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| Park Ji Sung- A team man if there ever was one.. |
When Alex Ferguson signed Park Ji Sung from PSV Eindhoven for a meagre sum of 4 million pounds, many called it a marketing ploy to tap into the Asian fan base. They either didn’t know Ferguson too well or hadn’t seen in the South Korean captain what Ferguson had. Park is now Fergie’s trump card.
A team man if there ever was one, Park Ji Sung, Manchester United’s ever running battery, has been instrumental in the past few seasons for United in Europe. Never a regular at United, Park is always prepared for his managers call because when it came the big dogs would be in town and he’d have his task cut out and the gaffer would be counting on him..
He is a manager’s dream. Making every tackle like his life was on the line.. Boots grazing every blade of grass on the field.. Haggling for the ball at every nook and corner of the pitch.. Yet always in the right place at the right time either starting or finishing a move in big games.
His winners against Wolves (last gasp) and Arsenal have proved decisive in the Title race that United clinched last week at Blackburn, now stats credit Manchester United with having the most League Titles in the country. 19 is the magic number. A majority of Park's goals have come against big opposition-the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal ( guess they’ve come to expect Park’s name to be on the scoresheet everytime they play United), AC Milan, and Liverpool to name a few.
" He's got the discipline, intelligence and football knowledge you need in the biggest games. When you pick teams for big games you need a core of discipline and he's one of the players who can give you that. You can always rely on Park Ji-Sung to keep a cool head.”
- Sir Alex Ferguson.
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| Another big scalp.. chelsea sent packing.. |
That night in Rome was a forgettable one for Park and his team mates. Xavi and Iniesta orchestrated the midfield show. Barcelona played keep ball and made a mockery of the United midfield and system. United and Park, when they travel to Wembley, have before them the chance to make amends. United are ready. Whoever runs the midfield takes home the prize. Park-Giggsy-Carrick-Valencia will form the gaffer’s midfield at Wembley. They’ll have to deny Xavi-Iniesta and co possession, and dictate the midfield. A titanic task it might seem but United’s new system has proved effective in big games. Giggsy playing in central midfield along with Carrick, who has finally put the ghosts of Rome to bed and is in the form that United fans have come to expect from him, Park and Valencia, running the lengths of the pitch linking up play and yet providing defensive cover for the full backs. The United defence with Van Der Sar in goal has been the best in Europe for the past three seasons. Up front the Rooney- Hernandez combo has been an absolute scream. Rooney prefers to drop back and link play while contrastingly Chicharito loves to play on the shoulder of the last defender. The Mexican has a sense of timing about him that made Solskjaer deadly, always in the right place at the right time. Barcelona collectively and individually have some of the most talented players on the planet but what United don’t have in natural talent they have in heart and commitment. They have been over reliant on Ronaldo and Rooney in recent seasons. United are more a team now. Each man counts.. Each man has a job to do.. Each man backing up one another.. United in every sense.. name and definition.
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| United in every sense - name and definition.. |
Park probably won’t satisfy a lot of people’s criteria to be stamped a United Legend.. because he never makes the headlines.. he isn’t a natural like Rooney.. doesn’t know the nuances of defending like Ferdinand.. doesn’t bang in goals like Van Nistelrooy.. he doesn’t control the tempo of the game like a Paul Scholes.. he isn’t your fiery Roy Keane.. he is no Giggsy on the wing.. And not to mention that he has no Kung fu kicks to his name either. Yet Ji Sung is Ferguson’s first name on the team sheet in big games. Big hearted, Park Ji Sung has always sacrificed personal glory for the team’s. Alex has trusted him over the years in big games and he has delivered on more occasions than not and if that doesn’t qualify for the term Legend I don’t know what does.
“I’m not really interest in attention from the media – United have enough personalities. But, I do enjoy the attention from the fans for my football.” - Park Ji Sung
Park has been United’s man for the big occasion. And it simply doesn’t get bigger than having to battle it out with Barcelona for the Holy Grail of the beautiful game at Wembley.
Let Rome be forgotten.. and Wembley remembered..
