So mid-January and Manchester United go joint top with a team who have now only won 1 in 5, and so the Red Army march on to the title while those around them fade into another summer of crazy spending, allowing Rooney to have a few cigarettes, beer and sausage sandwiches on a beach somewhere near Marbella. An annual event in English football..
..But not this year I think.
A 3-0 win against the worst Bolton team I’ve seen in many years, and they are competing with some poor Bolton teams, proved that we have problems galore, not least in midfield. Mediocre opposition can test the best of teams but poor opposition just rely on luck, and that’s all Bolton brought.
Sir Alex can claim that 60 mins against the Wanderers is proof that 2 weeks extra training after several weeks working with the Reserve team means that Paul Scholes is back to his best but nobody will buy that.
Yes he can pass, and yes he has stamina for a 37 year old but against a decent team he will not cut it, and I’m sure he will feel this on Tuesday as he eases himself out of bed reflecting on the easy nature of this game but knowing he won’t start against Aaron Ramsey and Co next Sunday.
In a game of such ease that Wayne Rooney’s penalty miss, yet again proof of his fading form, meant nothing in the context of the result, his performance in which he didn’t test the keeper in a game we dominated is a continued reason for concern. He isn’t playing well, he is slow and predictable and one header in the FA Cup doesn’t save a season.
In defence Patrice Evra is faring even worse. His roasting from Ferdinand against City didn’t do the trick as he again wandered upfield leaving a gaping hole at left back, now so well known that Evans kept moving wide ready for the inevitable counter.
The good news that the Da Silva’s are back, bed sores and all after another season of more time with the Physio than the Coach, does at least give some cover to our French captain. Luis Suarez seems to have hurt us as much as he has hurt his own team.
Further good news is that Danny Welbeck isn’t hurt as badly as it looked, that Valencia has gained as much form as Nani has lost and that Micahel Carrick didn’t let the return of Scholes disrupt his game, he actually passed to someone else once every now and again. Way to go Michael!
All this game proved is that Bolton deserve to go down, and that is sad for a team who have always given such effort and determination in every game. To see the pathetic performance of N’gog shows how far they have sunk. Truly awful!
I don’t see this game as pivotal in any way. The inability of Spurs beat Wolves at home supports my view that they will slip to 5th by May, and the same result for Liverpool at home to Stoke makes it clear Steven Gerrard will finish his career without a Premiership medal.
Arsenal and Chelsea will challenge the top 2, and all that proves is that City are the best squad in the league but also that they don’t yet know how to win it.
Away games for United at the teams around them will determine the outcome, today proved nothing at all; the challenges are yet to come.
By Steve Burrows CBE @ifollowsteve
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