On the match itself, it was an abysmal start to be honest. Tottenham are no pushovers or to be taken lightly and with all due respect, they are a bigger team than Swansea. We couldn't keep the ball for long and Tottenham had the better of possession and even chances. All of a sudden, on a counter-attack, it opened up for us and we scored inspite of Rooney's best efforts at messing the chance up. I felt that he should have taken it first time instead of choosing to control it. Unluckily for Kyle Walker, he intercepted the ball thanks to Rooney's control but only succeeded in prodding it into the net. What luck for us and them! The game then changed and we started controlling more of the possession and created a bit more (we had created almost zero before the goal). As the match wore on and the longer it stayed at 1-0, Tottenham started taking more risks going forward and caused lots of panic at the back for us. Somehow, we saw off the threat and kept the slender lead as well as the crucial 3 points.
The team didn't play particularly well. There were only sporadic moments where we really threatened. We held possession well at certain periods in the match but a lot of times we held on to possession for too long without finding the penetration needed to create more chances and score. Matteo Darmian had a great game at right back. He was solid defensively, always at the right place, at the right time, mopping up the danger. He was rightly voted as the Man Of The Match by the United fans. If there is a slight criticism I would have of him it would be that he doesn't take on his opposing full back enough and get down to the by-line to put in crosses or get involved in attacks.
I am surprised that he was brought off and it made a big and nearly costly difference as Antonio Valencia wasn't quite switched on mentally immediately. Sergio Romero had some shaky moments with the ball at his feet but he made up for it with some crucial saves and interventions at the end when the pressure was intensive. The manager made a good point on it being his first match with the team. He has to learn English quickly because it will help him communicate better with the back line and he would be more confident.
Chris Smalling keeps surprising me. I had always seen him as a calm but at times lightweight player, a laid-back character but he was solid on Saturday. He made good tackles and won his one-on-one duels.
Daley Blind, I feel would be targeted as the weak link as long as he plays in the centre of the defence. He is great with the ball at his feet and at interceptions but as the commentator of the game has rightly pointed out, he could be exposed if he comes up against speedy attackers or big, tall attackers that like the ball in the air more than at feet. Let's see how he does. We do hope he copes with it as it serves us well.
Morgan Schneiderlin had an average, mixed match. He did well with his tackles and interceptions but lost possession or got caught on it at other times. I was surprised at the substitution of Michael Carrick who wasn't at his best but had a decent match nevertheless. Carrick traditionally needs games to get into groove and the more he plays the better he gets. Bastian Schweinsteiger came on and tried to make a difference. He had something different the other central midfielders didn't have and that was looking to go forward to join the attack.
Memphis had an average game. We didn't see much of his speed or too many dangerous attacks and combinations with players around him. He was trying too hard to impress I feel. I feel maybe he is better off and would be far more effective and dangerous playing on the wing.
Ander Herrera came on to bring something different to the game but unfortunately the ball was not in our half too much for him to make any telling impact. He did try though.
Next for United is an away trip to Villa Park. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Villa Park was like a second home to us but our away record has been so poor last season that we got to start the game feeling cautious and apprehensive. Our away record has to improve this season and it has to start this Friday or Saturday morning, if you are staying in the same time zone as me. I feel the team will be tweaked further before we get a system and starting team that allows us to express fully as a team.
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