Tottenham away

Things we learnt from the Arsenal game:

• Rooney does NOT work as a lone striker. The number 1 issue with the last game, as I pointed out at the time, was Rooney being isolated and, in the process, out-muscled as the lone striker. He did not, and will not against any team with a decent central defence, have the height or strength to make his presence felt. As quality as he is, he is not Van Nistelrooy (in strength) or Henry (in pace). Also his game is too multi-dimentional to be wasted in this way creatively.
• Berbatov needs to start. Following on from the last point, Rooney clearly needs to play alongside a strike-partner; someone who is equally as technical and spatially aware, however who's also a little on the lazy side. So, while Wayne's pounding his way up and down the field chasing every ball and lost cause, there has to be someone holding their position and collecting the passes in order to progress the attack. Enter Dimitar.

Confident:

• Rio's back. Spurs have scored an average of nearly 3 goals a game this season; including 5 each at Hull and Upton Park - both potentially dangerous grounds where the Home sides often create problems for visitors in terms of making it difficult for them to score. However, although they have been scoring for kicks lately, they are yet to face the toughest defence in the world; one that is happily enhanced (for United fans anyway) by the return of Rio. The biggest smile crept up on my face when I saw our potential back-four for Saturday in the paper looking a bit like this: Brown - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra. This, by far our most solid backline, won us the League and Europe in 2008, so I it is still as quality as it was then in order to stop the likes of Crouch, Defoe and Keane.

A tad scared:

• They're unbeaten and looking hot to trot. The teams we had played so far, before Arsenal, had not and should not have threatened us to any great extent. Yet, we were a little rusty and uncomfortable on the first day...and then we lost to fucking Burnley. Arsenal were the League's form side before they came to Old Trafford, but we managed to get away with the points. Our next two games, including Citeh next week, are up against 2 of the (first 4 games of the season's) top 4; and with Tottenham cruising at the minute and deservedly placed at the top, we will have to play better than we did against Arsenal; and hope they don't, just as the Gooners didn't, take advantage of our weaknesses and punish us

Top man:

• Rooney - It's becoming a bit of a cliche to say that Rooney is our key player and will 'shine' this season without Ronaldo...but only because everyone says it ALL the time because they know it's true. He has shown already that he has the touch and instict needed to become prolific (4 in 4, not including his goal scoring form with England). So lets hope it maintains, with a sexy little partnership forming between him and Berbatov in the meantime: one full of flair (Berb's) and graft (obviously NOT Berb's).
• Fletcher - As I've said already this season he could well turn out to be a much more potent member of our midfield that many would have ever given him credit for, and his improving displays thus far confirm this. His time served on the fringe has slowly, and quietly, allowed him to learn from the players around him and develop from an ok winger into a quality defencive, holding midfielder. He will be important tomorrow, alongside Carrick (hopefully) to break up Tottenhams play and hopefully prevent them playing fluid, attacking football.

Step yo game up:

• Valencia/Nani - This looks to be the wing partnership Ferguson is working on, but it'll only maintain throughout the season if both players become more productive and effective. It feels as though sometimes that the rest of the team work hard to supply the wingers - whether it be the full-backs (Evra in particular for Nani) or the other midfielders - yet when they have their opportunities to provide the cross or find the striker, they fail miserably. Both are quality, but we expect more; especially as these are the positions that have the greatest responsibility now (in the 4-4-2 Ferguson will use for the majority of the season) in supplying and creating chances post-Ronaldo.