MAN UTD DREAMING BIG BUT WILL THEY GET THEIR GUYS?

Manchester United have already secured two new signings this transfer window and intend to sign more. Will they do better than last summer's mess?

 

Real Madrid's Argetine winger Ángel di Maria is one of Manchester United's main transfer targets but they will have to compete against the megabucks of Paris St. Germain and the draw of Champions League football

D. Ray Morton, 15th July 2014.

Last summer's transfer window was nothing but an unmitigated disaster for Manchester United. David Moyes made many mistakes in his reign as the boss at Old Trafford but Ed Woodward's fumbling in the transfer market did not exactly give him the best platform for a good start. This summer, with new manager Louis van Gaal in place, United cannot afford to screw things up again and spend another season without Champions League football. Their targets are lofty and they will need to be shrewd in order to get the right players at the right prices.

Several names are being bandied around at the moment. These include Real Madrid's Ángel di Maria, Juventus' Arturo Vidal and Borussia Dortmund duo Marco Reus and Mats Hummels. They have already signed Luke Shaw from Southampton and Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao. Two good, albeit expensive, acquisitions. Vidal and di Maria are only outside possibilities right now. The Juve midfielder is in no rush to leave Turin though he accepts that he will probably leave there at some point unless the club make a serious challenge at winning the Champions League. Di Maria is unsettled at Real Madrid but Paris St. Germain are sniffing around which could leave United incapable of matching the wages on offer in the French capital. Hummels had a great World Cup for Germany but Barcelona are rumoured to be hot on his trail.

The Red Devils will be disappointed to have missed out on another German, Toni Kroos, who is on his way to Real Madrid. The lure of the Champions League holders is currently too great for the United to compete with. Arjen Robben, one of van Gaal's World Cup stars, also dismissed the possibility of a return to the Premier League. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward appears to be operating much like he did last year. Targets are being identified publicly and this may not be the best way to conduct business. It did not work with Moyes but at least van Gaal has international appeal and a world class managerial C.V.

United cannot afford another summer of embarrassment and they already have a lot to do in terms of sales. Van Gaal will evaluate his new squad and will surely cut out some of the dead wood. The likes of Marouane Fellaini, Nani and Ashley Young, amongst others, are in line to get the axe. The next six weeks are going to be hectic and clubs will be aware of United's "war chest" of a transfer kitty and their desperation to sign. This will result in paying considerably more for their targets. It should be an interesting window from here on in.

BRAZIL HAVE A DATE WITH GERMANY BUT AT WHAT COST?

D. Ray Morton, 5th July 2014.

Neymar in agony after being smashed in the lower back by Colombia's Zúñiga

World Cup hosts Brazil defeated Colombia 2-1 in their quarter-final bout last night thanks to a goal each from their centre-backs, Thiago Silva and David Luiz. Luiz's goal was a thing of a beauty, a rocket free-kick from distance but their victory will be overshadowed by the loss of the aforementioned Silva, the captain booked picking up a suspension, and notably Neymar, Brazil's superstar out through injury. They managed to dispatch the Colombians, who many people had fancied, but at quite the cost.

Neymar's injury was a cruel one. Opposition wing-back Juan Camilo Zúñiga smashed the fleet-footed Brazilian into the lower back with a driving knee. Zúñiga may not have been attempting to injure Neymar but he certainly meant to hurt him and his message was duly delivered. The diagnosis is a damaged vertebra with a minimum of a six-week lay-off expected.

They take on the Germans in the semi-final with essentially their two best players missing. Thiago Silva is a vital part of their defence and keeps the often positionally naïve David Luiz in check. All their creativity comes through Neymar and his replacement, whether it be Willian or Bernard, will feel the pressure of having to fill his boots. All of a sudden, Brazil do not seem as threatening any more and Germany can only be delighted at the convenience of all this.

David Luiz, a man obsessed?

RTÉ's Eamon Dunphy described David Luiz's body language as a man "obsessed" after scoring his goal but in all fairness, Luiz deserves praise for what was a genuinely stunning goal, maybe the most spectacular free-kick in World Cup history. Brazil beat a very physical Colombian side and though many have complained about their style of play, it is time to give them some bit of respect now. Colombia had actually been the only consistently impressive team in this tournament, Brazil beat them so what more do people want? It's not as if any of the other remaining teams in the competition have enthralled us. The Dutch had their big win against Spain but have played negatively since. Argentina are a one man team and Belgium have failed to excite despite defending very well.

Next come Germany who put away France in probably the dullest game of the knockout stages so far. Mats Hummels scored the only goal of the game early on and the Germans simply sucked the life out of Didier Deschamps' side to secure a boring-but-effective 1-0 win. Philipp Lahm looked good back in his right full-back position but there is still something of a striker dilemma with Miroslav Klose failing to impress. Perhaps André Schürrle will win a starting spot for the semi-final allowing Thomas Müller to play up front.

Tonight's matches are Argentina vs. Belgium (kick-off at 5pm GMT) and the Netherlands vs. Costa Rica (kick-off 9pm GMT) with the Argentines and Dutch expected to go through. Belgium will provide Messi and co. with a tough challenge, however, though it is hard to see the game underdogs of Costa Rica shocking Louis van Gaal and his troops.