United defended a 1-0 lead away at Everton for three HUGE points to right the Red Devil ship after the loss last week. No coincidence, then, that the man at the helm was none other than Nemanja Vidic.
United played a 4-5-1 with Cleverley, Fletcher, Park, Rooney, and Welbeck moving to the midfield and with Chicharito as the lone striker, who bagged his fourth of the season in the 19th minute. Backline included Jones, Evans and Evra partnering the number fifteen.
You felt that United, once up and after customarily going for the jugular for a 5-10 minute spell, would play compact, counter-attacking football to prove – almost to a fault – that they could staunchly hold this margin of victory in the second half.
Inevitably, at some point, Everton would open up in the quest for the equalizer, and indeed, a couple of breaks fell for the Reds. Yet, United proved wasteful with their limited chances, leaving Ferguson to take off the goal-scoring-but-possession-challenged Hernandez for the holding and heading ability of Berba in the 67th minute.
What’s striking about this game was the sheer concentration and communication among Ferguson’s men in the defensive half, in contrast to events of the past several months.
A late non-penalty call by Mark Halsey seemed spot-on upon further review as Magaye Gueye lost his footing in a 50-50 clash with Evra. Had Everton leveled at this point, much of the talk would be about United’s possible demise, and admittedly, my focus would be on lack of United possession in the second half.
Regardless, you can’t take anything away from the Man of the Match performance by Vidic. Rock solid. Clear communication. Never putting in a head or foot in wrong. The Red Devils look a different side with their true captain back in the fold.
Beyond the beloved captain, however, Cleverley demonstrated yet again that his tight one-touch passing improves United’s tempo and led to the ample space for Evra’s cross to Chicharito’s decisive goal.
Without the number twenty-three, or Rooney dropping back to a central role for that matter, United’s midfield seems too similar, with great wide players with some defensive frailties and too many utilitarian runners manning the center of the park.
Cleverley’s ample energy and rhythmic-and-intricate passing wrong foots defenders and improves the quality of United’s runs off the ball, given the mismatches it creates. Quite simply, he becomes the heartbeat in the center sorely missed the last few months.
Thus, his health yet again becomes a great concern, as let’s hope his substitution in the 57th minute proves to be more cautionary than signal another significant injury blow. The Reds can’t afford it at the moment.
Overall, surly, United can and will get better as the year progresses, but don’t be surprised to see more 4-5-1 formations in tricky fixtures, especially away.
After last week’s effort left the Reds clamoring for someone to take charge of the play on the pitch, the man from Serbia heeded the call.
Well done, Nemanja. You’re THE Captain United ever so richly deserve.
------
Back at you after the midweek Champions League tilt.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Gutted & Gobsmacked
Go ahead and repeat after me: “It’s only a game. It’s only a game. It’s only a game.”
Yeah, right. Doesn’t help, does it.
You can’t turn your allegiance on and off like a switch once you’ve been bitten, even in the heart of North America.
Sure, you avoid the constant replay of City goals. Sure, you avoid all the newspaper headlines and water cooler talk lingering into the week, with the local Vikings-Packers rivalry surly to dominate sports discussions on Monday.
But, you can’t escape the worst, I repeat, worst home loss in eighty-plus years. You can’t escape the poor will shown by the Red Devils in this match. You can’t escape that all this happened with the friggin’ money grabbers – um, err – Glazers in attendance to underline a nagging problem – hope the Bears maul the Bucs.
United’s annual debt payments were on full display today, as the missing, world-class midfielders – one creative, one iron fox – cost oodles of dosh. This United club cannot afford to take a £35M roll of the dice, plus hugely inflated wages, on anyone over 25 years of age, unlike City.
It’s also what’s missing at the moment.
We all know Ferguson’s been brilliant at deflecting the real cost of the American’s ownership, until today, where it laid bare naked on the Old Trafford turf.
Ah, but I digress – back to the match at hand.
There’s absolutely zero shame losing to this City squad, which arguably is deeper and stronger than the Red Devils at this moment. The manner of the loss, on the other hand, is something else entirely.
Never-ever give up, should be the motto of any player donning the beloved Red shirt. Unfortunately today, several players did just that.
Patrice Evra showed no ability to rally the squad let alone defend his own flank, no thanks to Rio, a former captain as well, who played his worst game ever for United and justified the Chicago Fire transfer rumor.
We’ve learned in crystal clear, high-def if you can defend wide play, you can bottle this Sir Alex Ferguson side. No central can opener exists.
It’s so difficult to admit, but Mancini, not Fergie, got his tactics spot-on today, relying on Ya-Ya Toure on the right wing – sometimes – and trusting Agüero, Balotelli, and Silva to weave magic menace.
City possessed the edge, not the Reds, attacking effectively with as few as four players.
There’s no doubting now that Red’s defense hath become a weakness, with a revolving door not helping this unit develop anything close to cohesiveness. Add Jonny Evan’s 3-match ban only serving to make the short term even worse.
You could argue that the backline players are too young or too injured. The alchemy is wrong at the moment, as conceding the most shots in the Premier League pointed to real difficulty, not an over-inflated statistic by hopeful shots from distance.
We can take solace from knowing there’s nobody on the planet better at rallying his side than Ferguson.
But this match was in October, at home, and some players actually quit – a historically horrible result, in fact. Something else entirely is troubling my soul now.
Who in this squad will lead things from within the player-ranks?
Only Rooney and Fletcher seemed incensed at the effort and ballooning score. I almost expect someone else to get sent off wearing red, by taking serious aggression to the blues trying to inspire matters. None of that occurred. No capital-H “Hard” tackles. No spit and fury, but simply a look of embarrassed, empty faces.
C’mon lads, Robbo, Keane or Neville are not going to walk-in this locker room anytime soon. You need to figure it out yourselves.
You sense Rooney could be become that player, but you also feel it’s not exactly his time yet, with his flirtations away from Old Trafford lingering with players that lived through that soap opera.
For now, the squad can turn to Sir Alex’s leadership, which was on display immediately after the match.
After admitting it was his “worst ever” loss, he focused the attention elsewhere.
"We'll come back. By January we'll be okay. We usually get the show on the road in the second half of the season and that will have to be the case. We've played all the teams around us and they have all to play each other so the second half of the season is important to us now.
We will react, no question about that. It's a perfect result for us to react to because there is a lot of embarrassment in the dressing room and that will make an impact."
Hope so. Otherwise it could become a long season.
---
Back at you after the Everton match. Cheers.
Yeah, right. Doesn’t help, does it.
You can’t turn your allegiance on and off like a switch once you’ve been bitten, even in the heart of North America.
Sure, you avoid the constant replay of City goals. Sure, you avoid all the newspaper headlines and water cooler talk lingering into the week, with the local Vikings-Packers rivalry surly to dominate sports discussions on Monday.
But, you can’t escape the worst, I repeat, worst home loss in eighty-plus years. You can’t escape the poor will shown by the Red Devils in this match. You can’t escape that all this happened with the friggin’ money grabbers – um, err – Glazers in attendance to underline a nagging problem – hope the Bears maul the Bucs.
United’s annual debt payments were on full display today, as the missing, world-class midfielders – one creative, one iron fox – cost oodles of dosh. This United club cannot afford to take a £35M roll of the dice, plus hugely inflated wages, on anyone over 25 years of age, unlike City.
It’s also what’s missing at the moment.
We all know Ferguson’s been brilliant at deflecting the real cost of the American’s ownership, until today, where it laid bare naked on the Old Trafford turf.
Ah, but I digress – back to the match at hand.
There’s absolutely zero shame losing to this City squad, which arguably is deeper and stronger than the Red Devils at this moment. The manner of the loss, on the other hand, is something else entirely.
Never-ever give up, should be the motto of any player donning the beloved Red shirt. Unfortunately today, several players did just that.
Patrice Evra showed no ability to rally the squad let alone defend his own flank, no thanks to Rio, a former captain as well, who played his worst game ever for United and justified the Chicago Fire transfer rumor.
We’ve learned in crystal clear, high-def if you can defend wide play, you can bottle this Sir Alex Ferguson side. No central can opener exists.
It’s so difficult to admit, but Mancini, not Fergie, got his tactics spot-on today, relying on Ya-Ya Toure on the right wing – sometimes – and trusting Agüero, Balotelli, and Silva to weave magic menace.
City possessed the edge, not the Reds, attacking effectively with as few as four players.
There’s no doubting now that Red’s defense hath become a weakness, with a revolving door not helping this unit develop anything close to cohesiveness. Add Jonny Evan’s 3-match ban only serving to make the short term even worse.
You could argue that the backline players are too young or too injured. The alchemy is wrong at the moment, as conceding the most shots in the Premier League pointed to real difficulty, not an over-inflated statistic by hopeful shots from distance.
We can take solace from knowing there’s nobody on the planet better at rallying his side than Ferguson.
But this match was in October, at home, and some players actually quit – a historically horrible result, in fact. Something else entirely is troubling my soul now.
Who in this squad will lead things from within the player-ranks?
Only Rooney and Fletcher seemed incensed at the effort and ballooning score. I almost expect someone else to get sent off wearing red, by taking serious aggression to the blues trying to inspire matters. None of that occurred. No capital-H “Hard” tackles. No spit and fury, but simply a look of embarrassed, empty faces.
C’mon lads, Robbo, Keane or Neville are not going to walk-in this locker room anytime soon. You need to figure it out yourselves.
You sense Rooney could be become that player, but you also feel it’s not exactly his time yet, with his flirtations away from Old Trafford lingering with players that lived through that soap opera.
For now, the squad can turn to Sir Alex’s leadership, which was on display immediately after the match.
After admitting it was his “worst ever” loss, he focused the attention elsewhere.
"We'll come back. By January we'll be okay. We usually get the show on the road in the second half of the season and that will have to be the case. We've played all the teams around us and they have all to play each other so the second half of the season is important to us now.
We will react, no question about that. It's a perfect result for us to react to because there is a lot of embarrassment in the dressing room and that will make an impact."
Hope so. Otherwise it could become a long season.
---
Back at you after the Everton match. Cheers.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Mind the Gap
Looking at the team sheet prior to kickoff, many United supporters at the pub grumbled about setting up for a point at Anfield.
Welbeck alone upfront?! Jones in a five-man midfield?! It’s surreal to see such quality sitting on the bench, surly. No Anderson, Chicharito, Nani or Rooney.
On one hand, you could argue, a point could be seen as a moral victory, given the Red Devils track record at Liverpool the last three years. Apparently Ferguson believed Rooney’s temperament warranted too much risk to start him.
On the other hand, it seemed overly cautious, or as one of the commentators mentioned that Kevin Keegan said Fergie’s starting eleven was an insult to Pool. Point taken.
Both sides of this argument, however, knew the match would be industrious and intense, yet likely lack any flow or flair.
Rarely does this contest finish nil-nil, but that appeared increasingly possible after a largely uneventful first half, as neither side created much.
You knew this derby could come down to a single mistake, but who could have guessed it’d come from Father Time, as Giggs’ lack of wall discipline allowed the space for Gerrard’s set-piece opener. Ironic that the Welshman moved away from the shot to protect his groin, a fact duly noted across the pub on slow-motion replay.
Now had Ryan held his position and stopped the free kick, would we arrive at exactly the same net-result, with the first nil-nil score line in this derby since the Seventies? Or, would United’s plan work to perfection with a 1-0 Chicharito smash-and-grab job?
We will never know.
As the United supporters departed the pub, most left grumbling about playing for the draw, which typically would provide more satisfaction away at Anfield, especially after going a goal down.
Ah, but every Red Devil knows that City will likely win at home today, as the Blues sit 2-0 up to Villa at home at the time of this posting.
Mind the gap, gentlemen. We’re in for a long ride indeed.
---------
Back at you later, after the Champions League match on Tuesday. Glory, glory.
Welbeck alone upfront?! Jones in a five-man midfield?! It’s surreal to see such quality sitting on the bench, surly. No Anderson, Chicharito, Nani or Rooney.
On one hand, you could argue, a point could be seen as a moral victory, given the Red Devils track record at Liverpool the last three years. Apparently Ferguson believed Rooney’s temperament warranted too much risk to start him.
On the other hand, it seemed overly cautious, or as one of the commentators mentioned that Kevin Keegan said Fergie’s starting eleven was an insult to Pool. Point taken.
Both sides of this argument, however, knew the match would be industrious and intense, yet likely lack any flow or flair.
Rarely does this contest finish nil-nil, but that appeared increasingly possible after a largely uneventful first half, as neither side created much.
You knew this derby could come down to a single mistake, but who could have guessed it’d come from Father Time, as Giggs’ lack of wall discipline allowed the space for Gerrard’s set-piece opener. Ironic that the Welshman moved away from the shot to protect his groin, a fact duly noted across the pub on slow-motion replay.
Now had Ryan held his position and stopped the free kick, would we arrive at exactly the same net-result, with the first nil-nil score line in this derby since the Seventies? Or, would United’s plan work to perfection with a 1-0 Chicharito smash-and-grab job?
We will never know.
As the United supporters departed the pub, most left grumbling about playing for the draw, which typically would provide more satisfaction away at Anfield, especially after going a goal down.
Ah, but every Red Devil knows that City will likely win at home today, as the Blues sit 2-0 up to Villa at home at the time of this posting.
Mind the gap, gentlemen. We’re in for a long ride indeed.
---------
Back at you later, after the Champions League match on Tuesday. Glory, glory.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Five Things Learned from the Victory over Norwich City
Well, how things have changed since my last post – the 3-1 surreal victory over Chelsea.
United draw with Stoke away, cough up a 2-0 lead to Basel at home for another draw, and appear sub-par, especially on the final ball and across the backline, in today’s victory over an unlucky Norwich City side.
Here are five things we’ve learned this past week.
First, we realize again that form is fleeting, as it comes and goes despite everyone’s best effort – much like the weather.
Sure, form requires dedication, preparation, and effort, all within your control, but it also relies on health and the opportunity to work together, as a unit, to gain that understanding and edge required at the highest level of football – all factors beyond anyone’s control. Form requires both hard work and good fortune.
Which leads to the second point: the revolving injury door hath finally shown some of United’s weaknesses, especially across the backline.
You can look at all the stats you want, whether it’s United conceding the most shots on goal in the Premiership or a decrease in passing accuracy. All of these point directly to the trend, no doubt about it.
But, alas, the sheer number of high-quality chances conceded this term pinpoint the naïveté and lack of cohesion across the backline, with costly turnovers and poor positional play becoming more and more self-evident. The remarkable goal tally hid this fact, early, but now we face it clearly in a tight 2-0 victory.
My third point turns this troublesome-but-understandable trend on it’s ear, as we’ve forgotten how much inexperience is currently playing for United, a real testament to the strong play of the young backline.
Take Phil Jones, for example, who started the year superbly, appearing as a self-assured and strong as any mid-career center half.
However, against Basel, he came back to earth, as he learnt several lessons from a side that attacked with more cunning and creative off-the-ball movement forward from the midfield than your typical EPL side. He looked, at times, befuddled by the movement around him and found himself out of position more than in previous matches. Continental footy requires different positioning, as the education of Mr. Jones continues.
Contrast that midweek adventure against Norwich today, where he learned lessons about positioning himself against high, long-balls to an incredibly strong, well-positioned striker. At times, Jones was brilliant, especially when cutting out crosses when covering for United being outnumbered. At times, he was second-best to Route One balls to exceptionally strong positional play. Despite his fifty-odd top tier matches, he’s still only nineteen years old and learning on the fly.
United’s best backline still includes the names Ferdinand and Vidic first and foremost on the team sheet, which is a testament to the youngsters promise that some of us may have forgotten this simple but undeniable fact.
Fourth, I assert, Sir Alex’s midfield misses Tom Cleverley’s touch in keeping the attack flowing forward. The youngster’s a knack for turning his mark and making short and simple passes that create space for others cannot be underestimated. I’d love to see Anderson’s personal stats with and without Cleverley, as the Brazilian appears at his best with young Tom as a partner cutting through oppositions. When you combine this space with the youngster’s energy, United look different moving forward. It’s great news that he’s not far off from returning from injury.
Last and most important, despite the dip in form, United get points out of all three of the matches this past week. Never ever underestimate this fact. The trademark mastery of getting points when not playing well serves the Red Devils well, as United remain top of the table despite everything thus far, which is more than anyone else can say at this precise moment.
Which leads us to look forward at the difficult fixtures facing United in the month ahead, including Liverpool (a), Otelul Galat (a), City (h), and Everton (a). Three matches away, including some extra Champions League travel prior to the Manchester derby.
Form and health must improve across the squad to remain top of the league and on-course in the Champions League, as we can’t wait for the match on the 15th at Anfield.
------
Back at you after the Pool match. Cheers to you.
United draw with Stoke away, cough up a 2-0 lead to Basel at home for another draw, and appear sub-par, especially on the final ball and across the backline, in today’s victory over an unlucky Norwich City side.
Here are five things we’ve learned this past week.
First, we realize again that form is fleeting, as it comes and goes despite everyone’s best effort – much like the weather.
Sure, form requires dedication, preparation, and effort, all within your control, but it also relies on health and the opportunity to work together, as a unit, to gain that understanding and edge required at the highest level of football – all factors beyond anyone’s control. Form requires both hard work and good fortune.
Which leads to the second point: the revolving injury door hath finally shown some of United’s weaknesses, especially across the backline.
You can look at all the stats you want, whether it’s United conceding the most shots on goal in the Premiership or a decrease in passing accuracy. All of these point directly to the trend, no doubt about it.
But, alas, the sheer number of high-quality chances conceded this term pinpoint the naïveté and lack of cohesion across the backline, with costly turnovers and poor positional play becoming more and more self-evident. The remarkable goal tally hid this fact, early, but now we face it clearly in a tight 2-0 victory.
My third point turns this troublesome-but-understandable trend on it’s ear, as we’ve forgotten how much inexperience is currently playing for United, a real testament to the strong play of the young backline.
Take Phil Jones, for example, who started the year superbly, appearing as a self-assured and strong as any mid-career center half.
However, against Basel, he came back to earth, as he learnt several lessons from a side that attacked with more cunning and creative off-the-ball movement forward from the midfield than your typical EPL side. He looked, at times, befuddled by the movement around him and found himself out of position more than in previous matches. Continental footy requires different positioning, as the education of Mr. Jones continues.
Contrast that midweek adventure against Norwich today, where he learned lessons about positioning himself against high, long-balls to an incredibly strong, well-positioned striker. At times, Jones was brilliant, especially when cutting out crosses when covering for United being outnumbered. At times, he was second-best to Route One balls to exceptionally strong positional play. Despite his fifty-odd top tier matches, he’s still only nineteen years old and learning on the fly.
United’s best backline still includes the names Ferdinand and Vidic first and foremost on the team sheet, which is a testament to the youngsters promise that some of us may have forgotten this simple but undeniable fact.
Fourth, I assert, Sir Alex’s midfield misses Tom Cleverley’s touch in keeping the attack flowing forward. The youngster’s a knack for turning his mark and making short and simple passes that create space for others cannot be underestimated. I’d love to see Anderson’s personal stats with and without Cleverley, as the Brazilian appears at his best with young Tom as a partner cutting through oppositions. When you combine this space with the youngster’s energy, United look different moving forward. It’s great news that he’s not far off from returning from injury.
Last and most important, despite the dip in form, United get points out of all three of the matches this past week. Never ever underestimate this fact. The trademark mastery of getting points when not playing well serves the Red Devils well, as United remain top of the table despite everything thus far, which is more than anyone else can say at this precise moment.
Which leads us to look forward at the difficult fixtures facing United in the month ahead, including Liverpool (a), Otelul Galat (a), City (h), and Everton (a). Three matches away, including some extra Champions League travel prior to the Manchester derby.
Form and health must improve across the squad to remain top of the league and on-course in the Champions League, as we can’t wait for the match on the 15th at Anfield.
------
Back at you after the Pool match. Cheers to you.
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