What a flat end to the season it now looks like we have in store. I thought we'd see whether the last couple of games were just a sign of legginess after the internationals or a sign that our squad had run out of steam. Well we got out answer last night, nobody really rose to the occasion, Jones excepted, but at centre half he wasn't able to get us going further up the field.
The grumbles at the ground were that we were second best and that our midfield had been shown up again. I didn't think they were that much better, if they were better at all. The winner, a great goal admittedly, came out of nowhere, they had looked as unlikely to poach a winner as us, i thought. Both teams may have been looking for a second goal as the game wore on, but neither really looked like getting one until Aguerro's run and strike.
Tactically the game followed the normal pattern of recent seasons, we let them outnumber us in midfield and tried to hurt them out wide and on the break. The problem for me, yet again, is that we haven't the wide men in form to make this work. Welbeck did alright, but he's not a natural wide man, and he's not going to beat his man and get to the by line. Which puts the onus on the other flank, and if there's one thing Young doesn't do, it's take his man on and get to the byline. In fact his first instinct all over the pitch, seems to be, to go back, before he goes forward.
I thought Van Persie had another lacklustre game, but, i suppose, to be fair to him, he didn't get much service. Rooney tried hard, but was unable to influence the game as much as he would have liked. Carrick was decent, but Giggs picked a bad night to have his worst game for ages. The problem there though, was who could you bring on in his place, who would have made a difference. Cleverley's form seems to have hit a brick wall, and you can forget Anderson, it seems Fergie definitely has, at last. The same could be said, for the flanks, he eventually brought Valencia on, who proceeded to remind us what a terrible lack of confidence he currently has in his own game.
Once again as in recent weeks, i didn't really understand the substitutions, the players to come off had to be first Young and then maybe Giggs. But he took Welbeck off, who at least had been trying to take the fight to them, to bring Valencia on. Young only went off after taking a knock in the last minute.
Both of their goals were on the soft side defensively, from our point of view , Giggs back heel summed his night up, and Aguerro was allowed to run with the ball before his brilliant finish.
One of the myths about United under Ferguson is that we always come strong during the second half of the season. There have been plenty of occasions where we have either fallen badly away, or limped over the line. What we do usually do, is put a good run together, a couple of months either side of Christmas, and it's that, that will have been the key to our twentieth title success when we lift the trophy in May.
As far as the rest of the season goes, I don't give a shit about points records, I'd like to see Nick Powell get a few run outs and if there are any other youngsters the coaching staff think have a chance, give them a try out over the last month or so.
The grumbles at the ground were that we were second best and that our midfield had been shown up again. I didn't think they were that much better, if they were better at all. The winner, a great goal admittedly, came out of nowhere, they had looked as unlikely to poach a winner as us, i thought. Both teams may have been looking for a second goal as the game wore on, but neither really looked like getting one until Aguerro's run and strike.
Tactically the game followed the normal pattern of recent seasons, we let them outnumber us in midfield and tried to hurt them out wide and on the break. The problem for me, yet again, is that we haven't the wide men in form to make this work. Welbeck did alright, but he's not a natural wide man, and he's not going to beat his man and get to the by line. Which puts the onus on the other flank, and if there's one thing Young doesn't do, it's take his man on and get to the byline. In fact his first instinct all over the pitch, seems to be, to go back, before he goes forward.
I thought Van Persie had another lacklustre game, but, i suppose, to be fair to him, he didn't get much service. Rooney tried hard, but was unable to influence the game as much as he would have liked. Carrick was decent, but Giggs picked a bad night to have his worst game for ages. The problem there though, was who could you bring on in his place, who would have made a difference. Cleverley's form seems to have hit a brick wall, and you can forget Anderson, it seems Fergie definitely has, at last. The same could be said, for the flanks, he eventually brought Valencia on, who proceeded to remind us what a terrible lack of confidence he currently has in his own game.
Once again as in recent weeks, i didn't really understand the substitutions, the players to come off had to be first Young and then maybe Giggs. But he took Welbeck off, who at least had been trying to take the fight to them, to bring Valencia on. Young only went off after taking a knock in the last minute.
Both of their goals were on the soft side defensively, from our point of view , Giggs back heel summed his night up, and Aguerro was allowed to run with the ball before his brilliant finish.
One of the myths about United under Ferguson is that we always come strong during the second half of the season. There have been plenty of occasions where we have either fallen badly away, or limped over the line. What we do usually do, is put a good run together, a couple of months either side of Christmas, and it's that, that will have been the key to our twentieth title success when we lift the trophy in May.
As far as the rest of the season goes, I don't give a shit about points records, I'd like to see Nick Powell get a few run outs and if there are any other youngsters the coaching staff think have a chance, give them a try out over the last month or so.
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