Irritating Draw

I was quite surprised that Louis Van Gaal had spoken about being contented with a point gained from Manchester United's 3rd Champions League group match against CSKA Moscow. I would have preferred all 3 to secure qualification early and hopefully top spot too in the group. This week and the match against CSKA was a test for the new United after a season without Champions League or any European football for that matter. It was a tough test as the journey from Manchester to Moscow was far and the weather conditions quite different to what the players would normally experience in England. Another challenge faced was the focus and concentration that was required of the team on this match and not to be distracted by the next one, which is a big game against Manchester City in the Manchester derby.

I was interested to see from the start on the squad Van Gaal would field and thankfully he did rotate a bit from Saturday's win over Everton but I was surprised he retained the midfield pairing of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin instead of rotating one with Michael Carrick. United started the match pretty well, holding on to good possession but it just didn't click for United in the final third as passes were misplaced or the United players were dispossessed or tackled well by CSKA Moscow. The home side on one of their first attacks forward then got a penalty for a silly handball by Anthony Martial (he's only human and developing as a youngster). David De Gea did well to save the penalty but United's defenders were too slow to respond to the second ball and that allowed CSKA to take the lead through Seydou Doumbia. United then lost a bit of composure as the passes got more erratic and they were not making any headway at all going forward. United didn't threaten at all in the first half. A lot of possession was kept but it was going nowhere but sideways and backwards.

In the second half, Van Gaal introduced Marouane Fellaini and I had thought that United would immediately look to put in more crosses and lump long balls at Fellaini but it didn't quite happen. Slowly, United built a head of steam to increase the pressure and intensity of play and got the deserved equaliser through Martial with a diving header. United had a decent opportunity before the goal through Wayne Rooney but he headed straight at Igor Akinfeev. After the equaliser, United had the upper hand but didn't press hard and long enough to get a second goal. They tried but it wasn't enough. I am sure they could have done more but they didn't. I have noticed that in some matches when United have had to come back from a goal down (especially last season), they tend to struggle to get a second after getting the equaliser and fail to capitalise on the superiority and momentum they had build leading to the equaliser. This is an aspect the team has to improve to convert losses into draws and draws into wins.

Thankfully, Van Gaal did acknowledge that he was unhappy that United were passing too slowly in the first half. They did better in the second half but I feel they can do better. Rooney had a subdued game for his standard. He did decently but we expect more from him and we know he is capable of more. Martial was well marked by CSKA's Mario Fernandes and that was the first time since he was signed that I noticed someone shackle him so well but credit to him for not letting his head drop after conceding the penalty to go on and then score the equaliser. Herrera didn't have the same impact that he did in the match against Everton but did better in the second half. The result left me feeling irritated because I just feel they played within themselves and could have done more to score more.

Now that CSKA is out of the way, we can all focus on the Manchester derby. Although both sides played on the same day, it must be noted that City played at home while United travelled far to play in testing conditions for their Champions League match. Another test for the new United awaits now. I would be interested to see how Van Gaal lines up on Sunday and how he prepares the team as they overcome the fatigue of travel and match day. United had a great result last season against City at Old Trafford and I hope for more of the same but would even settle for a 1-0 win. Good luck to the Red Devils! I hope it all goes well for us.