Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva once claimed Manchester United’s Nani had a ‘big head’, after an FA Cup 4th round tie in 2008. The young Portuguese winger, whose head size had never before been questioned but whose face is certainly annoying, had terrorised Arsenal all game, scoring once and assisting in two goals. It showed promise for a player bought only a few months earlier, suggesting Nani could evolve into the type of top-class winger Manchester United have had a knack of producing over the years. Trickier than Steve Coppell, more of a threat from long-distance than Ryan Giggs, and young enough for his manager Alex Ferguson to mould as he sees fit, Nani looked to be at the right stage of his career, and at the right club too.
That same season however, Nani was overshadowed by a magnificent season by his Portuguese compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, who hit over 40 goals in all competitions, including a Champions League final goal against Chelsea. If Nani wanted to realise the level he needed to reach to be a Manchester United star, Ronaldo had shown him the way.
Fast forward a year to the end of the 2008/2009 campaign, and Nani had played only half the games he had in his first season, scoring only league goal. The potential Nani had shown in his debut season had not been reached. Manchester United supporters were left frustrated by Nani around this time. They saw a player with undoubted skill, good pace and a rocket of a shot. Nani’s tendency to overplay and not supply good enough service to United’s strikers was becoming a bad habit that he, and Ferguson, needed to address.
Tricky, skilful wingers are often associated with having a poor end product by fans and pundits, though this is often a lazy criticism. There is a more accurate correlation between the speed of the player and his crossing quality. A moving ball is harder to hit accurately than a standing ball, as it requires greater timing. If the player crossing the ball is running at full pace, then the quality of the cross delivered is at even greater risk of losing accuracy. Note the quality of crosses from Ryan Giggs as his career has progressed. The lightning speed and trickery of the Welshman was never in question in his early United career, but his final ball was often inconsistent. Giggs no longer has anything like the pace he once had, yet his crossing accuracy is now second to none. Indeed Giggs is always likely to be able to produce these crosses of brilliance. Indeed, at 37 years old, it is unlikely Giggs would still feature for United if he couldn’t bring qualities like this into Ferguson’s team.
The England international team have had an abundance of speedy, diminutive wingers in recent years. Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright Phillips and Theo Walcott were all battling for the right-wing spot in South Africa, and all three have been criticised for their final ball throughout their career. It is their lightning pace however, which hinders their ability to cross accurately. (One imagines the un-predatory instincts of Emile Heskey also didn’t help wingers when they were deciding where to deliver a cross)
In regards to Nani, he has shown the ability to be an excellent crosser, and also has showed signs of being very quick on occasions. However, he tends to cross when he is in full control of the ball. He has the ability to cross with two feet also. Thus it is the question of when Nani will put the ball into the box that must frustrate strikers like Wayne Rooney. Rooney openly raved about the service from the more direct Antonio Valencia last season, a player who tended to cross the ball earlier. These crosses were often delivered back into an area just in front of the opposition defence, where Rooney would drop off into, and more often than not convert. Indeed, when United played away to AC Milan in last years Champions League, it was a cross from the substitute Valencia, on for Nani, that led to Rooney putting United in front.
Nani, although still young, still remains a frustrating player to this day, though his form improved dramatically in the second half of last season, single-handedly tearing apart Arsenal and a shockingly-under par Gael Clichy at the Emirates Stadium in January. ‘Maturity’ is often a buzz-word thrown around young players like Nani when they begin to show improvement, but he showed a level of performance at times that gives every United fan hope that next season will be Nani’s best season yet. Whether his final-third link-up play with Rooney will improve is another matter, but one imagines that if the two form an-on field relationship like Rooney and Ronaldo did, then United could be in with a great shout of bringing the Premiership trophy back to Old Trafford.
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