Q. Youth to the fore last night?
A. Yes, for sure, with the match representing a dreaded "dead rubber" in the Champions League group stage. Scott Wooton, Alexander Buttner, Tom Cleverley, Nick Powell and Danny Welbeck all got looks from the Boss. Sir Alex being Sir Alex, though, he also made a few "oldsters" available, including Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney. Evidently wanting a better view of the action, the Gaffer opted to sit in the stands and watch his young side from high above the fray.
Q. Did the infusion of youth result in faster and more free flowing team?
A. No, it seemed as if slow and boring were the instructions given in the locker room. Dead rubbers often play out this way. Although Cluj needed to win the game, United weren't particularly in the mood to give their Romanian group mates a gift. A defensive-minded stalemate was the result.
Q. So: Half and hour in and not much to report, eh...?
A. Yup, that was about the state of things after 30 minutes: some dogged back and forth but precious few real opportunities created by either side.
Q. Is that the way the half ended?
A. Well, United did turn up the heat a bit before the interval, as the offense finally began to build up some momentum. Basically, it was the result of Wayne Rooney beginning to impose himself on the game. Somewhat more worrying than the scoreline, though, was that Tom Cleverley limped off just before the break, and the youthful side that began the game was now being led by midfielders who were 38 and 39, respectively, as Paul Scholes partnered Giggs in midfield.
Q. Did United look comfortable in the second half?
Q. Did Fergie change his lineup in reaction to the Spurs' debacle this past weekend?
A. Definitely. He added Wazza to it, starting the striker alongside Robin Van Persie for the first time this season, and throwing Chicharito into the mix for good measure. The Gaffer also inserted Anderson, Fletcher and Cleverley in the middle of the park, replacing the ill Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick, and the resting Paul Scholes. And whether through rotation or not, David De Gea found himself back in the starting XI -- we'll have to wait and see if there are any implications to that decision.
Q. So did the Reds come out like a house afire...?
A. More like a house on a very slow simmer. United held the ball by and large, but that didn't appear overly difficult given the home side's willingness to sit back and play on the counter-attack. By the thirteenth minute, though, things were back to normal: United without a shot on goal and down 1-0, trailing for the sixth time in nine games this season. Playing in Transylvania, it could be said that United appear to dread the lead the way a vampire dreads garlic.
Q. Did United equalize?
A. Have you been reading this blog the past several weeks? Of course they did. Taking a page out of Chicharito's play book, Van Persie -- who else? -- drew the score line level near the game's half hour mark.
Q. Did the goal change anything?
A. It definitely boosted the visitors' confidence, as they slowly took a stranglehold on the proceedings. Whereas Cluj had acres of space on the ball in their early counters, now the pitch was a bit less open. United appeared to work doubly hard to close the home side down and extinguish their offensive threats, particularly down the right hand side of the pitch.
Q. Was there more of the same in the second half?
A. Yup -- more of the same: Robin Van Persie. And Wazza. Or more specifically, Rooney with a searching pass, and Van Persie with an exquisite finish for a 2-1 lead.
