It comes with great sorrow that I report Antonio Valencia is most likely out for the remainder of the season following his injury in last night’s match. Also in the news today, Rooney and the whole squad take criticism in the wake of the draw against Rangers and the competitiveness of the Champions League is questioned.
Antonio Valencia’s over as Rangers hold United – The Guardian
Our sympathy goes out to Antonio Valencia after suffering a horrific injury in yesterday’s match against Rangers. It is being reported that Valencia suffered a dislocated ankle and/or a broken leg; an injury which Sir Alex is comparing to Alan Smith’s from a few years back. The gaffer believes the Ecuadorian winger will be sidelined for the remainder of the season due to the severity of his injury. While Smith was unable to make the grade at Old Trafford following his injury, I’m hoping Valencia will prevail. There is no doubt that he will be missed in the coming months and we all wish him a quick recovery!
Roo were better staying in bed – The Sun
Really, Steven Howard? I’m sorry he didn’t score, but I didn’t think he was particularly awful. The whole team struggled to be fair, and when the opponent is using a formation which essentially uses nine defenders most teams would struggle to score. Granted, Rooney isn’t back to his phenomenal form of last season, but he was struggling this season even before the allegations of an affair. Many members of the press are like sharks, they sense blood in the water and attack. Rooney is a fantastic player, it’s just a matter of time before he returns to form. In the meantime, the press will continue to kick him while he’s down.
Drab squabble proves change is needed – The Daily Telegraph
Last night’s match put some of the Champions League’s biggest problems in the spotlight. Manchester United fielded a squad that was far from their first team, while Rangers put on one of the most negative performances I’ve ever seen in Europe’s premier competition. Truly putting all bias aside, I don’t have too many qualms with Sir Alex’s team selection. United have a huge match against Liverpool this weekend so he rested a few key players, and even then he fielded a squad more than capable of winning the match. I do have a problem with Rangers’ tactics, and not just because United only managed a draw. Some will argue that as the underdog they did the right thing, but not me. If you have the honor of playing in the Champions League, at least pretend like you want to win. Rangers had no intention of trying to win that match, their goal was simply to draw. When teams stop playing to win, then there is an issue that needs to be addressed. It disgusts me when teams play like that. I don’t care if you’re the underdog or not, you should at least go out playing to win. Last night, Rangers did not.
Fergie’s flops hit the wall as Reds are held in opener – The Daily Mail
Ah, of course. United don’t win so the media quickly label the squad flops. The only player whose ability I question is Darron Gibson. I love the player and am desperate for him to succeed, but patience is wearing thin now. He has until January to prove himself or I believe he may be out of chances. Park is also a bit of a concern; he looked quite ineffective tonight. He’s a good player, but his unquestionable effort doesn’t always equal results. The performance was poor, but I still think this squad is capable of lifting silverware this season. There was certainly plenty of positives. Fabio looked brilliant getting forward in attack and Chris Smalling performed admirably when called upon. I think it’s a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to call these players flops. We’ll see what the press have to say when the season ends.
Discuss all today’s news and rumors in the forum.
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We really need to win on Sunday, or at least put in a good performance, if rest a healthy chunk of our players is to be justified.
There are many games that team could have won, and I won’t be too bothered if he puts that team (or similar) out against Bursaspor as they’re likely to try for a goal, but there’s not enough creativity in there to break down what everyone knew was coming against Rangers.
That said, I don’t think Rooney is to be singled out for particular criticism at all. I didn’t really think any of our attackers had their best touch last night.