Nani had a good game alright, he gave the ball away a few times like we're used to, but that became few & far between as the game progressed. I felt his performance proved that he can be a serious player for us - as long as a shakes off his "wannabe Ronnie" thing. He's his own man & he shouldnt let ego get in the way of his talent!
One thing I especially liked about Nani's performance was his dribbling. Dribblin became a bittuva thing of the past with Ronnie last season, so it was great to see Nani take on players & do it with grace. He just needs to concentrate on his final ball - not just beating players for the sake of it.
There's not point in beating three players & ending up on the by-line, when he could of beaten 1 or 2 & whip a delightful ball into the box. He needs to beat players to create space for delivery - not beat to look good!
In sayin all of that, he is a fine footballer on his day & he has as the ability to sprint past people - cut in & whip a great shot or cross & he likes to score goals, he just needs to do it more often!
Valencia I thought had a strong game, never did much initially in terms of last third threat in the first half, but his gettin stuck in & his ball retention were really good - bar a few stray passes. The team's performance in the first half was a measured one, so Valencia was doin his bit to feel our way into the game - a bit like shakin a box to gauge whats inside.
I rate Valencia very highly, he's got pace, power, shot, defence, determination & best of the lot - the boys a team player. I'm very excited about him - no pants down at ankles yet, but I feel this lad is a definite first-teamer for the years to come & most certainly against Liverpool
As it stands - Fergie cant leave him out - he carries a threat goin forward & he's as strong as an Oxe in defence. Nani's makin a good case for himself aswell but that all depends on how consistent he can be. We look in good confident shape at the moment & Sunday will go some way to find out how good we are this season
