Whoever came in to Manchester United, as the new manager, faced a daunting task. Not only in succeeding the most successful manager in Manchester United’s history but also in replacing players who are like deities at the club.
Paul Scholes’s retirement has left Manchester United with a huge, unsolved problem. And watching Ryan Giggs last night was, at once, amazing and depressing for Manchester United fans.
Because, the quality that he showed on the ball from the first whistle reminded us of the standards that have been reached at the club and the struggle that David Moyes now has to maintain them. The technique of Giggs put almost everyone else on the pitch to shame. Manchester United just spent 37m on a player from a country renowned for producing footballers of technical excellence. But can Mata even get close to Giggs on this form?
To have this sort of impact on a Champions League knockout game at any stage of your career is remarkable. But to do it at the age for 40 is nigh on impossible. The more you think about it the more impossible it seems. Was that really Ryan Giggs that I saw furthest forward, putting pressure on the opposition defence and chasing the ball with five minutes to go?
Was it really Giggs that had a part in every goal and put in a man of the match performance even though he hasn’t played for over a month?
We at soccersweep regularly talk about pace being the most important quality in the modern game. But the speed of thought in a player like Giggs renders this notion ridiculous.
As a lover of football it actually brings tears to the eyes to see Ryan Giggs bring such joy to the football arena. We don’t applaud him out of sympathy or what he as done in the past – we applaud him because he’s the best player on the park.
Ryan Giggs – football god. Manchester United should wrap him up, freeze him and bring him out for the big games. Because he is irreplaceable.
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