First I want to apologize for the missing live report of the game against Sunderland and lack of analysis yesterday, but I have been the victim of no life an internet interruption since Saturday evening, right at the start of the game.
The home game against Sunderland certainly wasn’t our best game at OT, but there were positive things about it. Obviously most positive were the three points we took home and Saha’s return, but also the presence of Anderson, who made his home debut and Hargreaves who once more was a solid rock in the midfield.
Our play style was the same oppressive, possessive game we’ve seen every match this season so far: most of the possession, territory dominance. But again we played most through the middle and didn’t find the hole upfront, the splicing passes stayed out.
It is obvious that we are missing Ronnie’s influence and we have too many playmakers in the middle: Owen, Scholes and Tevez. Carrick was benched and Giggs suffered a hamstring strain on Friday. Chris Eagles replaced the United legend, but couldn’t make a difference either.
When Saha came on for Anderson in the second half, the game changed and Tevez got more freedom to roam the pitch, Saha being our target man now. With his first contact in the box, Saha forced Gordon to a full stretch and a great save, but only minutes later the Frenchman headed the game home for the Reds.
Remarkable is how fast Owen has claimed the main role in the midfield, certainly in the defensive department, but even offensively Hargreaves is a genuine refreshment. It will be a delight to see the former Bayern Munich star combine with Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez in some weeks.
After the disappointment with 2 draws and the loss against Citeh, I think things start to look better now and goals soon will fall. Especially with Ronnie’s return against Everton and Rooney hopefully fit too on Saturday 16th September. The day we’ll showcase our new away kit for the first time.