(no subject)
I think that kind of sums up my feeling! Football's strange isn't it? One minute you're floating in the clouds and the next you've crashed down onto earth with enough force to leave a meteor-sized hole. And United certainly did crash rather spectacularly.
Maybe I'm being unfair to Spurs. I have to admit, they played out of their skins and looked the far better side. It wasn't until the last 15-20 minutes that we got going. Which makes me wonder why we couldn't play like that right from the beginning. *sigh* They've spoiled me too much, which is why I find any sort of average performance unacceptable. But they are human after all, and are bound to have an off day. And it was unfortunate that it came against a team which has improved so dramatically in the last few weeks. Juande Ramos has done a terrific job with them. They look leaner, fitter and hungrier for success. He's got some good new defenders, which means that they have stopped letting in a ridiculous number of goals. I was surprised to hear that Spurs this season have scored just one goal less than us! Considering their position in the table, it brings into sharp contrast how frail they were defensively. But that has certainly changed now. Even in the FA Cup game at Old Trafford, they played quite decently, but that time we had enough quality to pull through. This time, it was too much for us. But like Fergie said, we have to consider it as a point gained rather than two lost.
I'm ecstatic we got that last minute equalizer. I jumped out of my seat and nearly fell off the sofa! I wish I could have taken off my shirt and celebrated like Carlos! It was amazing, scoring like that when we least expected it. Sort of like you're expecting to flunk all your subjects, and then when the result comes you realise that you've passed in one. Well okay, that's a shit analogy. Sorry, I'm not thinking right, but you get what I mean. I was so terribly relieved that we hadn't lost, maybe because this game more than Bolton or West Ham, and definitely more than City, was one that we deserved to lose.
If the first half against Portsmouth was the best of the season(according to Fergie), than this first half was definitely the worst. I honestly have never seen the boys give away the ball as much as they did. We didn't have a single meaningful effort on goal(apart from one which fell to Wes, and honestly, did you expect him to score?). Scholes-Hargreaves did not work at all. Maybe it was too much too soon for Scholesy. After all he's just come back from injury and to be involved in three high-intensity games in a week was probably too much for him. Which is why I was so glad when Michael came on in the second half. You could see the change straightaway, we kept the ball better, and everything was calmer and more controlled. Unfortunately, our forwards were way off their game, and didn't really look like scoring until the last 15-20 minutes when Anderson and Nani came on. Then, I thought we were unlucky not to get a goal, because we kept relentlessly attacking them. Especially one shot from Anderson which the goal keeper saved. If only that had gone in!
Well, anyways, we'll just have to forget it and look forward to the next game. Which just happens to be the Manchester Derby. Which is so important because of Munich. Which Wayne Rooney will miss because he is such an idiot (or alternatively, the ref is an idiot, Wazza stumbled, he did not dive). And because the FA rules make absolutely no sense. What happened to missing the game that comes after two weeks, when you get 5 yellows? Shouldn't he be missing the FA Cup clash with Arsenal?(Not that I want him to miss that one, I'm just trying to make sense of it all). Or do one set of rules apply to Pat and another to Wazza? I need to look that up.
I tried to watch the Liverpool-Sunderland game. 'tried' being the operative word here, because I kept falling asleep. The United game had worn me out. Plus, when I saw that Xabi wasn't in the team and not on the bench either, I was seriously pissed off. Rafa, the only way a player can back to match fitness is if he plays. So dropping him every other game isn't helping. You might want to take a look at Michael Carrick. He was absolutely awful in his first two games back from injury. Fergie had no need to play him, we had plenty of other and better options. But he persisted. And the result? Michael is playing at the kind of level that won us the trophy last season. Maybe it's not fair to compare. Liverpool and Man Utd are two teams in completely different situations, but I just wish Rafa wouldn't insist on rotating every game. Playing Lucas on the left, what the hell was that about? And Carra at right back? Well he didn't do too badly, I think he got an assist, but for heaven's sake, this is Sunderland! And as much as I love Keano, his team is woeful. There's no need to pay them so much of respect. Thankfully, they got their act together in the second half and scored three good goals. Good to see Nando scoring, and Crouch too.
Liverpool play Chelsea next, and they'll have to do much better. I expect Rafa to play Masch and Stevie against them, so no hope of Xabi making the team. :( I'm worried that the lack of playing time may seriously cause him to wonder if he is needed anymore at Liverpool. I know he definitely is, but more importantly does Rafa? He seems to trust Masch more, and I can't see Xabi being too happy about that. Of course, he's a true proffessional and will probably do everything to win his place back. But till then, I think Liverpool are a poorer team.
Arsenal are back on top. But it won't be for long, I would be worried if I was them. We've had a shock but we'll definitely bounce back. So enjoy it while it lasts gunners!