Wayne Rooney's guided finish followed a wonderful passage of play involving a raking Michael Carrick pass and a sublime Ryan Giggs touch and cross gives United the away goal they so desperately craved. Although Chelsea created several chances, the Reds looked in control throughout apart from an anxious last five minutes when a penalty claim was waved away.
Here are my talking points from the game:
Rooney goal analysis
It is always great when a goal as good as this one proves to be the decisive one. After a corner had been cleared, play switched to the right with Rafael playing a simple ball to Valencia who saw Carrick in space.
 |
| Note how narrow the Chelsea defence are, leaving them vulnerable to Giggs out wide. |
 |
| Note the Chelsea midfield have been caught out, leaving Rooney free to apply the finish. |
A quality goal from start to finish and one fit to win any game of high importance.
Square pegs in round holes? Not with United
The second half was notable for me in one respect. When Rafael was stretchered off, I expected either Evans or Smalling to be brought on and try to cope with an unaccustomed role. There were quizzical looks all round as Antonio Valencia was the man entrusted with the task and Nani sent on to patrol the right wing. It is debatable whether the Ecuadorian has played that position many times in the past but in a pressure cooker atmosphere, the switch was amazingly seamless.
Post game, it got me thinking to the incredible levels of versatility shown by this current United side and many others in the Ferguson dynasty. Looking at last night's team sheet, so many are able to adapt to a situation and play in a role that is not their first choice. Here are some examples; Rafael (RB, RW, CM), Ferdinand (CB, CM, GK!), Evra (LB, RB, LW), Valencia (RW, RB, LW), Carrick (CM, CB), Giggs (LW, LB, CM, AM), Park (RW, LW, CM, RB), Rooney (CF, LW, CM). There are numerous other examples including O'Shea, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Nani etc in the current squad that can do the same.
These players are simply worth their weight in gold to the manager. On Saturday, with Evra out of form, Giggs was moved to left back and slotted in superbly and made the team more attacking which ultimately led to a brilliant recovery. This flexibility means that whatever happens during a game, the manager has options to change formations, tactics, positions in order to drive the team forward to get that all important victory. Such talents are often overlooked in the modern game but I bet that Sir Alex recognises its immense importance to the club. As I look around other teams that regularly challenge us, I cannot see anything like the same versatility options available and come the end of the season, it may be one of the reasons why Manchester United will be the ones celebrating.
Top performances
Quality ran right through the team last night but I will pick out a few players for special praise.
Carrick oozed class last night on the big European stage. It was great to see him live up to the praise showered on him by contemporaries such as Xavi and Alonso. From his deep lying midfield role, I felt he controlled the game with accurate passing and tidied up in defence with vital blocks when required. He certainly show the doubters of his class and why he is rated so highly by his peers.
The return of Rio Ferdinand was well timed last night after a couple of months out with a calf injury. Although Chris Smalling has been a capable deputy, he has shown signs of tiring after a busy schedule which is only natural for one so inexperienced. Going into battle with our first choice back five was a vital part of the victory last night and you get the sense this confidence radiated throughout the whole side. It sounds like he has been in training for the last week and he showed little sign of rustiness as he settled in alongside his partner Vidic. He coped with Torres and Drogba well and was equally adept on the ground as in the air.
Edwin Van Der Sar continues to defy the ageing process with another perfect performance last night. The coup de grace was his full length dive to keep out a fine Torres header that would have beaten men half his age. His handling was exemplary once again and he will take some replacing. If United do sign David De Gea as his replacement then I would advocate a role for Edwin as his mentor either behind the scenes or as a No 2 for one more year as his experience and knowledge would be invaluable to the young Spaniard.
Wayne Rooney looked like he was relishing the spotlight last night as he gave a towering display that Chelsea would have given a lot to have in their team. He worked tirelessly for the team in all areas and his passes and movement were often high class. It is great that he has rediscovered his ability at such a crucial phase of the season.
One slight worry?
My only concern at the moment is the form of Patrice Evra. At West Ham in the first half, he looked nervous and conceded possession many times during the match leading to his ignominious withdrawal at half time. Last night he often resembled a "Bambi on ice" figure as he slipped and slided his way across the Stamford Bridge turf leading to some scary moments. He was, however, in the right place on the goal line late in the first period to turn away Lampard's goal bound flick. In fairness, he has had a mixed season and maybe a break on Saturday ahead of the second leg will do him the world of good.
Squad strength
It was heartening to see the return of both Ferdinand and Rafael to the United back four last night and with Anderson and Fletcher looking close to a return, then the injury situation is suddenly looking a great deal healthier. This means the boss can rotate his playing side each game and ensure everyone gets plenty of games in the vital run in. If you think that the likes of Anderson, Fabio, Owen, Fletcher, Obertan etc all did not make the bench then this gives some idea of the options available. You can sense each game will be analysed in isolation with the best team and formation picked to get the job done. It will not go unnoticed that back in 1999 we had a strong fit squad available and we did not end up too bad then either! The quality in midfield cannot be compared but other areas are not that different.
Chelsea thoughts
I think the Blues will revert to a 4-3-3 for the second leg and for the rest of the season. The formation does not seem to suit many of their players and it is not working results wise. I personally think Essien and Lampard have been average this season and both play better with Mikel behind them as the safety net. Their main issues are in attack where it is clear that Drogba and Torres do not work well together with both preferring to play as the lone man up front. It was a relief to see Drogba be the one to be replaced in the second half as he looked to be having an influence on the game by pulling onto Evra and causing him problems. Torres is suffering from low confidence and seems to have lost a yard of pace but this was still his best game since joining which does not say a lot. His two dives during the game smacked of desperation to be frank and thankfully there was a referee in place who could recognise what was happening.
The second leg is still in the balance as a 2-1 away win will see the Blues through. I would expect United to sit back and wait to hit them on the counter attack and Chelsea's desperation will grown as the game progresses.
United now move onto Fulham and what will surely be a much changed team. With Rooney's suspension, I would expect Berbatov and possibly Owen to start up front and there may be places for the likes of Scholes, Gibson, Fabio and Kuszczak. Another three points will be vital as we look to move ten points clear of Arsenal who play on Sunday. The pressure will then be intensely back on them which is something they have not been able to cope with in recent times.
Please leave any comments below or contact me via Twitter where I will do my best to respond.
Great blog as ever!
ReplyDelete