Though 0-0 is never a result to be sniffed at, and I would have took it before the game started, it ended up being a fairly disappointing day. You could look at Chelsea and City's results and say it wasn't too bad, but you can also look at it as a lost opportunity.
Whatever the result was, I didn't want to hear Van Gaal use the Christmas schedule as an excuse, but to an extent, he did, he couldn't stop himself. A lot of United fans seemed to rejoice when they saw an unchanged line, I wasn't sure why, if ever there was a day you didn't want to see that, it was yesterday. It seemed that maybe he had got things right as United followed the pattern of the Newcastle game by playing as well as we had all season in the first half. It wasn't perfect by any means, we still looked dodgy and far too open at the back. But we seemed to control the game for large parts and to create chances, not something we have managed too often, if ever away from home. It was certainly a far cry from the appalling performances at Arsenal and Southampton.
United managed to control the game in the middle whilst using the width of the full backs well, but it was only down the left hand side where we saw any kind of decent service into the box. Young continued on with his good form, Valencia meanwhile seemed to go into his shell, both of them usually had two men to beat, only Young had the confidence to attempt and for a reasonable proportion of the time to achieve it. Mata had as good a game as he has had in an away game all season.
We really should have gone into the break at least a goal up, yes they had a couple of chances, but United had five or six guilt edged opportunities. Rooney's first touch let him down whilst clear through leading to him not even getting a shot away. Mata hit the post and Van Persie was unable to follow it up. Then Van Persie was put through into a one on one with the goalie, took a sublime first touch but managed to let Lloris make a fine save, when he probably should have buried it. Finally Falcao had two or three good opportunities, but looked miles off the pace with generally weak finishes. I don't get what some United fans seem to see in him, judge the player on his performances now, not on what he has done in the past. I refuse to believe James Wilson wouldn't have buried one of the chances the Colombian was presented with. It'll be interesting to see whether Van Gaal continues to give Falcao the extended run he seems to be giving him at Stoke on New Years day, in what will surely be a tough game.
And then we came to the second half, Tottenham started stronger pressing us where they had sat back in the first half. United never really deal that well with teams that do that. Couple that with United running out of legs and even though United passed up a couple of reasonable, if not quite as clear cut chances, the game ended with United holding on against the home team.
Van Gaal's substitutions didn't really help us get control of the game back, he's very hit and miss, for me in that regard. If you look at it logically, starting with McNair in an away game this season has generally meant that you will have to take him off at some stage of the game, so you're basically losing one offensive replacement straight away. Alright you can't blame him for Evans abject performance, but the way our defenders get injured, losing a centre half was always a possibility. Whilst Valencia was poor, Rafael didn't really do that much better, though he did set up Mata up with a good chance from a miscued centre. There are times when you can see Van Gaal taking his time to adapt to English football, almost as much time as the players are, in getting used to him.
Anyway as I said you can't grumble too much a point at White hart lane, a win in the potteries would leave us with seven from nine points over Christmas and that would be a decent festive spell. A draw wouldn't be the end of the world, though I would be slightly disappointed with it. A defeat would undo a lot of our recent good work though. As for what I expect, ain't got a clue mate
Whatever the result was, I didn't want to hear Van Gaal use the Christmas schedule as an excuse, but to an extent, he did, he couldn't stop himself. A lot of United fans seemed to rejoice when they saw an unchanged line, I wasn't sure why, if ever there was a day you didn't want to see that, it was yesterday. It seemed that maybe he had got things right as United followed the pattern of the Newcastle game by playing as well as we had all season in the first half. It wasn't perfect by any means, we still looked dodgy and far too open at the back. But we seemed to control the game for large parts and to create chances, not something we have managed too often, if ever away from home. It was certainly a far cry from the appalling performances at Arsenal and Southampton.
United managed to control the game in the middle whilst using the width of the full backs well, but it was only down the left hand side where we saw any kind of decent service into the box. Young continued on with his good form, Valencia meanwhile seemed to go into his shell, both of them usually had two men to beat, only Young had the confidence to attempt and for a reasonable proportion of the time to achieve it. Mata had as good a game as he has had in an away game all season.
We really should have gone into the break at least a goal up, yes they had a couple of chances, but United had five or six guilt edged opportunities. Rooney's first touch let him down whilst clear through leading to him not even getting a shot away. Mata hit the post and Van Persie was unable to follow it up. Then Van Persie was put through into a one on one with the goalie, took a sublime first touch but managed to let Lloris make a fine save, when he probably should have buried it. Finally Falcao had two or three good opportunities, but looked miles off the pace with generally weak finishes. I don't get what some United fans seem to see in him, judge the player on his performances now, not on what he has done in the past. I refuse to believe James Wilson wouldn't have buried one of the chances the Colombian was presented with. It'll be interesting to see whether Van Gaal continues to give Falcao the extended run he seems to be giving him at Stoke on New Years day, in what will surely be a tough game.
And then we came to the second half, Tottenham started stronger pressing us where they had sat back in the first half. United never really deal that well with teams that do that. Couple that with United running out of legs and even though United passed up a couple of reasonable, if not quite as clear cut chances, the game ended with United holding on against the home team.
Van Gaal's substitutions didn't really help us get control of the game back, he's very hit and miss, for me in that regard. If you look at it logically, starting with McNair in an away game this season has generally meant that you will have to take him off at some stage of the game, so you're basically losing one offensive replacement straight away. Alright you can't blame him for Evans abject performance, but the way our defenders get injured, losing a centre half was always a possibility. Whilst Valencia was poor, Rafael didn't really do that much better, though he did set up Mata up with a good chance from a miscued centre. There are times when you can see Van Gaal taking his time to adapt to English football, almost as much time as the players are, in getting used to him.
Anyway as I said you can't grumble too much a point at White hart lane, a win in the potteries would leave us with seven from nine points over Christmas and that would be a decent festive spell. A draw wouldn't be the end of the world, though I would be slightly disappointed with it. A defeat would undo a lot of our recent good work though. As for what I expect, ain't got a clue mate
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