Javier Hernández: The gift that just keeps on giving

The amazing story of Javier Hernandez continues to amaze and shock in equal measure, the latest page of this particularly riveting novel involved a late equaliser against Liverpool at Anfield in front of the joyous (albeit depleted) section of United’s travelling support. The young Mexican’s star continues to rise.

Hernandez made the telling difference yet again on Saturday afternoon, not just with his all-important equaliser but in the way United adapted to suit his capabilities. A telling factor that shows how highly Hernandez’s ability are looked upon is that Ferguson opted to drop Rooney into centre midfield to accommodate Hernandez and Welbeck up front when he could have easily shifted Welbeck to a wide position and put Rooney up top.

Adopting this 4-4-1-1 formation allowed Hernandez to do what he does best play right on the shoulder of the last defender, suddenly for the first time in the game Liverpool’s central-defensive partnership of Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel suddenly looked concerned. Their previous ability to deal with the young and relatively inexperienced lone striker Danny Welbeck was a thing of the past as Welbeck could now drop off causing a lack of cohesion within their back four. Carragher and Skrtel were unwilling to go with Welbeck knowing the other will have been utterly outpaced should United put the ball into the subsequent gap for Hernandez to chase. It was no coincidence that United suddenly stepped it up a gear when Hernandez entered the fray, the Reds entered the game with a mind-set of stifling Liverpool, giving them little whilst quietening the crowd and hopefully nicking a goal in the process.

As it was all of the above worked apart from the ‘goal bit’,  in fact for most of the game United seemed to have forgotten the ‘attacking bit’ as surges forward were few and far between. In the immediate aftermath of Liverpool’s opening goal Ferguson threw on Rooney and Nani which of cause made an instant change to proceedings however on a personal note it was the introduction of the sprightly Mexican which proved the significant interjection.

It has been said before and it will be said again but hallmarks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continue to carry more and more credence. As good an all-round goal scorer the Norwegian was he was the archetypal ‘super-sub’, from listening to Ole in countless interviews over the year I got the impression that Solskjaer wasn’t overly keen with that tag but it should not be belittled. Being an impact substitute is an art in itself, being able to emerge on to field of play with minutes remaining whilst you are still trying to get up to speed with the other twenty-one players on the pitch. You have to adapt quickly to the pace of the game and then make a telling impact, not an easy role to thrive in. Many strikers have been given the ‘super-sub’ role including Carlos Tevez and in his first season Alan Smith however nobody has ever done it quite like Ole, until now. Solskjaer was a master of over analysing the game he was watching, thinking of how he would integrate into proceedings or take advantage of a certain weak point in the oppositions rank. Hernandez clearly has the same aptitude for attention to detail as the man revered as a legend throughout the United supporting world, indeed Hernandez has now surpassed Solskjaer in terms of impact from the bench as his goal against Liverpool was his ninth in twenty one substitutes appearances giving him a scoring record of 42.9% . Of course much like Solskjaer Hernandez also has much more in his locker than just being an impact player, he is equally as effective playing from the start.

In his fledgling United career some questioned whether or not the young Mexican could cut it over ninety minutes, would the physical aspect of the Premier League get the better of him? Herein lies another impressive aspect of Hernandez’s persona, that he is willing to put the hard yards in behind the scenes to bulk himself up and get better and better, he scored twenty goals last season and you would have to be a brave man to bet against him doing it again. It’s easy to forget that Hernandez only really became a regular starter as of March with Berbatov occupying the second striking position for the bulk of the campaign. However now that the Mexican has well and truly put Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen in the shade he has only Danny Welbeck to contest for the slot alongside Rooney.

His comparison to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have been present ever since the early stages of last season however recently Stoke manager Tony Pulis took this a step further in suggesting that Hernandez could even possess the legendary Denis Law, this takes things up another level and Chicharito does have a long way to go before achieving the dizzy heights achieved by the King of the Stretford End however he has started off his United career in the perfect vain. He has endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful with his likeable personality and his insatiable appetite for victory, the way he bounded with sheer delight toward the United faithful after notching his second goal in two appearances at Anfield was enough to delight any Red.

Like any other position at the club comparisons are always made with previous players of by-gone eras, Valencia and Coppell, Vidic and Bruce and dare I say it Jones and Edwards. As I have already mentioned Chicharito has had his fair share of comparisons in his short time at the club, namely Solskjaer, a young Michael Owen and Denis Law. However as he gets better and better the calibre of comparison also increases in standing and talent but I ask you as forwards go who could be better than Denis Law, of course Hernandez has only been at United for just over a season and has much to do before firmly cementing these comparisons but his ability and desire to improve have ensured that the sky is the limit for Hernandez, if he really wants to get there!

By Nathan Thomas (Follow me on Twitter)

With thanks to @OSullivanMUFC for the Hernandez stats.

How does Hernández compare to Solskjaer in your opinion? Please leave your thoughts below?

Liverpool vs United Big Match Preview

Introduction
Manchester United are back in Premier League action on Saturday lunchtime for an eagerly awaited clash with Liverpool at Anfield. After a blistering start to the season, successive draws against Stoke and Basle followed by a stuttering win against newly promoted Norwich have caused alarm amid some abject defensive displays.

United will hope to welcome back several of their walking wounded for the key clash at the weekend. Vidic, Cleverley and Smalling are all battling to be fit with the big Serb making his comeback in midweek for his national side. Although he completed a comfortable 90 minutes, a missed penalty and elimination from the European Championships next year will hopefully double his determination to make a comeback with United.

United go into the match on the back of a poor recent record at Anfield. Three successive defeats coupled with some lacklustre performances mean that a vast improvement is required if the three points are going to come back to Manchester.

StatZone by Rahul Singh

Rooney has had an incredible 32 attempts at goal this season, one every 18 minutes, getting 59% on target.

United have lost each of the last 4 games when Fletcher have not started against Liverpool & have won the last three against them with Fletcher in the midfield.

Liverpool have won four of their last six Premier League games against United overall and the last three in a row at Anfield.

Last 5 PL encounters between the two sides have seen four penalties.

Liverpool have scored 45 goals against United in the PL, 2nd best to Chelsea who have netted 51 against us.

Out of 11 games officiated by Andre Marriner, United have won 10 & lost 1 (against Liverpool in 2009, away)


The Opposition
Liverpool have made a decent start to the season with four wins, two defeats and a draw from the opening seven games to leave them fifth in the Premier League. After a heavy outlay on new signings since Lord Dalglish's return in January, the pressure is on for them to finish in the top four. Anything else will be deemed as failure by their American owners.

Shorn of talisman Gerrard who was injured for six months with a serious groin complaint, much of the burden in the early part of the season has been placed on Luis Suarez. Signings such as Henderson, Downing, Adam have added depth to their squad but whether it is enough to regain a Champions League spot come the end of the season remains to be seen.

Liverpool have proved vulnerable in defence where lack of pace is a real issue. Carragher and Skrtel are solid but can be rash in the tackle. Their long standing left back problem looks to have been solved by the arrival of Enriqué from Newcastle who has impressed in tandem with Downing down the flank. The much under-rated Kuyt has regained his spot on the right of midfield in recent weeks after bewilderingly missing out to Henderson in the early weeks of the season. The Dutchman works tirelessly for the team cause and is always liable to pop up with a vital goal as United have found to their cost.

With Gerrard seemingly fit to return, it would appear that he will take his place behind Suarez with Carroll dropping to the bench. This would allow the Englishman to drop back to assist in midfield when required in an area that may go a long way to deciding the outcome of the game. If Adam is picked alongside Lucas then it will be vital that he is pressed by his opponent as he has shown to be vulnerable in the past to such a tactic as given time and space, he can cause United problems with accurate passing.

The main danger, of course, will be Suarez who has settled well into life at Anfield since his arrival back in January. His skill, close control and quick feet have added a new dimension to a Liverpool side often bereft of creativity last season. He has also shown himself to be adept in winning fouls in dangerous areas and it will be vital that referee Marriner remains wary of this tendency in front of a partisan home crowd.

United 

I am writing this ahead of the manager's press conference on Friday so any injuries picked up after the international break will not be taken into account. If fit, the back five just about picks itself. Chris Smalling is said to be back in training but with no match practice, it would be doubtful that he would be risked. Hopefully, the return of Vidic and Ferdinand will solidify a frequently porous United centre of defence recently. As mentioned earlier, the Serb completed 90 minutes on Tuesday and as long as he incurs no ill effect then he will surely regain the armband. Rio Ferdinand is an interesting case. Apparently he was fit for the Norwich game but was left on the bench so he may possibly have dropped down the pecking order following some recent sub-standard displays. If he has been able to train for the last couple of weeks then he will surely come into contention for a starting berth alongside his old comrade. Jones and Evra seem well equipped to deal with Liverpool's wide threat.

The big decision for the manager is whether to go with the standard 4-4-1-1 formation or tighten things up with a more defensive 4-3-3. My pick is the latter as the United central area has been so open at times and some solidity is now required even if it is to the detriment of our attacking threat at times. With Cleverley short of match practice after recovering from his injury, I have gone for a midfield trio of Carrick at the base supported by Anderson and Fletcher. The latter two will be expected to combine a pressing game with the ability to break forward and support Rooney up front. If Cleverley was fully match fit then on current form he would be picked but a place on the bench looks the best he can hope for.

The front three of Nani, Rooney and Young offer a potent threat with pace, movement and the ability to switch positions. It is vital that Rooney does not get isolated as frustration can set in and he can lose focus. Nani will look to keep Enriqué quiet from an attacking point of view and will be assisted by the marauding Jones. On the other flank the combination of Young and Evra has looked potent at times but Kelly and Kuyt for Liverpool may well mean that this threat is nullified to some extent.

Welbeck and Hernández may have to be content with a role from the bench which could mean an exclusion for Berbatov as additional midfield and defensive cover will be needed. With the little Mexican taking part in a bruising encounter with Brazil in his homeland early on Wednesday morning (UK time), it is feasible that he is left out to recuperate for the vital Champions League fixture next week. Also fighting for a spot on the bench could be the likes of Evans, Giggs, Park and Valencia.

Scoreline Prediction
I can foresee this being an incredibly tight match with neither wanting to give an inch. I would expect it to be low scoring so will go for a 1-1 draw with the United goal coming from Vidic. This prediction while pessimistic would stop the rot of three successive defeats at Anfield and I can see both managers being happy with this outcome.

United will then begin to look ahead to the biggest game of the season so far as City visit Old Trafford next Sunday with a Champions League trip to Romania sandwiched in between. October is always a vital month but this one will go a long way towards shaping the season.

Click on the button below to follow me on Twitter and/or recommend this post on Facebook.

What are your thoughts ahead of the game? Where will the game be won and lost?

Follow @writtenoff_mufc

Anfield Agony - Can United reverse the recent trend?

O'Shea scores at the Kop end - cue pandemonium!

This weekend Manchester United travel to Anfield, to face Liverpool.  For the first time in the history of these great clubs, United will go into this match having won more domestic league titles than their North-West rivals; a fact which will surely not be lost on the supporters of both clubs.

As we approach my least favourite fixture of the domestic season, I felt it would be fitting to take a look back at some of our recent visits to Anfield.  You'd expect that with 4 titles in the past 5 seasons, our recent record at Anfield would be strong, however that's not the case.  In actual fact, in the past 5 seasons, Anfield has been our 3rd least successful ground (W, W, L, L, L), behind Stamford Bridge (D, L, D, L, L) and The Emirates (L, D, L, W, L).  

Let's take a look at the games over this period:

2006/2007 Liverpool 0 - 1 Manchester United

In a match that is easily forgotten, the end will live long in the memory, as John O'Shea acted out the dreams of every single Manchester United fan.  United rode their luck for long stages of the game, with Liverpool the better team throughout.  The first half was a drab affair with Liverpool creating a couple of half chances and United barely threatening.  The game came to life in the second half as Gerrard, Bellamy and Riise all had chances for Liverpool, shortly after the restart, however they were either wasteful or denied by the excellent Edwin Van Der Saar.  After 70 minutes the game had settled into what looked like being a fairly disappointing 0-0.  On a rare United attack, 12 minutes from time, Louis Saha was tumbled inside the box, however Martin Atkinson waved away the penalty appeals.  

With less than 5 minutes left Paul Scholes and Xabi Alonso clashed, with the Englishman seeing red for raising his hands - despite no contact being made with his Spanish counterpart.  Shortly after this Edwin Van Der Saar produced an incredible save from a Peter Crouch shot, at the time seemingly guaranteeing United a point.  Still a twist was left in this tale, as Pepe Reina dropped a Ronaldo free-kick at the feet of John O'Shea, who gleefully smashed the ball home, in front of a horrified Kop End.  Cue pandemonium.  A wonderful 3 points, however far from a deserved win, truth be told.

2007/2008 Liverpool 0 - 1 Manchester United

After a summer of change at Old Trafford, this fixture saw a new look United take on their North-West rivals.  Carlos Tevez, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves were all making their debuts in this clash, and it was Tevez who would settle it.  Possibly the most exciting aspect of the game, though, was the way that new midfield star Anderson dominated the Liverpool midfield, including one Steven Gerrard.  A fairly even first half saw Anderson clear Liverpool's best effort off the United goal line, before Tevez capped United's best spell with the a goal in the 43rd minute.  A corner from Ryan Giggs found it's way to Rooney who lashed across goal to where Tevez was on hand to turn the ball into the roof of the net.  The second half proved to be a comfortable affair for United, as a strong defensive display easily kept Liverpool at bay.  In truth it should have been even more comfortable, however Rooney missed a sitter after a brilliant counter-attacking move, shooting wide from Ronaldo's pass.

2008/2009 Liverpool 2 - 1 Manchester United

Manchester United came into this early season fixture on the back of a couple of poor performances; a 1-1 draw against Newcastle, at Old Trafford and a 1-0 win away to Portsmouth - Darren Fletcher the unlikely scorer in both games.  What better way for the Champions to kickstart their season than with a win at Anfield, against their rivals, who were missing their key men, as Gerrard and Torres started on the bench.  3 minutes in and Carlos Tevez fired United into the lead, after a pull back by new £30m signing Dimitar Berbatov.  This, however, was as good as it got for United on the day.  Edwin Van Der Saar gave an unusually poor display and it was his error, coupled with a breakdown in communication, that saw Liverpool draw level through a Wes Brown own goal.  Defending which would have did the Keystone Kops proud.  Tevez then had a chance to restore United's lead not long after, however he blazed his shot high and wide.  

Following this Liverpool went on to dominate, creating much the better chances in the second half.  The winner finally came in the 77th minute, when Ryan Babel was on hand to turn in a Dirk Kuyt centre, after Ryan Giggs was carelessly dispossessed by Javier Mascherano on his own touchline.  United's misery was compounded when Nemanja Vidic was dismissed for leading with his elbow in an aerial challenge, meaning that he would miss the next game, away to Chelsea.

2009/2010 Liverpool 2 - 0 Manchester United

Going into this game Liverpool were on their worst run of results in more than two decades and pressure was starting to mount on manager Rafa Bentiez.  Liverpool were again denied the services of their influential captain Steven Gerrard, however United fans had learned their lesson from the previous season and were not lending too much weight to this.  A good start to the season saw United sitting top of the Premier League, and the odds were heavily in favour of the champions avenging the previous seasons defeat at Anfield.  From the start of the game, however, it became apparent that the Anfield club, backed by a vocal barrage of support for their under-fire manager, had other ideas.  Liverpool looked the hungrier side and were the winner in every 50/50 battle.  United's only real chance of the first half came from a Wayne Rooney header which went straight into the arms of a grateful Pepe Reina.  

At the other end Edwin Van Der Saar was by the far the busier of the two keepers.  A wonderful save in the 14th minute stopped a Fabio Aurelio free-kick which was destined for the top corner, and it was Aurelio again who was denied 10 minutes before half-time, when his free header went straight into the arms of Van Der Saar.  In the second half there was more of the same with United failing to muster any real threat.  The breakthrough came in the 65th minute when Fernando Torres lashed home, after being played through and easily shrugging off the attentions of Rio Ferdinand.  United did produce a rally of sorts and Antonio Valencia smashed a shot against the bar, after being set up by substitute Michael Owen.  In the 90th minute Nemanja Vidic was sent off for the 3rd successive game against Liverpool, before a counter-attack goal caught United pushing numbers forward and David Ngog coolly slotted home to make the points safe for Liverpool.

2010/2011 Liverpool 3 - 1 Manchester United

March 2011 saw Manchester United go to Anfield, hot on the heels of a 19th title.  A win here would put them 6 points clear of their nearest rivals, Arsenal, with just 9 games left to play.  United fans arrived armed with banners galore, and masks of the face of the Old Trafford legend, Eric Cantona.  The best banner of the day was surely the response to the Anfield faithful’s mocking message to Cantona; "Au revoir Cantona, come back when you've won 18".  The response from Manchester United fans was as simple as it was cutting; "You told us to come back when we've won 18.....we are back".  Of course another banner simply had to make reference to Sir Alex’s famous quote about Liverpool and their perch.  You all know the line.

Once the match started, though, the carnival atmosphere amongst the Manchester United fans soon died.  Bereft of first choice defensive pairing Ferdinand and Vidic, United had to rely on Wes Brown and Jonny Evans at centre-back, and those two were offered little in the way of protection from a midfield pairing of Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes - incidentally the same pairing who had started this fixture 5 years previously.  Liverpool started the brighter of the two teams, with Luis Suarez missing a presentable chance just 2 minutes in, however United hit back through Berbatov, whose long-range drive hit the outside of the post.  Wes Brown also went close with a header which was cleared off the line.  35 minutes in and the ever-dangerous Suarez produced a moment of magic, evading 3 tackles inside the United penalty area before squaring to Kuyt for the easiest of tap-ins.  As good as the Uruguayan's piece of skill was, the lack of any real challenge from Rafael, Brown and Michael Carrick was unforgivable.  5 minutes later, another shocking piece of defending was to cost United a second goal.  Nani, while attempting to clear the ball, inexplicably headed back across goal to where Kuyt was waiting, and he duly accepted the gift to put Liverpool 2-0 up.  

Just before half-time things flared up between both teams.  Jamie Carragher put an end to Nani's game with a knee-high tackle, which unbelievably didn't earn him a red card from match official Phil Dowd.  Rafael was then lucky not to be red carded for a flying lunge at his compatriot, Lucas.  Although it went unnoticed by most at the time, Rafael's tackle was undoubtedly the result of frustration due to Maxi Rodriguez's thigh-high,studs-up challenge on him, just seconds before he lunged at Lucas.  The second half started much like the first, with Liverpool on the offensive and United offering little going forward.  Edwin Van Der Saar saved well from a Raul Meireles shot, however he was then at fault in the 65th minute, allowing a Suarez free-kick to spill from his grasp, which Kuyt lashed home to complete his hat-trick.  Javier Hernandez, on as a replacement for Nani, added some respectability to the scoreline with a 92nd minute header, however it was definitely a case of too little, too late as United were deservedly beaten.

2011/2012 Liverpool ? - ? Manchester United

All of which brings us to this weekend's game.  Surely the rot has to stop?  In my opinion, given the relative ease with which teams have cut United open this season, something needs to change in midfield if we are to avoid being overrun.  Although the style of our attacking football has been a joy to behold at times, I think it could be in our interests to set up a little more defensively on this occasion and attempt to hit Liverpool on the counter-attack.  Possibly a 4-3-3 with a mobile front 3 of Nani, Young and Rooney.  To supplement this I'd go for a midfield 3 of Carrick, Jones and Anderson.  I think Phil Jones has shown enough in his games this season that he should at least be considered as a midfield option, given our relative weakness in that area.  Jones has played there regularly for Blackburn so it's not as if the role would be alien to him.  Anderson would be given licence to get forward and support the attack, with Jones and Carrick there to cover for him.  Jones would also be able to go on his marauding runs, as we've seen him do numerous times, without worrying about leaving his defence exposed.  In defence I would go with De Gea, Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra, provided they are all fit and available for selection.

Of course a compelling argument could also be made for playing 4-4-2 given that Liverpool’s weakness is undoubtedly their defence.  A 4-3-3 formation often stifles Rooney and leads to him becoming frustrated and ineffective.  As I alluded to in my piece on Danny Welbeck, I would start him up top with Rooney playing off him.  I think Welbeck’s overall gameplay is superior to Hernandez’s and it’s important that we don’t surrender possession cheaply in this game, if we are to avoid our 2 man midfield being overrun.  Again I’d be tempted to play Jones in midfield, alongside Anderson, however I’d say it’s more likely that Sir Alex would play Darren Fletcher.  Given that Fletcher and Anderson completed 0 tackles in 90 minutes against Norwich (an unbelievable statistic), a marked improvement would be needed from both if we are to expect anything from this fixture.  An argument could also be made for a pairing of Giggs and Carrick, with Rooney playing just in front of them.  Both players will be fresh after the international break and it was this pairing that dominated Chelsea in both legs of last season’s European tie, as well as the league game at Old Trafford. 

Whatever team and formation is selected, I just hope that we can come out of this game with our heads held high, unlike the past few seasons.  Come on United!

By Tim Ferguson

Follow @TimFergusonMUFC

What are your thoughts ahead of the game? Would you go 4-3-3 or 4-4-2? Please leave your comments below: