Gingerito Ecstatic as United Down Latics.
UNITED came back from the International break with a game on home turf against Wigan; last term Roberto Martinez’s team delivered that crushing defeat, that being said, payback was the last thing on our minds. Saturday’s tale is one of two extremes, those at the beginning of their career hoping to live up to potential – Alexander Buttner and Nick Powell and those at the other end of the scale with nothing to prove yet still as hungry for success as ever – Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
Anders Lindegaard continued in goal, Ferdinand and Vidic held the back line and Buttner was chosen ahead of Patrice Evra at left back; some of Friday’s newspapers were already running stories of the Frenchman needing to fight for his place with the arrival of new competition. This cannot be a bad thing.
Nani is another who should feel he has a point to prove to the Old Trafford staff and every fan, with European competition next week and with some red fans seeing unfulfilled potential within his bright football boots, the timing was perfect for him to show what he is made of. Javier Hernandez partnered Danny Welbeck up front, red Robin collected splinters alongside Cleverley and Kagawa who have both done well recently.
By now you have all seen the penalty and you know which side of the ‘dive or contact’ debate you are on. Television cameras straight after the incident show contact was made between Wigan’s on rushing Ali Al Habsi and Welbeck, admittedly not much but Robbie Savage’s post match Radio Five calls of “dive” were shared by Paul Merson and Wigan manager Roberto Martinez. Danny felt contact and went down. Once you accept that then you can only suggest that perhaps Welbeck found the ground a little easily, not that he ‘simulated’ anything.
Let’s leave Hernandez’s woeful penalty and go back to Roberto Martinez, stating the referee made a “shocking” decision and branding Danny Welbeck a diver. He is within his rights to blame whoever he wishes to, he is entitled to his opinion that the referee made it harder for Wigan to come away from Old Trafford with anything.
“Today the penalty is as bad a decision as you are going to see in the Premier League. In many ways, you feel as though you are fighting against a mountain.” – Roberto Martinez (moaning)
Martinez effortlessly misses several other areas of the match where it wasn’t the referee making it harder for Wigan, at times it wasn’t even Manchester United, it was Wigan’s own players. United didn’t need the penalty to inflict damage on Wigan Athletic, they were helped by Wigan offering up hectares of space to the United attack, and Alexander Buttner should write thank you cards to Boyce and the others, the new boy was able to construct a run that was part Paulo Wanchope (that run for Derby) and part Ryan Giggs against Arsenal.
Also Roberto Martinez needs to ask why Javier Hernandez was given so much time on the ball, he stopped for an age and had time to sing all nine minutes and four seconds of the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic ‘Freebird’ before Nick Powell turned up to make a name for himself. And did you see Robin Van Persie telling him what to do with the ball? Shooooot!
A good win with lots of goals that will do the GD no harm at all in a season which Sir Alex promised wouldn’t be lost on goals. We need to hammer bad teams and hammer them royally.
We shall end this look back on Saturday’s action with a look at the ginger slice of genius in 22. His movement in his goal was nothing short of footballing elegance and cleverness. Nani earned his wage (for once) putting the ball where it could hurt and there is one Paul Scholes, on the edge of the area when Danny Welbeck takes possession; he calls for the ball so that he can welly it in like the midfield genius he became, then when Carrick finds Nani instead he scampers into the area in case it comes off the ‘keeper and when it does he capitalises like the striker Scholes, Version 1.
Points. Performance. Progress.
Now for that lot from Turkey. In a bit
GTS
Given to Score 