The Positives: Man utd. won the game. How exactly? I have no freaking clue. They were outclassed and outplayed. They held possession of the ball at times but did absolutely nothing going forward with it most of the time. They simply lacked the creativity to break down the Arsenal defense. Yet they won. They gutted out a performance and with help from the referee and help from quite possibly the most embarrassing footballer in history they won a match they had no right to win.
This match does show Man Utd.'s experience. They found a way to win which is really what counts in this game.
The Negatives: They were not good at all. And I don't see this being just a one time thing. Yes, they were missing Ferdinand, but their problems weren't really defensive. Offensively they just had no creativity. Nani and Valencia on the wings provide athleticism and technique but they lack a footballing brain. They can beat a man with speed and dribbling but they have trouble with the killer pass and moving off the ball to the most dangerous spot. Against the top four that's just not going to do it. The midfield of fletcher and Carrick was also extremely lacking in the offensive threat. Fletcher worked hard and did his job but Carrick is not a player who is going to create chances. I don't see what Sir Alex is thinking with a midfield partnering of those two. With his lineup it kind of seemed like he was playing for the draw.
What we really saw today was what the loss of Ronaldo really means to Man Utd. As much as I hate and despise him and wish him the very worst he is a hell of a football player. He provides creativity and flair that the current workmanlike squad of Man Utd. needs. There's no doubt in my mind that the presence of Ronaldo on the pitch today would have vastly changed the game. Instead, Rooney lacked service and their entire offensive threat just seemed dead. Hoof after Hoof from defenders to forward which the Arsenal defense tidily cleaned up.
What this means going forward:
Man Utd. do not have a squad to win the Premier league or the Champions League. They lack the attacking prowess and just the overall talent this year. Against the top sides in Europe Man utd. may be able to stay in the game because of the hard work that the players will put in defensively but they just don't have the attacking prowess to win. They desperately need Anderson on the pitch. Whatever feud is going on between him and Fergie desperately needs to be resolved because while he is not a world beater, he does provide the attacking flair and creativity that Man Utd. so desperately need. Right now I see Man Utd. battling it out with Man City for third in the Premier League behind Chelsea and Arsenal.
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