Word of the Day: Tight

Amongst the numerous definitions of "tight" on Dictionary.com, such as “closely constrained or constricted”; “affording little or no extra room; fittingly closely, especially too closely”, the obvious-choice today is “closely contested; a tight match” as in United 0 - Villa 0.

Maybe I could have chosen “wasteful” as the word, but “tight” best describes both the game and the United supporters’ tension yearning for a goal that wouldn’t come.

I don’t know why, but for some reason, the game’s flow caught me off-guard. Somewhere in my brain I suspected Villa might open up and attack United with full force, especially after last weekend’s comprehensive victory over Arsenal. There were hidden expectations for breathtaking back-and-forth action in the football compartment of my mind.

But in retrospect, Martin O’Neill’s disciplined, counter-attacking football shouldn’t surprise us, given the flashbacks from Nam he must relive when conjuring up tactics for United, especially after a 14-match loosing stretch. Give full credit to Villa for keeping shape and fully earning their point today.

Looking back now, there are two primary observations about this match for United moving forward.

First, United sorely miss Berbatov, as Rooney and Tevez lacked form and understanding today. Both players need to check their natural tendencies to always retreat for the ball and ensure that somebody pushes forward. Today, their temptation to come back too far, too often was exacerbated by inconsistent ball-winning and creativity from central midfield. United didn’t have a consistent presence pressing Villa’s center-halves today, which made defending everything else much easier.

Second, the Ferdinand-and-Vidic-wall returned from exodus this week. Hallelujah, brother! Both were brilliant - they didn’t have a single, solitary misstep the entire match against the speedy Young and Agbonlahor. It’s an absolute delight watching them make a demanding position look relatively easy. Hopefully, this trend continues.

Looking to next weekend now, let’s hope United saved the word “champions” for City, where Rooney takes his golden chance late and the away supporters get to sing “That’s why we’re champions!”

Ah, what a lovely vision indeed, and besides, no blue moons are forecast anyway. Here's to beating the Middle Eastlanders. Cheers!