As promised, I watched all three of the previously mentioned matches yesterday. Since there's so much I could write about each of them, and since I don't want to write it all at this moment (or possibly ever), I'll stick to the biggest game of the three.
Blackburn came into it with...
I'm sorry, I couldn't resist that cheap joke. Despite what people might have told you, Liverpool v United was the game of the day. Never mind the 'clash of the cash'. Liverpool vs Man Utd is a fixture based on sheer, unadulterated hatred, and that's something money can't buy. Although it is something that possessing copious amounts of money can bring upon you (see Chelsea Football Club and Oprah).
I've made some snide remarks about Liverpool in this blog alone, and written some pretty horrible things about them in the recent past, all of which were true. However, I have to hold my hands up and say that they played very well yesterday, and thoroughly deserved the win. And while my hands are in an elevated position, I might as well give Dirk Kuyt some praise too, because at times yesterday I could actually see why a club would pay him to play football. Shocking I know, but it's true. He actually played very well, and was Liverpool's best performer in the first half (with Alonso/Mascherano taking over in the second).
The game, from a Liverpool point of view, started out as bad as can get, with them conceding a very goal, and being over ran in midfield. I mean I actually didn't see nor hear of Xabi Alonso for the first 20 minutes or so, and that's barely an exaggeration.
However, they soon began to get to grips with the task at hand, and even before they scored that lucky goal, they were looking the better team. Then from the equaliser onwards, they outplayed Man Utd in almost every department of the pitch. And what's even more shocking, they did so without their talismen - Gerrard and Torres. Now that I think about it, it really was a remarkable acheivment. Liverpool, with a front line consisting of the wildly out of form Robbie Keane, the unproven Albert Reira, the lightweight Yossi Benayoun and the not really very good Dirk Kuyt managed to beat a United team who were really only missing Cristiano Ronaldo. Granted that's a sizeable loss, but are Manchester United that dependent on him? Is Ronaldo to United what Fabregas is to Arsenal?
People (aka Alan Hansen) talk about needing strength in depth to win the title. Arsenal apparently don't have that, Liverpool apparently don't have that, but United and Chelsea supposedly do. Well, I would say that Chelsea definitely do (although if they were to lose Deco that would be a massive blow. However, they'd just go back to being the normal Chelsea and start winning ugly again). With regards United however, they're reasonably hopeless on the wings without the boy Ronaldo shaping up and down them.
It's pretty clear that Rooney is not a winger. It's pretty clear that Anderson is not a winger. It's pretty clear that Nani is a useless winger. And it's also pretty clear that Giggs is an old winger, who's best years are long gone. This is a huge weakness to have in a squad, and it's where United are inferior to the other big 4 (with the exception of Liverpool, but only just). Arsenal are actually arguably the strongest in this department, with Nasri, Walcott, Eboue, Rosicky, Eduardo, Vela, Van Persie and even Fabregas all able to play this position with competence.
The point developing here is that Berbatov isn't the missing piece in the jigsaw. In my opinion, United have major midfield problems, especially on the left, and even in the centre. These deficiencies were ruthlessly exposed by Liverpool yesterday, with Mascherano and Alonso enjoying more possession than they've probably ever had in most games, not to mention games against United. This is not a good sign for the Red Devils, and they need to correct this at Chelsea next week if they don't want to find themselves 9 points behind the leaders so early in the season.
How they correct it in one week is up for debate. Maybe this was just a one-off horrible performance and all will be made right next week. However, while United were uncharacteristically awful yesterday, I do still think there are problems in the camp. Ronaldo coming back will presumably solve some of those, but his return will also pose some new ones, chief of which being who gets dropped, and where does Ferguson play Rooney assuming he doesn't drop him?
United's problems aside however, Liverpool still had to play their part, and they did that as well as anyone could have. If they continue playing like that then they may just be there or there abouts come next May.
Blackburn came into it with...
I'm sorry, I couldn't resist that cheap joke. Despite what people might have told you, Liverpool v United was the game of the day. Never mind the 'clash of the cash'. Liverpool vs Man Utd is a fixture based on sheer, unadulterated hatred, and that's something money can't buy. Although it is something that possessing copious amounts of money can bring upon you (see Chelsea Football Club and Oprah).
I've made some snide remarks about Liverpool in this blog alone, and written some pretty horrible things about them in the recent past, all of which were true. However, I have to hold my hands up and say that they played very well yesterday, and thoroughly deserved the win. And while my hands are in an elevated position, I might as well give Dirk Kuyt some praise too, because at times yesterday I could actually see why a club would pay him to play football. Shocking I know, but it's true. He actually played very well, and was Liverpool's best performer in the first half (with Alonso/Mascherano taking over in the second).
The game, from a Liverpool point of view, started out as bad as can get, with them conceding a very goal, and being over ran in midfield. I mean I actually didn't see nor hear of Xabi Alonso for the first 20 minutes or so, and that's barely an exaggeration.
However, they soon began to get to grips with the task at hand, and even before they scored that lucky goal, they were looking the better team. Then from the equaliser onwards, they outplayed Man Utd in almost every department of the pitch. And what's even more shocking, they did so without their talismen - Gerrard and Torres. Now that I think about it, it really was a remarkable acheivment. Liverpool, with a front line consisting of the wildly out of form Robbie Keane, the unproven Albert Reira, the lightweight Yossi Benayoun and the not really very good Dirk Kuyt managed to beat a United team who were really only missing Cristiano Ronaldo. Granted that's a sizeable loss, but are Manchester United that dependent on him? Is Ronaldo to United what Fabregas is to Arsenal?
People (aka Alan Hansen) talk about needing strength in depth to win the title. Arsenal apparently don't have that, Liverpool apparently don't have that, but United and Chelsea supposedly do. Well, I would say that Chelsea definitely do (although if they were to lose Deco that would be a massive blow. However, they'd just go back to being the normal Chelsea and start winning ugly again). With regards United however, they're reasonably hopeless on the wings without the boy Ronaldo shaping up and down them.
It's pretty clear that Rooney is not a winger. It's pretty clear that Anderson is not a winger. It's pretty clear that Nani is a useless winger. And it's also pretty clear that Giggs is an old winger, who's best years are long gone. This is a huge weakness to have in a squad, and it's where United are inferior to the other big 4 (with the exception of Liverpool, but only just). Arsenal are actually arguably the strongest in this department, with Nasri, Walcott, Eboue, Rosicky, Eduardo, Vela, Van Persie and even Fabregas all able to play this position with competence.
The point developing here is that Berbatov isn't the missing piece in the jigsaw. In my opinion, United have major midfield problems, especially on the left, and even in the centre. These deficiencies were ruthlessly exposed by Liverpool yesterday, with Mascherano and Alonso enjoying more possession than they've probably ever had in most games, not to mention games against United. This is not a good sign for the Red Devils, and they need to correct this at Chelsea next week if they don't want to find themselves 9 points behind the leaders so early in the season.
How they correct it in one week is up for debate. Maybe this was just a one-off horrible performance and all will be made right next week. However, while United were uncharacteristically awful yesterday, I do still think there are problems in the camp. Ronaldo coming back will presumably solve some of those, but his return will also pose some new ones, chief of which being who gets dropped, and where does Ferguson play Rooney assuming he doesn't drop him?
United's problems aside however, Liverpool still had to play their part, and they did that as well as anyone could have. If they continue playing like that then they may just be there or there abouts come next May.
1 comment:
well said...i actually agree with everything u said! for once!
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