Authors: Stretford End and Nik

Follow Stretford End and Nik on Twitter

Manchester United won their third Premier League game on the spin, having beaten Arsenal and Bolton recently, with a 2-0 victory over Stoke City. Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov converted two penalties for the Champions, who are now level on points with league leaders Manchester City. United were missing Wayne Rooney, Phil Jones and Ashley Young – to name a few – but still managed a 33rd league win over Stoke City. United also managed to give a league debut to a young goalkeeper.

Here we discuss the talking points of the game and invite Stoke fans to join in the discussion below.

How United unlocked the door

Tuesday evening was a strange one in the sense that Stoke City theoretically played with three ‘forwards’ yet failed to field any in reality. Pulis’ men were well drilled from the off, setting up in somewhat of a ’4-4-2′, with Walters left, Pennant right, Jones and Crouch ahead of Whitehead and Palacios. But this doesn’t tell the entire story; Pulis was happy to concede the majority of the posession (United had 75% with a pass completion rate of 90%) in the hope that they would either nick one on the break or settle for 0-0 draw. Jones and Crouch started so deep when without the ball that they were effectively the 3rd and 4th central midfield players, with only one asked to press the United backline according to the position of the ball (Jones would nominally press from right to left, Crouch in the opposite manner). The deeply held line also had the effect of pulling Jermaine Pennant back for a large part of the first half in particular, where the former Liverpool player often found himself trying to combat Park and the left of centre Hernandez in the right back position (with Williamson pulled central). It was no coincidence that it was Pennant then who conceded the penalty that led to the crucial opening goal, clumsily sticking a leg out to foul the (admitedly clever) Park who had reached the ball first.

United struggle to penetrate: 3/22 successful crosses and 303 completed passes, 0-38 mins

Up until this point United had really struggled to breach the 10-man defensive strategy – especially with Stoke pressing each player so vigourously. Getting the ball wide to Park and Valencia as quick as possible was part of the strategy, but despite their best efforts, and the doubling up of Stoke defenders the wingers struggled to make an impact. Scholes and Carrick (who completed nearly 250 passes together) continued to penetrate from the centre, and both ball-playing centre backs (see Evans’ dashboard for passing, 93 passes) were often found high upfield as they sought to gain numerical advantage in and around the away team’s penalty area. Despite United’s dominance frustratingly not leading to clear goal-scoring opportunities, their patience was finally rewarded – with the Stoke City system effectively their downfall.

When trying to break on the counter down the left hand side with Walters, he was so deep that it only took the most basic of defensive interceptions from Smalling from which the move that led to the vital opener initiated. Valencia was quick to the ball, drawing out Wilson as well as Huth and Palacios, meaning that the Ecuadorian could find the unmarked and effervescent Berbatov, just on the edge of the area. With Stoke shuffling their backline accordingly, Berbatov’s neat lay-off to Scholes allowed the revived playmaker to survey the scene and play in Park with a perfectly weighted through-ball. It was an equally brave and disastrous approach from Pulis – brave in that his system had pretty much worked to pefection at that point (see chalkboard, 303/342 passes [114 in the final third] until the 38th minute), but disastrous in that such a deep and defensive approach was always likely to be counter-productive if their defence was to be breached. At 0-1, Pulis’ men were drained, confused and ineffective – their passing in the final third non-existent.

A debut for young Ben Amos

Ben Amos had made six appearances for United previously to the match against Stoke City, however none of these came in the league. Amos is now level with former United goal keeper Nick Culkin with a single Premier League appearance to his name (Culkin came on in the dying seconds against Arsenal back in 1999 when Raimond Van der Gouw was injured), although I’m sure United’s number 40 will pick up more appearances than his predecessor. Amos was decent in possession, only giving the ball away when forced to go long to Hernandez and Berbatov. Crouch and Jones didn’t have a single shot on target between them and Stoke only had two shots on target all night – so the youngster wasn’t really tested in the absence of David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard. Paul Pogba also made his league debut despite speculation about his current contract.

Penalties: Yes or no?

Tony Pulis was quoted as saying the following after the game:

“Jermaine is adamant, although it doesn’t show it on the television, that he played the ball first. On the second, it’s not a free-kick before the penalty. Then Valencia runs across Jon Walters and falls over. When you come to Old Trafford, if there’s decisions going, they go with the home side.”

The comments from the Stoke manager indicate that he didn’t think either were a penalty and cited “being at Old Trafford” as one of the reasons as to why they were given. As shots were quite limited all game (United’s two on target were penalties), it is easy to see why Pulis is frustrated by the two goal defeat, however I think it is hard to argue against both decisions. Pennant clips Park, whilst Walters drags Valencia back (see below):

Park gets to the ball before Pennant and hits the ball towards goal

If Pennant had of got a touch, the ball would have gone toward the byline, rather than towards the goal

Walters clearly tugs Valencia hindering his progress towards goal

So what are your thoughts? Penalties or not? Should Evra have had a penalty in the second half?

Player Focus

Park deserves a mention for playing with remarkable nouse and intelligence for the second consecutive game. His link up play with Evra and Hernandez was particularly good, as was his left to centre movement, dragging opponents out of position.

Scholes and Carrick reigned back the years. In a performance that was once typical of the complimentary central pairing, their mutual understanding, dilligence and precision across the pitch was outstanding. Both goals were the result of clever play from the centre in the first instance. As per the game at Anfield, Scholes seemed to thrive on the challenge of a combative opposing midfield. His close control and quick thinking were a joy to watch – 8 months since retiring, who’d have thought it?

Evans dashboard

Evans played in the ‘Pique’ role, frequently taking the ball forward and either beating his man, or laying the ball off out wide in order to push for a position in the final third. When a team sets its stall out as Stoke did, one of the centre backs must take the opportunity to step out and improve the passing angle and forward penetration. Jonny did this with aplomb. Will be sorely disappointed with his lax challenge on Carroll at the weekend, but has grown in confidence in recent months and is arguably the club’s best centre half at the moment.

Summary

A dominant United performance ended with a comfy victory over a lacklustre Stoke side. Maybe the one frustrating point was that United couldn’t add more goals to boost their goal difference, particularly on a night when Man City lost. Scholes and Carrick were once again at the centre of United’s play, orchestrating everything going on ahead of them. The game provided a good chance to rest Welbeck and Pogba made his league debut – an impressive cameo.

United are at Chelsea on Sunday, another big game against a team out of form and sorts. Young, Nani and Rooney all should make the squad along with De Gea so numbers should be better – hopefully no one’s being rushed back though.

Authors: Doron and Nik

Follow Doron and Nik on Twitter

United travelled west to Liverpool for a 4th round FA Cup game at rivals Liverpool. With injuries yet again hitting the side hard, they lined up in a 4-5-1 without key creative players Rooney or Nani. Rafael returned at right back whilst Carrick was joined in the middle by the oldies, Giggs and Scholes. Welbeck was asked to lead the line and at the back, De Gea was brought in at a ground he did well at last time out. Liverpool matched United’s formation with Carroll leading their attack and Carragher sitting in front of the back four.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Liverpool fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Carroll and Welbeck isolated

For the most part, Carroll’s selection ahead of Bellamy seemed a strange one. He was isolated, and was only found once from a cross from wide, with Downing playing as an inverted winger on the right hand side. United dealt with his threat superbly, until of course the last minute. Smalling adopted his usual tactic of following the centre forward ‘out’. He kept in close vicinity to Carroll, pressed the space and tried to keep his back to goal. Evans, when called upon, often won the aerial duel with the big Englishman; his height often betrays his aerial ability and has the anticipation and agility required for these types of battles. The Kuyt winner was strange in that it was the first time in the match that Evans lost the duel with Carroll, but given the poor communication between the back four at that point, Carroll was given far too much space to manoeuvre. Perhaps a symptom of poor concentration late on in a frantic game, the defending was of the proverbial ‘schoolboy’ sort. Smalling starts too far right, Evans is pulled towards Carroll, and Evra makes the covering run just a fraction of second too late. De Gea may well have narrowed the angle to a greater extent too for Kuyt’s shot.

For United, it was a frustrating afternoon given their superior possession. Rooney’s industry was hugely missed, and thus the gap between Welbeck and the midfield was far too large, despite Giggs and Park doing their best to link the play. Giggs’ swap with Park on 30 mins seemed to have the desired effect of United keeping width on the left with an already congested middle, and Park able to work in between the lines and get closer to Welbeck. But despite the wonderfully taken goal (and a fantastic assist from Rafael who was superb throughout), the team didn’t create enough in the final third. Valencia was kept reasonably quiet, especially in the second half, especially given Jose Enrique’s instruction to stay deep; and with a similar scenario on the opposite side of the field, where Evra was sitting in and keeping the defensive shape, United’s usual threat from wide areas remained negligible. If just one of Young or Nani had been available, they would surely have been called upon relatively early from the bench.

Carragher struggles, Scholes dictates

Carragher struggled with pace of the game and was second best to every ball. Selected in the ‘Lucas position’ to presumably counter the (pre-empted) deep lying Rooney, the Liverpudlian was finding it hard to track Giggs’ runs from deep and Scholes’ clever movement. Liverpool’s fluid midfield didn’t help however, with Gerrard pushing on and Henderson interchanging positions with Maxi. When attacks broke down, United found it far too easy to spot the gaps on the counter. Carragher looked flustered on the ball, and lacking the energy to play in such a vital position.

Scholes sought to capitalise, and conducted proceedings with aplomb – 97% pass completion in first half, completing 75 (nearly 3 times as many as Gerrard). And he wasn’t just stationed near the centre either, Scholes and Carrick both took turns in getting forward to support the attack. When Scholes was found in deep positions, his tackling and intercepting was good too. United’s midfield controlled possession and took the game to Liverpool once they had gone one goal down. But it is what you do with the possession once you have it, and Welbeck’s isolation, and Valencia’s diminishing influence in the game proved too much for the Manchester side, as both sides seemed to be settling for a draw and a replay at Old Trafford.

Dalglish’s subs make impact

Dalglish must take credit for turning the game in their favour, roughly around the hour-mark. On 62 mins Kuyt replaced the hapless Carragher, and Adam came on for Maxi. This allowed Kuyt to drift in from the right to support the previously isolated Carroll as Liverpool pretty much maintained the 4-3-3 shape. Then on 72 mins, Bellamy came on for Gerrard, and the set up was basically a 4-4-2, with Downing going left and Carroll working more closely with another centre forward. United had coped well until this point, always having an extra man, and both fullbacks remaining largely un-ambitious. But now they had two extra problems: Bellamy moving horizontally across the field and Kuyt playing a slightly more central right midfield position. Liverpool’s backline moved forward (with United’s concomitantly retreating) and they took a greater control of the midfield, with Adam getting on the ball. That said, Ferguson didn’t help matters in replacing Schloles. United lost the momentum, and Carrick, who didn’t have his best game, was left stranded in the centre.

De Gea

When you find that you’re having to regularly defend a player, regardless of what you think, there’s probably a problem. De Gea was on the end of a lot of harsh criticism yesterday – a game where he had little to do and actually was relatively assured on most crosses. Agger’s goal though was the perfect example of David getting nowhere near where he should have been. He seemed pre-occupied with Andy Carroll rather than the ball and ended up neither going to claim the corner nor staying on his line.

The real crime in that goal though was that Agger was easily able to head the ball towards the goal anyway. For all the blue United shirts around him, none of them jumped to challenger his header and the only player whose feet did leave the ground was Agger. An avoidable goal both from the defenders and De Gea.

Oddly the goal that worried me a bit was the Kuyt’s winner. De Gea seems to have a strange habit of going down to make a save with his feet in front of him. It not only means he doesn’t spread himself as wide as possible but it’s not a very flexible position to be in if he has to get up quickly and certainly doesn’t look like a balanced pose. There is a time to use that kind of save and it’s normally when coming off your line to make yourself appear ‘big’, as perfected by Peter Schmeichel. When rooted to your line though, it doesn’t seem to really do much – it’s not as if Kuyt found the corner of the net, it was a savable shot.

League focus

Defeats are never good but this will allow United to focus on the league. Ferguson has already said that if he has a big enough pool of available players then he’ll rotate the team for the upcoming games against Ajax. With so many players out injured, fewer games is probably a good thing. On the subject of injuries, it looks like Young, Anderson and Cleverley are both close to returns whilst Ferdinand, Rooney and Nani’s injuries appear to be less serious than initially feared. Players are slowly returning and lord knows United are due some luck in that department.

Summary

United’s FA Cup campaign is over after something of a dull affair at Anfield. Despite dominating and controlling the game, United (and Liverpool) had few ideas in the final third of the pitch.

Liverpool took the lead through Daniel Agger’s unchallenged header from a corner. Fingers were pointed in De Gea’s direction as he failed to decide whether to come or stay for the ball but the United defenders were equally as culpable for not challenging Agger. United could have actually taken the lead – a surging run in-field by Valencia ended with a powerful dipping shot hitting the post with Reina beaten.

United did go in level at half time, Rafael won the ball inside the Liverpool half and cut the ball back perfectly for Park to clinically fire the ball past Reina. Through Scholes, United had controlled long spells of the game with Gerrard in particular playing a very peripheral role. After an hour, Dalglish brought on Kuyt and Adam and Liverpool started to see more possession.

The winning goal came late on in the tie – a long ball was headed on by Carroll and fell kindly into the path of Kuyt who’d been left totally free by Evra. Kuyt took the ball into the area unchallenged and fired past De Gea. The goal came too late for United to respond and Liverpool face Brighton next in the cup. Stoke are the visitors to Old Trafford on Tuesday as attention shifts back to the league and the title race again.

Authors: Doron and Nik

Follow Doron and Nik on Twitter

With the players knowing that City had beaten Spurs, United took to the field knowing they had to match their rivals and beat Arsenal. Arsenal were hoping to avoid a third straight league defeat and importantly put some pressure on Chelsea in the Champions League positions. Ferdinand missed out due to a back injury whilst Giggs partnered Carrick in the middle. For Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain was handed a Premier League debut and Vermaelen was passed fit to start.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Arsenal fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Park for Rafael

Rafael looked disillusioned and dejected as he warbled off down the tunnel having been subbed for Park with 12 minutes to go, and it is hard not to have sympathy for the young Brazilian. Gradually finding his match fitness of late, Rafael is getting more minutes on the pitch, and was even mooted to start today, with Arsenal having to resort to playing Vermalen (a centreback) at fullback. In fact he probably should have done, in place of the slightly erratic (possibly lacking match sharpness) Phil Jones. When the latter got injured early on in the first half, Rafael’s introduction gave United more of a balance and the away team quickly exerted their control on the game. Rafael and Valencia worked well in synergy down the right side, despite the majority of United’s ambition very much being down the left with Evra and Nani in the first half.

Chalkboard 1: Valencia pulled back deep

Then two things happened: Firstly Rafael was harshly cautioned by Mike Dean for slightly tugging at Van Persie’s shirt as the forward pounced on a loose ball and drove forward. (It was Dean, who has perhaps ‘categorised’ the Brazilian who cautioned, and sent him off, in a fixture away at Spurs two seasons ago for a similar offence, but this one was even harsher.) And secondly, the fullback later went on a marauding and opportunist run on the counter, as Arsenal were left short at the back. Rooney slid him in perfectly, only for Koscielny to execute a perfectly timed tackle and distribute up field. Because Arsenal had already committed numbers to the attack, United’s three-man defence was overwhelmed and Oxlade-Chambers laid in Van Persie to finish. He was subbed shortly after by the aggrieved Ferguson (for Park), and United can think themselves lucky to have snatched the game in the manner they did. Valencia was moved to right back to counter Arshavin, but as Park drifted infield, the Ecuadorian did exactly what Rafael attempted and seized the initiative; scoring from the position he knows best, wide right. The manager may well tell us that the substitute was in fear of second caution or injury, but the truth is Rafael was intelligent in his defensive display throughout. This slightly defensive substitution aside (see chalkboard), United won away again, and hopefully the fit again Rafa can challenge Sagna as the league’s best in the months and years to come.

Nani’s wizardry

If it were a boxing match, the ref would have ended the fight much earlier than half time, something Arsene Wenger did for Johan Djourou. Wenger may have made a daft substitution later on in the match, however he had no choice in taking off Djourou as he was terrorised all afternoon by United’s number seventeen.

Whether it was a dummy, step over or burst of pace – Nani had the beating of Djourou all day long. To be fair to the make shift Arsenal fullback, he had little support from Theo Walcott or Alex Song – who was no doubt more occupied with Wayne Rooney (more on that in a bit). Many reds may have been critical with Nani’s final ball or his hesitance at certain times when he got in behind the Arsenal defence, but his build up play and constant threat down the left hand side no doubt shook Djourou. The chalkboard below highlights how Michael Carrick tried to shift play to the left hand side for Nani to latch on to:

Chalkboard 2: Carrick passing

The goal may have come from a sublime Ryan Giggs cross, however Djourou’s awful defending – where he failed to cross down United’s number eleven and made himself as narrow as possible to block the cross – was due to his nightmare first half up against the Portuguese winger. Valencia, for me, was MOTM – but Nani was a joy to watch at times against Arsenal.

Appreciating Rooney

After strange form and missed penalties, Rooney decided to put in one of his most selfless displays of the season. Playing behind Welbeck, Rooney not only occupied Alex Song but also stopped him. Song is somewhat under-appreciated by non-Arsenal fans, he’s not just a player who breaks up play but he’s a ball carrier too. In the past, Anderson has been deployed as the destroyer but on this occasion it was Rooney.

Chalkboard 3: Rooney tackling and Song passing

Rooney won an impressive nine out of eleven tackles and forced Song not only to play higher but to play more horizontally than usual. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but considering Arsenal like to play through the middle, it forced them to change their tactics. Rooney’s own passing may have been inaccurate but he didn’t have a shot all game and constantly played for the team both defensively and offensively.

Strong at the back

Rafael’s contribution has already been touched upon but I think in general it’s worth stating just how impressive United were defensively. Evra was awarded man of the match and he had some swagger back in his game as he marauded forward down the left. On the other side Rafael showed how good it is to have a natural right back play in that position. Between them they won an impressive 16 tackles:

Chalkboard 4: Evra and Rafael tackles

The real bonus for United though came in the middle. With Ferdinand missing due to yet another back injury (he could be back for Liverpool), Evans and Smalling were paired together. As per many performances this season, they were imperious. Smalling is a natural and scarily may well be our second best centre back already, behind Vidic. Despite one slip he showed his calmness in possession and cleverness when defending. He seems to compliment Evans well – Jonny’s equally as comfortable with the ball at his feet but seems to enjoy contact that bit sooner than Smalling. Not only did they keep Van Persie quiet for most of the game, but they reduced him to a minimal involvement and played a big part in his poor 44% passing accuracy. It seems hard to look beyond the Smalling-Evans pairing as the long-term option.

United’s away support

It may seem a bias point to make, but I make it sincerely nonetheless. Having been part of the ‘away crowd’ for a large part of the 90’s and a lot of the noughties, I can safely say that United’s away following is always absolutely superb, if not the best in the country (however you measure that). Not only do they (we) have an unequalled array of songs across the land, often singing heartily throughout any given game, but they also seem to have a unique telepathic understanding at times, more so when the chips are down. This can often translate into spontaneous vocal support for the team, differing from the general revelry shared in games where the result is less ‘meaningful’ or at risk. Today, after a brief period of stunned silence after Arsenal’s equaliser, United’s following sprung into action. The clock read nine minutes to go, and with Valencia receiving the ball in an advanced position on the right, testosterone-infused shouts of ‘United’ were heard echoing around the stadium. The group just ‘knew’ that this was their moment, United’s moment; a crucial juncture in the title race had been reached, with City clinching a late winner versus Spurs only two hours earlier. The team sensed it too, and more to the point, Valencia did. Buoyed by the crowd his dribble was opportunism and direct wing-play at its best. While Arshavin was harshly criticised in the aftermath, there was only ever going to be one outcome with the Ecuadorian in this kind of mood. Valencia even had the panache and concentration to pull the ball back for Welbeck, who subsequently stroked the ball into an empty net. Cue wild celebrations from the players and Fergie alike; but more importantly, cue frenzied outpouring of emotion from the little section away in the far left corner of the Emirates. They had sensed the 3 points was there for the taking, but more importantly, they had impelled it to happen.

Summary

United made sure they matched Man City by winning 2-1 at Arsenal. A hard game took its toll though as yet more players picked up injuries and knocks – Rooney, Rafael, Jones, Nani and Carrick all could face some time out.

Arsenal started both halves strongly, lead by Oxlade-Chamberlain on his debut. In the middle, Rosicky had his most effective game in a long time but his performance was bettered by Carrick for United who was and his controlling-best. United always looked dangerous on the counter-attack and regularly got joy out wide through Nani. Right on half time they got what they deserved as Valencia powerfully headed in a perfect Giggs cross.

Arsenal’s response was positive and various efforts from outside the penalty area were fired in on goal but Lindegaard was untroubled. Welbeck lead the line well for United and could well have scored a few goals on the break but good defending from Mertesacker and Koscielny denied him. Arsenal drew level late on through Van Persie. His finish was instinctive and deadly after a clever through ball from Oxlade-Chamberlain. The goal stemmed from a quick break after United had committed men forward.

Arsenal’s fans turned from delirious to grumpy soon after though as Arshavin replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain. Boos rang around the Emirates and a chorus of “you don’t know what you’re doing” could be heard. Sure enough, United went on to score a winner which Arshavin maybe could have done better on. Valencia’s surging run into the area saw him exchange passes with Park before he had the presence of mind to lay the ball back to Welbeck who scored but was incredibly left unmarked.

United’s walking-wounded collapsed at the full time whistle but most still found the energy to go and applaud the away fans. An exhausting day in London may have taken its toll injury-wise but United showed an incredible amount of character to win such a hard-fought game. Next up is a trip to Anfield in the FA Cup. With the league looking increasingly tight, Fergie’s team selection and possible prioritising of the league should make for an interesting weekend.

Author: Doron

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United were looking to build on the nervy but morale boosting win at City last weekend. Bolton meanwhile, despite being at the wrong end of the table had managed to win their last two away games but would have to be without Gary Cahill who was in London to complete a move to Chelsea. United kept Lindegaard in goal and brought Rafael and Evans into defence whilst Scholes was given a start in midfield.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Bolton fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Ferdinand and Evans are solid (Rafael and Evra aren’t bad either)

With Jones and Smalling both injured, Evans was recalled after his brief spell out also due to injury. He partnered Ferdinand at the back – a pairing that previously has been assuring and impressive. Evans has been something of a boo-boy – unfancied by a lot of fans because of a dip in form last season and because ‘he always has an error in him’. This year, his red card which lead to the embarrassing home defeat against City hasn’t helped him and it’s sadly what many will associate his season with.

The reality however is somewhat different. Evans has been excellent for United on a regular basis and whilst many will scrunch up their face to stats, he has the best clean sheets to games ration/percentage of our centre backs with 60% of the games he’s played in this season ending up with United keeping a clean sheet. Coincidence? Maybe but I’m inclined to believe there’s something in that stat.

Against Bolton, United’s defence had little to do but generally handled any problems well – with the exception of one sloppy pass leading to N’Gog firing a shot way into orbit. Evans and Ferdinand only had 16 clearances to make whilst Jonny won all of his tackles. As a pairing, they compliment each other quite nicely. Both are ball-players and whilst Rio prefers to coax a defender into an error, Evans would much rather get tight and make an early tackle. Both at various points even went on Jonesesqe runs forward in and out of possession.

They were flanked by Rafael, making his first start of the season in the right back position, and the ever-present Evra.

Chalkboard 1: Evra passing and Rafael tackling heatmap

Evra, as ever played high up the pitch and was accurate with his passing. It’s interesting to see that he didn’t attempt a single cross all game – this coupled with Valencia’s dominance down the right shows how United had clearly highlighted Bolton’s left side as a weakness. Evra’s performances have often been highlighted as below-par this season but recently he seems to be back to the level we’re all accustomed to.

Rafael understandably appeared rusty but 90 injury-free minutes were a welcome and encouraging sign. He is a super young player who, like Evra, likes to play in the opposition’s half. Yesterday was a good example of his attacking defensive play (!) – he made 10 tackles with half of them inside the final third of the pitch. Smalling and Jones have both been excellent as stand-in right backs but you cannot beat a natural and Rafael’s got all the hallmarks of a great full back.

One midfielder grabbed the headlines but his partner was the star

Paul Scholes completed his remarkable return to the side with a start and a goal. Even the fans who were dismayed by the club’s readiness to welcome him back couldn’t help but feel a little fuzzy inside when he scored just before half time. His performance wasn’t as bad as Match Of The Day suggested but also not really headline worthy. Yes, his passing accuracy was again above 90% but only a couple were telling and early on a loose ball nearly played United into trouble. A couple of classic cross field passes didn’t come off for him but for an hour he kept up with the pace enough and offered a good outlet next to Carrick. Goal aside, he even found himself making late runs into the box on other occasions.

His partner though was the stand out performer in the middle of the pitch. Despite missing eight of United’s league games this season, Carrick’s arguably been the most consistent and best performer. Carrick of course is a statistician’s dream – makes more passes than anyone else, has a higher accuracy than anyone else, makes more interceptions than anyone else etc but he’s also a fine footballer.

Chalkboard 2: Carrick passing and interceptions

Passing accuracy means your opposition don’t have the ball and therefore can’t score but the ‘sideways/backwards’ label that many throw onto Carrick is indeed unfair. That myth has been somewhat dispelled this season and yesterday would have seen maybe the assist of the season had Welbeck’s shot found the net. Whilst United lack true world class quality in the middle, they have arguably the best reader of the game there in Carrick. His 6 interceptions were nearly half of all the interceptions made by United and he’s the only player in United’s side to have made more than 35 this season; averaged more than 3 a game; and averaged making one more regularly than every 30 minutes. These stats and facts may not be fancy but they’re crucial to the team.

It’s hard not to agree with Fergie who said after yesterday’s win:

“His (Carrick’s) form in the last few weeks has been pivotal to all of our performances”

Maybe the only thing I’d say is that “weeks” should have been “months”.

Form: Valencia and Welbeck

In recent weeks Valencia has propelled himself to the top of United’s assist charts – joint top with Nani in the league (7) and in all competitions (9). He was described by Fergie as “absolutely brilliant” yesterday and Evra suggested that Bolton’s left back (Ricketts) must have had a problem with his abductor muscles by the end of the game because Antonio’s so strong.

He tormented Bolton all afternoon whether he has running from within the United half and powering past players or receiving the ball wide to get a cross in. It was also his clever pass that set Welbeck clear from which a penalty was won.

Chalkboard 3: Valencia crossing

Some of his crosses yesterday where unbelievable – it’s amazing he ended the game without an assist. Time and time again he got to the byline and whipped in a low ball with pace on it forcing either a good block or Bogdan to make a parry. One can only imagine the fun Hernandez may have had getting on the end of the crosses had he come on earlier than the 78th minute.

The other player who’s form is good and in his case has never really dipped this season is Welbeck. His energy, enthusiasm and movement is so mature – he’s like Tevez in that respect but more in control and more comfortable when on the ball. His style remains languid but at only just 21 he’s already a strong young man, not easily shaken off the ball and his pace is deceiving – long strides easily take him away from defenders.

Welbeck, as has been hinted before, tends to bring the best out of those around him and for that he maybe hasn’t quite received the plaudits he should have done so far this season. His goal yesterday, his fifth in the league this season was richly deserved. His determination to get to the ball first and then have the ability to get a shot away whilst falling backwards under pressure showed he’s not all about style. His goal return maybe should be better but there’s no doubting his influence is being felt beyond goals.

He has his doubters, particularly those who felt he should have flourished aged 17 after his wonder-goal against Stoke but once again he’s proving that with patience comes results. Danny’s the future of United and he’s going to be a star.

Time to define our season

At the end of the first weekend in March, we’ll have a good idea of how successful this season will be. United’s next nine games include away trips to Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs in the league; Liverpool in the FA Cup and Ajax in the Europa League – whilst Liverpool also come to United in the league and Ajax have their return leg at Old Trafford.

Wins against City and Bolton are perfect to get a run of form and momentum going. With big game after big game set to come momentum may be crucial in carrying United into each test. Defeats can see confidence spiral out of control.

Fergie’s use of the squad in particular will have to be clever with easier games such as Stoke at home and Norwich away maybe used to rest key individuals. Even the Europa League may have to be treated somewhat as secondary as the importance of regaining the title comes to the fore.

Summary

United went joint top with City after beating Bolton 3-0 at home. City play tomorrow at Wigan whilst Spurs surprisingly dropped points at home to Wolves.

It was a routine win for United with few scares but the game should have been finished by half time. Chances were missed including a Rooney penalty for the second game running after Welbeck was fouled. Knight was lucky to only see yellow for his foul on Danny whilst Bogdan in goal made a good save. Bogdan was finally beaten by United’s own ginger just before half time. A Nani cross was blocked and Rooney rolled the ball across the six yard box to an unmarked Scholes who couldn’t miss. An amazing moment that would have seemed impossible only a week earlier.

United started the second half sluggishly and it wasn’t until Nani, who’d tried hard but had a poor game; and Scholes, who’d tired were replaced that the game was out of sight. Rooney’s exchange with Giggs saw him slip through Welbeck who toe-poked past Bogdan to make it 2-0. Rooney injured his wrist in the build up but played on – Welbeck though had to be subbed off after slightly twisting his knee (he’ll be ok for Arsenal said Fergie). The win was sealed as Carrick added a third late on – a passed left footed finish from distance allowed him to enjoy a moment with the Stretford End – his first goal at home for two years.

Encouraging performances from various players, most notably Valencia as well as a good 90 minutes for Rafael and the the return of Evans were positive signs. Ferdinand got concussion but it would see everyone who played should be fit for the big game next week. After a recent blip, United appear to be back in some control again. Here’s hoping City slip up at Wigan tomorrow!

Author: Nik

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United travelled the short distance to Man City today in an eagerly anticipated FA Cup 3rd Round game. Having lost two games in a row and conceded six goals in the process; fans, staff and players were hoping for an improvement and change of fortunes. City were defending the trophy they won last year.

We invite both City and United fans to discuss the game below.

Team selections and formations

Both teams were missing key players, City with the absentees of Balotelli, Barry and Toure, with Mancini electing to rest Hart and Clichy; United were still missing Vidic, Cleverley, Young, Evans and Fletcher – all due to injury or illness.

United set up in somewhat of a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Rooney starting in a deeper position than his normal ‘number 10’ role, with Welbeck selected in a lone striker role. Carrick dropped slightly deeper than we have been used to of late, with Rooney and Giggs just ahead, Nani left and Valencia right. At the back Smalling replaced Jones at centre half with the latter pushed over to right back.

City were set up in something of a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Nasri playing a floating role off Aguero, Johnson and Silva wide right and left respectively, De Jong and Milner in central midfield. At the back, Kolarov came in for Clichy, whilst the remaining three players remained unchanged.

Who won the tactical battle?

This is a tough one to answer, because although United ran out 3-2 winners, and could quite easily have gone on to score six or seven (Welbeck missed a glorious chance at 3-0), Mancini responded to the sending off astutely and allowed City to gain a foothold in the game. In the immediate aftermath of the red card, Richards played at centre half with Lescott and Milner was asked to slot in at right back, with Nasri coming deeper into the midfield. But it was at half time that he replaced Johnson and Silva with Savic and Zabaleta; and although it did look suspiciously like Mancini had resigned to defeat and wanting to save his star player (Silva was lively always seeking to release Aguero in the first half, Nasri was certainly more innocuous), his switch to 3-4-2 — with Savic, Lescott and Richards at the back, with Zabaleta and Kolarov flanking a middle three of Milner, De Jong and Nasri — worked a treat and City somehow found themselves back in the game.

Whereas United sought to soak up pressure in the first half and hit City on the break with some fantastic interplay in the middle third, often with the ball zipped out wide with pace (Evra and Jones were ambitious in attack), City responded in kind with a similar approach in the second. Zabaleta and Kolarov pushed high on Nani and Valencia, trying to force the error and then getting up in support of Aguero, with Nasri in behind. But overall it was clear that – in the most important area of the field, the centre (and an area where United are typically weaker than their Manchester counter-parts) – United out-fought and out-thought their opponent, with Fergie quick to capitalise on the loss of the excellent paring of Toure and Barry. With Rooney and Giggs close together, Carrick dropped very deep at times (astutely cutting up the play as ever), which subsequently allowed Jones and Evra to push very high and support the counter-attacks. The first two goals came from top quality wide-play from Valencia and Evra respectively, and Giggs was instrumental in the first and third goals from the centre.

Rooney and Giggs link up play superb

Fergie kept faith with the pair despite a poor showing in Newcastle midweek, but his gamble paid off. With the advantage he had from starting from a deeper position than usual, Rooney was able to benefit from being closer to Giggs (who started ahead of Anderson and Park) and Carrick, and the resulting link-up play, especially in the final third was the key to this result. Albeit helped by the loss of City’s regular holding two central midfielders in Toure and Barry (both have been superb this term), Rooney was able to constantly exploit the space between the lines, sitting on De Jong when without the ball, and moving away from him when in possession. (In fact, De Jong’s vertical movement and lack of overall midfield finesse is probably the reason he has struggled this season, especially in a midfield two, and Barry simply offers more variety in there.)

The first goal was a classic United goal, with Giggs picking up the ball deep and finding Rooney unmarked, the ball was slipped out wide to the oncoming Valencia who returned the ball with great precision (and yet another assist for the flying Ecuadorian) as Rooney was able to finish with his head in off the bar – a goal similar in style to the Scholes winner here two seasons ago. Giggs was also heavily involved in the third; finding Rooney again after a poor clearance from Pantimillon, then having received the ball again on the edge of the area, played a cute through ball into Welbeck’s stride which inevitably drew the penalty. Rooney missed, but then headed home the rebound for 3-0, and essentially game over.

Smalling outstanding

It was a timely return for Smalling who has been suffering from tonsillitis recently, and with United’s struggles at centre half in recent outings his performance alongside Ferdinand was commanding, and important to the outcome of the game. Smalling had to contend with some fantastic movement from Aguero who played somewhat of a false nine role, but the youngster dealt with him in much the same way as he did Tevez last season at Old Trafford, marshalling him away from goal; putting his foot in early; showing him out wide and generally winning anything that came his way in the air. The last minute of the game typified his performance, as he was first to react to another Lindegaard spill, twenty seconds later, rising high again to head the ball clear as Kolarov launched one final effort into the box. With Jones having played relatively poor in such a pivotal position of late (we have one won in the last six he has started at centre half), Smalling’s return will bolster the back line, and the former Blackburn man will seek to continue his education at right back (as well as perhaps enjoy an occasional outing in central midfield).

Red Card and Penalty Claims

Kompany’s red card, on the face of it, with some confusing commentary and analysis from ITV today, was a little harsh. However, by the laws of the game, Foy has to send the Belgian off for the challenge on Nani. He may well have led with one foot, but his trailing foot performs a scissor movement, and on the follow-through it is clear that both feet leave the ground, with studs showing. Harsh yes, given that Nani had pulled away and the directive has only been introduced in recent years, but other than that Mancini can have no real complaints when he sees it again. As we have seen recently with the Spearing tackle at Fulham for example, it is not about whether the ball was won or not, but the ‘endangering an opponent’ by conducting a tackle in this way. Referee’s must air on safety, and the law, every time.

In the second half there were two penalty claims. Firstly we had Kolarov’s challenge on Valencia just inside the penalty area, then we had a City claim for a Jones handball. Replays show that Valencia was beyond the defender before being brought down, and City were lucky to avoid conceding a second penalty with the score at 1-3. At the other end, Jones’ ‘natural’ position of his hand saved him from a potential spot-kick decision.

Scholes returns

There is no hiding away from the fact that Scholes’ return to the set up is somewhat worrying given our recent failed attempts to strengthen this area of the field in the transfer market (Nasri and Sneijder notably). It is clear that Scholes isn’t the answer to our midfield conundrum, but at the same time we must look at the move in the fuller context. Fergie has confirmed that it was Scholes who approached the club about a potential return, not the other way round, and has apparently been training daily since his emotional bow-out at Old Trafford in the summer. Fergie will know too well that – as per last season – Scholes’ use will have to be sporadic, and used in games such as today to ‘see the match out’. He has come back in with a passion that has seemingly not left him, at a time when Cleverley and Anderson have been out for lengthy bouts, and forays into the transfer market have failed to prosper – yet. United continue to search for the elusive answer in such a vital compartment on the field (no you can’t just name a decent mid-table midfielder and claim that he would ‘fit the bill’), and there are positive signs that the club are working hard behind the scenes. Some may say the move smacks of desperation, but it could also be a sign of the very opposite: not being forced into a signing that doesn’t make sense for either the club or player. The hope then is that big investment is on the way; surely, with or without Scholes, it can only be a matter of time.

In Summary

United needed to give a high calibre performance today, and for the most part they did. As ever in these fixtures, the first goal is of vital importance, and United took advantage of some slack midfield play by City, allowing Valencia and Rooney to combine so well. Mancini did miss the ever-emerging influence of Balotelli, but he especially missed the midfield duo of Barry and Toure – not only for their individual talents but also their combination play, which has been so crucial to their success thus far. Rooney and Giggs in particular were able to capitalise, and the performances of Welbeck, Evra, Valencia and Smalling were also encouraging given the recent ‘crisis’.

Fergie wasn’t happy with the cautious approach of his side in the second half, but you also couldn’t blame them given the 6-1 defeat and the fact that our relentless ambition then allowed City to open us up at the back so easily. De Gea will be wanting a swift return to the side after another edgy performance from the Dane and Nani is yet to re-find his mojo (the failed flick which ultimately led to the second City goal must have angered Ferguson). But United will look to respond now in the league having taken this psychological scalp, and Fergie will surely want to win the F.A. Cup this season given his love for competition and for the fact it has been a while. Next up, Liverpool away at Anfield.

Author: Doron

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With City beating Liverpool yesterday, United had to win at Newcastle – something they’ve done fairly often – in order to keep the pressure on their rivals. A response to the Blackburn result was needed for United whilst Newcastle’s own lacklustre display at Anfield couldn’t be repeated. Ferdinand returned along with Giggs and Rooney whilst Lindegaard was chosen in goal.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Newcastle fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Lindegaard in as De Gea is dropped

On Friday at his pre-match press conference, Fergie quite firmly stated that he’d play De Gea in goal against both Blackburn and Newcastle. De Gea went on to have a poor game and was one of the factors resulting in a home defeat to Blackburn.

When the team was announced today, Lindegaard was in goal. Amazingly, Fergie had gone against his word and to the surprise of many he even admitted he’d dropped De Gea because of his mistakes. Lindegaard would go on to have a decent enough game – he could do nothing about Ba’s stunning finish, nor Cabaye’s perfect free kick; however he was partly at fault for a communication break-down for the third goal.

I’ve stated before that it’s my belief that De Gea will go on to have a fabulous career at United; I’ve also said that the only way he’ll learn is to be played and get the mistakes out of his system. However, we need a bit of consistency between the stick – if for now, Anders is the right man for the job, then so be it. Give him a period of games in goal and bring De Gea back in when the time is right.

Too many poor performers (again)

Park – there are games that are made for him, that bring out his best attributes – work-rate most obviously. Tonight would have been perfect for him had United taken the lead however once the game was being chased, Park’s attacking abilities were rendered somewhat useless. He’s a better player going forward than he gets credit for but his crossing was poor and he wasn’t getting high enough up the pitch. Despite trying to hold a wide position, his natural instinct is to cut inside and it forced United to play too narrow at times.

Rooney – one of the most forgettable Rooney displays ever which culminated in seeing him subbed off. His movement was poor, his touch often dreadful and his general involvement and enthusiasm was missing. I maintain that when he’s paired with Welbeck, he’s better. As soon as Danny came on and made good runs, space appeared for Rooney. Was a classic ‘moan at everyone else’ Rooney night.

Berbatov – six goals in his previous three appearances was enough to earn him a third consecutive start. His contribution though was minimal. With the exception of a header on goal, he only touched the ball once in the final third of the pitch. His lack of urgency and general deep position gave neither Giggs nor Carrick much to aim at when in possession. Unsurprisingly, United’s game was expanded, stretched and moved higher up the pitch when Welbeck replaced him. Neat touches and sublime control aside, Berbatov proved exactly why Fergie’s left him out in the bigger games this season.

Nani – when he’s good he’s unplayable but when he’s not it shows how important he is to us. Tonight certainly ranks in the “poor” column. It wasn’t so much for him being selfish or not working hard but more that his final ball was awful. He attempted 8 crosses and only one found a United player – most were blocked by the first or second defender. Had it not been for the three players already mentioned having poor games, Fergie may well have considered putting Rafael at right back and moving Valencia onto the right wing with Nani taking an early bath.

Jones – another game at centre back, with another partner, and another poor performance. Jones’ start at United has been exciting but his performances at centre back have hit home that there’s much he has to improve on. Previously it’s been a case of poor positioning and awareness of where opposition strikers are; today though, as it was against Blackburn, he couldn’t handle physical opponents (Ameobi and Ba).

Chalkboard 1: Ferdinand and Jones tackles

Jones never seemed sure whether to commit to a tackle and get close or allow Ba/Ameobi the chance to try and control a ball before committing. Either way, it failed him on 7 out of 15 occasions. Fit again Ferdinand though showed Jones just how to do it, winning all of his tackles.

Hard-working, high-pressing from Newcastle wins the game

Newcastle’s victory came as a result of a hard-working team display. The tone was set by Ba and Ameobi who harassed and harried Ferdinand and Jones every time they were in possession.

Chalkboard 2: Ameobi and Ba tackling heatmap

The heatmap above shows just how high up the pitch Ameobi and Ba attempted their tackles – 100% within the United half and 80% of Ameobi’s in the final third of the pitch. It meant that Newcastle forced Jones and Ferdinand into either long balls or a pass back to Lindegaard to clear. Effectively, Newcastle choked United and where possible cut-out the middle men, Carrick and Giggs.

The desire to win the ball back and in general not allow United space continued past the strikers into the midfield. United’s wingers were often doubled-up on and in the middle a new challenge faced United – two very different styles of defensive play. Tiote was excellent, getting at United players fast and snapping away whereas Cabaye chose not to engage in physical contact but merely faced up to the United midfield, forcing them to try and play around him.

In defence, Newcastle chose to mix-up their strategy. They pressed high when United had the ball deep, squeezing the space available but when United had the ball in their half, they dropped deep, getting everyone back and ensuring no space behind them could be exploited.

The result of it all was that Newcastle became the first side in the league to keep a clean sheet against United and perfectly exemplified a couple of things. The first, worryingly is just how easy it’s becoming for teams to defend against United – men behind the ball works because United’s forwards are somewhat inconsistent and opposition sides are getting better players. Secondly, and the myth exists, teams always raise their game against United – we’re still their (plural) biggest game of the season and that automatically tends to raise performance levels.

Demba Ba

It would be wrong not to praise Ba after he tormented United. I never realised just how all-rounded he was – big but fully aware of how best to use his frame and he’s quick as well. His touch is excellent and both his hold-up play and link-up very good. His goal was a beautiful finish, it came from a nothing long-ball and whilst Ferdinand may be angry with himself, criticism would seem harsh for what was such an instinctive shot.

As United fell behind and had to chase the game, Ba profited. United committed men forward and huge gaps started to appear between the midfield and defence. Newcastle’s long-ball policy worked a dream as both Ba and Ameobi were able to latch onto almost everyone knowing that they had so much space around them.

What next for United?

As ever, there is something of a circus when United lose, let alone lose two games in a row. My dad who at best is a part-time football fan text me saying “I see United are in a crisis” – he wasn’t trying to wind me up but because of the success United have had, that’s the response of so many fans, both those who support the club and those, like my dad who don’t!

If United are “falling apart” (another phrase he used later on) then City who are just three points ahead must be creaking too. The reality check is that whilst United have flaws, we’re somehow still in a fight at the right end of the table (and that’s with all the injuries we’ve had too).

I know it’s hard for many to accept, especially because it’s used a lot, but this is a ‘transition’ side and may well be for another 18-24 months. It’s the phasing out of certain players and the phasing in of others, some of whom are yet to even make their PL debuts. We have no divine right to win every tournament every year, we of course expect to be competitive, but we can’t always be the best. We’ve been there before and we’ve seen how Fergie has re-built and ultimately gone on to win domestic and European trophies.

The centre midfielder issue remains, and probably won’t go away any time soon. Fergie clearly has faith in youngsters like Pogba and Tunnicliffe but they’re not ready yet and the reality is, some kind of good enough stop-gap (maybe Parker?) should have been acquired. Yet many forget that this side who apparently are rubbish and need revamping, were “amazing” only a few weeks ago after QPR and Fulham. Let’s not even begin to consider where we might be had it not been for all the injuries we’ve had. Our squad’s not great but it’s certainly not as bad as many try to make out that it is.

I wouldn’t say I have blind-faith; I’m not an eternal optimist but I think I try to be a realist where possible and right now I believe in the project that we have going on. I fully support our youth players and think some will have good careers at the club. I think that in the Da Silvas, Smalling, Jones, Cleverley, Welbeck etc we have exciting youngsters. It’s just a case of adding a marquee signing maybe to it all and allowing time for maturity before we hopefully will reap the rewards again of another Fergie-team. Patience is very rare in modern football but United fans have been good at it in the past, and may have to do so again now.

Summary

United missed the chance to put pressure on City and now have only a three point gap to Spurs who have a game in hand after a heavy 3-0 defeat at Newcastle. For once the team consisted of a more familiar midfield and defence but still lacked some balance.

The early exchanges and first half in general was fairly even with neither side creating any kind of opening – Berbatov’s deflected header hit the post and a moment of quality from Ba gave Newcaslte the half time lead. Ba’s goal arrived as Jones was beaten too easily in the air by Ameobi and his flick moved the ball into Ba’s stride and his volley nestled in past Lindegaard.

The second goal was the real killer as a Jones foul gave away a free kick 30 yards out which Cabaye expertly dispatched – again, no chance for Lindegaard. Jones ensured he played a part in every Newcastle goal by mis-judging a long kick from Krul late on and putting it into his own net as he failed to note that Lindegaard had moved.

A dour performance was only made worse by United’s attacking ineptness and a lack of thrust until Welbeck’s arrival – although by then the damage was already done. Next up is a trip to Man City in the FA Cup on Sunday. Realistically, United could lose three in a row but if ever there was a team to stop the run of defeats against, it must be City! Onwards and upwards – our faith and patience is going to continue to be tested!

Author: Doron

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United ended 2011 with a home game against Blackburn, the league’s bottom side before kick-off. It marked the halfway point in the league season and enabled United to end the year at the top of the table should they get at least a point. Blackburn however had other ideas and despite conceding more away goals than any other side, they recorded their first away win of the season to move off the foot of the table.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Blackburn fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Team selection and missing men

United made four changes from the team that beat Wigan with De Gea, Jones, Welbeck and for his first league appearance of the season, Rafael coming in. Most telling though was that the centre back pairing of Carrick and Jones was the successful centre midfield pairing at QPR less than two weeks earlier.

United’s lack of fit central midfielders and in general squad was evident as Valencia and Carrick continued at the back; Park and Rafael played in central midfield and Welbeck was asked to play on the left. Only Diouf and an unfit Anderson represented senior players on the bench.

Whilst no explanation was offered for Giggs’ absence, Rooney and Gibson were dropped following an evening out a few days prior. Evans was also fined for the alcohol-fuelled adventure but was injured anyway. Personally I think Fergie got this wrong – he was right to fine the players but given how low on numbers United were, Rooney and Gibson should have at least been on the bench. It meant that excluding Macheda who was finalising a loan to QPR and Giggs who was unaccounted for, United had 11 players missing and were forced into involving unfit players.

Various poor performances and goalkeeper rotation

Despite Jones and Carrick winning 9 of their 11 tackles in the game, the pair got bullied by Yakubu. Carrick of course isn’t a centre back but lost out in the physical battle with Yakubu and was drawn out by him too easily. Jones at centre back is more of a concern. He’s yet to look convincing playing in that position; he’s turned way too easily and a combination of lack of awareness leading to poor positioning let him down too often.

As expected, Rafael’s enthusiasm was endearing and his energy despite missing so much football was good. He isn’t a central midfielder though and seemed way too static in possession:

Chalkboard 1: Rafael passing heatmap

As shown above, Rafael seemed concerned with ensuring he stuck to his side of the pitch, often covering for Nani’s runs forward or doubling up with Valencia. A key characteristic of United’s central midfielder though is there ability to drift all over the pitch – even Carrick when instructed to sit deep doesn’t stick to one side of the pitch.

What Rafael and Park did bring though was work-rate and bite. With Blackburn playing 55% of their passes in the middle third of the pitch, Rafael and Park were kept busy and did reasonably well at winning the ball back.

Chalkboard 2: Rafael and Park tackles

The biggest disappointment of the afternoon came from De Gea. He’s only just turned 21 and it’ll take plenty of time for him to grow, bulk out and get used to English football but his flap for Blackburn’s third goal was one flap too many. He needs to learn and has to do so fast. It was suggested to me on Twitter by David Evans that De Gea may have actually been fouled:

De Gea fouled?

Even if he was fouled, he never really looked like getting close to the ball and had flapped at a cross a few minutes earlier in the game. Even the second goal was a bit dodgy, he seems to like to go down with his feet in front of him and whilst this has seen him make some extraordinary saves, he also has a tendency to get beaten through his legs as a result.

The important thing now is to pick a number one. I’d pick De Gea – he’s been bought as the long-term goalkeeper and he will come good, I don’t doubt that. The only way he’ll learn now is to play games and gain experience of the Premier League even if there are more mistakes to come. He’ll of course be helped by a settled and experienced back four consisting of defenders – it’s hardly been the easiest start for him in that respect.

The problem of course is Lindegaard – when he’s played he’s done well but he has been picked in ‘easier’ games and whilst I don’t have the stats to hand, De Gea’s been considerably the busier of the two goalkeepers. Ferguson quite emphatically said on Friday that De Gea would start against Blackburn and Newcastle and said that the reason for the rotation was to protect David and allow him time to observe and learn. The way forward now is with De Gea, even if it takes him another year to learn, he will do so – the lack of a consistently settled back four cannot be underestimated too.

Worth pointing out by the way that once again, De Gea’s distribution was exceptional – he only gave the ball away twice and some of his long-ball passing, as a sweeper-keeper was scarily accurate.

Valencia continues good form and Evra too does well

If one had to pick out some positives from the game, aside from two more goals from Berbatov, it would have been the fullbacks. After performances below the standard we’ve been used to, Evra’s recent form (with the exception of the first half at QPR) has been superb. Once again, against Blackburn he was excellent and at his best as an attacking force.

Chalkboard 3: Evra and Valencia heatmap

Amazingly, Evra and Valencia played 74% and 78% (respectively) of the their passes inside the Blackburn half. Valencia in particular was always looking to get crosses in and as a result Blackburn were forced into making an amazing 81 clearances and 8 blocks. Valencia was though rewarded with his 7th assist in 5 games and is now United’s leading joint assister.

Two teams with Academy products

Our preview highlighted some of the youngsters who are currently getting games in the Blackburn side. Hanley, Henley and Lowe in particular were excellent. Despite his failings, Kean’s persistence and faith in youth hasn’t been praised enough and maybe that’s one reason why Fergie seems to like him so much.

It wasn’t just Blackburn who were showing off some of their new generation though; United finally gave a debut to William Keane who played the last 9 minutes. The young striker was singled out for praise by Ferguson on Friday in his press conference and has been excellent in the Reserves this season. His appearance off the bench ahead of Diouf just shows how far he’s come. Larnell Cole, Paul Pogba and Zeki Fryers were also on the bench. United’s youngsters are making progress into the first team much sooner than anyone expected yet caution must still be preached. Fergie’s use of them so far has been perfect and no doubt he’ll continue to give them minutes where possible.

A big week ahead

United travel to Newcastle on Wednesday – a tough fixture at a side who’ve been good this season. Yet the defeat to Blackburn will only spur them on and actually, Newcastle’s home record isn’t nearly as good as one might think. They’ve taken 15 points from 27 and thirteen clubs have scored as many or more goals at home than them.

Following the trip to the north-east, United are at City in the FA Cup on Sunday – a huge chance to try and disrupt the form of their rivals. City though have a big task up against Liverpool in the league beforehand and like United, the lost in the last round of fixtures.

Summary

United suffered a shock home defeat to Blackburn despite dominating the game and having nearly 30 efforts on goal. It was Blackburn’s first away league win of the season, lead by Yakubu who now has 12 league goals for them. His first came from the penalty spot after Berbatov hauled down Samba. His second was a goal of his own making as he broke through all too easily before beating De Gea at his near post. United did get back level as Berbatov twice turned in crosses from Rafael and Valencia. Despite pressure on their goal, Blackburn went ahead as Grant Hanley beat De Gea in the air from a corner before heading home unchallenged.

Luckily, United remain joint top after City slipped up at Sunderland but with Spurs chasing hard, only a win will do at Newcastle.

Authors: Doron and Nik

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United played Wigan in their penultimate game of 2011. A 100% record against The Latics was likely to be extended – Wigan had only ever scored one goal at Old Trafford previously and United have entered into some good form. Jones and Smalling were surprise absentees through illness whilst Lindegaard kept his place in goal. Rooney was rested giving Hernandez and Berbatov the chance to shine. What followed was a routine dismantling of Martinez’s side.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Wigan fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Berbatov (by Nik)

Dimitar Berbatov scored a hat-trick and seemed to exude the kind of poetic nonchalance that has become a symbol of his style of play in a United shirt. It wasn’t a thoroughbred performance, and nor was it his finest, yet this kind of display is the very reason the Bulgarian remains at the club, four seasons on. Whether it was the dropping deep into his own half to start the move that led to the first goal or his Cantona-esque cushioned chest to Park in the closing stages, Berbatov’s creativity and eye for a pass is surely now only under-appreciated by the small minority at Old Trafford. As well as bringing others into the game of course, he can finish; he showed great body strength to control a bouncing ball on the edge of the six-yard box (albeit holding off the ageing Caldwell!) and had the determination to swivel and finish neatly to score United’s second.

Berbatov’s second goal came later in the game when he received a pass from the barnstorming Valencia, let it run across his body with the faintest of touches, and finished superbly with the outside of his foot from just inside the penalty area. A word on his penalty too: The feint and neat placement was reminiscent of Cristiano’s technique and works a treat if indeed the goalkeeper is fooled, and was rightly lauded. I cant help but remember the absurd abuse he received for attempting a very similar style against Everton’s Tim Howard at Wembley – a penalty which was ‘lazy’ and ‘indicative of his performance levels’.

What is pleasing for Ferguson is that he now has four fully fit strikers at his disposal, each providing a different option as we enter the second half of the season; and although Berbatov may have to bide his time on the bench due to the prolific scoring Hernandez and the ever improving Welbeck, it is clear that manager will choose the appropriate games for the big man to start (yesterday he commented that he required Berbatov’s height for example). It is not a matter of manager ‘distrust’, simply that the other three offer a style of play more suited to United’s fluid forward-play at the moment, and Fergie continues to play the man in form, a tactic that has served him more than well over the years.

The squad is healthy (by Nik)

Ferguson was his fiery self in the programme notes yesterday, stating:

“…let me make this clear that as far as I am concerned I am the one marching perfectly in step, true to my beliefs and principles. All things being equal, I am perfectly satisfied with the strength of our squad in terms of depth, quality and age range….it is a judgement based on years of experience and the input of our extremely knowledgeable and shrewd coaching staff….”

It may seem odd quoting from Ferguson’s notes, but it is very pertinent given the subsequent 5-0 drumming that a United second team delivered here; a second team that had fans up in arms, and worried about the result.

Firstly, I’d like to start by saying that each of us here at Stretford-End.com would be in favour of a central midfield recruit, indeed given Anderson’s demise and Fletcher’s continued absence, possibly two. However, there does seem to be some false logic being applied amongst some fans; it doesn’t necessarily follow that the current squad is ‘poor’ just because the team failed to progress in the Champions League (Poor displays yes! Poor selection yes!) and City were ‘running away with it’ in the league (as this tabloid response tried to implore just over two weeks ago).

Nobody denies that there are genuine concerns about the debts that are being run up by the Glazer regime, nor that it isn’t an emotive and sincere issue; what is frustrating is rather the repeated (and opportunistic) claims by fans and media alike, that Fergie has his hands tied and that the squad is in perpetual decline just because our ‘Net Spend’ (a term now to be found in the football dictionary) is lower than any of the ‘top four’ teams.

It seems an unnecessary point to make that of course United’s would be considerably less than the (essentially flawed) quick fix approach of Abramovich’s Chelsea; than that of City and the squad overhaul that has been entirely necessary (Toure for Ball anyone?); than that of the vast rejuvenation required at Anfield (£35m for Carroll please sir). That Fergie has also been criticised in the past for buying £30m plus signings in the form of Veron, Ferdinand, Berbatov et al that struggled to settle, and has subsequently altered his approach to the market. Hernandez, Lindegaard, Smalling and Valencia have been impossibly fantastic cheaper additions to the squad, and were brought in, in a timely manner. (not to mention that Fergie’s investment in Nani now seems to be paying dividends too.)

Squad planning and preparation is undoubtedly a manager’s hardest job, and Ferguson has always matched his eye for talent with a frugal approach. In fact, add an extra £30m to that net spend figure, because it is highly likely – given the knowledge that Nasri was indeed due to sign, and Sneijder did turn us down – that United will sign an extra midfielder in the near future, giving us a squad which is at the very least, on a par with City’s. Just give the boss (and his trusted scouts) time to do so …

Evra & Carrick defensive roles (by Nik)

In somewhat of a similar role that Mascherano assumes for Barcelona, Carrick was thrown in at the back yesterday given the injuries/ illness to the likes of Smalling, Jones, Ferdinand and Vidic. Of course, this wasn’t an attempt by Ferguson to replicate the success of Guardiola’s 3-3-1-3 formation, but it was notable how Carrick was asked to play slightly ahead of Evans (just as Ferdinand has been in the last month or so, depicted by Doron here), and his application and positioning in this role was outstanding all game. As you can see from the chalkboard his passing range was a mix of calm authority (seeing the whole game ahead of you helps in this regard) and ambition. Carrick worked hard to track his man (more often Sammon) and sought to nick the ball just before the forward got to it – often close to the half-way line. But the central midfielder was often true to his roots as he ventured forward at times, joining the attack and putting one or two dangerous crosses into the box. In the second half, Carrick neatly laid the ball into Valencia’s path on the half-volley to score with a cracking first time effort.

Chalkboard 1: Carrick passing and Evra tackles

Evra had another good game following on from his exploits at Fulham; he was his lively self in the first half, assisting the opener for Park with a jinxing run that beat two defenders – but he was also disciplined at the back, across the 90 minutes. In the first half, before his move to centre-back, you can see from the chalkboard that three of his tackles came in central and right, deep positions. With a recent onus on the centre-half getting forward, Evra has often been the player to cover, tucking in ever so slightly and trying to intercept the ball before it reaches the striker on the counter-attack. It is perhaps for this reason, the criticism of his positional play has been unduly heavy this term, but his performances (aside from the odd half) have been far from ‘poor’ – Fergie once again praised the Frenchman after the game, commenting on his ‘superb leadership as captain’. In the second half yesterday, Evra was asked to play centre-back with Fryers playing to the left, and he was his usual combative self, attacking every ball, tackling well and initiating attacks.

Valencia’s smiling (by Doron)

Few sights are as endearing as Antonio Valencia’s big beaming smile. It’s probably not seen enough by United fans, not because he doesn’t play well but because he tends to be quite straight faced regardless of what he does on the pitch. However, he has reason to smile and finally, after smashing home an arrowed angled effort for his first league goal of the season.

Having taken a while to get going, disrupted by injury and Fergie’s preference of Nani and Young early in the season, Valencia got his chance after the side lost to Basel and he hasn’t looked back. His confidence and pace have returned and suddenly he’s keen to take men on again and get a cross in. He was deployed at right back against Wigan and spent much of the Fulham game there too. The two fixtures showed exactly why Valencia’s making that right hand side his own.

Chalkboard 2: Valencia tackles vs Fulham and passes vs Wigan

Valencia’s tackling accuracy this season has only just been above 50% but in recent weeks as his confidence has returned, he’s becoming more of a force in challenges. Against Fulham he won 4 out of his 6 tackles and as he has shown time again, he’s a very able covering right back. Against Wigan, with United dominating, he played almost as a right winger making 59% of his passes in the final third of the pitch. It was a welcome site to see him attempting to play so many balls into the box, something he got another assist for when Berbatov made it 3-0. It was Valencia’s sixth assist in just four games. Having praised Nani as the league’s best winger, it’s possible that Valencia with one goal and six assists in four games is the league’s most in-form winger (despite playing as a fullback).

Park and Gibson come good as injuries mount (by Doron)

Illness struck both Jones and Smalling down pre-match meaning Carrick and Valencia had to drop into defence. At half time Jonny Evans went off with a calf injury to leave just Evra as the only fully fit first team defender (Rafael isn’t match fit yet and Zeki Fryers is still on the fringes of the first team). It meant that the midfield required two players to slot in – Young’s injured so Park played on the left and with Carrick at the back, Gibson’s the only other fit first team central midfielder and so he started next to Giggs.

Chalkboard 3: Park passing heatmap and tackles

Despite starting on the left, Park spent his game drifting all over as shown by his passing heatmap. When Evra was at left back, Park moved inside to drag players away, creating space for Evra. In the second half, with United keen to protect Zeki Fryers, the focus of their attacks shifted even more centrally and to the right hand side so Park naturally moved further infield. However, much like his performance against Chelsea last season at home, some of Park’s best work was done off the ball. He was constantly fighting to win it back and made five successful tackles all over the pitch. Just as Carrick and Valencia have come to the fore, Park’s form will be a welcome boost for United as the squad players enter into form as good as the regularly starting players.

The other squad player to play well yesterday (albeit against poor and depleted opposition) was the much-maligned Darron Gibson. He took the Carrick-role to allow Giggs to play with creative license.

Chalkboard 4: Gibson passing

As shown by Gibson’s passing chalkboard, he saw a lot of the ball and was accurate in his passing (to the tune of 95%). There was no sign of panicking or trying anything over-elaborate, Gibson just kept finding the spare United man over and over, becoming the central outlet for United players. Almost every move went through him at some point and he added an assist to his impressive display. Gibson’s benefited from little pressure on him during the game but having missed all the season through injury so far and with the side needing more midfield bodies, it was a performance that United needed.

Summary

United went joint top with Man City after recording a second successive 5-0 win in the league. For the third game in a row United took the lead inside the opening ten minutes and then the game was effectively killed off with the harsh sending off of Conor Sammon for a hand in Carrick’s face. Berbatov notched a hat-trick upon his recall to the side (he’d only played 36 minutes at home in the league previously this season) and there were welcome goals for Park and Valencia.

Wigan must hate facing United – in 14 games they’re yet to do anything other than lose, scoring just four goals and conceding a whopping 46. Fergie must be delighted with United’s response to losing to Basel – his call for goals has been met with 16 in four games and since losing to City they’ve kept seven clean sheets in nine league games.

United can end 2011 top of the table with a draw or a win at home to Blackburn on New Years Eve; a perfect way to end yet another successful year. For a ‘rubbish’ United side, they’re not all that bad!

Author: Stretford_End

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Manchester United’s second game in London in the space of four days saw the champions smash five past a sorry Fulham side. United had not won at Craven Cottage in the league since the 2007/08 season. Since that 3-0 win, United have lost twice (including a heavy 3-0 defeat where Sir Alex was forced to play with Carrick and Fletcher at the back) and drawn one – so an empathic win was overdue. Danny Welbeck, Ryan Giggs, Luis Nani, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov scored the goals for United, who are now two points behind Manchester City in their quest for an unprecedented twentieth league title.

De Gea & Lindegaard distribution and Deep Fulham

Back in July, Bricki wrote an article on how two goalkeepers may go into one this season – highlighting that both De Gea and Lindegaard will have to share responsibility in goal.

Turns out, although not an exact split of appearances, Lindegaard has made more first team appearances than many expected following the arrival of the talented Spanish goalkeeper. De Gea has made 18 appearances, whilst Lindegaard has made six. Tonight, Sir Alex went with the Dane, who had a very sturdy second half following a better performance from Fulham – who were very poor in the first half.

How easy Fulham made it for United can be highlighted in the Guardian chalkboard below showing how deep they sat for the first forty five minutes:

QPR did target Patrice Evra in the first half, which is where most of the tackles occurred, but generally put in more tackles higher up the pitch than Fulham. This allowed Michael Carrick, who has been simply superb for the last few games, to drop deep and pick the ball up from his goalkeeper – something Carrick excels at:

With Fulham sitting so deep, Lindegaard was able to play the ball into Carrick (whilst De Gea was forced to play longer against QPR), who – as usual – used the ball extremely well, only conceding possession five times (90% pass completion). Of course when Fulham did venture forward and committed men, United were blistering on the counter attack, playing some wonderful one touch football on the flanks, a jot to watch. As mentioned Lindegaard made some decent saves second half, but was untroubled in the first half due to how deep Fulham were.

Nani Wizardry

Manchester United’s 2010/11 player of the season was again at his menacing best at Craven Cottage, assisting two goals and scoring the second with a well taken header. We’ve discussed the impact of Luis Nani in depth many times on the blog, highlighting how far he has come in his development since 2009. He was extremely unlucky that he lost out in key games towards the end of last season following a drop in form and the return of Antonio Valencia.

I’ve had a discussion with many Reds over the past few months, who agreed that Nani’s best performances came when he started on the right hand side of the pitch. He was no doubt given this freedom, last season, due to the injury suffered by Valencia against Rangers in the Champions League, however he took the opportunity with both hands. Against Fulham, he was a constant menace – left of right – and his first assist was superb, despite some questionable defending, for Welbeck to hit home.

This time last season Nani was the key man for United, I’m sure he’ll have a big say in a number of games over the festive period as well.

Goals, Goals, Goals

United have now notched up eleven goals in three league games (against Wolves, QPR and Fulham). If we look at the last time United scored eleven goals in consecutive league games this season, we’d have to take the following opposition into account:

13 GOALS = Chelsea (3), Stoke City (1), Norwich (2), Liverpool (1), Manchester City (1), Everton (1), Sunderland (1), Swansea City (1), Newcastle United (1), Aston Villa (1)

11 GOALS = Wolves (4), QPR (2), Fulham (5)

I had to include Chelsea as 13 as United scored ten from Stoke City to Aston Villa, which is over two months of football. In the space of eleven days, United have matched that. So, did the 6-1 defeat to City have an impact on the attacking nature of the side? Is this the reason United had so many 1-0 victories in the league? Or is it simply the sides United have played against recently have been weaker?

Berbatov’s brilliant backheel

I hear it now. At 4-0 up, does it really matter that the mercurial Bulgarian smoothly backheeled the ball across the line, so effortlessly, to make it 5? Probably not, but what a player to have in your ranks to bring off the bench, especially over the Christmas period. There has been many talk of a transfer to PSG for Berbatov, but Ferguson has stated that he will remain a Manchester United player. It should be mentioned that Berbatov is more of a team player than people probably give him credit for. Against Leeds United earlier in the season he filled in, remember having had extremely little playing time, as a makeshift centre half for the final ten minutes. Many a ‘divaish’ striker would simply throw their hands up in the air, hands on hips and pout Ronaldo style – not Berbatov.

Match Conclusion

United were far too good for Fulham and the scoreline was fair reflection of the game. As discussed in the Lindegaard Talking Point, Fulham were far too deep and failed to put any pressure on Michael Carrick, who brushed the ball around with ease in the centre of the park. Ryan Giggs, as usual, defied biology and put in a superb performance, weaving around the frontline from midfield and notched up his first league goal of the season – meaning that he has now scored in every Premier League season and in every season that he has been a professional (90/91 he scored a single goal and in 91/92 he scored four) – an amazing achievement.

Nani was superb, setting up two and scoring with a header, whilst Rooney and Welbeck look like they are regaining their early season partnership form. One big concern is the injuries that United are picking up, with both Jones and Young leaving the field through injury. Phil Jones (who apparently is to have an X-ray on his cheekbone), who has made the most appearance this season, picked up a knock in the face following a Clint Dempsey elbow, whilst Ashley Young (who came on for Jones) looks like he has picked up a knee injury following a challenge with Dickson Etuhu. It will be interesting to see if either are selected for the next match at Old Trafford against Wigan Athletic.

United were good tonight against a Fulham side who never got out of second gear.

Author: Doron

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Manchester United temporarily went back to the top of the table after their most complete away performance of the season. An unchanged United side only put two goals past QPR – a scoreline that maybe flattered the hosts. United’s 8th away game of the season provided the fifth away clean sheet in the league – impressive considering that’s the same amount they managed in the entirety of last season’s away games in the league.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite QPR fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Carrick and Jones shine for the third game running

After Villa and Wolves we purred at the strange but effective central midfield pairing that’s emerging. Once again the pair performed well, in sync with one another.

Sir Alex joked after the game that he’d fine Michael Carrick for scoring – he ran forward 40+ yards with the ball and left his position. It’s nearly a year since we identified that Carrick was playing a deeper role for the club; one that Fergie described as “sitting”. That was on the whole evident this game. Carrick’s discipline gave Jones freedom to go box-to-box in performance worthy of comparison with a young Roy Keane.

Chalkboard 1: Jones and Carrick passing heatmaps

Carrick’s central discipline is outstanding. Few players are so good at holding their position so well, especially in a 4-4-2 (it’s much easier to do so like Lucas or Song do in a 4-5-1). So much so, that 34% of Carrick’s passes were made just inside United’s half in the centre and only 40% were made from within the QPR half. This gave Jones license to roam and be a ‘destroyer’. He played 56% of his passes from within the QPR half but was still clever enough (beyond his years) to hold deep on the odd occasion Carrick went forward.

This performance from Jones and Carrick is a wonderful example of how different styles of central midfield pairings can work. Anderson and Cleverley worked well as they moved as a unit, up and down the pitch together. Jones and Carrick against QPR worked in the other way – as one went forward, the other held just behind. The fruits of such a system were found with QPR’s midfield unsure whether to press or sit and ultimately both Jones and Carrick were able to make excellent forward runs when not in possession, leading to chances for both to grab goals (Carrick would of course make a goal for himself in the second half).

Despite Evra’s poor first half, the back four are solid

There was much outrage on popular social media forums when Garth Crooks named Patrice Evra in his team of the week on the BBC website. Garth either didn’t watch the first half or he’s a bad pundit. However, as poor as Evra was in the first half, he improved considerably second time round. He gets unfair levels of criticism come his way because not only are fans used to world class level performances from him but because there is no real alternative to him which is frustrating. His form though, is much better than many would choose to acknowledge.

Chalkboard 2: Evra and Smalling tackles

Between Evra and Smalling they completed 18 successful tackles – just under 43% of the entire United team in the game. With QPR losing the battle in the middle, they turned to width – the rapid Shaun Wright-Phillips who always seems to play well against United; and the direct, strong Jamie Mackie. The fact that Smalling didn’t lose a tackle is super impressive. He was excellent once again with the ball at his feet and is really becoming an outstanding young footballer. As for Evra, Garth Crooks was wrong to pick him in his team of the week, but he was nowhere near as bad as many want to believe.

In between the fullbacks, Ferdinand and Evans were formidable. Already since the game finished we’ve written about Rio’s resurgence and how he’s taken on board more of a leader’s role since Vidic’s injury. Evans, who like Evra has his criticisers, was imperious. It was maybe Jonny’s most convincing performance in 18 months for the club.

Chalkboard 3: Ferdinand and Evans clearances

Evans and Ferdinand didn’t have an easy game. Against Helguson and Bothroyd, two excellent players aerially, they made 28 clearances and repelled almost everything. Just one lapse in concentration coupled with an outstanding cross by Taarabt saw QPR have a clear sighter on goal.

Not only is Rio’s form crucial, but Evans, as his partner is stepping up to the huge task of replacing Vidic. Many will have had their concerns over Jonny but he’s starting to appease many. He’s managed to combine the calmness of Ferdinand with the brutality of Vidic and with regular game time he’s in excellent rhythm.

Gabbidon’s late arrival

As the second half kicked off, QPR’s Danny Gabbidon was nowhere to be seen. Yet, the referee was happy to restart the game, as were QPR. It nearly cost them as United won the ball on the left and Valencia’s long pass forward found the space that wasn’t occupied by Gabbidon, and had Rooney’s first touch been a bit better, he’d have been in through on goal unchallenged.

Valencia’s long pass finds Rooney where Gabbidon should have been

Gabbidon tries to run out onto the pitch late

Finally, Gabbidon comes on

United’s ‘chance creation’ improves and there’s a timely boost

A couple of smaller points to finish on – at long last United’s efforts on goal weren’t all hit from the edge of the area of from obscure angles. United created good, clear chances from open play and, surprisingly from set pieces. A combination of the woodwork, good goalkeeping and poor finishing was all that denied Evans (three times), Jones, Valencia, Welbeck and others from getting on the scoresheet.

Javier Hernandez was a surprise inclusion amongst the substitutes, returning early from an ankle ligament injury picked up away to Villa. He got 30 minutes at the end of the second half and whilst wasn’t overly involved in build-up play, he had a couple of efforts on goal including a smart half-volley late on that went just high and wide.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year?

United play three games before 2012 comes in – away to Fulham on Wednesday followed by home games against Wigan and Blackburn. The two home fixtures should be comfortable but the Fulham game poses a tough obstacle. City only play twice before the new year so United can end 2011 top of the table, albeit having played a game more. City host Stoke before travelling to West Brom on Boxing Day and Sunderland on New Year’s Day.

Three wins for United could make for a very good Christmas and new year!

Summary

United’s sixth away win of the season was the most convincing so far. Amazingly that’s already more away wins that the side achieved last year having played under half of their away games. The result and the clean sheet came with an exciting performance for once. Quick, neat, one-touch football unsurprisingly brought countless goalscoring chances as well as joy to a rapturous away end. The goals came at the perfect time – Rooney inside a minute continued his revival and added a masterclass of a performance to match; Carrick’s early in the second half killed the game.

Next up is a toughy at Fulham on Wednesday. All I want for Christmas is an unchanged line-up, more entertainment and more maximum points!