Manchester United demonstrate true squad depth

So Chelsea edged past Manchester United last night to gain a modicum of revenge for their home defeat to the same club, if not the same eleven, in The Premier League on Sunday.

And team selection merits a mention here because, while Chelsea just about got through this fantastic tie by bringing on some of their best players as substitutes, Manchester United looked like the better team for much of the evening with a second string side that was almost unrecognisable from Sunday.

And this is probably the main difference between the clubs right now. The only Manchester United starter last night, who could argue that he’s a nailed on first eleven player, was young right back Rafael. Apart from the Brazilian it was a completely different United team from Sunday’s spectacular league encounter.

Despite the defeat, Manchester United demonstrated the true power of their current squad. This was United’s second XI but it included Mexico and England international strikers, the Scotland captain, the most capped Manchester United player ever and a Brazilian and Portuguese duo who cost a combined £45m plus. Scholes, RVP, Rooney, Valencia, Vidic, Kagawa, Evra, Ferdinand, Carrick, Cleverley and Young all sat it out.

Chelsea, by contrast, included Petr Cech, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, John Obi Mikel and star man Juan Mata, but still struggled against a more clinical opponent until they introduced three more of their main men in Hazard, Oscar and Ramires. Even with these additions Chelsea only equalised with the last kick of the 90.

There is little doubt that the Chelsea’s starting XI from Sunday would have given this Manchester United team more serious problems. But it is also clear that Manchester United, still without Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, have their strongest squad in years.

We think that this could be a decisive factor when it comes to the business end of the season. Chelsea will surely add in the winter window, particularly in the striking section, but they still won’t have the frightening strength and quality in numbers that Sir Alex Ferguson now has at his disposal.

The Good: Ryan Giggs was outstanding. At 39 (next month), he played like he was a central midfielder in his prime. His tackling was excellent. His distribution was great. He led from the front with two goals. He may be in the twilight of his career, but he showed all the players on the field what true professionalism is about. Nick Powell replaced Alexander Buttner at half-time. The boy’s movement was good. He showed why SAF went in  for him. He is still rough around the edges, but I can see why he has been compared to Paul Scholes. Javier Hernandez has looked sharp in recent weeks. He managed to get his fourth goal in three games (in seven days, mind you). It seems that his “second-season-syndrome” has lapsed and he has rediscovered his touch. He looked very good in his last three outings. I wouldn’t bet against him scoring against Arsenal on Saturday.

The Bad: Well, the bad thing about last night’s game was the way the two central defenders capitulated after ninety minutes. Both Keane and Wooton really held their own against a formidable Chelsea front line that included Mata, Oscar, Ramirez, Hazard and Sturridge. You could see the disappointment in Wooton’s face when he conceded the penalty. After that, he just lost his confidence. The future bodes well for the centre back though. He is definitely one for the future. Alexander Buttner seemed out of his league against Chelsea – perhaps the reason that SAF took him off. The boy certainly needs more game time to get to grips with life in the Premier League.

The Ugly: Need I say it – Nani was as inconsistent as he has been in the past. He capped a fine build-up with a fine finish, but other than that, did nothing. He lost the ball in the middle of the park which led to the attack where Wooton conceded the penalty. His shooting was wayward and he did nothing to prove that he deserves to wear the United jersey. Anderson was also quite poor. Giggs looked better in the middle than he did. Anderson looked tired, like he’s been through a season and a half of football already. Danny Welbeck also seemed completely out of the game. He was all over the park with no purpose. Maybe he’s struggling with second-season-syndrome.

All in all, it was a great game to watch. We should have won it in the ninety, but their will be lessons taken from this. My vote for man of the match would definitely be Ryan Giggs. What do you think? Do Nani and Anderson still belong at the club? What did you think about the pairing of Keane and Wooton? Should Chicharito start against Arsenal? Would you play Rooney behind Van Persie and Hernandez?