The overwhelming emotion at full time would be one of relief, ultimate, unequivocal relief. It's like you have been locked up a long time in a jail and have just been set free. Manchester United made heavy weather of beating CSKA Moscow. In his post-match comments, Louis Van Gaal stated the fact that United have never beaten Russian opposition at Old Trafford and this would be the first time they have done so. It would have either been the first time they have had four 0-0s in a row or the first win over a Russian team at Old Trafford. A smash and grab win for the Russians would have been the other eventuality. Thankfully, United got the win. As fans, we can all thank God (in whichever guise you believe Him to be) for that.
Did United deserve the win? Yes. They dominated possession, had more attempts at goal and more corners. Truthfully, United should have won this tie earlier and more comfortably. They started brightly enough. The players looked sharp and vibrant going forward albeit a bit wayward in their shooting. The longer the game went at 0-0, United grew anxious and nervous while the CSKA grew in confidence. CSKA deserve credit for their defensive organisation and defensive display throughout the game. Their performance was also helped by some misplaced final passes, long passes that were not accurate enough, crosses that were easily cut out and a well-worked offside trap.
Marcos Rojo had two great chances to score in either half but in both cases, he put it wide. Wayne Rooney started off brightly but besides an early shot that was rushed wide, he had no other attempts until that incredible miss in the second half. That miss epitomises Rooney this season. A little unlucky to get his first attempt blocked but not sharp enough on the rebound, allowing him to be easily dispossessed. Jesse Lingard started brightly in the first half on the left and then skied a couple of attempts when in good position and made a hash of being in good positions in the final third. Michael Carrick had a snapshot that went wide. Anthony Martial was double and triple marked. Set pieces were as good as useless as it has been all season because it posed no threat at the opposition goal. I don't know if the players are even practising it during training and if they are, I am not sure if they practising hard enough. These were the episodes of missed chances and ineffectiveness before the goal was scored.
It was quite remarkable to hear the Old Trafford crowd show its displeasure at the end of the first half and then again when Martial was brought off for Marouane Fellaini. I believe the frustration and displeasure of recent displays finally came to the fore. If this had been Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter, Juventus or Bayern Munich, Van Gaal would have been made known of the displeasure in earlier games and he would know having managed two of the above mentioned teams. He is lucky to have found passionate but yet supportive and patient fans at United. It's also a culture thing as Latin fans are quicker to voice their displeasure. Bayern is not a Latin club but the fans are known to be very demanding and less patient. Clearly the United fans at Old Trafford had a message for Van Gaal and the players yesterday and that was they had to buck up as such displays are unacceptable.
Personally I feel the decision to replace Martial was the right one. He was well-marshalled all throughout the game and as a result, he had little success in getting anything to come off. He couldn't dribble past his markers, he was getting caught offside and was cutting a frustrated figure. Do not forget that this is a 19-year-old boy we are talking about, a player that is far from the finished article. He has a lot more to grow and develop. It was wise to take him off the firing line. However, I expected more from his replacement, Fellaini. The only telling contribution the big Belgian made was a vital headed clearance from a CSKA corner. In the attacking sense, he looked lost between playing the number 10 behind Rooney and the number 8 in centre midfield. To be fair to him, there were not many crosses or set pieces into the box after he came on and it was right to bring him on to challenge Sergei Ignashevitch and Andrei Berezutski who are both commanding in the air. Unfortunately, he didn't get much chances to play up against them and I wasn't too pleased with his involvement. I don't think he did his chances of starting the next match any good.
Jesse Lingard though, put a shaky end to the first half behind him with a great second half. He was United's most dangerous attacking outlet and was especially dangerous when he was shifted to the right flank. He was responsible for setting up Rooney's goal with a cushioned cross after latching on to Michael Carrick's pass. It looks easy but it is a difficult skill to execute and Rooney showed his true self by planting the header beyond Igor Akinfeev. Lingard would be the undoubted choice as the Man Of The Match for United. Prior to the goal, United were nearly hit by the sucker punch when Seydou Doumbia was played through by his partner Ahmed Musa. His first attempt was blocked by David De Gea, who until then was largely a spectator in the game. As he latched on to the loose ball, it looked odds on that he would score to deliver a sickening blow to United as Ashley Young slipped while rushing to the line to block the follow up but out of nowhere, Chris Smalling (or Mike or Michael whichever you prefer) dived in like a superhero to block the effort on the line. That block was worth as much as Rooney's goal.
On individual performances, it was right for Young to keep his role as an auxiliary right back after Matteo Darmian's horror showing against Crystal Palace. I am not convinced of Daley Blind as a centre back and feel safer when Phil Jones plays there instead. Michael Carrick was incisive with his passes but after lasting the full match, I doubt he will start on Saturday against West Bromwich Albion. Bastian Schweinsteiger did well to provide mobility from centre midfield with his dribbles and driving forward with the ball. Juan Mata's place is under threat as he had minimal impact on the game and with a very strong performance by Lingard on the right wing, I feel his place is under severe threat. We would wait to see if Martial will be on the bench or will start on Saturday and if he does start, will he be on the left flank or up front? I am in favour of taking Martial out of the firing line to give him a breather. Memphis like Fellaini did their chances of starting no good. I feel Rooney is better off as a number 10 than as the lone striker. I hope Saturday could see the introduction of Andreas Pereira if Martial doesn't start.
On the performance, there were glimpses to suggest that United are capable of playing better, at a higher tempo but not enough to suggest that it's a rejuvenated attack now. There is an air of anxiety around the penalty box and the sooner the team scores and the more goals they get, the less pressure the forward players will feel. I get a sense that the forward players are not sure where and how the next goal is going to come from and that uncertainty eats at the players the longer it remains at 0-0. This is a psychological issue that the coaching staff has to address but the best way for the team to overcome this would be to start scoring goals freely. United got to seriously do something about the set-pieces. It is becoming anti-climatic whenever we get a free kick or corner. Short corners are getting messed up, direct deliveries from free-kicks and corners are not dangerous enough and direct free-kicks either crash into the wall or go over. Mata used to be one of the most deadliest from a free kick and yet he has not got a free-kick right all season. Memphis came with a big reputation with the most number of goals scored from a free kick in Europe last season but he too has not got it right. Rooney like most things he has tried out this season hasn't got the set piece delivery right too.
We don't know what to expect on Saturday when West Bromwich Albion visit Old Trafford. I don't expect the visitors to be the most adventurous in their approach. The onus will fall on United to create chances and find gaps to score. The earlier they score the better because at the moment that is what the team needs the most and that is what is needed in these matches, an early goal.
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