EVERY season we have starts that put the ‘if’ in iffy. If we had won against Liverpool away last September, if Michael Carrick would have scored that penalty on Wednesday night, if a striker had taken it instead and, yes some out there has even asked if this would be the case had we kept hold of ex strikers now wearing blue.
England call up’s are the result of good performances for your club side. Stop laughing. No, really, they are… we aren’t joking.
The MEN joined the ‘if’ debate a day after Wayne Rooney’s goal gave us victory at Old Trafford. They point out that “the champions are only a Rooney injury away from potential disaster having lost Ronaldo’s strike output and Tevez’s impact play.” (17 August).
How about this one then; IF United can put Wigan down like many expect, then the Arsenal game at the end of August looks less daunting than it does right now after a less than convincing Birmingham victory and a woefully under par Turf Moor appearance.
It would be great to hit the ground firing on all cylinders but it rarely happens like that as things often get in the way. In Joe Hart and Brian Jensen we seem to have met two goalkeepers who decided to play out of their skin against us. Joe Hart looked like he might be having one of those inspired games that players like Ludek Micholsko, Tim Flowers and Brad Friedel have had against us in past seasons. Brian Jensen followed suit when he realised his team were a goal up and he would have to keep it that way.
We also have three strikers that are under incredible pressure. Every day since the start of the season and even before, either Rooney, Owen or Berbatov have been the subject of scrutiny. Can he? will he? He hasn’t done it yet’ or ‘he failed to hit the target again’. Oliver Holt this week wrote that Michael Owen should try “to impress Sir Alex Ferguson, let alone Fabio Capello” (16 Aug). True. Manchester United should not be used as a leg up to the England team. England call up’s are the result of good performances for your club side. Stop laughing. No, really, they are… we aren’t joking.
The accepted wisdom is that it is more a case of when Michael scores for Manchester United and not if. It’s the difference between Tim Henman and Andy Murray in tennis; one you hoped might win, the other you expect to. Manchester United fans might at the moment hope, but pretty soon they will expect. Maybe the nets look bigger than they did when he was the new kid in town but he needs to find it from somewhere. Goals from anywhere would be nice. In Sir Alex’s Press conference on Friday he said that both Berbatov and Owen “could do with a goal”. The GtS award for understatement of the week goes to the man from Govan.
Nemanja Vidic is expected to make his return in central defence, making him the third defender to partner Evans who by the way needs an ankle op. Join the club, Mr. Evans! It looks as though Owen will have to discover his scoring touch from the bench as Berbatov looks set to partner Rooney. Anderson is in line to start as well, let’s hope he remembers how to pass the ball today and while we are hoping for things can we request that Brilliant Ben Foster turns up instead of the dodgy one that lacks confidence.
Let’s do it today though, against Wigan, because there is enough on the Arsenal game without another dodgy performance before it. Let’s not have any heartache tonight.
In a bit. GtS
Given to Score 