Mar 18
Title March continues without Van Persie
If you’re an individual whose feelings for football are about as abundant as Liverpool’s league titles since 1989, chances are that you’ll find March a rather pleasant month. Longer days, warm(ish) weather and Easter chocolate are all good reasons to be cheerful as the spring slowly, yet ever so steadily, replaces the winter with the same regularity with whom ‘Arry oversees clubs plunging into financial meltdown.
Personally, I have never liked March. All this talking of the title being within touching distance (I refuse to use words that would describe the title as if it had already been added to our trophy cabinet) and the insistency of pairing the words “done” and “dusted” is cringeworthy, considering we still have nine (NINE!) league games to go through.
Yes, 15 points are a relatively safe buffer but considering that we’re a one man team, we’re going to be exposed, given that our catalyst has recorded the grand total of one goal since 20 January and that without his presence, the worst Manchester United squad ever will undoubtedly come short in their quest for fourth place.
Sarcasm aside, Robin Van Persie’s season will still remain a stellar one even though his goalscoring vein has dried up in recent times. Nobody could expect the Dutchman to sustain such an incredible momentum over the nine, grueling months of a Premier League campaign, particularly when he had done exactly the same 12 months ago, dragging Arsene and Arsenal to a fourth place finish.
As United stuttered during the early months of the season (hardly a surprising statistic anyway, considering that we have only seldom hit the ground running) media and pundits alike, quickly branded us a “One Man Team”. Much as they had done with Ronaldo in 2007-08, they simply couldn’t accept that one player’s brilliance could be not only seized upon, but also enhanced by a collective effort.
Tabloids even produced statistics which showed United would be lying in mid-table had it not been for Robin Van Persie, candidly ignoring the fact that the Dutchman had indeed been purchased for his goalscoring abilities and to propel United’s title challenge.
Van Persie was undoubtedly unplayable from August to January, notching 19 league goals in the process, but others have contributed too. Wayne Rooney has 12 league goals from a meagre 17 starts, Javier Hernandez 8 despite starting only 6 games and appearing 9 times off the bench while Shinji Kagawa’s first season at Old Trafford has seen him finding the net 5 times in only 11 league starts.
Evans, Evra and Rafael have 10 goals combined, a vital contribution when one considers that United’s rearguard had produced only 3 league goals last season, courtesy of one apiece from Evans, Jones and Smalling.
The notion of one man team is even more ludicrous when one looks at statistics from previous seasons. In 2011-12, Wayne Rooney was United’s top-scorer in the league, netting twice as many league goals as second-best Javier Hernandez, yet United weren’t judged as harshly as they’ve been this season.
Rather than the 2009-10 season, when Rooney’s best goalscoring form at the club saw him netting 26 league goals, with Dimitar Berbatov a distant second with 12, United’s goalscoring record this year is reminiscent of the one that propelled the Reds to a record 19th league title in 2010-11.
Back then, Dimitar Berbatov, Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney all reached double figures, with Nani chipping in with 9, and while Shinji Kagawa might not add to his tally, the 10-goal mark is definitely within Hernandez’s reach and we shouldn’t forget that 17 players have found the net in the league for United this season, compared to the 15 of two seasons ago.
Ironically, what United had been accused of lacking in the early stages of the season has now become a stick to beat them with now that Van Persie has stopped scoring. A one man team to masquerade the paucity of options or a collective effort to disguise the lack of a real star? Some people really are hard to please.
As far as I’m concerned, as long as the goals keep coming from now until May, I won’t care who gets them, even if that means sitting through another nine, mind-numbingly boring 1-0 wins like Saturday’s.
Dan (@MUFC_dan87)
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Tags: Opinion Piece
The_Philosopher (408)
Redrich (221)
Opti (210)
Stephen (151)
Moscow (147)
We are no where near done with the title.
With 9 games to go that means that there are 27 points on offer. City only trail us by 15 points. We are still well within reach.
Ofcourse the probability of us dropping the majority of those 27 points on offer is decidedly low.
In fact all we need is a further 13 points and the title is mathematically beyond City.
If we get 13 out of the 27 points still up for grabs City can win all 27 points and still be just one point behind us.
Maybe we should start the countdown to the title. 13 more points to go!
On the subject of Robin van Persie. I think he has been good this season and utterly clinical at times. But I don’t think he deserves as much hype as he has gotten.
He is a goal scorer and he has done his job. And thats good. Van Persie has also notched up a handy collection of goal assists. He is also very versatile and he has been an asset to the team in so many other ways, offering his experience as a wise old head or throwing himself into the frey defensively as well, over and above his contributions up front.
But I am hesitant to give him superhuman status as it seems a lot of others are doing.
I think Robin van Persie is good. I don’t think he is a footballing God.
I think he is exceptional. But I don’t think he should be the focal point of the team. He is just another valuable quality player in our line up. He isn’t our only hope.
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@The_Philosopher: I’m with you on this one mate, no way it’s all over with still 27 points up for grabs. I think in the early stages of the season Van Persie was simply exceptional. Fairly evident was he has gone a bit off the boil: 1) Enormous effort last season, 2)No rest during the summer, 3)Enormous effort at the beginning of the season.
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This is well written Dan.
Actually we only have to sit through 4 more mind numbingly boring 1-0 wins and a draw to seal the title.
I would still like to see us buy someone like Lewandowski for times like this when our leading goal scorer goes off the boil.
Welbeck has not been amongst the goals this season so this season we have only had 3 strikers really.
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I had a dream (or call it a nightmare) that in the penultimate game of the season, Welbeck gets in on goal, 8 yards out, 1-on-1 with the goal-keeper and slices it wide for a throw-in.
Deep in my head, I know it’s over, but with not striker in top form and Welbeck playing every game, there is every reason why we may get 9 draws from next 9 games….
Who is Chicharito?
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@Opti: It is strange how Ferguson gives Chicharito such little game time.
His only crime is that he has been scoring goals.
What a weird punishment for scoring goals.
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Good article.
This is what I wrote (includes player ratings): http://insidesiralexfergusonstand.com/manchester-united-1-0-reading-review-rooneys-goal-enough/
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Good article.
This is what I wrote (includes player ratings): http://insidesiralexfergusonstand.com/manchester-united-1-0-reading-review-rooneys-goal-enough/
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Thank you Dan.. Its about time some1 came out and said it.. It is with great dissapointment that i say atleast 50% of MUFC fans are glory hunters who probably watch the highlights for any game that doesnt involve a big opposition.. It is these exact fans who worship RVP and believe the media that label RVP as a god and our beloved football club as a one man team.. Granted RVP has contributed significantly in putting us in the comfortable position we are in, but as mentioned earlier, scoring goals is his DUTY.. Wazza has had an incredable season in my opinion , inclusive of the fact that he has matured and is more than happy to witness his talisman status obliterated and cast in the shadow of our dutchman.. But in the 4 0 victory against norwich where the combination of wazza and kagawa leading the attack and doing so brilliantly, it would take an absolute fool to believe united rely solely on rvp.. Infact, truth be told, Michael Carrick has played just as much an integral part of our success as RVP has.. Hernandez has overcome the challenge of being the second option and still rallied up an above average goalscoring stat given the time he has had on the pitch.. Our fullbacks have been second to none and Rio Ferdinand has shown a maturity and consistency no fan would have dreamed of at the start of this campaign.. With regard to “the title is not over” argument, i must dissagree.. Yes, we dropped 8 points in a mere 5 games last season, but gentleman, that was a rare collapse that will never be repeated.. This is MUFC we are talking about, 13 points from 27, even if all 9 remaining fixtures were against City i would not be worried.. Please dont mistake me as naive, as far as im concerned wigan will get 13 points from their remaining 9.. Let the ghosts of last season not haunt us, this is MUFC, ofcourse we will find a way, this title is over, and the red ribbons will once again be attached to the trophy that belongs to us
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@zubz: Agree more or less. But…
“Wazza has had an incredable season in my opinion ”
In your opinion, only
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@zubz: Rooney’s season is worse than his last, and worst than the one before that. His downward spiral over the last 3 seasons is giving me vertigo. Please give the man a parachute before I cringe.
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Absolute nonsense Dan – this League is done and dusted.
With only 13 points to be contested between us and the second place team, and with how the schedule looks, this title is in the bag unless the bus crashes on the way to Sunderland.
In short, the combination of our points gained and the second place teams points lost will reduce the number of 13 exponentially.
I know you’re trying to make the next couple-o-months a finger-nail-biter but when citeh kneeled down to the Toffee’s it was game-set-match.
The big interest should be about whether we can beat Chelsea and then the bitters to gain the double.
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@Redrich: Done and dusted? I bet that’s exactly what you said after they lost at Arsenal last year. To each their own, but I won’t even entertain the idea of us lifting the trophy until we’re mathematically champions.
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Good for Rio to put his health before the lost cause.
If England has to rely on a player his age, they are already scraping an empty barrel.
We already know that SAF uses him carefully and so why have him stand in the way of desperate opposition that could ruin his, ours, rest of the season?
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