New manager, same old United performance at Anfield, and another bad day. When was the last time we actually put in a solid display there, even when we took the three points last season, we didn't perform at all. It was too soon to expect Moyes to alter our aproach to this fixture three games into his first season, but it's surely obvious that new thinking is needed the next time we go there.
I'll admit I don't have a clue what that approach would be, but just going there with a 4-4-2 set up, getting out fought all over the pitch and hoping that they tire themselves out, allowing us to play our game, hasn't been entirely successful. Six defeats in the last seven trips there, is not the kind of record we're used to, and given the relative success of the the two clubs during that time, not really good enough.
I'm not a spoilt bastard, I know we will lose there from time to time, but to be second best all over the pitch, almost every time we go there in recent years, isn't acceptable. They don't play better football than us at Anfield and didn't again yesterday, but their players seem to win the battles that matter.
We were poor from defence to attack yesterday, I don't think there was one player who could hold his hand up and say he played to his potential.
Once again our central midfield will get the lions share of the blame, and i'm not pretending they had great games, Carrick wasn't really at his best and I'm afraid Cleverley just doesn't stamp his authority on these games at all. But yet again what did we have coming from out wide. Young was picked ahead of the out of form Valencia, and just proved that neither of them at present pose much of a threat to opposing defence's. Giggs was included, after Rooney's training ground mishap, but played on the right, cutting in to try and aid the midfield. I wasn't thrilled to see Kagawa not even included on the subs bench, but presumed he was really match fit. To hear Moyes confirm afterwards, that he was at about the same level of fitness as Nani, was not music to my ears.
It would seem that Moyes and his coaching staff, do indeed have a problem with Kagawa, he should have started instead of Giggs, even if he couldn't have done the ninety minutes. I presume they thought he wouldn't cope with the pace and power of this particular fixture, if they don't start picking him in them, he never will.
Apart from the early goal, which was a comedy of errors, defensively we coped reasonably well, but looked very shaky on the ball when put under pressure. Gary Neville said at one point that we were too slow at bringing the ball out of defence,and that was bang on the money. You wonder whether the lack of mobility of Ferdinand at any rate was a factor in that. This didn't help our central midfield two as by the time they got the ball, the opposition were ready and set and we never really moved the ball around fast enough to create the space to get in behind them.
I suppose Hernandez should be given a little credit as when he came on, we looked a little more alive and his through ball for Van Persie created our best chance of the match. You really knew it was going to be one of those days when the Dutchman didn't even test the goalie with his shot.
Moyes said after the game that we had missed Rooney, I'm sorry I don't buy that. He has been involved in most of our lacklustre performances there over the last few seasons, I'm not sure exactly what he would have changed. The comment smelt of politics, is he going to be stroking Rooney's ego all season.
This defeat has put pressure on us to get some kind of result at City, no easy task obviously. They haven't really started the season any better than us, performance wise, but will know they could put a bit of daylight between themselves and us if they take the three points on derby day. That's going to be some occasion.
I'll admit I don't have a clue what that approach would be, but just going there with a 4-4-2 set up, getting out fought all over the pitch and hoping that they tire themselves out, allowing us to play our game, hasn't been entirely successful. Six defeats in the last seven trips there, is not the kind of record we're used to, and given the relative success of the the two clubs during that time, not really good enough.
I'm not a spoilt bastard, I know we will lose there from time to time, but to be second best all over the pitch, almost every time we go there in recent years, isn't acceptable. They don't play better football than us at Anfield and didn't again yesterday, but their players seem to win the battles that matter.
We were poor from defence to attack yesterday, I don't think there was one player who could hold his hand up and say he played to his potential.
Once again our central midfield will get the lions share of the blame, and i'm not pretending they had great games, Carrick wasn't really at his best and I'm afraid Cleverley just doesn't stamp his authority on these games at all. But yet again what did we have coming from out wide. Young was picked ahead of the out of form Valencia, and just proved that neither of them at present pose much of a threat to opposing defence's. Giggs was included, after Rooney's training ground mishap, but played on the right, cutting in to try and aid the midfield. I wasn't thrilled to see Kagawa not even included on the subs bench, but presumed he was really match fit. To hear Moyes confirm afterwards, that he was at about the same level of fitness as Nani, was not music to my ears.
It would seem that Moyes and his coaching staff, do indeed have a problem with Kagawa, he should have started instead of Giggs, even if he couldn't have done the ninety minutes. I presume they thought he wouldn't cope with the pace and power of this particular fixture, if they don't start picking him in them, he never will.
Apart from the early goal, which was a comedy of errors, defensively we coped reasonably well, but looked very shaky on the ball when put under pressure. Gary Neville said at one point that we were too slow at bringing the ball out of defence,and that was bang on the money. You wonder whether the lack of mobility of Ferdinand at any rate was a factor in that. This didn't help our central midfield two as by the time they got the ball, the opposition were ready and set and we never really moved the ball around fast enough to create the space to get in behind them.
I suppose Hernandez should be given a little credit as when he came on, we looked a little more alive and his through ball for Van Persie created our best chance of the match. You really knew it was going to be one of those days when the Dutchman didn't even test the goalie with his shot.
Moyes said after the game that we had missed Rooney, I'm sorry I don't buy that. He has been involved in most of our lacklustre performances there over the last few seasons, I'm not sure exactly what he would have changed. The comment smelt of politics, is he going to be stroking Rooney's ego all season.
This defeat has put pressure on us to get some kind of result at City, no easy task obviously. They haven't really started the season any better than us, performance wise, but will know they could put a bit of daylight between themselves and us if they take the three points on derby day. That's going to be some occasion.
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