José Kleberson is a Brazilian footballer who gained prominence for his role as a midfielder. Kléberson’s career includes notable stints at clubs like Atlético Paranaense, where he played a significant part in their 2001 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A victory. His career saw a significant highlight when he joined Manchester United in 2003. His experience in the Premier League provided him with valuable insights and exposure to top-tier European football.
On 29th July 2024, in collaboration with Freebets.com, SunSport sat down with Kleberson to discuss all things football in the lead-up to the start of the Premier League 2024. This article is going to go over some of the highlights of this interview and some of Kleberson’s thoughts on the upcoming season as well as diving into some of his past experiences and predictions for the future.
2024 Premier League
To begin with, SunSport discussed the upcoming Premier League season and Kleberson’s thoughts on United’s position. This is where he discussed:
Predictions for Manchester United this season
Kleberson began by explaining that it’s hard to predict and set expectations now for the season. During his time at United, expectations were always high, which is why he often starts each season with an optimistic perspective. However, one thing in particular that he thinks is positive about the upcoming season is how they’ve gone about fixing the structure, as well as the addition of Ruud Van Nistlerooy. He pointed out that the pre-season is looking positive, the players seem to be enjoying themselves, also stated that winning the FA Cup last season is an incredible confidence boost for the team, which makes him optimistic that they can fight for the Premier League title.
However, that doesn’t mean that the competition isn’t strong. Especially as now there are so many top teams like Arsenal. In order to reach the top 4 in the Premier League, United need to find the perfect balance that can help them to stay consistent throughout the season. United have a habit of starting out well but then dropping. Kleberson predicts that the determining factor in the team’s success won’t be the players, but the staff and coaches. Ruud Van Nistlerooy will be the key man for this season, his experience and reputation for being an amazing player for United means that the players will be on the receiving end of something really powerful.
Transfer targets for Man United
Kleberson explains from what he has seen in pre-season, there seems to be a huge improvement in the players from last year already. However, one position he thinks needs strengthening is midfield. He explains that they need someone who can take control of the game – ideally a Paul Scholes-type player. However, Kleberson understands that it’s hard to find players like that.
Thoughts on United sticking with Ten Hag
When asked if he would’ve stuck with Ten Hag, Kleberson explained that before the FA Cup final, no. However, after winning it and the huge performance put in by the team, he wanted him to stay. With the change in the staff too, they have the perfect shot now. They don’t need to change the philosophy or the coach, they’ve made a good choice in sticking with him.
Brazilian players in the Premier League
Kleberson shares that he enjoys watching Martinelli play. He explains that Martinelli plays the same way at Arsenal as he does for the national team. He was also curious about how Savinho does for City, stating that he’s a very young player and therefore has bags of potential. Which is why Kleberson is looking forward to seeing how he gets on.
Kleberson’s experience with the Premier League
Taking a walk back down memory lane, SunSport reminisced about Kleberson’s time in the premier league and how times have changed.
Kleberson’s Experience with Sir Alex
Kleberson admits that his English wasn’t good during his time at United, so it’s hard to share what exactly happened. However, one thing Kleberson does say is that Sir Alex communicates in a way that’s unlike any coach he’s worked with before. Whenever he spoke, everyone sat up and listened and stated that you could hear a pin drop. He describes Sir Alex as incredibly analytical. During this time, Roy Keane was his number 2 on the pitch, Kleberson explained that before you got it from Sir Alex, you’d get it from Roy.
What led to Man Utd’s fall from Premier League champions to strugglers
Kleberson said that in his opinion, football has changed a lot. Every game is really important, and every training session has to be prepared extremely carefully for each individual player. But it ultimately all goes back to consistency. When he was at United, they were a really consistent team. Sir Alex Ferguson made a lot of changes, but they still had the same quality no matter who was starting. He suggests that maybe United need to close the gap in quality between the players so they can push each other to get better. When the wins don’t come, it makes life a lot harder for the coaches, because they constantly have to change things and sometimes overcompensate in doing so to placate the fans who want to see new formations and starting lineups. He thinks that United need to sign some top-quality players or progress them through the academy to bring back the good days when they were winning titles years ago.
Kleberson’s thoughts on hot topics in football
SunSport took the opportunity to pick Kleberson’s brains on some of the hot topics in football currently.
Thoughts on who should be England Manager
He starts by stating that England has a really good team and explains that getting to the final again at the Euros shows that the team is bursting with talent that’s within the squad and in particular names like Bellingham. However, he also explains that it’s complicated. Even though there are a range of good coaches out there, he doesn’t have any specific names that he would line up for the position.
The Idea of Messi managing in the MLS
And finally, SunSport asked for Kleberson’s thoughts on the Idea of Messi managing in the MLS. Kleberson explained that while not all great players become great managers, Messi’s chances of success at a team like Miami or somewhere else are high. Ever since Messi joined MLS, there has been a huge change in the way people see it. He has brought a lot to the league including his performance, viewing figures and money for the club.
And there you have it, from the man himself. After this incredible interview, we are now more excited than ever for the Premier League to start this month. And also to see if Kleberson’s predictions come to light.
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