So the weekend's dust has settled and the context of the result is a little clearer. The “Big Four” all drew, albeit at entirely different standards of opposition. It is important to keep things in perspective so it is noted that we were away to a team who had won nine from their last twelve under a new manager and a team who have not lost to Arsenal, Liverpool or Chelsea this season. A draw here, at 12pm on Saturday afternoon, would have been acceptable so perhaps it should remain so at 12pm the following Monday but the sense of opportunity lost (again, see the 0-0 at Villa Park) does not dissipate quickly.
The primary reason it doesn't dissipate for me is that the game was there for the taking. Spurs are a decent side, make no mistake, and are a much more organised unit and more eager to dig in than under the departed Ramos but they lack real quality across the park, especially when King and Woodgate are absent from the side, so surely a side boasting the attacking talent of Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov would thrive against the relatively weaker centre-back pairing of Corluka and Dawson after Woodgate left procedings? Well, perhaps they would if they were actually interested in the fight (which Berbatov was not) or if they had the positional sense to work against the weakened back line (which Tevez does not). Sadly this was not a once off. Both are traits that shine through time and time again.
I should outline that I have no great love or admiration for either player at this stage of their Manchester United careers, if that isn't already clear.
That isn't to say I think either are technically poor players but they aren't doing what they are paid good money to do.
When it comes to Tevez, his all bluster style appeals to the crowd and very few Man Utd fans seem to be open to the fact that his goalscoring record is poor, especially for a player who finds himself in clear goalscoring positions that he does. His bluster seems to work against him when he has these chances as he lacks even a modicum of composure far too often. He expels so much energy from his tracking back that you can often see him gasping for breath. His forays all over the park take him away from what should be the business end for him. We don't lack the ability to get the ball to him, so why he feels the need to drop deep so much is a fact lost on me. In fact, dropping deep isn't even the exact problem. Doing it effectively is, and that's something he should look to Wayne Rooney to see being done properly. All the effort in the world means nothing if you're a spent force by the time you get a sniff at goal.
Speaking of Rooney, from reading around it seems to be a theme amongst those from the other end of the East Lancs Road that Tevez is the one player they would like to take from us and the general feeling seems to be that he is better than Wayne Rooney and that Ferguson shoots himself in the foot by not picking Tevez ahead of Rooney (or, probably more accurately along with Rooney at Berbatov's expense). They're right that Tevez should play ahead of Berbatov. They are absolutely deluded if they think he is a player of the calibre of Rooney, but that comparison will come another day so suffice it to say for now that Rooney is our best striker/forward by a long way. As a side note, those same fans who say Tevez is better than Rooney and that Rooney is, shall we say, not in peak physical condition should take a look at Tevez more closely. After the Blackburn league game this season, Tevez removed his shirt as he left the pitch and the gut was there for all to see. Jimmy Gardner would be proud to add it to his collection.
Then we have Berbatov. He doesn't need nearly as much text to sum up. Effort and the lack thereof. In terms of ability, as with Tevez, it is clearly there only in this case it isn't wasted in midfield or with a lack of composure. In fact, he's too composed. Too sure of himself. Frustratingly it seems that Alex Ferguson also shares that belief in him and he is now unsubable (not a word) and undroppable (probably not a word but this paragraph outlines what the definition should be if it is). Surely playing against his old club where his every touch is being booed is the kick up the Bulgars he needs? Absolutely not, it's his cue to retreat back under his Alice band for 90 minutes. His blatant refusal to contest 50-50 tackles isn't that unheard of from so called flair players but a 99-1 tackle in his favour would seem unworthy of effort for this man. Berbatov would feel intimidated by the pension queue at the Post Office on his way to cash his wages. Oddly, he does seem more likely to challenge for headers, even with all those big, nasty elbows flying around. Something that I must confess I didn't notice until a friend pointed it out was that he doesn't commit himself to follow his own shots up, just in case of a spill from the keeper. Is it arrogance at thinking his shot will go in on the first time of asking? Is it that he feels others are doing that? Not at all, he just can't be bothered seems to be the answer to that question. The fact that when Berbatov plays Ronaldo is a lesser player is also not to be ignored but is also something worthy of much more analysis in due course.
If Tevez had the control and positional sense of Berbatov OR if Berbatov had the inclination to try that is infused in the Argentine, then I think nearly all our goalscoring problems would be solved. As it is, the Spurs game summed up everything I think about the two.
As it stands with his loan set to end in the summer, I would keep Tevez at the club if we can secure his services for around £15m, as last season he showed that what he did do excellently was keep our front line fluid and teams couldn't live with the interchange that a Rooney – Tevez – Ronaldo front line brings and he also has a knack of stealing late goals with his never say die attitude paying off when the chips are down and we're stuck in a good old-fashioned scrap. However, with prices being slung around of £30m and more, I'd be more inclined to once more go shopping for a forward. Oneoption may be Frazier Campbell. No, he isn't doing it consistently and it is far too early to tell but there is promise in the lad and hopefully Spurs will give him the time he deserves, perhaps as a foil for Pavlyuchenko or Bent (they can't play together, didn't ya know?).
Perhaps I'll be proved completely wrong and the team will return from Japan bubbling with confidence, Berbatov will start banging them in and Tevez will concentrate his efforts in the final third. Hell's to be quite mild after Christmas, I hear.
