Results can camouflage wider problems, but they should not. Victory over Blackburn, and a Carling Cup final appearance against Wigan, should not obscure that Manchester United require a midfielder.
Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill have confirmed as much. But now, as the Scot admitted tonight, their need is pressing. Paul Scholes, the sole playmaker in their squad, will not play again this season. John O'Shea, by trade a defender, but filling in further forward with increasing regularity, is out until March. And now Ryan Giggs, emerging as an influential central midfielder, has been added to the injury list with a hamstring problem. It meant that Alan Smith was pressed back into service earlier than Ferguson had intended when the Welshman departed after a quarter of an hour. He managed to rekindle his rivalry with Robbie Savage from the first leg but completed a trio - with Kieran Richardson and Darren Fletcher - that, despite their best efforts, was unworthy of a Manchester United midfield Indeed, they compared unfavourably with their Blackburn counterparts. Tugay's neat passing and Savage's efficient use of the ball were allied with Steven Reid's forceful approach on the right and the skill of the slight Morten Gamst Pedersen on the left. The United trio, in contrast, lost possession too cheaply and too frequently. Their salvation lay in their strikers. Necessity's relationship with invention has been established in cliché. Fielding three forwards was a consequence of injuries, but an attacking move nonetheless. Quick service to the strike trio, at times even bypassing the midfield, was a product in part of the willingness of Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney, flanking Ruud van Nistelrooy, to drop deep and pick up possession. It was also beneficial, getting the ball to United's most dangerous players as often as possible. Indeed, it was notable that all of United's clearest chances were created by, and fell to, their strikers. With six days to go in the transfer window, a late purchase is in order, however resistant Ferguson usually would be to a short-term signing. .. to be continued .. Nikky Yudianto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent by: [email protected] 01/26/2006 10:13 AM Please respond to [email protected] To [email protected] cc Subject [BolaML] CARLING CUP WINNER --->to Bro Liverbird(mas uut) & bro Yonas Udah keluar hasilnya,bro...gimana?not bad kan?United go through to the final now...n tough opponent has wait at the final, Wigan. n buat bung Yonas, kayaknya virusnya uda ada vaksin...hehehhe...no syndrome anymore...n we cant wait till the final n grab our first title this season...n nunggu juga gimana pool bisa sukses di UCL...Glory Glory ManUtd...United will always standing still... eleven_nic(RG11 keep running) Liverbird <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] HAPUS BAGIAN EMAIL YG TIDAK PERLU SEBELUM ME-REPLY. ========================================================== Milis Tabloid BOLA Untuk KELUAR DARI MILIS INI. Kirim Mail kosong (tanpa subject) ke alamat [EMAIL PROTECTED] ========================================================== Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bolaml/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
