I've a mass of contradictory feelings about Saturday's second defeat of the season. Firstly it was no real surprise, we have been getting out of jail continually since the Everton defeat, if there's a surprise, it's that this didn't happen last week. Secondly with our defensive problems and the time it seems to be taking our new lads to gel, i'll be happy if we can get through the next for or five games without another defeat. And lastly, despite us coming out of the game with no points, i fucking loved loved that game, the first half was of course appalling, but that second half was what United should be all about. We deserved the draw, the chances created by us compared to them show you that, though you could argue the ineptitude of the first half at the back meant we were lucky to only lose by one goal.
All post match comment focused on our midfield that supposedly got blown away. I'll admit that they went straight through the middle of us for the second goal, but when he was in his twenties people would go past Scholes like that. And it was the same central midfield personnel that went on to absolutely boss the second half with the little master giving an absolute mastclass. Once we changed shape and brought Rooney on for Giggs, the game completely changed.
The main problem for me, again, is the defence, the way Bale just waltzed by Ferdinand for the second goal just epiomised why we should probably looking for a new centre half next summer. Gary Neville wrote a column a bit ago where he told us that Fergie trusts his centre halves to cope one on one. That really can't happen any more, Ferdinand has really been finished as a world class centre half for a couple of seasons and after last weeks news, you have to fear the worst for Vidic's ability to return to the form that made Real Madrid want to take him there. I have said it before the injuries to Smalling and Jones could not have come at a worse time, this is when they should have been gaining the experience to take over from our mainstay central defensive partnership of the past six years.
The other gripe from Saturday has to be our formation, we haven't really looked cohesive or like we were happy in it all season. Kagawa doesn't seem to be fitting into our shape or style of play when in the hole and he seems to have formed absolutely no understanding with Van Persie, despite the second goal. It was the right decision to take Giggs off in the second half, and to put Kagawa on the left. Time seem to have caught up with Giggs this season, he just didn't have the legs to go past anybody or to even get in the game. Rooney made a difference as soon as he came on and i'm sure i'm not alone in being baffled as to why he started on the bench after his encouraging return to the fold in midweek.
Nani had a bit of a return to form in the second half and rafael behind him had his second good game in a week, he kept his concentration at the back as well as keeping going forward to good effect right to the end. In fact we had a spell in the second half where our attacking play was as good as anything we have seen over the last few years. I have read reports praising Spurs and their ability to keep us out after we we got back to 3-2, but in reality we opened them up time after time, and should have had a at least one penalty. Saying that, the luck we've had against Tottenham over the years, they were probably due a bit of luck against us.
Looking back at the first half you can see complacency in both the players selected and in the selection itself. I'm not exactly looking forward to Newcastle away next week, we'll have to find a better way to protect our wobbly defence whilst not stifling the kind of attacking performance we saw in the second half. As to Cluj, i really haven't a clue as to the team, tactics or what kind of oppostion we'll be facing in Romania. Three points would be very welcome though.
There was talk about Rio returning to the England fold after Terry's international retirement, that led to Fergie declaring that he thought it would be unlikely. As Hansen said in the telegraph this morning after Saturday's debacle, there's surely no way that Hodgson would go back to him however average the competition. It's a bit like watching the Lauren Blanc that we saw at end of his career at United, he just hasn't got the legs anymore.
I'm not sure Fergie really believes this is the case at the moment, whilst it seems a bit weird to admit Vidic didn't look fully fit. Andrew Cole thinks the FA were right to ban John Terry, why only four games would seem to be the only thing worth saying there.
All post match comment focused on our midfield that supposedly got blown away. I'll admit that they went straight through the middle of us for the second goal, but when he was in his twenties people would go past Scholes like that. And it was the same central midfield personnel that went on to absolutely boss the second half with the little master giving an absolute mastclass. Once we changed shape and brought Rooney on for Giggs, the game completely changed.
The main problem for me, again, is the defence, the way Bale just waltzed by Ferdinand for the second goal just epiomised why we should probably looking for a new centre half next summer. Gary Neville wrote a column a bit ago where he told us that Fergie trusts his centre halves to cope one on one. That really can't happen any more, Ferdinand has really been finished as a world class centre half for a couple of seasons and after last weeks news, you have to fear the worst for Vidic's ability to return to the form that made Real Madrid want to take him there. I have said it before the injuries to Smalling and Jones could not have come at a worse time, this is when they should have been gaining the experience to take over from our mainstay central defensive partnership of the past six years.
The other gripe from Saturday has to be our formation, we haven't really looked cohesive or like we were happy in it all season. Kagawa doesn't seem to be fitting into our shape or style of play when in the hole and he seems to have formed absolutely no understanding with Van Persie, despite the second goal. It was the right decision to take Giggs off in the second half, and to put Kagawa on the left. Time seem to have caught up with Giggs this season, he just didn't have the legs to go past anybody or to even get in the game. Rooney made a difference as soon as he came on and i'm sure i'm not alone in being baffled as to why he started on the bench after his encouraging return to the fold in midweek.
Nani had a bit of a return to form in the second half and rafael behind him had his second good game in a week, he kept his concentration at the back as well as keeping going forward to good effect right to the end. In fact we had a spell in the second half where our attacking play was as good as anything we have seen over the last few years. I have read reports praising Spurs and their ability to keep us out after we we got back to 3-2, but in reality we opened them up time after time, and should have had a at least one penalty. Saying that, the luck we've had against Tottenham over the years, they were probably due a bit of luck against us.
Looking back at the first half you can see complacency in both the players selected and in the selection itself. I'm not exactly looking forward to Newcastle away next week, we'll have to find a better way to protect our wobbly defence whilst not stifling the kind of attacking performance we saw in the second half. As to Cluj, i really haven't a clue as to the team, tactics or what kind of oppostion we'll be facing in Romania. Three points would be very welcome though.
There was talk about Rio returning to the England fold after Terry's international retirement, that led to Fergie declaring that he thought it would be unlikely. As Hansen said in the telegraph this morning after Saturday's debacle, there's surely no way that Hodgson would go back to him however average the competition. It's a bit like watching the Lauren Blanc that we saw at end of his career at United, he just hasn't got the legs anymore.
I'm not sure Fergie really believes this is the case at the moment, whilst it seems a bit weird to admit Vidic didn't look fully fit. Andrew Cole thinks the FA were right to ban John Terry, why only four games would seem to be the only thing worth saying there.
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