Chelsea won, Manchester United lost
Mourinho was right, and Ferguson’s face showed it during the post-match interview:
Manchester United lost a fantastic opportunity to stake a claim to the title.
With United’s tough away games still to come, it’s going to be a long, tough road for them. Chelsea also have their tough games to come though, so it’s not as if they’re on the home stretch either.
You’d imagine that Chelsea would survive if Sheva got injured - but take Saha or Rooney out of United’s lineup, and it’s almost not capable of winning the tough games.
Yes, in certain areas Chelsea are not as far ahead - defence is a toss-up really, both sides have adequate cover. But in midfield United have 4 quality players, Chelsea have 6, not including SWP. Already you’ve got an imbalance, and in winter if United are hit by injuries they’ll suffer.
Yes, it’s a long race, but in the long race you expect Chelsea’s squad to help them, not hinder them. United are hungrier, Chelsea more skilled. United have the lead, Chelsea are the one team you’d expect to cut that lead down and overtake Manchester United.
Should be fun viewing on Wednesday as Chelsea go to Bolton and United host Everton. But on Sunday, at Old Trafford, Manchester United lost and Chelsea won, and that’s what the two teams would have taken away from the game, regardless of the banter in the press.
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Discussion - 17 Responses
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Utter bull. United will shop in January. Besides they have Solksjaer, Smith and Park to come back to the team. Not to mention Rossi and whoever they add in January. Claim united squad is weak for the whole seaon when January is around the corner is a pathetic joke. Tell me. What would Mourinho do if he lost the inform Essien, Drogba and Carvalho to injury? Suffer as much as your claiming Manchester United will. Fact is Chlsea getting a point helps them little. IF they think they are not on top form. They should realise United still are not in top gear, are 3 points ahead and can still only get betetr. They way I see it Jose is consoling himself….
It’s not as clear-cut as that. Although they should have won the match, a draw wasn’t a bad result for United. From now until the transfer window opens, Manchester United will face Everton (H), Boro (A), City (H), West Ham (A), Villa (A), Wigan (H) and Reading (H). With the squad at Sir Alex’s disposal, all of the above matches should be looked at as potential three-pointers. Once the transfer window opens, Ferguson may bring in a couple of new players to keep Chelsea at arm’s length, and to be honest, our season depends more on those potential new recruits than anything else.
What a big rubbish here. Rooney & Scholes was out United has won their matches. Saha Was out Still United Won their Matches. United score goals with every players playing in different position. We beat Liverfool with Fletcher Playing in the Midfield. So fuck off with your shits. Better 1 Point than nothing. Think of last season how far United was with Chelsea.
Agreed keith, utter bull. If it were any other season i would agree but not this one. Usually its Chelsea’s ability to grind out results that gives them the edge but united have proved it time and again that they can do it too. Yea smith isnt back to his best and rossi out on loan, but smudge will fight his way back in, just like he always has and rossi will return because he isnt getting any games. So strikers isnt a problem. In midfield we might not have the quality of chelsea but the adaptibility of fletcher and john o’shea will let them cover for injuries. Not to forget that ferguson has his ENTIRE transfer budget left and has said he is going to buy in december. So maybe united didnt capitalize at Old Trafford, but its a long season and only time will tell.
I’m not going to knock you on this one because this was my initial feeling too. I just know that 6 point buffer would be a lot handier at Christmas than 3 points, but in the end, it seemed like a fair result. We’ve still got those precious three points and seven goals, and I really do think we can claim OUR draw at Stamford Bridge this year.
RE: Keith - Dude, you’re only consoling yourself!! Look at what you’ve written, “What would Mourinho do if he lost the inform Essien, Drogba and Carvalho to injury?”. Do you have ANY concept of Probability? And admit it man, losing points against a title contender at HOME IS SIMPLY NOT GOOD!!
RE: United Mad - What games are you talking about? The HOME game against out-of-form Spurs where Giggs struck a 9th minute goal and that was it….for ManU to sneak a 1-0 victory? Or are you talking about the relegation stricken Watford and Charlton games where Watford actually levelled within the first half? You’re missing a key point here dude - Rooney, as much as you may love him, is not the key to ManU’s success, but Giggs and Scholes are….try to recollect when either or both of them were out - Southend? Copenhagen? Arsenal or Reading game when Giggs was out?
Truth is, like Bhavesh and Ahmed said rightly, depth is a very genuine issue for ManU and lets see what happens in January. For those who think “United will shop in January” and every Red Devil will live happily ever after, no…. the transfer market is called a “market” for a reason - there are other buyers as well and ManUs pocket isn’t the deepest pocket in EPL no more.
To be totally honest, if Mourinho lost Essien, Drogba and Carvalho then he’d just play Boulahrouz (probably mis-spelt, but I can’t be bothered to look it up) at centre-back, he might be forced to give Shaun Wright-Phillips or John Obi Mikel a game, and one of Kalou and Joe Cole would play a very attacking role. Keith has got it completely wrong - bear in mind that Mourinho started without Robben or Cole in the team!!! Man United would kill for such a luxury, and I find it difficult to imagine who they are going to add to the squad of the same calibre.
Hey Azar:
1. Chelsea have their thinnest squad in two years and have never really had any injuries to key players for the last 2 seasons unlike the other big teams. So losing one or two indespensible players to injury like the ones I mentioned is not totally out of the realms of possibility. They have to get an injury crisis some time. They can’t stay injury free forever!
2. You missed the point mate that at this point in time Rooney and Saha are United’s only fit strikers. That’s where the goals come from. If they get out having Giggs wont score goals for United. It’s that simple and it’s what I was alluding too.
3. Man U don’t need the deepest pocket. They just need 2 players in January. Mainly in center midfield. Upfront for me the have more than enough to survive till the seaons end injury permiting. A fit Saha, Rooney Solksjaer, smith Rossi and also Dong if his added ain’t bad at all!
Hugo you miis the point. If he lost his three in form players he would have trouble. Robben is overated. SWP is shit. Scheva is off form and Kalou is no goal scorer. Plus he never ever drops Ballack. His midfield might survive without Essien but his forward line and defence would not survive without Terry/Carvalho or Drogba.
Robben is quite simply NOT overrated. Sounds like bitterness that the deal to come to Old Trafford was never sealed. And your comment that SWP is ’shit’ (very coherently argued, I must confess) is also flawed. The guy has pace, skill (though not bountiful), and can shoot as well as most midfielders in the country. I hope he moves club and puts United out of the title race, just to disprove you.
Dear Keith Kaira II,
While your point-of-view has “some” basis, fine, but your propensity to protract the dooms day scenario of a seemingly morbid Chelsea squad robs your written effort up there of all required objectivity. You’re a RED mouthpiece, not a football commentator mate. Everything RED seems set and settled to you, and all BLUE seems shaky and rattled.
Utter Bull
Status Quo is maintained that’s all,
The reason Chelsea won was that due to the injuries to Ole Gunnar and Park, they had the better bench, that won’t be there after middle of Dec, and besides Man Utd will shop in Jan for at least two players going by their buying trends in last couple of years
What the match showed was man-to-man Man Utd are a better team and Shevchenko and Ballack have proved to be utter flops, and Scholes, in the last years of his career is still equal to Lampard in his prime
Also it will really be interesting what Chelsea will do if Terry and/or Carvalho get injured after January window, their defence will come apart, as simple as that
lol - had just gotten back from my morning run anyway…. felt like putting some cream on the cake hahaha….
Hey Azar, Do you still think I was just being biased?
hahahaha….i love reading this sort of thing with the beauty of hindsight. Might I just say that the scoreboard reveals all. Yes, Man U haven’t had a perfect season, and their second leg against AC Milan for the UEFA semi, but they’re still winning by five (or is it more now) on the ladder. And look at the injuries they’ve had to contend with? Silence critics!
Ohh, and by the way, Rooney is a goddam amazing footballer and for most of the season he’s been the difference for United. Buy they’ve shown before and they’ll show again, that they can manage without him-and still win over Chelsea! Go United!