From Scott : I smiled
Tonight was big.
Tonight was a real cup tie – back to the blood and thunder of yesteryear. Not always pretty to watch, but exciting to watch. Watching at home on DVR, I stood for most of the game.
Tonight something happened during the game that hasn’t happened for a long time – I smiled. Arsenal weren’t even winning at the time.
In fact it was about 10 minutes before Welbeck’s goal that I realised I was doing it.
Why? We were competing. We contested every ball. From the beginning of the second half we weren’t just winning the 50-50s, we were winning the 45-55s and sometimes even the 40-60s. Then we were winning the second balls. And it was happening all over the park. Utd didn’t have a moment to settle.
We had passion. Not always the know-how, but we wanted it. Badly.
There were pros and cons all night long. Sanchez, after a lull, seems to be largely back on his game. Ozil competed. He stood up to Fellaini, he battled back against Carrick. Cazorla is blossoming in a deeper role. He helps with possession, can help control the tempo of the game, and now ghosts in behind the attack adding an often unmarked option for the man in possession between 18 and 25 yards out.
The cons are largely predictable. Our defending is frantic more than measured. The decisions of our fullbacks to attack and take men on in the final 3rd when a goal up away from home with 10 minutes to play is absurd – especially with the pace of the likes of Young and Januzaj ready to burst forward and exploit the gaps.
We didn’t let the ball do the work when handed a one man advantage.
Too often for those last 20 minutes we still tried to take men on all over the park, often losing it and inviting back immediate pressure. We missed the guile of a Gilberto or an Edu who could just hold it up, slow it down and allow the team to take a collective breath. Ramsey’s lost his automatic – for now. He’s slow to make decisions, the ball never quite seems to sit for him to shoot. But it will return.
But tonight I smiled. Will I smile again at our next away game in 8 days time? I hope so.
From Ingham Walker : Nick it
Yes, Myles but if it wasn’t for De Gea, and the referee, who had an outstanding game, it could have been worse.
Van Gaal has a huge problem. His team have no discipline or shape, they have lost their fear factor and – dare I say it– they don’t like playing for him.
Their midfield is static, Fellaini is an oaf and both he and Rojo were lucky still to be on the field. As was Bellerin.
Arsenal’s work-rate in midfield was excellent, and look at the tackles. For years , we succumb to bullying. Watch Welbeck on Blind, Monreal on Fellini. Watch Ozil hassling Young. This game had everything. Coquelin was MOTM.
Not a bad draw for the semi final but it’s a month away.
A lot can happen in a month.
Myles says:
Man United v Spurs isn’t a month away.
It’s on Sunday : 4 days away.
United could get battered in that game.