Krafty
Well-Known Member
- May 26, 2004
- 4,797
- 2,139
Where to begin? Spurs lose away at one of the ‘big 4’. No surprise there. We are on the end of a horrendous decision at Old Trafford. No surprise there. We fail to keep a clean sheet. Worryingly, no surprise there either.
The game itself was fairly even. We had more possession, more corners, a decent amount of shots on and off target, albeit a third less than United. Still, not bad for the away team. United had more of a cutting edge and ultimately we were left frustrated at the millionth fruitless trip to one of the big boys.
I fully understand why Keane started, even if I was quite surprised. He has a superior work rate than Pavlyuchenko or Crouch, often coming back to close down the deep lying midfielders. However he is not going to get on the end of many crosses, so any good work from Bale (considerable) and Lennon (still not enough) will go unrewarded when the ball is delivered into the box. Keane’s lack of pace makes it impossible for him to be an option over the top, and shows that we really lack a striker who can lead the line when we go to places like Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge.
Our attacks seemed to lack urgency or cohesion. Keane’s second appearance of the season may have contributed to the lack of fluidity in the final third; United’s more adventurous 4-4-2 may have given them an extra man when it mattered, but both teams failed to reach top gear and was indicative of some indifferent form in recent times.
Individual mistakes still hurt us. United’s first goal comes from two Kaboul errors. First, he gives away a needless free kick, then losers Vidic completely, so much so I had to watch a replay four times to work out he was marking him in the first place! But then again, if we were more solid in midfield does Kaboul need to come out and make that challenge? The quantity and quality of chances created by United was a little troubling, and our season record of only two clean sheets in 16 games is a worry.
There is the second goal, which has been talked about extensively on the site and in the papers. No doubt Clattenberg and his refereeing fraternity will claim he did not do anything wrong, but when you consider that not only can a player get away with handling the ball and not getting booked but also getting a goal, you have to wonder how the Premiership can be the greatest league in the world (TM).Gomes was foolish, but that doesn’t excuse the Geordie man with the whistle.
To blame that incident for the result would be simplistic, and glaze over our problems upfront and at the back (and Jenas seems determined to stoke more debate about his future). We are not that far from being able to go to places like Old Trafford or even the San Siro and get draws and wins. But I just do not feel we have the conviction to do it.
At White Hart Lane, with the crowd urging them and the expectation that we will be the more dominant team, we can beat anyone. Away from home, against the bigger teams, we suffer from the fear factor. Unable or unwilling to take them on mano-a-mano, we have yet to develop the ability to sit deep, have a defence and midfield that is an impenetrable rock, and nick a goal on the counter.
We are still to open. Some will say attack is the best form of attack, Harry will say we are an attacking team, but we have drawn a blank more often than we have kept a clean sheet.
It’s only small things. A little more concentration at the back. A little bit more cohesion in the midfield. A sharper attacking edge. Maybe just a will to win ugly. Little things, but they can make a big difference. A competent ref would be nice as well.
The game itself was fairly even. We had more possession, more corners, a decent amount of shots on and off target, albeit a third less than United. Still, not bad for the away team. United had more of a cutting edge and ultimately we were left frustrated at the millionth fruitless trip to one of the big boys.
I fully understand why Keane started, even if I was quite surprised. He has a superior work rate than Pavlyuchenko or Crouch, often coming back to close down the deep lying midfielders. However he is not going to get on the end of many crosses, so any good work from Bale (considerable) and Lennon (still not enough) will go unrewarded when the ball is delivered into the box. Keane’s lack of pace makes it impossible for him to be an option over the top, and shows that we really lack a striker who can lead the line when we go to places like Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge.
Our attacks seemed to lack urgency or cohesion. Keane’s second appearance of the season may have contributed to the lack of fluidity in the final third; United’s more adventurous 4-4-2 may have given them an extra man when it mattered, but both teams failed to reach top gear and was indicative of some indifferent form in recent times.
Individual mistakes still hurt us. United’s first goal comes from two Kaboul errors. First, he gives away a needless free kick, then losers Vidic completely, so much so I had to watch a replay four times to work out he was marking him in the first place! But then again, if we were more solid in midfield does Kaboul need to come out and make that challenge? The quantity and quality of chances created by United was a little troubling, and our season record of only two clean sheets in 16 games is a worry.
There is the second goal, which has been talked about extensively on the site and in the papers. No doubt Clattenberg and his refereeing fraternity will claim he did not do anything wrong, but when you consider that not only can a player get away with handling the ball and not getting booked but also getting a goal, you have to wonder how the Premiership can be the greatest league in the world (TM).Gomes was foolish, but that doesn’t excuse the Geordie man with the whistle.
To blame that incident for the result would be simplistic, and glaze over our problems upfront and at the back (and Jenas seems determined to stoke more debate about his future). We are not that far from being able to go to places like Old Trafford or even the San Siro and get draws and wins. But I just do not feel we have the conviction to do it.
At White Hart Lane, with the crowd urging them and the expectation that we will be the more dominant team, we can beat anyone. Away from home, against the bigger teams, we suffer from the fear factor. Unable or unwilling to take them on mano-a-mano, we have yet to develop the ability to sit deep, have a defence and midfield that is an impenetrable rock, and nick a goal on the counter.
We are still to open. Some will say attack is the best form of attack, Harry will say we are an attacking team, but we have drawn a blank more often than we have kept a clean sheet.
It’s only small things. A little more concentration at the back. A little bit more cohesion in the midfield. A sharper attacking edge. Maybe just a will to win ugly. Little things, but they can make a big difference. A competent ref would be nice as well.
