Post Celtic Loss Reaction
there are two ways to look at manchester united's loss to glasgow celtic at parkhead.
as a champions league group game, manchester united's bid to qualify for the knock-out round and avoid the humiliation of last season's champions league short lived campaign was blemished. shouted down by 60,000 vociferous fans surely from even before disembarking the team coach to the second the referee blew the whistle for yet another united champions league away loss, it was a time to show their mettle and for them to look at this challenge as one beyond football. it was a chance for them to grow as men.
on the contrary, their performance was one of timidity as it was obvious that while the players were going through the motions of a good game, retaining possession and playing neat triangles, they cowered every time they had to strike a final blow. they tried to give evidence of a good team trained and able to take on the 11 footballers put infront of them but the truth was much more stark. that lack of a final thrust could be seen in saha's body language, giggs' apologetic smile every single time he mistimed his run, overhit a pass or failed to charge down through passes. the crafty scholes was industrious and fearless but after that rather tame challenge that earned him his yellow card, even i was left wondering if he was starting to cave in. that challenge on him in the first half deserved punishment and he was lucky to escape without serious injury. that he did not retaliate could have been a sign of a calmness from maturity in such important games and to not let emotion overcome the task at hand. it could also be a sign that he was intimidated, if only slightly. if anyone has watched scholes in action all these years, it is evident that he is a short fuse when things are not going united's way or when he is badly fouled. put those two together and he would blow his ginger top off before you can pick up the ball in anger. in the second half when he must have started to feel frustrated at his team's inability to kill off their opposition, he lunged but shirked at the last moment. what could be going on in his head? rooney did not shirk any responsibilities and put himself about but whether his rather subdued performance (by his normally high standards only of course) was a result of ferguson's inexplicable deployment of him out on the left rather than through the middle or due to the 60,000 voices exerting what must amount to at least 60pascals of pressure to keep each and every manchester united player at slightly less than 100% is anyone's guess.
but for all that was lacking in this game, the most crucial must be the lack of courage. if bill shankly is to be believed, that surely means that we do not have enough winners in the team then. how is ferguson going to turn this around?
the other way to weigh this result, or the result of this loss is to see this as a preparation for the premiership title bout against chelsea this sunday, this is a piss take. on top of all that was previously mentioned, how will the team react to this result? how will ferguson react to this loss? i know i wanted to wring saha's neck already in the first half without having to see him miss two gilt edged chances for united to pack all the points on offer home down south with them. the only way to explain that drooped shoulders and the shake of his head in resignation at every missed opportunity, every badly timed run, every time he stood still instead of running ahead, across or in between in support is his timidity. he has never struck me as a fierce competitor, much less a hard man. what he needed to show today was that he was more than willing to stand and be counted - that he wanted to be at the frontline, THAT frontline, to be the one to shut all 60,000 mouths out there - that he was a winner. he failed miserably. that no one else fought him to take that penalty is also beginning to make me wonder if that atmosphere was too much for the other 10 players as well.
so if i could only be a fan and growl about this at home - what will ferguson be thinking and doing now? he has to balance his power to be able to pulverise each and every one of the players who failed their task rather miserably today with the responsibility of getting them ready for the next game.
will the players learn from this match?
will they come out better for this and become great, not just good?
that fine line separating the two - no one can answer it but themselves.
but at the risk of more emotionally charged hyperbole, i think the gaffer would be able to see it in their eyes tonight. one by one, he should give them a good hard look and get an answer.
as a champions league group game, manchester united's bid to qualify for the knock-out round and avoid the humiliation of last season's champions league short lived campaign was blemished. shouted down by 60,000 vociferous fans surely from even before disembarking the team coach to the second the referee blew the whistle for yet another united champions league away loss, it was a time to show their mettle and for them to look at this challenge as one beyond football. it was a chance for them to grow as men.
on the contrary, their performance was one of timidity as it was obvious that while the players were going through the motions of a good game, retaining possession and playing neat triangles, they cowered every time they had to strike a final blow. they tried to give evidence of a good team trained and able to take on the 11 footballers put infront of them but the truth was much more stark. that lack of a final thrust could be seen in saha's body language, giggs' apologetic smile every single time he mistimed his run, overhit a pass or failed to charge down through passes. the crafty scholes was industrious and fearless but after that rather tame challenge that earned him his yellow card, even i was left wondering if he was starting to cave in. that challenge on him in the first half deserved punishment and he was lucky to escape without serious injury. that he did not retaliate could have been a sign of a calmness from maturity in such important games and to not let emotion overcome the task at hand. it could also be a sign that he was intimidated, if only slightly. if anyone has watched scholes in action all these years, it is evident that he is a short fuse when things are not going united's way or when he is badly fouled. put those two together and he would blow his ginger top off before you can pick up the ball in anger. in the second half when he must have started to feel frustrated at his team's inability to kill off their opposition, he lunged but shirked at the last moment. what could be going on in his head? rooney did not shirk any responsibilities and put himself about but whether his rather subdued performance (by his normally high standards only of course) was a result of ferguson's inexplicable deployment of him out on the left rather than through the middle or due to the 60,000 voices exerting what must amount to at least 60pascals of pressure to keep each and every manchester united player at slightly less than 100% is anyone's guess.
but for all that was lacking in this game, the most crucial must be the lack of courage. if bill shankly is to be believed, that surely means that we do not have enough winners in the team then. how is ferguson going to turn this around?
the other way to weigh this result, or the result of this loss is to see this as a preparation for the premiership title bout against chelsea this sunday, this is a piss take. on top of all that was previously mentioned, how will the team react to this result? how will ferguson react to this loss? i know i wanted to wring saha's neck already in the first half without having to see him miss two gilt edged chances for united to pack all the points on offer home down south with them. the only way to explain that drooped shoulders and the shake of his head in resignation at every missed opportunity, every badly timed run, every time he stood still instead of running ahead, across or in between in support is his timidity. he has never struck me as a fierce competitor, much less a hard man. what he needed to show today was that he was more than willing to stand and be counted - that he wanted to be at the frontline, THAT frontline, to be the one to shut all 60,000 mouths out there - that he was a winner. he failed miserably. that no one else fought him to take that penalty is also beginning to make me wonder if that atmosphere was too much for the other 10 players as well.
so if i could only be a fan and growl about this at home - what will ferguson be thinking and doing now? he has to balance his power to be able to pulverise each and every one of the players who failed their task rather miserably today with the responsibility of getting them ready for the next game.
will the players learn from this match?
will they come out better for this and become great, not just good?
that fine line separating the two - no one can answer it but themselves.
but at the risk of more emotionally charged hyperbole, i think the gaffer would be able to see it in their eyes tonight. one by one, he should give them a good hard look and get an answer.
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