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Wednesday, 16 March 2011

Chicharito getting it done (vs Marseille)

By: Shaun | March 16th, 2011
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chicha 14 A nervy final 10 minutes was the worst we had to endure before clinching our ticket into the Champions League quarterfinals.

As expected, our Serbian enforcer was not fit to play this game thus forcing us to start with the same central defensive pairing that was ripped apart at Anfield. This time round however, they put in a more assured performance with Brown putting in a much better shift although he had his lapses in concentration. The surprise inclusion of Chicharito in the starting 11 at the expense of our top scoring Bulgarian was justified with 2 poacher-like finishes.

Impressions:

1.Even though SAF promised that we would go for it (which we did), Marseille were very much in the contest and had some great opportunities to score (2 free headers and a mis-hit volley come to mind). We were saved by some good keeping and a failure on Marseille’s part to punish us with those half chances.

SOCCER-CHAMPIONS/ 2.Rooney may not be scoring in the boatloads, but his movement and distribution in this game were sublime. Everytime he picked up the ball, he looked up in an attempt to find someone open on the wing. For the most part, his long range passing was spot on and he’s showing that he can thrive in the role behind the front striker as long as there’s someone else to pick up the scoring responsibilities. His volley out to Giggs to start the move for the first goal was outstanding and his effort to sprint forward past a couple of Marseille players before getting back the return and rolling that toward Chicharito for a tap in perfectly encapsulated his contribution throughout the 90 minutes.

3.Chicharito continues to be the poster child for value in the transfer market. It’s not like opposing teams don’t know the way he plays. Yet, on both his goals, he was able to get in front of his defender and tap in the cross practically unchallenged. £6m for him seems to be an absolute steal with every vital goal he knocks in. His movement up front keeps the defenders honest and opens up space all around him. An absolute gem of a player who will only get more productive with Valencia’s return.

4.Granted, Valencia was only on the field for slightly over an hour, but he reminded us again, as he did on Sunday, what we’ve missed for so much of the season. An electrifying ability to get down the right and provide a delivery into the box will be one of our go to weapons as we enter “squeaky bum time”. That £16m transfer fee doesn’t seem that ridiculous anymore does it?

5.What is up with our rightbacks and their hamstrings? First it was JOS. Then Rafael who came on to replace JOS had to be taken off with the same injury. Thankfully, Fabio was available off the bench and we had yet to use up all our subs. The bad news is that both JOS and Rafael are expected to be out for 3-4 weeks. The injuries are starting to pile up and it is this stage of the season where the teams that have the greater depth in their squad are able to stay in contention on all fronts. I don’t know if we can.

group vs marseille 6.Carrick appeared to defend more aggressively than usual. Considering how much abuse has been sent his way, I think it only fair to applaud him for a hardworking shift in the middle of the park. Yes, those raking passes that used to elicit comparisons to Scholes aren’t there with very much regularity anymore. However, when you play alongside the master, your role is to perform cleanup and allow Scholes to focus on what he does best. Carrick failed in this role against Liverpool. He did much better against the French champions.

On we go having survived 2 very tough contests in the past 3 days.

After the disaster at Anfield, many fans (myself included) were predicting the downward spiral of United’s season to continue in the FA Cup and the Champions League. Yet, here we are on the other side of those 2 games having emerged victorious via some hardworking, if unspectacular, performances to stay in contention.

Our focus now shifts back to the league and figuring out who’s left standing for us to send out this weekend against Bolton.

Some Related Man United Posts:Another away draw (vs Marseille)All hail Chicharito (vs Wolves Carling Cup)Bad news before the Marseille gameMarseille it isThe return of Rooney (vs Wigan)

Category: Champions League, Chicharito, Manchester United, Match Reports

Tags: Champions League, Chicharito, Manchester United, Match Reports, Michael Carrick, Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney
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Thursday, 24 February 2011

Another away draw (vs Marseille)

By: Shaun | February 23rd, 2011
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nani heinze Not much to say about this game is there? A rather uninteresting affair with both teams loading up in midfield and cancelling each other out. Having seen the squad that flew out to the south of France for this game, I can’t say I’m too unhappy about the result. What makes the result tough to accept in hindsight is that Marseille very generally underwhelming throughout, but we weren’t any better.

Impressions:

1.Gibson actually did okay for once. In light of all the bashing he’s received from fans this season, this was one of his better outings. Granted, there was no defense splitting pass or thunderbolt shot from long distance, but he scurried around the pitch and made runs forward to drag defenders with him and open up passing lanes. In short, the effort that’s generally been missing from him was on display today. gibson

2.Carrick on the other hand did not do anything noteworthy. For someone of his caliber with the proven ability to pick out a pass at will, this performance was not up to par. Yes, he didn’t give the ball away in bad spots the way he’s done in the past, but most of his passes just seemed to go sideways or back. We already have Fletcher to do that.

3.Nani (as usual) looked the most likely person to unlock the Marseille backline. He had his usual moves, but made some poor decisions when it counted. Not one of his better games this season. Then again, we can’t expect him to carry the team in every game.

4.Were we saving Paul Scholes for the “massive” encounter against Wigan over the weekend? Why start Gibson over Scholes when we already had Rooney and Nani tucked alongside Fletch and Carrick in midfield? We were so much more composed in possession once the ginger prince was introduced. Is SAF trying to convince Scholes to retire soon?

5.Smalling, despite some nervous passes early on, came through with some timely interceptions and blocks. I sound like a broken record, but with more exposure on the big stage, he’ll soon have the necessary experience to match his talent and composure on the ball.

6.Rooney kept coming deep to get involved. I love that he itches to get involved with the play and I don’t blame him for wanting to make things happen. That left wing role isn’t his best position and we would have probably seen him trouble the Marseille backline a lot more as a lone striker had Giggs been fit to make the trip.

7.Would have loved to see Chicharito get a run out today. Think he would have fancied nicking a goal toward the end.

All things considered, this wasn’t a bad result. We were missing Rio at the back and opted to sit Scholes. Without the inspiration of Giggs in the squad, our midfield looked the way it has for most of this season – average at best.

rooney heinze At least we didn’t concede a goal. If we get Rio and Giggs back in time for the return leg, I fancy our chances. Keep in mind that Gignac will probably be back for them by then and could cause Vidic a massive headache.

Wait, what am I saying? It’s at OT. The place where we grind our results even if our performances may be downright awful. If it’s enough to move us into the next around, I guess I won’t really care.

Some Related Man United Posts:Marseille it isDraw # 7 (vs Villa)One more away draw to end 2010 (vs Birmingham)Squad to face MarseilleHard fought win at Ibrox (vs Rangers)

Category: Champions League, Manchester United, Match Reports

Tags: Carrick, Champions League, Darron Gibson, Manchester United, Match Reports, Nani, Rooney
Tweet « Squad to face Marseille | Home | ground penetrating radarSeems I didn't fail to spot much at all!BaldrickSuch a dull match I fell asleep on the sofa and missed the entire second half. Seems I didn't miss much at all!Wakkawhat?? carrick gave the ball away in dangerous positions 2-3 times trying to make the simplest of passes.

Gibson played ok?

were we all watching the same game???Shaunmaybe it happened when i nearly dozed off from boredom.

gibson played ok RELATIVE to the other performances he's put in this season. Which really, doesn't say very much.GIGGSYI THINK OUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED, ESPECIALLY WITH DALGLISH BACK AT LIVERPOOL. TIME TO GO NOW FERGIE.blog comments powered by Disqus