Mame Biram Diouf scored again for the Reserves tonight as we beat Everton 2-0 (hopefully a scoreline the first team can match on Saturday!)

Anderson played for an hour just to prove that Fergie hadn’t had him abducted by aliens or something equally understandable and was very impressive.

Gabriel Obertan and Rodrigo Possebon also played and played well.

Anderson and Diouf just look too good for Reserve level but who are they going to replace in the first team?

The fact that both played tonight suggests that neither will have any say in the Everton game in less than 48 hours time but I’d like to think that Diouf will get a first team chance again sooner rather than later. He definitely has something about him that none of our other strikers has at the moment.

In Fergie We Trust

i) Our main rival is Chelsea. They will lose points and concede defeats. Essien is a big part of Chelsea, and if he remains injury-prone till the end of the season, Chelsea will suffer defensively.

ii) Cech is not the same world class goalkeeper as he once was under Mourinho. He’ll concede more goals than any season before.

iii) Ancelotti has not won any league for more than 5 years. His main objective is to win the Champions League, not the league.

iv) Arsenal players are still young. Can they manage the burden of the expectations of their fans? No..

v) Rooney and Diouf can make a great pair. Diouf showed he has great heading ability, something Rooney lacks. Can they play together? Yes! Give them some time and we’ll soon see the same Cole-Yorke chemistry

vi) Berbatov wants to answer to his critics!!! He is at last using his out of common technique to do something useful. I hope his ‘injury’ does not bother him much…

vii) Our attack is performing better than last season!! Presently, our goal to match ratio in the league is 2.23 whereas last season it was only 1.79.

However our defense is underperforming. This season, clean sheets have been quite rare. Out of 22 matches played, we have 9 clean sheets; a ratio of 0.41 cs per match played. Last season though, we had a ratio of 0.63 cs per match played.

Therefore by fixing the defence and keep scoring goals, we can still win the league. Fortunately, Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra will soon play together and we can build some consistency at the back.

viii) Valencia is the new David Beckham, not the new Ronaldo. His crosses are world class but he needs a target in the box. Bingo! We’ve got Diouf!

ix) Nani wants to prove himself. I hope he does…

x) Hargreaves will soon be back! He will be like a new addition to the squad and his can give something different to the midfield.

The Hour Cometh, Darren Fletcher

With the lacklustre performances from Carrick, the ageing Scholes, the over-confident Anderson and the injured Hargreaves, Darren Flether must step up to lead Manchester United’s midfield.

A product of United’s famous youth academy, Darren Fletcher initially struggled to break into the first team but now regularly features in the midfield. Initially, he was tipped to become Beckham’s successor on the right flank but after a few injuries, the coaching staff decided he was better suited for the central midfield position. His looping header in November 2005 ended Chelsea’s 40 match unbeaten run. Ever since, he has developed into a world class midfielder and has been named as Scotland’s captain.

Fletcher is, in my opinion, a very under-rated player. He may not have very good technique, he may not be very speedy, but he has the never-give-up attitude. As a holding midfielder, he is very efficient and his hard work in the midfield is unmatched. He reminds me a lot of Roy Keane.

Fletcher can be inspirational to United as he has been to Scotland if he plays regularly. His no-nonsense play makes him an indispensible player against teams which are very creative in midfield. Remember last season during the Champions League semi-final; his presence left absolutely no chance for Fabregas to develop his game. Fletcher was once more earnestly missed in the Champions League final where Fergie could not give an answer to Barcelona fluid and creative midfield.

I believe Fletcher is the best United midfielder and I hope he will start in more matches. His absence against Burnley was another factor which led to United’s loss.

The Future for Terrorised Defences Around the World?

Manchester United has a history of producing the finest players in the world. The club has a very good youth academy which has developed youngsters into world renowned players: Hughes, Giggs, Beckham, Rooney, and Ballon D’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

In 1996, Beckham’s wonder 57-yard (52 m) goal at Wimbledon marked truly the start of a new era at Manchester United with young players such as David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. This era culminated in the famous treble.  But now we see new youngsters who are breaking into the first team squad. Is it a new era for Manchester United?

Does the goal from Macheda against Aston Villa announce a new era as did Beckham’s  goal at Wimbledon? A more detailed analysis tells us that this new batch of youngsters are more skilled and talented than the 1996 batch. The Reserve team has won the Lancashire Senior Cup two years in a row now. We had not won this competition since 1969! Not even the 1996 youngsters could win that competition.

The young players that are deemed talented enough to become regular first team members are Macheda, Evans, Welbeck, Rafael, Fabio, Gibson,Possebon and Tosic . So what are their chances of succeding on the big stage?

Macheda: the young Italian has already set his name in the first team squad with his stunning injury time goal against Aston Villa. His strengths are pace, positioning, heading, awareness and finishing. Also he has great physical presence for a 18 year old. We hope he doesn’t get any injury as this  seems the only obstacle that can hinder his process of becoming one of Europe’s finest strikers.

Rafael and Fabio: the 19 year old twin Brazilians are set to rock the Premier League with their dribbling, pace, acceleration and determination. They are full backs with an affinity for long runs deep into the opponent’s area. However they are a bit injury prone. Let’s just hope they improve their physique.

Evans: is already a first team member and is set for a bright future if he continues to work hard and challenge the best defensive duo Man Utd has ever seen (Ferdinand and Vidic). The presence of Rio, Vidic and Neville will be a plus for Evans who will gain in experience. Evans is also an important member of the Northern Ireland team and looks to become a permanent starter for United once Vidic or Ferdinand leaves.

Welbeck: marked his Premier League debut with a curling 30-yard strike into the top right corner against Stoke City. What a goal that was for this 18 year old striker who can also play as a winger. He is tall, pacey and has good acceleration. He combines well with Macheda as we have seen in the Fa Cup semi-final against Everton last season. Will this duo be as lethal as Cole and Yorke?

Gibson: won the prestigious Jimmy Murphy Award as United’s youth player of the year 2006. His set of skills make him a true successor to Michael Carrick. He has now integrated Ireland first team with 5 appearences and is set to play a major role for United because of Owen Hargreaves absence and the ageing Scholes and Giggs.

Possebon: has been tagged as the new Paul Scholes for  his passing and vision. He has been impressive for the reserves squad. However, an atrocious injury kept him out for several months and hindered his progress at a such crucial stage. He has now moved on loan to Braga. Let’s hope he gets to play regularly there and develop fully his potential.

Tosic: he was signed from Partizan Belgrade after some scintillating displays.

He has good pace, crosses the ball well and has great determination. He has even asked to take the free kicks after the departure of Ronaldo. He has the potential to become the next Messi. He has made 15 appearences for Serbia and scored a brace against South Africa in a friendly.

As we have seen ,the new youngsters have the skills ad the experience to make it big. Let’s hope luck is on their side!