Lord Blackadder,
Disagree about the squad, and not standing a chance without Ferguson; overcoming this season's injuries* is at least as much about the ability of the group as it is the ability of SAF. The main weakness has been there since Keane left. Still, this is one of many combinations up there; De Gea, Valencia, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Nani, Cleverley, Carrick, Scholes, Young, Rooney.
One thing that makes it hard to say whether the squad would be going for this title without Fergie is the fact that many of the players have
only played for
him, and he's been managing the side seemingly forever. Can you even imagine a Manchester United without Ferguson? In one sense I agree about the ability of the group - it's not that the squad is not potential title material but the whole cliche about having a winning mentality does have an impact here. Winning builds confidence and makes teams play better as long as they can maintain their focus. United win because they play to their full potential more often than other teams who may be equallly good or better on paper.
I'm convinced that if Man City had United's squad mentality and attitude they would have run away with the league and be 10+ points clear by now. Their biggest problem for them is one of attitude. They are a disjointed squad of
Galacticos. David Silva's dip in form has also been a factor. And then there's the whole Tevez affair.
Everton's surge - he only had to look back to last season. He's right more than he's wrong, which is why a mistake stands out - Rooney against Blackburn Rovers, and too much Hernandez/too little Berbatov. 🙂
I agree on both points. Hernandez has faded badly this season. Berbatov has always been underutilized.
The defence has been inconsistent; very good - positioning, blocking etc./shambles. Vidic would've helped - Evans got there in the end - Liverpool without Agger or Skrtel for 32 games? It's pushing the best defence to last under constant pressure - weren't Adam, Henderson and Downing bought to give the back four some time off? 🙂
I don't think Liverpool has had too many truly bad perfomances by the back four, but Agger and Skrtel are key players for us as Ferdinand and Vidic are for United. When those players are missing, neither club can muster effective replacements. The continued decline of Carragher is also a factor, though more so in the sense that Kenny is still trying to use him when he should be put out to pasture.
But we don't really need to sign defenders at the moment - which is more than I can say about much of the rest of the outfield. Adam, Henderson and Downing have all been failures -though, had Gerrard and Lucas been healthy all season the deficiencies of the new signings would have been masked somewhat, or perhaps they would have bedded in better. Downing alone of the new midfield signings has shown any notable (if modest) improvement over the course of the season. Carroll I've talked about a million times, so I'll say no more. Suarez may be a target of hate for the media and opposition but as a player I still think he was a good buy and with the right strike partner will be a lethal asset.
Fellaini is frustrating when he's jogging aimlessly and the game is passing him by. As for Howard's big save, 'delicious' is one word for it.😀
* Looking at Clubs' injuries, Manchester City have underperformed when faced with the loss of first team players. The media are funny, it was the same with Chelsea; one minute they have the squad to aspire to, the next, their loss of form is understandable given the 3 injuries. Arsenal and Spurs have done well, but it's the Newcastle United defence who have surprised me.
Cheers,
OW
I think Newcastle are the story of the season. They had the heart of their defense ripped out early on, but somehow the replacements stepped up and filled the gaps seamlessly. Their transfers paid off handsomely, and voila! you suddenly have a Champions League contender side. They have certainly been more consistent than Spurs and Chelsea over the course of the season - maybe even the most consistent side in the league, if not the best.
