VIEW: United vs Burnley. 3-0

Another typically ‘ok, but not great’ performance by the
Champions saw us defeat a gutsy Burnley side 3-0, with Berbs, Rooney and new
boy Diouf finding the net on a routinely humble afternoon at OT.

As usual, we made it difficult for ourselves, especially as
the away side threatened surprisingly well and had a few decent efforts that
could have, and probably should have, punished us for our lack of concentration.

The three chances of note – Fletcher’s in the first half and
Nugent’s and Eagles’ in the second – all had one common, worrying trait: our
defence was all too easily split wide open. Had the chances fallen to more
able, perhaps more confident attackers, you would seriously have to worry as to
the final outcome. Fletcher and Nugent, both on the back of counter-attacking
moves, fluffed their efforts wide, and Eagles, when we had already taken the
lead, took the ball away from our defence with some nifty yet fairly
conventional footwork that created himself space for the shot that fell
straight into the arms of the ‘keeper…didn’t he used to play for a big club?

To be honest though, we did our job well on an afternoon
when Chelsea did there’s even better
– annihilating Sunderland 7-2; the same team we needed
to rely on a late equaliser to make it 2-2 a few months ago. But only the most
ignorant, unknowing of football fans would dare utter suggestions aimed towards
Chelsea running away with it. It
was only a couple of months ago, after a thoroughly formidable display at the
Emirates saw them destroy Arsenal 3-0, that the same noises were being made;
only for them to immediately go on a poor run that saw us close the gap to 2
and greatly reduce their superior goal-difference.

Back to our game; it was of course hardly a display to shout
about and it was certainly a game we were expected to win, but what I’m slowly
starting to accept, for probably the first time this season, is that as long as
we are winning, then surely there can be little room for complaint? Our games
until the end of February, with the exception of a trip to Arsenal on the last
day of January, are seemingly perfect fixtures for us to maintain the pressure
at the top, score more goals and capitalise on any potential slip-up by Chelsea;
who have never-easy away ties at Hull,
Burnley as well as playing host to Arsenal.

As bitter and pessimistic as I am about our clubs worsening state
after a summer that saw us lose our best player and ineffectively replace him,
I have to understand that the days of glittering football are, for now, absent
and perhaps no longer relevant as we rely on and generally accept this new,
more direct, less ambitious and more understated style of football. And as long
as we win by playing it, what more can we ask for?

Good.

3 goals, 3 different goalscorers. I don’t know about
anyone else, but one thing I really like about this season is the vast array of
goalscorers we boast. Now with Diouf added into the mix, that brings us on to 16
different scorers for the season. No one else in the League can boast such an
eclectic array of finishers.

Diouf. As with the game at St. Andrews
last week, he was given little time and opportunity to impress, but he still
managed to do so; taking his goal and our third of the afternoon superbly.

Clean-sheet. Only our 9^th (out of 22) of the season.
Let’s hope, as our defensive issues start to mellow themselves over time – with
Ferdinand back in training as well as Van der saar starting for the first time
since the Everton game in November – we will continue to improve and strengthen
at the back.

Liverpool. Another 2 points dropped. Its
fair to say that, for anyone that read my blog during the Stoke/Liverpool game
yesterday, I was far from optimistic that the Scouser’s poor run would
continue, as somehow they usually manage to worm their way out of these
situations to conveniently eradicate all of Bentiez’s wrongdoings with one half
decent result; but as a mate of mine so perfectly put it, they are quite simply
the gift that keeps on giving.

Bad.

Defence. As I mentioned, those three opportunities for Burnley
that were thankfully not taken could have resulted in far more detrimental
consequences. The sloppiness of our defence had a part to play in all of those
moves, and not wanting to point the finger, but Neville was particularly slow throughout
the game; especially for Nugent’s chance. Hardly known as the most nippy of
striker’s, the Burnley man skinned Gazza effortlessly
with a single touch that took him out of the move. With Sheasy – the majority
of last seasons first choice right-back – injured, and Brown – the 2007/08’s
first choice right-back – reverting to centre-back, surely the only logical,
able choice is Rafael. Sentiment should never take precedence over genuine
ability; but unfortunately that’s looking more and more like the case as far as
Fergie’s selection is concerned.