Yesterday’s game was a lot easier than I expected, we could have run up a cricket score in the first 20 as a combination of Craig Gordon and the woodwork conspired to keep United at bay.
Whilst Sunderland weathered the storm I don’t think they were ever a huge threat to us even if we did ease up. We have got off to a good start to this Christmas run of games and the fact we coasted for the last part of the game and were able to take players off means we should see a fresh performance against Birmingham on Tuesday.
Like in the Blackburn game despite scoring, Berbatov has some stiff competition for man of the match. The Bulgarian’s brace may have got us the 3 points but Rooney, Anderson, Giggs and Park could all see the award.
But don’t be influenced by me who was your stand out player at Old Trafford yesterday?
[poll id “24”]
Really hard to pick between Anderson and Berba.
On another note, the pairing of Anderson and Carrick has been very effective. They seem very complimentary and each allow the other to play where they’re most comfortable on the field. Carrick is quite content being the holding midfielder, staying back and distributing the ball quickly. This has allowed Anderson to play more advanced and he’s often the beneficiary of Carrick’s passes since he’s always moving to be in position to be open.
I like Fletcher, but I’m not sure how effective he’d be alongside Anderson. By and large, they both like being on the same spot on the field, and Anderson would likely have to do more defending if he’s playing with Fletcher. Unless they developed an incredible understanding and knowing when who wants to run forward and who wants to stay back, it otherwise doesn’t seem to be a good fit.
Perhaps in a five man midfield there will be more opportunities for Fletcher, but as things stand in the 4-4-2, our best starting 11 doesn’t have room for him.
That’s a very political stance!
With the 5 man midfield against Arsenal, Fletcher was brilliant but you may be onto something, in terms of the 4-4-2.
It is a dilemma we now face because of Anderson’s rise to prominence.
Berba’s ascendancy is also part of the cause, making the 4-4-2 much more attractive than last season, which makes for tighter (central) midfield selection.
I sincerely like Fletcher and my last comment can be taken with a grain of salt. Additionally, Fergie rotates the squad so often that it “a best starting 11” is more concept than reality.
However, I would still hold to the opinion that Fletcher and Ando both enjoy the free-roaming position in the centre of the pitch. With a 4-4-2, there is generally only room for only player to play that role.
We’ll see though, and they’re welcome to prove me wrong if they’re paired together in the future in the 4-4-2.
Ok, that’s a nice beginning however i’ll have to look into that a tad more. Will let you know what else i’ve found.