Manchester United 0-1 Portsmouth

Well that's the FA cup gone for another year, as i thought we saw more evidence of United's stuttering form. Although United created enough chances to have been the team to go through, the performance itself wasn't very convincing. For the third team in recent weeks when United were confronted by a big, physically strong and fast side they struggled to play their normal game. I will give credit to Portsmouth, they defended well and rode their luck at times, though they didn't really give us much trouble until the penalty. The referee didn't have a great time and when they decided to test Ronaldo's mettle in the first 10 minutes he let them get away with it. And the challenge on Ronaldo was a clear penalty which he ducked out of giving. I still think that Ronaldo should have crossed that earlier to the unmarked Scholes in the middle, it would have been a great chance and one the ginger prince doesn't usually miss. Having said all that, the post match criticism of the ref by Ferguson and Queiroz was totally over the top and Wenger like. At the end of the day we lost because we didn't play well enough and didn't take the chances that we created when we did get it together.
I don't know why Saha wasn't on the bench but we were crying out for a proper target man yesterday. If he was injured in the warm up as i have heard rumoured, then that really must be the last straw as far as his United career is concerned. Too many times in the first half Rooney and Tevez were both caught dropping deep leaving no one up front. The last thing you need against a team with a game plan to stick everybody behind the ball when they haven't got it, is to have nobody in the box. We were guilty of having just one and two men in the box, with nobody from midfield making late runs or indeed any runs at all into the box. Added to that Nani seemed to revert to his earlier indifferent form as he came up against a full back in Johnson seemingly his equal. And on the occasions he did get into position to put a decent ball into the box his touch seemed to desert him. Our best attacker at times yesterday was Evra, and i suppose it sums up the day that when he did get in a position to put the ball on a plate for what seemed must be a goal in the second half he managed to put it behind Tevez, and another chance bit the dust. Rooney and Tevez conspired to mess up the best chance of the first half as they found themselves in a two on one situation which saw Tevez release Rooney through on goal with a pass slightly to the side of him. It wasn't the best pass, but i still think Rooney made an absolute meal of it as yet again he tried to make absolutely sure and take the ball around the goalie allowing Campbell to get back and make an interception taking the ball form his feet. Even then the loose ball fell to the feet of Tevez who hit a powerful shot that was then headed of the line. I am afraid Rooney's finishing seems to gone to pot at the moment, he is struggling and if i was him i would either go back to chipping the goalie which is what he used to always try or just put his foot through it and blast it. Unfortunately it's becoming obvious he is not a natural finisher which isn't the best trait for someone who Fergie and Queiroz want to play as a lone front man.
I wouldn't say United played that much better football in the second half, more it was a case of upping the tempo and playing with more urgency to avoid an unwanted replay. The interval saw Kuszczak replacing Van Der Sar who had a groin problem apparently, not the best news for us as i am not a big fan of the Polish goalie. Not that he had much to do until the penalty incident. Central midfield is worrying me at the moment, the press and most of us fans have been foaming at the mouth at the different midfield permutations that Fergie can put out each week and has been doing. But is all this tinkering helping us to sustain our form, i am beginning to think not. Forwards need to know that the runs they make are going to be seen and the passes are made to them. Midfield players need to play more regularly than they are at present to either find their form or if they are in good form to keep it. I don't see a problem with changing one midfield place game after game, but i don't see selecting a completely different midfield game after game helping United to sustain their momentum going into the business end of the season. And the other problem yesterday was the pairing of Scholes and Hargreaves, it doesn't seem to work. Opinion is split on Scholes at the moment, my opinion is although he has not hit the heights of the form that he was showing pre injury, he isn't playing that badly. Others think his lack of pace and strength is finally showing as he advances in years, but to me that wouldn't explain why he was playing almost as well as at any other time of his career before the injury. Unless that blurred vision has returned, i still think he has got it. I have said that Hargreaves worries me in my last few blogs, and again yesterday to my mind, when Portsmouth did break sporadically when Baros came on, he didn't look as commanding in that defensive midfield position as i think we should be expecting. And if you are not getting that from him, i am afraid to say he shouldn't be getting in the team, in midfield anyway.
Which brings me to another point, the best teams attack down both flanks with two wide men and both full backs. We all know that Wes can't do that, he is a centre half filling in, doing a decent steady job. But when United really need to exert pressure why doesn't Hargreaves either get brought on at right back or start there. We know he can play there and with his indifferent form in the centre of the park, maybe playing there will help him find it. He has got the speed and the engine and you would like to think a central midfield player would be able to delver better crosses than a centre half. It would certainly give defending teams more problems to deal with, stretching their defence which is the name of the game when breaking packed defences down.
Bad luck, poor finishing and strong defending all went against United in the second half. Ronaldo hit a shot agonisingly wide after a goalmouth scramble, he hit a poor shot after the best United move of the match and saw a difficult header go over the bar. Evra was very unlucky to see James make a tremendous save pushing his shot against the post with the rebound just evading Rooney. Then the moment when you suddenly realised it was probably going to be one of those days as Ronaldo put Carrick through clear on goal, he then proceeded to do the hard bit as he dragged it past James only to see the ball get stuck between his feet in the six yard mud allowing Distin to get back and scramble of the line. Shortly after this United got badly caught on the break ( yet again recently ) as a David James throw engineered a two on two situation in United's half that ended with Kuszczak bringing down Baros. Kuszczak was unlucky, Baros hit his head rather than the Pole tripping him up, but it was a goalscoring opportunity so the referee can say he was acting under instructions in giving him a red card. Ferdinand went in goals, although for a moment it seemed Rooney was going to go in goals. That would have been bizarre, why would you put one of your best forwards in goal when your probably about to go one goal down, thankfully good sense prevailed. Ferdinand was unable to save it, and that was it really, United huffed and puffed but couldn't blow the Pompey goal down.

David James writes about yesterday in the Observer
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/03/09/dodgy_boots_dodgy_kick_but_wha.html

Johnny Evans is doing well at Sunderland and enjoying himself
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/fast-learner-evans-eyes-up-a-bright-future-at-sunderland-793415.html

Henry Porter on a new bill of rights
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/09/constitution
He talks my language, but i am not too sure enough people give a shit to stop our politicians getting away with all this, unfortunately.