United XI vs Arsenal: De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Rojo, Blind, Herrera, Mata, Fellaini, Young, Falcao.
United subs vs Arsenal: Valdes, Blackett, McNair, Januzaj, Di Maria, Wilson, Van Persie.
A few short years ago this would have been a title decider and blood would run thick and fast on the Old Trafford turf as both teams carried a very unhealthy passion of rivalry between the two. Now it has become a battle between two former powers trying to finish third and avoid the Champions League qualifiers, how times have changed.
Arsenal kept the same line up as last week and Van Gaal decided to go for Falcao over Wilson and Van Persie as Rooney was ruled out through injury, whether it was a groin injury and had anything to do with a day out at an old peoples home was not disclosed. The other change was Shaw being replaced by Rojo after he failed to recover from his head injury at Palace last week.
The United forums I browse occasionally do contain a growing majority who believe Rooney is a hindrance in midfield and his presence their takes away a genuine threat, also that as a striker he no longer is the player who terrorised defences and was capable of twenty goals a season. The fact that Van Gaal has said he is undroppable surely takes away some of the fear factor as well as he knows no matter how bad he plays that he will be in the starting line up the following week. Anyway, with Rooney out this was a golden opportunity for one of our misfiring strikers to show they deserve a place in the team for our last home match against Hull. Van Gaal chose Falcao, why I still don't know as he has offered very little this year with regards to attacking play or a goal threat...and if he takes him again next season for either a further extension to the loan or a purchase then Van Gaal has confirmed he is not the genius he makes out to be.
The first half started as most games do these days, side to side and back to de Gea as the opposition pressed and gave us no time on the ball. Arsenal seemed to favour our right flank but unlike the cup game it didn't wield any chances or opportunities. We ourselves targeted their left as Young again continued his superb form from last week and made some fantastic runs into the box...Di Maria are you watching? In fact he also contributed with an absolutely beautiful tackle on Sanchez just outside the box during an Arsenal counter attack. When the man is on fire he is on fire.
The pitch seems to have been heavily over watered and many players struggled to find their feet, though this happened once to quite a few players except Falcao who slipped four times in the first eighteen minutes. Whatever boots you are wearing Falcao I suggest you bin them (Chrstmas comes early for some lucky scouser) and go straight out to the nearest sports shop and buy a pair WITH studs...it helps.
The second half started as the first ended with us looking at Young to expose them and we had some lovely movements shortly after the restart only for no-one to actually grab the bull by his horns and shoot. Making a lot of passes is fine if you are Ryan Giggs at a family reunion but when you want to give yourself a cushion in a football match it does get a little worrying. Time after time we had players keeping level with the Arsenal defence ready to push forward from a through ball...time and time again that option was not explored. It is almost as if the players are encouraged to play the ball more rather than look for through balls or even shooting opportunities. You can sympathise with Falcao when you see him ready to burst through and anticipating a over head through ball only to see Mata pass it to his left to Herrera even after he looked up and saw Falcao's movement.
De Gea again made a couple of very noteworthy saves, one from a confusion with Jones that could have left a gaping goal for Giroud, and another point blank save from Giroud when Arsenal took the game from the scruff of the neck after Van Gaal took off Rojo and De Gea went off through injury. Probably me, but we always seem to loose momentum after the gaffer makes substitutes...odd that.
Arsenal deservingly got their equalizer thanks to A Blackett own goal that also caught out Valdes, purely one of those things but Arsenal looked the more likely to score in the final thirty minutes anyway and you felt it was coming. We held off but considering how many more games Arsenal have played than us it did seem strange to see Arsenal more lively as the game developed and we seemingly sat back for the draw. So Young again was my man of the match for the second week running, Falcao again looked like he lacks quality to succeed at United...though i don't doubt he will go on elsewhere and look like his old self. Herrera looked very promising, Blind seemed to lose his concentration as the game wore on, Rojo looks like he should be the CB partner of whatever new signing we bring in after another fine display today. Again we looked hesitant going forward at times, and when we did it appeared we have developed Arsenal syndrome where we try to pass the bloody ball into the net.
Fourth guaranteed from a game that during the first fifty nine minutes we seemed comfortable with, Champions League qualifier to play now from our failure to push on from our purple patch in April and if God help us we lose that then you really have to question this 'philosophy' of Van Gaal.
United subs vs Arsenal: Valdes, Blackett, McNair, Januzaj, Di Maria, Wilson, Van Persie.
A few short years ago this would have been a title decider and blood would run thick and fast on the Old Trafford turf as both teams carried a very unhealthy passion of rivalry between the two. Now it has become a battle between two former powers trying to finish third and avoid the Champions League qualifiers, how times have changed.
Arsenal kept the same line up as last week and Van Gaal decided to go for Falcao over Wilson and Van Persie as Rooney was ruled out through injury, whether it was a groin injury and had anything to do with a day out at an old peoples home was not disclosed. The other change was Shaw being replaced by Rojo after he failed to recover from his head injury at Palace last week.
The United forums I browse occasionally do contain a growing majority who believe Rooney is a hindrance in midfield and his presence their takes away a genuine threat, also that as a striker he no longer is the player who terrorised defences and was capable of twenty goals a season. The fact that Van Gaal has said he is undroppable surely takes away some of the fear factor as well as he knows no matter how bad he plays that he will be in the starting line up the following week. Anyway, with Rooney out this was a golden opportunity for one of our misfiring strikers to show they deserve a place in the team for our last home match against Hull. Van Gaal chose Falcao, why I still don't know as he has offered very little this year with regards to attacking play or a goal threat...and if he takes him again next season for either a further extension to the loan or a purchase then Van Gaal has confirmed he is not the genius he makes out to be.
The first half started as most games do these days, side to side and back to de Gea as the opposition pressed and gave us no time on the ball. Arsenal seemed to favour our right flank but unlike the cup game it didn't wield any chances or opportunities. We ourselves targeted their left as Young again continued his superb form from last week and made some fantastic runs into the box...Di Maria are you watching? In fact he also contributed with an absolutely beautiful tackle on Sanchez just outside the box during an Arsenal counter attack. When the man is on fire he is on fire.
The pitch seems to have been heavily over watered and many players struggled to find their feet, though this happened once to quite a few players except Falcao who slipped four times in the first eighteen minutes. Whatever boots you are wearing Falcao I suggest you bin them (Chrstmas comes early for some lucky scouser) and go straight out to the nearest sports shop and buy a pair WITH studs...it helps.
The second half started as the first ended with us looking at Young to expose them and we had some lovely movements shortly after the restart only for no-one to actually grab the bull by his horns and shoot. Making a lot of passes is fine if you are Ryan Giggs at a family reunion but when you want to give yourself a cushion in a football match it does get a little worrying. Time after time we had players keeping level with the Arsenal defence ready to push forward from a through ball...time and time again that option was not explored. It is almost as if the players are encouraged to play the ball more rather than look for through balls or even shooting opportunities. You can sympathise with Falcao when you see him ready to burst through and anticipating a over head through ball only to see Mata pass it to his left to Herrera even after he looked up and saw Falcao's movement.
De Gea again made a couple of very noteworthy saves, one from a confusion with Jones that could have left a gaping goal for Giroud, and another point blank save from Giroud when Arsenal took the game from the scruff of the neck after Van Gaal took off Rojo and De Gea went off through injury. Probably me, but we always seem to loose momentum after the gaffer makes substitutes...odd that.
Arsenal deservingly got their equalizer thanks to A Blackett own goal that also caught out Valdes, purely one of those things but Arsenal looked the more likely to score in the final thirty minutes anyway and you felt it was coming. We held off but considering how many more games Arsenal have played than us it did seem strange to see Arsenal more lively as the game developed and we seemingly sat back for the draw. So Young again was my man of the match for the second week running, Falcao again looked like he lacks quality to succeed at United...though i don't doubt he will go on elsewhere and look like his old self. Herrera looked very promising, Blind seemed to lose his concentration as the game wore on, Rojo looks like he should be the CB partner of whatever new signing we bring in after another fine display today. Again we looked hesitant going forward at times, and when we did it appeared we have developed Arsenal syndrome where we try to pass the bloody ball into the net.
Fourth guaranteed from a game that during the first fifty nine minutes we seemed comfortable with, Champions League qualifier to play now from our failure to push on from our purple patch in April and if God help us we lose that then you really have to question this 'philosophy' of Van Gaal.