After a Premier League & Champions League double in 2007-08, it would have been hard for Patrice Evra to top those achievements in the last nine months.
Barring a disappointing defeat to Barcelona in the final of Europe’s top club competition, the French international’s drive to be recognised as the premier left-back in the world has taken him beyond even last season’s triumphs.
A third Premier League title, second League Cup and first FIFA Club World Cup put plenty of new silverware on the mantelpiece. He also played a role in Manchester United’s unprecedented spell without conceding a goal in league action.
The season began with a contract extension, maintaining his presence in the Red Devils’ long term future. Stability assured, at the start of August the first of four trophies was captured after a drab 0-0 draw with Portsmouth ended in a win on penalties for the Mancunians in the Community Shield.
In his trademark elegant fashion, he quickly settled back into the demands of Premier League duty. He didn’t miss a kick in the first 14 league matches as United hung on to Liverpool's coat-tails at the top of the division.
Evra was also in the side against Stoke City on November 15 for the beginning of goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar’s record breaking 1, 311 minute spell without picking the ball out of the back of his net in the Premier League.
This run in the team was interrupted by a nasty hangover from the previous season, when Evra’s tussle with Chelsea ground staff after a heated meeting at Stamford Bridge landed him in hot water with the FA. Found guilty of improper conduct on December 5, he was hit by a four game ban over the Christmas period.
The plane for Japan and the inaugural Club World Cup still beckoned, and a solid display in the final in Yokohama against Liga de Quito resulted in a new medal to add to his burgeoning collection.
It’s not all been easy going for the Senegal-born flyer, though. Emerging from suspension, several niggling injuries robbed him of his regular place in the first team, with John O’Shea playing understudy.
The tiny shadow of Tottenham Hotspur winger Aaron Lennon also loomed large after he went on a rampage down Evra’s flank in the League Cup final on the first day of March.
This stellar performance by the England international led to a shaky few weeks for the previously unflappable Frenchman. Glitches in his game unseen since his £5.5 million move from Monaco in 2006 emerged as his team-mates continued to strive for record breaking defensive perfection.
You can’t keep a good man down for too long though, and Evra emerged to crush Theo Walcott in the Champions League semi-final double-header with Arsenal.
The final was less of a happy affair. In the middle of the defence, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand lost their composure to send the Reds crashing to a 2-0 defeat
With the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez up top for the Premier League champions, their winning formula has been disturbed.
But with Patrice Evra in control of their left hand side, it will not be a leaky back line that deposes United from their position as the top dogs in English football.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments