A win, three points, a decent performance, but I don't think I'll be getting too carried away with things. Of course the result should mean that that if we don't completely fall apart during those last three games of the group, we'll be in the pot for the last sixteen. Given our league position and form, I think Moyes really needs that sorting out as quickly as possible.
I expected far more from our Spanish opponents, they really were pretty poor, their position in the table doesn't lie. Right from the off, they looked dodgy at the back and didn't show anything special going forward.
Rooney started the game as though he was determined to prove the Fergie book comments wrong. He actually went past two men during the setting up of the first goal. One of Fergie's and my criticism's of his form over the last couple of seasons has been his inability to take players on and beat them. He did it last night, against poor opposition though, if he can do that against the better teams I'll eat my words, I don't expect to have to. He had a good game last night, but was he really all that. He still got dispossessed too easily at times and disappeared from the game during the latter stages of the game, until Hernandez went off and he miraculously sprang to life again. Ian Ladyman of the Mail spoke of him as one of our few world class players this morning who all the top teams in Europe would like to have. Why weren't they beating the doors down to get him this summer then?
The big plus of the night was the display of Kagawa, we all know he is good enough for United, it's just giving him the chance to prove it. He had a reasonable game on the left, but he really came alive when he moved into the number ten slot behind Rooney when Hernandez came off. He epitomised everything I want to see from that position, plenty of movement, an ability to beat a man, vision and the ability to get into goalscoring opportunities. Of course, he should have done better with the chance the chance that fell in his lap. But that last ten minutes were a hopeful sign, we started to play at a decent pace, instead of the ponderous stuff we have had to get used since Ronaldo left.
It wasn't all positives, Hernandez never got into the game. We've seen it before of course, if he doesn't get any service in the box, the rest of his outfield game just isn't good enough to compensate. Of course it can be argued that he needs a run of games, but that wouldn't really change anything, he's been hear long enough for us to know his game. I suspect a few will leave next summer and wouldn't be at all surprised if he was one of them.
There have been a couple of rumoured reports of Valencia being on the exit plane out of OT next summer. I don't know what to make of them, to be honest. He didn't have a bad game last night, but the Valencia of his first two years at the club seems to firmly in the past. It will be midfield and out wide that form the crux of that exit, so may be there will turn out to be something to those transfer rumours.
I was surprised and pleased that Evans and Jones continued their partnership at centre half and thought they did reasonably well again. The wobbly moments, usually came when the central midfield disappeared in front of them. With all the furore in France over Evra's interview, i thought he may have been rested last night. Given his performance, it might have been a good idea, it wasn't one of his better nights.
So to Saturday and Stoke at home, where we really do need to kick start our league campaign. No idea what team we'll see, but expect to see Januzaj start and would love to see Kagawa start alongside him.
I expected far more from our Spanish opponents, they really were pretty poor, their position in the table doesn't lie. Right from the off, they looked dodgy at the back and didn't show anything special going forward.
Rooney started the game as though he was determined to prove the Fergie book comments wrong. He actually went past two men during the setting up of the first goal. One of Fergie's and my criticism's of his form over the last couple of seasons has been his inability to take players on and beat them. He did it last night, against poor opposition though, if he can do that against the better teams I'll eat my words, I don't expect to have to. He had a good game last night, but was he really all that. He still got dispossessed too easily at times and disappeared from the game during the latter stages of the game, until Hernandez went off and he miraculously sprang to life again. Ian Ladyman of the Mail spoke of him as one of our few world class players this morning who all the top teams in Europe would like to have. Why weren't they beating the doors down to get him this summer then?
The big plus of the night was the display of Kagawa, we all know he is good enough for United, it's just giving him the chance to prove it. He had a reasonable game on the left, but he really came alive when he moved into the number ten slot behind Rooney when Hernandez came off. He epitomised everything I want to see from that position, plenty of movement, an ability to beat a man, vision and the ability to get into goalscoring opportunities. Of course, he should have done better with the chance the chance that fell in his lap. But that last ten minutes were a hopeful sign, we started to play at a decent pace, instead of the ponderous stuff we have had to get used since Ronaldo left.
It wasn't all positives, Hernandez never got into the game. We've seen it before of course, if he doesn't get any service in the box, the rest of his outfield game just isn't good enough to compensate. Of course it can be argued that he needs a run of games, but that wouldn't really change anything, he's been hear long enough for us to know his game. I suspect a few will leave next summer and wouldn't be at all surprised if he was one of them.
There have been a couple of rumoured reports of Valencia being on the exit plane out of OT next summer. I don't know what to make of them, to be honest. He didn't have a bad game last night, but the Valencia of his first two years at the club seems to firmly in the past. It will be midfield and out wide that form the crux of that exit, so may be there will turn out to be something to those transfer rumours.
I was surprised and pleased that Evans and Jones continued their partnership at centre half and thought they did reasonably well again. The wobbly moments, usually came when the central midfield disappeared in front of them. With all the furore in France over Evra's interview, i thought he may have been rested last night. Given his performance, it might have been a good idea, it wasn't one of his better nights.
So to Saturday and Stoke at home, where we really do need to kick start our league campaign. No idea what team we'll see, but expect to see Januzaj start and would love to see Kagawa start alongside him.
No comments:
Post a Comment