Anderson and Nani – will they live up to the hype?
Anderson Luis de Abreu Olibeira and LuÃs Carlos Almeida da Cunha (Anderson and Nani to you and me) are two of the brightest young prospects at Manchester United today. They have their admirers and equally, their detractors as well.
Manchester United fans will point to the Tottenham and Arsenal games last season as proof of what Nani can accomplish, as well as Anderson’s duels with Steven Gerrard and Cesc Fabregas. Opposition fans will undoubtedly point to Nani’s inability to link up with his team mates and Anderson’s lack of goals.
But beyond the base ‘for United, anti United’ arguments, the question remains: What are Anderson and Nani capable of and will they be able to fulfill their potential?
Nani – the black Ronaldo?
Nani is often compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and there are similarities in their first seasons at Manchester United – the flashes of brilliance, the poor decision-making that results in Nani frustratingly picking the wrong pass (or shooting instead of passing), the self-confidence, the technical ability and most importantly, the same willingness to improve and to keep fighting till the end.
Most significantly though, he doesn’t share Cristiano Ronaldo’s height or good looks. The lack of inches will mean that he will stay as a more orthodox winger (and as a result a lot will depend on how his crossing and medium to long range passing improves) and the lack of looks will keep the media pressure off him a bit and give him the room he needs to improve as a player.
He has the quality, it’s up to him and his coaching staff to ensure that he fulfills that potential. It will take another couple of years before we see the sort of consistency we’ve come to expect from Ronaldo and even then that might be too much to expect, but one has to be realistic: If Nani can give Manchester United a lifetime of quality, reliable service on the wings, he will be well worth the investment.
Anderson and his shooting boots
Anderson’s admirers point to his indomitable fighting spirit. Anderson’s detractors point to the lack of tangible impact he makes on games, especially the lack of goals. Both are correct, and that is why, even if you allow for Nani’s frustrating mistakes, Anderson’s progress is the one that is more worrying for a United fan.
Man to man, he can keep up with any player. But where players like Fabregas excel is in finding spaces where there are none and controlling a game when outnumbered, and this is where Anderson fails. On the European stage Anderson has often been outwitted by the opposition midfield content on passing the ball around him. Unless he improves his positioning, and learns to read the game better (and thus impose himself on the game instead of a single player), he will not get to a level deserving of his talents.
Then there’s the (lack of) goalscoring and in this aspect, he is a bit like Rooney in the sense that he has focused more on the personal aspect of the game as opposed to honing his finer skills (dominating a game, clinical finishing, etc). Both are fighters and great team-players, but both can be so much more if they worked on certain aspects of their games.
There’s still time with Anderson – it’s easy to forget that he’s just 20 and that Messi and Fabregas are the outstanding exceptions and not the rule in football (remember how frustrating Gerrard was at 20?).
Anderson and Nani vs Rest of the World
Two talented young footballers with heavy price tags and heavier expectations. There have been a few unfair comparisons, but in my view these two should be judged either in a few years time or lined up along with their contemporaries (age and experience) and measured as such. For me they are still in the top 10 for their positions at the U21 level and that alone should be good enough.
Dazzled by the brilliance of Messi and the maturity of Fabregas (both have their flaws, if you bother to look away from their shining talents), football fans often forget that a player is not judged at 18 or 21 or 25 – he’s judged at the end of his career when the years spent on the football pitch are weighed and measured in statistics and the intangible impact he had on his team’s successes. Let’s not confuse present ability with the sum of a player’s whole career – there enough time for them to prove you wrong or worse, prove you right.
How do you rate Anderson and Nani, and do you think they will live up to the expectations placed on them?
Topics: Brazil, English Premier League, Features, Manchester United, Portugal
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Completely disagree on Anderson, i think he has been a far more sound performer since his arrival than Nani. Being “passed around” in Europe is stretching the truth somewhat I think, United won the Champions League and Anderson played a huge part in that. Let’s not forget that before he came to United he was very much a forward, whether it was wide on the left or through the middle, he has adapted to a new deep lying position superbly if you ask me.
His failure to score is his only real weakness, but it isnt like he misses a lot of chances. Sometimes he probably should be a touch greedier when he has the option, but looks to play in someone else. I don’t think it costs United particularly when you consider they have Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez & of course Ronaldo, with Carrick, Giggs, Nani & even Park & Fletcher all capable of chipping in.
Anderson is a potential master, I expect less from Nani.
November 20th, 2008 @ 13:09Anderson has adapted well to his new position but I’d like to see him get some goals as well as create constantly as that was what he was bought for. Nani on the other hand, I’m sure will make for a great purchase in awhile. He does need to improve and has shown signs of that. They’ll both end up being fantastic purchases I’m sure.
Good article.
November 20th, 2008 @ 14:37I agree with Neill Jones, I think Anderson has a big future ahead of him, the fact that he doesn’t score often is not something you should judge a midfielder on I think.
About Nani I have serious doubts, he has never convinced me. He has skills, but he lacks effectiveness. I know ronaldo also lacked effectiveness in his first ManU seasons, it was a true miracle that he suddenly got really effective. I don’t think a second miracle is going to happen to Nani.
November 20th, 2008 @ 14:47Nani is the one player that frustrates me more than anyone else on that team. He clearly has talent, and I think he could be a better all-around player than Ronaldo. That being said, though, he really needs to mature. How often does he kill counterattacks by shooting from long range when he has players to either side of him? Too bad there isn’t a site that keeps track of this kind of stuff.
I think having Queiroz around was a major part of Ronaldo’s maturation process, and not having him around will be a major detriment to Nani. Still, it doesn’t mean all is lost with him. Being around seasoned vets will, hopefully, allow Nani to improve his decision-making.
As for Anderson, I agree that he has a tendency to disappear in games. He’s strong, and he has good skills, but he strikes me as someone who isn’t quite good enough to be a playmaking midfielder and someone who isn’t quite good enough to be a full-time holder. In other words, he’s a younger and more talented version of Fletcher. But again, he’s only 20. His ceiling is very high and I don’t think he’s scratched the surface of his potential.
November 20th, 2008 @ 15:25I think talented Nany is performing below my expectation because he not been able to break the barrier between himself and Ronaldo.The two are good by my revelation is that the newer would outshine the latter,that is if you understant what i mean.On the other hand Anderson has performed well,but he has not been able to change my overwhelming likes for Apostle Scholes
November 20th, 2008 @ 15:42who possess the ability to change a dead luck game with his moment of brilliance[telegraphic passes and shoot accuracy].Anderson should take lessons from Scholes and develop his game.
Great article Bilal. But out of Anderson, more thatn Nani, there was more expected up till now. And he hasn’t delivered. But the part about Nani I agree with you.
November 20th, 2008 @ 16:07I’d have to say both have huge potential, as much as I despise them both!
Anderson will, I think, blossom into one of the worlds best central midfielders once, as Ahmed says, he starts scoring and develops his positional play.
November 20th, 2008 @ 16:31Anderson I think will be a better player, just for the fact that even though hes younger the nani hes shown much more maturity in his thinking and decision making, showcasing his ability to fly all over the field in both defense and attack and then retain possesion of the ball and spray passes long and short all over the park. In my opinion hes almost a perfect cross between essien and scholes. While not having the ridiculous athleticsim of essien he displays better technique and passing ability even though hes 6 years younger and while not in Scholes level technically(who is?) he displays a much better motor then scholes even at his peak. And remember hes only 20 and he can only get better and when he hones these two aspects of his game I think well have a new type of player, one encompassing both types of midfielder. Also, I think that if we want to see the best of anderson that we should let him have complete freedom in midfield by using another holdign midfielder, thereby allowing him to roam around any part of the field where he can do the most damage. But for now hes playing good enough for me
As for Nani its quite the opposite. I dont think the ronaldo comparisons are that accurate because Ronaldo was where Nani is now at 18 years old, plus hes not as fast as Ronaldo nor as good in the air. Nani has all the technical ability in the world, though his passing both long and short needs to be more consistent, especially hsi crossing, because when hes consistent with it, his crossing is better the ronaldos. As for his decsion making, i want to shoot myself watching him sometimes. i honestly dont know what goes through his mind when he does the stupid things he does during a match. Hell try and dribble right at 3 men as opposed to laying it off to an oncoming player or even stopping, take a breath and pick up his head for the open man or just passing back so we at least can retain possesion. And Im not on the “lets play Nani so he can get better” bandwagon either just for the simple fact that hes too much of a liability for a team this good that is aiming to win every competition, as opposed to when Ronaldo joined and he entered a team in rebuidling whose foundation was beign relaid, a time when we had the luxury of letting ronaldo go through his growing pains by just playing so we could reap the benefits in a few years time. With Nani i think a different approach is needed. if he truly wants to be great then he needs to be picking the brains of people liek giggs, ronaldo, and even scholes to gain as much knowledge and know-how as he can and then apply thsi durign practice, because we just cant afford to let him develop the other way at the cost of the team. Now we have Park to bridge the gap between Giggs. So splitting time with Park would seem to be the most equally benefical way for both United and Nani to proceed in order for them to both benefit.
November 20th, 2008 @ 17:46Nani’s crossing is better than Ronaldo. Sometime, he is selfish and make a shot instead of pass. If he can keep reach the maturity, he can be a great winger too.
Anderson did have the potential but he is still yet to find the best position for him. Now he is only 20, he still have a lot of space for improvement.
Both stars will shine soon, very soon. Just keep your eyes on them.
November 20th, 2008 @ 18:05anderson was supposed to be the new ‘ronaldinho’,now he’s playing defensive mid?
November 20th, 2008 @ 18:57Neither will “live up to the hype” imo. Nani has never impressed me but he is young still but i dont see the magic spark in him that i saw in young Ronaldinho, Ronaldo etc.
I thought Anderson would make it after seeing him at the beginning of last season but he seems to be getting worse and worse as time goes on, still a pretty decent midfielder but lots of room for improvement.
They probably will end up justifying their high price tags but i dont think much more than that.
November 20th, 2008 @ 19:30I think fergie is messing around with anderson’s positions.Ando loves the free roaming role.He particulaly loves playing behind the striker and that is where his goals will come.He needs a clearly defined position so that he can hone his skills better.it saddens me to see him play the holding player.he was touted to be the next ronaldinho and he does not look like achieving that so long as his position continues to be tinkered with but undoubtedly the potential is there.
November 20th, 2008 @ 21:56Nani will not make the grade as ronaldo but he has the potential to play an orthodox winger and may just surpass giggs on the the opposite flan.(that is if ronaldo leaves).he just needs games to gain that experience on the park which will improve his consistency.Sadly the pressures on the modern game will not help him to develop like the way
ronaldo was giving the chance to improve.
I think that both Nani and Anderson have been tremendous buys for united. I hope that they do even better next year. I think that Anderson will develop into the better play though.
November 20th, 2008 @ 22:18In my opinion Nani needs to play to improve his decision making and to gain experience just playing he can get those. Concerning to Anderson I think he is a great player and can reach to be best player in the world in the future, his problem I think is that he is a more attacking player (I know what I am talking about I’m a Porto fan and watched him many times going unstoppable with the ball to the goal!) the position he is playing now makes him more tied to the tactic and doesn’t give him the freedom he needs to explode towards goal, he has technique, he is strong he is fast and above all he is young! greetings from Portugal
November 21st, 2008 @ 09:11Anderson and Nani both had good first season’s at Utd with Anderson looking the better. One thing that surprised me was that Anderson, having done an excellent job filling in for Scholes, was used very sparingly in the run in last season. Both have the ability but need to gain experience and confidence and this comes with playing.
With Giggs and Scholes running out of time Utd need both to step up sooner rather than later and this season is a pivotal one for both in my opinion.
They need to make their positions their own, and soon.
November 21st, 2008 @ 09:38Lads, lets not get carried away with criticising these guys. I disagree on Anderson, although yes he has a long way to go in terms of improvement, i think hes shown his ability to impose himself on a game (Arsenal and L’pool last season), I think he does need to learn how to control a game better, but that will come with time, and training with Scholes is near enough pricless for him. He will fulfill his potential i have no doubt about that.
As for Nani, the guy is still young, yes Ronaldo was younger but Ronaldo also came to United younger, so effectively they are at the same stage. Don’t compare Nani to Ronaldo because they are not the same type of player, yes they have similar abilities but we don’t say Messi and Ronaldo are the same do we? Nani will develop, and you will see in a season or two, i can already see his crosses are improving, his passing and deicision making will aswell. He too will fulfill his potential under SAF. Ronaldo’s improvement was not a miracle mate, SAF worked on him and honed him into the player you see now, and he will do the same with Nani. Do not worry they will come good.
Where were Gerrard, Viera, Keane and even scholes to a certain extent at 19/20?
Remember Henry at Juventus?
Oh and guys, lets not forget they have only had a season and a bit in English football.
Give the kids space to breathe.
November 21st, 2008 @ 12:02no, they won’t…sure they may become world class but they will never ‘match the hype’ because when they came 2 utd, evryone expected ronaldo-like transfers
November 22nd, 2008 @ 23:42We’ve seen flashes of brilliance from Nani and all he really has to improve is his continuity and maybe become a bit less greedy.
Anderson on the other hand has been fairly consistent but I still think he’s being played slightly out of position even though I love the guy. I think he would be better in a more advanced position with somebody like Hargreaves behind him.
November 23rd, 2008 @ 18:59Totally agree on the point about nani.However although you could draw parallels with ronaldo when he first arrived it is worth saying that he is only somthing like 9 months younger than rooney or ronaldo and his passing desion making are quite shocking, frequently dribbling into the touchline because he has nowhere to go and refuses to pass.The most worrying thing however is his attitude and mentality, and that i dont think will change and to me it just seems he will be one of those eternally moody players, a bit like anelka or something.Throw in the fact that hes more annoying than ronaldo (who can be forgiven because hes amazing) ,a complete diver , a hot head and that his form has degraded since he came and the futures not that bright. As for anderson I disagree he’s just class.I think there was a big misconception amoungs fans when he fist came to england, having been billed as the new ronaldinho, many expected him to be some sort of flamboyant attacking midfield goal scorer but as it turned out hes more like a brazilian Xavi, a clever, pint sized midfield general. As for goals i dont know why people keep harping on about this, its evedent that a prolific goalscorer he aint, plus its pressuring him a bit.Also unlike nani hes a great lad with a good mentality,spirit ,and a decent head on his shoulders who in time could be uniteds beating heart in midfield.
December 1st, 2008 @ 23:14