United strode into the quarter finals of the Capital One Cup with a comprehensive and clinical 4-0 victory over Norwich City at
Old Trafford. It might be languishing at the bottom of our priorities
this season, but David Moyes doesn’t appear to be willing to let an
opportunity to win a trophy pass under his radar. Two Javier Hernandez
goals and strikes from Phil Jones and Fabio sent United on their way to
the last eight, and here’s our take on it.
Whisper it, but we had a defence.
Nemanja Vidic played like someone that had recently been written off.
He was biting into challenges, pressuring high up the pitch when
attacks broke down and looked solid as frozen Yorkie bar. Rio Ferdinand
was equally firm in a back four that looked decidedly tight, and whilst
the use of a five man midfield was massively beneficial to the level of
their mobility, they looked sharp.
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The point stands, of course. At some point, Vidic and Ferdinand will
need to be phased out, but given the shaky spurts that their
replacements have been prone to of late, calling for them to be exiled
from the club post-haste is just a little daft. They’re still excellent
defenders, let’s not forget that. It wasn’t the greatest stage
for their talents but it was a timely reminder of the quality they do
possess.
Alexander Buttner’s inclusion ahead of Fabio didn’t initially instil
confidence, and he still looked far too deseperate to impress, resulting
in some characteristically loose play. The cross for Hernandez’s second
was a beauty, but his inclusion ahead of Fabio in the kind of games
that the Brazilian could sorely do with playing leaves a slightly sour
taste in the mouth.
Take a bow Januzaj.
Given
that you can count how many starts Januzaj has made for United on one
hand, you’d expect him to still be finding his feet on the big stage.
Wrong. By the looks of it, he is already sitting on armchair with some
slippers on such is his confidence.
It isn’t arrogance, it is just plain
talent. He reads the game quicker than most and looks like he knows what
pass he is doing before he has the ball. His back heel after 20 minutes
wasn’t a show boat, it was the only way he could get the pass out.
Januzaj nearly curled in a stunner just
after the half hour mark and he waltzed for the rest of the game, even
doing his part in defence. What a player.
Moyes took him off so that he could get a standing ovation and the more minutes he plays for United, the better he gets.
Forget the diving; Ashley Young looks well short of his best
Sticking the boot into Ashley Young is about as challenging as
shooting dead fish in a barrel. Everyone’s doing it, and whilst his
diving exploits are hardly helping to increase his popularity, there
comes a point where the constant criticism starts to have a detrimental
effect, and by extension, hurts the club. But take away the theatrical
spills, and let’s look at the player himself. How’s he faring? Answer:
not particularly well.
Point being, Young’s clearly not playing with any confidence, and the
longer the groans from United fans continue, the likelihood of the
situation changing any time soon decreases. If Young wants to succeed at
the club, then he needs to accept the fact that he isn’t guaranteed
starter and work harder on his game, which at present isn’t up to snuff.
Wilfried Zaha deserves more game time
Not that we should be unduly worried about one misfiring winger given
how sharp Zaha looked out wid. There’s a tangible feeling
that fringe players needs to make the most of every opportunity that
comes their way under David Moyes (unless you’re Anders Lindegaard. The
only way he’ll start ahead of David De Gea regularly is if the Spaniard
falls into a coma);
Zaha must’ve been frustrated to have been overlooked
over the last few months, but he did himself a few favours down the
right against Norwich. His footwork and crossing were both impressive,
but his all-round effort was the most satisfying aspect of his game. He
refused to be pushed off the ball easily, stood up to the physical
aspect of the game and worked hard to make sure Rafael wasn’t left with
the lion’s share of the defensive work down the right flank.
Does that make him an automatic starter? Probably not, but he’ll have
got the manager thinking. Norwich offered little resistance last night
but Zaha still took the game to them and seemed to revel in the
opportunity. Whatever your thoughts on Saturday’s booing of Nani, the
Portuguese had a veritable stinker against Stoke, and with the number of
disappointing performances out wide increasing, Zaha looks willing and
capable of making more of an impact than he’s been allowed to so far.
Javier Hernandez is happiness personified
There are few people that are as joyful to watch in a United shirt than
Javier Hernandez. This isn’t a revelation by any means, but it’s worth
bearing in mind because there’s a chance that he’ll have to make do with
a spot on the bench at Craven Cottage this Saturday even after scoring
three goals in two games. Despite being unable to hold down a regular
place in the starting XI since his first season at the club, his loyalty
has been constant and he continues to chip in with vital contributions
when called upon. The supersub calls are justified and comparisons with
Ole Solskjaer don’t do either a disservice because his uncanny
positional sense finds him in the right place at the right time so
often. It’s like clockwork. Constantly impressive, deadly clockwork. Not
only that, but the sheer joy on his face when he scores can’t help but
make you just a little less cynical about modern footballers.
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