United players in the centre circle after conceding against Arsenal in agreement with the writer that Football can be S**te!
That general feeling of hopelessness and loss when your club has just suffered a major defeat in a season devoid of joy.It harms one or two vital organs of the body. It kills the point of life. It's evil. Sadly, you cannot escape it. The newspapers, the podcasts, the TV Shows are all over the place these days that unless you rid yourself of all the human senses, you will sooner or later be reminded of a night that you cannot forget fast enough.
That's football. The only sure medicine to it moving on. Bouncing back. It's not a permanent cure because we shall for instance always remember that Portsmouth knocked us out of the FA Cup quarterfinal in 2008 at Old Trafford to deny us an historic second Treble that season. We moved on. It's time we moved on from Monday's defeat.
Among the many frustrations with Louis van Gaal from the terraces and the like is a tendency to fix things when it isn't broke. It's far from deliberate, because his stature as a perfectionist means that he is alive more to the flaws than anything else. The pragmatism that has defined his latter years as a coach does little to help ease the burden of watching United these days. It's different from last season because you know he will get it right when he stops being misunderstood by the rest of the world (that includes the players and fans).
The danger though is more imminent than that. Much more imminent. Tottenham Hotspur provide the opposition on prime time Sunday in a start of a run of game that will ultimately define our season. We're just a point off Arsenal in third place but it is Liverpool that are the biggest threat to us and Champions League football next season. We will still be 4th come kick off on Sunday because the Dippers play on Monday, but given the next fixture is at Anfield, there is a real possibility of dropping out of the elite places between this weekend and the next, never mind May.
And so, in a shootout for a season's target, does LVG get his players to continue along the line of progression of mastering his own philosophy or is time to put the brakes on that particular project and play to the truism that the players embody and understand if only just to get the results that could yet save our season. The decision is his to make, and ours to ponder over.
Spurs are by no means an agricultural side and so in the least, one hopes the manager will trust the footballing talents of our more creative midfielders as opposed to going with the big Belgian from the start. It's a welcome tactic towards the end of proceedings but it is disgusting to watch in the first half. The London side have a remarkable record at Old Trafford in recent years beating us in each of the last 3 fixtures after having recovered from 25 years without a win on our ground. Pochettino is too brilliant a manager not to be alive to our weaknesses in defence and attack so it is no use attempting to hide them. United are better off going for the kill on Sunday.
LVG (Pictured) needs to stick to what is working albeit inefficiently for now.
Spurs themselves still have Champions League ambitions. It means in perspective, qualifying for the Champions League is very much in our hands. We have a chance to dent the prospects of each of our rivals in what should be 10 Cup finals for us between now and May. It is imperative that the players leave everything onto the pitch. At least we as fans will take whatever results come our way if we've not been treated to watching folks stroll through the park only concerned about getting the next pass accurate.
Di Maria is suspended for this one so Juan Mata should not find it difficult to get back in the side. The feeling though is that Januzaj might be preferred. Regardless, it will mater naught if Ander Herrera, the best at the club in his position, starts and finishes the game. Goodness knows we would be in the FA Cup semi if he had played beyond half time.
With Arsenal having the fodder of West Ham at home on the Saturday, the pressure will be very much on come Sunday both from the top and the bottom. United need to stand up and be counted at this of all times in the season or God help us all we might need morphine come Monday, because Football can be S***e!
