The news Paul Scholes could play on past next season was greeted with joy by every United fan.
The midfielder has shown he doesn’t intend on slowing down any time soon with some great performances in the twilight of his career but despite this we all know he can’t go on forever and last night against Celtic he not only showed how good he still is but also why he will be sorely missed and damn near impossible to replace.
Last night was a Paul Scholes masterclass, Berbatov maybe getting all the praise but for the 45 minutes he was on the field it was Scholes who ran the show. His vision and passing were a joy to behold and we were given a precursor to what we were about to see when he laid off a what can only be described as a dream ball to Gabriel Obertan in the opening minutes of the game.
The cross field balls he played were a joy to watch as they landed at the feet of whoever he picked out. A true playmaker in every sense of the word his reading of the game allowed him to determine the outcome of all and everything. You may think I’m being too generous in my praise but here is where you see the difference he makes.
Come 45 minutes Scholes was taken off and the change was there for all to see. Our attack didn’t look as sharp without him there to pull the strings and it’s no coincidence that Celtic got back into the game without him there to dictate the tempo of the game in the middle of the park.
This isn’t a slight on Gibson or Fletcher who were on the field at the time but it was noticeable and there are few other midfielders in the wold that could have done as good a job as him. We’ve talked about who could possibly replace him but after watching him last night it just reaffirms for me the stance most of us have taken in regards to the job, nobody can fill the role.
If this is indeed his last season, I suggest you fully appreciate his work because we may never see a player of his talents and abilities again.
A fantstic football player but you highlght the problem we face. Our team is at its best with Scholes in the team, and he is 35 now. We cannot rely on him so heavily, yet our attacking play isn’t the same without him. I felt we needed to bring another creative spark to help Scholes and give our team another edge. But its true that there will not be another Scholes and there isn’t anyone in the market who can take his place. Michael Carrick might be the best route in terms of helping him get his form back. He is still a classy player when on form. My problem with Carrick is that he doesn’t seem to get better as a footballer. He should be scoring and creating around 10-12 goals a season.
Amen Chudi!
I will truly savor watching Scholes play, and if he continues his form I hope he will even stay another year. Hey, one can dream right? And Pirlo has been effective even later in his career.
That being said, hopefully Carrick can rediscover his form. He won’t be able to fully replace Scholes, but he can focus on being a deep playmaker which should bring out his strengths and put more onus on the attacking midfielder for goal contribution. Again, this is a gap in our team we’re all aware of, but let’s keep our fingers crossed for Cleverley.