A special mention also to Agent Mame Diouf for exhibiting courage in the face of intense hostile Bruynic enemy fire...well done.
Act. I - Patents of Nobility:
"So with patches on my britches,
Holes in both my shoes,In my coat of many colours,
I hurried off to school,
Just to find the others laughing,
And making fun of me,
In my coat of many colours,
My mama made for me..." - Dolly Parton, "Coat Of Many Colours"
With CSKA Moscow and Crystal Palace promptly dispatched in the last two matches and the seeming rehabilitation of the careers of Fellaini and Young complete, Saturday the 14th's lunch time dish of the always mega-clash against Liverpool looked appetising. But then there was the pesky international break (actually, World Cup Qualifiers) coming up again to disrupt things. Rashford suffered a knock even as England qualified for the the tournament in its usual largely comfortable but unconvincing manner, Romelu had an injury scare, Valencia travelled half way round the world to conclude was what already a doomed campaign, Mkhi travelled not as far for a similarly doomed effort, Bailly did his groin in and Carrick some how got injured despite not playing any competitive game in a bit. Good news was Matic scoring, qualifying for the World Cup with Serbia and also escaping unscathed during the fixtures.
The real tragedy of the the break though was Marouane Fellaini's (Marouane Fellaini!!) knee ligament damage while playing for an already qualified Belgium. The unavailability of this modern United cornerstone wasn't going to totally derail our best laid plans against Liverpool, was it? September Player Of The Month, Anthony Martial was well rested. So were Ander and Juan. Others including some of those mentioned above came back from short international trips as healthy as any of our fellow competitors so we could still expect to take advantage of a notoriously generous Liverpool defence, yes? Err...Not quite...
The thing is, like is very common in basketball, Klopp's Liverpool creates puzzling match-up problems for Man United. The same way United has historically struggled against possession-retaining, sharp and crisp passing, twinkly-toed Spanish sides. Even when we win, rarely would you see United dominate such games. It's a different story when it comes to even the top clubs of other countries but Spanish teams just are a constant pain in the behind. Interestingly, other English clubs manage and acquaint themselves better against Hispanic opposition. The mystery of match-ups...
Perhaps its Liverpool's (i) blinding pace (ii) energy combined with (iii) their quick passing and interchanges that pose reoccurring challenges to our not-too-fast back-line (especially with Bailly missing and Valencia somewhat fatigued). Still, one would ordinarily expect a variation of tactics to adequately compete against the traditionally biggest head of the hydra-headed monster to our ambitions. All our forwards are pacey. We should be capable of properly executing games even without apparently long-term absentee Pogba and MvP Fellaini. Surely, it was still possible to hit on the counter attack and ruin Mr. Dalglish's special day...
Alas...it was not to be.
Putting it bluntly, what transpired on Saturday was horrible to watch particularly from the United perspective. There was only one team attempting to play. The other was simply prepared to stifle. This wasn't Chess; This was mess. There was no initiative, no drive, no energy. Mkhitaryan put in arguably his worst performance in a United shirt. Martial again did that infuriating thing of being absolutely inept at the very period you expect something great from him. He was up isolated against Joe Gomez, for goodness' sake. Frustratingly inconsistent. Young suspected he would suffer hypothermia if he ventured further up the field. (These days) He may have a good cross on him but he remains severely lacking in the gumption department. Herrera kept literally jumping into the wrong conclusions at almost every opportunity. No link-up play, no midfield and...yeah, Romelu 'I'm-not-a-flat-track-bully' Lukaku touched the ball less times than Mignolet and fluffed his one golden chance. Imagine this without any actual effort from United's part.
It simply wasn't a Manchester United performance and there's a recent trend in this regard with respect to the big games. As a fan, it irks. An awful lot. But wait a minute...
For I felt I was rich
And I told them of the love
My mama sewed in every stitch
And I told them all the story
Mama told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their clothes..."
...What exactly where you expecting?? This is after all a Mourinho team. Truth be told, I've referred to our manager as anti-football more times than I can count even before he joined United and we all know that leopards do not change their spots. You can argue that Mourinho has before United operated with more street-wise(?)...dynamic(?)...technical(?)...'professionally mature' personnel and coupled with the injuries to his main facilitators, what did you think he was going to do? Entertain you? Go gung-ho? Attack at the risk of being susceptible to Liverpool's counter-attack? Poetry v Pragmatism? Mayweather v Pacquaio. I often called Floyd a 'sterilised fighter' because of the meticulous detail he puts into picking all the aspects of his fights to ensure he gains an advantage no matter how little. From the weight of the gloves to the standard of blood testing to the venue to morality v the rule book, he fine-combs every aspect in order to secure an edge. That mega-fight should have come at least 3 years before it did. Pacman is a brawler and power-puncher. Floyd is a counter-puncher. As you age, I understand that in boxing, after speed, strength/power is the next to go. The technique almost always remains. By the time they fought, I believe that at least two-thirds of the Pacman's core competences were severely eroded and Floyd simply had to do what he had always been excellent at and still retained - defend and jab - to win. It wasn't pretty and was at times abominable but he's remained (and retired) undefeated for a very good reason. Jose thinks that way too.
Mourinho was never going to put his team/record/reputation on the line to placate the purists or the poets knowing he did not have, in his thinking, his full arsenal to confront Liverpool. Rather a bore draw than an exciting loss. Cliched and all, but points win titles. That was +1 at a difficult venue against a challenger for the league. Say and write what you may, but the numbers are always greater than the prose. The Gerrard-slip match is forever etched in the anti-football hall of infamy for me but the records will state that his team still won that game 0-2.
So...that's one extra point. Chelsea and Arsenal didn't get any over the weekend. I don't like at all how it was obtained but there's no point being faux-outraged about what I knew all along (Hi, Hollywood!"). The bottom-halfers and mid-tablers will (and should) receive the backlash. Be prepared to appreciate your ugly coat against the heavy hitters as long as Jose is in charge. Which brings me to...
Act II. - Silence is Golden
Our motor-mouth manager. There's now a bit of background to the fact that he's in the prelude of negotiating a contract extension but comments such as he made over the weekend are unhelpful and tone-deaf to the zeitgeist around the club. I get it. This is a business. You use your leverage to get the best possible deal. Everybody involved in the game does it. Rooney did it to great effect. Clubs do it when re-negotiating contracts with injured or auxiliary players. That's the name of the game. Jose has admittedly dragged the club half-way out of the dungeon it had been in for the last 3 years preceding his employment. His work is evident. He has leverage.
But what I find unacceptable is the need to so publicly attempt to tear up the script knowing fully well that your end game is to read from that very text. Alienating the fans and low-key disrespecting the club is not going to endear you towards any base. Why ultimately mess up the specific thing you so desperately want to achieve? You don't burn down a room to kill a fly.
Nobody really expects Mourinho to end his career at Manchester United. But at least he can (try to) conduct himself with dignity during his length of stay at the club. Resist the urge to say something outlandish whenever a microphone is put in your face. But I hear leopards don't change their spots...
Next Up: Benfica (A) in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday the 18th.
Signing Out,
B.L...
In Other News:
* Ser Kevin De Bruyne. What a player. Nuff said.
* Jupp Heynckes is back to work his magic, Dybala has missed 2 penalties in a row and Napoli has won 8 straight games. Monaco has started losing ground in France and the Prince of Milan, Mauro Icardi got a poacher's hat-trick in a very enjoyable Milan derby.
* The NBA season begins today. While Golden State are still the favourites, Cleveland has put together a formidable team. Remember when you were younger and you made sure your cereal of choice was drowned with full-fat milk and unhealthy amounts of sugar? Yeah, me too. That's kind of what the Cavaliers have constructed - disgusting but sweet. Let the games begin!
* Nobody should dictate how to protest to you. As long as you are within the confines of the law and decency, you have a right to register your complaint in any way you deem fit. Threatening to bench or punish players because they have chosen to protest in a certain way is in itself discriminatory, intimidation and oppressive. All elements of racism. It even worse when there's a blatantly false spin on the why and when these protests are taking place. As they say, "Stay woke"...
So...that's one extra point. Chelsea and Arsenal didn't get any over the weekend. I don't like at all how it was obtained but there's no point being faux-outraged about what I knew all along (Hi, Hollywood!"). The bottom-halfers and mid-tablers will (and should) receive the backlash. Be prepared to appreciate your ugly coat against the heavy hitters as long as Jose is in charge. Which brings me to...
Act II. - Silence is Golden
Our motor-mouth manager. There's now a bit of background to the fact that he's in the prelude of negotiating a contract extension but comments such as he made over the weekend are unhelpful and tone-deaf to the zeitgeist around the club. I get it. This is a business. You use your leverage to get the best possible deal. Everybody involved in the game does it. Rooney did it to great effect. Clubs do it when re-negotiating contracts with injured or auxiliary players. That's the name of the game. Jose has admittedly dragged the club half-way out of the dungeon it had been in for the last 3 years preceding his employment. His work is evident. He has leverage.
But what I find unacceptable is the need to so publicly attempt to tear up the script knowing fully well that your end game is to read from that very text. Alienating the fans and low-key disrespecting the club is not going to endear you towards any base. Why ultimately mess up the specific thing you so desperately want to achieve? You don't burn down a room to kill a fly.
Nobody really expects Mourinho to end his career at Manchester United. But at least he can (try to) conduct himself with dignity during his length of stay at the club. Resist the urge to say something outlandish whenever a microphone is put in your face. But I hear leopards don't change their spots...
Next Up: Benfica (A) in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday the 18th.
Signing Out,
B.L...
In Other News:
* Ser Kevin De Bruyne. What a player. Nuff said.
* Jupp Heynckes is back to work his magic, Dybala has missed 2 penalties in a row and Napoli has won 8 straight games. Monaco has started losing ground in France and the Prince of Milan, Mauro Icardi got a poacher's hat-trick in a very enjoyable Milan derby.
* The NBA season begins today. While Golden State are still the favourites, Cleveland has put together a formidable team. Remember when you were younger and you made sure your cereal of choice was drowned with full-fat milk and unhealthy amounts of sugar? Yeah, me too. That's kind of what the Cavaliers have constructed - disgusting but sweet. Let the games begin!
* Nobody should dictate how to protest to you. As long as you are within the confines of the law and decency, you have a right to register your complaint in any way you deem fit. Threatening to bench or punish players because they have chosen to protest in a certain way is in itself discriminatory, intimidation and oppressive. All elements of racism. It even worse when there's a blatantly false spin on the why and when these protests are taking place. As they say, "Stay woke"...
