Yes, because when you sign a Bundesliga star it automatically means that he's gonna glide smoothly into a different team in a different league and continue to perform at the exact same level
The injury and the signing of RVP has definitely played it's part as well. Kagawa, while decent in that position, is not a winger. He's a pure AM. Period.
If you really don't think that Kagawa has done well despite getting into a new team, in a new league, playing out of position half the time, and getting an annoying injury, then you have delusionally high expectations. Also, we can't ignore the fact that he's pretty much our best passer in terms of accuracy and through balls, and that he has a decent amount of goals and assists. And now I haven't even mentioned his general talent..
Get of your high horse and stop being a fecking fanboy. 'He is our best passer in terms of accuracy and through balls'. What in the feck is this actually based on? The only one being delusional is you.
Playing on the left isn't that much of an issue seeing as he spends most of his time drifting and playing centrally anyway. He's not asked to play on the left and provide us width like Young and Nani are asked.
I've only found Kagawa underwhelming when he's played on the left in a 4-4-2. That's just not where he should be played. When he's played behind Rooney or RvP, he's looked very useful. A constant threat, always an outlet to receive the ball. To get the best out of him, he has to play centrally, or we should be playing a very narrow 4-2-3-1 and he should be part of that bank of 3. It's a little harsh to criticise a player for not lighting up our attack when he's played in a position which doesn't utilise his strengths.
Except one can easily argue that when Kagawa plays it's never a 4-4-2 seeing as he very rarely sticks to the left and it's Evra who provides all the width on the left. People act like Kagawa plays like a traditional winger or is being asked to play as one when he played on the left - neither of which are true.
Saying he has a decent season is not being critical, it's just saying it as it is and the Kagawa fanboys seem to have a problem with it.
OK, so what exactly do people want him to improve?
- His goals/assist ratio? Well, that's already on par with his Dortmund years, and people have already acknowledged his performances for them.
He works the best in crowded places, where he can use his enourmous flexibility and good quick thinking to make plays. His goals and assists made him valuable, but outside of his scores his influence on the game is limited. That is also why he interpreted his AM role at Dortmund as somewhat of a second striker rather than a classic 10 like Götze does now. He is not someone, who makes a team tick or even a leader. He is a finisher, who either plays the final pass or scores a goal himself. A man for the final third.
Let's see how he fares next season
The game was crying out for this little fella. You see the amount of space between our midfield and our attack and you wonder why Fergie didn't bring him on. Would have been perfect to exploit that bit of space and playmake for us.
"There is a physicality to our game which is different from Germany, but next year he’ll be better."
Sir Alex Ferguson
"I’m not satisfied what I have done here at all".
"It is a big and really famous club in the world, but I need to overcome lots of pressures and be mentally stronger"
Shinji Kagawa
What was the point in signing a player of his quality if we're not going to use him in the last 10 minutes of a crucial FA cup tie? Ashley Young didn't do bad, but Kagawa is the type of player that could have done something really special. SAF loves his wingers too much.
Agreed. It's already looking as if Fergie is going to f**k him over.
Kagawa plays a certain role very well. If Fergie didn't want that type of player, why waste the player's time and United's money?
Ayee, agree with this.
His season was always going to be a bit shite due to signing Van Persie, it was obvious he would be moved over to the left and would struggle to get a game in his best position.
Today though it makes no sense. Rooney injured and Van Persie rested, it was the perfect opportunity to play him in his best role. Welbeck clearly deserved to start but he could have played on the left instead of Cleverly, with Kagawa taking that central role behind Chich.
I could understand why he didn't start, him playing on Saturday and all. But surely Fergie had to bring him on when we were down. The game was perfect for him. The amount of space between our midfielders and attackers was crazy. And the amount of static players not willing to come on to the ball to try to break their defence up.
Fergie got it wrong today. It happens. Criminal that Kagawa didn't play.
The physicality thing is nonsense. Oscar, Mata and Hazard aren't physical players at all and are not big either. They all played because they are good with the ball, good dribblers etc.
Kagawa is probably our best dribbling and close control player.
Kagawa often fades physically in second halves, the Sunderland game as well as the International break contributed to him not starting today. Not much to see here to be honest.
Nobody is saying that he should have started though, are they? he could have easily been used in the last 10 minutes, that's what people are getting at.
Nobody is saying that he should have started though, are they? he could have easily been used in the last 10 minutes, that's what people are getting at.
Nobody is saying that he should have started though, are they? he could have easily been used in the last 10 minutes, that's what people are getting at.
With Manchester United knocked out of the FA Cup yesterday, a season that held extraordinary potential only four weeks ago now seems like being one of mild disappointment.
Naturally, Premier League glory is all but assured, but the Red Devils have looked champions elect since the new year—nothing's changed on that account.
So, with the exception of a few rivalry games remaining, a record points total to chase and the always moving lifting of the EPL trophy, now is as good as any time to look ahead to next term.
As Sir Alex Ferguson remains as desperate as ever to claim European glory at least once more in his glittering career, the club will inevitably make considerable moves in the summer transfer market.
But this article isn't about sales and acquisitions, rather looking at the squad as it is now.
Who in this current Manchester United side could be the breakout player next season? Who could be set for a career-defining campaign in 2013/14 in the same way Rafael and David de Gea flourished this term?
Hi-res-154023202_crop_exact Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
When conceiving this article, three names immediately came to mind—Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck and Shinji Kagawa.
The former is yet to reach great heights for United, but, in Sir Alex's mind at least, could potentially be the best midfielder in England.
Welbeck has progressed nicely this season with plenty of game time, displaying an increasingly sure touch and doggedness in the attacking third, even if his end product leaves much to be desired.
But the clear choice has to be Kagawa, the man who moved to Manchester only last summer from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.
A Difficult First Season?
The Japanese playmaker's season has been stop-start to date. He has shown glimpses of the genius we've quickly come to expect, but has also suffered extended periods of indifferent form.
With Wayne Rooney's transition into the position, he hasn't been given an extended run of games in the trequartista role he favours most.
He has struggled to adapt to the more physical teams in Britain's top league, while also having a couple of niggling injuries bog him down at key times.
Nevertheless, his hat-trick against Norwich City a few weeks ago proved ample evidence of his immense natural ability.
His link-up play with Wayne Rooney in that game was exemplary, and gave fans of the Red Devils hope that his best is yet to come.
Sir Alex's reaction to such a performance was to say "he's going to be a good player, next season he'll be far, far better too," in his post-match interview.
A Unique Threat
In his better games, Kagawa's ability to draw opposing players out of position with his unpredictable runs and sharp movement has been well-documented.
His presence helps to quicken United's passing, operating between the opposition's midfield and defensive lines to cause havoc to their shape.
He has completed a resounding 90.5 percent of his passes in the Premier League this term, only less than the sporadically used Paul Scholes (via WhoScored.com).
One possible issue is that he hasn't had the type of support from the team's wingers as he would have had in previous seasons.
His distribution to the wings is one of the strongest aspects of his game. It's just a shame that Nani, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young have all had borderline-terrible seasons and haven't been able to create anything meaningful with the ball out wide.
His former teammate, German goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, spoke about Kagawa this week (via The Mirror):
He's proven he has a lot of potential and only a few weeks ago he scored three goals, so he is getting better all the time.
He's still young, so there's a lot more to be expected of him and he will develop.
Shinji's difficult season is probably related to the injury he had, but now he's fit and back to his best form he can show what he can do.
Weidenfeller saw Kagawa play at his best in Dortmund alongside the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze, and knows full well the type of attacking threat he can pose.
Of course, Shinji Kagawa having a breakthrough season in 2013/14 depends heavily on his being given a decent run of games in a central, attacking position.
He has proven capable of operating in a wider position on the left flanks, both for United and Japan, but this is not his nor the Red Devils' future.
In January, I wrote "United must play to his strengths and allow him to operate in an advanced position, even if that means displacing Rooney from his current habitat," and haven't changed my line of thinking since.
A formation change wouldn't be the worst idea in the world, but discussion over how to fit the Red Devils' countless stars into one efficient lineup is one that could take up 1,000 words by itself—I'll leave that for another article.
In regards to his physical shape, the suggestion that he should simply bulk up isn't necessarily wrong, but surely the answer is far less tangible.
Kagawa relies on his nimble frame to dance around defenders and pick out the impossible pockets of space in the final third—he is not, and will never be, a box-to-box type player.
I keep coming back to that quote from Sir Alex—"next season he'll be far, far better." If there's one man who is in the best position to make prophecies about next season, it's the Scotsman.
Whether he gives Kagawa the time of day to play his natural game, or if he has some other devilish plan up his sleeves for the Japan international, his words yield hope.
Shinji Kagawa could be key to taking a good season and making it great next year.
Agreed. It's already looking as if Fergie is going to f**k him over.
Kagawa plays a certain role very well. If Fergie didn't want that type of player, why waste the player's time and United's money?