First loss; Rooney misfiring; Romero very shaky; Mata brave as a lion; Shaw outstanding; Swansea resilient, tough, and well coached. Overall the United glass is half full but a loss is a loss. This overview from Gary Neville:
“They have improved – they’re a better team than they were this time last season, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
“But they play football at 1-0 and 0-0 like they’re winning 4-0. They play really well, are dominating the game, have 65 per cent possession, have more shots but you have to score goals to capitalise on the football you’re playing. It’s OK if you win 1-0, you look like a really good team. But if a team get a goal back and you lose 2-1, that’s a problem.”
Which leads me to my biggest worry. Forget Rooney and Romero, I thought Memphis/Depay delivered another underwhelming performance and he’s in the position where it counts. A cutting edge in the final third and support for Rooney are critical to this year’s success.
He m
ight have the #7 shirt, the swagger, the tattoos, and the two very fine goals in the first leg against Club Brugges, but there’s a lot Memphis/Depay doesn’t have or hasn’t shown so far in Premier League matches. Everyone talks about his pace but I don’t see it. Who has he left for dead in a one on one? Team ethic?, he doesn’t chase back, protect his full back and he gives the ball away. Goals? None in the Premiere League, two in Championship League games, one in four pre season games. Fans and pundits, are understandably bending over backwards to give him a chance. The MEN rated him a 6 against Swansea, but so far the Premiere League is a step too far. Look at Mata’s goal. He went in against the very hard Ashley Williams and smashed in a brave finish.
I’d like to see Memphis/Depay pull off something like that. Rooney, poor sod, is being left on his own. It’s the same old song. The penetration is coming from Shaw and Darmian down the flanks, As stated before it’s early but my clock is ticking on the tattoed one. After the international break the fixture list gets very, very real.
Liverpool at home, Champions League matches, away at Arsenal, Everton and Crystal Palace, and then home against City. Memphis/Depay needs to step up.
Meanwhile there are two days left in the window. Javier Hernandez is off to Beyer Leverkusen, the manager is saying the club won’t panic and buy someone for buying sake, De Gea is expected to finally packs his bags for Madrid and Edurne, and there’s a new name in the frame Monaco’s 19 year old striker Anthony Martial.
OK Ed over to you make it rain by Tuesday.
4728 miles from the Stretford End 