With a number of games under our belt and a few big ones coming up I thought I would take this opportunity to analyse our start to the season. We go into the international break top of the table getting close to our best, but are we there yet and can we improve further?
The first game against Fulham was simply brilliant. The team came out of the traps firing on all cylinders. We followed that up with another wonderful win against Charlton. It seemed we would be able to cope with the suspension of Rooney and Scholes after all. Giggs was in scintillating form and Ronaldo seemed unfazed by the antics at the world cup. We then scraped a win at Watford and then we began to stutter.
An utterly unconvincing 1-0 win against Tottenham ensured we continued our unbeaten run. But then came Celtic. On paper it was a game that we should have won easily, but we all too easily gave possession away and were punished by a well organised Celtic side. Fortunately Saha was on hand to rescue us and provide us with the points even if we did lose Giggs to injury in the process.
The return of Scholes and Rooney against Arsenal meant that we were almost back to full strength. We were playing the gooners at a time when they were struggling and most United fans predicted a win for the red devils. Sadly it was not to be. Our midfield lacked the grit and ball winning capabilities that we so badly need against the big teams and Scholes had to be replaced from fatigue midway through the second half. Rooney too looked off the pace and out of touch, something that has continued in recent games.
Next came the draw with Reading. This saw Rooney deployed up front as a lone striker, again he failed to shine and Ronaldo managed to salvage a point for us. Then we travelled away to Benfica. This was the very place where we were knocked out of the champions league last season. Ronaldo seemed determined to make up for that terrible night, spending most of the time tormenting the Benfica defence. Another piece of individual brilliance from Saha ensured we got the points, but it was a poor performance from United until the goal went in. Once we scored we looked like a different team and the confidence came flooding back.
On to Sunday when we played Newcastle. To be honest they never really turned up and expected a pummelling. It could have been 5-0 but we didn’t take our chances. Ronaldo yet again showed what a great talent he is, hitting the post twice in the game. More worryingly Rooney still looked off the pace and lacking in self-belief. It will surely take just one goal for him to find it again and I am sure Fergie has him training overtime. Perhaps the internationals will provide him with that confidence boost he so badly requires right now.
So how does everyone else think that we are performing? Do we need any signings in January? And what are our strengths and weaknesses? P.S I’m second in the fantasy football league, TKK you seemed to have improved over the past 2 weeks!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
The season so far has been nothing to write home about. What we did against Tottenham is something we should definitely have repeated against Arsenal. Grinding out a win when playing not so great is something badly needed to win the Premiership nowadays. Chelski did that game after game when needed and that was a crucial part of their winning campaigns. We need to play incredible flowing attacking football like against Fulham and Spurs, but we also need to take care of getting wins out of the Arsenal kind of matches. I'd have been happy if we had taken max out of the Reading game. We could have been sitting pretty with a 2 point lead going into the intl break.
But we should get back on track with a win at Wigan and then beat the cr** out of Pool.
Europe - we were awfully bad in Benfica till the goal went in. But again, we have the six points. I'd rather have that than to play awesome and end up with 2 points out of 6. We should top the group now. Lets see who we end up with. Why do I keep getting the feeling after Chelski's win and Barca's draw at Bremen that the second round will see Barcelona vs Man Utd ?!?!?! Now that would be amazing but I'd prefer to meet them in the final or semis.
Lets hope Barca get 4 points out of the 2 games against Chelsea.
Regarding the team, we need somebody in midfield . There's aboslutely no doubt about that. Defence is kinda stable and with enough options. We have G Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Heinze, Evra. Silvestre is out for some time and should be back during the piled up Dec games. Not sure how long Heinze will be out though.
Midfield - O'Shea and Richardson aren't good enough , sorry to say. We need somebody strong like in the Patrick Viera mould out there. (I know we cant get another R Keane and we should all stop dreaming about that). May be we should go for Duscher.
Striking options are good and we should get Rossi back from loan during Jan. It was a waste sending him to the Magpies where they arent giving him enough playing time. Lets hope Smith also comes back soon. We should have a fearsome strikeforce once they are all firing on all cylinders.
Great post and synopses, many thanks for the effort. I think we all agree that the midfield is our achilees heal and it should be sorted out in Jnuary. The only problem we will face is Restrictions from Eurpean football. Playing either Barcelona or Chelsea would be a problem for us. By no means am i saying we cant beat them, more that it is a game that could easily go either way. We do not want one of those games in the first round knockout phase. With Ronaldo playing like he is, we can certainly worry any team. I also think Carrick needs to step up to the mark. He still seems a little starstruck, hopefully the lads can help him settle in.
hopefully we will sign a midfielder that can be immediately thrown into the team to give us real strength. Hargreaves will probably still be injured then, but i think we must go for him
I don’t think we’re doing too badly at the moment. We haven’t played great, but we are top of the table and every reason to think we’ll get better. With Heinze, Rooney, Vidic, Smith, and Scholes still to reach their optimal fitness after injuries, plus Giggs to probably be back for the next game, things will improve.
Ronaldo has been the star performer so far, and it’s been pleasing to see Evra step it up in the games he’s played, not to mention Ole scoring again. However, I think we need to try and have another crack at signing Hargreaves in the January transfer window. The first half of the Benfica game was shocking and the midfield nowhere, and much the same with the Arsenal game. I think in certain games we’d benefit more from a player who wins possession rather than having a couple who are great with it but not so hot in the tackle.
Once the injured players are fit again and playing, and Carrick and Scholes are most used to playing alongside each other, then we’ll have a better impression of how the season will go. However, no-one looks great in the Premiership at the moment, and I think Reading will take points off plenty of other teams by the end of the season.
Yep, FC TKK are on the rise! I think we’ll be making a lot more ground once Portsmouth and Bolton start shipping a few more goals at the back...
Post a Comment