hawana uwezo wa kutusumbua wale.mpira wetu wa akili zaidi.
Reaction To Blackburn Disappointment
At the final whistle yesterday I said that the title race was over. I was so frustrated with our performance and the tetchy atmosphere in the crowd added to our out of sorts feelings. You watch your team dominate a game away from home but then struggle to remember the saves their keeper has had to make and youre left to wonder where its all gone wrong.
It was apparent from the start that there was a gulf in class between the two teams but it would all be about whether we could break them down.
Our first chance of the game came when Federico Macheda played in Antonio Valencia from the right (2.48). The angle was tight but the winger lashed a shot away and Paul Robinson made a good save to keep him out.
Our best chance over the 90 minutes and one which should have resulted in a goal came when Dimitar Berbatov played in Valencia behind the Blackburn defence, leaving him one on one with Robinson (3.56). The keeper made a poor clearance, Berbatov held off the foul from his opponent, before slotting the ball between two defenders. Valencia had the option of Macheda to his left but went for goal, only to see the outstretched foot of the keeper turning the ball away. For a player who is so capable and confident when it comes to striking the ball with power, we will have to rue his decision to attempt to side foot it past the keeper.
Maybe its occasions like these which separate challengers from Champions, split second chances which win or lose a football game.
After that, we just created half chances. Nani did well in the second half to beat his man, before the linesman waved his flag for a freekick. He whipped the ball in past any United player but the rebound fell to Berbatov who struck the ball on target, only to see it blocked by Phil Jones. It then fell to Darron Gibson who hit it well wide.
Nani then delivered the ball from the other wing with Valencia our only man in the box, although he swung awkwardly and appealed for a penalty that would never be awarded. Why only Valencia was in the box is the puzzle though, with Berbatov, our only striker, being the player to pass to Nani in the first place. Why wasnt Berbatov waiting in the box? Because when he waited nothing came to him? Because the manager has instructed him otherwise? Its a bizarre situation.
Substitute Ji-Sung Park injected a bit of life in to the game and powered through in to the box. He was knocked off balance by one defender before another slid in and took his foot away. It happened just outside the box but he stumbled inside. Maybe the referee was worried he may have to award a penalty if he awarded a foul, so wasnt interested, but he did have a good view of it.
Paul Scholes found Gary Neville with a great forward ball. He headed it back across the box to Berbatov who stood just inside the area. He hit it well first time and had it gone either side of the keeper, it would have been a certain goal. Sadly, he fired it straight at Robinson. Having been booed for ten minutes or so prior to this by sections of his own support, it was clear he was feeling the pressure, and the only real chance that his team mates created for him over the 90 minutes resulted in an easy save for the English goalie. How things could have been different.
Moments later, a ball bounced over a Blackburn head and Berbatov opted to strike first time from outside the area, but it was miles wide, and he turned his back angrily, huffing and puffing.
Ji-Sung Park got in to a good position but tried a little stepover and a pass instead of getting a shot away. The ball fell to Gary Neville, of all people, who pulled his weak shot wide of the post. It was frustration after frustration on a day we couldnt afford them.
Our players simply werent good enough. The defence dealt with what they had to, but there wasnt much pressure on them, but our midfield and strikeforce didnt do enough. Ferguson played Macheda in a 442, as many of us had wanted to see in the absence of Rooney, and it didnt work because Macheda didnt do anything. So then we reverted to 451 which also didnt work because Berbatov didnt play well enough, doesnt suit leading the line, and was utterly demoralised thanks to the behaviour of our fans.
Nani did a job, Valencia was disappointing, Scholes didnt have much to offer and Ryan Giggs contributed nothing. How many good balls in to the box did we see? What did Macheda or Berbatov have to latch on to? It was just poor all round.
Ive said all season, whether weve been top of the table or third, winning the league isnt our God-given right and for us to win the title this season would mean we were achieving something no other team ever has done before. It shouldnt be our expectation that United win the league every year. Still, dealing with the reality of that is easier said than done. We can say we cant win the league every season but that doesnt mean were not gutted every season we dont win it.
But theres still 12 points for us to play for, 15 points for Chelsea, so we cant rule anything out. As it stands, we need to win all our games whilst Chelsea lose one, draw one and win the others. Or we could win all our remaining games, Chelsea draw two and win the rest, and we have to make up the goal difference.
The odds are stacked against us, no denying it, but theres no point chucking in the towel just yet. Stranger things have happened. Chelsea have to go to White Hart Lane (5th) and Anfield (6th) yet, as well as playing Bolton (15th), Stoke (10th) and Wigan (17th). Is it too hard to imagine they could draw two of those games? Course not.
Im not deluding myself or trying to convince you of anything, rather just trying to get a bit of perspective. We talked about how right now was the best and worst part of the season, with incredible pressure making any game hard to enjoy right now, but the promise of glory making it worthwhile. How I see it, things can become a lot more enjoyable, because we have nothing to expect now. It is Chelseas title to throw away, not ours to win, so sit back and relax and see what happens. If we dont win it, then of course, well be gutted, but weve already got one trophy in the bag and weve got next season to look forward to, with our players hurting from this season and striving to do better in the next.
Well never die
For those who claim kuwa Man utd bila Rooney si lolote si chochote they are kind myopic kwa mtizamo wangu. Lets facts speaks bana. Hivi mechi ngapi ambazo Rooney kakosa na tumefungwa?, may be sina kumbukumbu nzuri naomba nisaidiwe. Roughly, katika mechi 7 hivi tulizofungwa almost 5 kama sio sita Runi was there, Chelski (A), Liver(A), Fulham (A), Man City (A), Bayern (A), Aston Villa (H and A (FA semis), etc. Tangu kaumia, tumefungwa na Chelski, tukashinda na Bolton (hapa sikuwaona mkiongea), na droo na B'burn. So?, Much respect kwa Rooney na he is great. Nafikiri tunahitaji striker, goal poucher, the likes of Ruud Van na Torres and not unless otherwise.
Go United!
my fellow RED DEVILS FANS.....this season we were not good enough!we've lost 7 games so far this season,the last team to win a title after losing 7 games was blackburn i guess ni '95 season,we cant win a trophy playing the way we did,especially against blackburn,i hope some lessons have been learnt through this season,hats off to chelsea they deserve to win the title this season.lets wait next season.
Loosing 7 games hadn't been a great deal, take into account that the leaders have lost 5 game as well. I think the league was a bit balanced this season.
Nadhani sasa ligi inarejea kwenye enzi za ushindani wa kweli ambapo bingwa anakua point chini ya 80 na anayeshuka daraja anakua na point zaidi ya 40!
Msimu wa 1994/5 (na kurudi nyuma) kulikua na mechi 42. Mimi napenda sana kunapokua na ushindani wa kweli. Haipendezi timu kushuka daraja na point 11 kama ilivyotokea kwa Derby.
Cheki twakimu hizi hapa chini.
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Nafikiri msimu huu MANCHESTER DERBY imekuwa the best derby in Europe