Every hour every minute seemed to last eternally/
I was so afraid Fernando(Mourinho)/
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die/
And I'm not ashamed to say/
The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry..." - ABBA, 'Fernando'
Whew.
Manchester United is (finally) through to the final of the Europa League taking place in Stockholm, Sweden on 24th May, 2017. Our opponents are Dutch giants, AFC Ajax.
It was only right that United made it to the final stage of Europe's secondary club competition in the most 'United' way possible - with suffering and drama. When the otherwise unflappable Eric Bailly was not seeing red in more ways than one, his defensive partner, Ajax agent alumnus, Daley Blind kept surrendering the ball to the Vigoans in precarious places. The team went from being composed and in control in the 1st half to defending deep and dangerously in the 2nd (I see you, Mourinho!).
Fortunately, none of this mattered - The job/mission was accomplished.
It certainly wasn't pretty and the quality was well short of the expected standard but we've 'wobbled and fumbled' into "qualification for possible Champions League qualification."
The tie should have been effectively settled in the 17th minute when Marouane Fellaini headed the ball into the near post from a Rashford laser-guided cross. If you've listened to Dave Chappelle's philosophical and comedic take in one of his recent Netflix specials on morally appraising the Bill Cosby situation, then you'd have a fair idea of where the afroed-one stands with a lot of fans. Only without Cosby's excellence in his craft (And by 'craft', I mean his 'comedy'. Thanks). 2-0 on aggregate. Celta Vigo needed at least 2 goals to go through. It didn't look at all likely in the first half even though United willingly surrendered possession to the Spanish side. One header flashed wide aside, it was still generally comfortable and smooth sailing.
But as we are wont to do under this dispensation, we tried to defend a 1-goal lead in the 2nd half which is OK if you have the personnel to adequately execute this strategy but also like this season has consistently shown us, there is usually egg residue to be wiped off our physiognomy by the time 90 minutes and whatever extras were added must have been completed. This ended no different in terms of the scoreline - a contemporary Old Trafford result. Good luck with that in the future.
Nonetheless, any endeavour that can scuttle a Scouser's (Iago Aspas) and Citizen's (John Guidetti) best laid plans and reduce at least one of them to tears, is a good one. 👏
There are 4 games left in the season, 3 in the league and the increasingly crucial Europa final. One more home game (on the final day too), 2 away games starting with the White Hart Lane encore on Sunday and then final in Zlat-land. The debate over what matches constitute a 'priority' is archaic at this point. We know what we need to do and how to get it. There's only one more performance this season which would ultimately be the difference between this season and the last. Again, this does not need to be spelt out.
It is eerily amusing that I feel almost exactly the same way I did at the end of last season and the reason is simple in retrospect - there's been too much sour predictability in performance and results even the most important victories have been achieved without a certain 'United' joie de vivre. I remain positive for bigger things next season. In spite of all the excuses, real or imagined, currently offered this term, a club of United's stature and resources just has to do better navigating multiple fronts next time around.
There is nothing we can do/
Knowing me, knowing you (ah-ha)/
We just have to face it, this time we're through/
This time we're through, this time we're through/
This time we're through, we're really through" - Agneta, Bjorn, Benni and Anni
A more than cursory look at most of the major football sites over the week provided a certain vindication to long-held positions which have always been hinged on facts/the 'eye-test' and nothing else no matter how critical they may have sounded or seemed - There is an almost unanimous agreement that there has to be a clear-out at Carrington for the club to move forward. Tables and performances do not lie. The reason we are 'best of the rest' on the league table and hustle even in the Europa League is because that is the quality we currently provide. It's that basic.
For the last two seasons, we have blamed Louis Van Gaal, who was indeed not without his failings both in the transfer market and in his muddled philosophy but has Jose performed any better? He also had the advantage of seeing all that was wrong before he assumed the reins but have are our performances been vastly different this year? Yes, there have been tactical improvements and a more dogged approach but have these been exhilarating Manchester United/top team performances? I honestly do not believe Jose and Louis suddenly became managerial relics incapable of stringing together some form of consistency from their players. Like I often say, no manager can 'coach' a professional to make an accurate pass or kick the ball into an open net. That's all on the players. It's time to refresh the pool at Old Trafford and for a bit of dark humour, we may keep the core of this team and see if the next manager can do any better.
However, it seems the Journos and analysts (even the infamous propagandists) now concur that wholesale changes are required next term. As it is said that the moment of realisation is one's dawn, I say to 'em, "Good morning."
Congratulations on reaching the final, Mancunians!
To the club and fans alike, no pressure on Sunday. Play the kids if need be. Prevent injuries. Enjoy the remaining games. Relax. Hold your head up high. Be Manchester United.
Signing Out,
B.L
In Other News:
* By the time you're reading this, Chelsea would probably have been crowned English League champions. Congratulations to them.
* It's a Real Madrid v Juventus Champions League final. Advanced attack (Sorry, Monaco) v Advanced Defence. Juventus put up another tactical masterclass to defeat Monaco 2-1 (4-1 aggregate) in the 2nd leg of their semi-final tie. Barcelona reject,. Dani Alves for the Balon D'or. Real Madrid baited Atletico Madrid into believing there was a possibility of overturning the tie by conceding 2 early goals but they had too much firepower to allow the match slip. Final score 2-1 (5-2 aggregate). The ballet from Karim Benzema leading up to the Madrid consolation killer goal was particularly impressive. The Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales is the venue. 3rd June, 2017 is the date. Bombastic.
* Warriors swept the Jazz. Cavaliers swept the Raptors. The Beard fell (very) short in his quest to take the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals in a stinking Game 6 performance. Still shouldn't detract from a MvP worthy season. So it's Warriors v Spurs in the West and Cavaliers v the Celtics/Wizards winner in the East. I wonder who gets to play the Cavs in the NBA finals...
* And how was your week?
Congratulations on reaching the final, Mancunians!
To the club and fans alike, no pressure on Sunday. Play the kids if need be. Prevent injuries. Enjoy the remaining games. Relax. Hold your head up high. Be Manchester United.
Signing Out,
B.L
In Other News:
* By the time you're reading this, Chelsea would probably have been crowned English League champions. Congratulations to them.
* It's a Real Madrid v Juventus Champions League final. Advanced attack (Sorry, Monaco) v Advanced Defence. Juventus put up another tactical masterclass to defeat Monaco 2-1 (4-1 aggregate) in the 2nd leg of their semi-final tie. Barcelona reject,. Dani Alves for the Balon D'or. Real Madrid baited Atletico Madrid into believing there was a possibility of overturning the tie by conceding 2 early goals but they had too much firepower to allow the match slip. Final score 2-1 (5-2 aggregate). The ballet from Karim Benzema leading up to the Madrid consolation killer goal was particularly impressive. The Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales is the venue. 3rd June, 2017 is the date. Bombastic.
* Warriors swept the Jazz. Cavaliers swept the Raptors. The Beard fell (very) short in his quest to take the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals in a stinking Game 6 performance. Still shouldn't detract from a MvP worthy season. So it's Warriors v Spurs in the West and Cavaliers v the Celtics/Wizards winner in the East. I wonder who gets to play the Cavs in the NBA finals...
* And how was your week?
I still insist that, under the circumstances Jose has found the club he has done incredibly well. I've said it before, in another forum, that even though he saw the state of the team from afar, it doesn't mean he completely understood its problems or dynamics. LVG developed a reputation for himself and one would be tempted to think that if another person we're at the helm, we may have had a different result, in spite of the players....well, there you go! True, the football some of these guys play is abject and really sad to watch but to expect a clear out at the very first season in charge was to expect Jose to be high handed.
ReplyDeleteHow do you think he'd have been able to convince board members to sell Rooney or Smalling, Jones. Fellaini would have been easy buy the optics of it would suggest that Jose is been the "Old Jose" and that wouldn't have gone down well his critics on the board will it? (And yes, not everyone wanted him at Utd).
Truth is Jose has called out all the crappy players in our team. It is very obvious now, no one can say they don't know or see them. And I am very impressed with the way he's done it, you have to admire that. To deny the politics in ManUtd is suicidal as well and I plead with many who share your same thoughts to see things from that perspective: He couldn't just come in and sell everyone, he needed to earn the right to do that.
But for Ibra's and Pogbaa's injuries(and I see the light now that they missed some games together, Ibra is out till January), ee would still be competing for top 4. In all I wish us all the best.
Let us put the bitter experience of the last three seasons behind us, those times have left many ManU fans heavily divided (Just like that GEJ vs PMB nonsense). We all need to come together now, at least we all wish them well. I don't wish to be right, I just want ManU to be great again. Let's make ManU great again😂😂
Can't believe I just said that
Hahaha hahaha. Good one! I agree with the idea of what you've said but to what level do you politicize commercial/boardroom interests over football?
DeleteSince Abrahamovic took over, Chelsea has won more EPL titles than any club. He came in to run a FOOTBALL club, no gimmicks. His interests have been primarily about remaining competitive on the field and the results have shown. Marketing and co.are secondary and his club still makes money by the way...
"Sugar daddy" model, yes we know but has our system been infinitely better? In the stock market perhaps but football wise do we realise how far behind we are becoming?
Jose Mourinho, I had perceived, as a pure football man (whatever that is). He wants to win, simple as that. So I expected he'd have been a bit more definitive in revamping his team when he took over. Yes, he has played the politics well to a very large extent but at what cost? The Europa League has not yet been won. Heaven forbid the contrary happens. Who 'politics' epp?
Glazers and management need to decide which direction they want to take the club. Football, properly so called, is a very jealous lover. There is only so much a functional club can take when you prioritise off-field corporate interests over it. The Madrid and Barca models, even though blatantly commercial, are unadulteratedly football first. Different model from what obtains in the EPL.
We need to do better and the gaffer has got to be much more decisive. Spend if you need to (we already have the most expensive squad ever so a few extra quid for GENUINE QUALITY will not hurt). Throw away excess luggage. Be competitive on the football field. That's all I'm asking.
You are right bros and be sure when I tell you that he'll make the desired changes by summer, he has made a very good case for that. I hope we win the Europa League, that will be our statement of intent. I'm sure the board got Jose to win and not for cosmetic reasons, we all just need to be patient.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I really want us to win the EL. Its all we've got or else this process will really be long, drawn and very painful