Feb 03
Tottenham 1-1 Man Utd: Tevez Rescues Point
Let’s get this straight: United didn’t deserve the point.
One may argue about United throwing everything at Spurs, towards the end, but then it is only natural to do that when you are behind by a goal.
Spurs were well organised, bolstered by the arrival of Alan Hutton (and Woodgate’s second appearance) who made Dawson appear better than he has been for them. Also Huddlestone and Jenas were ready to take the game to us.
I wouldn’t want to really blame SAF’s team selection. He picked the best XI possible. Scholes alongside Hargreaves; Giggs, Ronaldo on the wings; Tevez, Rooney up front; Brown, Vidic, Rio and Evra in defence. There is really nothing to complain about the selection. However, playing Rooney out wide really beggars belief.
We have seen time and again how badly the experiment to field Rooney wide has failed. What makes this development more curious is SAF’s comments on Rooney’s goal drought:
We told him after the game he doesn’t need to expend so much energy in midfield. Wayne worked too hard and that maybe cost him the opportunity to get goals.
So, surely, playing him out wide is not the solution? Oh well, he didn’t have a good game, which is being very generous. And it wasn’t just Rooney. Ronaldo, Tevez, Giggs and Scholes were all peripheral in the first half. I thought Hargreaves was the only player who did a decent job.
United were rattled as Ramos tried to instill the speed that characterized Sevilla’s attacks into Spurs. While we got away at home, in the FA Cup, we really couldn’t do much other than whine to the referee yesterday. You know things are not going your way when Wayne Rooney dives.
The introduction of Anderson gave our side a much needed impetus. Nani also injected some urgency when he replaced Giggs; the veteran winger having an entirely forgettable afternoon. It was also a measure of the way Anderson has continued to grow in the side — the change he brings to the side belies his age. Which brings us back to the midfield debate.
In Scholes, Carrick, Hargreaves and Anderson SAF has four very capable midfielders. However, as the English national side will attest, having excellent players may not necessarily transform into excellent partnerships. We have seen Scholes and Carrick last season do extremely well, and Anderson and Hargreaves do well this season. Hargreaves and Carrick has been uninspiring, while Scholes and Hargreaves wasn’t very encouraging yesterday.
Whatever be the partnerships, certain things got a little more clear yesterday. In Anderson we have a player who could send passes all round, go on a rampaging run and, at the same time, tackle tigerishly — all attributes of a well-rounded central midfielder. The only thing missing in his armoury is goals, and with age that should come; he came pretty close yesterday. Against Spurs, Scholes tended to play very deep and cut out his runs into the box — which is where he is usually very dangerous.
It was a late corner and a Tevez goal, thanks to some bad marking, that got us out of jail. However, Tevez was well out of the game before this and it was his only telling contribution throughout, although it was a crucial goal.
At the end of the day credit must be given to Ramos’ men for their performance in the first half, especially. But there must be genuine concern raised at the general poor play of our team — the lack of link up play, the misplaced passes. The boss will be angry with the number of yellow cards in the game and Rooney will be suspended from the derby game.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Rooney Out For A Month
- Manchester United 08/09 Away Kit Pics
- What Tevez’s Signing Means For Man Utd
- Man Utd v Tottenham: Preview
- Man Utd 2-0 Chelsea (FT) : Tevez, Saha Score
Tags: Match Reports
Opti (89)
Craig Mc (26)
Ian (18)
one other thing.roonry should have been off but for lack of a striker on the bench.understand the team cant be built around rooneys game.they put him on the wing because he is innefective this season as a striker.a few years ago,he was good.now all of a sudden,he is still playing like a prospect.we cant blame coaches for playing him out of position coz if he wasnt english,he would be out of the team all together.
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scholes and giggs.do u realise their peers are nolonger playing in top teams?football has changed and arsene has been smart enough to notice it.old underperforming players can not bring u glory.fergie understands thst too but he is too stubbon to drop giggs and scholes coz ronaldo will score anyway.do u realise where we would be without ronaldo?down there with spurs.from now on,our midfield should have carrick and anderson,then nani on the right.period.these old guards are only good for a draw.fergie should pay ronaldo for playing these peoples numbers while they are having a picnic on the pitch fans singing their names.
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ROONEY.this boy signed for united and every fan was happy.he went on to partner ruud which gave us hope he would learn from the master.fast foward to now the boy/man has added nothing significant to his game whereas te other youngstars have gone on to new levels.the problem with him has been getting assured of a starting place however bad he does or doesnt play.he has thus stayed at a place where we have to hope he regains his form,which seems to never come.
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are strongest starting line-up this season in my honest op:
vds
brown
rio
vida
evra
ronny
hargo
andy
nani/giggs
rooney
tevez
im in 2 minds about giggs, giggs can play well but slows the game down and is shite sometimes, nani brings energy but often looses the ball, hmm…
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Go the Mighty Gunners!!! Seriously though, I am an Arsenal fan but honestly have to say that Man U are also a joy to watch. Even last night in the second 45 they played some terrific football, pleased you only managed a point though! I thought Rooney was impressive as a right back!
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Good article, mate. But you always, ALWAYS get jammy against us, so I was half expecting the equaliser to come when it did. Ah well, can’t be gutted with a draw against United I suppose.
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I think everyone is getting a little overexcited about Giggs and Scholes, and what you say, Donibrasco, is slightly short sighted. They both had shockers yesterday. However, if you look over the past week, Scholes, having just come back from injury, has been sensational- coming on against Spurs and then playing against Pompey he was absolutely brilliant. Giggs was also brilliant against Spurs, and has recently been presented with a player of the month award.
The experience these two bring to the side is invaluable, and, in a straight battle against Arsenal, may well be the reason we win the title this year.
The midfield in general is more tricky. I think Fergie has the right policy with Giggs- using him sparingly- as at the end of last season he just looked shattered. RR, I think you’re right about these midfield partnerships, but let’s remember that Scholes/Carrick took a while to settle, and Scholes may well settle with one of the others. Carrick, for me, should be out of contention for a starting place, except perhaps at home and when Scholes is playing and against a team that is going to lie deep so a range of passing is crucial. Anderson/Hargreaves certainly looks fantastic, but in games when our strikers are misfiring we need goals from midfield, of which Scholes is the master, and although Anderson keeps coming close he is not there yet. Scholes’ range of passing is also unrivalled. When he is fit, he is the only one of the the 4 that I think is definitely on Ferguson’s teamsheet.
Quickly on Rooney- yes he is far better up top, but Donibrasco again you’re wrong to suggest that if we had another striker he would be out so we’re shoving him to an insignificant position- he a) was the best of the forward going players yesterday and b)has been playing superbly all season in every aspect of his game other than the finishing. And when you have Tevez and especially Ronaldo banging them in, the fact that he’s only scored 10 is not too serious.
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1) most goals that are scored are a result of bad defending. Just like their was.
2)The boss was angry at the number of yellow cards – 3 of them were deserved and stupid but (the first 3?) were the result of a referee who’s sole intention was to become the main focus of the occasion – as well as his booking of Tevez, Ronaldo’s booking was ludicrous but then again, wasn’t this the prick that sent Ronny off at Portsmouth for nothing at all? Certainly less than what “Stevie G” did to Anderson during our annual 3pts collection at Anfailed.
3)we were outplayed in the first half by an excellent and in form Spurs team. It happens. We still managed to show up favourably on the stats with more shots/corners etc as well as less fouls but still managed to cop 7 bookings from this idiot who is clearly after Bennetts title of most arrogant/incompetent/bent referee in the league. Not a brilliant day at the office, but points shared at a venue not many will enjoy a result of any kind.
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Yeah props to Ramos’ guys this evening…..they were stellar, and definitely showed United’s weakness, if you can get them rattled they lose focus. That’s what happened (in my eyes anyways) to our boys tonight, they seemed to lose focus however when an official has to hand out THAT many cards, he has lost control of the game.
I’m just super relieved that we came out of this with a point, when it was clear we didn’t deserve it……..on a last note, props to United for the off kilter free kick in the dying minutes….I expected Ron to take the shot…
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Nani is better than Giggs. We all say that Nani loses the ball often, but Giggs loses it at least as much as Nani. Nani has better corners, hes faster, got tricks and his crosses are great. And what about those shots?! Giggs is starting to get slow, decent in 1 of 7 games and his crosses are shit! I can only remember 1 godcross from Giggs this season. That against Dynamo Kiev, when Ronaldo scored from a header. I think it is vital that Fergie starts to use Nani from the start more often, cause he is realy dangerous and fast!
BTW, I think this is our best, strongest lineup:
VDS- great goalkeeper, reads the game well.
Simpson- fast, good defensive, better crosses than Brown…only less experienced, but he will get better.
Vida-He and Rio are the best defensive pair in the world. Strong, brave and great in the air.
Rio-Starts attacks, reads the game well, calm and great tackling. Also got 3 goals this season!
Evra-Fast and brave. Best left back in England. Offensive and often gets into dangerous positions.
Ronaldo-Best player in the world! Tricks from heaven, great header and finsher, free kicks and penalties are almost the same for him!
Anderson-Brave, fast, strong, creative and great tackler. Maybe the complete midfieler in some years, he just needs to score more goals.
Scholes-Getting old, but stll class! Good shot, amazing passes and he sees everything.
Nani-Loses the ball often, but he will get better with time. Good crosses, and he got some power in that right foot!
Tevez-Imagine having a player that is both Keane and Cantona. K plus C=Tevez!
Rooney-Struggled with injuries and lost some repect from the fans. But rememer that he is still young and trying to do his best for the team.
Some might disagree, but this is my opinion!
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I can’t believe peopla are questioning rooney’s quality. after ronaldo,he is probably orur most important player. At the moment,he is just out of form and hopefully,he will go on a scoring run soon enough
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intresting team RD, you rate simmo quite highly, maybe he deserves an extended run in the team, same as peeks. welbeck should be on the bench for city.
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I can’t believe you people are questioning Scholes. He’s been back for all of a week and he was your best player last time out. Ronaldo was pathetic yesterday and you don’t see people calling for his neck (thankfully). That’s the problem with supporting United – you get greedy for success and are unable to appreciate that not every game can be won, especially when faced with formidable opposition. United did not perform awfully, but they were out-hustled and out-thought by a motivated and well-drilled Spurs team. As such, you should be over-the-moon with a 1-1 scoreline and be supporting your players who at no point gave up, however anonymous their efforts may have been. As for Nani – as a Spurs fan I would maintain that still works better as an impact player.
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Agree with the comment on our midfield combinations. Scholes may be the best midfielder but he does not play that well with Hargreaves because Hargreaves just sits in front of the back 4 and Scholes does not have the legs to run the rest of the midfield by himself or push forward enough.
Scholes plays best with Carrick because they are both good passers of the ball and together can share midfield responsibilities.
Hargreaves probably plays best with Anderson because Anderson has the energy to push forward while Hargreaves stays back.
I would like to see Anderson and Scholes play together more as they haven’t had much of a chance together.
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Ok, many of our players were below average yesterday, but Vidic was majestic. A giant in defence!
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scholes was playing shite before his injury and scholes was playing shite yesterday, why lie and say he was playing? the reason people are picking out scholes and giggs is because they were the shitest out of the whole team yesterday and there are senior players. we’re making a point that we should not play are senior players if there playing crap and are youth players are playing great, thats playing them for the sack of playing them.
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Im having a problem understanding why anderson is continuously benched.He is our best midfield player.A problem now has come up with regard to center midfield.We now dont know our best pairing and this will make the team suffer.Last season we knew who would play there,scholes and carrick.They settled together and that was that.This year we have more strength their but I dont see a settled partnership.Anderson and hargreaves I think is the best.Fergie loves carrick and wont drop scholes.Now i hear he wants want to play fletcher(God knows why).Center midfield partnerships are just as important as striking pairs and the center of defense partnerships.Anderson gives as speed,passing ability,tackling,energy… etc but I guess its one of those ‘managerial’ things I will never understand.Giggs giggs giggs…he is a great,BUT sometimes a great needs to make space because he just isnt performing.When we play well he doesnt,when we play like shit he doesnt.I feel nani has more to offer.He has made like 6 assists of corners or something like that.He played a wonderful ball to ronaldo for his first goal on wednesday.He has improved somewhat.I hope he starts a few games now.Nani loses the ball.But he loses it no more than rooney or giggs.That brings me to the question,this weekend we have 1 fit striker,tevez,who by the way is complaining of being tired,wouldnt this be the perfect time to give welbeck a place on the bench like dan said? We surely cant have a squad of 16 with 1 half fit or tired striker?And the club is celebrating the babes.so it would be a good time to bring up another youngster.wishful thinking…
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The whole reason for Rooney suposedly not improvin as a player/striker is coz for the past two yrs he’s sacrificed himself to compensate for a pretty weak midfield. In the past hes had to come deep
n play out wide to help out the team etc etc. On what RED RANTER was touching on- When giggs plays, he tends to take up a more central role as his legs aint quick enuf for the wing no more. In doing so he tends to vanish throughout the game but a direct result of this is Wazza havin to adopt the wide position. When Giggs plays, it fucks up the balance of the side n as far as im concernd is havin a detramental effect on young Wayne. As Donnibrasco was sayin- the old guard are on the decline.
Personally im stil v.confident for rest of season but iv almost written it off in a way as we aint gona be playin at FULL POTENTIAL til nxt season or so! We need Ronaldo n Nani’s constant movement to stretch play. Whats the point n havin anderson/ Carricks passin abilities when only one player( RONNY) is makin runs from midfield? Havin no REAL pace or stature up front only compunds the issue further!
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Spurs always had players behind the ball, when United counter attacked it was too slow or started from too deep.
Scholes is poised but he often slows things down these days, Anderson is like a tiger.
Player speed and fitness is the key nowadays, just look at Arsenal, they run rings around most teams.
Against a really fit team Scholes lacks the energy…just my opinion…I’m sure Ferguson learnt a lot from yesterday’s match, better to know what your weaknesses are so you can sort them out for the future.
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I seem to notice a more fluent United everytime Anderson is brought on. I think he injects urgency into the team’s play because of his bold, persistent & creative style. For me, United play better everytime he starts.
With all due respect to Scholes, I feel his age is catching on. He may still have a role to play for United yet, but I don’t think his place in the first team should be automatic as before. SAF should recognise that the pace of the game is changing, & Scholes just can’t keep up with the younger, faster teams like Arsenal & Chelsea.
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i totally agree there with taehr.cant seem to understand why anderson despite his much obvious brilliance is being benched.its pretty difficult to understand why fergie still seems to prefer starting carrick over him of late.even when he has come on late, united look a much more threatening side, whereas, for most of the last game scholes just kept backpassing.
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As a neutral, I feel that United did not play badly. Rather, it was a case of Tottenham playing exceptionally well. Under Ramos Spurs are the real deal. The fact is that Spurs forced United into the poor passes and the cards. Spurs are now simply one more tough team in the Premiership that all the big teams are going to have to fight for points. I know that you guys are all United fans but I have to say that this was easily the best match of the season for me. And I’m not a Spurs fan. As the commentator said: “…it’s one of those games that you cannot take your eyes off.”
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Look you can’t expect the team to blow every team away. The EPL is a tough league (MAYBE THE TOUGHEST) and SPURS is a really good team had a ruff start but is really starting to play well. I’m a die hard UNITED fan and yes I’m disappointed we didn’t get 3 points but i’m happy we didn’t loose and happy the lads dig in and get that point even though we didn’t get going in that fluid way we love to see. And trust me all the team will have tough games ahead and i doubt many will get a point like we did yesterday. I still believe we’ll win the title. AND PLEASE not because rooney doesn’t score he is doing ok, don’t get on him for not hitting scorchers and scoring hatricks. He his the second most influential player and with him we don’t lose(GREAT PLAYER). and come on SAF Giggs ans Scholes are getting games based on history and what they have done, but realisticly ANDERSON ans NANI should be playing every game (AS STARTER), I Love NANI every time he gets the ball i GET EXCITED and ANDERSON is THE SAME, we need them to play. ANYWAY it was a hard fight point I’m happy we can dig out hard points like this yet blow teams away later ALL THESE ARE SIGN OF A GOOD TEAM, EPL very tough, One point away from home very good, WE’LL BE OK TRUST ME. PEACE
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i think we ave all come to the conclusion of:
andy nani in
scholes giggs out
its tough but they are well pass there prime and not playing up to standard, we’re playing them for the sack of playing them,the young players are playing better than them and arnt at there prime yet. i believe if scholes wasnt injured he would of been dropped by now, im sure everyone remembers the performances he put on before the injury.
i think(judging by the performance yesterday) saf will pick a team looking like this:
vds
fab 4
nani
carrick
andy
giggs
ronny
tevez
with welbeck on the bench coming on for giggs half time/hour mark to partner tevez upfront.
i really think saf might choose this team, with saha injured, rooney not playing, thats tevez and ronaldo upfront, im sure he would want a striker on the bench and the only stiker we have is welbeck, logical thinking right ther ayy! lol.
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dan,dont put giggs on the team.what the fuckl has he done to deserve it.we are always winning coz of ronaldo.nani should play week in week out.nuff said.
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I know donnie braso says some controversial shit, but he Is right about Rooney. Because I’d is the big English hope he I’d never held accountable for anything. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying he isn’t a top EPl striker, but it is time to take off the red devil tinted glasses. Rooney is out of form right now and he needs to regain it fast if we are to have a chance to catch the arse.
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don, rooney cant play at city, so roony will be playing striker and nani plays right,you tell me what other alternative we have(no way in hell will saf play o’shea at left back and evra at left mid just to get rid of giggs, espcially in a derby).
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I just wonder if Fergie is thinkig about using Anderson as a striker in the future. He was playing that against Pompey and Spurs in FA cup.
I think this will be the team vs City:
VDS
Fab 4
Ronaldo
Owen
Scholes
Giggs
Anderson
Tevez
This is not the team I am hoping for, but considering the game(50th annaversery) I think Giggs and Scholes will play.
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1 alternative play hargo and carrick or scholes in mid p0ut andy and nini on the wings andy has the pace why not.
wit ronny and tevez up front
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The Anderson/Scholes; Giggs; Nani debate has become very interesting.
You guys should just remember that many many times before Giggs has been criticized, only to come back and still deliver the goods, notably by modifying his style of play.
But I do agree that he is getting olde and his lack of pace can be hampering the team’s performance.
Perhaps he should be picked on games where his vision can do good – e.g. in a tight and cramped defensive game. But still this goes against what Giggs said recently himself – that Utd are supposed to play a certain way to entertain the fans.
Still Im much more pragmatic about Scholesy. He has the best vision among all of our central midfielders and has been for years the metronome, dictating the pace of our game.
Like colver said, I too would like to see andy and scholes play together.
ALSO REMEMBER: Andy’s natural, original position is that of a left sided midfield!!! (Or a left winger, not even sure..) Would like to see him play on the left flank one day….
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What could be done i to give the two veterans games, their appearance coming more and more occasional, as of Scholl at Bayern, Bergkamp at Arsenal, or McCLair some years back. In this way they are still shown respect while the young guard comes to the front.
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As I said after the Spurs FA Cup match last week, Anderson must start in the centre of midfield from now on. He is the only one that has the ability to drive from midfield and opposing teams find it easier to mark players who are mostly static and playing in front of them. Hargreaves has an important role which everybody knows, Scholes is a brilliant passer of a football with a great brain and Carrick also can pass a ball well when he is on form, but all three of them play to deep and offer very little pace or movement in the last third of the field that would overly worry opposition defences which means they can concentrate on stopping our front men. Hargeaves and Anderson have proved to be good together and I would like to see a Scholes and Anderson duo given a chance.
Carrick has ability, but his lack of mobility is frustrating at times and Scholes is simply too old to bomb forward like He used to which leaves us with Anderson as the only solution, and what a solution He is, pace, power, skill, vision and great awareness for one so young, its time for SAF to cut this kid loose to cuase a bit of damage further up the pitch. His presence in our team gives us energy and drive and also gives opposing teams something else to think about.
Giggs for me is starting to show his age and should be replaced by Nani who is not the finished article but definately has talent and potential to be a good player.
Also, if Rooney is left alone, He will come good but if SAF starts messing about with the system and moves Rooney wide this could be a disaster not only for Rooney but for the whole team. Its not a time for panicking and changing systems, its simply a time for recognising the talent of Anderson and realising that some of our senior players are not what they used to be.
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I just think Rooney is being played out of position and he is really uncomfortable doing so. Although we saw earlier this season a few instances of magic from Rooney and Tevez, I think Rooney plays best with an out-and-out striker in front of him. He can’t lead the line effectively, he can’t play the wing; he needs to play as a second striker, and unfortunately that is also where Tevez plays. I’m not saying bring in a big man and drop one Tevez or Roo; that would be harsh. I’m a big supporter or the 4-2-3-1 and I have no doubt Rooney AND Tevez would be able to play at the same time effectively in this formation.
On the Old Guard vs. “New Guard” subject, there is no doubt in my mind that Nani and Anderson have played much better then both Giggs and Scholes this season, but at the end of the day Fergie is going to start the Old Guard because of their loyalty and experience.
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this in my opinion is Uniteds most dangerous and attacking line up
EVDS
BROWN/NEVILLE
VIDIC
FERDINAND
EVRA
SCHOLES/HARGREAVES
ANDERSON
RONALDO
NANI
ROONEY
TEVEZ
I would definately like to see a Scholes/ Anderson partnership in some matches, could be sensational
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I am surprised to noticed that none of you guys were able to see Rooney’s desire yesterday. He was and is
still perhaps the only player in the squad who can change a game by sheer will power. We have all the talent in
the world, all that brilliance, but sometimes, it wont be enough. Just like against West Ham. Or Bolton. And I dont
even understand people ganging up on him because he is not scoring. Yes he is missing a lot of chances. But he
remains the best passer in the attack. Without him, in so many matches, the attacks always seemed incoherent.
And, Anderson is not starting regularly only because he had been playing most of the games when Scholes, Carrick
and Hargreaves took turns to get injured. He s 19. And he needs some rest. Something that I ve observed this
season is that, we have been consistently poor in the first half. Except in the odd few games like Arsenal, ‘pool,
portsmouth. It has ALWAYS required a half time bollocking from Fergie to get them going. I remember the fact that
we used to consistently finish games off in the first half of the game, last season.
One more thing I d like to point out is that, we ve performed poorly when the opposing team keeps pressing so hard.
West Ham. Bolton. And now Spurs. Its an obvious vulnerability.
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I made the following comment in the previous post. I know many will disagree, but this is what I’ve obsered.
I disagree with the midfield pairing suggested by most.
I think Carrick/Anderson is currently our best performing pairing.
I’ve noticed that with:
Anderson/Hargo – Anderson does not seem very comfrotable.
Hargo/Scholes – we lack real penetration.
Carrick/Hargo – Carrick does not seem to perform
Scholes/Carrick – both perform, Scholes tend to drop very deep
Scholes/Anderson – worked very well before Scholes’ injury (Scholes might suffer in defence)
My pick would be:
1. Carrick/Anderson
2. Carrick/Scholes
3. Anderson/Scholes
This worries me a bit, because Hargo is currently (arguably) our best midfielder, but to me personally, he throws out the chemistry (when we need to play attacking).
Personally, I would use Hargo where we need to defend and use Scholes and Giggs as impact players to settle the team.
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Analysing my feelings, I would say that I’m more upset about relinquishing the lead at the top than losing to Spurs (United is one of the few teams where a draw=loss).
Our boys played badly, but Spurs really played well. As someone mentioned in this post earlier, we were really hustled in the match. Give credit to Spurs.
I just wonder hom much of an effect last week’s trip had on Saturday’s performance?
I think the worst performer on the day was SAF. He got it all wrong from the start:
1. Throwing Rooney out wide to accomodate for Ronaldo’s goal-scoring
2. Scholes/hargo paring providing nothing really (too defensive)
3. Should have started with nani and brign Giggs on to stabilise the game.
4. Again no striker on the bench
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ok … so we spent £30 odd mils on rooney b/c:
1. He was two footed
2. Could go past defenders
3. Could score from anywhere in and around the danger area
… and generally was considered to be the next big thing in English football …
So … a few questions …
1. When was the last time he scored with his left foot? and I am not talking about a scuffed deflection
2. When was the last time he beat a couple of defenders to have a shot at goal?
3. Hmm … this is interesting … When was the last time he scored from outside the box???
Add to that a terribly inconsistent first touch which seems to allude him many a times …
In his defence … he has improved his …
1. Vision in passing
2. Temperament
… but will somebody pay £30 mils for him on current form??? … im sorry guys but you don’t go out there and spend £30 odd million quids for ‘enthusiasm’ or ‘work-ethic’ etc … you can get that for much less …
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Lucky to save the point!
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