It was painful, shambolic and wildly frustrating. United were well and truly beaten at Anfield and in truth, there can be no real complainsts. Well, there can be one: Jamie Carragher should have seen red for his outrageously bad tackle on Nani. If he had walked, it could have been a different game, yes.
However, that is not the point. We were poor and we need to address that. It has been a poor week in general with two consecutive defeats in the league for the first time since 2009. What is going wrong at the moment?
Midfield Combination
Somewhat surprisingly, Fergie plumped for Carrick and Scholes for the Liverpool encounter. I know Carrick is getting picked for a lot of big games recently but I felt we needed more a battler in there for this encounter. When on the front foot and controlling the game, these are probably the best two we could have picked, as they can dictate the tempo and test the opposition defence with probing balls. However, neither are the best defensively and Liverpool stole a march here. Fletcher should have played in my book, although his form hasn’t exactly been inspiring either.
Can’t Over Depend on Giggs/Scholes
These two United legends have been digging United out of holes for years. I remember reading Keane’s biography and him saying there was a feeling in the team at one stage that when they went behind it didn’t matter as someone like Giggsy would bail them out of trouble. Like it or not, this is not the case with these two any more. There are still quality players and will bring undoubted quality to United and will continue to do so even next season but they are not the forces they once were. Giggs and Scholsey were both quite poor against Liverpool in my opinion and it pains me to say that.
First Choice Defensive Partnership
When we are without the partnership of Vidic and Ferdindand, we look a different side at the back. When both of them are absent, we are in trouble. It wasn’t all down to the central defensive partnership at Anfield, but Dirk Kuyt will never score an easier hat trick in his life. Smalling will be world class and Brown is a solid player when fit but they didn’t look entirely comfortable when put under pressure. The return of Vidic will help us here greatly.
Away Form Just Not Good Enough
United have won just four games away from home in the Premier League this season. That is the lowest total of the top 5 in the league. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that when we come up against two decent teams away from home on the trot, that we are beaten. Admittedly, we were massively unlucky to not come away from Chelsea with at least a point but that doesn’t hide the poor away form that has been evident all season.
Need More Creativity
Much has been spoken about the need for a creative midfielder. It has been the one position consistently identified by puntits and fans as somewhere where United need to recruit in. Some have argued against this but I believe we do need someone in the role to be brought in. We just don’t look dangerous enough at times coming from central positions and over-rely on our wingers (Nani). A Modric/Sneijder type player would suit us perfectly I feel or maybe even Tom Cleverley’s return if he can step up the level at the pace required. Either way, we need a creative midfielder.
Strike Force
Fergie knows infinitely more than me about what system to deploy but Rooney on the left simply doesn’t work for me. Berbatov is quality but can blow hot and cold. I think it is time to give Hernandez a run in the side and see what comes of it. He is scoring fairly regularly at the minute and looks dangerous. This is obviously dependant on the system employed but he gives us that something different. There have been signs of Rooney coming abck to some form but he was disappointing at Anfield on Sunday. The sooner he is back to the form of a year ago, the better.
It is Not All Bad
Is this a vintage United side? Probably not. Are there frailties within the team? Absolutely. Yet, I still think we will win the league. There are plenty of positives to draw on too. Our home record is outstanding, we have plenty of quality throughout the squad with some outstanding players with Antonio Valencia is basically back too. We are top of the league, going nicely in Champions League and FA Cup so there is plenty to smile about. These are just some observations.
What are your thoughts?
Submitted by Glory Glory Man Utd
