Review: Manchester United 2 - Arsenal 1

So there it is. Our season in a nutshell. We start well, much better than expected really. No signs of hangover, fatigue, disillusionment, whatever. But what’s the point of starting well, with nothing to show for it. At the start of the home stretch, we still play well. We even go in front, and threaten a second. According to Sir:

"They were the better team in the first-half. I thought we were very nervous and our passing was poor and I couldn't wait to get to half-time."

Even Hargreaves too: "Arsenal were the better team in the first half..."

Then, another incomprehensible turn. A soft soft soft penalty, totally unnecessary, and poetic that it came from Fat Billy (aka Mohawk Billy), who last complained about the team’s inexperience leading to the Liverpool penalty. Rio was magnanimous too: "We were maybe fortunate with the penalty..."

That a second goal came, and not from us, was sadly only according to script. Doesn't really matter what the reality was, in terms of luck, who played better, or what. The key ultimately, is who scored, and who didn't.

It’s strange, but there were positives. First, Song did pretty well, apart from an early case of nerves. Second, Lehmann too put in a pretty good show, with a few crucial stops. Good for the old man. Perhaps the boss should put him in for the rest of the season. What, Reading, Derby, Everton and Sunderland is it? He should be fine, and Manuel can go for a longer holiday. Give the old man the last few games of his career. Hell, I thought it was freakin' cool that Mad Jens got a yellow card being his usual self. Third, despite all the talk of fatigue, the team impressed with their spirit and energy. God knows where Clichy and Hleb get it from.

In footballing terms, I agree with the boss that there’s little he needs to do in the summer. Even with substantial changes, our team on Sunday generally managed to mix it in there with Man U’s best. Ronaldo was generally quiet, and Rooney for the most part seemed more intent on throwing his usual pissy fits. Our passing was more crisp, fewer stray passes, and we played with higher energy. In terms of bottle, nerves, and just being just a tad more clinical, the team has got some work to do this summer. Not sure how Arsene’s going to do it, but he has to. It just seems like it doesn’t take too much to destabilise this team – be it a bad injury, a series of injuries, one bad result, a bad call from the ref etc etc etc.

So if the Boss is talking about just one more experienced player, I say let’s look at defence. Gallas just doesn’t give me much confidence, and I hope Kolo can get back to his pre-African Cup best. Man, what I would do to get Tony Adams back. We’ve been losing and drawing games we should have won, and most times, the defence looks to be the weak link.

As for the rest of the season, let’s win our last few games, go out with some confidence, and keep our third place. Hell, that would be an improvement over last.

Here's my list for the final reckoning:

Champions' League: Barcelona (with Henry scoring a hat-trick against Pool in the final. But I suppose with his record of never having scored in a cup final...)
Premier League: 1st, Man U; 2nd, Arsenal
Chelsea: Fuck All (just like us), and Avram the Orc gets banished to Sibiersk