Thursday, 20 September 2012

Papers: The Kagawa effect

Kagawa offers new dimension to United
Ryan Giggs
called it. The 38 year-old has seen it all and, on the eve of this encounter, he name-checked Shinji Kagawa as an addition who could add a dimension to Manchester United – especially in the Champions League. “Shinji is that kind of player who will thrive in Europe, where possession is key,” Giggs claimed. “He keeps the ball and gets into positions where he is hard to pick up.” The playmaker provided compelling evidence of that ability last night even if, in truth, those around provided yet more evidence that United do not really like these group matches, and that some of their defensive failings are turning into something of a malaise. Maybe familiarity has become a burden but United were saved by the woodwork and the failure of the officials to award Galatasaray a first-minute penalty. Kagawa is the fresh blood, of course. He’s also, quite convincingly, already, the real deal.
Of course, today’s papers are dominated by United’s 1-0 win over Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League, with many leading on Sir Alex Ferguson’s reaction to his side missing a third consecutive penalty this season, after Nani’s spot-kick was saved by Fernando Muslera. In The Sun, the boss is quoted: “To be honest, I have no idea why Nani took it. I think he just ran and grabbed the ball, Robin (van Persie) should have taken it.”
Elsewhere, David Anderson of The Mirror claims David De Gea has taken a step towards convincing Sir Alex he can be the Reds’ undisputed number one choice this season by keeping a clean sheet against the Turkish champions. Writing in his column, Anderson says: “Mao Tse Tung said 'the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step' and on Wednesday night, De Gea took that step.”

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