Great article from Soccernet! We've debated the merits of moving Becks to center midfield for a while but against Deportivo (with revenge on their minds) is this a good choice????
I don't know about anyone else but I can't wait for this next game! Wonder what Sir Alex has got up his sleeve?
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Becks to be centre of attention
By Ian Ladyman
For David Beckham it has been 36 hours of great contrasts. As he lay motionless on a treatment table deep inside the Riazor Stadium in La Coruna late on Tuesday night, it appeared his participation in the summer's World Cup was in jeopardy.
This morning, however, the England captain can relax in the knowledge that not only will his ankle injury heal in time for his trip to Japan, it should also afford him the opportunity in a week's time to prove beyond question that he is ready to make the one career move he has hankered after for so long.
With Roy Keane absent injured, Juan Sebastian Veron doubtful and Paul Scholes suspended, Sir Alex Ferguson will ask Beckham to move inside from his usual position on the right flank and take his place in the centre of United's midfield.
Beckham will not for one moment find reason to celebrate the absence of his team-mates, but their misfortune would nevertheless appear to present him with a unique opportunity.
Facing Deportivo La Coruna, one of Europe's most distinguished teams, in what amounts to United's most important fixture of the season, he will at last be handed the chance to show Ferguson and England coach Sven Goran Eriksson that his game is sufficiently mature to influence big matches right from their very core.
While Nicky Butt will once more be delegated to look after Deportivo danger man Juan Carlos Valeron, Beckham will be left with the responsibility of driving United's offensive movements. He has always craved the opportunity to take big matches by the scruff of the neck and this will be his chance.
While his contribution from his position on the right side of United's midfield four continues to grow, Beckham has never attempted to hide his desire to assume a more central role.
Playing infield - he argues - allows him a greater share of possession and therefore enables him to hurt the opposition more regularly with his remarkable reserves of energy, the range of his passing and his long-range shooting.
'It is difficult to dictate games from a wide position,' Beckham has said. 'I am the type of player who wants responsibility.'
Ferguson's reluctance to grant Beckham his wish is born out of recognition that he is all but irreplaceable in his present position.
Next week, for example, the United manager, who already has regular understudy Luke Chadwick on his injured list, will consider the relative merits of Phil Neville, the left-footed Quinton Fortune or even striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he seeks a stand-in for Beckham on the right.
That in itself speaks volumes for Ferguson's reasoning but last night he conceded: 'We have a pool of players to cope with these situations. We have to cope.
'With Roy Keane absent, David may well get a chance to play in the middle.'
On occasions this season the 26-year-old has taken it on himself to drift in-field in search of possession, usually when his team have been struggling.
His mammoth performance against Greece in England's decisive World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford perhaps stands out as the starkest example, but next week he will carry this responsibility from the start as United seek to defend a 2-0 lead with key personnel watching from the stands.
It promises to be a captivating evening and one in which Deportivo may yet play much more than a supporting part.
It is unlikely that Javier Irureta's team will perform so shabbily again and a side who have already triumphed at Old Trafford and at Highbury in this season's competition will arrive in England hoping to leave a mark on United in a purely football sense.
Irureta believes Deportivo can do to United what the English champions did to them on Tuesday. He added: 'If we score an early goal, or at least during the first half, then we will have a chance.'
Last night Gary Neville warned: 'We will have to be on our guard. Deportivo are a quality team who are capable of going away, scoring goals and winning against the best.
'They showed that when they won at Real Madrid in the Spanish Cup Final recently. They will not be fearful of coming here.'
Beckham, of course, will not be fearful of his role either. He has long since been United's talisman and now he has an opportunity to be their spiritual and physical driving force for an evening.
Messrs Ferguson and Eriksson will watch will interest.
I don't know about anyone else but I can't wait for this next game! Wonder what Sir Alex has got up his sleeve?
--------------------
Becks to be centre of attention
By Ian Ladyman
For David Beckham it has been 36 hours of great contrasts. As he lay motionless on a treatment table deep inside the Riazor Stadium in La Coruna late on Tuesday night, it appeared his participation in the summer's World Cup was in jeopardy.
This morning, however, the England captain can relax in the knowledge that not only will his ankle injury heal in time for his trip to Japan, it should also afford him the opportunity in a week's time to prove beyond question that he is ready to make the one career move he has hankered after for so long.
With Roy Keane absent injured, Juan Sebastian Veron doubtful and Paul Scholes suspended, Sir Alex Ferguson will ask Beckham to move inside from his usual position on the right flank and take his place in the centre of United's midfield.
Beckham will not for one moment find reason to celebrate the absence of his team-mates, but their misfortune would nevertheless appear to present him with a unique opportunity.
Facing Deportivo La Coruna, one of Europe's most distinguished teams, in what amounts to United's most important fixture of the season, he will at last be handed the chance to show Ferguson and England coach Sven Goran Eriksson that his game is sufficiently mature to influence big matches right from their very core.
While Nicky Butt will once more be delegated to look after Deportivo danger man Juan Carlos Valeron, Beckham will be left with the responsibility of driving United's offensive movements. He has always craved the opportunity to take big matches by the scruff of the neck and this will be his chance.
While his contribution from his position on the right side of United's midfield four continues to grow, Beckham has never attempted to hide his desire to assume a more central role.
Playing infield - he argues - allows him a greater share of possession and therefore enables him to hurt the opposition more regularly with his remarkable reserves of energy, the range of his passing and his long-range shooting.
'It is difficult to dictate games from a wide position,' Beckham has said. 'I am the type of player who wants responsibility.'
Ferguson's reluctance to grant Beckham his wish is born out of recognition that he is all but irreplaceable in his present position.
Next week, for example, the United manager, who already has regular understudy Luke Chadwick on his injured list, will consider the relative merits of Phil Neville, the left-footed Quinton Fortune or even striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he seeks a stand-in for Beckham on the right.
That in itself speaks volumes for Ferguson's reasoning but last night he conceded: 'We have a pool of players to cope with these situations. We have to cope.
'With Roy Keane absent, David may well get a chance to play in the middle.'
On occasions this season the 26-year-old has taken it on himself to drift in-field in search of possession, usually when his team have been struggling.
His mammoth performance against Greece in England's decisive World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford perhaps stands out as the starkest example, but next week he will carry this responsibility from the start as United seek to defend a 2-0 lead with key personnel watching from the stands.
It promises to be a captivating evening and one in which Deportivo may yet play much more than a supporting part.
It is unlikely that Javier Irureta's team will perform so shabbily again and a side who have already triumphed at Old Trafford and at Highbury in this season's competition will arrive in England hoping to leave a mark on United in a purely football sense.
Irureta believes Deportivo can do to United what the English champions did to them on Tuesday. He added: 'If we score an early goal, or at least during the first half, then we will have a chance.'
Last night Gary Neville warned: 'We will have to be on our guard. Deportivo are a quality team who are capable of going away, scoring goals and winning against the best.
'They showed that when they won at Real Madrid in the Spanish Cup Final recently. They will not be fearful of coming here.'
Beckham, of course, will not be fearful of his role either. He has long since been United's talisman and now he has an opportunity to be their spiritual and physical driving force for an evening.
Messrs Ferguson and Eriksson will watch will interest.
