RedsUnite: a man utd blog

We certainly didn’t deserve to take a point from that contest. United were exposed for all of their weaknesses today by an inspired Tottenham Hotspur side that was truly unlucky not to win. I don’t even know where to begin with our team’s performance today, but it was not good in any aspect. I honestly believe that you need to be a part of the side to know what the cause was for today’s performance, for United was so poor in so many areas as to make you wonder if they were all out on a bender the night previous.

United was absolutely careless in possession, seemingly unable to make the simple pass. Spurs pressure had a marked effect on the Reds performance, forcing our play to take on a hurried pace uncharacteristic of our side. Players who normally appear completely confident over the ball seemed nervous. The passing was erratic and the link-up play was non-existent.

Our attack was impotent today, with their first legitimate chance on goal, I believe, coming around the 75th minute from substitute Anderson. Our attacks inability to establish possession from direct play was on full display today. The first instance I could remember of a United player on the frontline establishing possession from a direct ball from the back was when Nemanja Vidic brought down a pass from Van der Sar, filling in for a retreating Wayne Rooney in attack. Tevez and Rooney were almost invisible outside of Rooney’s occasional drifting into the midfield to get a touch.

Our dependence upon Cristiano Ronaldo was exposed today, as the Portuguese winger showed that he is, indeed, human. It never came off for him today and what we were left with was a United attack that appeared to have no idea of what to do. Our midfield was inaccurate with their passing, our wing-play was stifled routinely by a stalwart Spurs defense and our attack, as aforementioned, was unable to control anything that reached them.

Our fullbacks, for the second consecutive match against Spurs, had a great deal of difficulty dealing with Tottenham’s pace down the wings and in counter attack. We were caught out of position on a handful of occasions and were fortunate to only have been punished once. They can’t shoulder all the blame though, for no one would expect United to give the ball away as often as they did today. United’s defense was forced to scramble back in attempts to stop a Spurs counter-attack that was given many opportunities to run.

Finally, and I’ve been wanting to complain about this for a while, what is it about football culture that allows players to upstage and demean officials in the manner we did today? Why is it allowed? Here in the states if you upstage an official you are sent out on your ass. You’ll never see a player get nose-to-nose in defiance with an official without seeing his day cut short. In the NBA, our basketball league, players are given technical fouls–the equivolent of a yellow card–for even gesticulating wildly to no one in particular, much less while standing eight inches away from an official. United behaved like little children running to their parents to avoid accountability for their actions by blaming their brothers and sisters. “But Mom, Jimmy started it.” The whole thing is sickening and unappealing to anyone who doesn’t find it enjoyable to watch grown men behave like petulant babies. “It’s part of the culture,” was the defense of the halftime commentator. That’s the same argument used by all people who defend something that is clearly indefensible. Culture’s evolve and standards for conduct change. Does anyone think more of Wayne Rooney after watching him tell an official to “f*ck off” several times? Are there not children who watch these matches? Is it not beneath the likes of a Cristiano Ronaldo, who has clearly had the football gods on his side, to look as though he is going to be brought to tears because he didn’t get a call. Shut your mouth, get off your ass and play the game. You are grown men playing a child’s game, not children pretending to be grown men.

Perhaps I am overreacting a bit, but I simply didn’t recognize the team we fielded today. I know that you can’t win every match, but we were a poor side today. It wasn’t as though a few things went awry and the result was a side that battled hard but just couldn’t get the goals they needed. We stunk. And while we are fortunate to come away with a point today, this performance should serve notice to the league and, hopefully, to ourselves that we are not infallible. We are capable of some pretty poor football, in fact. Arsenal won today, so we will fall two points behind them. They, clearly, are not looking as though they will falter any time soon, so we must address whatever it is that leads to a performance like today’s. Judging by Fergie’s countenance following Tevez’s equalizer, one devoid of emotion, I have the feeling that his displeasure is significant. I did not recognize Manchester United today and I don’t know that Fergie could either. Here’s hoping the Scot is able to find an elixir for the mediocrity that afflicted our side today, for if it goes untreated it can spread like plague.

Think United was rubbish today? Think I’ve been a bit harsh? Tell me why…