The day began at 4.15am with a pint of PG Tips – another product of Manchester – and a couch to myself while Rebecca Lowe and the NBC broadcast crew set up the game. It’s a very good broadcast in the US. Sharp, opinionated, well presented, and you can watch most games live. I deliberately stayed away from the waterfall of opinion on Twitter but at halftime relented.
The more the game went on the more questions I had about Depay/Memphis. Everyone says he’s the real deal but I’m going out on a limb here. To be honest I haven’t seen it yet. We all recognize the team desperately needs some pace and drive through the middle in the final third. A player who puts the opposition on the back foot. I know he’s young; I know he did well at PSV and at the World Cup; I know a lot of very knowledgeable football people think he’s got it, that Van Gaal is a very good judge and had to move quickly to sign him yada yada. But maybe Depay is one for the future rather than for now? Coming off the bench as an impact sub? He’s not made me jump out of my seat once.
Later in the day I watched Swansea at Chelsea and as Wales Today identified The Sensational Jefferson Montero stole the show and terrorized the right side of last year’s meanest defence. It was the kind of performance Van Gaal says is missing. Hopefully Depay will get the confidence to attack defenders but so far he doesn’t. Ok I know it’s early……….but I thought I’d mention it.
In the end the Twitter match analysis seemed about right.
Great start because it was a win. Impressive performances from Darmian, Schneiderlin, Smalling, Mata, Young and Romero. There’s three week’s left in the window. Pedro is expected to sign by Wednesday. De Gea will go soon. Most fans believe there’s another big one out there. I think there maybe as many as three.
Happy Birthday Louis.
4728 miles from the Stretford End 