Rising from the dead (vs Blackpool)

Having had time for the emotions to subside after a fantastic come from behind win, I realize again how little I care about being undefeated. Sure, it’ll be nice to equal the feat of the Invincibles, but at the end of the season, that’s not the ultimate prize. I don’t think going undefeated and winning the league are mutually exclusive. In fact, they probably would go hand in hand if anything. But the notion of going into each game with that big 0 in the loss column and having that thought in the back of your mind must weigh on some of the players (even if they claim otherwise). I think it’s similar to that streak we had 2 seasons ago where we went an eternity without conceding and it was almost a relief when we were finally scored against.

Having said all of that, what a win this was! It looked like our dismal away form would continue yet again at Bloomfield Rd. Thankfully, we found a way to dig deep and it certainly helped having the likes of Giggs and Chicharito off the bench. Wins like this build character and confidence, no doubt. We were able to turn around an awful first half performance by coming out guns blazing in the second. I’m sure the hairdryer treatment was cranked to full blast at halftime at pretty much everyone who took the field in the first 45.

More impressions:

1. Berba is playing out of his mind. He is moving with confidence every time he steps on the field and rightly so. The early season drought after scoring that hattrick against Liverpool seems to be an era ago. His assists numbers are no longer what they were in seasons past, but that’s primarily because he’s having a crack on goal when before, he would look for the pass. One other thing I noticed about him is his desire to constantly stay on his feet even when opposing defenders are clipping at his heels. He tries to steady himself so he can pick out a pass or retain possession while allowing the rest of the team to join him upfield. What a joy he has been to behold. All while still looking seemingly languid out there. No one’s complaining anymore.

2. Giggs is the best left winger we have. Sure we’ve tried putting him in the middle since he’s lost most of his pace from his younger years, but he’s still got the trickery and know how to get past younger and faster rightbacks. He’s showing that speed alone isn’t the key to succeed on the wing. His introduction gave us width and his through balls over the top carved openings that never once materialized in the first half.

3. Chicharito could be our best buy in years probably rivaled only by the pickup of Vidic. Has anyone else in recent memory been of such great value? Wonder if that’s what SAF means about finding value. Can we unearth another gem like him in the summer? What’s just as exciting is how he has so much joy on the field and clearly loves playing for the club. He even made it a point to kiss the badge after scoring. Not his first time doing that either.

4. That Rafael boy can play. He found space when going forward and always looked at ease with the ball at his feet. Pity about the injury that took him out of the game. Hopefully it’s nothing serious. Was good to see fans of both teams giving him an ovation as he was carried off the field.

5. Rooney should not be deployed on the left wing. We know he can play there. But there’s a difference between being able to play a position and being able to excel at a position. Being able to play multiple positions is a positive when you’re a squad player like JOS. However, when you’re Rooney, you really should be deployed in a position that plays to your strengths. People will say he had a torrid game, but I thought he linked up well with Evra and covered back when needed. He was guilty of a couple of errant passes however.

6. The marking on both their goals were simply awful. For the first, Cathcart dashed onto the header completely unmarked. Someone missed an assignment and he powered it in without anyone challenging him. On the second, Evra just fell asleep when the ball was headed across the box and Campbell got to the header with Evra still rooted to the ground. Very unusual since we actually are a decent side defending set pieces.

7. Gibson’s presence is only noticeable when he takes a shot at goal, which is almost every time he gets the ball in the opposition half and is facing the target. Other than that, he was pretty anonymous and ineffective during his 45 minutes. In that sense, I’m thankful that Blackpool nicked their 2nd goal before halftime. It was a big enough deficit that forced SAF to make the halftime change of introducing Giggs for Gibson. Had it only been 1-0, SAF may have persisted with Gibson until at least the 60th minute.

8. VDS’s distribution has contributed 2 goals in 2 games. His clearance over the weekend found Rooney who then laid it off to Giggs to cross for Berba’s third. Against Blackpool, his goalkick landed right at the feet of Giggs who clipped it over the Blackpool defense and gave Chicharito the one on one opportunity that he put away.

A good win for us considering our away form this season. Blackpool to their credit, did not sit back after going up 2-0 and continued to commit men forward. As attractive as it makes their play, it was also their undoing, which unfortunately, seems to suggest that conservative football pays more dividends than a philosophy of playing courageously. Hopefully, they don’t abandon their brand of football especially since they’ve won over many fans with their style. If they can find a good balance, they could continue to entertain while doing enough to stay in the top flight. That would be a win for the club, the fans, and the game of football itself.

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Category: Berbatov, Chicharito, English Premier League, Manchester United, Match Reports