Valencia Better Off As A Full Back Than A Winger

By Azeez Said 

I am tired of talking about how Manchester United have been poor this season, how the fear factor retired with Sir Alex Ferguson, how they might just be fighting for the top 4 this season, how badly they need reinforcements and so on. Every time I watch them play, I can't just help but pity them cos I see them going down the line Arsenal have been for 8 years unless something drastic is done. Let's leave that for another article. 

I have been watching Valencia play for years now - I mean that Manchester United winger- and he seems more predictable than my mum asking for breakfast as early as 7am every morning. He collects the ball, goes down route 1 and hit a cross or squares the ball into the 18 yard box. That, I think is not good enough for a winger playing at his level. 

Quality wingers are known to be quick, fast thinkers, great crossers of the ball and most important of all, have an element of trickery in them that can make them delete 3 players on their way to squaring the ball for the strikers for a simple tap in. Players like Eden Hazard, Ribery, Robben quickly come to mind. Trickery, is that element that is not making Valencia a complete winger.

Antonio Valencia is fast, a good crosser (I can only think of few wingers who know how to get the ball into the 18 yard box no matter what, as well as Valencia does), has the extra advantage of being strong and can also defend. He has got everything he needs to be successful as a full back. 

In the absence of Manchester United's best right back, Rafael, playing Valencia in that position will do more good than harm and having more tricky players in Kagawa and Januzaj help through the wings could help spark a good change in their attack and change their fortune for good.