5 things I noticed - Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United

kiristao

Our Away form
The entire season, we have struggled quite a bit away from home. 25 points out of a possible 57 away from home is not the sort of record United have had in the last 15 odd years.Saturday's trip to Ewood Park was even stranger. In a very long time, United went to Blackburn Rovers hoping for just a draw. The pressure to get that draw showed. United started well and Nani almost scored. But after conceding we looked out of sorts. Kuszczak's nervousness didn?t help either but more on him later. Rio & Vidic had a shaky game by their standards. Getting caught under the ball, Clashing with each other, Poor first touch, etc. The kind of stuff that we didn't see all season when the two played together and the only reason I can see is the pressure of getting that 1 point.

It's called 'Foot'ball for a reason
Yes, goalkeepers are not expected to be as good with their feet as the rest of the players but Kuszczak seems to take it to another level. His first touch is poor. He can barely control his kick with either foot. At one point the other day, he waited for so long for the ball to stop and be in the perfect position to be kicked that he almost got caught out.During that bizarre 10 mins at the end, not once was the ball passed to Kuszczak. I don't know if it was because the Blackburn players never put any pressure so there was no need or whether Scholes, Rio & Vidic didn't trust Kuszczak with the ball at his feet

Ruud + Owen + Ole + Tevez = Javier Hernandez!
I know it's his first season, but boy, has it been a good one. There were glimpses of his class during the world cup. I was super excited about his signing but honestly never thought he would have such a big impact on our season.He has got some of the best attributes of the 4 that I have mentioned.
a) Being at the right place at the right time. (Like Ruud)
b) Playing on the shoulder of the last defender & pace. (Like Owen in his prime)
c) Finishing and attitude. (Like Ole)
d) Chasing lost causes, hounding defenders to make errors & working well with his strike partner. (like Tevez)
Chicarito scores goals from inside the 6 yard box (community shield goal), He plays on the shoulder of the last defender (Blackburn to win penalty), He is a good finisher (Chelsea at home), he chases lost causes and his understanding with Rooney and with Berbatov is there for all to see.If he can improve his upper body strength and is able to hold the ball up till the midfield join in, he will be one of the best striker we have had.

The last mile
Well, the last 10 minutes actually. Very boring to watch but exactly what the doctor ordered. It's stuff like this (not boring football but knowing what needs to be done and doing it) that has made United so successful. If it was Arsenal, they would have probably gone on to try and score and may have conceded on the break. Most people back (not hope) United to win during 'squeaky bum time' because United know how to win. Actually Sir Alex knows how to win. United lost a big points lead a few years back to lose the title to Arsenal. SAF learnt from it and never again has it happened. It looked like it would happen 2 seasons ago when Liverpool was chasing us but United pulled through. It looked like it might happen this year with Chelsea getting so close, once again United pulled through. It's not only the players or manager's footballing ability or skill that help United win titles, it's the experience of knowing how to win them that plays a big role too.

Top of the perch is just the beginning.
Winning the record breaking number 19 was a dream come true. What it meant to the Old Trafford faithful was for all to see. The look on Sir Bobby Charton's face at the end of the match would be the perfect wallpaper to commemorate the occasion.
For Sir Alex, it doesn't end here. He is a winner and there is no doubt he will be already planning title number 20. He has taken United to the top of the perch and he wants to stay there, that is for sure.

The Hairdryer

You have good noticing skills.

Lance Uppercut

Correct about PIG. He was comically bad with the ball at his feet.

Cina

No offense mate, but that's 5 things everyone noticed.

redspoony

But he made more of an effort with his noticing!

kiristao

Then I shall change the heading to '5 things everyone noticed that I was free to pen down'

Boss

Good read.

INF-AMOS

Cant disagree with this.

Cina

It is a good read though. You be having wording skill of good.

Chapster

watched the highlights. Kuszczak was diabolical

Heardy

Enjoyed that Kiristao (more so than your previous blog post), thanks for posting.

I agree with pretty much all that you have written, and particularly the point in the last 10 minutes that it seems Vidic and Rio were reluctant to give the ball to Kuszczak. I think that spoke volumes about his future.

Vidic and Rio have developed a solid partnership at the back without question, and without doubt their individual merit contributes to this, but their confidence in VDS over the last five years or so has facilitated added confidence in their game.

Kuszczak simply isn't cut out for Edwin's Number 1 shirt, and the likes of Lindegaard/Amos are more than adequate for 2nd and 3rd choice keepers. But United's potential for success in the immediate term will hinge on our ability to recruit a World Class Keeper that will prevent a post-Schmeichel goalkeeping situation.

kiristao

Thanks mate..

kiristao

Thanks.. practice makes perfect (read better) i guess.

Clique

Good one again Kiristao...

One slight doubt though, haven't we played all our away games?. Meaning we've played 19 games, thus 57 possible points?

Nate Dogg

Good report, thanks

Chris H

You left out Gandhi and Jebus.

kiristao

Oops! Meant to type 57. Typed 54 by mistake.. Rectifed it now..

kiristao

You are right mate.
Chicarito does have a bit of Gandhi in him as Chica is the non-confrontational/non-violent kind.

Dont agree with the Jesus (I assume u meant Jesus and not Jebus) part. That is reserved for Evra!