What a difference a week makes. To be fair, if you had told me last week we would get beat 5-3 at Leicester, I wouldn't have been that shocked. Whilst we looked great going forward, when QPR remembered that going forward wasn't a criminal offence at the beginning of the second half, they got through to De Gea far too easily. The shock of yesterday was the fact that when the third goal went in, we were so on top, you were wondering how many more goals we would get, not how many points we would come out of the game with.
I suppose getting beat 5-3 is an improvement on the dismal Dave season, it's more, United, to get beat 5-3 than the turgid defeats of last season. Worryingly, though our attacking play is on a different planet to last season, our defending seems to have got worse. The summer transfer strategy still appears bizarre, we all knew a centre half and a dominant box to box or defensive midfield dynamo were priorities. We got Rojo, who was sold to us as a left sided centre half, but has played as left back in his two games so far, whilst the £30 million left back Shaw has yet to appear. Rojo didn't particularly impress me last week, but yesterday was worse. I'm sorry but Blackett is never a Manchester United centre half, he has only had this run of games because Van Gaal likes to have a right footer and a left footer at centre half. Johnny Evans seems to have reverted to the panicky defender we hoped we had seen the back of. When he's fit that is, I'm close to giving up on the trio of Jones, Evans and Smalling. It doesn't matter how good they are, if they are forever picking up injuries. As for Rafael, I didn't blame him for the penalty that led to the second goal, that was diabolical refereeing, that completely changed the course of the game. But we have seen him long enough to know he is never going to be the best defensive right back. If Tom Thorpe doesn't get a chance at United over the next couple of months, he should start looking for a new club, because if he doesn't get a run in this defence, he'll never get a go.
In front of them Blind and Herrera are both decent midfield players, but both are a little too lightweight and slow to protect such a dodgy defence. Carrick can't get fit quick enough for me, those reds who suggested he might find it hard to get back into this team got their answer very quickly.
Going forward was a strange one. Yes we played some great stuff and scored three excellent goals. But for all the talk of philosophy, the goals and most of our better moments in their third of the pitch were the result of brilliant players doing things off the cuff. And for me, for the second week running, when Di Maria had to be replaced, the team reverted to the slow ponderous aimless football of the Moyes era. It's frightning how important to the team he seems to be, don't get me wrong I think he is a fantastic footballer, but when he isn't on the pitch, the rest of the team have got to step up to the plate.
It's pointless for me to talk about Rooney, he didn't do enough, in his "favourite" position, but the talk from Van Gaal on Friday that his captain was close to undropable was fucking depresssing. Van Persie wasn't terrible, but was nowhere near the level you'd hope for. It's too early to judge Falcao, it was a brilliant turn and cross to set up the first goal and the lob that struck the crossbar was sublime. That front three as a combination doesn't look right to me though. So one step forward, two steps back, I thought the Moyes era was over.
I suppose getting beat 5-3 is an improvement on the dismal Dave season, it's more, United, to get beat 5-3 than the turgid defeats of last season. Worryingly, though our attacking play is on a different planet to last season, our defending seems to have got worse. The summer transfer strategy still appears bizarre, we all knew a centre half and a dominant box to box or defensive midfield dynamo were priorities. We got Rojo, who was sold to us as a left sided centre half, but has played as left back in his two games so far, whilst the £30 million left back Shaw has yet to appear. Rojo didn't particularly impress me last week, but yesterday was worse. I'm sorry but Blackett is never a Manchester United centre half, he has only had this run of games because Van Gaal likes to have a right footer and a left footer at centre half. Johnny Evans seems to have reverted to the panicky defender we hoped we had seen the back of. When he's fit that is, I'm close to giving up on the trio of Jones, Evans and Smalling. It doesn't matter how good they are, if they are forever picking up injuries. As for Rafael, I didn't blame him for the penalty that led to the second goal, that was diabolical refereeing, that completely changed the course of the game. But we have seen him long enough to know he is never going to be the best defensive right back. If Tom Thorpe doesn't get a chance at United over the next couple of months, he should start looking for a new club, because if he doesn't get a run in this defence, he'll never get a go.
In front of them Blind and Herrera are both decent midfield players, but both are a little too lightweight and slow to protect such a dodgy defence. Carrick can't get fit quick enough for me, those reds who suggested he might find it hard to get back into this team got their answer very quickly.
Going forward was a strange one. Yes we played some great stuff and scored three excellent goals. But for all the talk of philosophy, the goals and most of our better moments in their third of the pitch were the result of brilliant players doing things off the cuff. And for me, for the second week running, when Di Maria had to be replaced, the team reverted to the slow ponderous aimless football of the Moyes era. It's frightning how important to the team he seems to be, don't get me wrong I think he is a fantastic footballer, but when he isn't on the pitch, the rest of the team have got to step up to the plate.
It's pointless for me to talk about Rooney, he didn't do enough, in his "favourite" position, but the talk from Van Gaal on Friday that his captain was close to undropable was fucking depresssing. Van Persie wasn't terrible, but was nowhere near the level you'd hope for. It's too early to judge Falcao, it was a brilliant turn and cross to set up the first goal and the lob that struck the crossbar was sublime. That front three as a combination doesn't look right to me though. So one step forward, two steps back, I thought the Moyes era was over.
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