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Wayne's world (year, at least)

Congratulations to Wayne Rooney for his 100th goal for United. At age 23, that's a fantastic contribution. A lot has been said about how much more burden he has to shoulder this season and early indication is that he is rising well to the challenge. The Wigan goal fest was exactly the kind of game the players needed before a streak of tough fixtures starting with Arsenal. Owen's finish was class and would have done wonders for his confidence in the box. Nani did well with his free kick and hope he adds some consistency to set piece play. My man of the match was Fletcher - Wigan just couldn't deal with him all game. He took on two defensive midfielders and they just couldn't get close. Well done Fletch! Ben Foster made some good saves and I think we'll see continued improvement from him as the season progresses.

Arsenal next, always a great game and I'm sure it will be no different this weekend. It won't be a goal fest and although I'm tempted to say 0-0 as football is like that sometimes, I reckon we'll see a few goals. Exactly the kind of game that kick starts the excitement of the football season!

2009/2010 season preview

Ronaldo and Tevez are history. Michael Owen is wearing the #7. The summer has been spectacularly unspectacular. You'd be forgiven to assume it's all a dream - a rather bad one at that. But here we are, less than a week to kick off. It all starts all over again.

There's no doubt that we are a weaker squad than last year. The usual "we've done well after losing superstars before" stories are being brandied about. Although true, they are'nt guranteed to repeat themselves every time. Even Fergie knows he's gambling - he's gambling on Nani and Anderson to establish themselves as regular first team players. He's gambling on Macheda and Welbeck coming through the ranks and providing cover and super cameos when required. He's gambling on the newcomers in Valencia, Owen and Obertan to settle in quickly. Then there are the injuries, the most critical of them being Owen Hargreaves - He's gambling that he will be ready to contribute come the business end of the season.

From the weekend's curtain raiser, there are some positives. Although goals will be an issue in the coming season, we did score twice against the toughest defensive unit in the league. The energy and possession in the first half were top notch. With a little better help from Foster it could have been won in regulation. Penalties have suddenly become a problem for the team - the sight of Evra stepping up before Owen and Rooney kinda says it all.

It will be interesting to see what system Fergie plays through the season. We've been promised Rooney through the middle but Nani's injury will probably put a lid on those plans right at the start. Fletcher is looking solid and I hope he and Carrick can forge a solid first team partnership at the centre of that midfield. Anderson, Giggs and Scholes can chip in when needed. I expect to see a lot of Valencia in the league. Park is going to feature a lot too, even for league fixtures at OT. Rio and Vidic are going to be as crucial as Rooney for this title defense. Berbatov showed signs of "hard" work against Chelsea - will he try to add that work rate to his game? I'm not too hopeful.

Chelsea look like the favorite contenders. No one's won it 4 times in a row and for good reason. Chelsea would want it more and Ancelotti's first season will ensure enough motivation. They always had better depth in the squad but with the departures at Old Trafford,their first eleven is now better on paper. I don't see Arsenal putting up a challenge as Wenger continues to pursue his myopic policy. With Alonso's exit, Liverpool are again going to miss out. City will struggle to avoid relegation - you heard it here, first!

Let the games begin.

Hanging in the balance

I won't repeat the cliches that have been thrown around in the last two weeks but the position we find ourselves today does concern me a bit.There are two aspects to it - had someone offered Fergie this position at the start of the season, he woud've grabbed it with both hands. Heck we'd be happy to be in touching distance of the front runners at this stage of the season given all the distractions this year. However it's the manner in which things have unfolded in the last two weeks that's a little concerning. We caught up from a distant 3rd to taking a comfortable lead in a couple of months or so. Then suddenly two losses coincided directly with the scousers hitting the form of their lives. Couple that with our suspensions and injuries, this does look to be a precarious position. Momentum is an extra point, just like goal difference is. On the positive side, it's still in our hands. And that's a big advantage. Fergie knows it's not over and he'll make it a point his squad understands that. I just hope he doesn't go with mind baffling team selection like he did with Fulham. Berbatov is not our answer - no he isn't.

Given the momentum swing, in theory this break does us more good than harm. However, ultimately it's the eleven players on the pitch that have to prove that. Villa are desperate to stop their slump and it's not going to be an easy game. They'd be watching the tapes of our recent games and ready to have a go. I would expect us to be nervous and that will only get worse the longer the game goes on without us taking decisive control. All in all, it's going to be a cracker and all of premiership is going to be watching.

Champions League Draw

So for a change we get the easier half of the draw. Revenge time on Porto. By all means it's not going to be easy but definitely a tad bit easier. I hope we stuff Porto for the injustice of a few years back. We are playing the home leg at home so let's see how the team adjusts to that.

However, right now the focus must be on Fulham and it's a huge game. A win and the thoughts of last weekend will be banished and anything less will mean the doubts will be getting real. We just need to go out there and play our natural game and score a few. Yeah, it's that easy.

Looking good at the top

United go second but Injuries galore

After the highs of the Chelsea game, this was bound to happen. We struggled past Wigan even though it took us 57 seconds to get ahead. From then on, it was a familiar story of missed chances as all of Tevez, Berbatov and Ronaldo guilty of missing very good opportunities. At 1-0, Wigan were never really out of it but luckily Vidic was such a presence at the centre that we avoided any bad surprises.

Worryingly though, Wayne Rooney hurt his hamstring and has been ruled out for 3 weeks. Both Tevez and Evans suffered knocks but there is no confirmation yet on their seriousness. Good 3 points though, sees us pass chelski for the 2nd spot. Now lets hope Rio is back next week and there are no other injuries to worry about. Rooney's injury is the perfect chance for Tevez to show his mettle. A lot of people (including myself) have questioned Berbatov's selection over Tevez and now it's the time for Tevez to pay back for all the support he's had from the fans.

A win at the Reebok on Saturday will take us top of the league, where we belong. An Everton win on Monday will keep us there. Go Moyes!

Fergie's masterclass

That was a fine result, yesterday. The kind of result that the team needed after an uninspiring run of one nil results in the league. I must admit on seeing the team sheet, I was rather nervous and perplexed. How would a midfield that included the aging legs of Ryan Giggs, JS Park and Darren Fletcher do against the likes of Deco, Ballack and Lampard? Why were the likes of Carrick and Scholes and Anderson on the bench? As it unfolded, Fergie's gamble more than paid off. Giggs was deployed more centrally and had a blinder. We dominated from the start and had most of the ball in the first half. But in the second half, they really didn't show up and it was a rather one sided affair. I would go as far as to say it was one of the easier outings we've had this season.

Boss said later that he had conveyed his decision to play Giggs and Fletcher against Chelsea two weeks in advance. He also acknowledged it was a tactic that could have failed. But it worked beautifully. Giggs is one of those players who don't cease to amaze you even after being around for good part of two decades. The way he uses the ball in possession and the way he tracks back to win the ball when not in possession is a pleasure to watch. He can still his marker for dead with a dribble and pick a pass that no one else can see. Park was tireless as always and did a great hassling job. Rooney's worked hard as ever ,though he was lucky to have escaped a card after mouthing off at the ref early in the game.

Vidic and Evans had a tremendous game. Rio is the best central defender in the world and to not miss him against the likes of Drogba and Anelka is no mean feat. I've always liked Evans - he has a great head on his shoulders and the makings of a great player. But I'm amazed at how well Vidic has stepped into the role of a leader at the back. It's very important to have a vocal leader in the back four and Vidic does a brilliant job at that apart from being such a hard defender himself. Praises are often showered on more of the gifted bunch up front but don't take anything away from the back four. Evra's return really showed what we've missed down the left and Gary Neville is almost back to his best shape. I just hope our season kicks into gear now. As Rafa continues to make a full ass of himself, things will only get worse for him should we go top in the next two weeks or so. Then will be the best time to get some daylight between us and the remaining two.

Manchester United end a fabulous year on a winning note

So today, United played their last game of the year. Ironically, it was a 1-0 home win against Boro, which was in contrast to the flamboyant year we've had but more in tune with the recent performances. I would be highly lucky if I get to witness another year as successful as this one. We beat off Chelsea to the two most important trophies and capped it off with a World Club Cup which just validates that we were the best football club of the year.

Next year though, presents it's own challenges. Ronaldo is yet to hit his peak form. Our pace has slowed down from last season and we aren't moving the ball that fast. Our goal scoring form is no where near last season and sees us trail the top two in the GD column. Add to that the Tevez situation - he was not even on the bench today. This is the 2nd time he has been dropped right after scoring a winner for us. It makes me suspect either he is in on the mega secret plan that Fergie has for him or he is off in January. Time will tell. Either way, we need to find answers up front quite soon as these string of 1-0s are not going to last forever.

Having said that, we find ourselves just a point off the pace (if you consider we win the two games in hand) and that's a massive boost given the distractions of the World Club Cup and the fact that we haven't hit top gear yet. It would have been highly realistic to be 12-15 points off the pace at this time. Luckily though, nether Chelsea or Liverpool have taken their chances along the way.

We do have the luxury of playing at home more than the other two in the upcoming fixtures, but the next one at home is a big one. A win against Chelsea will put us in a great position to put direct pressure on Liverpool. The scousers haven't been in a position to win the league in a long long time. When the pressure of the CL and the league builds up, I don't expect them to hold up. When you play a knock out game away in Europe sandwiched between tricky leagues games on either side, that's when the teams are really tested and squad depth and quality comes into play. I'd have to say, both Chelsea and us have the squad and the experience on that front to cope with such pressures.

Anyways, it's a bunch of cup games next before the big one against Chelsea. A long way to go till May and I'm sure there will be a few surprises along the way! We can just hope that the next year is as good as this one, if not better!

Manchester United Season Review (Part 1)

As we head into an international break, I look back at the season so far.

Titles are not won in November but given the way the league has been going, teams can surely be out of the reckoning by this time of the year. Staying in touch with the top of the table is vital and so far, we've managed to do just that. So what's been the story so far? Let's start with the negatives. We are not the same at the back. The almost invincible back four of last year is suddenly looking vulnerable and fragile. Gazza has lost a visible yard of pace. Rio has been uncharacteristically patchy and Edwin has looked unsure with crosses. Last season we conceded only 7 goals at Old Trafford, we've already conceded 4 this term with a majority of action to follow. We just don't look like the same cohesive unit and what better evidence of that than conceding 3 goals against a promoted side? If there's one positive there it definitely is the emergence of young Rafael as a worthy option at right back. He's brilliant going forward and gives us a different dimension; let's hope he can improve his positional sense and defensive game with time.

The second negative of sorts is the introduction of Berbatov into the mix. The jury's still out but a return of 2 goals from 10 league starts hardly inspires confidence. With Chelsea accumulating a big goal difference early on, the pressure is immense on us to take our chances. Keep in mind this has even bigger consequences should Tevez run out of patience and want out. A striker is judged by the number of goals he scores and there's not going to be a different yardstick to judge Berbatov.

The third negative so far has been the results against the top 4. We've given up leads against Chelsea, Liverpool and lost to Arsenal. Although we've played all of them away from OT, we've just come home with a point as against a return of 4 from the corresponding fixtures last season. Not a good sign for teams challenging for the title.

Now, let's talk about the positives. We continue to create more chances than any other team in the league. Our forward play is still dazzling. Ronaldo is getting back to form. We haven't missed injured Hargreaves and Scholes so far largely due to Fletcher's tremendous run. We've got young Rafael, Evans and Welbeck coming through. We've gotten some difficult away fixtures out of the way early in the season. We have the best home record in the league this season. And most importantly, we haven't hit 4th gear yet and still are within touching distance of Chelsea and Liverpool (painful!) at the top.

In terms of the moments of the season so far - Fletcher's form in general, Berbatov's magical touchline play against West Ham to set up the 2nd goal, Ronaldo's 100th goal, Welbeck's debut strike and Rafael's wonder goal in a losing cause stand out.

The international break is next and we've got 15 reds in action for their national sides. Hopefully, we'll have everyone back injury-free and raring to go for the busy schedule ahead. Let's hope the next part of the season tells its own story, that we can shrug off the distraction in December (World club championship), and end up with the title just like last season. That's every fan's dream!

It's Arsenal on Saturday!

Even though this fixture has lost much of its edge over the last few years, it remains one of the biggest on the domestic calendar for both teams involved. They just don't like losing to each other. There will be no Keane V Vieira or Ruud V Keown or Ronaldo V Cole, but there will be enough pride at stake. United haven't won at Emirates yet. They came pretty close last time around but United would want to set that right. Arsenal have had a terrible run recently but these fixtures don't go to form more often than not.

On paper, we should win this comfortably. Both teams have fair share of injuries but we have a better squad and with Fletcher on song (no pun intended there), we aren't really missing Scholes or Hargreaves as much. It'd be interesting to see Fergie's selection once again. I'd start with Rooney and Tevez but chances are it will be Rooney and Berbatov, given that both of them got sufficient rest midweek.

It should be a good game, Arsenal would use this as a springboard for the season. This is exactly the kind of game they'd need to get back in the reckoning. They'll be up for it no doubt. I just hope that, once again, we do finish them off when they are down.