The Red Devils continue their march towards the title…
Martin O Neil and his players will be sick of the sight of
Manchester UNITED after Alex Ferguson’s men inflicted their second victory over Villa in a week by stomping them 3-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Red Devils welcomed Van De Sar, Vidic and Scholes back into the starting line-up while Villa fielded roughly the same team who acquitted themselves so commendably in the 2-1 defeat to United suffered last weekend in the FA Cup.
It was Gary Neville who engineered the first of many opportunities for the home side. The veteran stopper was sent free down the right flank and after looking up and spotting a target he delivered a pacey cross plum onto the head of Larson, whose shot was acrobatically saved by Villa keeper Sorenson. On 11 minutes, United took the lead through Asian dynamo, Park. The attacking midfielder finished well with a right foot drive into the far corner after finding the ball at his feet courtesy of a fortunate ricochet off a defender. Five minutes later Park turned provider. Carrick spread the ball to the Korean on the right wing, then charged forward into the box to collect the return pass before steadying himself and smashing an accurate shot past Sorenson for 2-0. Unlike the first goal, which must be said was created through luck rather than superior technique, number two for United laid bare for all to see Villa’s defensive inexperience with Carrick allowed to enter the box and shoot largely unhindered.
It was no surprise when the third goal went in such was United’s domination of the game. McCann was caught in possession by the lively Park which sent the ball rolling kindly into Carrick’s path. The midfielder chipped the ball to the far post where none other than December’s player of the month, Ronaldo, was arriving to nod home for 3-0.
Although Agbonlehor grabbed a smart consolation for Villa, when racing into the six yard box to connect with a great pass from Barros, Man U could well have finished the game with several more goals. Saha, Larson and Rooney all went close before the final whistle.
With Chelsea demolishing
Wigan with consummate ease and last Sunday’s tightly contested FA cup match fresh in the memory it was important for United to put Villa to the sword as empathically as possible. Which they did with aplomb.
Fergie has organized his troops into a cohesive, fluid unit which is not only hard to break down but also -at times- nigh impossible to prevent from scoring. Paul Scholes continues to make every
England supporter lament at his early retirement and his partner in central midfield, Carrick, is slowly adding a more adventurous aspect to his already well rounded bag of tricks. When they are not supplying chances for the front men, the midfield of Scholes, Carrick, Park and Giggs is more than capable of providing goals through their own steam.
As strange as it is to conclude -given his undeniable talent- Wayne Rooney is the only United player not currently performing near his peak. Against Villa on Saturday Rooney was hardly anonymous but neither was he a constant menace to the opposition goal. One well struck drive, which shook the bar before bouncing clear, was all that the youngster contributed to the 3-1 victory. Still, that feeling remains that he will soon find his killer instinct and with it the goals that will flow like vodka at a Boris Yeltzin birthday party.
Other than Rooney’s continued failings in front of goal, the only potentially serious problem for the team is Carrick’s lack of tenacity and grit. The much touted purchase of Bayern Munich and England’s combative Owen Hargreaves would add protection to the defence and allow Scholes to roam forward with more confidence that should he lose the ball there will still be a barrier in place between his midfield and defence strong enough to repel the opposition. Every great team needs an accomplished anchorman.
Italy has the snarl and bite of Gattusso, Arsenal; the elegant and experienced Gilberto, Chelsea; Essien the enforcer. Carrick is not of the same caliber as those players and I doubt he ever could be. Since Keano departed Old Trafford the anchorman role has been attempted by a succession of players, none of whom have come any way near adequately replacing the Irishman. From what I have seen of Hargreaves his presence on the field would make any team he played for stronger and more resilient. And despite his tough tackling reputation, the
Munich midfielder can create chances for others and tuck away the odd scorcher himself.
Chelsea should be thanking the Gods of Football that for now, due in no small part to a broken leg, Hargreaves arrival in
Manchester appears delayed until at earliest the summer break of this year. If or when he does appear in the red of United, the rest of the league beware.
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