There was a whole lot of talk about Man United scorching the paces of the EPL and leaving their opposition in their wake. Heck, even Carlos Quieroz had to get in on the act claiming “We’re all confident” a day before the season took off. Now, call me a pessimist, but I’ve always believed that self-ra-ra (or in this case, over-postivism) is the chief ingredient for crash and burn. They really should take a page off the Bible and remained humble about being champions. After all, last season was no stroll in the park.
I suppose that the acquisition of some “high-profile-youngsters” at exorbitant fees didn’t help the cause but the underlying fact is that they are youngsters bought at significantly overinflated prices. Of course back then, all media was gushing over the prospects of United’s four signings in Nani, Anderson, Hargreaves and ultimately Tevez. Of the four, only Hargreaves had the potential to fit into the team acclimatised and bolstering it. Tevez remains an interesting study, but only when Rooney and him combine will we be able to see if similarities breed synergy. And we’ll have to wait ’til Christmas for that.
Of all the signings, this United fan is actually most excited at the prospect of Ben Foster returning from injury and seeing how he deals at the highest level with the most pressure.
Now, away with ‘prospect’ and ‘potential’. What matters is ‘now’ and ‘results’. And United are simply not delivering – the results, that is. After three games, it would be harsh to say that they aren’t playing good football… because they are. As many claim, they do seem to be lacking the cutting edge finishing in the 18-yard box. But really, is that a good enough excuse? Will a 12mil pound signing of Anelka solve the problem?
In my humble (and humble it is) opinion, signing Anelka would merely create a psychological impact on both United and their opposition. This impact being the “ahh, we now have a centre forward and our goal-scoring problems are over” and/ or “oh no, now they have a striker and we’re doomed” factor. In all reality, Manchester United have been and are ever capable of scoring from anywhere on the park on any given day – with or without Rooney and Ronaldo. Statistics do speak for themselves; that United have controlled possession in all their games and created the majority of scoring opportunities. A missed chance should not be attributed to a missing striker but rather to individualistic flaws/mistakes/loss of concentration or whatever. Instinct is not an excuse.
And let’s face it, a defence that leaks soft goals against (forgive me) lesser opposition in Man City and Portsmouth is only escaping scrutiny due to the seemingly “more shocking” lack of tooth upfront. Let’s not forget that last year’s title was won on the foundation of having one of the best defensive records in the league.
I’m not even going to bother with the red card and injuries because these things take place in the natural course of football. Deal with it.
After all that’s been said and done, United have to do it the hard way again. I take heart that the season is not lost (yet) but its time to ditch that ‘champions’ mantle and put the hard work back into football. At least all this is making up for an interesting 9 months, aye?
- JT
