How do you solve a problem like Shinji Kagawa?

January 11, 2013 in Premier League

Six months into his Old Trafford career, Shinji Kagawa is yet to truly arrive at Manchester United. The Japanese play-maker has struggled to find himself at Old Trafford amidst sky high expectations and the shadow Robin van Persie is casting over not just United, but the entire Premier League.

Shinji Kagawa Signs For Manchester United

In some ways, van Persie’s fine form is perhaps for the best, for it seems like Kagawa will need some time. This is no unusual thing, many players before him have taken a season or so to settle before consistently showing their best form. However, the concern for United fans at the moment is that this is very much the hope rather than the expectation.

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The Transfer Window’s Biggest Winner: The Premier League

September 3, 2012 in Premier League, Transfers

The summer transfer window “slammed” shut last night, leaving some fans on a high, others relieved, many frustrated and a few Arsenal and Liverpool fans outraged. On balance and once the dust from yesterday’s mad rush settles, most fans will be pleased with their summer business. Whilst net spends are calculated and names proposed for the “signing of the window”, the biggest winner this summer has to be the Premier League on the whole.

Over the last few years, the English Premier League has seen several of its stars depart; with Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas and then this summer Didier Drogba and Luka Modric all departing, the quality of players and teams in the league was perhaps slightly reduced. Other notable names have also left for La Liga, such as Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, which towers above other leagues as home to so many of football’s stars. This summer, however, the Premier League has fought back, and whilst no single ‘global superstar’ has landed on our shores, several players with precocious talent and the potential to be stars of the future most certainly have.

 

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Echte Liebe: a proper introduction to Borussia Dortmund

June 29, 2012 in Bundesliga

Sat in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on a breezy mid-May evening, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson witnessed Borussia Dortmund’s first domestic double. Though just a week before the climactic finale of the Premier League, it was clear that Ferguson had the future in mind. Shinji Kagawa, the Japanese maverick, opened the scoring within four minutes, prompting a dominant Dortmund display that led to a 5-2 victory over rivals Bayern Munich. Kagawa, 23, has since signed for United in a deal that could reach £17m.

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