defence:
‘In an admirable exhibition of defending at Old Trafford throughout
Wednesday night's victory by the Middlesbrough team he
captains, Gareth Southgate would have had Sir Alex Ferguson
scraping the paintwork with his fingernails in a desperate
attempt to reopen that transfer window.
‘It may be too late for the Manchester United manager, who could
live to rue his failure to supplement his side with a
defender at the zenith of his form, his belief apparently
being that Wes Brown's return from a long-term injury would
compensate for the loss of Rio Ferdinand for the remainder
of the season.
‘The manner in which Southgate thwarted Ryan Giggs with an
impeccably timed challenge in the area and, late on, denied
John O'Shea an equaliser by thrusting his frame into the
path of the Irishman's goalbound effort were examples of
defending at its most instinctive and courageous. The
favourable reviews Southgate has subsequently earned were
well merited. "It's nice to play at Old Trafford, no
question, and I know that it's important I play well in the
big matches like that if I'm to have a chance of being in
the frame for England this summer," he said.
‘It was an open secret that Ferguson was considering a move for him
last month. Who knows why he neglected to do so? Some have
suggested that the articulate and thoughtful player may have
been a little too opinionated for the Scot's taste.
'Southgate himself merely shrugs off the rumours that were
afoot with typical sang-froid. "Let's not fool ourselves, to
play for Manchester United would have been the ultimate for
any English player," he said. "I was aware of all the
speculation, but nobody contacted me, and as far as
[Middlesbrough manager] Steve McClaren was concerned, he
just told me that nothing would happen. I suspect at the
time that Middlesbrough wouldn't have wanted to let me go,
anyway."
‘He adds: "Clearly, Rio is a big loss for any team, given his
quality. On Wednesday night, United didn't have Gary
Neville, who's a good organiser. They've got a lot of good
young defenders, but maybe they find it difficult when
things are going badly. They probably need a bit of help
along the way. Wes Brown has only just come back from knee
surgery, so it's asking a lot of him, but he'll be a good
player - as will John O'Shea."
‘Though Southgate would not dream of making the connection himself,
by implication it is apparent that United crucially lack the
type of experienced defensive organiser he embodies.
Ferguson's loss is Boro's continued gain, particularly with
their Carling Cup final against Sam Allardyce's side at
Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in two weeks' time.’