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Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread
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Any of you guys heard of Gary Medel? He's a right back turned defensive midfielder who plays for Boca at the moment. I've been keeping an eye on Chile over the past couple of years, and he looks the real deal. If Hargreaves fails to recover properly, I'd love us to sign this guy (I'd love us to sign him regardless). Here's a report on him I've done on him for my Consolation Goal blog. You might be best clicking the link, because there's some good videos of him in there, but if you can't be bothered, here's a copy + paste job. Enjoy
Going hand in hand with our team scouting reports for this summer’s World Cup, we will also be taking a look at some potential breakout stars in South Africa. Our first edition looks at Chile’s tenacious defender-come-midfielder Gary Medel.
Name: Gary Alexis Medel Soto
Date of Birth: 03/08/1987
Nationality: Chile
Current Club: Boca Juniors (ARG)
Position(s): CM/DM/DC/DR
At 22 years of age and standing at a meagre 5′ 7″, Gary Medel does not appear to be the most intimidating opponent at first glance. But look into this young man’s eyes and you will see a fiery determination and combative spirit cast in the same dye as the great Leonel Sánchez, often regarded as Chile’s most influential player.
Medel epitomizes the warrior-like attitude that saw Sánchez gather a record breaking 84 caps for his country, which is often over-shadowed (albeit justifiably) by his infamous left hook to Italy’s Mario David in the 1962 World Cup – now dubbed the Battle of Santiago – which resulted in the Italian defender being knocked unconscious.
Medel has that same steel to his fibre. It is a steel that saw him receive his marching order’s in the fiery cauldron that is El Superclásico – South American football’s fiercest rivalry between Boca and River Plate – just under two weeks ago. But examine the fixture closer, and you will see another trait Medel shares with Sánchez, and that is a unique eye for goal. The right back turned defensive midfielder grabbed both of Boca’s goals in the famous victory, the second of which oozed a compuser more akin to that of a striker in the mould of compatriots Marcelo Salas or Ivan Zamarona (see below).
This is not the first time a Medel brace has stolen the show in such a tempestuous affair. In July 2007 while playing for his first club Universidad Católica, Medel wrote himself into the club’s folklore by grabbing both goals in a 2-0 victory over eternal rivals Universidad de Chile. Not happy with two important braces in his career, the young Chilean also helped himself to both goals in Chile’s impressive 2-0 win over Bolivia away in La Paz – a venue that has claimed the scalp of Diego Maradona’s Argentina side following the host’s 6-1 mauling last year. Medel’s first goal in that game – a tremendous overhead kick – can be seen below.
His eye for goal has seen him plunder 7 goals in 25 appearances for Boca this season from a primarily right back role, although Chilean coach Marcelo Biesla is prone to playing Medel as an anchor man in front of his defense, where he is equally as adept. It is a versatile role for Medel, as he often reverts to his more familiar right back position when his side surrender position.
Medel is very much an in-your-face style midfielder not too dissimilar to fellow South American Javier Mascherano, and has elements to his game in his versatility and stamina much like Manchester United’s Owen Hargeaves or former France midfielder Claude Makelele. He displays above average passing skills to go with this, and his aerial abilities are very similar to Wayne Rooney in a way, as even at only 5′ 7″, he has mastered the timing and reach of his leaps to compete with even the tallest of forwards.
Perhaps the best comparison for Medel is AC Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso – so much so in fact that he has become known affectionately as “the Chilean Gattuso”. His other nickname, for the record, is the beautiful “Pitbull”. Chile manager Marcelo Biesla realises just how key Medel is to his team. A manager with a reputation for putting his trust in youth, Biesla immediately called the tenacious midfielder up to his senior team having witnessed him play a vital role in Chile’s under 23 team finishing as runners-up to Italy in the 2008 Toulon Tournament. This came after Medel had played an ever present role in the under 20’s famous third place finish in the 2007 World Cup.
As Consolation Goal has done it’s best to persuade in our first edition of Scouting Report, Marcelo Biesla’s side have the potential to cause upsets to fellow group H cntender Spain and potential last-16 opponents Brazil. For Medel, such results would not be out of the ordinary, having already received a standing ovation upon his substitution in Chile’s 1-0 victory of Argentina last year.
While the majority of player’s jetting over to South Africa this summer would pray to avoid a confrontation with the likes of Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres and David Villa, you get the impression that Gary Medel is counting down the days until June 25th and the showdown in Pretoria.
Categories: Breakout Stars0 -
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herbieflowers wrote: »Just curious: where and how many times have you seen him play? (Good articles overall btw, very well composed and written)
It's rare to find anyone on this forum with any information on any players beyond what's touted in the papers. That goes for players posters would like their club to sign too, media propaganda for the most part!
Was talking to a lad online from another website (not a forum) who advised me to keep an eye on Marcelo Bielsa's Chile about 2 years ago, around the time they beat Paraguay 2-0 as that was the first match I watched. Seen him about half a dozen matches for Chile altogether, that match included. Seen him against Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia (the home leg, not the one mentioned in the article unforunately) and a couple of other matches that I cant remember. For Boca, Ive seen him in the 2-0 win over River a couple of weeks ago, a game against Estudiantes and a few other matches but I dont remember the names of the teams, apart from one called Arsenal (not them
). Boca have been poor by all accounts over the last year but he has always looked good whenever Ive seen him. There's always streams floating about on Rojadirecta, there's already a few for tonights game. Watching the Estudiantes - Banfield game now, quite entertaining stuff! 0 -
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Dear Keano,
Berba here. I am writing to you because I am fed up with carrying the team on my own. All season long I have created exquisite flicks and sublime control and it is proving to be a total waste of my time. Why, because those water carriers around me are simply not good enough to wear the same shirt as me.
How frustrated do you think I feel when none of my team mates is on my wavelength? They get in my way when I’m out of position and fail to read my elaborate passes when the whole point is to confuse the opposition!
Keano, You are the only one who understands what it feels like to be surrounded by inferior players. How do I deal with these frustrations without sinking to their level?Dear Berba,
Thank you for sharing your frustrations – some might say delusions – with the rest of us, on this most sensitive post-defeat Sunday of the season. Now, allow me to reply and share some of my opinions, which I suspect are similar to the rest footballing world’s.
I admit that there are those out there who see you as the re-incarnation of Eric Cantona; pure football that lights up games and leaves connoisseurs of beauty purring.
Then there are the people outside your direct family who think you’re a footballing twat.
Given every chance, given a chant, given the ultimate stage on which to perform and you’ve blown it like a cheap street walker on New Year’s Eve
You need to understand that you are the single biggest frustration that most Manchester United fans feel. Including me. Greater than Owen Hargreaves’ comebacks, than the Glazer debt and, hell, even greater than Nani’s decision making process.
Berba, you are more frustrating than a beautiful Cork city nun.
You are a striker, and yet you rarely strike. You are a centre forward, yet you rarely play in the box. You are a tall man with a big head, yet you rarely score headers. Hell you rarely score, and with that you rarely run, tackle or throw yourself at diving headers.
Granted you can pluck a ball out of the sky like a ballerina and flick the ball backwards like a circus seal but so feckin’ what?
If that’s your thing, then piss off back to ‘as long as we play beautiful football, it doesn’t matter that we win nuffin’ unless the year ends in one’ Tottenham Hotspur.
At United, it’s about winning, and you my sensitive European type are not going to win Bulgarian Substitute of the Year if things continue thise way.
Bayern awaits. So do we. The pressure is most definitely on. Fail us again and Triggs and I will be passing by yours very very soon.
Remember Berba, in Alderley Edge, no one can hear you scream.
Brilliant
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Just watchin MOTD2 there. On the 2 good 2 bad thing they had a clip of Rooney at the game yesterday trying to sneak himself a glass of lager before realising that he might be on camara. Funny stuff. Poor fella, it was so obvious what he was up to!
Hilarious!
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Archimedes wrote: »
The look of pure guilt on his face was like a kid getting caught with his hand in the biscuit tin.:pac:0 -
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuUsYZaZNcM
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