They’re not the same. They’re aging. Whatever excuse the press may want to give AC Milan, it doesn’t matter. They were simply outclassed by a strong United performance, and I for one feel all the better for it. Perhaps I am being strong using the word revenge, but in my gut, that is what it is. They have been a perennial foe of United, and in our stadium, under our lights, the whole bad taste was eradicated. Of course, there was that small victory over Wolves, which was not the best of performances, but Paul has been in exceptional form and helped out the lads.

Wolves 0 - Untied 1

The game was slow paced, and Wolves defended very well. It was a physical match and there were great demands on some players, although it was definitely not the best starting line-up we could have picked. Notably Rooney was not even on the bench for this affair, and with Owen already injured, it was obviously Berbatov with a chance for Diouf. The midfield was without Fletcher, so obvious with the match against Milan on the horizon. Gibson took his mantle, but did not wear it as well.

Scholes scored a nice goal, after some swift passing. The one problem with playing Berbatov as a lone striker is he will go about it in a much different way then a spear-head approach of a smaller striker. He will play the Crouch/Heskey type role that they play for England, dropping deep and linking up play. The problem is that Valencia and Nani are not great goal-scoring wingers and always prefer the pass over the shot and even more for the former rather than the latter.

It was a performance that merited the points, but by no means the margins that we should be achieving against the likes of Wolves; with no disrespect to Mick’s team.

United 4 - AC Milan 0

I took the day off work, and I was very nervous. I even had a dream that we lost 2-0 and was extremely angry, but was happy to find it was the glimpses of death bravado rather than reality. We played incredibly well, as a team, and everyone deserved the accolades they received. Rooney scored twice, and for that reason the British tabloids have him splattered across the headlines. Yet when you look at how and who were involved in the goals, it shows how much of a team effort it was.

The first goal was scored by a delightful Gary Neville cross that Rooney expertly knocked into the bottom corner, tremendous aerial technique against the onrushing centre-back. The second was from a perfectly weighted outside of the foot pass from Nani, even after Rooney was berating him to let it go early, it was perfectly timed and split the defense. Rooney did what so many players fail to do, and did the simple dink around dthe keeper once he was fully committed.

Then it was Scholes laying a lovely through ball, which Park turned (I swear, he is the most gifted on the pitch for his ability to turn on the ball) and shot hard and low despite loosing his balance. The final goal came from a lovely far post cross from Rafael and met a diving header from Darren Fletcher. The rout was complete, and I cheered the last goal much like the first. It was fantastic.

The notable facts to bring out of that are that 7 players were involved in the goals: Rooney, Neville, Nani, Scholes, Park, Rafael, and Fletcher. Its not hard to see that two full-backs setup two goals, a stark contrast to that of Milan. It was also evident that Park, Scholes, and Fletcher, the three man midfield also contributed in goals and in work-rate. The front wingers of Milan did not track back, and Hunterlaar and Ronaldinho did little to help their midfield trio.

The final fact that manutd.com alluded to, was that despite the newspapers calling Milan the “aged pedestrians” (that they’re not), and United’s older faithful “experience”, it was completely unfounded statistics. The average age of United was 29, and Milan’s was 28. It is, as always, how the press wants to twist this tale. Although, it must be said, the majority praise United despite the poor show of Milan. I think, in the end, United play the 4-3-3 much better than most teams, except perhaps Barcelona. Yet if we meet them again this time round, I think we will play much better with it than before.

Next Week

We face Fulham at home this week, which will be a tight game but in the form we are enjoying I think we turn around our miserable record against the Londoners. I would expect it to be a one goal margin for United. The week after is the big game, the Liverpool home game. If their current form against Wigan and Lille is anything to go by, it should be a walk over. But, as in the past, we seem to get the wrong end of a team once bitten. Here’s hoping Vidic stays on the pitch.

The past week and a half was great for United except for the obvious loss at Goodison. I knew the Everton game would be hard, but hardly would have predicted a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Toffees. The West Ham victory was a much needed response, and was in line for my prediction at 3-0. The Carling Cup victory was excellent, and I really enjoyed the game. The only disappointment was the injury to Owen which marred an otherwise excellent start from the United number 7.

Everton 3 – United 1

It was not a good game for the United faithful, and our star man did not seem in his ruthless form of late, and indeed on most visits to his old stomping ground. Evra conceded the lads were tired from the AC Milan San Siro heroics, but he did not leave it as an excuse. As he said, and I agree from what I saw, the Everton players were just much more up for it.

The first goal by Berbatov was a nice quick reaction shot from the Bulgarian. Their response was quick and came from a mistimed tackle further up the field, the finish was spectacular but the chance was gifted. The next goal by Gosling was after the break and followed shoddy defending by Evans and Evra. The last was a nice goal by Rodwell, breaking free of Evans and slotting it across Edwin. Both of the youngsters from Everton did well with their goals.

United 3 – West Ham 0

United wasted no time getting onto the front foot and did a great job against West Ham. The first goal was a great interplay between Berbatov, Valencia and Rooney. The Buglarian floatd a delightful cross and Valencia one-timed the pass back across to Rooney who powered the header into the bottom corner. The second was much the same with a reverse pass by Berbatov, a cross from Valencia and a steered header by Rooney.

The last goal was an exact carbon-copy of the dramatic winner in stoppage time against Manchester City, except that Scholes was the creator instead of Giggs. Owen took a deft touch and curled it around the on-rushing Green. There were other great moments in this game, such as the charge by Rooney who easily pushed Green off the ball before attempting a curled shot back in at the net which was cleared off the lines.

CARLING CUP FINAL: United 2 – Villa 1

It was a great final, and I enjoyed it a lot. I was worried in the opening minutes when the penalty was awarded. It was so early in the game and it could either be the start of a cascade or the point where Untied turned it around. I for one never even thought about Vidic getting a red card, but that is all in the media today. It was neither until the latter stages of the first half; when after a tackle by Dunne chopped the ball up to Owen who calmly slotted it into the bottom corner.

It was an expert finish from the ex-England international, and Capello looked pleased in the stands. Owen played very well in the first half, and was pushing and battling along with the ever-industrious Berbatov who was flicking and tricking at his best. Rooney had to come on for Owen on the 41st minute, which will be disastrous considering the audience. Park had a glorious opportunity off the post before packing in for the first half.

The second half was all United and Rooney headed in a lovely cross from Valencia, by floating it up and over the out-stretched Brad Friedel into the top corner. It was a great goal. There was another chance to pile on the misery for Villa when Rooney was again dug out by a Valencia cross, where Rooney fired in another header off the upright.

I don’t think O’Neill and Villa can have too many complaints about the loss. United deserved the victory and showed why they are a cup winning side.

Even Richard Dunne conceded that with 10 men when United came to Villa, they still did not manage to score (in fact, United were the more likely). Have to say, Dunne is stand-up guy to say that considering his managers comments. He felt it would be a better final to not have Vidic sent off, and I agree.

Next Week

The international break may or may not see Wayne Rooney rested. He is fit to play, but really why would Capello even risk it? He knows Wayne is in great form, and he needs to find his supporting players and other combinations if god-forbid the star man picks up a knock before or during the tournament.

Then we face Wolves away, which should be a comfortable victory. I would hazard a 2-0 score line, but it may be more. Wolves will either be dismantled or provide a stern test until the latter stages. Either way I feel the result will be inevitable.

It appears Chelsea will not be playing in Gameweek 29, so it gives us a chance to put some pressure on them. Arsenal, however, are hot on the heels of both United and Chelsea, and we definitely have to keep our wits about us.

The game at Portsmouth was great for a few reasons. One it made own goals our second top scorer, which is hilarious and shows the pressure we exert on teams. Second, Rooney again got on the score sheet, something that is becoming more and more expected, and it was also a warm–up for the mid–week clash with Aston Villa who is also our Carling Cup Final opponents. Finally it was the much anticipated Champions League match against the old foe AC Milan, and I for one was nervous so it’s no surprise to hear Ferguson say he was nervous along with his players in the San Siro.

United 5 – Portsmouth 0

The doom and gloom for Portsmouth is becoming almost too hard for me to read. I read an article this morning that went on about the wind–up from the HMRS for 7M and now they are trying to get a policy removal for selling players outside of transfer windows by using the “club in crisis” clause. Well that clause sums up life at Portsmouth right now, and I can’t but imagine that poor Pompey fan that goes to every game ringing his bell, and what he must think about all this.

Either way Untied did the business and gave us a superior goal difference to all other teams. That is something that may or may not be a deciding factor during the run–in. The league has never been decided on goal difference to my knowledge, but you don’t want to risk it. The game itself wasn’t noteworthy, except for the score line. Most goals were tap–ins, but it was good to see Berbatov on the score–sheet.

Villa 1 – United 1

The score line doesn’t fully give justice to how the game unraveled. Martin O’Neil may have come out saying he was proud of his players, but that pride can only be in that they were able to hang on despite United having 10 men. United should have been thoroughly happy with the performance, which is why I have dubbed it a victory. Cuellar headed them in front early on, and then an own goal from Collins after Pat put in a low cross made the only goals scored in the game.

The drama came when Nani performed an elephant ballerina tackle on Petrov. The tackle may have been a yellow card offense, but its hard to say, as his studs were down but it was with two feet. These days you can’t go in with two feet even if you win the ball, and as Nani is a winger he should be aware of that. The worst part was that it was in the middle of the park, or perhaps worse still it was so early in the match.

Either way United carried the game, or for long parts it seemed as if it was Villa who had the 10 men. As the commentators kept saying, United would have undoubtedly put them to the sword if they had 11 men on the pitch. You could just tell the match was there for the taking. Nani needs to learn, but due to his recent performances with the club I don’t think it will cost him his spot when fit. Although, that was before the European match…

AC Milan 2 – United 3

The cauldron of the San Siro was hot on Tuesday, and I was looking forward to this match more than I have for a while with European nights. AC Milan is the old foe, and not in the good way either. It’s hard to forget the 3–0 drubbing of 2007 where United fell apart to the pressure of the atmosphere created by 80,000 fans. We’re used to it at home, but out there is a different story.

This night started the exact same way, an early goal that came from waves of AC Milan passing and pressure. The lads looked nervous, and Ferguson gave Evans a rollicking as he walked by. The defense was all over the place, and Ronaldinho was in great form. His goal was a lucky deflection, but who can say that after watching Paul Scholes perform a miracle deflection of his standing leg to leave Dida sprawling.

After the break United came out the dominant force. The tiring AC Milan no longer looked sharp, and it was Rooney who was able to capitalize. As the papers have now suggested Rooney devastated AC Milan with his movement, and after Valencia came on to replace the wasteful Nani the change paid almost immediate dividends.

Rooney scored a wonderful looping header, and the second came from a neat short cross from Fletcher as Rooney times his run between the two centre–backs perfectly. We were 3–1 up and looked comfortable, but in the last 10 minutes it appeared the nerves came back into play and Rooney’s old foreshadowing of saying Seedorf was the toughest opponent he has met, came to realization. A neat pass from Ronnie put Seedorf in, and the Dutchman performed superb skill to put the ball past his fellow countryman Van Der Sar.

Next Week

After the great result at the San Siro the lads are likely buoyant. When you couple that with our ability to go ahead of Chelsea in the league, as we play Everton before the blues meet the Wolves; then we play West Ham for the same opportunity; you know Ferguson will have them eager and willing to please.

Everton will not be easy, but Rooney and Valencia will make it a one goal difference win. I presume 1–0 but it may be 2–1 or something of that nature. West Ham should be comfortable and I will say 2–0 or 3–0.

In the News – Wayne Rooney

The best of all the news is the media touting Rooney as Europe’s best player of the moment. Even the countries who have always spurned the English as technically–inferior players are harping the praise after his devastating role in AC Milan’s downfall in the San Siro. When you add the 25 goals he has scored with 13 games left in the league and perhaps more in Europe, it is no wonder why the man is finally getting the recognition his teammates, staff, and fans already knew.

I won’t harp about how I knew he would be up for this award this year, but I will temper my own prediction from last season with the realization that we need to at least make it to the semi–finals of the Champions League and that England need to make it to at least the Quarter–finals in the World Cup for him to truly be considered the best in–form striker of the year.

In the News – Old Trafford Celebrates 100 Years

Old Trafford has been around for 100 years. It fittingly got kicked off with a United v Liverpool match on the 19th of February 1910. At manutd.com you will see the Top 10 games revealed by a panel of judges. The most recent game in the list was the thrilling Manchester Derby of September 2009 where Michael Owen grabbed a late winner in the 95th minute.

I hope to enjoy many more games at the great stadium, including the much anticipated return leg of the Champions League match with AC Milan. David Beckham will be returning for his first time since leaving the club in 2003 and I’m sure he will be crying, for joy and for the pain of being knocked out of the Champions League… again.

Ancellotti has come out to say that Manchester United needs Rooney. I’m not here to argue that fact, as it would be foolish to do so, as any team needs their in-form striker. Right? Well that is something that I wanted the facts to explain. The interesting part was when I stripped out the top scorers I found that Arsenal don’t have a top striker, it is actually Fabregas. Perhaps that is why their numbers least hold true, but I have included them due to their league positioning never-the-less.

Included below are the top 9 goal-scorers of the Premier League taken as of February 2nd. You will notice I didn’t include 10, as the 10th is a player from the same team. Included is “GD” which is the goal-difference when you take out the top scorer. The “GD%” is the percentage that player has scored. Then for the top 4 teams I have “PD” which is the points-dropped if the goals had never been scored. The “PD%” is the percentage of points dropped if those goals had not been scored.

What deductions can be made here? The following:

1. Rooney has a large effect on Manchester United’s goal scoring prowess, scoring 35.7% of all goals scored. He is solely responsible for 8 of 53 points or 15.1% of the total points from this season. This obviously does not include assists and general play.
2. The player who has influenced the goal-scoring the most in the Premier League is Darren Bent of Sunderland. He has a massive 46.7% of their goals, which would obviously have seriously injured their points gained (as they are outside of the top 4, this stat is not included).
3. The player with the least contribution is Fabregas, which we would expect. He has only contributed 11 goals of 60. Arsenal was scoring from all areas of the park in the early stages, with many high goal-scoring wins. That is why the influence has been less. He has only accounted for 1 point for his goals scored.
4. Ironically, Didier Drogba has the highest influence of all players. Makes Ancellotti’s comments very ironic. Drogba has accounted for 25.9% of all of Chelsea’s goals, and they would have dropped 9 points (16.4%) if he had not scored them. When you add on that he was away for weeks, it goes to show how vital he is.

A weird point that you can notice when looking at the current EPL charts is that Chelsea and United have been scored on the exact same amount of away (12), and at home (8). What are the chances of that?

Here is the graph that shows each fixture for the past 24 games, and the points with their top-scorers goals, and the points without them.

The conclusion? Every team needs their in-form striker, not one team more than another. It is definitely true that Rooney is in the form of his life in regards to goal return, and that is proved by his 5 goal margin at the top. It is however not true that he is the most point-influential player in regards to goal-scoring form, as this goes to Drogba.

Assisting

Now if we were to do the same thing for assists, Didier would come on top. I do know that Drogba had a great connection with Anelka early on in the season, but Rooney also delivers a steady stream of assists. Fabregas is listed as the highest Actim score at 481 so far this season, with Anelka at 426, Rooney 420 and Agbonlahor a close fourth with 419.

Fabregas has 13 assists, and is leading by 4 assists over Ryan Giggs in second spot. Frank lies third and Lennon fourth. In regards to our strikers, Didier is first (fifth overall) with 8 assists. Rooney has 4. #1 Assists for a United player? Valencia (6) in 22 matches, or an assist chance of 27%. That’s good for a winger, but Berbatov has 5 in 20, which is 25% for a striker. Rooney is 4 in 23, or 17% which is fine as he makes up for it in goals. Fabregas works out to a whopping 65% (13/20).