I'm on record as saying if high scoring games and attacking football was going to be the result of signing Van Persie and Kagawa but no defensive midfield player in the summer, then I could live with it. But Saturday was stretching it for me, it may have been exciting and there may have been the odd moment of good football, but in the main it was just schoolboy stuff at both ends. I hope we have got that out of our system before we go the council house.
I wasn't over enamoured when the teamS were given out, though that seems to be par for the course at the moment. United didn't start as slowly as we have at times over the course of the season, yet we still conspired to go behind to the first goal of the game. All three goals we gave away were soft, we looked all at sea from crosses and corners for the entirety of the first half. But I thought Rafael was harshly dealt with, when subbed after just half an hour, he was by no means the worst defender at the back and i was glad to see him react in the way he did. I've lauded Evans improved performances of late, yet he had one hell of a mixed game on Saturday. In general play i thought he did reasonably well, but as with the whole of the side when any corner came in during the first half he as all at sea. Ferdinand wasn't much better and Evra had one of those games, a liability at the back but i suppose he was excellent going forward, combining pretty well with Young, who gave a half decent performance for once.
It was hard to judge us going forward, there was some great movement, but in their desire to go forward, they left themselves wide open at times at the back. I thought it was vital that we responded quickly to them taking the lead, so i was relived when the equaliser came, and what a great finish it was from Anderson. As usual with the Brazilian, if he was good going forward, and he was, he didn't bust a gut to get back, which the formation requires. Jones wasn't as creative when he replaced him just before half time, but he got back to make us more solid. Anderson looked gutted when he went off, and whilst it was sad for him, at least it means Fergie can't be tempted to play him in the derby. I don't think he would have started, but you never know, especially this season.
The rest of the first half was unreal, when they gifted us the penalty, i thought normal service had been resumed. Only for us to completely fall apart at the back and go behind again, with the type of defending that won't be winning any titles. To United's credit, they managed to turn it around with tow classy goals. I suppose one of the big pluses of the day was Rooney's return to goalscoring form. I think the formation that the we played on Saturday is the way forward for the time being, i certainly hope we start that way again against City.
United became more solid and we should probably have gone on to get another, Van Persie, was denied a goal before half time that was shown to be over the line and should have scored after dispossessing the keeper only to miss the target. I thought Jones did reasonably well in the second half. It was a pity he ended the game limping again, I hope he isn't going to turn out to be injury prone as well. Smalling didn't do anything wrong at right back after coming on. But I hope United are going to stick with Rafael, he has done enough to have made that right back position his own for the rest of the season.
It's bizarre how us and City seem to be pulling away from the pack when neither us are pulling up any tree's, form wise. I don't want us to go there playing for the point, as we did at the tail end of last season, but the way we're playing, I can't say I'd be unhappy coming away with a point.
I wasn't over enamoured when the teamS were given out, though that seems to be par for the course at the moment. United didn't start as slowly as we have at times over the course of the season, yet we still conspired to go behind to the first goal of the game. All three goals we gave away were soft, we looked all at sea from crosses and corners for the entirety of the first half. But I thought Rafael was harshly dealt with, when subbed after just half an hour, he was by no means the worst defender at the back and i was glad to see him react in the way he did. I've lauded Evans improved performances of late, yet he had one hell of a mixed game on Saturday. In general play i thought he did reasonably well, but as with the whole of the side when any corner came in during the first half he as all at sea. Ferdinand wasn't much better and Evra had one of those games, a liability at the back but i suppose he was excellent going forward, combining pretty well with Young, who gave a half decent performance for once.
It was hard to judge us going forward, there was some great movement, but in their desire to go forward, they left themselves wide open at times at the back. I thought it was vital that we responded quickly to them taking the lead, so i was relived when the equaliser came, and what a great finish it was from Anderson. As usual with the Brazilian, if he was good going forward, and he was, he didn't bust a gut to get back, which the formation requires. Jones wasn't as creative when he replaced him just before half time, but he got back to make us more solid. Anderson looked gutted when he went off, and whilst it was sad for him, at least it means Fergie can't be tempted to play him in the derby. I don't think he would have started, but you never know, especially this season.
The rest of the first half was unreal, when they gifted us the penalty, i thought normal service had been resumed. Only for us to completely fall apart at the back and go behind again, with the type of defending that won't be winning any titles. To United's credit, they managed to turn it around with tow classy goals. I suppose one of the big pluses of the day was Rooney's return to goalscoring form. I think the formation that the we played on Saturday is the way forward for the time being, i certainly hope we start that way again against City.
United became more solid and we should probably have gone on to get another, Van Persie, was denied a goal before half time that was shown to be over the line and should have scored after dispossessing the keeper only to miss the target. I thought Jones did reasonably well in the second half. It was a pity he ended the game limping again, I hope he isn't going to turn out to be injury prone as well. Smalling didn't do anything wrong at right back after coming on. But I hope United are going to stick with Rafael, he has done enough to have made that right back position his own for the rest of the season.
It's bizarre how us and City seem to be pulling away from the pack when neither us are pulling up any tree's, form wise. I don't want us to go there playing for the point, as we did at the tail end of last season, but the way we're playing, I can't say I'd be unhappy coming away with a point.
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