All Too Easy: Manchester United 4 - Newcastle United 0 -- Game Recapand Player Ratings

Juan Mata ran the show as Manchester United scored four goals for the second week running and cruised to a 4–0 victory over Newcastle United at St. James Park on Saturday afternoon. Mata scored two goals himself, and was complemented in his offensive efforts by the oft-ignored combination of Shinji Kagawa and Javier Hernandez. Overcoming a tedious first half in which Mata's stunning free kick was the solitary moment of sheer brilliance, the visitors scored three times from the run of play in the second half to turn a tight game into an all-too-easy victory over the struggling home side. 

Defensively, Anders Lindegaard did well to gain a shut out in his first League action of the season, denying Newcastle striker Papis Cisse on three separate occasions, and Phil Jones and Chris Smalling did just enough to keep Newcastle's other players off kilter despite a few shaky moments. The victory kept the Reds' small burst of momentum alive heading into the mid-week Champions League clash in Munich, although in retrospect the game will be viewed as relatively meaningless for both sides at this point in the season. Herewith the individual player ratings on a rare comfortable win:

Lindegaard: Did well to deny Cisse both before and after the break. 7.0

Valencia: Guilty of too many turnovers while playing out of position. 6.5

Jones: Needs to work on his distribution from the back, but generally a solid effort. 6.5

Smalling: Bedeviled by poor clearances. 6.5

Evra: Easily beaten, yet again. Rested near the hour mark. 6.0

Fletcher: Protected the back four well. 6.5

Fellaini: Most dirty players are loved by their own fans. Fellaini looks the odd exception. 5.0

Young: Decent crossing before being forced off after 15 minutes. N/A

Plane and Simples: Manchester United 4 - Aston Villa 1

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In a season which has veered from one disaster to another, Manchester United held off the impending doom and gloom surrounding the club for at least another few days, winning 4-1 at Old Trafford over a hapless Aston Villa side that did more damage to itself than was inflicted by the home side.  Despite the misleading final margin of victory, the performance was far from easy on the eyes, and typical of most under manager David Moyes this season: devoid of style and attacking flair for much of the match, and papering over the cracks of a sloppy defensive effort.  Still, a win is a win, and United at least head into the mid-week Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich without the customary hand-wringing and cringeworthy explanations of another puzzling performance.

Standouts on Saturday afternoon included Juan Mata, whose scruffy goal represented the first real return on the board's largest-ever investment, and Shinji Kagawa, who played the number 10 role as if it was tailor-made for him.  Wayne Rooney also offered a passionate performance for the Reds, scoring one goal from the run of play and another from the spot while leading the line.

Herewith, a look at our individual player ratings on a  game that should be seen as no more than it was: a home win over a poor team that missed some very easy chances.

De Gea: Screened by the wall on Westwood's free kick, and little enough to do after that. 7.0

Rafael: Gaining quite the collection of yellow cards this season; seemingly a red card waiting to happen every game.  Good thing Bayern is coming into town....  6.0

Jones: Filled in at right back after the break, but was fortunate that Benteke couldn't find his range when played onside.  6.0

Vidic: Fortunate not to give up a penalty.  6.0

Büttner: Yet another dire performance.  4.0

Fletcher: Efficient, but not the same player he used to be. 6.0

Fellaini: Being uncomfortable with the ball at your feet is not a good quality for a central midfielder.  5.5

Young: Just not good enough. 5.0

What's a Mata, U? (and More)

Give Ed a cup of coffee, a bottle of water and a computer and he's good to go
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In which Correspondent Ed suddenly remembers that he writes about football for a living:

Yes, the title of this little entry also happens to be my favorite university name from the Bullwinkle cartoon.  Classic.  But what is up with the Juan Mata trade?  Where does he fit in?  Last I checked he played the exact same position as Wayne Rooney.  I also recall that he doesn't really play any other position.  Does this mean an end for Rooney at United?  Or is it rather just another desperation transfer for the new team in charge?  In light of the fact that Lil' Wayne seems to be getting a raise, I'm thinking it's more desperation than anything.  Though you have to suspect that Shinji Kagawa is out the door.  But poor Juan Mata, he's gone from THE GUY at Chelsea to the guy that will have to fight for time at United with two of the best players in the world.  And finally just to pile on, what exactly does Mata bring to shore up United's defensive issues?  Oh, that's right, he's a player that got benched in large part because he was undisciplined and wouldn't get back on defense.  Weird.

[Editor's Note: This column was written prior to Spurs getting blown out -- again -- by City yesterday] As for Spurs, how 'bout that Tim Sherwood?  I keep hearing he don't know nothin' about tactics just like his old boss Uncle Harry.  You remember Harry, the guy that put Spurs in fourth twice...?  He was very unlike the cerebral tactical advantage man nicknamed AVB, the same guy that thought a high line was the right thing to play with super slow defenders.

This is not to say Sherwood is the end-all-be-all.  But at this point he's done better than expected with a team that's down in the dumps. He was able to rejuvenate the mind-boggling talent of Manny Adebayor (yes, I'm going with Manny today).  While Manny may be up for a contract year, at least Sherwood wasn't so silly as to bench him forever.  We do what we have to do in this world, don't we?  But what's more, the team he inherited is now playing more to their strengths and their potential.  Erikson is back after being sidelined through injuries and looks terrific.  Dembele is playing well.  All seems settled.  Which is not to say Spurs won't get spanked by City, but hey, might we have a little hope of something more special?

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

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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

On Why We're Angry and Confused

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You think Wayne Rooney is angry and confused?  Here's a couple of things we've been dying to clear up, as well:

o David Luiz plus any amount of cash as a makeweight for Roo?  Please.  We'd rather see Luis Suarez walk through the tunnel at Old Trafford every week than be forced to cheer for Sideshow Bob.  If we're going to take a horse's ass, at least let's take one who knows how to play football.

o Did the Special One become so unhinged in Spain that he thought he could get one over on his rivals by publicly unsettling a player curently under contract?  Credit to David Moyes and the new press-friendly Manchester United PR department for leaking the inclusion of Juan Mata or Luiz in the proposed deal.  True or not, Moysie returned Chelsea's aggressive serve with a bullet aimed directly at Mou's ankles.

o Hmmm, let's see: Cristiano or Fellaini?  Thiago....or Fellaini....?  Fabregas.....OR Fellaini....?  ANYONE or Fellaini??!!  Why can't Moyes just admit he wants his former fro-laden hitman to follow him to Old Trafford?  Perhaps it's because he knows this now highly-likely move will be greeted with a massive sigh of resignation from the club's worldwide fanbase.

Flat: Chelsea 1 - Manchester United 0

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Juan Mata led visiting Chelsea to a narrow 1-0 victory over a flat and disjointed Manchester United in a game that showcased more fireworks in the final five minutes than it did in the previous 85.  Continuing their rather inexplicable hoodoo over the home side, Chelsea managed to not only beat the Reds, but pull off something no other team has done in quite some time -- shutting out United at home -- and tightened their grip on third place in the crucial Champions League race.  

The Blues looked threatening right from the get go, with Juan Mata picking out Demba Ba in front of Anders Lindegaard, but the quickness of the Spaniard's cross took the Chelsea forward by surprise and the opportunity went begging.  The visitors spread the field and plied early pressure upon their hosts, with a number of Chelsea players unsuccessfully testing the Danish goalkeeper in the opening twenty minutes.

For their part, the home side waited until the ninth minute to get their attack started, but for the most part it was all bark and no bite in the game's early going.  For a second week running it was the champions looking ragged on both sides of the ball in the first half, and laboring to get their game in gear.

With the first half gone, the somewhat tame affair had  been largely dominated by the visitors, although a flurry of opportunities for the home side, including Robin Van Persie's attempt to steer in Ryan Gigg's 30 yard pass just before the whistle, was perhaps a sign that they could build on for the second forty five.

U-Turn: Manchester United 2 - Chelsea 2

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Chelsea rode a second half comeback to draw level with Manchester United in a tightly contested Sixth Round FA Cup match on Sunday, with the 2-2 result guaranteeing a return affair to be played in London at the Blues' home, Stamford Bridge.  The game was a disappointing outcome for Sir Alex's men, especially as they were unlucky not to be three goals clear of the visitors at the break.  Once again, Luis Nani was an absentee protagonist in the affair, but this time the Portuguese wide man was not dismissed from the action by a referee; rather, it was an injury picked up near the interval that necessitated the winger's departure.  Replaced by an ineffective Antonio Valencia, the home side was no longer able to pin back Chelsea's attack, and their defense was overrun in the second half, in particular by substitute Eden Hazard, who entered the action after 50 minutes of play.  In the subsequent 40 minutes that the Belgian was on the pitch, the visitors dominated the action, and their advancement into the next round of the Cup was denied only by the narrow sole of United 'keeper David De Gea's outstretched boot in the game's dying moments.

The home fans were undoubtedly surprised to see the  match turn out the way it did, especially after the opening quarter hour.  After back and forth opening gambits, it was an exquisite pass from Michael Carrick that completely gutted the visitors' defense, an arcing ball that split the Chelsea back line wide open, and it  was none other than Javier Hernandez -- a Chelsea slayer if ever these was one -- who greeted the ball with a fine looping header over Petr Cech to give the Red Devils an early advantage. The goal appeared the perfect tonic for Tuesday's bitter loss to Real Madrid, the men in Red dismissing the Champions League game from their collective memories and proving to be focused on the task at hand.

Five minutes later and it was Wayne Rooney's turn to celebrate, the Englishman offering a perfect curler of a free kick, the ball heading across the face of goal untouched before settling into the far corner of the net and doubling the home side's lead. It was easily the sharpest 11 minutes in recent memory, and a benched John Terry could only sit and shrug his shoulders on the sideline, unaccustomed as he may have been to this area of Old Trafford.

When the situation was reversed at the 14 minute mark -- with Juan Mata looming over a dead ball -- Rio Ferdinand treated the crowd to a defending master class, and the two goal lead was preserved. The home side was playing outstanding defense once again, pressuring the ball and hunting in packs, and offering the Chelsea skill players precious little room in which to operate.  It was only Cech's quick reflexes that denied Rooney his second goal of the afternoon, the home side smelling blood and scalping Chelsea on the flanks, with Rafael, Nani, and Patrice Evra giving Chelsea fits down the sidelines.

It was half an hour before Chelsea discovered anything resembling their groove, but once again it was Ferdinand and central defensive partner Jonny Evans patrolling the back line with efficiency and snuffing out the threat when it emerged. The Reds gradually drifted toward complacency as the half dragged on, though, and their mental mistakes and poor passing threatened to let Chelsea back into the contest.  By the time the teams headed into the locker rooms there were sufficient talking points for both coaches to cover during the break, although Nani likely wouldn't have been paying as much attention as Antonio Valencia, the latter replacing the former just prior to the break.

The farlieonfootie Halfway-To-Home BPL Team of the Season

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With half of the BPL season now done and dusted, it's time to announce our editors' picks for the all-BPL starting XI.  This may be a slightly unbalanced side with no pure wingers, but these guys are so good they may even give the all-Spanish FIFA XI a run for their money.   Interestingly, only two sides (Manchester United and Everton) managed to get more than one player in the team, and Arsenal got no one at all:

o Goalkeeper: Asmir Begovic, Stoke City. The big Bosnian narrowly edges out Sunderland's Simon Mignolet for our pick in the nets.  Ably assisted by his well organized defense, Begovic has been stingier than Scrooge in conceding opposition goals this season.

o Right Back:  Pablo Zabaleta, Manchester City.  Not only is he a fine defender, but the Argentine shoots like a cannon and is capable of popping up on the scorer's sheet when you least expect him.

o Center Back: Ryan Shawcross, Stoke City.  Shawcross just re-upped his contract with the Saints, and you can see why Tony Pulis and the Stoke fans love him: big and rangy, the Englishman has become one of the more complete center halfs in the League today.   He's also a threat on set pieces in the opposition box.

o Center Back: Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur.  He plays with such ease that it's easy to forget that this season is the Dutchman's first in the League.  He's currently holding only the narrowest of advantages over Norwich's Sebastian Bassong in our minds, but if we were forced to pick between the two of them we'd take the Tottenham man.

o Left Back: Leighton Baines, Everton. The Fifth Beatle may have started the season slowly, but he's come on like the freight train force of his free kicks and penalities.

o Midfield: Michael Carrick, Manchester United.  Criminally underated for much of the past few seasons, the Englishman's standard has been so high this season that he's impossible to ignore.  Pinpoint passing was only one of the many outstanding facets of Carrick's play in 2012.

o Midfield: Michu, Swansea City.  The Spaniard is the buy of the season, and he just can't seem to stop scoring.  A wonderful addition to his team and the League, Michu's fine club form may even see him force his way into the Spanish national team -- and that's saying a lot.

Give That Man a Hand: Week 12 in the BPL

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o Spurs fans: after watching the Gunners smash five past your team on Saturday, we have a suggestion for your Manager's new theme song.... Let us know your thoughts:



o Sign o' the Times: Juan Mata created more real chances in his first five minutes on the pitch than Fernando Torres created in over an hour.

o Chelsea with Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard are lacking only one thing: a real live striker who can put the ball in the net. If the Blues can persuade Radamel Falcao to sign on the dotted line, watch out.

o Carlos Tevez and Player of the Week Sergio Aguero manhandled an Aston Villa club that had given the Citizens' cross-twin rivals all they could handle the week prior. And ominously for future opponents, David Silva looked fairly good, as well.... But City's best player by far was wearing black: Linesman Adrian Holmes saw hand balls the way some actors see dead people -- imagining things that don't exist. With one fail swoop City were literally handed a game that not only gave them first place, but the resulting five goals they put past the hapless Villans also allowed the Sky Blues to take the lead on goal differential for the first time all season.

o And speaking of handing a result to the other side, Referee Martin Atkinson somehow managed to fluff yet another in a long career of missed penalties and imagined infractions. Atkinson's generous interpretation of Sean Morrison's arm save overlooked the act that the Reading player who stopped Nikica Jelavic's goal bound shot was not their 'keeper, and gave the Royals their very first win of the season.

Can You Hear the Drums, Fernando?: Manchester United 3 - Chelsea 2

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Q. So, Sir Alex employed a diamond formation to slow down the Chelsea midfield, correct?

A. A funny thing happened on the way to a diamond in the midfield, and it's name was Ashley Young. Unexpectedly in the starting lineup for the first time in ages, Young was part of a four man midfield that saw United playing their traditional 4-4-2 attack. Although anchored up top by Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie, the starting XI saw Tom Cleverley, Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia join Young in the middle of the park. As per usual these days, the defense consisted of Rafael, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra, with David De Gea in the net.

Q. So, Chelsea obviously took the lead.  How early did their first goal  come..?

A. In the fourth minute. Off the back of David Luiz. Into his own net, remarkably.  And just like that, instead of trailing, the Reds found themselves in an unfamiliar position this season, a goal to the good at the Bridge.

Q. The Chelsea response...?

A. They gave up another goal before the 12th minute had ticked by. Two attacks, 2-nil United, with Van Persie left all by his lonesome at the top of the box to finish off a sublime Valencia pull back.

Q. The strangest moment of the first half?

A. It had to be David De Gea's foot save of David Luiz's swerving free kick. Now THAT was different.

Q. Amazing....  How'd the two teams look?

A. Chelsea looked slightly rattled for the first half hour, while United looked smooth as silk. I can't remember another half of football this season in which United looked so dangerous on the ball. When the game hit 35 minutes, though, Chelsea began to find their footing in the match and put on a spell of sustained pressure.  They eventually set siege to the United goal.

It's Alive

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As if to prove that quantity is better than quality, here's Columnist Ed:

I’m guessing it was from a few inappropriate comments to the boss man about his relegation zone performance in the firm's fantasy league, or maybe it was that time I rubbed the top of his head at the firm holiday party in a crude attempt to make a wish (I don’t know, it just seemed like it would work at the time).  But for whatever the reason, I’ve been put on the Chelsea beat this week, so here are my comments on a team that’s seemed somewhat dysfunctional so far.

It was actually nice to see that Chelsea remember that they are a good team this week in their Champions League game against Valencia.  They looked bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled than the Spanish side.  Except for Mata who merely looked more skilled.  Mata is an interesting player.  He’s so slow as to be a defensive liability.  He’s also small enough to get shoved around a bit.  However, he gets the most out of what he’s got by being a very creative player on offense.  I can see why he can’t get on the field for Spain, and against good teams I think his skill is not enough.  But he’s a nice player that has added a ton to the Chelsea attack this year.

Having Fernando Torres behind him has definitely changed the tempo of Didier Drogba.  There were many times over the past few years where he semed disinterested in the games he appeared in.  In the game against Valencia, I saw a statistic that nearly put me to the ground.  Drogba had run 3.83km in merely 30 minutes.  I think he went months last year without running that much.  Plus, he sprinted with the ball on a nice fast break, and put one in the net after a nice move in close space.  Drogba hasn’t lost any ability in his age; it’s all a matter of desire with him as far as I can see.  It would be a mistake to get rid of him and keep Torres.  It would be expensive to do what they should do and get rid of Torres to keep Drogba.