United Road Take Me Home

We shall not...

Last season it took us until January 19th and that glorious dipping header from Berba at the Reebok before we climbed to the top of the table. This time out, even though my United calendar is still turning to face the wall – September belonging to Tevez – we’ve mounted the thing before October. What happened to all that pre-season doom and gloom? I for one was convinced pre-season that the city project would finish above us and that our hold on a top-four spot was looking far from secure. Was I off my head?
.
Maybe, maybe not. Leading the league in September offers no guarantee you’ll still be there come the season’s end, as Rafa well knows. But it has to be said, the ghost of Turf Moor has been fully exorcised, particularly now that Chelsea’s claim to invincibility have been shredded by Wigan. In truth confidence has ebbed back ever since the Spurs game when the trauma of Rome finally seemed to be forgotten and we remembered just what a gifted bunch of players we have at United.
.
That said, yesterday once again illustrated the depth of our reliance on Ryan Giggs. Berba’s goal celebration – stabbing his finger in Ryan’s direction – was, quite literally – a pointed attack on the dearth of quality service that had predominated while Nani was on the field. Indeed, you have to wonder if Nani is ever going to shed the errors that infect his game and make good on his potential.
.
I’m assuming that Alex, for all the talk of his adopting a more sophisticated approach to man-management these days – has felt compelled to give Nani several blasts of the fabled hair-dryer, and yet put the guy on the edge of the box with players screaming for a pass and he will invariably look to take a shot that was never on in the first place. Booing of your own is never an option, but the grinding of teeth all around the United end as Nani squanders another chance and Rooney and Berba look at him in dismay, disgust and despair tells its own story. Time is running out for you, son.

posted by Royton Red @ 3:38 PM