I have to be honest, I’m not a fan of this new tactical innovation of United’s - defending like a pub side and letting the opposition have a couple of goals head start to lull them into a false sense of security, then scoring as many as possible in the time remaining.
It’s certainly entertaining, but i’m not sure my nerves can last the season like this.
Europa League? Manchester United?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
*takes breath*
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
*now serious*
Europa League? What is that?
*takes sigh*
I thought Champions League Group C featuring Benfica, Basel and Otelul Galati would be too easy for Manchester United. I thought they’ll fire at least 5 goals against Swansea in English Premier League. But all that happened. United look awful lately, wouldn’t be surprised to see us exit the competition in Switzerland, then again I wouldn’t be too annoyed…the thoughts of this team coming up against Madrid/Barca is horrific. We can barely defend (forget the 5 clean sheets domestically)…we can barely attack… Only thing to be rejoiced is City lost against Napoli, and they are on the verge of elimination
Not an overly convincing performance from United, and they rode their luck at times in terms of Marseille missing some good chances. But I wouldn’t say they were lucky in the tie overall - because to lose your best defender to injury before the game, and then two right backs to injury during it, has to be seen as unfortunate in anyone’s book. It pretty much meant Ferguson was prevented from making the tactical substitutions he might otherwise have in the last half an hour of the game.
And Vidic is a really big miss for them. There were a couple of times tonight when balls came into the box, and United’s central defenders were slow to react to them, allowing Marseille attempts on goal. Where as Vidic (or Ferdinand) more than likely would’ve won those balls and cleared the danger.
But it didn’t really matter in the end, because United had enough quality in the final third to outscore Marseillle. Another two goals for the irrepressible poacher Hernandez, and another assist for Wayne Rooney, who performed the deep lying forward role more than adaquately. And United could’ve had a couple more goals themselves but for some hesitance in the box.
Ultimately though, they’re through to the next round, and that’s the most important thing. By then they should have Vidic and Ferdinand back, and that’ll make them a much tougher nut to crack.
It’ll inevitably disappoint those who are continually predicting the decline that never quite seems to come - and who are continually made to look foolish therefore - but ‘the worse United side in a long time’ is in the semis of the F.A. Cup, the last eight of the Champions League, and still sits atop of the Premiership. That’s more than can be said for quite a few other clubs.
Manchester United are always labelled as an “ordinary” team. Yet in the last five years an “ordinary” Man Utd team have won three consecutive titles in a more competitive league AND reached consecutive Champions League finals. Frightening to think how good the great United teams were. I thoroughly enjoyed last night’s Arsenal’s match against “the best team in history”, Barcelona. Brilliant performance.
Well done Arsenal, thoroughly enjoyable. Who’d of thought it, weren’t Barcelona supposed to be unbeatable. Perhaps you will get to play Spurs in the next round.
It was a professional enough performance from United. There were a couple of hairy moments, but they defended competently, and limited Valencia to a single effort on target. I lost count of the number times Michael Carrick gave the ball away, but what he did do well is constantly drop back to become almost a third centre-back. And Ferdinand looked generally assured. After conceding so many goals lately, all good signs.
And at the other end, a Little Glimpse of what the Little Pea is capable of. Lethal finish, and his link up play with Macheda bodes well for the future perhaps. The competition up front for United now looks rather intense, especialy compared to the sparsity of last season. Exciting times, and it could help bring the best out of all of them. Anderson and Rafael also had solid games. Weren’t overawed by playing away to the La Liga leaders, which again, bodes well for the future.
An unbeaten start to the season, and you can say that United are still a really difficult team to get the better of, even with key players missing.