Saturday, September 13, 2008

Liverpool Match Report: "The Horror! The Horror!"


Today’s Conradesque trip up the Merseyside felt troubling for reasons well beyond the immediate task at hand and result. Worries arise from unwanted consequences that will linger: Liverpool’s cathartic release and subsequent confidence boost, Carrick’s injury, and Vidic’s impending one-match suspension against Chelsea.

And it all started off with so much grace and ease.

Berbatov looked brilliant early, setting up Tevez’ 3rd-minute strike and giving the hosts a here-we-go-again sense of dread. The supposed 4-3-3 formation appeared at times more like the 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree of old, except it worked fabulously. Tevez, Rooney, and the midfield three – Carrick, Scholes, Anderson – all appeared buoyed by their new duties, with passes pinging around the pitch and Berbatov looked every bit the head of the spear. My God, what will this team look like when Ronaldo returns next week?! Confidence and expectations rise.

Ah, but these were the early minutes.

Soon thereafter you could sense a drop in Red Devil concentration with each miscue. Liverpool then played with width and whipped in a few dangerous-looking crosses, as Kuyt all-too-predictably hit a point-blank chance directly into Van Der Sar. Nothing too alarming with a Torres-less front line. Confidence remained high.

The game took a serious twist in the 26th minute, when a deflected shot caught everyone off-balance and Van Der Sar’s subsequent punch rebounded straight off Wes Brown's leg for a heartbreaking own-goal leveler. “Maybe, just maybe, this is our day after all” were the collective thoughts running through Anfield. Momentum swung fast.

I’m not certain a well-worked goal would have merited the same impact and weight, given the insecurity complex around Benitez’s side. Something unexpected, something fortuitous needed to occur to signal the jinx’s end. They got their bit of luck and flashbacks to the past – Mascherano’s red card, O’Shea’s late-goal-thievery – seemed to disappear. Liverpool was free.

For the rest of the match, Liverpool closed-down, outhustled, and outplayed our beloved Red Devils. We cannot feel hard done by the result, and in the end, we understand newly that you can indeed score too early in a match, especially if its one up on Merseyside.

Ah, Mistah Jinx, he dead.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Sidebar: England! England! England!


Okay, I am well aware that this is a United site but who, if not I, can break the unwritten rules? I just have to translate a bit of my excitement over the 4-1 England rollicking of Croatia today. Theo Walcott was absolutely brilliant. He started off the match looking like a puppy that hadn't quite found it's legs but, boy, did he deliver when it counted. His first goal was built from Rio Ferdinand playing far into Croatia's half, feeding it to Rooney, who then feed it into the box. A lucky deflection off of a Croatian defender sent the ball to Walcott's feet and he looked all poise and maturity as he measured his chance and took it. Absolutely beautiful. Rooney was also involved in Walcott's second and third goals (some superb passing today, Wayne) and rightly so as Walcott's performance called to mind Rooney's astonishing feats in Euro 2004. Wayne himself finally silenced the doubters with a fantastic goal of his own today. He looked very comfortable roaming the field and creating chances while Heskey stayed central. I'm hoping this is the role we will see him take more with United as Berbatov is introduced. Rooney is a play maker, to be sure. Fellow Red Devils Ferdinand and Brown where also (insert superlative, I seem to have exhausted them) for England today. A fantastic game from all (that is, except you, John Terry), well done!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

Let’s go way, way back, to the beginning of the transfer window and come full circle again, shall we. Would you have guessed it? Could you have guessed it? Not in a million years. It's something that could have come from a Greatful Dead-inspired haze.

Two plus months of constant Ronaldo speculation. Spurs reporting United to the FA. Rooney getting the bubonic plague, oh sorry, a “virus” in Africa. The new ‘Middle’ Eastland owners bidding £34m for Berba at the 11th hour, but getting Robinho for a cool £32.5m instead. And, to add even more drama and intrigue before the commercial break, God knows we haven’t had enough already, the official word about the Berbatov didn’t come until at least 30+ minutes past the bewitching hour.

Ah, but in the end, Fergie kept his prised player and lured a world-class striker to United with patience and steely resolution. It’s a non-move, an addition, and one incredibly successful summer.

What a long, strange trip it’s been.