The Fabael Dilemma

Ah the Da Silva twins... I really do have high hopes for these two boys. I think with enough time and effort, they could be Premier League starters for any team in the league. They both have speed, determination, and a great enthusiasm for the game and I would love it if one day, they could be our regular full backs.

Unfortunately that day may never come (insert Godfather reference here), and there are a lot of factors that could decide the future of Fabael. So in this post, I'm gonna take a look at what chances these two guys have of making it at United.

Rafael
Ever since the 2008-2009 season began, I had high hopes for Rafael. When he hit that late consolation goal against Arsenal, I knew he wouldn't disappoint me. Here was a kid that could dribble, cross, shoot, and take on a defender. This gave him an edge to the other right backs who were slow and sluggish in comparison. Neville, Brown and O'Shea seemed to have another competitor for that "Ronaldo support" role. The obvious problem however, was that the veterans were more confident and better at stopping attacks. This was Rafael's major flaw, and it needed to be addressed if he was to take the job of number one right back.

Today, Rafael still hasn't matured enough to be the cool and composed defender we know he can be. A lot of you might disagree, but I point to his sending off against Bayern Munich last season as a prime example of his inability to deal with pressure. He had been quite the beast before that little mistake, but it just goes to show that although he has great ability and potential, he might need a few more years before he explodes and shows us what a cool head, quick feet, and pure determination can do.

Fabio
I was REALLY disappointed when Fabio couldn't play many games with Rafael in the 08-09 season because of his shoulder injury. When we got a glimpse of what one Da Silva could do, jaw made a dent in the floor at the realization that there were TWO of them. Alas, we had to wait for Fabio to make his debut, but it was certainly worth it as he was just as energetic and tricky as his twin brother.

Fabio certainly has the skill and potential to make the left back slot his own, but there are two things that stand in his way. Firstly, much like the other half of the Fabael partnership, he needs to learn to be more composed and collected in his play. In the Community Shield against Chelsea, he made a brash challenge on Michael Essien and it could have easily been a penalty against us. Once he controls his negative impulses, I'm sure he'd be a solid defender for us who can use his speed to his advantage. The bigger obstacle for Fabio however, is the best left back in the world: Patrice Evra. One can say that Fabio is the fledgling version of Evra. Both are quick, agile, tricky and attacking. What Evra has that Fabio lacks though, is that composure that allows him to make better judgments under pressure. When Fabio matures, you can bet your ass that he'll be Evra's number one rival for that left back position.

What to do?
As I see it now, Sir Alex is pretty content with letting the right backs rotate based on form and this will allow Rafael to show what he's worth to the team when his chance comes along. Fabio however, needs to be more patient as Evra is the unquestionable left back and Fabio's role is reduced to understudy.

Nevertheless, I'm hoping for more breakthroughs from Fabael as the season rolls along. Like I said before, I'm a huge fan of the twins, and it will only make me happy if these kids become our future full backs.