Van Persie And Kagawa Open United Account

Manchester United 3 - Fulham 2
Scorers
Manchester United: Van Persie (10), Kagawa (35), Rafael (41)
Fulham: Duff (3), Vidic (og 64)

Team: De Gea, Vidic, Carrick, Rafael, Evra, Anderson (Giggs 81), Cleverley, Valencia, Young (Welbeck 68), Kagawa (Rooney 68), Van Persie

Looks like we can look forward to alot of goals this season. We have what looks like a potent strikeforce and a terrible looking defense. While this is only one game, we do look good upfront, if and when we get our chances. I expect the defense to improve significantly when the treatment eventually does its job repairing the likes of Rio, Evans, Smalling and Jones. Right now it just looks like we have to deal with the pairing of Vidic and a bewildered Carrick as our centre pairing.

Our defense started off in the worst way possible. Duff scored a well worked goal and we were left wondering if the previous week's results were on the cards. Rooney and Nani were dropped from the team and it was the summer signings that took the spotlight.

Our reply was swift with Van Persie scored a wonder goal, somehow directing Evra's somewhat wayward cross into the net. Once the ball left Evra's leg, it never looked anything but a terrible cross, yet somehow RVP made something out of nothing with his first touch. That's the reason why we spent 24 million pound on the 29yr old. In a split second he repaid a huge amount of that transfer fee.

United threatened to take last week's result on Fulham, coming close on a few occasions. Rafael had a goal disallowed for offside before Kagawa pounced when Schwarzer could only parry Cleverley's screamer.

The trio of Cleverley, Ando and Kagawa was a delight to watch. Their play was positive and lacked the usual lacklustre ball movement when Carrick, Giggs or sometimes Scholes, are on the ball. There was also plenty of off the ball movement, making it difficult for the Fulham players to contain and follow.

Rafael got on the scoresheet with a header from an acute angle to round off a very good first half.

You would expect the second to be more of the same, but in typical United fashion, we allowed the opponents in. After threatening the Fulham goal, a comedy of errors between De Gea and Vidic resulted in a Vidic own goal to help Fulham close the deficit.

The momentum had shifted and De Gea redeemed himself with stunning double save to protect the United lead. For those familiar with United, it was the typical we attack, you attack kind of finish to the game. For all our attacking prowess, we were defensively vulnerable at the back.

In the end, De Gea proved to be our match winner when he parried Ruiz last second shot from point blank.

I suppose a win is a win is a win and 3 points are better than 1. I know the team will take it, but there are huge improvements to be made. Once again, for all our attacking potential, we only managed 7 shots on target (although 3 went in). I suppose in the larger picture, it's a good return, but it must be noted that we also allowed the opponents 6 shots on target. If De Gea had an off day, we could have lost this one easily.

It's a tight rope we're walking and our walking wounded can't come back soon enough. At least our next fixture looks much easier on paper against the newly promoted Saints.

Cover For Evra

Too bad this didn't come before yesterday's game. Apparently we signed Buttner from Vitesse. Who? Who cares, he plays left back and that's all that matters. If Evra continues playing like the way he did the whole 2012, we'd have someone to look forward to.

On a more depressing note, there was a small little Progba interview, and honestly, I wish him the best at Juve. I don't know if he made the right decision, but as I've said many times, if you're a midfielder of any good and you consistantly get sidelined by Carrick, then you're either not good enough or someone (not naming names) isn't doing his job. IMO, Progba seems like the prototypical midfielder we're looking for. Someone big and physical, someone in the mold of a Veira or Toure (Yaya). Too bad we can only wish his potential was still with the team.

....Same Old Shit Again

Everton 1 - Manchester United 0
Scorer
Everton: Fellaini (57)

Team: De Gea, Vidic, Carrick, Valencia, Evra, Cleverley (Anderson 85), Scholes, Nani (Young 78), Kagawa, Welbeck (Van Persie 68), Rooney

Didn't take long to come undone. We thoroughly deserved this defeat. You would think after coming so close to the prize last season, facing the team that ultimately cost us the title, the team would come out with all guns firing. Instead we cowered like pussies, with our tails behind our backs.

Let's face it, on paper we may have the strikeforce everyone is wetting their pants over, but the story's the same. We just can't find the men upfront. The statistics tell the whole story. Everton had 7 shots on target (and another 2 hitting the posts), while we only troubled Howard a miserly 4 times. Yup, best strikeforce in the Premier League can't score if they have nothing to shoot at.

However it's still early days and it's not the end of the world...not till December anyway. Ferguson has time to work with this team. There is too little movement when we attack. Only Kagawa proved a willing runner, always moving and making spaces, while everyone continues to play the style we've been accustomed to the last couple of years. It gets predictable and stale. It's alot like watching Spain play. People will figure you out after some time.

On a side note, Fellaini was terrifying. Everytime he got to the ball, it looks like it was going in. I'm surprised why we never considered him before. He's big, tenacious and shows an incredible amount of hunger whenever he plays. And most importantly, he scares the shit outta defenders, just like how he terrorized Carrick today. You could see the fear in Carrick's eyes whenever Fellaini was near. Damn, had it not been for De Gea, Fellaini could have eaten our entire make-shift defense.

There should be huge improvements in our play by Saturday against Fulham. Ferguson will have a week of training with the lads, especially Van Persie, and hopefully we can put this woeful performance behind us and let the title chase start proper.

Here We Go Again

Hello everyone, I have to say it's been awhile. We've been busy this summer, not only in terms of the number of games we've had via the Euros and the Olympics, but we've been busy in the markets and for once splashed money on established talent.

Not progressing thru the Champions League knockout stages must have hurt the owners really hard. Their little exercise of floating a small percentage of the shares on the New York markets has been nothing but a spectacular failure, in the shades of QPR's demise in the final seconds against Shitty. To anyone who bought the shares for the long term....you're a moron. I would love to be polite, but somethings just can't be sugar-coated.

Good to have that little rant out of the way. I foresee the road to our 20th title paved with little rants and minor frustrations.

Summer Signings

We've bought big this summer. We got Kagawa. Personally, I'm alittle wary. He's been spectaclar in the Bundesliga for 2 seasons, so it's not a fluke. My concern is his ability to translate that to the Premiership. Chances are that he's be eaten alive by the physical play. And in the event he doesn't, he has to contend with the bozos around him. Our team is filled with bad decision makers, let's just hope he follows the footsteps of Scholes instead of Nani. And if it all doesn't pan out, he replaces Park as our token asian, not to mention he has a famous girlfriend to boot.

In the light of the departure of Progba, we went out and concluded the signing of Nick Powell. Who? Exactly. Apparently he's the next big thing. So was Bebe. Enuff said.

Last but not least, we got Van Persie. I have to say this one shocked me. We already have Rooney, Welbeck, Chicharito, Berbatov and Kiko on the books, and we went out of our way to get RVP? On paper we look damn bloody awesome.....on paper.

There are a couple of concerns I do have with this signing, as awesome as it looks. Firstly, we have a strikeforce to die for. We know Rooney and RVP can bang in the goals if we have the chance. The problem here is creating that chance. Unless Kagawa is everything that was advertised, we're going to fall back to the pattern that plagued us last season....very very very few shots on target. We were utterly pathetic at creating the chances. I suppose that's why we got RVP. Ferguson must have read the stats and it didn't make for easy reading.

The second concern is of course his injury history. There are two things that are going to happen. He's either going to be a cult hero, or he's going to be our next Hargreaves. Well, either way, he's going to make a name for himself amongst the fans.

Summer Goings

Just want to dedicate a small space for Park Ji Sung. I've always been a fan and wish him all the best at the mess that is QPR. If he was there last season, we would have lifted the trophy. I suppose that's why he's there now....to prevent a repeat.

I'm also alittle astonished that Fabio join Park at QPR, albeit on a loan spell. It leaves the left-back spot abit thin.

I hope Progba makes it at Juve, just to spite Ferguson.

Euros

Spain won again. Boring as hell until the last game. I sincerely hope Spain will never win another major competition again.

As for our players, Welbeck was the only guy who stood out. The problem with watching Welbeck for English and in some cases United, is that he totally reminds me of Emile Heskey. I don't know if that is good or bad. I think the word 'scary' comes to mind.

Olympics

I can't help but laugh at Liverpool. Seriously....Joe Allen? My god, he was terrible. Looking towards a huge season for Cleverley, if he can escape the Hargreaves bug. Best player for the Brits by a huge margin.

Twitter

Someone just shoot Ferdinand. Please.