warringtonmcfc said:
Having had time to calm down a bit, a few thoughts on yesterday:-
1) I genuinely don't think that those players went out and thought they could win that game yesterday. Not enough belief, on the whole not enough experience of winning big games. Not enough players who went in to the game thinking a draw is not good enough. Not enough winners.
2) Sick to death of hearing that we're "not far away" from being better than them. We may end up closer in terms of points when the final analysis is done but our recent record in head to heads against them is awful. Generally the teams that beat United to the title beat them in the head to heads during the season.
3) Our lack of a proper left back is becoming more and more of a problem. Zabaleta is a good right back but at left back against proper quality he struggles.
4) We don't test opposition keepers enough in games against the big teams. At times we resemble a poor mans Arsenal - plenty of nice play up until the edge of the box but no end product in terms of making keepers save the thing.
5) Our build up play looks slow and laboured at times. This is partly a product of having Barry and Milner in midfield. They just aren't good enough for a team that is aiming for the Champions League.
6) Kompany was outstanding yesterday as he has been for most of the season. He is the leader of the side. Recognise that with the armband. We need to get another centre half in to play along side him.
7) The midfield and attack that started yesterday had a distinct lack of pace. This needs to be sorted out and in part links to 5) above.
8) Why are we so appalling at coming from behind to win games? Lack of bottle / leaders? When we go a goal down away from home I certainly think that we are playing for a point at best and I suspect in games like yesterday some of the players do as well.
9) We are going to look back on this season as our big chance and ultiamtely one that we have blown. United, Chelsea and Liverpool will all be stronger next season. Okay, I am sure we will be too but I just think that this was the season.
Anyway, sure I will get slated for a lot of the above but had to get it off my chest! Plenty will be more optimistic but I just get tired of hearing that we are close, nearly there. The table shows that if the teams around us win their games in hand we are down to 5th which doesn't feel like a massive amount of progress to me.
1. Agree to an extent. Although in the last 2 league games at OT we've been behind and equalised only to concede late on. We needed to score first yesterday, then we can dictate the game. We've also beat Chelsea a couple of times after being behind and Utd in the SF at home last year.
2. The gap is closing. Best performance I've seen againt them. Apart from the 10 mins before HT after they scored, we were never under serious pressure.
3. Agreed. Zab is not a top class LB. I'd have played Lescott LB, Boateng CH.
4. Hopefully when Dzeko (and possibly Balo) bed in this shouldn't be a problem. Both are very direct.
5. Barry & Milner only played in CM because NDJ was injured. Looking forward a Lampard/Gerrard type player with NDJ would solve this problem.
6. Agreed about Kompany. Hope Boateng will fill this role alongside him.
7. Don't think it's an issue of pace. We need a midfielder who can shoot from distance and make runs into the box like Lampard/Gerrard/Scholes/Fabregas.
8. I think we do miss a driving force, who can really get a grip of the players, when we're losing a game. Pains me to say it, but we need a Keane type player to instill a winning mentality that a game is never over. As we've not won anything yet, this is understandable.
9. Not sure either United or Liverpool are going to get any stronger. Certainly not as much scope for improvement as us. Mancini has said all along that this team is not strong enough to win the league. CL qualification and a trophy to get the monkey off our back is the aim this season. I'd say another two years and we should be the finished article.
Keep the faith.