A poor game, about the best that can be said of last night, from a United perspective, was that we managed to keep a clean sheet for once. Defensively that was probably as well as we have played all season, that's the back four and as a team. Going forward, was a different matter, the same rigid tactics, though our crossing obsession wasn't as much in evidence.
Valencia on the right offered little going forward, in fact his most telling contribution was the headed clearance off the line in the second half. Mata played on the left, and though he was often to be seen coming inside looking for the ball, he never really got into the game. Rooney was playing in the hole, and gave the kind of performance that suggests Mata is being wasted. Apart from the clipped ball through to Van Persie in the dying minutes, his game was bereft of quality. Van Persie was no better, he set the bar for his night during the first couple of minutes, when he stole the ball from a nervous Arsenal rearguard only to shoot tamely into Szczesny's grateful hands.
I get the feeling that Moyes will be loathe to pick Mata and Januzaj in the same team against the top teams, in fact maybe against anybody. I suppose against the top teams, their lack of defensive quality would make some kind of case for that, but not against the Fulham's of this world. So for all those expecting to see a 4-2-3-1 with Van Persie starting in front of Rooney, Mata and Januzaj, dream on.
Of course in any season, you would be reasonably happy with a point away at Arsenal, and I would have definitely took a point before the game, but Arsenal were really there for the taking last night. Naturally the same could be said for us, I suppose, which was why we got the game we got, two teams more determined to not get beat, rather than two teams really going for it. Truth be told, that's a bigger indictment of the home team, given they are challenging for the title.
I'm not really sure what the rest of the season has to offer, I would like to see a little experimenting, but going off the last three games, that is not what we are going to get. It's hard to see us coming higher than sixth, indeed we could easily stay seventh. As for the champions league, Liverpool fluked it in 2005, so it can happen, but it's very, very hard to see us getting past the quarter finals unless the draw is exceedingly kind to us, that's if we can get past Olympiakos, of course. If were to do the unthinkable and not get past Olympiakos, we would be back to the kind of dead, end of season experience that we haven't seen for many a year. Meaningless games, with a squad full of players minds on the forthcoming world cup, best not to think about that eventuality.
Valencia on the right offered little going forward, in fact his most telling contribution was the headed clearance off the line in the second half. Mata played on the left, and though he was often to be seen coming inside looking for the ball, he never really got into the game. Rooney was playing in the hole, and gave the kind of performance that suggests Mata is being wasted. Apart from the clipped ball through to Van Persie in the dying minutes, his game was bereft of quality. Van Persie was no better, he set the bar for his night during the first couple of minutes, when he stole the ball from a nervous Arsenal rearguard only to shoot tamely into Szczesny's grateful hands.
I get the feeling that Moyes will be loathe to pick Mata and Januzaj in the same team against the top teams, in fact maybe against anybody. I suppose against the top teams, their lack of defensive quality would make some kind of case for that, but not against the Fulham's of this world. So for all those expecting to see a 4-2-3-1 with Van Persie starting in front of Rooney, Mata and Januzaj, dream on.
Of course in any season, you would be reasonably happy with a point away at Arsenal, and I would have definitely took a point before the game, but Arsenal were really there for the taking last night. Naturally the same could be said for us, I suppose, which was why we got the game we got, two teams more determined to not get beat, rather than two teams really going for it. Truth be told, that's a bigger indictment of the home team, given they are challenging for the title.
I'm not really sure what the rest of the season has to offer, I would like to see a little experimenting, but going off the last three games, that is not what we are going to get. It's hard to see us coming higher than sixth, indeed we could easily stay seventh. As for the champions league, Liverpool fluked it in 2005, so it can happen, but it's very, very hard to see us getting past the quarter finals unless the draw is exceedingly kind to us, that's if we can get past Olympiakos, of course. If were to do the unthinkable and not get past Olympiakos, we would be back to the kind of dead, end of season experience that we haven't seen for many a year. Meaningless games, with a squad full of players minds on the forthcoming world cup, best not to think about that eventuality.
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