I have not written anything over the last 3 games. First was the 4-4 draw against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League quarter final, second was the similar scoreline against Arsenal in the league and finally a 1-3 away win at Hull City.
There was something common in all these 3 games. Defensive lapse. To have conceded 9 goals in 3 games is not exactly the kind of performance any defence can be proud of. But on the same note, we scored plenty as well. One thing for sure is that no one can win a game by merely being free-scoring. Defensive steadfastness is the pillar to success. If we can't score, we must at least ensure that we don't concede. So what was the problem?
My assessment is that it is not a systemic problem but an individual one. Skrtel looked out of sorts for the past few games, Carragher alone can't save the world, Agger had not been given enough games to anchor a steady performance. Arbeloa, for me, was a key culprit. In the game against, Arsenal he was simply too slow, too complacent and too....whatever! Look at the game against Hull, he wasn't running enough to cover ground and track back to defend. Even when he did, he committed far too many errors. He looked unmotivated, too casual and out right lazy. Insua had been out standing thus far in the season but even he gave away a Hull City goal due to his failure to mark his man, running into the 6 yard box. The most astonishing thing was that he did not even attempt to chase and fight for the ball. If we are to continue winning and secure 3 points in the remaining 4 games in order to keep our title hopes alive, we need to stop conceding goals through slack defending. The drive and determination is not present in the defense department. Something needs to be rectified and rectified soon.
It was heart breaking to watch Spurs crumble like a pack of cards in the second half after storming to a 2 goal lead. The controversial penalty changed the dynamics of the game. If they had held on for 15minutes in the second half, I am sure Spurs would have gone on to win the game. That first MU goal gave those dogs belief and thus the resultant fight back which was no doubt astonishing.
But MU still have to play a derby against Man City and a final game against Arsenal. We can only keep ourselves in the race by ensuring 3 points in the every one of the last 4 games.
It doesn't help that Gerard is still injured and his return against Newcastle this Sunday will provide the boost I feel the team needs. If we can keep winning, I am sure the title challeng will go right to the wire this season.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
What a week....
I missed the CL game against Chelsea on Thursday morning. My iphone had a mind of its own and decided to shut down. As a result, the alarm failed to ring and I only woke up at 6am. When I saw the score, I was not utterly upset. There was a strange sense of calm...it was wierd. Maybe I felt that getting knocked out of the CL may not be a bad thing after all. Our energy can then be focused on the league and the team ought to give it everything they have.
I watched the replay though and felt that the first 2 goals by Chelsea were a result of the deficiencies in our zonal marking system. Ivanovic's run in the box were unchecked and that resulted in 2 poorly conceded goals. No one followed his run. We paid dearly for our defensive errors. There was nothing Pepe could have done. It was a really poor result. How we managed to let Chelsea come back into the game after taking the lead remains to be answered. With Lucas in midfield, that is hardly surprising. As much as I wish to remain optimistic, going to Stamford Bridge to score 3 goals and keep a clean sheet is not exactly something anyone has done in recent years. So, I won't be surprised if our CL's dream end on Wed morning.
But that is not the end of the world. The team responded well and played a controlled game against Blackburn Rovers last night, scoring 4 goals in the process. Torres was absolutely on fire. His first goal will be a contender for the goal of the season. With Mascherano back in the team, we certainly played a lot better. We could have won the game by at least 3-4 goals more if not for the wasted chances in front of goal, particularly by Kyut. The early goals means Gerard can be rested and given more time to nurse his groin injury.
The fact that Man United had to rely on a 17 yr old to crawl their way back means they are not in the best of form at the moment. Luck won't run forever and I hope theirs end sooner rather than later. With 6 more games to go, we are still in the fight. Every league game now is a final and we need to keep that pressure on Man U.
I watched the replay though and felt that the first 2 goals by Chelsea were a result of the deficiencies in our zonal marking system. Ivanovic's run in the box were unchecked and that resulted in 2 poorly conceded goals. No one followed his run. We paid dearly for our defensive errors. There was nothing Pepe could have done. It was a really poor result. How we managed to let Chelsea come back into the game after taking the lead remains to be answered. With Lucas in midfield, that is hardly surprising. As much as I wish to remain optimistic, going to Stamford Bridge to score 3 goals and keep a clean sheet is not exactly something anyone has done in recent years. So, I won't be surprised if our CL's dream end on Wed morning.
But that is not the end of the world. The team responded well and played a controlled game against Blackburn Rovers last night, scoring 4 goals in the process. Torres was absolutely on fire. His first goal will be a contender for the goal of the season. With Mascherano back in the team, we certainly played a lot better. We could have won the game by at least 3-4 goals more if not for the wasted chances in front of goal, particularly by Kyut. The early goals means Gerard can be rested and given more time to nurse his groin injury.
The fact that Man United had to rely on a 17 yr old to crawl their way back means they are not in the best of form at the moment. Luck won't run forever and I hope theirs end sooner rather than later. With 6 more games to go, we are still in the fight. Every league game now is a final and we need to keep that pressure on Man U.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I hate Man U
Well, I hope the title stirred some reaction!
It was a heart-stopping game against Fulham on Saturday. For a while, I thought it was going to be one of those nights when the ball will refuse to hit the back of the net. We hit the cross-bar 4 times in the first half, had another 4 near misses in the second half. I was almost in tears when Benayoun finally scored the winning goal deep into injury time. It was certainly a relief to win as anything less than 3 points will effectively hand the advantage back to Man-Ure. One of the commentators actually said he thought we might have too much quality in our side that could actually work against us. There, however, are a few players I felt could have done better. Kyut seemed out of sorts. Gerard was clearly not at his best with some stray passes. Other than the only link up play with Gerard, Torres should have scored when he broke through in the box. Luca, as usual, was mediocre at best. Thankfully he did not give away a penalty or free-kick outside our box. It baffled me why Reira was not played. Perhaps Rafa was thinking of the mid week CL games against Chelsea. In any case, I thought Dosenna played really well in the first half.
What can I say about Benayoun? It is no secret that he is a quality player, able to create and pry open defences with his runs. He had scored a few crucial goals for us this season and I believe he can be utilised by Rafa as a super-sub. I suppose he is most effective especially when defenders are tired and his fresh legs will actually pose a big problem for the other teams.
In terms of form, I feel we are clearly a better side than Man U now. If not for that stuck up looking 17 yr old Italian boy, Man U would have been badly affected by the draw with Villa. There was nothing in their play that would suggest they deserve the title this season. For a long time, they have been winning by the odd goal. On the other hand, we could have been 4 goals up in the first half in Craven Cottage and to think that we are the only top 4 side that won there this season says a lot about our title credentials. I hate those Man U fans who have been extremely loud and arrogant after their win on Sunday. It's strange how these people, who claimed to be fans, will only be heard when their teams win. If Man U loses, they are nowhere to be heard or found. Bunch of fair weather fans!!! I bet 90% of them in Singapore won't even know a single club song or cheer of the club......I rest my case.
It's true the title is for Man U to lose. We need to secure 3 points in every game now to keep our hopes alive. That's all we can do. We need to pressure them until the last game in the season. Whatever happens, I will be happy with the result this season. We just need to keep believing and have faith....
It was a heart-stopping game against Fulham on Saturday. For a while, I thought it was going to be one of those nights when the ball will refuse to hit the back of the net. We hit the cross-bar 4 times in the first half, had another 4 near misses in the second half. I was almost in tears when Benayoun finally scored the winning goal deep into injury time. It was certainly a relief to win as anything less than 3 points will effectively hand the advantage back to Man-Ure. One of the commentators actually said he thought we might have too much quality in our side that could actually work against us. There, however, are a few players I felt could have done better. Kyut seemed out of sorts. Gerard was clearly not at his best with some stray passes. Other than the only link up play with Gerard, Torres should have scored when he broke through in the box. Luca, as usual, was mediocre at best. Thankfully he did not give away a penalty or free-kick outside our box. It baffled me why Reira was not played. Perhaps Rafa was thinking of the mid week CL games against Chelsea. In any case, I thought Dosenna played really well in the first half.
What can I say about Benayoun? It is no secret that he is a quality player, able to create and pry open defences with his runs. He had scored a few crucial goals for us this season and I believe he can be utilised by Rafa as a super-sub. I suppose he is most effective especially when defenders are tired and his fresh legs will actually pose a big problem for the other teams.
In terms of form, I feel we are clearly a better side than Man U now. If not for that stuck up looking 17 yr old Italian boy, Man U would have been badly affected by the draw with Villa. There was nothing in their play that would suggest they deserve the title this season. For a long time, they have been winning by the odd goal. On the other hand, we could have been 4 goals up in the first half in Craven Cottage and to think that we are the only top 4 side that won there this season says a lot about our title credentials. I hate those Man U fans who have been extremely loud and arrogant after their win on Sunday. It's strange how these people, who claimed to be fans, will only be heard when their teams win. If Man U loses, they are nowhere to be heard or found. Bunch of fair weather fans!!! I bet 90% of them in Singapore won't even know a single club song or cheer of the club......I rest my case.
It's true the title is for Man U to lose. We need to secure 3 points in every game now to keep our hopes alive. That's all we can do. We need to pressure them until the last game in the season. Whatever happens, I will be happy with the result this season. We just need to keep believing and have faith....
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