Preview Season 2010-11

I'm so thankful the new season is finally here after that defensive and boring World Cup! I can now savor the fast and feisty English league again. Overall, one should feel the new season will have a lot to offer : The top four demarcation has gotten more hazier than ever thanks to the likes of Tottenham and City. City have bought a host of new talent - Silva, Toure and with Balotelli seemingly on his way, they definitely seem stronger on the paper. Liverpool will definitely do better than last season, under Roy Hodgson while Chelsea and United think they are good to go without too many changes to their squads.

From United's perspective, I am quit OK with the squad with the only exception being the fact that we have not added a quality central midfielder. Everybody has been talking of the importance of us buying an attacking midfielder all through the summer. With Anderson and Hargreaves indefinitely out, and Scholes aging, it's only Fletcher and Carrick that we have as established midfielders. Cleverly and Gibson are still young and untested on the league scene (though Gibson has shown promise). I think Sir Alex is taking a bit of risk by not adding a decent midfielder. For us to do well we will need most, if not all of these things to happen - Scholes should play at least 20 league games at the top of his game (he definitely showed he can do that in the Community Shield!), Carrick needs to rediscover his form, Fletcher will have to play week-in week-out as well as he did last season, if not better. Gibson and Cleverly will have to come up with impact performances whenever required to do so. Else we might struggle!

Midfield apart, I am quite happy with our forces in the other departments, especially the forward line. With Hernandez oozing so much promise and confidence and Berbatov looking more determined than I have seen him all my life, we won't have to rely on Rooney as much as we did last season.

Favourites: Though most people are favouring Chelsea to start with, I am not sure any team can feel overtly confident about winning the league outright and it is true about Chelsea as well. I foresee another topsy turvy title race involving mainly Chelsea, United and Arsenal. I actually feel Chelsea could struggle more than they did last season, their aging side being the cause! Also, I see Tottenham doing better than City, since I feel they will be on a high following last season and will only grow stronger under Harry Rednapp. I watched City a few times last season and I feel that under a man like Mancini, they almost look scared to play free-flowing attacking football inspite of the resources they have. Don't think that will change much - Italian defensive mentality the reason? May be.

The season that was...

I know this post has come quite late but then as the cliche goes..."better late than never".

So in the end, United couldn't quite make the history of winning 4 successive league titles. I think Liverpool's inability to get any points against Chelsea in their penultimate game was really the clinching point as far as the fate of the title was concerned. Liverpool can't really be blamed as they had played a grueling tie just a couple of days before that game. Though United won the games they had to after dropping points at Ewood Park, in the end it just didn't suffice.

To be honest (and I might have made this point before too) when the season started, I really didn't expect the United team to win either the League title or the CL. The reason was simple, I just didn't see the goals that went out with the departure of Tevez and Ronaldo getting replaced. I was barely impressed with Berbatov last season and I am really not surprised he came a cropper again this season. It has only been because of the brilliant tally Wayne Rooney could muster and the huge own goal count that United were able to score enough goals to stay in the hunt until the last day. Though I am tempted to commend Sir Alex for his confidence in his team, I feel vindicated about the fact that he missed a trick by not signing at least one big name player after Ronaldo's departure. The fact that we didn't have one more important goal scorer apart from Rooney was felt most when Rooney was injured during those crucial games late in the season against Chelsea and Rovers. I am sure most people will agree with me that's where we lost the title.

But there's no denying it was a funny season overall. Because United lost a whopping 7 games while Chelsea had a poor away record for most part of the season. Although I would attribute us dropping points to the spate of injuries our defenders had in the middle of the season, I still feel United could have gained from other title contenders dropping so many points by having a better strike force. In the end, I guess it's fair to concede the title to Chelsea on the grounds that they had a better record against the other top 4 sides which we didn't really enjoy (Although I still remember luck playing a major role in their doing a double over us!)

So, what should Sir Alex do for the next season. I think when our defense is fit, there is no denying we are one of the most miserly teams in Europe. With Evans filling in well for Ferdinand and the fact that young Smalling will be with United next season, I think we're well covered there. It's pretty much the same with full-backs. Evra continues to be brilliant form while Brown-Neville-Rafael trio keep the right back position in good stead. In the midfield, Fletcher and Scholes were brilliant this season. But with Scholes aging and Carrick at best enjoying a patchy season, we might do well do bring in a young attacking midfielder and groom him.

Valencia was absolutely brilliant and if Nani can stay as consistent as he was during the title run-in, the wings aren't really an area of concern. But I wouldn't mind somebody like Silva coming in, specially when there are rumours he might be interested in coming to Old Trafford.

As far as the strike force goes, a support striker for Rooney is an absolute necessity. I don't know if the new recruit Hernandez is being relied upon to do that, but given that he's a newcomer to England and that he might need some settling down time, I guess we could do well to sign one decent striker (with or without Berbatov staying back). I just can't see Sir Alex not doing anything about the striker situation specially after seeing the kind of poor hauls we've got from Owen and Berbatov. Overall, it will be an interesting summer transfer season. But yeah, another one where we'll have to live with the torrid transfer rumours.

Back in the hunt

I should say I am still trying to catch my breath. What a weekend it has been. It seems the footballing Gods were smiling at United all weekend. An injury-time derby win, Chelsea's loss at Tottehnam and Arsenal sinking at Wigan - not even the most ardent United fan would have foreseen such a favourable set of events unfolding this weekend!

Truth be told, it didn't seem to be going very well for United at the Eastlands for most of the derby. United were up against a City team that had scored goals in heaps in the past few games. But after the opening whistle, Mancini seemed to be playing more for a draw than a win and City were hence difficult to break down. United on the other hand were playing a determined game - after all they needed nothing less than a victory to get back in the title hunt. But given that the game was a cagey affair for most part and that United were playing only a half-fit Rooney upfront, it seemed we had a tall order to climb. Though we created the best of the few chances the game saw, it seemed we were heading for another goalless draw that could put the title beyond us. But United showed why they are the most resilient side in world football. With just 10 seconds to go on the clock, Patrice Evra delivered a pin-point cross to the Paul Scholes who had advanced into the City penalty box without anybody picking him. The unassuming legend coolly headed the ball into the corner of the net and United had won another derby in the injury time this season (the Spirit of '99 lives on!). Suddenly, we were back in the title race. You had to watch the victory celebrations to understand what that goal meant - everybody, including Sir Alex, was dancing in delight. I did my share of dancing too for the "noisy neighbours" had been silenced again and a 4th consecutive title was a possibility again!

I am sure Chelsea players' morale would have been dented after watching United win that way at Eastlands. Add to that they were playing Tottenham who were flying high after a landmark victory against their own neighbours Arsenal . John Terry was lucky he wasn't penalised for a handball against Bolton in the mid-week. But it was a case of "what goes around comes around" when he was punished just for that (though a soft one I should say) at the Lane and Tottenham were ahead pretty early-on. Gareth Bale then finished them off with a goal any striker would be proud of. Chelsea just couldn't find the answers, especially after they lost Terry who saw a Red card. Though the game ended 2-1, I was actually disappointed Spurs didn't score more (goal-difference could still decide the title!). They failed to convert at least 2 chances that could only be called sitters! But then, I am more than happy with them returning the favour United provided them by beating City.

Arsenal would have felt they were back in it after Chelsea lost in North London but I discovered they blew a 2 goal advantage against Wigan in the last 10 minutes. They are definitely, now, out of the race. I couldn't help thinking this was a divine week for United. Just everything going for us and against our title contenders. But it also shows how every week could be a turning point this stage of the season. United are still a point adrift and we still have to hope Chelsea drop points for us to have a chance. And the 3 remaining games are not easy by any stretch of one's imagination. The title race has been the most topsy-turvy one this season and I believe it's going to be that way all the way to the finish. I just hope all the turns the race is going to take will be in our favour!

Chelsea double and CL heartbreak!

I'm wondering why all the forces seem to be conspiring against United during this crucial phase of the season. Rooney was injured against Bayern last week where we gave away a silly goal in the injury time. Chelsea came to Old Trafford hoping to do a rare double (they had won by a controversial goal at the Bridge when United had dominated the game!) and cash-in on the absence of Wayne Rooney. Everybody knew United looked really feeble without him, at least on paper. So, it needed a really determined performance from United to get something against the Blues. But given that we were playing after the away game at Bayern in the mid-week (while Chelsea were resting!) and the fact that we had the old legs of Neville, Scholes and Giggs playing consecutive games, it really looked like a difficult proposition. Chelsea tried to exploit just that. They took the game to United straight-away with pace upfront and United were left to chase the game for a good hour's play having conceded early on. But United being United showed great resilience to make a match out of it in the second half. Though we lacked a creativity, we did pressurise Chelsea a great deal. Just when one could think there was a revival in store, the linesman gifted a crucial goal to Drogba by failing to spot a clear off-side. Though we did strike back immediately, that controversial goal seemed to have put the issue far beyond United. Add to that the inability of Berbatov to convert a couple of good chances, United seemed destined to give Chelsea the leeway in the title race. With tough fixtures still to come for both title contenders, I think there are still going to be more twists in this season's topsy-turvy title race.

Last night was an absolute heart-break. United were 3-nill up in no time at all against Bayern and that too with no real contribution from Wayne Rooney (Nani played like a man possessed!), our biggest goal-scorer, and yet we are out of the tournament by means of away-goal rule. Though it's inexplicable, I will just put that down to sheer bad luck. Young Rafael forgot that he was on a yellow already and obstructed Ribery and got a second yellow in an utterly naive way. The tackle might have warranted a yellow, but most referees would have thought twice about giving it as it was going to be the second for the youngster and given that Ribery was way away from a goal-scoring position. But pressure from the Germans meant the ref had to make the decision in their favour and with almost 30 minutes remaining, you just felt that was it for United. I am sure Bayern would have scored more if they needed to, specially with the players they had. United had already conceded a soft goal and all they needed was a solitary goal to advance. Another contributing factor yesterday was Rooney's injury. Rooney played most of yesterday limping. I don't know why he was persisted with even after we had 3 goals on the sheet. With him struggling, United barely got a move going. Perhaps a quick substitution would have brought us another goal considering the speed with which we had scored the first 3. On a night when anybody would have been forced to think United are not just a one-man army and that we were almost unbeatable when we need to force the issue at Old Trafford, United were knocked out, at the end of the day, by a silly, soft yellow card. And I find it really hard to take.

Like I said before, United still have tough games coming up in the league and we'll have to win all of them as well as hope Chelsea are going to drop points, to win the League title. In season where United didn't look a great side for most part of the season, we still fought hard and reached great positions both in Champions League and the league title race. It would be really unfair if United don't win any silverware apart from just the Carling Cup. Hopefully that will not be the case!

League status and CL hopes

United have been having a good run since that embarrassing loss to Everton at the Goodison. They must be specially feeling good about settling the scores against Liverpool at home (after defeats in the last 3 meetings!) and against Bolton away (always a tight fixture). We still have at least 3 tricky fixtures (if not more) before the end of the season, with Chelsea, City and Tottenham to be played. One doesn't need an expert to point out United has tougher list of fixtures in the run-in compared to that of Chelsea and Arsenal. In fact, looking at the list of fixtures Arsenal had, I had a strange feeling Arsenal could yet have the last laugh in the race. But with them dropping points at Birmingham, the advantage is back with United and Chelsea at this point in time.

Everybody had been looking at Chelsea's visit to Old Trafford as the title deciding fixture of the season even as early as January. That remains true even now, just a couple of days left for the game! But the Champions' League game at Munich has given us a scare, a big one at that. The fact that Rooney is injured and could miss atleast 3 league games. I had commented in one of my posts (at least 10 games ago) that Rooney staying fit would be a crucial factor in deciding whether United would win or lose the league this season. And that has taken even bigger importance with the amount of goals Rooney has scored for United this fabulous season (34 so far). I am sure Rooney not playing would be a big boost for Chelsea. Though I would say United winning this Saturday will be a difficult task, I feel United aren't in that bad a situation than they could have been. Though United's second top scorer this season has been Mr. Own Goals, the fact that Berbatov has had a successful couple of games playing all alone, filling in for Rooney, kind of alleviates the situation a bit. So, if Berbatov, Sir Alex's costliest buy, can half fill for Rooney (read provide support to midfield) and the rest of United do their job well (specially the defense of Vidic and Ferdinand), I definitely fancy United to avenge for that unfortunate defeat by a solitary goal at the Bridge).

It's pretty much the same story as far as the return leg against Bayern is concerned. How Berbatov fills in for Rooney is definitely going to be a big factor. Apart from that, United will have to exact the best out of themselves in the other departments (midfield and defense) and we can surely make it past Bayern. After all, we have a crucial away goal to our credit!

Wolves win, Milan thumping and Ronny rues

Last Saturday was a nervy day for me. No, it wasn't because United were playing one of the big four or something but for the simple reason that United were playing Wolves away without our prime hit-man Wayne Rooney! Things were only getting worse when United looked to be heading to a stalemate well into the second half until midfield maestro by the name of Paul Scholes popped in and cast his signature on the game, in the process completed a ton of League goals. United won 1-0 and I must say that was thanks mainly to the reunion of Rio and Vidic at the back. Going by the struggle our defense has had without the duo most of the season, the result could have been much different had it not been for them (Never mind if we were only playing Wolves!). People said Berbatov played a part in the game and did well in place of Rooney. I would beg to differ. Berbatov did do a decent job of holding up the defenders thanks to his deft touches, but he didn't create or come up with anything brilliant. In fact I thought he was way too slow to be involved in the counter attacks United thrives on. Nani was another player who looked to lack confidence. Back to good old days? I'm not really sure, because I feel the real problem is with him not playing on the right flank. If that is indeed the case, I am not sure Sir Alex would want him to switch positions with Valencia. Not for my money because the unassuming Mr Valencia has fetched us absolute gold this season on the right wing.

Now to the much talked about Milan game. One thing I realized past Wednesday night was this - one brilliant player can make your team look average or great! The last time United were knocked out of Champions league, it was that rainy day at the San Siro 3 seasons ago and it was purely because of the then best player in the world - Kaka. This time around, the tide seemed to have reversed. Wayne Rooney did a Kaka. He scored 2 more goals to add to his 2 at Siro and in the process finished the Rossoneri in no time at all. Is it any coincidence Rooney is being touted the best player in the world right now?

Personally, I was a little anxious about the game. Since Milan had just a single goal deficit and the fact that they had always defeated United over 2 legs any Red devil fan would have been a little nervous. As far as i was concerned it was about who'd score the first goal. Thankfully it was Rooney's head doing the talking again (quite early in the first half) and when he scored the second, it was curtains on Milan's hopes. Two players who stood out (and they always inherently do but aren't spoken about!) were Fletcher and Park. According to me these are the players that are the heart and soul of United set up. Your Rooneys and Ronaldos and Beckams and Cantonas will get all the praise in the world when United wins those silverwares. But these players do well because players like Fletcher and Park do the difficult and dirty work in the background. Park was entrusted with the role of marking Pirlo and everybody knows he did that perfectly. Fletcher came up with his usual hardworking best over the two legs. It is players like these who work hard so United can play true to their wisdom of beautiful, fast-paced and counter-attacking football.

While Rooney and Co were running rampage over Milan, our hero until not so long ago was shaking his head heading into the Bernabeu tunnel realizing that he will not be playing the big CL games he played with his Red pals all of last few seasons. What more, Rooney being touted the next big thing must be hurting him although I am sure they are the best of friends. Now, I am not going to be immature and start a was-Ronaldo-wrong-to-leave-United debate most people seem to like these days. Ronaldo did what his heart told him and he should stick to that. I just wonder if United would have struggled at all this season had he and Tevez stayed. But then who was going to guarantee Rooney wouldn't play on the wing anymore had Ronaldo stayed? Personally, being a big fan of Rooney, I just think Ronaldo had done a major favour to his friend by following his heart!

Everton 3 : 1 United

There are somethings about home-advantage in football I find difficult to comprehend. It's the same pitch and ball you play with and yet some teams seem to totally get into a new Avataar when playing at home and dangerously so. Burnley have been a classic example this season (just one point away against 22 at home!). Teams like Fulham, West Ham, Aston Villa are sometimes more difficult to play away than some of the top 4. I'm sure people will readily point out it's the crowd support that makes the difference. But is it that difficult for modern-day professional footballers (who I am sure get enough training on staying mentally tough) to negate the influence of opposite teams' crowd support on their games? Or am I undermining the strength of the proverbial twelfth man in football?

Everton are not a team to be left behind in this debate because they are always a tough team to play in their backyard. And how well they vindicated that fact yesterday!

Fresh from defeating Chelsea less than 2 weeks ago and smarting from a narrow derby loss, Everton was not the best place to visit around this time. Specially for United who were coming off a hard earned victory at Milan. It was a little surprising Sir Alex went into this one with a 4-4-2 and not the time tested 4-5-1 that has been so productive this season in terms of results. You could see the effects straight-away - Everton seemed to enjoy bullying United midfield as the game got into its stride. The flip side though was that United went ahead through a nicely taken goal by Berbatov, a player who wouldn't have featured if United had gone with a lone striker! Everton shot right back through Bilyaletdinov's stunning goal, a thunder-bolt really! All this within the first 20 minutes and it seemed that we could be up for a goal fest! Rooney could easily have scored United's second had it not been for that one touch he took after rounding off Tim Howard that was wee bit heavy. Overall, first half was mostly an end-to-end affair with some really exciting football to watch.

Second half looked a bit cagey unlike the first for a good 15 minutes. But after that it was all Everton. The second string United defense of Browne and Evans looked more and more shaky.

Everton began to boss the proceedings and eventually resulted in their second goal. United pushed hard for the equalizer but seemed to lack the sting, specially with Rooney having an off day at his old club. Everton finally finished off United in the 90th minute through a brilliant solo effort from teenager Jack Rodwell.

The game was mainly lost in the midfield, I would say. I am quite sure a 5 man United mid-field would have definitely dented Everton's game. But then, United also looked tired as a unit and you can't play the aging Scholes week-in week-out! Browne and Evans struggled to say the least and I feel that was the clinching factor as far as this game was concerned.

So, it's 6 losses so far this season and we still have about 11 games to go! My initial assessment at the start of the season was that United would struggle due to the lack of goals after Ronaldo's departure. But I now realize that United's defense is more crucial to their prospects than their frontline. Last season, United came up with one of the least goal tallies to win the title (oh yeah, Ronaldo was still with us!) and that was largely due to the exploits of the Vidic and Ferdinand's partnership along with that of Van der Saar. United always score goals because of the way they play their game (and we must be so thankful for that!) But this season has been an absolute testament to the fact that United's defense is perhaps more vital to their title aspirations than their frontline.

Obviously, the season is not over yet and how we should be happy about that. Any other season and 6 defeats would have meant good-bye to the title! Yet this season, freak as it is, a couple of slip-ups by Chelsea and United could still sneak away with the title. Can't wait for Chelsea to come to Old Trafford!