester United's Midfield: As It Stands Now

(Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)

With so much attention focused on Manchester United's attacking line (or the apparent lack thereof), I started thinking about the aspect of United's game where I feel they are actually the weakest—the midfield.

This is actually somewhat surprising, considering how weak United's midfield appeared last season. In fact, almost all of United's losses came down to losing the midfield battle (unfortunately the Liverpool game and Barcelona game come to mind).

Apparently, in world football, a strong midfield, and not a forward line, is where a lot of games are won and lost.

So, taking this into consideration, how does United's midfield stand now?

Note ahead of time that I'm only covering the middle of the pitch and that I'm not going to cover Scholes or Giggs, who, despite being two of my favorite players and playing good games last season, shouldn't see much playing time next season.

I'm going to start off with Michael Carrick, the one player who consistently puts in good shifts.

Well, Carrick is a smart player. While not necessarily a hard worker, Carrick covers a lot of ground. Part of the reason he doesn't run all over the pitch in a Tevez fashion is because a) he can read the play and intercept the pass, rather then making Keane-esque tackles, and b) because he rarely loses the ball.

He is a playmaker, who's at his best playing further up the pitch where he can play the killer pass, yet this past season, Carrick was forced to play in a much more defensive role due to the lack of a proper defensive midfielder.

If United were to acquire a defensive midfielder, then Carrick could play in his natural, and more dangerous position. While not the most brilliant of players, Carrick is nevertheless invaluable to United as he is the one who, especially in the absence of Scholes, controls the tempo of the game.

The next midfielder is Owen Hargreaves.

Assuming of course that Hargreaves makes a full recovery (which in itself is very hypothetical, but one can hope!), he is one of the best in the business at what he does—filling that hole between the defenders and the midfield.

Hargreaves is one of the best in the world at the defensive midfielder position, a role that United seriously missed last season. It was mainly due to his absence that Carrick had to drop back into an unnatural position, inhibiting his and United's attacking prowess.

Hargreaves is also a fantastic crosser/passer, and his stamina is second to none, making him excellent cover for the wide positions. Hargreaves is also more then capable of covering in defense.

If Hargreaves returns fit, then that would be fantastic for United, as his return alone can help them vastly in defense. However, his injury woes remain, so United may need to look into a replacement, if not cover for him.

Next up his Anderson.

Now, personally I'm a huge fan of Anderson, but I'm going to try to take an objective look at him.

Anderson had a decent first season, followed by a hit and miss second season. First, I'll cover Anderson's flaws. He's not the best shooter on the team (being generous), some of his passes are rather erratic, and his positioning is a little off.

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