Not for the first time this season, United eeked out a hugely important win with a late goal in a tight game. Bolton made it very tough for us and on the back of a Champions League midweek fixture, it was never going to a stroll in the park. The Bulgarian Stallion, Dimitar Berbatov, came off the bench to score an absolutely critical goal in the context of the run in.
The failure of Arsenal to collect all three points away to West Brom gives us a little breathing room once again. This Arsenal side don’t seem to have the bottle to really come after us and rely too heavily on a couple of players. When they suffer some injuries or lack of form from their big players, they find it difficult to grind out wins.
This is one area where I think United have the edge. Of course we have players who are more important to us than others; Nani and Vidic are two obvious cases at the moment. However, even when we suffer injuries and suspensions, there is generally enough quality there to get us over the line. At different stages this season, we have been without Ferdinand, Rooney and Valencia all for long periods, among others.
Our strike force is a prime example. No one player has been on a goal rush all season. Yes, Berbatov has got plenty, with a couple of hatfuls. Hernanadez has always looked dangerous, even having not started the majority and Rooney has had long spells in poor form. Yet it seems that one of them will produce when the pothers aren’t. Last Saturday was a perfect example. Berbatove didn’t start but grabbed the winner in the 88th minute. Against Marseille, Hernandez grabbed two while in the pevious game against Arsenal, Rooney bagged one. The three players have scored 46 goals between them this season, no meant feat.
Our defensive injuries are a concern, particularly when you see Michael Carrick filling in at centre back against Bolton on Saturday but there is still some cover here and Vidic is back soon. Look at the Arsenal back four!
We have written here before that the United squad needs strengthening but in fact our squad has shaped up quite well. While we may be missing some genius in the middle of the park, we have quality pretty much across the board and look well equipped to win the title. Unlike Arsenal.
Submitted by Glory Glory Man Utd
