Think we have covered all grounds, if not, at least most grounds in the post-match thread of the Citeh game. So I shall just add, but perhaps more likely, emphasise on a few points for this still-pre-match thread...
I am still gutted over yesterday's game and extremely disappointed with our players (of course we all know we should be behind them etc) when I read Giggs' post-match comments. Infuriating. So after all the historical education in the video room, the thereafter chest-pumping, war cries and promises to win it for the Babes blah blah blah, the players simply "just didn't turn up"?!? So the question that came to my mind was if not for this occasion, when will they then actually "turn up"?!! It is not like flicking a switch at will, mind you.
Something is apparently not right somewhere with our players' psyche, mentality and attitude, I sometimes suspect. I hope it is as Queiroz claimed it is indeed the midweek internationals that is to be blamed; hopefully solely. Giggs also reminded that we can't afford to drop further points and Carrick chipped in with comfort words that we can still win the league. Right... For crying out, who doesn't know the mathematical implications? But what matters most is where were they when it mattered most; post-match resolutions are just useless, repeating the entire vicious cycle. Until this suspicion is cleared up, I fear the worst for the Arsenal game and more prominantly, for the season. Related too is the hair-tearing self-destruct phenomenon we have when taking a slender lead - the sit-back-and-defend-for-dear-life mentality - which threw away sweet victories over Arsenal in recent encounters. Let's hope it won't happen again this time.
I would also like to repeat myself here about the
suitability and balance of the combination in central midfield. Scholes/Carrick/Anderson with Hargreaves should be the most viable option we have, implying that Hargreaves should always play whenever fit. He is our Makelele, unglamorous and underrated perhaps, but the one that does all the dirty, quiet work that is often not recognised unfortunately. He was England's best player in the last World Cup - tenacious in tackling and ball winning, nothing fanciful but simple distribution, boundless energy to spare, sitting back and protecting the back four nicely. I remain convinced he is doing this for us now, despite his injury-plagued first season with us, and thus not as effective as it could have been. Most important of all, we need him to sit back and allow either Scholes, Carrick or Anderson the peace of mind to join in the offence, bearing in mind that none of the 3 are natural defensive midfielders.
Now for
Scholes and Giggs.
For all his footballing brain, Scholes is no longer the Scholes we knew. Decidedly slow, lacks bite and intensity, no longer pops up in the box to score as once feared, and just contented now to stay behind to spray passes. He may have marshalled the Portsmouth game well but against stiffer opposition in Spurs and Citeh, he struggled and was largely anonymous.
And Giggs cuts a forlorn figure these days with sporadic brilliance only. He has lost his pace, often guilty of giving away the ball cheaply or drift once too often into the middle of the park, causing us to lose our bite in the left flank and more importantly, to lose our shape. We hardly see him playing now as a left wing should, bursting down the flank to spread the play.
Don't get me wrong. They still have the experience and know-how, and are still capable of a moment of magic to seal the game for us. The point is perhaps it is high time for them to come in only as a late substitute when there are enough tired legs for them to flick on the switch to do the maximum damage.
Anderson and Nani? I still believe they are the natural replacements, although I feel terribly let down and embarrassed, especially the latter, after blowing their trumpets so loudly. Perhaps they were a bit overrawed by the significance of the occasion in the Citeh game or just plain off-colour. But their talents are undeniable and they will come good, given enough time and exposure.
My line-up would thus be:
VDS
Brown---Ferdinand---Vidic---Evra
Ronaldo---Anderson---Hargreaves---Nani/Park
Rooney---Tevez
May the boys really meant what they say all season and do us proud. And first thing first, what can be better than stuffing out Arsenal.
