The Debut: Manchester United 2 - Cardiff City 0 -- Game Recap and Player Ratings

photo by benben	via PhotoRee

Juan Mata made his Manchester United debut Tuesday night, but it was Robin Van Persie hogging the headlines as the Dutchman got off the mark early to lead the home side to a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Cardiff City at Old Trafford. Ashley Young bagged the second goal of the evening to put the contest comfortably beyond the Bluebird's reach in the second half. Never truly looking threatened on defense -- although definitely appearing confused and slow at times --  United played better than they have in recent weeks, although still far from the fluid heights fans may remember from recent seasons.

Indeed, while it appears that Mata will indeed be a creative spark so desperately needed by the side, the mere fact he was backed by Ryan Giggs and Phil Jones in the engine room speaks to the issues still apparent in the Red Devils' midfield.  Herewith, the individual player ratings for a game that saw the team turn around a string of poor performances in front of the home crowd:  

De Gea: Little to do on either side of the interval; a relative breeze. 7.0

Rafael: Sloppy in possession, but looked decent in attack. 5.5

Smalling: Rose high in the air on numerous occasions. 6.0

Evans: Covered for his teammates and turned in another solid performance. 6.0

Evra (c): A dangerous weapon rampaging down the left, and easily could have had a couple of assists if Mata and Januzaj had scored.  However, the Frenchman was also caught out defensively a number of times. 6.0

Valencia: Hit the bar early when he really should have scored, and was denied by Marshall late in the game. 5.5

Jones: Sat deep for most of the match and came up with a late block. Not terribly convincing. 5.0

Giggs: Unable to influence the match from the middle. 5.0

Young: A great cross to start the game, placed on a virtual platter for Valencia. His goal, the team's second of the evening, was an absolute gem. 7.0

An Early Christmas for Liverpool Fans

All Scott wants for Christmas is a title:

Against Cardiff City this past weekend, two more glorious goals and one assist are further evidence of Luis Suarez’ unmatched form in the league.  His first goal was an incredible volley while his second was an amazing, curling shot from outside the 18.  Jordan Henderson was the provider for both, with the second coming via a cheeky back heel.  For me, however, the most telling moment of the night, and cause for ongoing optimism, was the unselfish squared ball Suarez made to Raheem Sterling when he only had the ‘keeper to beat.  Sterling had only to side foot into the net but a player in form like Suarez would be expected to, and excused for, taking the shot himself.  That he chose to supply his teammate with an easier shot speaks volumes.

An otherwise dominant performance was Mutch marred by incredibly poor marking from another set-piece.  I’m no tactician but one defender marking two forwards doesn’t seem like a good strategy, and Jordan Mutch was obliged.  Yet another game without a cleansheet.  One has to wonder if those mental mistakes might come back to haunt in a tighter game.  Like, say, against Manchester City on Boxing Day or against Chelsea soon after.

Donation: Manchester United 2 - Cardiff City 2 -- Game Recap and Player Ratings

Photo by Matthew Burpee on Flickr

David Moyes' side may be unbeaten in ten, but the talk on the ride home from Wales was likely less about extending the streak than it was about donating two points in the 90th minute to a gritty Cardiff City side in a game played at Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday.  Kim Bo-Kyung popped up late to equalize the scoreline at two in a game that never quite got going -- both teams combining for a disjointed, stuttering attack.  While certain of the visitors' problems can be laid at the doorstep of injuries, with medical issues necessitating a number of changes to the lineup in key areas, the Red Devils' Manager will be increasingly worried that the substitutes he recalled to action largely failed to perform.  

United put in an uneven and shaky performance without several marquee names in the lineup, particularly in the contest's second half.  Still, the visitors largely kept the home side at bay in the final frame, and could easily have emerged with all three points intact: Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney both misplaying gilt-edged opportunities late in the action.  Herewith the ratings of the players' individual performances in a loss that will smart at least until next weekend: 

De Gea: Busy early and might have done better on Campbell's goal. Good distribution from the back. 6.0

Smalling: Still looks a fish out of water offensively but was powerful in the air. Can't blame anyone but himself for the 90th minute free kick that led to the loss of two points. 5.5

Ferdinand: Showed his experience and positioned himself well throughout. 6.5

Evans: Beaten for pace by former Red Devil Frazier Campbell on the first half equalizer. 6.5

Evra: Kept the peace and linked up well with Januzaj. Well-taken unmarked header to re-establish the lead just before the half. Disappointingly flat footed on the late equalizer. 6.0

Valencia: Demonstrated great anticipation on the interception that led to his side's opening strike. 6.0

Fellaini: Paid the price for his reputation, as he was repeatedly called for fouls he didn't commit. Sat deep but came forward and should have done better on the corner kicks. Better today, but still little to write home about. 6.0

Cleverley: Was extremely lucky his giveaway didn't relinquish a 2-1 lead, and added a level of feistiness when the game called for calmer heads. 4.5

At Least We've Got a Good Head of Hair: Week 2 in the Barclay's Premier League

Week two is done and dusted, and farlieonfootie's regularly insightful and often irrelevant insights on the Premier League are here for your reading pleasure:

o You've got to hand it to the English, who use their own language better than any other speakers of the mother tongue -- no surprise there, in that they invented it.  But just try to imagine an American broadcaster describing the scene in Cardiff, as the home team walked onto a Premier League pitch for the first time in over 50 years, by saying "[The atmosphere] borders on the febrile." A US announcer talking in such a manner would soon find himself on the unemployment line for "talking over the heads" of his listeners. Instead, we say well done Jon Champion.

 

On our Shores....the Head of Hair Rules

 

o Meanwhile, over on our shores.... Does NBC's Kyle Martino have one fine head of hair, or what?! The part alone is worth whatever amount NBC are paying him to offer his opinions on the Barclay's Premier League. But overwhelming evidence to the contrary,  don't confuse Martino with a certain hair obsessed primadonna:  We're willing to bet he doesn't have an assistant whose job is to fluff and heat up his sweaters with a hairdryer so they're just the right temperature....

o And then back to England again: Steve Bruce is looking more like Jabba the Hut every week now.

o If you looked up the term "scrappy" in the dictionary, you couldn't possibly come up with a better definiton than this: a game of football in which Marouanne Chamakh, Charlie Adam and Ryan Shawcross score all the goals.

o This Spurs side is going to be good this season -- Daniel Levy has bought well -- but at times on Sunday they looked a bit like 11 people who hadn't met each other more than an hour prior to kickoff.

My Bottom (tee hee!!) and the Top Four

Another Day, Another Cable Car for Correspondent Ed
photo by deeleea	via PhotoRee

 

Ed took some time off from mapping San Francisco's cable car system to file this report:

 

 

It's so painfully annoying when FoF picks the favorites to win each season, and then congratulates himself when they go on to do so.  Well, here's to going out on a limb, beginning with the Relegation Zone.

 

20.  Hull City Tigers.  These guys never stay up.  Plus I think Steve Bruce has a proven track record of mediocrity. 

 

19.  Norwich.  I think the efforts of the last coach will wear off and leave them with the less than inspiring methods of the new. 

 

18.  Cardiff City.  They will make it happen for most of the year but their luck will run out in the end despite the hard work of Frazer Campbell.

 

17.  Crystal Palace.  Will they really survive?  Well, here's hoping Ian Holloway can pull it off.  Marouanne Chamahk?  Well, Ian even made Charlie Adam into an all BPL player, so why not?

 

And now the Top Four:

 

1.  Chelsea.  I hate to agree with FoF, but the Special One knows how to win leagues.  I expect less in Europe, though, unless they get a real striker.