Hammered

Sorry, I just couldn't resist with the title. What a strange day.

Watching United games from the dead-center of North America, I'm accustomed to the cold and snow, but not watching it flying around Upton Park in November. Newcastle or Sunderland, maybe, but not London. Snow falling outside. Snow falling on TV.

Watching United games on the DVR, hours after the result's complete with a personal media blackout in effect, always adds to the strange alchemy here, especially if things turn sour.

Speaking of turning sour: enter from stage-left one Jonathan Spector. Fellow Yank. Former United player.

Now central midfielder and goal-scoring machine?!

After scoring one goal at Derby – a dubious one at that – thus far in his career, Mr. Spector was a close off-sides call away from a hat-trick by halftime. Which then naturally leads the Upton Park faithful fans to start chants of “going down, going down, going down” aimed at Fergie's men.

Are you kidding me?!

Oh East-ender, karma's a bitch, mate. The bubbles might flow tonight, but you've got the real dogfight on your hands.

Next up Chicharito and Fabio get clattered and clobbered, while some good chances fall to Bebe, whose touch lets him down due to his “rough edges” and we break for half down 2-0.

Adding to the overall surrealness of this viewing, I'm watching it off Fox Soccer PLUS, which has just one announcer for the match and absolutely no commentary or analysis at half. Grrrrrr.

Instead what do we get? Countless adverts for Ligue 1, Premier League, and the League-formerly-known-as-the-Coca-Cola Championship. Etcetera, etcetera.

After the commercial montage is complete, next up is a short, promo-like-documentary-highlight-reel-job about the Gerry Francis era at QPR. Nothing against Gerry Francis, but WTF?

Simply add in a predatory lending commercial promising to take care of all your debt needs without a background check. Now your evening is complete. (BTW, other typical commercials on this network could involve products like male enhancement pills, Hair Club for [bald] Men, and acne cream. Just the target demographic you always wanted to be, right?)

Such is life watching footy a continent away from the action in a culture that largely doesn't appreciate the beautiful game. AT LEAST I could get the game. That's still how I view it.

Or, at least that's how I saw it prior to watching the second half, which started brightly, with Macheda on for Bebe and some good early pressure coming off of Fabio's overlapping runs down the right flank. Maybe there's a comeback in the offering.

Think again.

Against the run of play, United switch off at the back and Carleton Cole heads the Hammers on top 3-0 – bad, bad Jonny Evans.

Astonishing.

Now comes the part I'm not too proud to admit: I fast-forward the DVR to watch to see if the scoreline changes... It does, but in the wrong direction.

Now it's 4-0. Game. Set. Match.

We all knew the streak would end sometime, with the Carling Cup being a fairly ideal place for a blip in the road. Thankfully, this match is already history.

As Minnesotans, we take perverse pleasure in thriving during our long, icy winters, which makes it hilarious to listen to the Brits complain about minimal snow fall – oh, THE cold. On some level, it also makes it even harder to watch United get hammered and taunted in the snow.

As a famous former Beatle once said, “Strange days indeed, strange days indeed.”

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Back at you after the Blackpool match. Cheers.

Hungry For More

I'll leave all the “Five Star” performance titles to others in the blogosphere and media. Today was all about appetite.

Midway through the second half, speculation began about if history were in the making with a 6-0 lead and 27 minutes remaining. Would United's 9-0 victory over Ipswich Town be beaten? How many would Berbatov score?

Ultimately, history held in a 7-1 victory, taking United's unbeaten run to ten over Blackburn, as Berbatov joins Cole, Defoe, and Shearer as the fourth player to score five goals in a Premier League match. Bestie's six goal tally against Northampton would remain safe as well today, but just barely, as Berba's screaming header was tipped over by Robinson with something like five minutes remaining.

The adjectives from today's performance run from clinical to sublime, ruthless to superb, as I can't think of a single United player who didn't play well, with the only blip being Jonny Evans getting pushed too easily aside by Samba to nod home Rovers' only goal.

Going a plus-six in one match certainly does wonders for United's goal-differential, as we're now tied with Chelsea at plus-nineteen ahead of their match against Newcastle tomorrow.

Upon reflection, three things really stood out for me from this match.

First, United, including Rooney, looked remarkably famished immediately from the first whistle, which is wonderful to see, given the up-and-down performances through the season's first third. Everyone looked dangerous going forward, as the movement off the ball and first-touch passing were delightful to watch. United cut Rovers apart for a full 90 minutes. The front pair, Park, Nani, Anderson, Evra and Rafael deserve full praise for their almost telepathic understanding of each other at times – truly United at its most lethal attack all season. It should be noted that Rooney made nice strides from the midweek match against Rangers, as his movement, passing, and first-touch demonstrate he's enjoying and regaining control over his football again.

Second, while some may get caught up in United's performance, it absolutely must be acknowledged that Blackburn were atrocious, which played a huge part in today's proceedings. Giving up a goal 72 seconds into the match threw Big Sam's game plan right out the window. No nil-nil draw today. And not much later, Chimbonda's horrendous back-pass – or early Christmas present – for Berbatov's second clearly gutted Rovers. Down 3-0 inside 30 minutes against a free-flowing United side caused Rovers to labor the rest of the afternoon. Hard to play well against a committed opponent knowing the result is pre-determined no matter the effort.

Foremost and finally, all credit in the world to the Man of the Match, one Dimitar Berbatov, on his exquisite five goal tally. Certainly Fergie's pre-match comments about making too many changes in the side, which led to a dip in Berba's form, seemed incredibly apt after the match.

Berbatov and Rooney looked as though they've played together uninterrupted all season long, with both players unselfishly looking for the extra pass to each other much of the afternoon. The chemistry was down-right amazing for anyone who's seen enough of United to know the frustrations these two can have getting on the same page. Berba looked rejuvenated playing along side a fit and focused Rooney.

Given the deservedly harsh criticism of the past few weeks, the Bulgarian's finishing abilities shined with the attack coming from all angles. Today's match rewarded Berba's poaching instincts with abundance. Yet, there was a strange, ironic twist with the fifth goal coming only after Berba's initial cross to Rooney got blocked straight back to the Number 9 to slot-home a tight angle, side-foot effort into the open goal. Others couldn't buy Rooney a goal from open play, even today, which in some way seemed a kind of karmic justice for the Number 10 who so openly flirted with aspirations elsewhere.

While the crowd craved for Rooney to get a goal from open play, in retrospect, not getting one could pay dividends in the near future. You can only expect Wazza's remarkable improvement in form to continue from game to game, leaving the lad and United hungry for more.
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Back at you after the West Ham match. Cheers.

Just Enough

Rooo-ney! Rooo-ney! Rooo-ney!

Can you just feel the love?

Admittedly, Wazza was merely a side-story in the outcome of this match, as the value of Scholes and Chicharito to United were evident yet again today.

Interestingly the Stretford End chose to sing Scholes' praise when both players entered the game simultaneously, while Rooney's reception was positive, overall, with a few boos mixed in with the ubiquitious “Rooo-ney!” repeated around the ground.

The irony for Wigan, who historically get battered at Old Trafford, is they lost 2-0 while playing a large stretch of the match down to nine men and defended brilliantly. Previous scorelines of 4-0 typify such encounters. Not today though.

United did just enough, which provides some measure of satisfaction, given the numerous draws this year and that the Red Devils' three points came without firing on all cylinders, as the five-man midfield lacked guile and synchronization with the lone striker, Macheda, as well as with each other for the first 56 minutes of the match.

All too often this campaign we've seen United struggle to gain fluency and the sharp edge required by champions around goal. Fergie's men regain pole position, with Arsenal and Chelsea losing, without looking anywhere near the finished product. Amazing.

We all know there's far too much quality in this side to believe the dry patches around goal will continue or get worse, without a major injury crisis.

We've also witnessed flashes of brilliance from Berba, Chicharito, Nani, and Park, along with minutes for other young players. Vidic and Rio appear very soild again, while Scholes continues to prove his master class this campaign, as Sir Alex adroitly picks and chooses his minutes.

Yet, there are no obvious replacements for Scholes, who demonstrated in less that five minutes how his range of passing opens up play, especially by getting wide players involved with his long, raking passes after coming on as a substitute. United's attacking character changed immediately.

World-class midfield graft is incredibly difficult to develop, expensive to purchase and possibly troublesome to assimilate for anyone that remembers the on-again, off-again Veron.

This remains a huge concern for United.

And, while we've witnessed flashes of brilliance from Nani, it's troubling to watch a player who maybe doesn't have the physical strength of Ronaldo but possesses every bit of skill and trickery as the former number seven, hit crosses to nowhere repeatedly.

Despite everything though – the late draws, inconsistency, and poor finishing – United draw level with Chelsea for top spot after game number fourteen. Amazing.

Just enough won't win you a title, but it'll do just fine today, especially after a first third of the season marked by numerous injuries.

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Back at you after the Blackburn match. Cheers.

Not Good Enough

Well, what do you say after today?

I was fully prepared to acknowledge Villa's supremecy and bemoan United's tired and lethargic performance today. Tight possession. No Red Devil shots on target in the first half. Berba and Nani frustratingly off. No cutting edge with a derby hangover. Sad to say we need the White Pele.

Or, do we?

I'll return to Macheda's and Obertan's strong performance in a minute, but first, two critical questions beg asking.

How is United contained by a weakened Villa side with two kids in the center of midfield?

How do Villa display more width and dynamism than United for 79 minutes?

The commentators were right with their repetitive quips that John Carew probably would have Villa ahead due to the quality and quantity of crossing through the first half.

In the second, Aston Villa must have felt hard-done, especially after hitting the woodwork twice inside of two minutes. Then, it all went pear-shaped for Sir Alex's men, as they fell prey to Villa's pacey counter-attack, not once but several times.

First, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young combined nicely to carve apart the United defense, leaving Wes Brown to clattered Ashley Young into Rio for a sandwich-penalty in the 72nd minute. One-nil Villa in front of the Holte End – a much overdue lead.

Second, as the Red Devils pressed forward without Berbatov and Hernandez, getting used to Macheda and Obertan upfront, the two central midfielders get caught flat moving too far forward and it's another beautifully executed counter-attack. It's 2-0 in the 76th minute.

Would the cliché hold true, that two-nil is the most dangerous lead in football? How would Villa's kids respond to the inevitable pressure to come?

A few minutes after the second goal, United's attack gained an edge, with Macheda leading the line, Obertan in the hole, and midfielders alternating runs at goal from various angles.

A Macheda laser-job from the top of the box makes it 2-1 in the 81st minute. Game on, as United now have momentum against a young-and-exhausted side.

Pressure begets more pressure, eventually leading to a brilliant cross by Nani that finds a diving Captain Vidic on the far post and it's 2-2 right in front of the away supporters, who now feel obliged to taunt Villa supporters for the manner which they lost the lead.

Now it's only a question of will United win or will Villa hold?

Ultimately Villa deserved a point from this match. They played well no matter what Sir Alex thought of their tackling, as the United midfield never adjusted to the refereeing being offered on the day.

What's so troubling is the wild swing in United's ability to generate an attacking edge. Certain games during the season become difficult for one reason or another, whether it's an injury crisis or the opposition plays out of their minds.

Today was not one of them.

Sure, Villa played well, but United showed how easily the inexperienced side would crumble at the feet of a quality attack. Literally, you felt that one goal would douse the Villan's confidence and composure.

Too bad that chance came to Berbatov in the 16th minute, as Chicharito played the striker in alone on goal where, instead of a first-time shot with his right boot from ten yards, he dragged the ball to the left which allowed Friedel time to close the angle as he shot wide from five yards out. A sure sign of a striker lacking confidence.

This was THE moment to stick the knife in an immature side. This was THE moment United paid huge sums of money for clinical finishing. This was THE critical chance missed.

You simply must wonder what the other United players think of Nani's and Berba's road-to-nowhere dribbling and inconsistent form.

This frustrating habit kills the attacking verve of the side, as you never know what each will do with the ball. Once players start thinking too much during their attacking play, thoughts like “Why didn't you pass it to me?!” after making a well-timed run, or worse, hesitency creeps in with a “Should I or shouldn't I make that run?!” It all breaks down as we observed today.

Sure, United must be tired given the midweek derby, injuries and the flu-bug that's gone round. Sure, Villa played well.

But any team with real title aspirations would have killed off this undermanned Villa side inside of 30 minutes with a goal. One quality strike and the house of cards would have fallen. A splendid opportunity missed.

Through the first third of the season, the verdict is clear: United are not good enough to win the title, as evidenced by this smash-and-grab point for the seventh draw from first thriteen games. The lack of clinical, well-timed finishing to put away the opposition haunts United. Oh, what we'd give for Cantona's edge right now.

Thank God for Kiko's and Obertan's inspired play today, as without it, United were sunk. They've certainly earned more minutes at the expense of Park or Nani and Berbatov during our home match versus Wigan next weekend.

Hmmm... "Oooh-aaahh Maa-che-daaa (Maˈkɛːda)" has certain ring to it, don't ya think?!

Back at you next weekend. Cheers.