Forget Manchester United’s problems, this was an afternoon when Sam Allardyce’s clever recruitment drive last month provided further evidence that it might just have been a masterstroke. Mourning is useless now; besides, there are still many games to play and many things can happen this season.
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A point made on nearly every RetroUnited.com podcast since Christmas.
Sunderland are now just one point away from safety.
“It’s been happening far more than I’d like this season, and even when they have put some results together, they have seemed to fall back again, which has been frustrating”.
“You are having to blood two young lads at full-back [Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and debutant Donald Love], they did well but it’s tough”. Look at John O’Shea, he’s always going to try his very best against his old club.
The talented, yet raw, starting right-back DeAndre Yedlin likely earned himself another start for English Premier League club Sunderland, where he is playing on loan from Tottenham.
“Their attitudes have been fantastic since they came in”. The manager is culpable, the players are culpable, but most of the blame for any failure this season must be attributed to the board.
The absence of a game this weekend means Sunderland are able to travel to the Middle East and it is hoped the time off will be ideal for numerous club’s injured players to be fit for the trip to West Ham on February 27.
But Rooney says United’s manager can not be the sole scapegoat for that disappointing performance or the inconsistent displays that have plagued their season. Defensive duties have been poor from set pieces and that has allowed teams to sniff out points. This website has cut the manager some slack with the overhaul and transition but nearly two years in to a job, he should have a better handle on the combinations in his team that work and don’t.
Van Gaal looked exhausted. Or, another year of transition. Here the outstanding Wahbi Khazri a Tunisia playmaker signed for £9 million from Bordeaux, scored the opener courtesy of a curling, thoroughly deceptive, 30-yard free-kick and then delivered the corner from which Lamine Kone’s header forced David de Gea into an own goal.
“We need to win as many games as possible if we are to get out of the relegation zone”. Case in point the above example of Juan Mata.
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“Sometimes when you are performing like we are then you don’t want the break, but the break is coming and we can’t do anything about that now. We have to create chances and win games and we haven’t done that enough this season”.
