RedsUnite: a man utd blog

The morning after and I’m still surprised. How proud I am of the boys who took the field for us yesterday. I was cynical about them from the start yesterday and they spent the next 90 minutes proving me wrong. It was one of those matches where you watch the entire contest with a smile on your face, because you know that the result is not in question. This was an inspired United side featuring players who took great advantage of their moment in the sun.

Darren Fletcher. How proud of him are you? When you discuss the concept of a team, guys like this are often overlooked but how important was he yesterday. I can’t help but to cheer for the lad with my heart on my sleeve. I must confess, two years ago I detested Fletcher. In my eyes, he was emblematic of all the problems with that 2005/06 United side. While his workrate could never have been questioned, he was an unfinished product that needed more time before he was placed in the center of the pitch. In a squad seemingly full of 19 and 20 year olds that step right in and produce, I forget sometimes that not everyone matures at the same rate. Fletcher may have taken a little while to blossom into the player he is today, but he should be proud of himself today. I don’t know that I am ever happier for a player than I am when I see Darren Fletcher excel. Good for you, Fletch.

Ji-Sung Park. While it may not have entirely come off for him, yesterday was a celebration of the depth of the side and the attitude of players like Park. Park finds himself United’s fourth string winger. Positioned behind Ronaldo, Nani and Giggs, Park doesn’t see the field too often. Even Nani, a player of exceptional potential and talent, lacks opportunities, so Park, who has been hindered by fitness issues, has never quite fit into the squad this year. You might think that such a role would have an adverse effect on the attitude of a player. Players want to play and Park must know that a player of his contagious energy and workrate would be well received at other clubs. If he were to move elsewhere he would undoubtedly be an everyday player. Knowing all this, knowing that no matter what he does on the pitch he will still remain our fourth string winger, he battles like a warrior. There is something about the lad that makes you want to cheer for him. It may be his size or his demeanor, but he is undeniably an underdog in a side full of alpha dogs. His sheer stature will always hold him back in any efforts to join the first team, he is often tossed off the ball by stronger defenders, but he is never deterred in his efforts. Here’s hoping that players like Ronaldo watched Park’s efforts yesterday and realize what could be achieved if he were to couple his prodigious skill with Park’s immeasurable heart.

Wayne Rooney and Nani. Coupled with Fletcher, they were my men of the match. Their relentless pursuit of the ball made Arsenal’s backline and midfield visibly uncomfortable. They made Arsenal’s back four make decisions at a pace much quicker than they would have liked and their collapsing inward on Fabregas, Gilberto and their midfield counterparts made a normally solid Gunner midfield play sloppily. Conceding only one shot on goal yesterday, United’s defense was barely tested. This can be attested to the efforts of players like Fletch and Park, and the cagey, unwavering stewardship of Anderson and Michael Carrick. But all of these successes began upfront, with an attack pair that behaved as though they were entitled to the ball. They chased down Arsenal defenders and midfielders with a zest and urgency unseen in the past few weeks. Their desire permeated the entire club and I attribute their demonstration of their hunger as pivotal to our success yesterday.

Anderson and Carrick. How is Ferguson to pick a first team? Could anything critical be said of their play yesterday? Did anything go lacking? I have suggested previously suggested that Anderson and Carrick should constitute our second-team midfield pairing, with Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves our “big game” pairing. While I still believe in those pairings, it is certainly debatable as to which pairing is stronger.

Many in United circles have suggested that Anderson and Hargreaves would be our best pairing and that may be true, but the aforementioned pairings give United balance. Of Hargreaves and Carrick, Hargreaves is the stronger presence and a firmer tackler. He, however, is an inferior offensive player, failing to exhibit the vision and class over the ball that Carrick has shown on his better days. Playing alongside Scholes, a lesser tackler than Anderson but a slightly sharper offensive player, provides balance.

The same could be said for Carrick and Hargreaves. Carrick’s weakness as a physical presence is offset by Anderson who, while still unrefined at times offensively, provides United’s midfield with an additional physical presence that is absent in Scholes.

Anderson and Hargreaves would constitute our strongest defensive pairing, but their service to our attack may not be stellar. Scholes and Carrick might be our strongest attacking midfield, but they would leave United soft through the middle. By using the aforementioned pairings United strikes a balance necessary to make us competitive in every match. I believe that SAF should stick with these pairings, as familiarity and chemistry in the midfield is important. This rotating door policy of different pairings for each job isn’t advisable in the long term.

Starting XI? Did yesterday show us Fergie’s choice XI? While Rooney will certainly be among those starting on Wednesday against Lyon, did the five excluded players constitute Ferguson’s choice midfield and attack?

Rooney Tevez

Giggs Scholes Hargreaves Ronaldo

Evra Vidic Ferdinand Brown

VDS

I think we may have our answer. I like the looks of that side, although I am not sure that Nani didn’t make a compelling argument for his inclusion in the side over Giggs, whose performances have been beneath his normal standard of late.

I am out of time, so I must depart. Enjoy the feeling that yesterday’s victory has left us with, for we only have until Wednesday to enjoy it. Have any thoughts? Leave a comment…